minpinmom

So proud of you! Wish I were closer - for the surgery. I would SO be there! W

It was crazy - we were far enough away that there shouldn't have been this much damage - but the North-East eye wall went directly over us - so it was nasty. In addition to all the tornados it spun. You are so right about the pace of life. I would spend all day trying to find hamburger meat! lol. For such a horrible storm, we Texans did fare well. Very FEW casualties. (other than lots of trees)

As most of you know, Hurricane Ike blew through our area with much gusto. We lost trees and power. Our power was restored on Friday night giving us power 1 week after we lost it. We were one of the lucky families that had wonderful neighbors that gave us an extension cord to their generator so we could keep our freezers running. The last few days of no power, a friend of ours brought over her generator so we had fans and lights and such. No AC, but still - it was awesome. Neighbors pulled together, we chopped up trees and brought grilled food to all the neighbors who were without. We had a little lady living behind us, she is 86 and by herself. We thought about her after a couple of days and I am glad we did. She was living on cold chicken noodle soup. We grilled lunch and dinner at my house everyday. Neighbors kicked in on food and we fed lots of families. We also went through the food/water/ice lines every day and got what we could for the neighborhood. So many families lost all the freezers. It is amazing how something like this pulls a group together. I kinda miss the evenings in the front yard, grill burning and folks walking up and down the roads chatting with each other. I hope that part of what Ike brought remains. We are lucky to have power - 30% of the area is still without. Luckily, now food, generators and gas are easy to find. It was not fun to sit in a gas line for 3 hours to get a maximum of 25$ worth of fuel and then to find out they ran out. We drove hours to find gas stations and grocery stores open. Everyone would pile into one vehicle and we would hit the road. It was so nice to find milk and BREAD :-) Thanks everyone for the prayers - they were answered. I have included a few pictures of our neighborhood. I also have a video on myspace - you can find me by looking up Wendy Baldwin in Conroe TX The first picture is our backyard, the second is a neighbors tree, third is a sign that was completely bent and the fourth is a car that thought it could make it through a flooded street.

As most of you know, Hurricane Ike blew through our area with much gusto. We lost trees and power. Our power was restored on Friday night giving us power 1 week after we lost it. We were one of the lucky families that had wonderful neighbors that gave us an extension cord to their generator so we could keep our freezers running. The last few days of no power, a friend of ours brought over her generator so we had fans and lights and such. No AC, but still - it was awesome. Neighbors pulled together, we chopped up trees and brought grilled food to all the neighbors who were without. We had a little lady living behind us, she is 86 and by herself. We thought about her after a couple of days and I am glad we did. She was living on cold chicken noodle soup. We grilled lunch and dinner at my house everyday. Neighbors kicked in on food and we fed lots of families. We also went through the food/water/ice lines every day and got what we could for the neighborhood. So many families lost all the freezers. It is amazing how something like this pulls a group together. I kinda miss the evenings in the front yard, grill burning and folks walking up and down the roads chatting with each other. I hope that part of what Ike brought remains. We are lucky to have power - 30% of the area is still without. Luckily, now food, generators and gas are easy to find. It was not fun to sit in a gas line for 3 hours to get a maximum of 25$ worth of fuel and then to find out they ran out. We drove hours to find gas stations and grocery stores open. Everyone would pile into one vehicle and we would hit the road. It was so nice to find milk and BREAD :-) Thanks everyone for the prayers - they were answered. I have included a few pictures of our neighborhood. I also have a video on myspace - you can find me by looking up Wendy Baldwin in Conroe TX The first picture is our backyard, the second is a neighbors tree, third is a sign that was completely bent and the fourth is a car that thought it could make it through a flooded street.

Okay - so I live like 80 miles from the Gulf Coast so we aren't in grave danger. We don't have to worry about storm surge. We do have to worry about 100 mph wind and lots of rain. However - we have gotten everything we needed to done - so I am relaxing with a nice cool beverage. My neighborhood is mostly staying put. A lot of people boarded up their windows. We have TONS of trees - so the high wind is bound to bring some of them down. We didn't board up - hopefully the trees will miss our windows :-) I have friends and family that are a lot closer than we are - so I hope they are safe and of course any and all of my Lapband buddies in the area. But for now, I sit back with a nice glass of Riesling and enjoy all of my handywork. I have been a busy gal. I hope we don't lose power till close to the end of it all - Eddie can't handle the heat with him MS - so we will end up driving to my parents an hour North if we do. They have dial up - so if we do - you sure won't hear from me for a while :-) Anyways - I just wanted to give a shout out to my friends in the danger zone and let everyone know we will be hunkered down. Stay safe, dry and wear lots of hairspray!

Okay - so I live like 80 miles from the Gulf Coast so we aren't in grave danger. We don't have to worry about storm surge. We do have to worry about 100 mph wind and lots of rain. However - we have gotten everything we needed to done - so I am relaxing with a nice cool beverage. My neighborhood is mostly staying put. A lot of people boarded up their windows. We have TONS of trees - so the high wind is bound to bring some of them down. We didn't board up - hopefully the trees will miss our windows :-) I have friends and family that are a lot closer than we are - so I hope they are safe and of course any and all of my Lapband buddies in the area. But for now, I sit back with a nice glass of Riesling and enjoy all of my handywork. I have been a busy gal. I hope we don't lose power till close to the end of it all - Eddie can't handle the heat with him MS - so we will end up driving to my parents an hour North if we do. They have dial up - so if we do - you sure won't hear from me for a while :-) Anyways - I just wanted to give a shout out to my friends in the danger zone and let everyone know we will be hunkered down. Stay safe, dry and wear lots of hairspray!

I was living in Utah - Hill AFB. My husband was in Egypt when 911 hit. I was stunned. I left work - and watched TV for days. Their base in egypt lost all communications due to the Pentagon satelite being hit. It was horrible - we didn't hear from them for weeks. All that we were told were that our hubbies were accounted for. It was horrible. Living on base during Delta Lockdown wasn't fun. It took hours to get on base due to all the car inspections and such. Thankfully my family was safe. I still morn for those lost. I wish I wasn't dealing with Hurricane Ike - I feel I need a day to focus and remember. Thanks for the post and thanks for sharing.

Okay, Lapband Talk people are the MOST generous people ever. Can I tell you - JUST with you guys, I am 1/2 way to my goal!!!! My husband can't believe that people he doesn't even know would would be so generous. I can't believe it either. You guys are wonderful. BTW, I have enough friends that will walk with me, we are now a TEAM!! Our name is Eddie & The Cruisers!!!

You guys are all so sweet. I can't believe the generosity of my Lapband Talk Friends. Thank you guys.

Thank you so much! And Thank you for the donation - my hubby was touched - he kept saying, but she doesn't even know me!

Thanks - it must be something with Lapband talk - I disabled the link - if you copy and paste it, it goes directly to the site. Thanks so much for letting me know!!!

Some of you guys don't know me, so a little history. My husband Eddie was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2004. It has been very difficult. MS is considered a Terminal Illness, not the best news for someone in their 20s. He is currently Medically Retired from the USAF with 100% disability. He is now 32 and living day by day. Some days, he does great - you couldn't tell he was affected. Other days, he stays in bed. We take each day given to us. Anyways, to raise money and awareness for the disease, I am doing a MS Walk this year. Below is the information - I copied the body of the email I am sending out. To all my friends and family, All of you know our struggle with MS. Each year there are MS Walks all over the country. This year I have decided I would walk for Eddie. My Mom is going to join me, along with Sasha (one of our dogs) on Saturday, September 27th in The Woodlands. I am asking for donations of any size. This is a great cause that affects us deeply. Here is the link if you would like to donate online, if you would rather write a check, either send me an email or give me a call and I will be more than happy to come pick it up. Here is the link to donate online. (you will have to copy and paste link, lapbandtalk won't let it link) http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/Eddie.Baldwin (below is the suggested details I include - I didn't want to leave anything out - so I included it as well) Every hour of every day, someone is diagnosed with MS. That's why I registered for the MS Walk and that's why I'm asking you to support my fund raising efforts with a tax-deductible donation. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is dedicated to ending the devastating effects of MS but they can't do it without our help. It's faster and easier than ever to support this cause that's so important to me. Simply click on this link: (you will have to copy and paste link, lapbandtalk won't let it link) http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/Eddie.Baldwin Any amount, great or small, helps to make a difference in the lives of people with MS. I appreciate your support and look forward to letting you know how I do. P.S. If you would like more information about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, how proceeds from the MS Walk are used, or the other ways you can get involved in the fight against MS, please visit Home : National MS Society. Thanks so much, Wendy Baldwin - walking for Eddie Baldwin

Some of you guys don't know me, so a little history. My husband Eddie was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2004. It has been very difficult. MS is considered a Terminal Illness, not the best news for someone in their 20s. He is currently Medically Retired from the USAF with 100% disability. He is now 32 and living day by day. Some days, he does great - you couldn't tell he was affected. Other days, he stays in bed. We take each day given to us. Anyways, to raise money and awareness for the disease, I am doing a MS Walk this year. Below is the information - I copied the body of the email I am sending out. To all my friends and family, All of you know our struggle with MS. Each year there are MS Walks all over the country. This year I have decided I would walk for Eddie. My Mom is going to join me, along with Sasha (one of our dogs) on Saturday, September 27th in The Woodlands. I am asking for donations of any size. This is a great cause that affects us deeply. Here is the link if you would like to donate online, if you would rather write a check, either send me an email or give me a call and I will be more than happy to come pick it up. Here is the link to donate online. (you will have to copy and paste link, lapbandtalk won't let it link) http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/Eddie.Baldwin (below is the suggested details I include - I didn't want to leave anything out - so I included it as well) Every hour of every day, someone is diagnosed with MS. That's why I registered for the MS Walk and that's why I'm asking you to support my fund raising efforts with a tax-deductible donation. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is dedicated to ending the devastating effects of MS but they can't do it without our help. It's faster and easier than ever to support this cause that's so important to me. Simply click on this link: (you will have to copy and paste link, lapbandtalk won't let it link) http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/Eddie.Baldwin Any amount, great or small, helps to make a difference in the lives of people with MS. I appreciate your support and look forward to letting you know how I do. P.S. If you would like more information about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, how proceeds from the MS Walk are used, or the other ways you can get involved in the fight against MS, please visit Home : National MS Society. Thanks so much, Wendy Baldwin - walking for Eddie Baldwin

Luckily, I will have my tooth fixed tomorrow. The Dr. looked at it today and thinks he can put a pin in and crown it rather than doing a root canal WOOHOO! It is STILL going to cost 1500 bucks! Can you believe that? Oh well, it has to be done. Thanks for all the support - hopefully my straw ordeal will be over shortly! Wendy

I haven't had any problems with the straw yet - thank goodness it isn't a huge bandster rule. I do think I swallowed the tooth wax when I was asleep last night.

Thanks guys - I figured it was okay - but I have been warned of swallowing air with straws. This sucks. I hate going to the dentist.

I broke a back tooth in half a couple hours ago. I don't have dental insurance so I can't go to an ER Dentist (can't afford it). I called my childhood dentist (friend of my parents) and he called in a prescription for me. BUT, he can't see me till Tuesday at 10:30. My tooth, I assume is either infected, or the root/nerve is now exposed because air, hot, or cold kills. I have tooth wax covering it, I have pain meds and Meclizine (I get sick on pain meds). So far I have just taken liquid Tylenol to see if I can tough it out. My problem - I know we aren't supposed to drink through straws because it causes you to swallow air - I am going to have to. Are there any tricks to keep you from swallowing air? I have been leaning my head back and letting the liquid slide into the back of my throat, then swallowing. Does anyone have any experience they could share. Since I have to chew everything so well if I eat - I will probably just go on liquids till after its fixed. Thanks in advance for any help.

Pete, I found out over 3 years ago that it was excluded and I couldn't afford self-pay. My insurance changed its policy last December. Don't give up. Keep calling every month - insurance companies change their policies all the time. I am proof!

I am so proud of you! You are truly an inspiration!!!

Just thought I would share my most recent experience. My Bugg decided it wouldn't download wirelessly. It was fine if it was hooked up directly. So, I called support, the guy walked me through 100 scineros and it never would work. I was seriously on the phone with him for an hour. He said he would escalte it to the next level. Today a rep called, asked me a bunch of questions and said he couldn't be sure if it was the wireless remote or the actual bugg, so they are sending me an entire new package! He is sending me a shipping label to send my old bugg in, and the new one will be shipped, along with an extra month added to my subscription for any inconvinences. I couldn't believe it! I love my bugg!

I am on steroids for an allergic reaction - so I can tell you side affects. You feel like your body is going too fast, very jittery and hungry all the time. I get headaches, but I am on a ton of medications on top of the steroids right now. None of this is associated with my band, but I thought the side affects might help you :-) Good Luck

Oh how I wish I could avoid those damn brownies! It amazes me how something you take makes you so hungry. The Dr. said it does something to your sugar - but its weird, I want real food - like meat, potatoes - I thought I would just crave sweets, but NOPE, about 2 hours after I eat, I feel like I haven't eaten in a week. Growling stomach and all! I hate steroids. I sure hope it goes away soon. Right now, they go away for a few hours after each dose (6 doses today), but they come back before the next dose. I am taking SCUBA lessens on the 2nd of Sept and an outdoor Concert (Toby Keith and Montgomery Gentry) on the 6th. I can't imagine doing either of them with this. I look horrible and feel like crap. Thankfully I have my online friends who can laugh with me and make me feel better :-) Thanks guys

It spread to my neck. They started me on a steroid pack today - I don't feel like I am banded at all - I am starving - and eating like crazy. I feel very little restriction. I am super swollen - I hope that is what the weight gain is. I had gained 7 lbs when I went to the dr. today. I am trying to eat healthy. Okay - so the brownies weren't healthy - but they were low fat The steroids make me feel like I am running out of my skin. I feel like a humming bird. A huge freaking spotted humming bird. :-) The steroids are helping. I take 6 doses today. Everytime I take a dose - the bumps go away for a couple of hours. Hopefully it will get rid of them totally soon. Funny - at the Dr.s office - little kids were pointing and talking about me - and I knew it wasn't because I was fat! I guess you had to be there - in the elevator - I got in and everyone moved to the other side :-) too funny. I almost wish I was contagious!

It spread to my neck. They started me on a steroid pack today - I don't feel like I am banded at all - I am starving - and eating like crazy. I feel very little restriction. I am super swollen - I hope that is what the weight gain is. I had gained 7 lbs when I went to the dr. today. I am trying to eat healthy. Okay - so the brownies weren't healthy - but they were low fat The steroids make me feel like I am running out of my skin. I feel like a humming bird. A huge freaking spotted humming bird. :-) The steroids are helping. I take 6 doses today. Everytime I take a dose - the bumps go away for a couple of hours. Hopefully it will get rid of them totally soon. Funny - at the Dr.s office - little kids were pointing and talking about me - and I knew it wasn't because I was fat! I guess you had to be there - in the elevator - I got in and everyone moved to the other side :-) too funny. I almost wish I was contagious!

Look at that sexy new girl in the pic!!