phyllser

You, me, Mango and Steph.. four of us all on the same day... I'm doing great... just a little bit of a sore belly from all the pushing and poking and sticking! I can't see what's going on, so I don't know if she was putting the needle in over and over or just moving it around trying to get it right into the center of the port. She did seem to be injecting the Lidocaine in several places before she started, but this morning I just have two tiny bruises for apparently only two needle sticks. They use fluoro, so every time she repositioned the needle then she would have the radiology tech slide that big machine over me again to see where the needle was. That was the part I could watch because the screen was right next to my head. She said I have a pocket of scar tissue right in the way of the center of the port that she had to keep fighting. What is really amazing is that there is NO bruise on my arm from the blood draw afterwards and I ALWAYS bruise there! Yes, DH is a kick! I get mad and I rebel sometimes, but he is FOR me and not AGAINST me and I know that! Makes me mad when he's right!! :thumbup: He listens to every word the dr/pa/nutritionist says and then feeds it back to me if I'm violating any of the "RULES"! Too bad he doesn't listen to ME that attentively!! :thumbup: I'm supposed to be on "full" liquids for two days... she said that's anything you can sip through a straw! We made some really good lentil stew on Sunday so it would be ready for me Monday. So he pureed some for me last night at dinner time, in the Magic Bullet. I complained when I saw what a little tiny bit he heated for me, but.... he was determined I was having only 1/2 cup and guess what... that's all I could eat anyway! This morning he fixed me some oatmeal.. one of those little "heart healthy" packages. He even had to go to the store like before 7 a.m. to get some milk for it... again... I could only eat 1/2 of it. So I seem to have good restriction. This is the first fill that I can actually feel a little sort of a bubbling sensation when I drink something. So I'm being careful not to gulp. Don't get discouraged if you're not feeling tight enough... this is your first fill really. It's probably going to take a couple before you're where you want to be. And you're not going to feel any restriction with protein drinks. It's going to be OKAY... really!! Hang in there.

that's GREAT!! Congrats!! Wow.... that makes FOUR of us that had fills today. I forgot about you!

Glad to have it over, right!! Do you have`to do liquids now for 2 days?? DH always has to go in with me and listen to everything and then he becomes THE ENFORCER of every little rule!! That's okay! He's "helping"! I sneaked tomato soup this afternoon when he was snoring! Now I'm eating pureed lentil/buffalo meat soup we made yesterday... 1/2 cup, of course. It's pretty liquidy. It is actually plenty.... starting to feel full and its only half gone.

That's cute.... ROBOT ARM!! Maybe we could be more in control if we had a ROBOT STOMACH!!

My surgery was July 20, first fill was about 8 weeks later. I had one in Sept, two in Oct and then not another until today because we were in CA for the winter. Each doctor does things a little differently, but I don't see any advantage to NOT getting fills! Yes, we have to do our part, but we need that restriction, too. Interesting you mentioned eating our of boredom! We are at DD's so she can go grocery shopping without the kids. Almost 5 yr old was whining that he was hungry. Mom told him, no way you can be hungry... you had 9 fishsticks and some tater tots for lunch. So she continued to dialogue with him about his "hunger" and his answer.... "I'm bored"! So she had an opportunity to teach him... and she did.... we don't eat just because we're bored. That's not hunger... you're bored, so you need to find something to do. So he's playing in the backyard with his sister and little brother now. Hope he doesn't get bored again soon because now it's on our shoulders & my DH is snoring loudly on the couch and I can't entertain three little ones by myself! Their old swing set has been taken down to make room for a new one to be delivered and constructed some time soon. Welcome... you'll do great. Hang in there!

Wenatchee.... east side of the Cascade Mountains, small townish, but growing... country community with a lot of the amenities... Costco, Wal-Mart, but I don't think there's a big mall or anything. Skiing close by. Lots of recreational opportunities close by. ..Lake Chelan, etc. Has four seasons... snow in winter, hot in summer. Back from my fill, too. Physician's Asst did it... had the usual trouble finding the port, even with fluoro. Belly is already getting sore... Lidocaine wore off. I'm going to be sore tomorrow! She said she was "very proud" of me and I was doing well. Our scale is apparently 5 lb heavy, BTW! I weighed just before we left, then had a fairly large coffee and weighed 5 lb less on their scale. So I really only gained about 1 lb on this trip. She sent me for a cholesterol screening too... so I could get poked a few more times! Getting in all my liquids.... haven't been doing it since we left CA! Gotta work on that!

AMEN!! Very well put!

Sounds like tomorrow is "FILL DAY" for THREE of us!! You, me and Peaches! Yeah, the band is rather fickle, isn't it!!?? I don't have any problem with liquids, but anything else... sometimes I seem to be quite tight and others I could eat all day if I wanted to! Strange and confusing... I agree! Yes, quite a nice drive home... good weather, too. Of course, it's pouring down rain out there now! Welcome home! My DH is coming to the Mall of America with us because we're going to be enroute to Buffalo on the train. When I made the reservation, I included the weekend in St.Paul/Minneapolis. I hope it isn't too far from the train station to the Mall of America Homewood Suites. Don't want to rent a car. Sounds like you had a nice trip to Niagara Falls. We'll be going there while we're in Buffalo... always do. A sight you never tire of seeing, right?! Okay, I'll give you my 2 cents.... it seems to me that you have this new way of eating pretty ingrained in you now... you're very disciplined. I think if I were you I'd just get the unfill now. I don't think you're going to be too happy living on mushies and soups for that long. And, considering the drive, etc. I'd just do it now.

As Janet said, we're back in WA, but won't go home until Tuesday, after my fill appt. See... it's a 19 mile drive from this RV park, but a 65 mile drive from our condo! And the appt is early Monday morning and I don't want to get up at O Dark 30 and drive through the Seattle traffic in order to get there by 9 a.m.!! So we're staying here... three nights, actually. Same thing on Monday... by the time we get back, it'll be too late to start the drive north... traffic in WA, especially Seattle area we think is almost WORSE than in L.A. or S.F.!! Anyway, that gives me 24 hours to make sure my fill is okay. And the park check out time is 11 a.m. No way we can get back here by 11 a.m. tomorrow... therefore.... three nights, go home Tuesday! And, yes, grandkids gave a nasty cold to their Mom and she gave it to me!! At least I can breathe through my nose again this morning! Pretty drippy, but breathing kind of normally again. Yuck! We had a beautiful ride home... mostly up the CA and OR coast. I took lots of pictures. Had a short visit with my sister in OR, then stopped one night to visit with friends we met at our RV park in CA this winter... in Salem area.. where we got an eye opening education about farming. They are now retired, but sons and daughters and grandchildren, nephews, etc still in the business and we got a tour of the area. So very interesting... we really enjoyed it. Haven't gotten on the scale for several days per Janet's orders! I was getting too discouraged... hard to eat right when visiting and traveling, etc. And legs and feet all swollen from sitting and driving day after day! Doctor's scale tomorrow will tell the story. Online by hooking up my cell phone to laptop... so I can't stay on too long or Sprint will cut me off!!

Good Morning! Tried to post earlier, but I think Sprint shut me down again. I was only online for about an hour! Picky, picky!! Wonder where Janet is this morning?? Probably at the gym.... or out shopping again!! :biggrin: Nothing much to report. Cold is still here... can almost breathe through my nose today! Woo hoo! Came to see the grandkids to see if there's anything else I can pick up before we head home on Tuesday! :tongue:

Slow but steady is okay, Bev, but important to "follow the rules" also: eat the right things and the right amounts, and get some exercise. My weight loss has slowed way down the past couple of months, but I know I need another fill because it's been six months. Most take at least three fills to get to where they have enough restriction and not getting hungry all the time. I am getting hungry 1-1 1/2 hrs after I eat.. so I know I need to be a little tighter. I'm going in on Monday for that. Stick with it! It's worth it!!

I haven't been able to get online for a few days, so I just read your post today and I must say, I think I'm going to extend a little "TOUGH LOVE" your way! You say you want to be REAL... I'm going to give you some REAL.... and hope you aren't offended! The Lapband is NOT a magic wand. It's a tool we've been blessed to have available to us, but there is a large degree of committment necessary on our part! Diet and exercise are essential. At two weeks out, you're not yet ready for exercise! But!! BIG BUT.. ... why in the world would you be eating OREOS at two weeks out.... or for that matter, eating Oreos at all?? Did you have an appointment with a nutritionist prior to surgery? I'm sure you were given guidelines as to what you should be eating. You say you're supposed to be on pureed foods... I don't think that would include Oreos. You can "trick" the band, too, and washing them down with milk would be a good way to do that... that's why we're told not to drink anything after we eat... my doctor says one hour, some say 30 minutes. You will have restriction after your first fill, but probably not as much as you will need. It takes most of us about three fills before we have sufficient restriction to keep us from getting hungry and to keep us from eating too much. Then, as time goes on, you will likely need more adjustments. I had three in the first few months, then went six months without one, now I'm having another next week because I don't feel I have enough restriction again. As we lose weight, the band can become looser and we need to be adjusted again. But, really, I know you didn't go through all this to fail. You must decide to follow the rules if you want to be successful. Still friends???? Hang in there! It will get better, but it might get worse first!!

Good Morning, Everyone! We're about ready to "hit the road" again, but thought I'd try to catch up on posts before we leave. Motor is running, so I only have a few minutes! That can be unnerving... hearing the engine start when you're still in the shower! Great news about the Advisory Council, Janet! The Wynn... one of the newest & swankiest in Vegas!! Wow!! You will be a great advocate for all of us. We'll be thinking of questions, suggestions, opinions you can share with them! Gotta go....

Yeah, the whatever... cioppino?? Was great! And yes, I remember those days... like my daughter last night. Dinners came with soup OR salad and she wanted both. She wanted clam chowder, but she also wanted the salad with ranch dressing. So she told me not to order ala carte (which the waitress had gotten permission to do for me) because she would eat my salad. So she had all that, and some bread, and her fish and chips, and then she was in the BR w/cramps, ETC like 3X before we left the restaurant... no gall bladder + fried food...plus rich clam chowder...lots of cream and butter in it I"m sure.. and she already was not feeling well... sinus thing going on... so she was miserable when we left the restaurant. Yeah, I used to do things like that!! Sorry you are having such drama in your life!! Sounds like our oldest daughter! She is having teenage problems with an almost 18 yr old. They went to a movie together last night. Then they got in a big fight over something stupid. So she "moved out" , but then her friend called at like 1 a.m. because she was taking DGD to ER with severe back pains & 102 fever, etc! So she was at the ER with her all night and now she's back home. She has to take her at 9 p.m. tonight for an MRI of her back!! I'll tell you what I keep telling her... "this too will pass"!! Sometimes when I want to really get her attention, I remind her of something SHE did to ME when she was a teenager!! Congrats on the shopping NSV!! Thanks, Linda! NO cable, satellite signal or antenna signal here, BUT we do have free Wi-Fi. They must have improved it since we were here in Nov because then I could only get the signal when we were parked in front of the office. It's good and strong at our RV site tonight! So here I am again!! We're going to be watching old recorded stuff on our TiVo tonight. And we're having a special bottle of wine for DH's 65th birthday today. Good suggestions!! FIGHT! FIGHT!! FIGHT!!! NO COOKIES So glad you finally got some good news... found the right person, got the right answers!! That's wonderful!!

We'll be back on the road this morning --- Hopefully not fighting too many of those big trucks. They don't like senior citizens driving RVs!! Today we'll be driving through the grape vines, then the redwoods and, I hope, out to the CA coast by this` afternoon.. Place where I'm planning we'll stay if we can make it that far has very weak Wi-Fi, so may be a while before I'm back!! I'll have lots to catch up on... PS consult, etc. DH's 65th birthday is today. Card I bought made him cry! Hope you all have a GREAT day!

Will definitely keep you in my thoughts and prayers today! Keep us posted.

Nope, she didn't get too cold. ..she just lost some dignity! She is somewhat of a drama queen at 6 yrs old and she claimed that the ocean almost washed her out to sea! Thanks for the encouragement! I did great tonight... I ordered Crab Cioppino... sure I didn't spell that right, but you get the picture. A big old bowl of crab legs, prawns, oysters & clams still in the shell. I had to get my hands in there and work at getting the good stuff out.. and it was in a tomato based soup, so I was a mess!! Too bad no one got pictures! It must have been a sight to see. I dirtied up two white linen napkins and then the waitress brought be a bowl of hot water with a lemon in it and a 3rd napkin!! I brought most of the crab legs home to play with later. It came with soup or salad, so my daughter told me to order salad with ranch dressing and she would eat it. Her fish & chips came with soup OR salad & she wanted both! So she got clam chowder and I gave her my salad. You got that right... its getting colder and colder as we got north! Actually, now that we're heading north again, it's supposed to be in the 70's here at the ocean tomorrow and then in to the 80's after that! But daughter up in WA says it's supposed to warm up there by Saturday, too! Pictures are GREAT!! You two look so happy! congratulations again!!

Hi, All! Windy where we are, too, Janet! The sun is shining but it's cool. We spent some time with the kids at their place this morning and then we all went to the beach.. in three cars! Other grandpa is a real character. His truck is about 50 years old and has no dashboard. If you saw this guy coming down the sidewalk towards you, you'd cross the street!! :eek: He's harmless, but eccentric to say the least... straggly hair everywhere! He thinks it's still the 60's! Anyway, DGD, 6 yrs old, was in the water to her ankles when a wave knocked her off balance and she was face down in the water! Her back was still dry, the rest of her soaked! I didn't see it... I couldn't climb the sand dune to get to the beach with them. A bumpy ride indeed!! It will all work out. And, it does make sense that insurance should pay at least part of it if your doctor says it's causing these back problems you're having! We're all waiting anxiously to see the wedding pictures!! Hurry!! I am not doing well food wise. .. I know... in the "OLD DAYS", I would've eaten a lot more these past few days, but I just feel like I've blown it. We went out to eat last night... I got scallops, had one teeny crust of bread, steamed veggies... a small cup of chowder. Ate half my dinner and had the other half for breakfast! But now we're going out again tonight. Others didn't go with us last night. So tonight, since we're leaving in the morning and I think the other grandpa and his daughter are leaving tomorrow, too, so SIL & DD thought we should all go out to their favorite place tonight. Seafood place, so there should be healthy choices. This has to stop... and it will... when we're back on the road tomorrow and by ourselves again, but I think I"m up a couple of pounds! OUr scale is so erratic... depends how level the RV is, etc. Last week I was 5 lb heavier than I was on the TOPS scale 15 minutes later in exactly the same clothes! So I don't really know, but I"m worried. These food issues are so emotional!! And I've failed so miserably in the past! It just makes me so stressed! I see my doctor on Monday. Well.... I guess I'll actually be seing the P.A., but that's okay. She's always so aloof, though! It's hard to break through her shell. Hopefully it'll be a good visit. We're staying one night in the RV park not too far away to make sure everything is okay after this fill.

Good Morning! Beautiful sunny morning here in Bodega Bay, but cold! But we better not complain because it's 20 degrees colder at home in WA! Chatted with our oldest daughter online for a few minutes last night and she was downright depressed! It's cold, raining every day and she's on spring break week. It's supposed to start warming up here at the ocean tomorrow, but that's the day we're heading out! We were supposed to stay until Thurs until DH told me yesterday he doesn't want to take I-5 home... we're going up on 101 which means an extra travel day. And also, we'll stop at my sisters for one night and she'll nag us to stay another! So yesterday afternoon I had to completely revise my route on my laptop .... I AM THE NAVIGATOR..... and find RV parks to stay at on the way. I'm getting excited about PS plans everyone is starting to think about! I'm anxious to hear how it goes for you, Karri. Free Wi-Fi at this park. May be the last I see until I get home!!

We'll be passing right by you in a few days. We're in Bodega Bay for a couple of days. Head out Monday morning up 101 to OR. Staying at my sister's in Myrtle Point on Thurs night.

Wow! You did good this weekend... all that exercise! I've just been playing with the "Wii"! I got my "Fitness Age" down to 76, from a high of 79 a couple of days ago!! I still can't hit those stupid baseballs! We have 10 grandkids! I'm going to try to post a photo of the six who we're with this weekend... 3 from SF & 3 from WA state. We had a BD party for Grandpa today & I ate too much. I broke my THREE BITE RULE and had a small pice of cake and a little bit of ice cream! That was after a hamburger patty, piece of a hot dog and a spoonful of potato salad! Not a good day... but DH's birthday party! Back on track tomorrow!

Wow! You slept in and I was up at 7! You got home early last night! Glad you enjoyed your concert. You look great! DD & SIL got here an hour or so ago with the little ones. Thomas is so excited... there's an airplane calendar, airplane mobile, airplane clock... Our son is building an airplane in his garage. It's almost done. DH took Thomas out to see it but he wasn't that impressed.... it has no wings yet. He LOVES airplanes. He's 2! And a very busy boy. TTYL

Sounds good. Wonder if they are at the Mall of America??? Glad you're doing better and that your dentist is in the picture now. Janet is out on the town tonight... at her concert. If anyone heard from Karri, it would probably be her. Hope she had an amazing weekend!!

So... what's an "OLGA"? Where do you get one?? I do love the Panera Bread sandwiches... usually get 1/2 w/soup. Thought the Sierra Turkey was a good choice... until I bought the book, "Eat This, Not That"!! Now I have to find something healthier!! Hmmmm....maybe I can get off my CPAP, too! That would be nice. If it's the tea flavor that you like, Crystal Lite, and the copy cat store brand stuff that you can get at Albertson's, Wal-Mart, etc, have some flavored teas that use... Splenda, I think... I know there's a Peach Tea and I think there might be a Raspberry Tea, too. Welcome Back, Becca! Beth, Sorry to hear of your struggles. Hope things start going better for you soon! Hope everyone is having a great Saturday. We'll all be anxiously waiting to hear from Karri-- all about HER weekend.... well, maybe not ALL!!!???

My BMI finally dipped below 50 this week!! Big accomplishment for me! I've been waiting anxiously to see that happen!