Hi

My name is Ellen and I live in Mt. Vernon. I have not had the sergery yeat still talking to Dr's and getting Info. Jest wandering if there is any one close by. I have lots of questions. I have a consoltaion visit with my Fanily dr on friday and am not shure what to ask.

Thanks

Ellen

:cheeky :cheeky :cheeky :cheeky

P.S. sarry about the spelling

A boy...Butch, he's my little sweety who's keeping my feet warm while I sit here on the computer.

Wendy & I have gone to the YMCA for the last 2 weeks on Tues & Thurs, then walk on MWF. We started with a 5 minute warm up on the eliptical (I've always hated them in the past, but I'm getting over it) we add a minute each time we go, so soon we'll be up to 10-15 minutes. After we warm up we do the weight machines...boring...I like walking (talking) better, but I know it's important to do more.

Hope to get together soon...BTW...your picture looks great!

OK, I finally had my 1st "slime" last night. I guess my fill on Monday did something! I'm not sure if the issue was chewing or dry food, but either way, it wan't pleasant. I was eating my dinner in my car in the parking lot wating for my son's water polo match. Had a tough time deciding if I should make a dash for the pool bathroom, but it passed after about 15 minutes. Makes you really want to be careful, especially when you're in public!

Hi all,

Well I'm officially down 40 lbs. today. Woo-hoo!!! Very exciting. I've been exercising my brains out. Funny thing is that I'm actually kind of addicted to it now. Never in my wildest dreams would I have believed that possible. I am not an exercise person. This little band of ours just helps to make you believe it's really possible.

We purchased an Ellipticle machine off of Craigslist about 3 weeks ago and I've basically been doing it every day, followed by low weights to tone up. Then I've broken out my old "thigh master" remember, Suzanne Somers?? I can already tell a big difference. Who knew that if you held on to a piece of exercise equipment for 20 years that you might actually use it someday (the thigh master). I do 20 minutes on the Ellipticle. There are times when I just want to do 10 minutes or so but I keep telling myself that "I can do this".

Although the weight isn't just "dropping off" like I would like I feel sooooo much better for the exercise. If I have a day when I can't work out I actually feel guilty. Some days I can hardly believe that this is me. I was basically the queen of avoiding exercise.

Anyways, enough of me. I'm just filled with such hope right now that I wanted to share. Maybe that's what the band has really given to me - hope.:whoo:

I hope that everyone is doing well. I have some old jeans that are a size 18 that don't fit anymore. I think that I only wore them once or twice. If anyone wants them let me know. I'll bring them to the next meeting at St. Joe's.

Dawn:clap2:

Dawn...

I ask people all the time if the exercise will, at some point, become "fun". I enjoy walking with friends, b/c I can distract myself with chit-chat. I keep telling myself to keep going, some day it will be fun, but it's still just a chore. That's great that you're "enjoying" your ellipticle, I hope to be doing 20 minutes at some point soon, I've never been very good at that machine, but I'm getting the hang of it. I'm not sure the ellipticle will ever be my cardio workout, but it's working real well as a warm-up for the weight machines.

I don't think I will be able to make it to the next St Joes meeting, it's open house at my son's school :rose:

Who all made it to the St Joe's group last night? Was it a good meeting? I sure hate missing, but had a open house at one of my son's school.

I didn't make it to the group last night either. Monday's are hard for me. I work on Mondays and Fridays, and on Mondays I'm all the way out in Maple Valley until 5:30.

How was group? I sure enjoy getting together with everyone. November starts the once a month, right?

Dawn

Hi Dawn and All....I was planning on going to the support group last nite, but I was out with my son too late...oh well. Did anyone go!

Mer

So I talked to one of my "skinny" sisters yesterday and she says she weighs 160 and is the same height as me....hmmmm. She doesn't think I should go down to 145.....I don't know. At 160 it's so easy to go up to 165 and 170 and I wouldn't like that. I guess I'll just see how it is as I go....It's not like I'm going to get to 160 in the next few weeks or anything. At 1-2 lbs a week that's going to take a few more months....My sis does look good at that weight, though.. ...Maybe get my tummy tuck then....and that should put me down to the 150 or so range....close enough.....Like I said....we'll see when I get closer.

Anyone up for walking the mall this week? Call me! Write me.

OH! And my friend, Rachel is seeing Dr. Skrinath for a band. She's got just about all her testing done and then will be going in for the final appointment and get a date. She should be doing it in the next month or so. I'm really proud of her for pursuing it and going for it. Hey, I'm proud of us all!

Mer

Hey everyone! I know it's been awhile . . . life is soooo busy. I should be able to find some time to come out this week Mer. I'm getting my third fill tomorrow and I don't think I will be able to eat anything because I PB and throw-up on everything as it is. I guess I will do what you are doing and stick to warm liquids. I just want the scale to start moving down again. Since I started working out five times a week my weight has been stuck on the same number. Frustrating! I'm wondering if I will ever see onederland in my lifetime.

I would love to walk at the mall this week. I need some distraction and some "fellowship". I really don't know what my schdule is, we had a rough weekend and my son has to go in for some testing this week. He had a seizure on Friday and they think he has epilepsy (I don't even know if that's how you spell it...I'm going to be up late tonight doing research). Any of you that would do so, Bryce could use a prayer or two.

AHHHHH!!! my TOM is around the corner too...I am really fighting the urge to go in the kichen and eat my stress away...yes, I really do need a good walk!

Sue

Hi all,

Well I had an extremely scary day yesterday. I had a headache all day. On my way home from work I stopped and bought some liquid Tylenol. I sat in my car for about 3 - 4 minutes after I took it because I just didn't feel like I could drive it hurt that bad. I started home again getting on highway 18 from Covington. I had only driven about a minute when I just knew that I was going to pass out so I pulled over. I couldn't get my head between my knees because of the steering wheel so I put my seat back as far as it would go and layed down after cranking up the air conditioning to help cool me down. As soon as I layed back I got extreme pain in my sternum area. I felt like I couldn't breathe or talk. I knew 911 wouldn't be able to understand me so I called my friend who had just left work with me. I knew she would know what direction I was going. She called 911 for me. It seemed like forever before they got there but it was only about 5 minutes. I thought I was having a heart attack!!! the firemen got there, then they called for the medics because they realized they couldn't help me. I don't even really remember how they got me out of the car but then I was in the ambulance and hooked up to an EKG. He said that my heart rhythms looked fine so then I thought "OH GOD NO, please don't let my band have slipped! Luckily I wear an emergency bracelet so they knew that I have had the band. I told them I wanted to go to St. Francis so that's where we went. My BP was really high (I always have it really low) and the pain was almost unbearable - worse than child birth!! They finally got an OK to give me some Morphine which helped greatly for about 2 minutes then they had to keep giving it to me. I don't even know how much I got. After about 2 hours the pain finally was under control. they took me for a CT Scan which showed the band was fine, THANK YOU GOD!!! I was so scared that I was going to have to have it removed!!!

I finally left the ER about 12:30 that night. They said my heart was fine and the band looked fine so since the pain seemed under control I could go home. I saw Dr. Srikanth today and he said everything is still good too! YEAH, but now what? What caused all that? He said his best guess is that I had an esophogeal spasm or something like that. Basically he doesn't know but just to hope that it doesn't happen again.

I'm so grateful that the band is OK. I prayed so hard that nothing major would be wrong but I also want to know what caused it. I just don't want it to ever happen again. I honestly thought I was dying. Maybe that sounds wimpy but I have a really strong pain tolerance and this was unlike anything I've ever experienced before.

Today I just feel truly blessed. I'm OK, my kids and hubby are OK.

Has anyone ever heard of anything like this before?

Dawn

Dawn...

What an experience! I'm so sorry you had to go through that, and to not really know the cause must be frustrating and scary. I'll be praying for you, and you're right, the keeping the perspective is sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves when we just can't explain it all.

Take extra good care of yourself!!!

Sue

Dawn - It sounds a lot like an attack that i had one time. I thought I was having a heart attack while my four boys were standing there watching. i told them to call 911 but instead they called their dad at work and he said he was on his way. About 20 minutes later when he got there it was all over but it sounds very similar to yours. In talking to my doctor she thought it might have been a gall bladder attack. They did a test but I didn't have any stones. If it had been caused by one then it had passed. I have never had another one and that was like 14 years ago.

I thought I was going to pass out too and got very nauseous and the pain under my sternum was just exploding!!! It traveled out my right shoulder. I guess if it goes out your left shoulder then it is your heart and right shoulder means it is your gall bladder. I broke out in a drenching sweat and really thought I was going to die. It's a very scary thing to have happen. I'm glad your band is in good shape.

Hey Girls! Goodness! Dawn! I agree with Wendy. Sounds like a gallbladder attack! It does sound similar. Also could have been an old fashioned panic attack. I've had those too. Feels like a heart attack....sweating, pain. Not fun. I used to have them a LOT when the kids were little and I felt overwhelmed. Argh. Whatever it was, I hope you look further into it. Poor baby!!!!!!

Mer

OK, and now for the NEWS!

I realized I had been wearing the SAME stupid bras since I was banded....and shirts were starting to look funky....SO, I went to Macy's yesterday and had a fitting......OK I WAS in a 48DD.....and the new size is.......TADA! 42D! Yippee!!!! I kept "wondering" why my bust size wasn't moving.....It was the old SUPER padded bras....they just stood out there even though my boobs were basically just sitting in the bottom of the cups. LOL. OOOH AAAHHH. I wanted to have a burning ceremony for the old bras.....Dave and the kids weren't "into it"....LOLOLOLOL!

Happy day!

Mer