Merry Meet,

My name is Tracy nickname Gretchen Noel and I am a very spritual pagan. I am 37 years old and the daughter of a Southern Baptist Minister. I live in a different state and my parents, though they know I'm different, do not know of my spiritual beliefs. I have been kitchen/nature witch since I was 25 and do not follow any certain path in particular, but gather differnt things from all faiths and make them my own. I and my husband, for the most part, are solitary (he follows the budda yogi path) but we do have a small 'family' that gathers 8 times a year for holidays.

I think all of our prayers,energies and spells all go to the same place and that no one religion or denomination is the 'correct' one, just that it takes different things for different people and situations.

I am being banded on Tuesday Feb 27th and I am both excited and anxious. I was a size 12 in jr. high and a size 14-18 through high school. I went through a date rape situation when I was 19 and ballooned up to 240. I have been over 200 since I was 19, over 250 for about 12 yrs and over 300 for about 6 years.

I 1st attempted to have this very procedure four years ago but I had health spring and was denied without any hope of an appeal. Last year my company started offering BCBS along with health spring. I didn't change anything, then I found out last fall that there were 6 other people in the company that had switched to BCBS and sucessfully had the procedure SO, I switched this year and as you will see in my signature.. was approved!:clap2:

I am so excited about what lays ahead for myself and my husband. I LOVE to be outdoors and being my size is REALLY a hinderance.

I look forward to hearing from others of alternative faiths or, No faith in particular.

I have created a poll, thought it would be fun. I know there is NO WAY I have remembered all of the different paths so if yours isn't listed..VERY SORRY. Example.. right after I created the poll, I realised I left of NORSE. ANYwho, I'll add it if you ask me to assuming I can figure out how to make changes to the poll. I'm kind of technically challenged.

Blessed Be,

Tracy/Gretchen Noel

How the heck did I miss this thread? :paranoid

Merry Meet to everyone

All are welcome here!

:mad:

How the heck did I miss this thread? :paranoid

I was hoping you would stumble upon it. I just created it two days ago. I am so happy that we have this thread. 24 people have taken the poll so far!! Yippee!!

Ok. I am sitting:sick propped up in my bed at home several hours post op. Things went well, though he had to switch out all of the needles for the port site because my adominal wall was thick and the needles he had out to stitch it in place were to thin. *I* would like to think that this is because I am so MUSCULAR...:cry R I G H T.:nervous I"ll have to ask him in three weeks when I go in for my fill. ANYwho... this is how my day went.

As you may already now, Auntie Flow decided to visit yesterday:mad: VEHEEERRRRy convineant:tired . I slept pretty well last night suprisingly (thanks to the two tylenol p.m.) :notagree and woke up about 6. I got up and showered with the monkey blood soap stuff they gave me that kind of dried my skin out, got out of the shower and laid down with my heating pad until my sweetie :kiss2: got up and got ready. I put on my best/favorite pair of tie dyed socks and undies and threw my favorite denim dress over my head, grapped my little stuffed moose and away to Baptist we went.

Got there about 8:20 checked in and hung out in w. room. The called me back about 8:40 and got me changed. The anesethia guy came in and did my IV then two or three more anesthia people came in asking me the same quesitons over and over.. who are you,, what are you having done.. WHAT... is your favorite color... etc. I'm like.. hmmmm The do know what they are doing and where they are right?? :paranoid They let my hubby back about 9:30. OH>>> and those of you who might be wondering, they let me wear a tampon.. :clap2: it probably depends on the surgeon. Anywho.. 10:39 comes around and they wheel me back to the surgery room, scoot me on to a different table and put on this DREAMY warm blanket:p ... Next think I know, I'm awake and my 'port site' was hurting like a mo-fo:cry .:faint: they give me something for pain in my IV...30 minutes later some more of that then 30 minutes later the finally gave up and gave me some morphine. After that they wheeled me back to xray, had me drink some barium... which folks.. I'll tell you here and now... WAS DELICIOUS:hungry: . I was "lips sticking to my teeth" parched. And you know.. after not eating real food for awhile.. it's amazing what taste great. The table they had me scootch up on this time was a beeeeatch :omg: for me to scoot on because of the discomfort of the port site. Anywho... it was like a frigging 6 flags ride:phanvan . My feet were against a metal thing at the foot of the bed and it was the only thing between me and me sliding off in the floor:juggle:... ALL 331 lbs of me.:eek: Wasn't a real comfortable experience and lasted a little long for my taste.. but.. the things we do for beauty:rolleyes: . All that took what seemed to be about 40 minutes or so then they wheeled me into my room where I got to hang out and watch Oprah, the news, then Hank Hill. Had to wait :bored around until someone looked at my rays to make sure things could go down. I had lots of ice in the meantime.

The 1st thing I remember when I woke up was... YES IT"s over Finanly it's over. To ,me it's the worst part.. all the waiting:bored . waiting for all of the paper work to get filled in... :pout:waiting for Dr.'s appointments, :bored waiting to hear all of your paper work was faxed in. getting denied and :pout:waiting for paper work to be faxed again. finding out your approved, then:bored waiting to schedule, :pout:waiting for your preop testing, :bored waiting for you surgery date, the THE WORST waiting of all for me, is:pout: waiting in your pre op room for the procedure.. then all of the sudden.. the waiting is over... well... unless you count waiting to go home.

I 1st tried to do this 4 yrs ago with diff. insurance and was crushed when I got denied, now, Im sitting here, typing up my experience.. and it's DONE!:clap2: Now all the work begins, but that is ok... because now I have a Tool,,, finally a tool that will work for me and help me to become the healthy me that I was meant to be. I'll be healthier at 40 that I have ever been in my life. I just had my 37th bday and I can't wait to be 40! :humble:

I didn't really have trouble with nausea :speechles until the ride home and it wasn't overwhealming. Todd turned up the air and drove real slow. When I got home he got me set up in my bed with tons of pillows and stuff so i'm not laying down flat. I'm keeping my liquied antibiotic and liquid Loritab in a cooler filled with ice right here along with some sugar free popcicles.

My throat is fairly sore from the breathing tube stuff and my chest is kind of tight and breathing deep isn't the best experience. I kind of dread Thursday slighly 'cause for me, the 2nd or third day after something is usually pain wise the worst.. but maybe not this time. I'm on liquids until Friday then I start stuff like soft scrambled eggs and Soups and oatmeal. Don't know that I'll be ready for that yet but we'll see. I would be nice if I could work a 1/2 day on FRiday even though I have it off. So far.. knock on wood, no gas pains however I did buy some rolaids gas chewables just in case. When I do get up and walk around some I burp a couple of times and i feel a little better. I have had to cough a few times and I've been holding a pillow on my tummy for that and it's not so bad.

It keeps going through my head over and over.. now I have a chance..... now I have a chance. I am so excited about this new opportunity I've been given and can't wait to become more active and do the outdoor things I love. Oh.. also.. if you haven't had it done yet.. I got a reach/grabber thing from bed bath and beyound called the gopher and IT"S GREAT. I can grap stuff with out bending over.

I can't wait to take a hot bath. He did say that I chould shower tomorrow. YOu should see my insicion bandages.. they cut the gauze into heart shapes....

Well it's about time for pain med dose 2 so more later.:biggrin1: :hug:

On a narcolepsy forum I visit I hear that those anesthiologists can be very annoying with the telling you to wake up all the time...

Good luck with your recovery!

Hi Tracy...i was reading your signature and noticed that you have BCBST and were apporved for the lap-band procedure...do you mind sharing what you did for your approval? We have BCBST and there is an exclusion policy for WLS, so I haven't even pursued it any further. I went today for an initial consultation with Dr. Ponce in Chattanooga and found that I am too heavy for the outpatient procedure at a non-hospital facility. If I want the surgery, I have to come up with another $5000. The first $14000 has been difficult enough!! Any help you can offer would be SOOO much appreciated!

Thanks a bunch!

Christy

<><

One of my lapband sisters is Wiccan too and I've always been attracted to what I know of the practice. Welcome to all and great thread - I was raised catholic and still believe some of the teachings but long ago ditched all organized religions as they don't fit and 'scare' me (I think the 'group think' mentality) - I can't by into all the doctrine of anything and pick and chose what works for me (drove my parent's and priests crazy!).

Living in UT which seems 99% mormon has also been an interesting experience - I find it fascinating but again scary on some level how the religion dictates state policy, etc.

I try to live my life in a positive helpful way and believe in an afterlife (of sorts), karma and reincarnation.

Well, I guess I am none of the above, but I am a tolerant. I feel that whatever your beliefs, they are yours and that is good. I just had to check out the thread out of curiousity and find it very interesting. If anyone would not want to give you support, then that is their problem and shame on them. Best to you all.

You know.. I didn't think to add and 'open minded' option....

thanks

Tracy

Hi Tracy...i was reading your signature and noticed that you have BCBST and were apporved for the lap-band procedure...do you mind sharing what you did for your approval? We have BCBST and there is an exclusion policy for WLS, so I haven't even pursued it any further. I went today for an initial consultation with Dr. Ponce in Chattanooga and found that I am too heavy for the outpatient procedure at a non-hospital facility. If I want the surgery, I have to come up with another $5000. The first $14000 has been difficult enough!! Any help you can offer would be SOOO much appreciated!

Thanks a bunch!

Christy

<><

please visit www.obesitylaw.com and get a lawyer to fight for you. Mine was an exclusion UNESS proved medically necessary.. I had to go through all kinds of hoops and burn all kinds of wax to get to this point.. but, here I am..sore as hades and optimistic about the future.

Hello all. My parents sort of let me choose my own faith as a child. I attended various churches and read a lot of books on religion, becoming something of a minor expert in comparative religion. And, knowing as much as I did, of course I picked D) None of the Above.

How could I choose a "correct" faith and consequently damn the rest of the world to being wrong, if not living in perpetual sin or even eternal damnation??? Were not all major faiths at least AIMING toward the same good goal? Because I saw through the different trappings and felt all the different paths were really one, I became an ecumenist.

I would further classify myself as "Pro-Faith" but "Anti-Organized Religion". If people don't understand why I have a problem with churchs, mosques, temples and wacky cults (Ahem, MINDLESS DOGMA COUGH! AHEM) then I guess I can't explain it to them. I'd just direct their eyes to the Middle East or the story of Reverend Jim Jones and call it a day...

I do pray, I do believe in higher power(s), but I don't go further than that. If they want to be named in specific or if they have marching orders for me personally, I'm sure I'll hear about it. Until then, we have a very casual association!

I try to be a good person; I think I *AM* a good person. And I don't need a priest, a church, a fatwa or a master to tell me anything about how to live my life.

I respect other faiths to the same degree they respect mine. Which I guess makes me sound like a real intolerant jerk! LOL.

Anyway, live-and-let live is a motto for me.

Glad to see so many different faiths represented here. Rock on.

Hi!

Thanks for starting this thread! I am not any of the above, I don't think, but when I did an online test for "which faith are you"? I came out most close to "neopaganism". So although I don't practice anything in particular, I guess I could be called that.

I really just believe in a higher power is all. I have been getting really, really tired of certain Christians on this board shoving their religion down other's throats and it bothers me alot when they sign all of their posts with things about "the Lord". It's annoying. So I added a signature line about the Flying Spaghetti Monster to my post to kind of counter those religious signatures, and people don't even get that it's a spoof!

Hello all. My parents sort of let me choose my own faith as a child. I attended various churches and read a lot of books on religion, becoming something of a minor expert in comparative religion. And, knowing as much as I did, of course I picked D) None of the Above.

How could I choose a "correct" faith and consequently damn the rest of the world to being wrong, if not living in perpetual sin or even eternal damnation??? Were not all major faiths at least AIMING toward the same good goal? Because I saw through the different trappings and felt all the different paths were really one, I became an ecumenist.

I would further classify myself as "Pro-Faith" but "Anti-Organized Religion". If people don't understand why I have a problem with churchs, mosques, temples and wacky cults (Ahem, MINDLESS DOGMA COUGH! AHEM) then I guess I can't explain it to them. I'd just direct their eyes to the Middle East or the story of Reverend Jim Jones and call it a day...

I do pray, I do believe in higher power(s), but I don't go further than that. If they want to be named in specific or if they have marching orders for me personally, I'm sure I'll hear about it. Until then, we have a very casual association!

I try to be a good person; I think I *AM* a good person. And I don't need a priest, a church, a fatwa or a master to tell me anything about how to live my life.

I respect other faiths to the same degree they respect mine. Which I guess makes me sound like a real intolerant jerk! LOL.

Anyway, live-and-let live is a motto for me.

Glad to see so many different faiths represented here. Rock on.

Thanks and Welcome!!! I love that we are all different.. it's what makes the world so interesting:biggrin1:

When were you banded? How are you doing?

Hi!

Thanks for starting this thread! I am not any of the above, I don't think, but when I did an online test for "which faith are you"? I came out most close to "neopaganism". So although I don't practice anything in particular, I guess I could be called that.

I really just believe in a higher power is all. I have been getting really, really tired of certain Christians on this board shoving their religion down other's throats and it bothers me alot when they sign all of their posts with things about "the Lord". It's annoying. So I added a signature line about the Flying Spaghetti Monster to my post to kind of counter those religious signatures, and people don't even get that it's a spoof!

Actually your signature is one of the 1st ones I noticed (& wheetsins too) and they both made me laugh.

Welcome!

Tracy

So glad to see more people coming in here :scared:

Welcome to you all!

I'll be so glad when I get past this swollen firey itchy pain stage. I walk hunched over like a cave man. Ok.. my procedure was only yesterday..so I know I need to be patient... but that's not one of my best qualities. I know I'll turn the bend but I"m like.. will I ever feel normal again?

xo

TRacy

Thanks and Welcome!!! I love that we are all different.. it's what makes the world so interesting:biggrin1:

When were you banded? How are you doing?

I am being banded on 03/28/07!

Can't wait, getting really impatient!