Carlene

Don't cancel your surgery. The procedure takes less than an hour. I went home the same day. You will be fine and in six months time, you will be telling everyone what a great decision this was. I have lost 98 pounds in 19 months.

Actually, the Coke/Pepsi Slurpees ARE carbonated. A couple of years ago this came up on another board and someone called the folks at Southland (7/11). They were very proud of the fact that they are able to retain the carbonation, even during the freezing process. That's the Slurpee secret! Carlene

Wheetsin, you win the Daughter of the Year award, hands down. :first: Just have a quiet heart-to-heart with your mom and tell her that the money means NOTHING to you, but she means EVERYTHING, and PLEASE accept it. I lost my mom 16 years ago and if there had been a chance - even a tiny one - that money would have helped, I would gladly have given every dime I have and gone to live in the street. Beg your mom to let you do this for YOU and your dad, not for her. Beg her on your knees, if you have to. You are only as happy as your saddest child.

GOOD JOB! I was 99 pounds this morning. I soooooooooooooo want to lose that other pound. ONE HUNDRED is such a huge milestone!

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh...what a carb fest we could have had!!! I was the queen of carbs. A loaf of hot french bread was all I needed for dinner. We used to choose our favorite restaurants according to the bread they served. How bad is that??? And then there was all that good southern home cooking....fried chicken, fried catfish, apricot fried pies, coconut cake with whipped cream frosting, peach cobbler and pecan pie (topped with Blue Bell ice cream). My mother-in-law is 86 and loves chocolate. She fusses all the time about how she is going to weigh 300 pounds if she doesn't stop eating candy. The other day she said her clothes were getting tight, she knew she was putting on weight, etc. Her big announcement was, "I'm going to start eating a smaller bowl of Cereal in the morning." I think I had that same mentality pre-band. I figured I would just start having a salad for lunch and that would take care of the problem. About a thousand salads later, I was heavier than I had ever been.

I have a 13 year old granddaughter who lives with me. I am going to ask her doctor about it at her back to school checkup.

You're right...being too tight does not equate to better weight loss. Instead you fall into soft food syndrome because you are hungry all the time and nothing stays down except milkshakes and cream of potato Soup. Raw veggies are a problem for me sometimes. Also fiberous stuff - asparagus, for instance - gives me trouble. Oh...and I can't eat French fries. But that's a good thing!

I don't know if it's the same for everyone or not, but I always have plenty of warning. And it's much more subtle than regular vomiting - no yuk taste and no heaving.

Which resort did you stay at? I have info on several and am leaning towards the Allegro Playacar. I read about a million reviews on tripadvisor.com and now I can't decide!

The goold old American apple tree here... APPLE TREE (Love) -- quiet and shy at times, lots of charm, appeal, and attraction, pleasant attitude, flirtatious smile, adventurous, sensitive, loyal in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and tender partner, very generous, many talents, loves children, needs affectionate partner. I'm amazed at how accurately this describes me....LOL

I guess you would have to know Carol! This woman will ask anything/tell anything. Her doctor advised her to have a complete hysterectomy while she was in her early 30's. She really wanted to keep her ovaries, if possible, so as not to be thrown into early, surgical menopause. The doctor asked her, "Do you have some kind of emotional attachment to your ovaries"? Carol said, "No....I don't think so. Do you have an emotional attachment to your testicles"? His response was, "Oh, I understand completely". Sure he does...since you put it THAT way. LOL...

Where did you go/plan to go for vacation this year, or even years past? I'm trying to decide on a destination for some time this month or early August. I'm thinking maybe one of the all inclusive resorts - maybe Cancun. Anyone have any suggestions? I have a 13 year old who is not keen on being unplugged from her cell phone for a whole week. Here's a picture of the harbor at St. George, Bermuda. We took a cruise there two years ago and it's beautiful.

I have pretty much been out of the closet since I was outed by the mother of a friend of a friend - one of those it's-a-small-world things. Seems my daughter-in-law's friend has a mom who plays bridge with an old friend of mine. Somehow they connected the dots and Carol (my friend) called me up and asked me if I had had WLS. Thank goodness I said yes! I would have been really embarrassed to be caught in a bald-faced lie! I don't advertise it, but I have decided to own up to it if anyone asks about my weight loss. So far (19 months) I have had not one single negative comment. And sometimes you find support in places you least expect it.

Geez...I wish some of these doctors would spend a little more time explaining the band. The first fill probably will do little to nothing, as far as curbing hunger, restriction, etc. It generally takes at least 2 fills before you feel even moderate restriction. But, having said that, once you achieve good restriction it may be a challenge to eat certain foods (bread, Pasta, rice, red meat, etc). Also, you will not be able to eat very much at each meal - around one cup should fill you up. Your job is to avoid worthless calories, such as chocolate, ice cream, chips, etc. The band will do most of the work after that. My husband is Diabetic and has lost from 287 to 213. His meds have been cut in half, then in half again. We were banded by Dr Adam Smith in Nov/Dec of 2004. I have lost 98 pounds and have about 10 to go before I reach my goal weight. Good Luck!!!!

If you have a AAA membership you get $5.00 off each ticket. Just show your card at the ticket window. It's good for everyone in your party.

We do mostly rentals because we have one of those Blockbusters "movie pass" things where you pay them $30.00 a month and can have two movies out at a time - no late fees. Last movie we saw in a theatre was "Brokeback Mountain". I thought it was very good, if you think of it as a love story and forget the gay cowboy thing. I liked Transamerica, too. My DH says he is tired of gay movies. Two in one year is about one too many for him. Flight Plan was great...if you like thrillers and Jody Foster (which I do). Walk the Line was spectacular...deserved every award it got and then some. Mr and Mrs Smith was the dumbest movie I have seen in a long time.

That must be some kind of record! Congrats on a job well done.

My insurance company (UHC) required a clearance letter from my PCP, who was happy to give it. I had the PCP's letter before I did the nutritionist app't, the psych interview, etc.

I eat 3 meals a day and a snack. I used to eat TWO Snacks, but I can't eat after dinner or I will get reflux. Today my snack was a small fat free, sugar free smoothie (black cherry).

Bunny... I live near Grapevine, and my geeky, game-playing (but wonderful) son lives in Grapevine. Chances are, he will be at the event and I will tell him to cheer for you.

I stopped smoking about 10 years ago. I know how hard it is, and I doubt that "doctor's orders" would have been the determining factor for me. Everyone has their own wake up call (true of WLS, too). For me, it was watching a beloved sister-in-law die from lung cancer. I am VERY, VERY glad I quit, even if it's just to say that I no longer have that monkey on my back, but I don't know that I believe it will have a huge impact on your surgery. I smoked thru all the things I shouldn't have...pregnancy, asthma, etc. I just hope no one has photos of me as a nursing mother.

We feed the wildlife....squirrels, birds, rabbits. This year the bunnies blessed us with babies. Here is a picture of one. Unfortunately, the neighbor's dog killed one (out of four). They eat our tomato plants, so we put wire cages around them (the plants, not the rabbits...LOL). Our next door neighbor has an herb garden and they love those. He jokes that when he makes rabbit stew, the meat will already be well seasoned.

I forget about the band, except when I'm eating...or about to eat....or have just finished eating. My band is soooooooooooooo wishy-washy. It's like I get up with a new/different band every day. One day I can eat salad, the next day - forget it. One day I can have cereal for breakfast, the next day I can't even get a protein shake to stay down.