argon

Haha, yes they ARE! You know what... I stopped at Tim Hortons after I left the airport at 11pm-ish, and got a coffee... I couldn't help myself, when I saw these Choc Chip Caramel Pecan cookies, so I got one. Anyways, it took me SO long to drink my coffee, by the time I was done, I'd forgotten about the cookie, and didn't realize I had it until I was grabbing my stuff from the car when I got home. So I came inside, handed it to Dan, and said "Look what I got you!!" LOL I told him it was from Toronto, so he thinks it was a souvenir!

Awww... thanks Maria, and Yoda and Kim and Cloe! It was good. Well, the fill itself wasn't exactly fun. I guess I lucked out with only needing TWO pokes with the needle, but... ugg... it was gross. Just a gross feeling. I swear it felt like half an hour, but probably wasn't that long. The first time, she was hitting the port, but couldn't find the middle.... so she had to take it out and move over a little. She got it pretty quick the 2nd time, put all the wiggling around with the needle in there is such a yucky feeling. She took out 0.9cc (just to check that it was there), and assured me that it was ok, and then put in 0.6, bringing me up to 1.5cc. I drank my Water afterwards with no problem. Marie and the 'assistant' or whatever that was watching, had a good old time, pushing the HELL out of my port.... That's what hurt the most. I'm actually bruised. My stomach hurt for about an hour... like the stomach muscles, I mean. Now it still hurts, but only if I bump it! A couple hours later, I had some creamy Soup and a couple bites of chicken with no probs. Then a few hour after than I had a kids meal from IKEA, and could only eat 4 meatballs and a few fries. I'm thinking it feels more like I'm stopping eating to avoid getting it stuck... rather than being full. But once the 'almost stuck' feeling is gone, I guess I'm feeling full for a while. I've been to scared to really try much 'hard' stuff to eat so far, and all I ate all day (up til now, supper) was some milk, coffee, pudding, and 2 hotrods. I just made some shake n' bake chicken breasts and potato chunks for dinner, and could only eat half of my chicken breast. Once again, it's a 'don't wanna eat anymore, or I'm sure it'll get stuck' feeling, not full.. but we'll see how I feel after that feeling's gone! I'm thinking that if I had some kind of button to just adjust the amount of saline immediately, with no needles, or plane rides, or 2 hour drived in the dark, on "Moose Danger" highways, that I'd get a TINY little bit taken out... maybe 0.1 or 0.2cc. I can drink, and I can eat, and this is probably how it's supposed to be (very little, very slow), but it's a shocker after being able to eat so well for soooo long since my 1st fill! I don't think I'm going to be able to chug my water anymore!!! It was a crazy fast 'whirlwind' trip, but it was cool, and I'm glad I did it. I'm sure it's gonna be ok, and it'll help my weightloss. (it better!) And if nothing else, I think I'm going to save alot of money on groceries!

It was pretty good. I didn't do much, cause there just wasn't anything for me to do! I kinda just sat and did some practice character rigging (sorry, I know that means nothing to you! LOL) ALLLL day. The guy who was supposed to be helping me had been there all night, so he left after lunch, and I was on my own. It was ok though, I mostly figured everything out! Soooooo.... I am going to run to the store, and then take a couple sleeping pills to try to konk myself out so I can sleep until about 2am, then get up, get ready, drive to Moncton, hop a plane, go to TO, and get my FILL! WOO! I'm probably done online for the night, so I will fill you all in on everything on Wed. after work! Thanks for the well wishes! Mandi

Thank you, thank you! *takes a bow* Enjoy! It's really interesting.

I woke up ... or tried to wake up early this morning to go grocery shopping. We were in a hurry, so I thought we'd stop at Tim Hortons for a coffee before we went out. The line was so long, we just left. Went grocery shopping, and when we got home I made myself a grilled cheese sandwich. (you know when you're hungry at the groc. store, and you get all these 'idea's?) Hadn't had one in... probably 5 months at least. - later on... I had a couple Cookies. - Supper: I had some chicken wings in the freezer that I'm worried I won't be able to eat later on, so we made them tonight. Thought I could have 10, and Dan would have 10. I ended up eating 5. Mostly because they were tooo hot, and not wanting to drink at the same time as eating, I just couldn't have anymore! - couple more cookies I am hungry... but I'm drinking lots of Water. I have a couple cookies left... I feel like just eating them so they're gone. I know I *should* throw them away... and maybe, just maybe... I will.

It probably does shrink it a bit, also, I'd think... by reducing the fat in it. (?) Have you ever watched the video of the surgery (online), Kim? It's pretty neat. You can see how they 'hold up' the liver out of the way while they do the surgery. If you haven't... try this: http://www.or-live.com/BrighamandWomens/1372/ Hopefully that link works. Let me know if it doesn't... there's a different way to get to it. Mandi

Thanks guys! Awwww.... Luckily, from being here so long, I've met lots of people... with various work functions, and just going in there now and then. So not knowing people isn't my biggest worry, it's not knowing what I'm doing !! LOL I'll figure it out soon enough, though, I'm sure ! Thank you again!

Jude!? A smaller lie? LOL that's awesome!

Wooo!!! Cloe's goin' banana crazy!!! LOL Thank you!!!! and good stuff Jude, you deserve 'a day' !! I'll send you happy birthday vibes on tuesday, if you send me "don't get too tight of a fill" vibes!!

Same here Buffie, you've got some good advice/suggestions/thoughts already, so I can't add anything! Take care, Mandi

Hey loriely, Congrats on the first fill!! Let us know how it goes once you start on real foods again! Mandi

Aww.. Yoda, I'm sorry. Gains are never fun. Don't get too discouraged. I bet its nothing to worry about. You HAVE lost so far, so obviously it CAN happen, right? Just take it in stride, and hang on til next week and see what happens then. :hug: Mandi

Hey kim, congrats!!! You'll be feelin' 100 % better very soon, I'm sure! Is Maalox for gas relief? I thought it was a heartburn thing. If it's for gas relief, and it helps, and its chewable or liquid, it should be fine!! Mandi

Hi guys, Oh boy, I was absent ALL yesterday almost! So, guess what. I get an email from Dan at work yesterday morning, telling me that he'll be done for the day @ 1pm, so I should come pick him up... then he emails me again to tell me that his boss wants me to come in and talk to him about starting work, and will probably want me to start on MONDAY! (and I have to go to TO for my fill on Tues!) So I go in there, and yes, he asks what my availability is, and I tell him, it WOULD be fine, but I've made arrangements already to go out of town on Tues, and that's the only problem. He said its NOT a problem that I can start on Monday, take Tues off and come back on Wed. So, it looks like I'm starting my job at least a week early! WOO! Verrrry good timing, cause I'm gonna be looking forward to that 1st pay cheque, unfortunetly it'll be 3 weeks before I see it! Oh well, at least it'll be nice to know that it IS coming, and it'll be 3 weeks worth, instead of 2 ! Anyways, after the little chat, he asked me if I was coming on the boat, and I said "ummm... sure". He's rented 2 'touring boats', and everyone from work loaded on to them, cruised out to this little island, and ate chicken and lobster, and cake afterwards. (it was funny, cause ALL the chicken was gone 1st, and people were like "Awwww... there's no chicken left??" and either had to have nothing, or settle with lobster!) It was a pretty cool thing for him to do, I thought! I can't imagine how much lobster for that many people would have cost! I wish I would have had the lobster, but there was NO where to sit, and the mess that those things made was unreal. I got squirted a couple times with lobster juice! So yeah, startin' work on Monday! I'm a little scared, and don't quite feel ready.. but I'm sure I'll be fine. I really need to ensure that I don't get too much of a fill now. EEEK!

yes, that IS weird! LOL :hug:

good, thanks... I'll stay away from that memory!

I only know this because I had to 'assist' in more than a couple neuterings, during highschool, in a job shadowing thing. They remove the testicles from inside their 'sac'... ok, actually I just looked up the actual description, cause I think I've blocked most of it! LOL (ask me about horse castration ! :faint: no, don't!!) The scrotum is opened with a small incision and the testicles are brought out. The cords are either pulled free and tied to eachother or a small suture is used to tie the cords and the testicle is cut free. The skin incision on the scrotum is small enough so as not to require stitches of any kind. Sounds about right.

Oh yeah, especially kittens, I'm sure it takes some poking around to figure out!

Spies tell us that you posted on the canadianlapbanders site! You can't hide from us! (ok, I saw you, and was hoping you'd let everyone here know that you survived today!) How did it go? Tell us everything! Mandi

Thanks Buffie... I'll be ok. Things are sloooowly working themselves out. And Cloe, you're ON!

Well... I've personally always only had long haired cats, so I'll say that that's why I didn't know. I'm trying to think of seeing a short haired male cat.... hmmm... they're not like dogs, how they have a very visable 'bump' where their penis is hiding. I think they might kinda have a bump, but nothing like a dogs, and cat schlongs aren't constantly hanging out like dirty dogs! LOL I think usually the way you'd know the cats a guy would be by the errmmm... balls. (that is unless it's already neutered) Oh man.. I feel wrong about referring to animal genitals !! :omg: LOL Anyways, mine was neutered and long haired, so that's my excuse and I'm stickin' to it!!!

Yes.... he is a plump kitty I had him on some diet food before I left, so I hope my parents are keeping up with that. (yeah, they're keeping him for me. I don't think they would have LET me take him, they love him too much) When I first found him, almost 8 years ago ..(geesh, I was gonna say 3, cause I coulda sworn it was only that long ago!) we thought he was a SHE, and was pregnant, and named her/him Chloe! Then I brought her to the vet to find out what was goin' on with her, and to get shots and all that, to discover she was a he, and already neutered! So, he's been volumptuous since I got him, but he's quite a bit bigger now. ... and Chloe was renamed Kobe. Oh, don't even get me started talking about my cats! I carry a picture of him in my wallet! LOL

haha... I love that pose. I've done that with my cat a few times too (put the remote and drink under each arm!)

That picture came about because Dan had sent me THIS picture from work, of a little statue that they have in the office: (so I made a little hat, and posed Kobe!)

awwww... so at least I was kind close. I got the colour right, and it was a pet! woo. I HAVE to post this picture, cause... you dressin' up Dolly made me remember this picture I took a few months ago!