Penni60

I spoke to Mom on the phone this morning. She has managed to eat and keep down 2/3 bowl not cup of oatmeal. HOORAY!! She has already gotten up and taken her shower and put on her pants. She is keeping the gown on for now. Her voice did seem shaky which concerns me but it could be the medication causing some of that. She was shaky all day long yesterday. She was off some of her blood pressure medication for 36 hours cause of her nausea but they started her back on them yesterday. The toprol (sp?) was one that she said makes her shake if she doesn't take it. Gotta go look that one up. I woke up with a migraine and won't be going to see her today unless I start feeling better. Just wanted to check in with you guys first. I had a break down last night thinking about her and what I would do if something happened to her. I was a mess. I prayed about it and I found some peace. I didn't tell you guys this but Mom told me that when she took that Stadol that caused the reaction she said she went into the Pearly gates of heaven and felt God's presence. Then she felt someone telling her it wasn't her time yet and to go back. I believe this 100% my mom is very spiritual and would not fib about this. She laughed and said, "Well I can take that two ways. Either God has more for me to do or I wasn't supposed to be in heaven." LOL!!! I just love that I get my sense of humor from her and from her mother god rest her soul. Thanks guys for all your prayers and healing thoughts and such. It is much appreciated. MORE later

When I was training for the 5K I would run for 2 min then walk for 5 or 10 min. I use a really good support bra that I found at Target believe it or not. They really support you and keep me from getting black eyes while running. I am a 40 DD and I need all the support I can get. LOL!!! And the running doesn't really bother my arthritic knees at all. I was afraid it would. I guess all the walking has helped in that respect. I do a modified run stride. I call it a "WOG". Slow jog and fast walk. It is shorter stride than a full out run and longer stride than a walk. I keep my arms in close to the body and it seems to work for me. I can sustain it for the full 2 min for now. I will work up to more as I train harder. SIGH!! Pray for me. LOL!! I encourage all that like to work toward goals to pick a 5K and train for it. That is 3.1 miles. It takes me almost an hour to walk it. Get a walkman, ipod, mp3 player and crank up some tunes and take off walking. I find myself dancing along my walking route sometimes I get so involved in the music. If you walk for one record length that is 3 miles. The normal record length is almost one hour. So gauge your walking by that. I did that instead of looking at my watch every 5 min. LOL!! Get a pedometer to gauge your walking distance and calorie burn. I have heard that 10,000 steps is what we should do in one day. Some pedometers will measure the steps as well. MIne does. The most important thing about walking is to have fun and enjoy it. I tried to walk with a partner but I can't. I have a set pattern I do and when I walk with a partner I have to modify my pattern and I don't usually get the best workout. It is fun to walk with someone though. Makes the time go by faster but do so knowing you won't get your normal workout in well at least that is how I am. OK I will shut up now.

I love the no advertising as well Alex. Makes it more homey and inviting. I don't feel like I am being sold something all the time. HOORAY!!!

Debbydoo: No one sponsors this board. The owner Alex owns it and provides the bandwidth so we can post to our hearts content. He is a computer geek and was banded and wanted a support network so he started the website. At least that is my understanding. Alexandra am I wrong or partially right? LOL!!! Michelle: The person that told me about people asking is very reliable and it was already confirmed by one of the people emailing me and apologizing for asking. I am not worried about it I just think it is so tacky for people to be asking personal things about someone else they hardly know. But if you are that curious you should just ask that person instead of their friends. It is sneaky and underhanded. Almost like you are spying on me. I don't tolerate that at all. That is why I posted this. Just to let people know that if you are curious JUST ASK ME. If you are just can't stand it and must know things about others then ask them but do so knowing you might not get an answer and that should be the end of it. We can't know EVERYTHING about EVERYONE and we shouldn't either. I see this as an invasion of my privacy. It was out of my control what information I wanted to be known. The people that were asking were so nosey and inconsiderate of my feelings that they had to ask my friend things about me. That put my friend in a horrible position. That is wrong too. OK I am passionate about this as you can tell. People if you wanna know ask me, I might tell I might not.

OK I must be getting really brave or I have lost my mind. I just registered for the 1st annual Las Vegas Marathon. Yes this is the BIG Marathon. NOT the 5K. I have to start training at the end of the month. The date for the Marathon is December 4, 2005. ACK!!! Anyone up to join me? LOLOLOL!!!!! I don't expect to finish I just wanna participate. Then again maybe I will finish. Who knows? The September Manhattan 5K Marathon is going to be a good way to keep me in training as well. I am gonna run that one. I will run that one. I WILL RUN THAT ONE! LOL! I think I am trying to convince myself of that. It has helped me to have a goal to reach in my exercise routines. If I don't have that goal then I am not motivated to exercise. I will inform my personal trainer of my decision and hopefully she will step up the sessions. Anyway, just wanted to let you guys know in case you read the headlines later. "Lap band patient cracks under Marathon pressure and kills trainer!" LOL!!!!

Lisa you bitch, Depends on the amount my girls bring in per week. LOLOLOL!!!! Babs: I have the only brothel that brings in money in Vegas. Wanna buy me out? LOLOL!!!!

It has come to my attention via the grapevine that some of you are asking "where does Penni get her money?" First, if you are that curious about another person's financial status wouldn't you ask that person? Second, if you ask me I will either tell you or not but. So have the common courtesy to ask me not my friends. It puts them in a tough position. They don't wanna betray my confidence and they don't wanna lie either. Finally, this seems to be a hot topic to some of you. If you really want to know then feel free to contact me via PM or email. I will either tell you or not. I think it is rude and tacky to ask that particular question of someone unless you are close to them. Also, I have never wondered about any of your financial situations and would never dream of asking one your friends how you get your money. SIGH!! You wanna know something about me just ask but ASK ME not my friends.

Mom's ct scan showed only the diverticulitis irritation. So she is being treated with antibiotics for that. She seemed much better today. She had more color in her face and was much more animated. She was able to eat some turkey and dressing for lunch. She has taken her pills and has kept them down. Her kidneys and bowels are working fine. They had to change her IV today. Thank God the reglan worked. She won't be released till Saturday. The doctor wants to give her more fluids and two more days of IV antibiotics. So I am planning on going back to see her tomorrow as well. I will be making that trip back and forth for the next three days for sure. I just want to collapse right now. I will keep you updated.

You are all so sweet and caring. I feel the love. I got a phone call last night from my Mom. She had been throwing up since I left her at 3pm yesterday. She called at 10pm. SIGH!! I talked to the charge nurse and asked her to call the doctor to get an order for some Reglan. This has worked on Mom in the past. Hopefully they did that. This hospital is a small 20 bed country hospital. There are more offices and closets than actual patient rooms. LOL!!! So her care is in question. Pray that she is better today. She has lost 22 lbs in the last few months due to not being able to eat properly. She was living on Mashed potatoes. SIGH!! She just told me that last night. I am so worried about her. Thank you guys for listening. I am on my way to the hospital now so I can talk to the doctor this morning. It is thundering and lightening out and raining cats and dogs. Actually it is POURING out. HUGS

Just as an update. I sent the Manhattan Marathon people an email asking when we could register individually for the 5K. I got an email back telling me not only that we can do that in May/June on the website but asking if I would be interested in helping organize the Marathon. WOW!! Still thinking about that one. LOL!!!! Needless to say I will register for the walk. Looking forward to meeting all you'se guys. I gotta start looking at hotels. Bright where are you guys staying? I might just get to there early and hang in NYC for a day or two prior to all us meeting. Just never know with me. LOL!!!

I had to go to Princeton, KY today to see about Mom. Thank goodness I was only an hour away. As I walked into the hospital room, I was scared to death and thought I was in the wrong room when I looked in the bed and saw mom. She was pale and curled up in the fetal position in the bed. She was in pain and had just thrown up. She had a CT scan of her abdomen and we won't know the results from that till tomorrow most likely. If it shows an abscess then they will have to do surgery. The doctor thinks it is her diverticulitis acting up. She is getting Cipro to treat that. They are also giving her Flagyl as well. Her potassium is low, I wasn't told how low, so they are giving her potassium in her IV to replace it. She is allergic to alot of the normal pain meds so finding something to help with the pain is hard for her. Stadol was given to her last night and I personally think she was overdosed. Mom said as soon as it was put in her IV she got HOT and started sweating then she saw her mom, her dad, her sister, and her aunt all of which are dead. She said she felt like she was dying as well. She said she thought it was her time and was ready to go. That scared the hell out of me. I have since told the nurses to NOT give her stadol anymore. Zofran, usually used for nausea in cancer patients, works for pain in mom. So they are giving that to her now and she seems better. I am pooped and worried. I will call her tomorrow morning and see what the doctor said but more than likely she will be released tomorrow or the next day unless the ct scan showed something else. They will most likely treat her for the diverticulitis and monitor her. Her BP is actually pretty good for her. That is a plus. She is a little anemic but not anything to treat at present. I will keep you posted. Please keep her in your prayers.

You can contact www.inamed.com and email Craig Arthur.

MIchelle: any wife that suspects her hubby is cheating will climb through shit to find the proof. So yes she can find the emails and whatever else she needs to prove he is a scumbag. I know cause I went through the same thing when I suspected my ex was cheating. Megan: I am so sorry you were put through this. All I can say is "He is a MAN after all." Not all are bad but the ones like him give the good ones a bad reputation. I sent you a PM.

Happy Bandiversary Sister: I had forgotten we were banded the same day. You are such an inspiration to us all. You look fantastic by the way.

Bright I feel your pain. I have been in the same plateau for the last 6 to 7 months. I know the problem though. I eat the wrong things. Mounds candy bars, ice cream, cheetos, bread, cheeseburgers, same old stuff I was eating prior to being banded. I do eat less of them but nevertheless I eat them. I have discovered if I eat the right foods meaning Proteins, veggies, and very little carbs or fats and drink my Water and follow band rules then I will lose the 1 - 2 lbs a week. But where is the fun in that? Psychologically I knew that the band wasn't a quick fix and I needed to work with it, but I was hoping that I could still eat some junk foods once in a while and get away with it. I have come to realize that is not possible. My metabolism is just tolerating any junk foods. That sucks. This will be a way of life for me forever. I have to basically calorie count, exercise at least three to four times a week sometimes more and drink my water to continue to lose the weight. I am lazy, that is a fact with regards to my eating habits. If someone were to prepare my meals for me I would lose the weight but since I have to prepare them myself I eat what is easy and convenient. SIGH!! I have to accept this about myself and know I can't and shouldn't do that. I have come too far in the last year to revert back to gaining. It still sucks but it is so much better than where I would have been without the surgery. RIGHT?

THanks guys. I never thought it would go by so fast. It is still the 5th here where I am and the 6th is my actual bandiversary. I was getting mentally prepared this time last year for my surgery the next day. I was sitting outside on the balcony of my room listening to the surf hit the shore. I was reflecting on the life I was walking into after surgery. The possibilities were endless. I was dreaming of the life I was beginning to hope for. The walking without pain, fitting into regular size clothes, no more cholesterol issues, normal blood pressure, just over all feeling "healthier". To think a year ago tomorrow I was dreaming of just being able to walk across the floor without getting out of breath to walking in the Los Angeles 5K Marathon last month. What an accomplishment. I was feeling a little sorry for myself that I had only lost 57 lbs in one year. Then I look at that statment again. ONLY LOST 57 LBS? Holy Moly batman!! That is phenomenal. I have lost 57 lbs in one year. LOST and never to be found again. Three shouts to the good lord above for opening my eyes. Keep up the great job guys. We will all reach our goals. Some faster than others and some slower but we WILL reach our goals.

Me and my dirty mind here. I used to disect crawfish in Biology class. EWWWWWWW!!!!!!!

Kathy: I couldn't agree more but the one thing that keeps bugging me about Lopez is he never gave me follow up care instructions of any kind. I was never told when to come back for a check up. Never told when to come back for a fill. Wasn't given guidelines for how to determine if and when I needed a fill. I was banded then released and given a hand shake. That was my follow up appt the day after surgery. Knowledge is a powerful thing.

GOOD point Teresa: Dr. Billy was proctored by Lopez. When I went to Billy for my port protrusion thingy he stated that the reason this happened was because Lopez does not push the excess tubing up into the abdomen or trim the excess tubing both of which is the standard technique Billy uses. I think that the docs Lopez proctors take his training and then use it to perfect upon. Lopez is very personable and caring but he doesn't follow it through when complications arise. Or at least he didn't in my case. In fact I was ignored and dismissed.

I am just shocked once again about the recent string of Lopez' patients that are popping up with complications. Port infections = Someone contacted me this morning who had this problem. Port revisions = Myself, Donali, and others out there I am sure. Band erosions = I think the last count I remember there were 7 from last year. Incisions infections = Too many to count including myself. Life-threatening issues = One that I know of most recently. These are just a few of the complications I am aware of. Not to mention erroneous information being distributed by Lopez and his staff. Sigh!! IT just goes to show you to be extremely careful with regards to going to Mexico or any doctor for that matter but to be extremely scrutinizing of Mexico doctors because there is NO recourse if you are facing more surgeries or out more money for health care. SIGH!!

After reading an old post where it was stated that Ortiz trained Lopez I contacted Craig Arthur at Inamed and asked if they could confirm this. I received an email back from Inamed that states Ortiz was not Lopez' trainer. Lopez was trained by a European MD and certified in 1996. This contradicts what I was told about Lopez having done these types of surgeries for the past 10 years. I was banded in 2004. Yeah he was off a couple of years but it was still a lie. Just be more aware of who actually trained who when you decide what doctor to use. You can always double check with Inamed to verify what you are told.

Hey La_Madam: I didn't know Lopez was trained by Ortiz. How long has Ortiz been doing bands? This is a surprise to me. I thought they were both certified by Inamed at the same time. CONFUSED!!

I am a Mastermind. LOLLOLOLOOL!!!!!!!!!!! I am laughing so hard. Visionaries who put energy into achieving their goals Prefer to work independently and dislike inefficiency Think of themselves as logical, thorough, and bright Values practicality and common sense above ideas and theories

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR zoeeeee!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUU!! AND MANY MORE!!!!!!!!!!

This is a great poll. Personally I don't care that you know what I voted on. But I know some people do. I looked and couldn't figure out how to fix that. Maybe Alex or Alexandra can do that. Good Job Lisa.