Penni60

I have a passport but the picture doesn't look like me anymore. SIGH!! Guess it is time for a new one. Or not. LOL!!! Might wait the 10 years for it to expire and then get a new pic. LOL!!

Melissa: I am so glad you got it fixed. Did they give you bunches of antibiotics? I am surprised they did not take the port out and let the area heal since it was compromised by the tubing poking through. But hopefully they gave you some good antibiotics. Keep us posted on how you are healing.

Brighteyes: Everyone here has said the exact thing I was going to post. Every surgeon has different protocols for pre-op and post-op. Doesn't mean one is better than the other. They all have the same goal in mind and that is to let the stomach heal before introducing solid foods. That is very important to remember. You will do fine with your surgery. I was banded April 6, 2004 (9 mths ago) and have lost 57 lbs to date. That might seem a small amount to some but let me tell you those 57 lbs mean alot to me. If I hit the one year mark and have only lost a total of 60 lbs I will be happy. If I hit the one year mark and haven't lost anymore than the 57 lbs I will be happy. THat is 57 lbs I wouldn't have lost without the band. Any loss is to be celebrated. Any gain is to be celebrated if you are banded. That might sound crazy to say but let me explain. Think about what you would have gained had you not been banded. Then double it. So gaining with the band is still minimal when compared to gaining without the band. Yes it is discouraging but it can be reversed easier with the band than without. Ok off my soapbox now. Being banded has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me. I have not been at this weight for 25 years. How cool is that? And I am more active and healthier than I have been in years. My prayers will be with you on the 11th.

Well this trip was supposed to be relaxing and rejuvenating, but alas it has been neither. I just heard that my sister the crazy one was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. There is other things going on with me that is personal and I am dealing with that as well on this trip along with my sis diagnosis. So I am in a state of funk at the beginning of 2005 like I was at the end of 2004. SIGH!!

Here is a great sunset last night.

Just relaxing here in the hotel. Westward Look Resort is a great place for relaxing. Went on a driving exploration yesterday and took some pics. Here are a couple of them.

Melissa: Yes they did have to open me up but they went in the same incision from my original port placement. It was an outpatient surgery and I went home the same day. I recuperated and was back to normal within two days. Not nearly as much pain as the first surgery to place the band so this repositioning of the band is not nearly as bad. At least it wasn't for me. I agree with Michelle, you should have a doc touch the site and fell around. Just pics alone can't help them make a diagnosis. I could feel the tubing myself when I pushed on the area. GO TO YOUR DOC!!

Melissa: If it is not infected, which I can't be sure just from the pics, I would bet the tubing is bunching up. That is what mine looked like. I had to have the port repositioned and now everything lies flat. DO NOT let anyone tell you it will "go away with more weight loss". That is a bunch of hooey. If the tubing pokes through then the next step will be to have the port removed then wait till that heals and have another one placed. DO NOT let his go untreated or at least looked at by a physician that knows what to look for in regards to bands.

Ok just weighed myself and I lost the 5 lbs I gained and managed to lose 2 lbs more on top of that. WHOO HOO!! Down to 239 now. I am so thrilled. By the way, I leave today for almost two weeks. I am heading to Tucson, AZ for an 11 day sabbatical. I will have my laptop but probably won't be online much. Keep up the work ladies it does pay off.

Babs: That would be Nashville, TN. I was going to hook up with Michelle when I was in town and she lives in Nashville vicinity.

RICA here is side by side pics. You are gorgeous girl.

I truly believe that Water is the new weight loss secret that no one has truly discovered yet. When I don't drink enough I get all bloated and feel sluggish and gain weight. When I drink at least the 64 oz I feel GREAT and loose weight. Just amazing isn't it? I join your challenge and will drink at least 40 oz before bedtime tonight. Then tomorrow I will drink the 64 oz then kick it up every day 8 oz. We can do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey I am sooooooooooooooooooooo there. I need a boob lift, arms done, lipo suction EVERYWHERE, thigh lift, tummy tuck, eyebrow lift, and oh maybe just a little face lift as well. SO when ya wanna go??

I am home tucked safe away. LOL!! Ok the trip was long and tiring but also rewarding. Landed in Nashville to a winter wonderland. Snow and Ice all over the place including the roads. Just beautiful!! My daughter took lots of pics so she is sending me some. I took some but my camera went on the blink and not sure what pics I got or not. But anyway, we landed and the car rental place rented our reserved car out from under us and we had to fight to find another rental place that had one available. We found one and I cussed out the other people. THey are giving us a $130 check for the difference we had to pay to rent a car. I will NEVER EVER use them again. THRIFTY used to be so nice and helpful. SIGH!! Got the car, hit the road to drive a 45 min normal trip that took us nearly 2 hours to get to our hotel in Clarksville. I was a nervous wreck till we hit the hotel. We checked in and then met my two daughters and their husbands at Outback Steakhouse for Christmas Eve dinner. Had a blast and Mexican coffee helped with the nerves. Let me repeat that Mexican Coffee helped with the nerves. Let me repeat that Mexican Coffee helped with the nerves. LOLOL!!!! At about 10p we all finally headed to our respective hotel rooms. Got a GREAT night sleep by the way. Headed to Waffle House for Breakfast since that was the only thing opened Christmas Morning. Well I should say we did a slippedty slide to Waffle House. The roads were still covered in snow and ice. Then headed over to my daughter's place in Clarksville for the festivities. Her road was packed solid of snow and ice as well. I walked into the house and there in the middle of the room was my grandmother's restored rocking chair. I set down and cried like a baby. Later that day when everyone was outside sliding down the hill in the snow and ice I was inside rocking my grandson in my grandmother's rocking chair that she used to rock me to sleep in. HEAVEN!!!! I was crying the whole time. Then I put him to bed and he said "I wuv you momma 2" then he kissed me and laid down in his bed. Priceless!!! John took a pic of me and Eli, grandson, playing with one of his christmas toys I got him. He is so precious to me. I miss him so much. The sad thing about that day was my mom could not make it in due to the bad weather. It was too dangerous for her to drive in and for someone to drive to get her. The interstate was shut down between us and her so we couldn't even get to her. We both cried on the phone when we realized she wasn't gonna make it. We were both heartbroken. I have to plan another trip in soon to go visit her. I got her a brand new 25 inch Color TV and DVD/VCR player for Christmas. She was watching a 19 inch TV that was older than me. It was ready to go kaput. She was thrilled with her present. My daughter and her hubby took it to her a week ago because of the weather issues. Good thing HUH?? We get home last night and Bradley, my son, is dying to open a gift. So we let him open ONE. It was a DVD from John. THE ROCK with Sean Connery. I love that man. Sean that is. LOL!! Bradley loved it. Then we are all off to beddie bye. We were bone tired from travel all day. I did a PB on the plane coming home. UGH!! Ate too much too fast. That was the only time though. Thank God we were able to upgrade to First Class otherwise I would have been in trouble. I was right beside the bathroom. OH OH OH!!! NSV to announce. I can wipe myself in the airplane bathrooms without having to stand up. ISN'T THAT A HOOT?!!! Anyway, this morning we open the rest of our gifts. I got a Canon EOS 10D camera. I am so thrilled. I am learning all the buttons on it now. IT is the coolest gift by far. John got a ROCKY J SQUIRREL to go with Bullwinkle. LOL!! Pics to follow later. I also got an Ab Lounger. WHOO HOO!!! Can't wait to try that out. Bradley got several computer games, DVD's, and an over 3000 piece Lego's Star Wars Destroyer which he has pieces scattered all over the Great Room now. LOL!! He was so happy. John also got a "History of the Yankees Team" leather bound book from me. He got a 40 year DVD collection of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. He got an Eric Clapton Guitar Collection of great performers. He is thrilled. All in all it was a great Christmas. I am happy to be home now and to finish the rest of the Christmas season. We have some people to visit still and to distrubute our gifts to them but otherwise we are done. As soon as I have pics to share I will post them. Hope you all had a safe and Merry Christmas and will have a safe and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Zoe: I can't find it either. HMMM?!! Wonder what happened to it. I am gonna do some more investigating and see what I can find. I am not even getting anymore emails saying there are new posts.

OH Lisa of course you can come with us. I just didn't hear you chime in saying you were going. But heck yeah we all can go together. What fun????

OK back from my holiday thrills of Tennessee, Land of Snow and ICE. It was pretty but very treacherous. Got on the scales this morning and I lost 3 of the 5 lbs I had gained. WHOO HOO!! Hearing about all the fun everyone is having sliding down the hill on cardboard: PRICELESS Spending time with all 4 of my kids and their spouses: PRICELESS Laughing till we pee: PRICELESS & HILARIOUS Rocking your grandson in your grandmother's chair your daughter and sweetie had restored for you: PRICELESS and lots of tissue. Mom not being able to make it to the Christmas party: Upsetting but smart due to bad weather. This Christmas was the best ever except for Mom not being able to make it.

I am just letting you know I am flying out tomorrow morning for Nashville, TN The Land of SNOW, ICE, and idiots on the road. SIGH!! I will not be home or back online till Monday the 27th. Christmas will be fun this year with all the snow and ice. I will make sure to take pics. I might just get a snowball fight started. Haven't done that in years. The grandkids would love that. LOL!!! Have a wonderful and joyous and safe Holiday everyone.

Here is my suggestion. First, are you trying to upload an avatar or post to a thread? Two entirely different things. Second, If it is an Avatar then it has to be 50 x 50 size. I am offering to resize your pic for you if you send it to me via email. (Penni60@aol.com). Third, If it is an post to a thread that is simply done. Open up or click on post reply and then scroll down to where you see "Additional Options". In that box there will be something that says "Attach Files". CLick on Manage Attachements and then click on browse and find your pic you want to attach. Once you find the pic then click on upload after the upload is done click on "Close this window". Then hit Submit Reply. Your pic should be in the post then. Hope this helps. I am leaving town tomorrow morning and won't be back till Sunday night late. So if you want me to resize your pics send them anyway but know I won't get to them till Monday the 27th.

OK I am so there. Michelle maybe we can travel this journey together?

Always wanted to go to Michigan. Hey we planned a hell of a good band get together last Oct in Vegas. So any planning needed count me in.

LOVE LOVE LOVE KIMALICIOUS

And that my dear friends is why I love this woman. Chris just needs to watch out. LOLOL

Darcey, Jack, and Barbara B: CONGRATULATIONS and come post letting us know how you are doing.

Megan you are delivering a child. A MALE child that is. Har har har!!!