piercedqt78

I use a B-12 complex that you put under your tongue. It gives me loads of energy and I feel better when I remember to take it. I forgot it on our last vacation and I called and had some delivered to my resort. I have my whole family using it and they all love it. I can't remember the name of it at the moment but I get it at walmart and it is in a yellow bottle. ~Mandy

Why isn't there a pic of you in the dress you bought? DeLarla queen of pictures and not even one single shot of you in a fab dress that you got for a steal? ~Mandy

I did hear it and I am shouting the same thing, except my screams are for my little one's health right now. I am having band issues and food issues myself, but her stuff has to come first. I will scream about my band later. Actually I see the band doc wed, I will scream and cry then. Can we all scream for each other too? Maybe a huge collective scream would be more effective then a single voice? ~Mandy <~founding member of primalweightlossscreams.com

Ok, I guess I am the only one, but I will admit it anyway. I am totally petrified of clowns. My uncle and his wife do volunteer work for a childrens hospital as you guessed it...clowns. He is my fave uncle but I am soooo affraid of him in his clown suit. I have always had this fear, but it got much worse when we moved to Chicago almost 12 years ago. I think John Wayne Gacy did it for me, he said that everyone trust a clown because you can't see what is really under the makeup. SCARY!!! My little one is totally affraid of spiders... ~Mandy

I have found that the shrink unevenly too. I can wear some 14's from there but mostly I need a 16 still, in other sizes I am in 14's consistantly. I think that some of it is from shrinking in the wash as I have a pair of 14's that fit in the store, I brought them home and washed them to wear that same day and they are too tight now. I also love their jammies, and Old Navy makes the best kids socks on the planet. I buy Old Navy only on clearance as I don't think the adult clothing is made that well. I also have a thrift/resale shop near me that gets tons of Old Navy but you really have to pick through it as there is often damage like broken zippers and missing buttons on the pants. I prefer Target's brand, it is better quality and usually cheaper too. ~Mandy

My fave on Iron Chef America is Mario Battali (sp?), you guessed it, the big fat guy!! ~Mandy

I would also seek out Jack, he seems to be very body/health smart, I believe a chiropractor. I hope you find a solution to your pain very soon. ~Mandy

:attention: As of this morning I am officially overweight!!!!!Makes me wanna :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: I haven't been this size since wayyyyy before my daughter was born. I just bought 12's to inspire me. WooooHooo!!!

Ok, saw the Neuro today and here is what he had to say. Abigale is having seizures, lots of them. He is not sure why, but we are going to work together and find out. She is having an MRI the first week in Feb, right before my birthday. They are going to have to sedate her, maybe me too, and they are doing 2 MRI's one with contrast and one without. Until then we are going to start Depakote and hope to control the seizures. We have to be careful with her in regards to her getting overheated, out of breath and dizzy. The Neuro doc said that even if we had the MRI today there is noting we can do until the seizures are under control. There is a chance that is could be a brain tumor, a "short circuit" in her brain or just a really bed seizure disorder that affects the brain. He didn't want to talk about long term damage until we see what we are up against. He also said that if the MRI shows nothing there is a chance that she will outgrow this, granted it is only a 30% chance but at least there is a chance. If there is something in the MRI she is young and healthy, so her chances are really good. We are going to continue the Zoloft for at least another 4-6 months. Both doctors agree that until the seizures are better the panic attacks are going to be there. This explains sooo many of the behavior problems that we have been dealing with, and hopefully this will be the solution, instead of bipolar meds. We are sooo thankful for the prayers, well wishes, both public and private. You guys are so important to my family, not just me. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, the journey is long still and the road seems bumpy, but we will make it. I am sitting here and not feeling like crying for the first time in I can't remeber how long. I think we may have actually make some progress in helping my baby today. Again, thanks for all the love support and kindness you have given to me, my baby and my hubby, you can't possibly know how much it has helped us in our journey. ~Mandy

I am from the southwest burbs and it is still pretty cold in Chicago in feb. Last year we had an ice storm on my b-day (feb 8th) The average is in the upper 30's but it will feel cooler downtown as you are closer to the lakefront. Here are the averages for Chicago http://weather.yahoo.com/climo/USIL0225_f.html You can also get a 10 day forecast right before you leave from here. We have a saying in Chicago, if you don't like the weather, stand still it will change really soon. We had a beautiful day on Friday, light jackets and I actually wore capris, then yesterday were got like 4.5 inches of snow. Come prepared for rain, ice and upper 30's to lower 40's. I would like to suggest a place for lunch or dinner the day of the taping. Right across the street is a place called Flat Top Grill, it is really cool, you make your own stir-fry or soup and they cook it to your liking. They have a web-site www.flattopgrill.com The food is really good, they have let me eat at the child's price before and it is all you can eat for everyone else. If you don't like what you have made, try something else no problem. Let me know if there is anything else you are looking to do, maybe I can give you some pointers. ~Mandy

Is she going to TX or are you comming to Chicago? If you are going to be in Chicago I would love to get together for lunch, maybe get a few others to join us? Let me know if you are interested. ~Mandy

Submit anyway. The worst that will happen is you will be denied. There is no fee to submit for approval. I was denied 3 times and I was told that the insurance company had never paid for the band. They paid for mine. 100%, I called the union and gave them a break down of my medical expenses now and what would most likely be cut after weightloss and they reconsidered. Also if you have another insurance option and they cover the band, that improves your chances. We can choose between BCBS and United Health Care, both from the same union, well UH covers the band so the Union made BCBS cover it for me too. I know of at least one other person with the same insurance coverage from the same union that has been covered since me. If I can help I will gladly give you any information that I have. Feel free to PM me, and I will give you my number. I am always glad to help. ~Mandy

I hope that you are able to talk to the doctor and really let him know exactly what is going on with your body. Maybe write down the times you are sleeping and what you are eating for the next day or so and have that with you when you see the doc? I would also ask them to check your B12 level, I know that my surgeon checks it every 3 months, he says that sometimes after weightloss surgery there is a drop in B12 and that can cause fatigue and mood changes. A simple shot of B12 can make you feel back to normal in no time at all. I know that after the birth of my daughter my B12 dropped and I had to do the shots for about 6 months and they really made a difference. I hope all goes well with you and the doctor, go in with a positive attitude and maybe it will be easier to make progress. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Keep us updated on what is going on. ~Mandy

The band card that I carry in my purse says it is fine to have an MRI. That is the card from Inamed. So I would assure all would be fine. I hope everything is ok with you and the MRI gives the best possible outcome. ~Mandy

When you see the doctor ask him/her to chek your thyroid. That is what I did when mine was out of whack. ~Mandy

I would like to thank everyone that has responded either here or in PM form. I have recieved more support that you can imagine from my LBT family. However, if you are going to blame my marriage, or family members for my daughter problems, please don't bother. It is of no help to me or the situation to have blame, guilt or whatever put on my head. I am doing the best I can and ALL of the doctors say it is not a family dynamic issue. My daughter has a medical problem/chemical imbalance not a social or family problem. Again, thanks for the support, if that is what you have given. Hugs to all~Mandy

:faint: Today was bad. The psych doctor called to give me the EEG results. Abi is having seizures, lots of them, we see the neurologist tuesday. ( I had to cry to get an appointment that soon) I am worried and relieved all at the same time. She is having non-epileptic seizures. We are not sure of the cause, but they are sending her for a sleep study and a catscan to rule out a brain tumor. That would totally explain the nose bleeds, behavior, panic attacks and everything else that is going on with my baby right now. I am praying that is not the case but the doctor says that is worst case. She will go on depacote (sp?) and we will see if that makes her better. If not there are about 20 other meds that we can try but depacote seems to be the most successful and has the least amount of side affects. We are going to continue the Zoloft to help her with the panic attacks, they may be a result of the seizures. I will let everyone know what I find out on tuseday. Thanks for the prayers, please keep them coming. ~Mandy

My band makes me wanna :cheer2: :banana :eek: :D I love my band, I would do it over again in a heartbeat. ~Mandy

I cannot eat rice or pasta unless it is in a soup. Even gravy is no help for me. I learned the hard way about pasta, spagetti, nuf said. I can eat cream of chicken and rice soup, slowly, but rarely do because of the fat, soduim and calorie content. I can eat crackers all day and I love wheat thins, they are my bread now. I don't do well with bread so I don't even try it anymore. I can eat things like broccoli and cabbage if it is cooked to death. I don't do raw veggies anymore, they are too much work getting them chewed well enough. I so some fruit, and I can eat most meats as long as they are tender and not overcooked. It is a personal thing and each of us has our own food issues. Even though I have had to change the way I eat it is totally worth the better health, and happier me that I have now. ~Mandy

I suffered from weekly migraines and took Imatrex injections and MaxAlt worked for me also. I have only had one Migraine since banding (almost 6 months) and didn't require meds to make it go away. I keep a script for nausea on hand and have not had any problems. I love my band~Mandy

We went for the EEG last week and should have results sometime this week. The zoloft is starting to make some changes, she is still really moody and that isn't going to change anytime soon. We have had to put counseling on hold as her couselor's husband passed away this weekend, hopefully we can resume those visits soon. We have a sleep study sometime in April, it is really hard to get into the hospital that does them in our area. There is only 1 facility in the entire Chicagoland area that works with kids under 12. So there is a waiting list. I will keep you all updated as I know more. Thanks for all the prayers and private messages. ~Mandy

the mineral oil works the same as the colace. IT also comes in a product called kondramul it is a creamy vanilla version and it mixes well into smoothies or protein shakes. It is a natural way to "lube" the colon and works as a stool softner also. ~Mandy

I wanted to add a few pictures to this thread. Here are my side by sides. 1. Oct 2004 235 pounds 2. Oct 2005 191 pounds (10 weeks post-op) 3. Jan 2006 177 pounds ~Mandy

my daughter has sooo many problems with her bowels the doctor has her on 1 tbs of mineral oil every other day. She is as regular as can be now. I have also had really good luck with warm apple juice, thanks to a very helpful bandster here. 8oz of apple juice warmed but not hot and within an hour or so I am on the go so to speak. Hope some of the suggestions here are helpful. ~Mandy

I grow mine out every few years and just as it is getting long enough for a pony tail, I cut it all off. I am letting it grow out again. Maybe with my thinner face I will like it better long? ~Mandy