Penni60

Thanks Vera: Of course it makes perfect sense now. LOLOLOL:D :) :D

HI Angela: CONGRATS to you on the 60 lb loss that is awesome. I was banded in April 04 and have lost 42 lbs as of this morning. We are all such losers. LOL!!!!!!

I am sure if I thought about it long and hard I could figure out what it means but I just don't have the brain power right now. So, what does NSV stand for??? HUGE KUDO's to Alex. Great job! Keep it up.

Leatha: You would think the Sternal position would be between the breasts. But I would highly doubt they would position it there. Sternal position is just a landmark notation for the surgeon or whoever is going to access the port of where to look and feel for the port. The port would be very uncomfortable if it was positioned between the breasts. And it could be damaged if the person needed CPR. LOL!!!

Teresa: GOOD LUCK getting your records. Oh when you ask for them make sure they send ENGLISH copies. I had to finally call the hospital where I had the procedure and ask them to send me a copy. LOPEZ' office still has not sent mine. I got mine in the mail the other day and was all excited to read them being an RN you now. Well I realized I can't read SPANISH. LOL!! Everything was in Spanish. NOTHING was in English. So make sure you ask for an ENGLISH copy. I would advise just calling the hospital where you were banded and asking for a copy to be sent to your home. Or to the doc you are going to. Don't wait on Lopez you will never get them. Mind you it isn't him that is the delay it is Carmen and Nora cause they don't get in a hurry for anyone. LOL!! Just my two cents worth.

GOOD suggestions Donali. I know if I was on my blood pressure medications it would keep my heart rate from going up. I had a treadmill test done one time and they told me to not take that pill the morning of the test or they would never get my heart up. So, pay attention to what pills you are taking. I agree with Donali about the aerobic activity. IF I did the stair master right now I would DIE. LOL!!!

Donali: I love the bra. IT is really pretty. LOL!!! The incisions look like they are closed really well. I see what you mean about the dog ear but I think it is mostly inflammation and could go down. I might be wrong but I think it will decrease in size once all the swelling disappears. Scars always look their worst around this time. Get some mederma cream or Vitamin E and put on them.

Alex your girls are gorgeous. I remember when mine were that young. Oh the days of our lives.

donali: I knew you could do it. I would much rather take my own stitches out than have someone else do it for me. I am just that much of a control freak. LOL!!!! Waiting on those pics.

Yes mine is easily felt but it is tilted and hard to access for the doc. One of the things we hope to correct with this next surgery. IT is hard and you can feel the edges of it. At least I can feel mine.

Ann: I notice that you are in Southern Calif. Where to be exact? I am in Van Nuys (San Fernando Valley). The reason I ask is there is a support group meeting at my house on the 25th starting at 1p till 4p. You are most welcome to attend. Email me at penni60@aol.com and I will send you directions if you would like to attend. Anyone else interested is welcome as well. It is pot luck and we will exchange clothes. So come and enjoy. Also, I have a pool so bring your bathing suit as well.

Mine is to the right of my belly button (if you are looking at my belly) or the left if I am looking at my belly. And it is mid way between my rib cage and my waste. So not sure about yours. Is Dr. Rumbault gonna do the fill? If so then he should know where it is located. Get him to point it out. Below the waist seems like a weird place for the port and way too low but there might have been something about your anatomy that it needed to be placed there.

Alex: I wish it was local but alas it is under general. They have to go in as if they were banding me. I haven't heard from the nurse yet so I will call her again in the morning and see what we can get accomplished. I will keep you guys posted. Getting my drool rag out and washed. He is really cute. Did I mention that? I am gonna have to get a pic of him and post it here. Then you guys will see what I mean.

Might not hurt to give them a call and let them know. They might just say take them out. Better safe than sorry.

So, I went to see Dr. Billy on Friday the 9th of July. I showed him the protrusion thingy on my belly. There are pictures of it somewhere on this site. Do a search for "Protrusion thingy". ANyway, he said it was due to the tubing being bunched up in that area. He can fix it with a quick surgery. I have called the Insurance Coordinator and she called my insurance co and lo and behold they WILL cover the surgery. The only thing is he is out of network but I would have paid the whole cost just to get this fixed. I have talked to the office nurse and just waiting on a date to schedule it. I want it done this week or Monday of next week. I have family coming in from out of town at the end of the month and I wanna be able to enjoy the visit. While he is in there he is planning on doing a revision of my port as well because it is tilted. That made it hard to access the other day for the fill. So, I will keep you posted on the surgery date. Isn't it amazing that you call someone and get an answer right then or they actually call you back. LOL!!!!

Thank you for that clarification. That is very interesting. Email me and I will share. How long has it been since you had the surgery almost 13 days? The stitches can come out after 10. I used to take mine out myself all the time. Sharp scissors and a couple of cuts and voila' they can be pulled out. Just remember to grab the knot and pull with that end not the other way around. OUCH!! Did that once. I had a stitch embed once after my tubal. Wasn't a pretty picture and man did it hurt getting that sucker out. It didn't last long but it was tender while they did it.

Donali: The stitches sound like they are embedding into the skin. It just means that they might hurt some when they are removed. Hey, got a question for you. Do you have a friend by the name of Diane Beck? I heard from Anita Jordan from Belighter.com that she is the US liason for Dr. Lopez now. Is that true? Just curious!!

Terry, you make a good point. Initially we were discussing only sending in funny stories. But the more I have thought about it ANY story you want to share will be good. The story of your daughter's wreck is an awesome one and how you reflected on it. Send that to me in an email. Penni60@aol.com Send any and all stories everyone. Good, Funny, Bad, Reflective, Inspirational, Supportive, etc. Send your full name, email, date of banding, beginning weight and present weight along with how much you have lost with the email.

Terry: I am so thankful that your daughter was not injured severely in the car wreck. That is a scary issue. I will keep both you and your family in my prayers.

OOPS!!!

ALEX!!! Welcome HOME!!! Long Island is a beautiful place. When my sweetie used to live in CT, I would fly up to visit. I would fly into ISLIP on Long Island and he would meet me by coming over on the Ferry from Bridgeport, CT. There is this cute little restaurant right there a block from the ferry pier that has the most scrumptious Blackened Salmon that melted in your mouth. The Ferry was an adventure. The quickest way to get from the Island to CT from the airport. Anyway, I digress glad you are home.

Birdee: Ever considered doing a juice fast to jump start the metabolism again? Also, are you drinking your 64 oz of water every day? That is a huge catalyst in weight loss. Have you had your thyroid among other blood work done lately? Two weeks is not necessarily enough time to see a weight loss with the exercising. I have been at a plateau for a month now and just got a fill. I am trying to do a juice fast once a week and drink my water every day. Plateaus are difficult and they will come and go in this process. The thing to be thankful for is that you have NOT gained any. Everyone's metabolism is different. What works for some may not work for others. You just have to find what works for you. How much of a fill do you have? Have you discussed all this with your doctor? IF so what does he say? Are you keeping track of what your intake is? Maybe you need to get the program Fitday.com and start doing this. It is a real eye opener as to what you are taking in. Maybe too many fats, carbs, proteins, etc. These all play a factor in how and how fast we lose weight. These are just my opinion. COngrats on the weight loss so far. Keep going you will succeed.

SMALL BITES, SLOW DOWN, and CHEW CHEW CHEW!!! Stop when you get the first inclination of restriction. Do not talk when eating at all. IF you must talk during a meal wait till you have finished CHEWING. Only put on your plate what you believe you can finish. That might only be a tablespoon of food to start out. Protein first then veggies then starches if at all. DO NOT DRINK when eating. Save the drinking till after the meal is done and then small sips only. ENJOY the food. SAVOR each bite. I chew Soup believe it or not. LOL!!!

I have received ONE story so far. Where are all the stories????

Just an update to this thread. I saw Dr. Billy and he said the protrusion thingy was part of the tubing and it had bunched up in that area. Sorta like excess tubing of sorts. It needs to be repaired so I am facing another surgery soon. See "Dr. Billy appointment" in this section to read my take on him as a surgeon.