candy8360

Welcome Bizzy bee, You will like it here. This is the best group of people to be around. Very uplifting and encouraging. I know that you will work out your finances and be able to get your surgery. With God all things are possible. I know that a lot of prayers have went up for me from my new friends here, and I know the same will be true for you.

didn't look right when I changed the avatar, so changed it back. Wanted to attach the pic so I could share ...:biggrin:

Hey everyone. Ceradad and Phyllser, GREAT STORIES. My kids are both grown now, son is 22 daughter is 20. She still lives at home, but not my sweet little baby girl anymore. Being a mom was the most fulfilling thing I ever did. I am SO thankful that the Lord blessed me with my babies. My daughter cleaned off the computer table last night and left a pile of pictures from my son when he was small. His dad (divorced from him when sean was 1 1/2) had taken him to disneyworld. His dad passed away last February and Sean has been going through a tough time. It was great to wake up this morning and look at those pictures of Sean. His dad really loved him a lot, and it made my heart swell to see the pictures of him. He must have been around 11 at the time. And, Thor --- GOD WILL BE WITH YOU. He said he'd never leave us or forsake us. Just the fact that you give Him acknowledgement is a testimony to the power He has over your life. You will do FINE. I will be praying for you. Have a little praise report. I'm not wanting to get into politics, because EVERYONE has the right to their own opinion. But, I am for John Edwards. I worked on his campaign in 2004 and yesterday he was in Atlanta. I was able to get a picture with him and it was a really good moment for me. I know he probably won't win, he's too far behind. But, he was my choice. take care you guys. Am working on temporarily replacing my avatar with the pic. Candy / Ann

Hey Wombat, glad to have you back! We were wondering what happened to you.

thanks. I appreciate it. It's really nice to know I have people that are concerned about me. I don't feel so alone. That is sometimes the worst feeling, to feel alone.

thank you.

Hey you guys, THANKS SO MUCH for all the prayers and support. Yes, I do take on a lot of guilt and try to overcompensate. And, 2bemeagain, you ask if I want my marriage to work? That is a hard one. At one point I would have said definitely yes, and at another point I would have said definitely no. A lot of our problems started with a lack of communication and got to a point where when we would go out to eat we would be like strangers, not saying a word. It would be so quiet it was uncomfortable. Also, I am to blame (not putting guilt on myself, this time is the truth) for some of the personal problems as well, not wanting to get into specifics. But, we reached a point where we had totally lost everything we ever had. We also got to a point where there was nothing physical between us. I feel like I am still young (47) and not ready to give up on a physical relationship. He apparently is not interested in it and would not even discuss it with me. All those things rolled together had me at the end of my rope, and so I gave him back his wedding ring and told him I wanted a divorce, but like I stated, neither one of us can afford to move out or file for the divorce. He also needs insurance (that my job provides for free) so we stay married and miserable. But, I am doing MUCH better today. Feel very encouraged by all the kind words and support. I LOVE YOU GUYS. thanks so much.

thank you for the beautiful prayer, Mrs. Peace. I praise God for all His blessings and Love.

step of faith, Yes, I misunderstood. But, You are on your WAY. I'm so glad for you. I've been kind of down today. Got into a minor scrap with my daughter. She blamed me this morning because she slept through her alarm and I called out to her to tell her to get up and didn't pursue it. So, when she woke up an hour later, she blasted me for not making her get up, and said it was all my fault. Things are really mixed up at my house. I've been married for almot 21 years, but for the last year my husband and I have been separated. He sleeps on the couch, I sleep in the bedroom. Neither one of us can afford to move out or get a divorce. My daughter blames me for all of it (she is 20). So, everytime anything goes wrong, I'm always to blame. And, what did I do? I stopped at the store on the way home and bought reeses. Something I didn't need. Now I know I will pay for it! I know that's not helping me reach my goal. But, I know it's not the end of the world, and I have to stop feeling sorry for myself. I will start a new day tomorrow, and pray for God to help me be strong and endure what I have to go through.

Hey there. Welcome to all the new Christian banders. Nice to have you with us. I know I am so glad that God led me here. And, Step of Faith, CONGRATULATIONS on your surgery date. Are you on liquids until your surgery. It is right around the corner. GOOD LUCK.

Welcome Ash. Glad you found us! It's nice here. I feel like I belong. I've been pretty busy the last couple of days and haven't posted as much as I'd like, but hopefully the weekend is coming and will have some down time! I'm sure you'll find lots of support and help here. You've done GREAT on your weight loss!

Hey there. The first fill was pretty good for the first week. I think today (1 week later) that I'm getting used to it. I am doing better though. I've lost 1 pound haven't updated the ticker. One pound doesn't seem like enough to update it for. I'm eating about 2 - 2 1/2 cups at a meal. It should be 1 cup. I was supposed to get my next fill on 1/31/08 but my doctor has a seminar and they scheduled me a WEEK EARLY (isn't God good???) so I will be going in on 1/24 for my next fill. I've seen how long some people have to wait and I'm so grateful that my doctor isn't making me wait like that. Also, my insurance is paying, and for 90 days I don't even have to pay my copay. It is covered under postop. Not sure about how much they bill insurance, but I don't have to pay anything. I can feel a good bit of restriction at times though. I feel things get stuck if I don't chew a lot or take small bites. Had a boiled egg two mornings ago and it almost didn't go down. So far though I've managed not to PB or slime. So, I think I'm doing really well!

mine is 25 minutes away. But, I try to make it when I can.

If anyone tries to sign up for the free gym membership, there is some sort of conflict with the webpage and internet explorer. If you use mozilla firefox it will load up correctly.

If anyone tries to sign up for the National Body Challenge, there is some kind of conflict on their page with the internet explorer. If you use mozilla fire fox it will load correctly.

I've had people tell me they had a hard time loading the page for the National body challenge. If you use Mozilla fire fox instead of internet explorer it will load up. There is some kind of conflict with the internet explorer.

I didn't know about my band size either, but I asked my doctor when I went in for my first fill. He was very informative. Just have your questions ready and MAKE him take the time with you to answer them.

Is anyone interested in a free trial gym membership? The National Body Challenge by discovery health network has an 8 week body challenge. You get a trial membership good from Jan. 5 - March 2. I signed up last year and decided to buy a membership. I haven't gone as much as I should. And, they are limited on Bally's locations, but if you are anywhere near one, it's fun to have the free membership. My daughter got the free membership with me last year but did not sign up after the 8 weeks. She called me today and asked me to go online and sign her up, she's been gaining weight. So I signed her up today. Just thought it might help someone who might not know about it.

Is anyone interested in a free trial gym membership? The National Body Challenge by discovery health network has an 8 week body challenge. You get a trial membership good from Jan. 5 - March 2. I signed up last year and decided to buy a membership. I haven't gone as much as I should. And, they are limited on Bally's locations, but if you are anywhere near one, it's fun to have the free membership. My daughter got the free membership with me last year but did not sign up after the 8 weeks. She called me today and asked me to go online and sign her up, she's been gaining weight. So I signed her up today. Just thought it might help someone who might not know about it.

Hey Bensdad, YES, I can tell a difference from my first fill. Where before the fill I was eating about half of my usual amount. Since the fill I am eating around 2 cups (maybe slightly more), but not near as much as I was eating. Yesterday at lunch, I ate too fast and filled up afterwards. I felt like a stuffed turkey and was very uncomfortable all evening. Today at lunch, I felt like I was still wanting to eat more, but I stopped myself and waited. That helped. I am feeling full now and threw out the rest of my leftovers. Do NOT want a repeat of yesterday! And, I LOVE MY DR. My next fill visit was scheduled for 1/31/08. The office called to say that Dr. Davis had a seminar but they could reschedule me for 1/24. A week EARLIER (not later!!!). I'm not sure that I will need a big fill next time. I know that I'm not the norm. Most people that I've read about need two or three fills before they can feel restriction. I definitely have restriction. I can feel a lump in my lower throat / upper chest when I swallow, (especially if I don't take small bites) and I get the hiccups when I try to eat too fast and sometimes when I get full. I'm learning the limitations. It hasn't even been a week though, and I don't know how much settling my stomach will do and therefore how much more of a fill I will need on the 24th. But, I know I'm supposed to be eating 1 cup, and can eat 2 right now. So, I'm sure I'll need more fill, but not sure I need a big one. I'll ask Dr. Davis what he planned on giving and then tell him how I'm feeling. But, as I said, I am SO glad to have him as my dr. He's very nice, very smart, and is very encouraging. Also, anyone interested in a free trial gym membership? The National Body Challenge by discovery health network has an 8 week body challenge. You get a trial membership good from Jan. 5 - March 2. I signed up last year and decided to buy a membership. I haven't gone as much as I should. And, they are limited on Bally's locations, but if you are anywhere near one, it's fun to have the free membership. My daughter got the free membership with me last year but did not sign up after the 8 weeks. She called me today and asked me to go online and sign her up, she's been gaining weight. So I signed her up today. Just thought it might help someone who might not know about it.

thanks ja9

I don't know about the weight loss, got my first fill last thursday. I've been really tight and can feel restriction. But, I still am not eating the suggested 1 cup. I probably am eating around 2 cups. I have a hard time swallowing unless I take really small bites and chew really well. I think I may have overdone it at lunch today. I am STUFFED. I am definitely eating less than before the fill. I've heard though that the stomach can settle, and even though I feel a lot of restriction now, I may not feel as much after a few weeks. I HOPE I can write back soon and say that I have lost weight!!! I should though, because I am eating much less. Last wednesday, the night before the fill, I ate 11 hot wings. Yesterday for lunch, I only wanted 4. That is a big difference. and, my doctor told me he wasn't that strict about eating before a fill, but I've read where others say their doctor says not to eat. I asked my doctor because he had not told me not to eat. He DID tell me to eat soft foods for a few meals afterwards to find out how my stomach handled the fill. I have a 10cc band and got a 3cc fill.

wow, you look like a totally different person! You've done really well. I see it in your cheeks too. Plus the hair looks fabulous.

Karen, Not sure I would want two things going on at once, but I'm sure it is easier to just have them go in one time. DON'T OVERDO IT!

to Dave - mreagle5, I was a little anxious, but not really scared. I'm the type of person that when I make up my mind for something, nothing can change it. I had made up my mind that I WOULD have this surgery, and I wanted it SO bad that those emotions took place over being afraid. Of course, I had the fear as in any surgery that there could be complications. I think I had more fear afterwards when I had redness around my port that wouldn't go away. I was laying awake in bed and thinking all these thoughts wondering if my port was infected or if my body was rejecting it and what if they had to take it out? Then I was scared that they wouldn't fill me if it was red. Turned out that everything was fine. I did have a little more redness than usual, but my body just had to adjust. I knew though from the beginning that I wanted this surgery and wanted the help it could give me. I hate the battle that I've fought for all these years. When I was a teenager and a young adult, I was smaller (size 7 pants, around 113 - 118 average weight). I want to be close to that again. I don't know if I can get that far, but my goal is 125, which is the ideal weight for my height. I know without this surgery I wouldn't have a chance. I'm also very thankful that my insurance covered the cost and covers my fills. Thanks for asking.