Carlene

I'm not at all certain that Sharon didn't develop Bulimia AFTER she was banded. I asked my surgeon about that (corelation between the band and eating disorders), and he said "It happens." I know one such person from one of the forums I belong to, and another one in my "real life". In fact, I remember someone posting somewhere that the band is almost "a license to binge and purge".

Dr. C answered on my other thread regarding this. It is nocturnal aspiration from reflux. The chills/fever are precursors to aspiration pneumonia and/or lung infections. Nasty stuff... It is extrememly important to avoid reflux. A too-tight fill is usually the culprit. Also, eating too near bedtime will do it. I take meds and do not eat after 8 or 8:30.

Why are you eating roast beef and toast? Going into your second week post-op you should still be on liquids, or soft food, at best. Did your doctor not explain to you about adjustments? You will not feel restriction until you have had at least one fill, and probably more than one. Generally, those don't start until 4-6 weeks after surgery. I think you and your surgeon need to have a heart-to-heart talk.

I started out in the closet, but when people started asking me point blank, "How did you lose the weight?" I just couldn't NOT tell the truth. One woman asked me in the aisle of the sanctuary after church. How do you stand there, literally in front of God and everyone, and with a straight face say, "Oh, I'm just eating less and exercising more." And most of the people who have asked me really specific questions are the ones who need a band themselves, so I'm definitely gonna come clean with them. It's kind of like spreading the Gospel. Don't hide your light under a bushel basket and don't be ashamed of your band. My DH has a great conversation stopper. He grabs their hand and says, "You wanna feel my port?"

No, but I'd like to....LOL

Actually, it's called the Penis Soliloquies, and I would LOVE to see it. Here's a cut and paste article... “Would you put down the dildo so we can get to work?” IC Comedy Club President, Marcus Terry said, attempting to regain order at a rehearsal for “The Penis Soliloquies” last Saturday. “The Penis Soliloquies” is made up of skits and monologues that center around the relationship between men and their penises. Some penis-related issues addressed are size concerns and readjustment techniques. “The Penis Soliloquies” was first written by the IC Comedy Club three years ago, spoofing the female-oriented “Vagina Monologues.” Rather than focus on serious issues of sexuality, the club decided to make the entire show comedic, with jokes about what many people consider to be inappropriate subjects, like STDs and masturbation. Senior cinema and photography major, Marcus Terry, said he remembers working on the original show as a freshman and the inspiration behind it. “We’re not really making fun of ‘The Vagina Monologues’,” Terry said. “We’re getting inspired by it. I remember seeing it as a freshman, then going back to my dorm and writing one of the show’s orgasm monologues.”

Chocolate Royale Slimfast powder, skim milk, crushed ice in a blender, and sometimes one or more of the following: malted milk powder (I like the taste) Benefiber (for obvious reasons) Knox bone and joint powder (extra protein) powdered fat-free milk (also extra protein) I hate regular protein shakes, or at least all of them that I have tried thus far. Like a lot of Bandsters, I have trouble with solids in the AM.

Daytime reflux is nothing to worry about. Take some Prilosec and you will probably be fine. If you experience reflux at night - while you sleep - that is a whole different thing. Nocturnal reflux is very dangerous. It can lead to aspiration pneumonia and damage to your pouch and esophagus. It is usually the result of a too-tight fill, eating too close to bedtime, or a combination of both.

I can eat only very, very thin crust pizza, and less than one piece...sometimes. Other times, it doesn't work out at all. I generally stay away from pizza, just because it's so "iffy".

I eat it. I buy the Smart Pop microwave pkgs and then spray with ICBINB (zero calories). It's pretty low cal. I have to be careful, though and not eat it too fast. I had chili for lunch one day, then some popcorn a bit later. I ate too much and ended up barfing chili-flavored popcorn. YUK!

You don't have to apologize. I've heard other people say that Star had LB surgery but I doubt it, too. She lost too much, too fast. As for the scars, they are the same for RNY and LB. I had never heard the advertising bit before. That just amazes me, that someone would offer to negotiate a discount for their surgery in return for advertising the procedure on TV. What happened to plain old dignity?

Thank God that is so NOT true. If it were, I would have grown up to be an alcoholic malcontent, never happy with anything or anyone, and by middle-age I would have alienated my children and all my siblings, before I drank myself to death at the age of 55. I would blame everyone but myself for my miserable state, and I would go to my grave without ever saying "I love you" to my daughter. That is what I lived as a child. That is not who I am today, because I CHOSE to be different. I CHOSE to be better.

I cook this in the slow cooker, once I have made the roux on the stove. GUMBO You will need some protein…choose one, two, or more of these: Chicken (boil until cooked, then shred or pulse it in the food processor) Shrimp (raw or boiled, but remove the vein and shell first) Crab meat (boil first, then remove the shell) Smoked sausage (cut into pieces) Andouille (Cajun) sausage (cut into pieces) Vegetable oil and flour (to make the roux) 4-6 cans chicken broth Okra (or not) - sliced Onion (chopped) Garlic (again, only if you like it) - chopped Salt, pepper, and filet gumbo (a spice you can purchase at most grocery stores) Cooked rice (if you like) First, put a little veggie oil in a skillet and heat to medium (I use about ½ cup of oil). Then add the chopped onion and garlic and sauté until soft. Add some flour (about ½ cup) and cook until well browned, stirring frequently. While the roux is cooking, pour about 4 cans of chicken broth into a big pan or your slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker to high, or the pot on the stove top to low. Add the meat and/or fish. When your roux is nice and thick and brown, add a can of the chicken broth to it and stir until smooth. Now pour the whole thing into your pot of stock and meat. If using okra, add it, too. Season your gumbo to taste, adding a little salt, pepper and filet gumbo spice at a time. (I use lots of filet, but you may prefer less.) Cook until flavors are well blended – anywhere from an hour to several hours. Serve over rice, if you like, or by itself.

Chicken Tortilla Soup You can do the first part in advance and freeze the chicken, then cook the soup in your crock pot while you are at work. You will need… One chicken, either whole or cut into pieces (not skinless) Chicken broth – about 4 cans Carrots – 1 cup, peeled and chopped fine Large Onion – peeled and chopped fine Small can tomato sauce or one can Rotel Monterrey Jack cheese (grated) – about 2 cups Ripe avocado – one for each 3 people Flour tortillas – buttered and toasted till crisp Cilantro (fresh or dried) Salt and Pepper Ground Cumin In a large pan, cover the chicken with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook (covered) until chicken is very tender. Remove chicken and set aside to cool. Strain broth and put it in your crock pot. (Note: you can make a lower fat version by refrigerating the broth overnight and then skimming off the fat) Chop the chicken into small pieces (or run it thru the food processor) Add the chicken broth. Add the chicken, carrots, onions, and tomato sauce. Add Cilantro, Cumin, Salt, and Pepper to taste. Cook on low until vegetables are tender. Place a generous portion of grated cheese in the bottom of each serving bowl. Pour hot soup over the top, then add sliced avocado and strips of toasted tortilla.

CROCK POT CHILI Start with about 3 pounds of lean ground beef. I buy a roast and ask the butcher to grind it very coarse for me. Brown the meat in a skillet sprayed with Pam. Drain and set aside. Re-spray the skillet and brown one large, chopped onion and one clove garlic (also chopped). In your crock pot, add: The meant and onion/garlic 4-5 cans of chicken broth One can of crushed tomatoes One can of tomato sauce Salt, pepper, cumin and chili seasoning to taste Beans are optional. I use Ranch Style beans. You can also use chili beans or pinto beans. Cook on high all day (or at least 4 hours). To thicken, make a thin paste of Masa flour and water. Quickly stir this into the chili; if done too slowly it will lump.

Would the Osbourne children like some cheese with that whine, do you suppose? Excuses, excuses, excuses. My family was rich and it ruined me. My family was poor and it ruined me. My family was famous and the pressure made me do drugs. BS...you CHOSE to do drugs, now cowboy up and accept the consequences. If I could teach every kid in America one thing, it would be this: Take responsibility for yourself...for everything you say, for everything you do, and for your own sexuality. If you spill it, clean it up; if you break it, replace it; if you are wrong, admit it; if you hurt someone, apologize. You will be a better person for it, instead of a sniveling, finger-pointing, cry-baby loser.

So did mine. Or perhaps it was my internal hemorrhoids, which my doctor claims "don't usually bleed", either. I had my first colonoscopy for the same reason...I failed the fecal smear test. They removed 8 polyps. I had to have annual exams for a while. Now I am up to 3 years in between...Thank God!

And your children would be how old? Come back and tell us all about your perfect parenting techniques AFTER you have raised several children to adulthood who never screwed up. Carol Burnett had a child in drug rehab while she was "off being a celebrity". Was she a bad mom, too? Paul Newman's son Scott died as a result of his drug habit, as did Carroll O'Connor's. Were they rotten parents? I have four children. Three of them are responsible, respected, upstanding, Christian men. They are wonderful husbands and sterling, award-winning fathers. They do not smoke, drink, or do drugs. I dedicated, as the saying goes, the best years of my life to raising them. I took them to church regularly. We took family vacations. They were all in scouts, sports, and church organizations. I did all the right things. And yet my daughter's life is a train wreck. And whose fault is that? It's HERS. My father was an alcoholic who deserted his wife and two children when I was 5 years old. My mother was a distant, bitter, resentful parent. I was not raised...I just grew up. But I am none of the things my parents were, in spite of their shortcomings. I chose to be a sober, responsible person, and a great mom to my own kids. My daughter is her own worst enemy, but that was her choice. You cannot save people from themselves.

My granddaughter, Emily, the year she was two. I made her "angel gown" and bought the accessories. Just prior to Halloween her mother brought her over so I could take the hem on her costume. "Come here, Emily, and try this on," I said. "No!" said Emily. "Yes!" said I. "Come here and try on your angel gown." "I not no angel!" said Emily. Truer words were never spoken!

If you don't get an answer to this, Ariel, let me know. There are a couple of RNs on one of my other WLS forums and I will pose your question to them.

Lots of good mothers have kids with drug problems. It's time we, as a society, made those kids (all of them, not just Sharon's) take responsibility for their own choices instead of blaming everything on a "dysfunctional childhood" or worse, their parents.

You are a brave soul. Most men would not let their ex-wives anywhere near them with a sharp object.

Is this fact, or rumor? Last I heard, Star Jones had admitted to surgery, but refused to disclose which one.

Before I spent the money to have a second band placed, I would get a second opinion. There just has to be a logical explanation for this. Have you had a swallow test under fluoro?

I absolutely LOVE the Vagina Monologues! I have not seen a live performance - only the cable version, which you can rent from Net Flix (and probably Blockbuster, too). I guess I fit the target audience (older women)...LOL. And I think you are right about the play "speaking for us". Most women my age would NEVER have the nerve. I think I could watch the VM with my daughter, but I NEVER could have watched it with my mother. My husband worked nights and he wasn't home when it ran on our cable network, so he's never seen it. I'd certainly like to watch him, watching it...I think.