Penni60

MIchelle: You left Billy off the list. That looks like the list I got from Lopez when I asked for doctors he recommends. I use Dr. Helmuth Billy in Ventura, CA. He is awesome.

Zoe: You KNOW I can't resist this challenge. I am so all over this one. LOL!!!! Pedometers range from around $10 to $30. I got mine at Walmart. Just need one that counts steps and mileage and calories. Don't need a fancy one. I will check in on Monday. (By the way, I start training for my Las Vegas Marathon on Monday too. So this will keep me motivated.) Thanks Zoe

Kathy, how cute you were as a baby. What happened? LOL!! No just kidding. And your daughter is a doll. Hope you don't mind I put them side by side.

WHOO HOO!!!!! CELEBRATION!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOLY MOLY!!! We sure have come a long long way HUH Lisa? From that first meeting to the Vegas Bash last October. I want it to be SEPTEMBER NOW>>>>>>>>

WHAT? No one else wants to share pics? COME ON PUHLLLLLLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guess she got cold feet?

Beginning my marathon training on Monday. UGH!! Tell me,...no someone convince me that this is a good thing. THis marathon thingy. Hey if I back out at least I can live it up with Lisa in Vegas. We can go crash the WYNN hotel. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AFter the upset on Idol I am scared to watch Survivor tonight. Geez!!! I soooooooo want Steph to win the whole enchilada.

OK Kelly sent me her shipping address. I have not heard from the others. If you don't let me know your address then I can't ship them. HELLO??????!!!!! Send it to my aol address listed in the previous posts. If I don't hear from the rest of you guys soon then I will send them all to Kelly.

I try to do a 30min (minimum) to a 5 hour (maximum) walk / run everyday. Yes that is a huge difference but on the days when I don't do a HUGE walk I do cardio and toning exercises. Pilates is great. I have the Mari Winsor Pilates series (the 20 min beginner's tape is the best one). I also have Ana Caban 20 min beginner's tape as well. Both are great. I think that Ana's tape is easier to follow though. Exercise Ball is another good way to get in a 20 min workout. When I don't exercise I am sluggish all day. I also notice that I lose around 0.5 lb to 2 lbs a week when I exercise, eat right, and drink my fluids. If I don't notice a loss I look at my measurements because most likely I am losing inches and not lbs. If you are losing neither then you are building muscles that will aide in losting fat. So if you do something for at least 20 min a day that will increase your heart rate that is better than doing nothing.

The old adage really does apply here. "Shit floats to the surface every time." So happy for you guys. I am wondering when the party will be. Let me see, hmmm,... I am booked up through next week. How about week after? LOL!!!! HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lisa and I were consoling each other on the phone last night. IT is all a conspiracy. They did not want ot have another Ruben / Clay at the end. Cause we all know it would have come down to Bo or Constantine. So they got rid of Constantine to stop the dilemma. SIGH!!! He will be missed.

I was a combo. Breast fed till I was about a year old then bottle. I don't hold much to this theory. It doesn't matter whether you are breast or bottle fed. Both are great nutritional for the baby. The point where the infants or children can get into trouble is when you switch them to Whole Milk or what I like to call "table milk". That has such a HIGH FAT content that we are doing more harm than good. Not to mention all the additives the dairy farms are putting in the milk now. Oy Vie!! I breast fed my first child for about a hot minute. She was allergic to my milk. She threw up after every time I fed her. Did alot for my self esteem I can tell you. She took Infamil just fine though. Go figure.

Awww thanks Betty. I missed you guys too.....

I know there are other travelers out there. I just got home from being gone almost a whole month. I was afraid to step on the scale when I get home. I knew I had gained weight. I did manage to weigh myself on some scales while I was gone and it showed I had packed on 10 lbs. I was skeptical but it had an affect on me nonetheless. I got on the home scale this morning and it showed I had only gained 2 lbs from when I left home. HOORAY!!! That is HUGE!!!!!! Only two lbs. And that is most likely water. I am so proud of myself.

1. What is your first name? Penni 2. How long have you been banded? 1 year and 11 days LOL!! 3. How much weight have you lost? 55 lbs 4. What was your favorite food pre-banding? OH NO!! I have to pick just ONE. Mostly breads. 5. What is your favorite food now? OH NO!! I have to pick just ONE. LOL!! Proteins, Soups, veggies, chips, fritos, cheetos, OOPS!! those snuck in. 6. Are there any foods you can't or don't eat? Breads still give me problems. 7. What is your favorite snack food? OH NO!! I have to pick just ONE. LOL!! Is this redundant or what. I LOVE FOOD. THat is what got me here to begin with. 8. Has your SO changed towards you in any way since you were banded? He gets scared when I go shopping now. LOL!!! 9. What are some of the things you can do now that you couldn't do before? Breath!!!!!! Walk!!!!! LIVE!!!!! 10. Do you have any pets? What kind? KOI 11. Wht would your dream vacation be if you could go anywhere you wanted? IRELAND 12. If you won a million dollars, what would be the first thing you would do with it? Pay off all my families bills first, set up trust funds for all my grandkids (6), then go on a month long trip. 13. What are your favorite books to read? Romance, murder mysteries, medical mysteries 14. What is your favorite TV program? ER, HOUSE, What not to Wear, While you were out, SURVIVOR, IDOL, Apprentice, Trading Spaces

OK the following people expressed an interest in wanting some of the capri's I have. Kelly (dylansmom) Nora (nora33) Teresa (hagerteresa) I have lost the mailing addresses and need for you to resend them to me at Penni60@aol.com I am going to get the capri's together this weekend and mail them out Monday or Tuesday of next week. SO get me your mailing address PRONTO!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'M HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!! I will be working on a synapses of what I learned so I can post it for all. I realized during most of the sessions I attended that bandsters can benefit from most of what I learned. I will post a list of books that are beneficial as well. Give me a few days to get it all together. LISA: Pics please of the River Run and of those cute Harley Shirts please. NOW!!! LOL!!!

I was self pay and went to Mexico. I developed a complication that required a second surgery. I had it here in the states by a US surgeon. My insurance covered the procedure and is covering most of my fills and doctor visits as well.

This has happened to me ONCE. I just flew home and I did not beep. I have had it happen to me but only ONCE. I fly quite often too. So not sure if it was related to the band or not.

OK you know you don't even warrant a response but here it is. You have YET to introduce yourself and let us all caring people help you through your journey, which makes me suspect just exactly who you are. Jenna you are correct I don't take offense easily. I let this go for a few days just so I could think about it. This forum is for people to support each other in this sometimes difficult journey. Yes, we all have differing opinions about certain doctors, clinics, mexico vs states, etc. We all respect each others opinions here. We try not to attack anyone. We are all adults and should act accordingly. When Karla stated I was negative and I should GET A LIFE. I am doing just that Karla, "Getting a life", ONE I haven't had for over 30 years due to my weight. So thank you for reminding me to get one. There how was that Jenna!!

OK guys this is my experience with the following and what I have learned from my doctors. Some is my personal experience and some is factual about how the body works. If it rings true for you use it. If it doesn't then ignore it. 1. Carbonation: Does it cause erosion? Does it stretch the pouch? Or do we avoid it simply because it causes gas pains? Carbonation can stretch the pouch but it is a temporary situation. The carbonation stretches the pouch causing discomfort much like you would feel just before a PB episode. It also takes up space that would be filled with food. If you are one to drink carbonated beverages DO NOT drink them and try to eat. You could end up with a horrible PB event. BEEN there! I try to avoid carbonation not only for the reason stated above but for the empty calories that go along with them. One can of Dr. Pepper is really two servings. IT has, if I remember right, 250 calories per serving. WOW!!! If you drank the whole can it would be 500 calories just in the Dr. Pepper. Plus the sugar that goes along with the carbonation and calories. Bad stuffs!!!! 2. Alcohol: Does it cause erosion, or do we avoid it because it's empty calories? Alcohol can mess up your metabolism. I will post something more on this in a separate thread. (Learned some cool things in this conference I just attended). Alcohol and it's effects on judgement could possibly cause erosion and or slippage. When we drink we aren't as alert and aware of what we are doing, eating, or saying. LOL!!! So, alcohol can get us in trouble. The empty calories are a factor as well. Being banded we can't drink as much anyway. I know I can have one maybe two drinks now and I am affected. SO be careful guys. 3. Drinking before and after meals: How long to wait after eating? What are their reasons for these rules? Drinking right before a meal even right at the beginning of the meal is not a good idea. The liquid no matter what it is will dilute the digestive enzymes and slow the digestive process. This causes excess gas and bloating (more on that in a separate thread as well). I would wait at least an hour after a meal to drink. 4. NSAIDs - is there any new information regarding them causing erosion? NSAIDS or any medication, not necessarily NSAIDS, that can cause irritation of the stomach lining can put you at risk for ulcers forming which might lead to an erosion.

Awww, darlin it will get better. Every day gets a little better and a little easier. You just had surgery and your body is mad at your right now. So let it be mad for awhile. It has to heal and get back to normal. The pains will pass and,... um,... so will the gas. LOL!! The nausea will disappear as well. Drink some peppermint tea that helps wiht the nausea and it tastes like you are cheating. LOL!!! HUGS!!!!

Joe the actual procedure without complications is about an hour. The prep time is most likely about 20 min as well. The bypass is a long procedure and I was say it is a safe guess of 5 - 7. I wouldn't expect it to be less than 4 hours. Mine was just around 1 hr to 1 and a half hours.