Hi there. Just wanted to see if I could build a new home with some new (and hopefully old) friends. I do not wanna be 'homeless' anymore so here I am! This is gonna be a place for friends to meet (hopefully) and talk about anything & everything.

My name is Tracy and I live in Deer Park, Texas. I have been married for 6 years. I was banded in April '07. Got 4 pounds away from goal, quit smoking and gained 46-50 pounds back so I am on my journey again. This time as a non-smoker :w00t:

This is a life change and with it comes lifelong friends...wanna come along for the ride? :blushing:

Cindy, That is horrible. What does it take for the Principle to understand that the kid does not belong there. He needs more help than what you guys can give him. How scary and stressful that must be. I will be thinking of you.

Just finished watching the "Hangover" with Sis and BIL. We laughed so hard. What an hysterical movie. This was the second time I have seen it, I wanted both of them to watch it also. Too funny.

Off to bed because hubby already asked me if I was going to the gym with him in the morning. I need to go and work off the damage that I did today.

Kat, still keeping Rick in my prayers.

Oh Cindy--how scary!! You will be in my prayers for sure. I agree, I think it is time to go to the school board or whatever to let them know that the superintendent put his test scores and all above the safety of the other kids and teachers. If you have an especially big mouthed parent of a student in your class, maybe now is the time to let her know what is going on! I went to many meetings to fight for my kid, other kids, and teachers!!!

We got a call tonight, that a cousin is in ICU. His name is Lee, and he is in his early 20's. When he was 11, he got the encephalitic form of West Nile Virus. It attacked the brain. He was in a coma for weeks, and when he come out of it, he was left with quite a bit of brain damage. He is fully capable of eating alone, and dressing, and even staying alone for short periods of time. Unfortunately one of the effects of the WNV, was the parts of the brain it damaged, left him with epilepsy, and severe diabetes. He wears a full time insulin pump, because his blood sugar is all over the place, high and low, and everywhere in between, with no warning, or no control with diet.

He got a bug, and ended up with the nausea, and diarrhea, and dehydrated, which put his blood sugar extremely high. My Aunt said when she walked in his room you could smell the keytones. It is a sickly sweet smell, as the body is unable to break down the sugar. We TRIED to go into a state of ketosis when losing weight, it meant we were burning good---this is not good for him. So they have him in ICU, and have as of yet been unable to stabalize his Blood sugar. It is so scary. He already has severe nueropathy from the diabetes, and has little to no feeling in his extremities, but he is a happy kid! He works for a Methodist mission, making and packaging the picnic sets you get at fast food restaurants---with the knife, and spork, napkin, salt and pepper, wrapped in cellophane. They manufacture them, and package them. Everyone he works with besides the leaders, are handicapped as well. He makes a little money, and he loves it.

Just spoke to my Aunt---she said they believe his pump has quit working. So they are trying to slowly manually bring his blood sugar down, it cannot be done too quickly or risk going too low.

If you could remember Lee in your prayers, he is a special kid---he has fought a lot of battles, and I want him to keep winning!

Take my Mom to the hospital at 8 in the morning. So.....will check in as I can!!!

Going to have you on my mind Cindy---don't forget to check in with us!!

Kat, I will pray for your cousin. My cousin had encephalitis when he was 10 and was left with brain damage as well. He is my age and is doing well. By well, I mean he is capable of taking care of himself, but definitely couldn't support himself. I hope they are able to get your cousin's blood sugar levels corrected.

As far as my situation goes, my students aren't fully aware of what occurred last week. They think that he was trying to come in my room to have me console him. They made the assumption because all of my students love me, well, except for this child, obviously. If my students and parents knew, there would be an uproar, but I am trying to shield them from it. I really do think they are going to try to put him in ISSP each time he gets a write-up.

Suzie: and congrats on the 6 lb loss!!!:sad:

Uggggg. Time for the gym.

Be back soon.

Suzanne-way to go on the -6. That is GREAT!! :sad:

Kat-I will keep Lee in my prayers as well as your dh job situation.

Cindy-I am so sorry that you are going through this! You should not have to medicate yourself just to work. I can tell how much you enjoy what you do. I will say big prayers that he gets the help he needs and that you and your class gets through this quickly & safely. Keep us posted, k?

Jenn-could you walk an extra mile or 2 for me? lol I wish my hip was in better shape. I sure miss my walks. I may just need to get Jillian in my head and walk through the pain.

suzyt-If Gia leaves your home, will she be able to bring her kitten? I sure hope so! What a sweet thing for you to do!

Everyone-I feel SO much better now that I do not babysit anymore...mentally & physically. I have been watching what I eat the past couple of days and feel like I am back on track. Please pray for me ok? I really need prayers to keep my head back in the game and I will not be able to do it without HIS help. :wub:

Have a fantastic day everyone!

Yes, Tracy, I will allow her to take the kitten -- she belongs to Gia. Whether another foster family would let her bring it is another issue... :sad: But we do not have to think about that for a while -- I expect that she will be here at least a year. The social worker did ask me yesterday to think about if I would want to be a guardian if her dad doesn't want her back -- which I don't think he does. Sad, huh?!

Suzy, I just find it hard to think that someone doesn't want a child. I know that there are people that give children up for adoption and they do it so that the child has a chance at a better life. I'm talking about people like her father. I wonder whatever happened to him to have feelings like that. Maybe he was not taken care of and has no idea how to take care of a child, who knows. But what I do know is Thank God there are people like you and your family in this world. People who can open their hearts and homes to help out. God Bless you.

Kat, I am keeping Lee in my prayers. I know what a terrible struggle it is to keep ones blood sugars under control. I watched my Mom fight it for years. Poor thing.

Gross subject here. I've been taking stool softners for a few days now and really needed to go. I guess I should have used a suppository also. I hate having issues like this. And I even drink a ton of water a day. Well, after a 3 hour fight this morning, I am finally free. At last. lol.

Off to Home Depot with the hubby. He won't let me go by myself. He says I have to much fun there. And yes I do. I love that store.

Came home from Home Depot and turned around and took Doggie to Petco. That is always so much fun. He had a blast.

Now it's off to our shift at the hospital. There are storms headed this way for this evening. Hope no Tornandos.

SuzyT-I am so glad that she will be with you for a while! Do you have any other children?

Suzanne-glad you are FREE...lol. Nuttin' like being plugged up, right? lol

Hi,

Can some one tell me what is sweet spot? is it when we are comfy with our band and not PB. I have been banded last May and 3 fills I lost 20 lb only 10 more to my goal. I have been PB 3 to 4 times daily, I can barely eat any solid food. does it means I am at my sweet spot? please let me know how I am suppose to feel with 4 cc fill. I am confuse. Am I suppose to eat only one bite of chicken breast and be full?

Please let me know

Hi,

Can some one tell me what is sweet spot? is it when we are comfy with our band and not PB. I have been banded last May and 3 fills I lost 20 lb only 10 more to my goal. I have been PB 3 to 4 times daily, I can barely eat any solid food. does it means I am at my sweet spot? please let me know how I am suppose to feel with 4 cc fill. I am confuse. Am I suppose to eat only one bite of chicken breast and be full?

Please let me know

No, you are definitely not at your sweet spot. It sounds like you are tooooo tight. When you are at your sweet spot, you should be able to eat a fairly wide variety of healthy foods and get and stay satisfied with a reduced amount. For me, it is about 1/3 of what I used to eat before banding. If you are pbing more than once a week, you are probably too tight. As far as how you should feel with a 4cc fill, that is all individual. I only have 2ccs and have been at this level since Nov '08. I am at my sweet spot now, and maybe getting to where I might need a tiny fill. You should call your doctor and tell them what is going on. You need to go in and get some taken out before you do damage to your band or yourself. If this continues, it may cause you problems. Good luck.

Hi all

I was having a hard time loGging in and now my dd plugged the broken cord into my computer and we threw the good one away. So tomorrow she is going to dig the bag of garbage out and find it

So I just wanted to check in. Kat, rick and lee, Cindy. You all All in my prayers.

Yes you all saw right 6 miles. I have a killer blister to prove it. Forgot to change into other shoes yesterday and of course ya'll know me I did the entire walk I wasn't quitting!

I had mAjor PB eppisode today and now I'm having horrible gas pains. Yuck!

Anyway Ill try to check in from my phone until. I get the charger. It is tiny writing and hard to type so small

Hugs all

Hi girls~

Mom is home, and surgery went well, she no longer has a gall bladder! My brothers dental surgery went well, he no longer has a wisdom tooth! LOL

We stopped got some taquitos from the A&W, and now are kicked back. I am exhausted.

nmalek, Cindy is right, you are much too tight! The sweet spot is different for everyone, well the amount of fill it takes to get to your sweet spot is different. If you can eat everyday food, hard protein, meats, and salad for instance----without PBing, just not eating lots, being full after a small amount, then you are at your sweet spot. PB'ing frequently, is not good, it will cause band/stomach damage. Talk to your doctor, and he or she will help you find the right spot.

Suzy---so glad things are going well with Gia. I know it has been referred to as the honeymoon stage, and things can happen, but maybe I just have my rose colored glasses on snugly, but it seems you are both going to experience the newness of the situation together. She has not been "through the system" so you will be able to show her the difference her life can take. I am pulling for you. I think the kitten was a totally unique plan, and what a wonderful thing to do, give her something to love, that will love her back. Perfect.

Suzie----YAY you had a crappy morning!!! LOL I know how miserable that can be. Maybe try a different type----metamucil, or a spoon of flax seed oil a day.

I am having a MAJOR chocolate craving.....and I have none! It is so freezing cold outside, I don't wanna go anywhere!!!

Tracy, thanks for the commiseration.....the whole idea just made me wanna cry!!!

How does Macy like having Mom to herself again? Any news on the testing??

Jenn, hope you get your computer up and running soon, we miss you.

Michelle---don't work too hard! How is Reggie settling in? Has DD tried to ride him yet?? LOL

Gotta go scrounge for something to kill the craving......chocolate milk or cocoa sounds like the plan!

See y'all tomorrow. I am going to get my hair chopped off and highlighted tomorrow!!! Wish me luck!

Good morning everyone~

Kat-I heard from Macys teacher that I should be getting a permission slip to sign regarding her testing to be done. I am so ready to have it over so we know what we are dealing with! Did you get rid of the chocolate craving? Taquitos? YUM! :ohmy:

Cindy-how are things with you?

Jenn-those cords can be expensive...I hope you can find it!

Today is going to be another ME day! dh is still working days and the girls are going to school. I am sure quickly readjusting to the 'old' me again. It is nice to be able to just jump up and go in the other room without being followed or having a baby to carry with me :ohmy:. I miss them though!

Subject change...have you all tried the new chocolate cheerios? DON'T! They are fantastic :thumbup:

OK, I need to get off here and finish getting dd ready for school. Have a great day friends :ohmy:

Good Morning.

Tracy, I have tried those Cheerios. Yummy. Also the Chocolate Chex. I eat them right out of the box. I haven't bought any but my sister has them at her place and grab some when I am over there. Enjoy your day.

Kat, Glad to hear about your Mom. I hope sure has a quick recovery. I've had a few problems with mine but that was years ago. Knock on wood it is still doing good. Not looking forward to having it removed.

Today is a I need to get these things done kind of day. Just a bunch of stuff that I have put off and now have to get around to getting them done.

Make it a good one.