donali

Welcome back to internet land!!! It's 4:34 here, and I'm getting ready to wrap it up. Was training all day, so severe withdrawals from personal stuff. lol Lis, don't worry about the codes and stuff. We'll go over everything 10/8 and 10/9... lol

... lol I absolutely might...

Smelling salts to the rescue!! :banana: :bunny: :banana: P.S. - to do the quote thing: Highlight the text you want to quote. Hold down the Ctrl key and then the "C" key (that copies the text into your computer's short term memory). Click on the "Quote" button (just above the text box you're typing in and to the right). Click in the text box that clicking on the "Quote" button gave you, hold down the Ctrl key and then the "V" key (that will paste the text you copied into the quote box) and then click "Okay". Then you will see in your message what are called "HTML tags". The command starts with a [ , has the command, and then ends with a ] . This is the "on" switch. You will see at the end of the quoted text the "off" switch - the exact same command as the "on" switch, except with a / infront of the command. I know you're asleep now, but I have lots more to tell you so you can get your web page started...

Why not be a phone sex girl? Always sounded like a fun job to me. I used to practice on one of my manager's voice mail - I had to leave him the stats from the day. So in my best, breathiest, significant pauses, sexiest voice, I would read him this long list of boring numbers. lol

Whooo hooo!!! congrats, flower girl!! I bet you are just oozing pheremones right about now... lol

Debra, welcome back and congrats on your banding!! I had similar pain too - very low left abdomen. I asked my doc why I would have pain there, and he said he had no idea. Eventually it went away.

Evening data entry work often pays in the $10-12 range - perhaps you can find something like that. I love data entry... It's the perfect work for me. Mindless, but industrious at the same time.

ROTFLMAO!!!!! Penni, best wishes, and if you can sleep through the above... Well, maybe you can at least have dreams about it later... lol Come back soon!

Rica, I think this is a very important question that many people don't think about. Many bandsters will just keep getting filled until they can hardly keep down anything because "they're not losing weight." I looked more at the amount I was consuming, WHAT I was consuming, how I felt, and what my usual calories each day were. If I was hungry too soon after eating what I considered to be a decent amount (normal people portion, or a little less), and I wasn't having any problems with vomiting/reflux, then it was time for a fill. If I was eating about the amounts I thought was "normal" and hitting my calorie range most of the time, and feeling satisfied between meals with the occasional exception, it was time to ride out the plateau and work on getting in all my water and making more nutritious choices most of the time. The band is NOT about being so restricted you can hardly eat anything (IMHO), it's about being satisfied with the amount of food that meets your caloric requirements. If you're doing everything right, feeling good, moving your body occasionally, then the weight will continue to come off, even if you plateau for months at a time. Patience is a virtue on this front. Again, IMHO.

Hi Lisa - Welcome, and congrats on your upcoming date!!

WOW, Carol!!! You ROCK!!! :D Whoo hooo!!!!

One of my dearest friends is a recovering alcoholic. She's been sober for over 20 years. She has said to me many times that NO way, NO how would she trade her addiction for mine. Because as she says, "I can NOT drink, but I could NEVER drink, but in moderation. And that's what you have to learn to do with food."

Oh. Okay. Well, I'm sure the second job helps you feel less tired, then...

Chantal - I have said that EXACT same thing for years!! The causes of anorexia and MO are virtually the same, at least for me. They say the profile for an anorexic is a feeling of lack of control of the world around them, so they control the one thing they can - their intake. Generally they are overachievers, perfectionists, and have low-self esteem. Same here. These problems are just manifesting themselves in a different way. I wouldn't be surprised if anorexia would be said to have its roots in obsessive/compulsive behaviour, which definitely applies to many with MO. I do think attitudes are changing about MO, but we're not quite there yet...

I think it's "two-job-syndrome". Girl, give yourself a break!!

Hi Darcy - Just checking to see what info's out there - Dr. Don says: http://origin.bankrate.com/brm/news/DrDon/20040519a1.asp This place claims to have free advice: http://freeadvice.com And even a support forum similar to this! http://forum.freeadvice.com/search.php?searchid=75045 Good luck!!

Darcy - I'm afraid you may need legal advice, and you may have to start some sort of legal action to get this under control. It is one thing to co-sign for a loan, but quite another for an open line of credit!! How scary for you. Please let us know what happens!! And super congrats for ignoring your heart and listening to your head, and doing what was BEST for you by moving on, even though your heart didn't want to. **hugs**

Kathy, Kathy, Kathy... Lord, woman, you have been averaging nearly 5 pounds a WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You DO know that the expected average weightloss is 1-2 pounds a week, right? That's 4-8 pounds a month, and your average is almost 19 pounds a month!!!!!!! YOU DO NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NEED A FILL. Your body needs time to adjust to this huge weightloss. You are obviously restricted enough, and getting a fill could create serious problems since you're already having pain in the mornings. If I were you, I wouldnt even start thinking about another fill until after I had plateaued for SIX weeks. But I bet it won't be that long for you. Stop looking at your scale, and start looking at your health. This is your time to do your head work, to wrap your mind around this process. You are doing awesome - don't screw it up by not being satisfied with over TWO TIMES the expected average weight loss!!!

Hi Birdee! Congrats on losing 49 pounds!!! Whoo hooo!! 49 pounds a year will definitely get you where you are going!! Celebrate all the wonderful changes -49 pounds have brought to your life - new clothes, easier body movement, hope for the future... It's never too late to make better choices without giving up anything. Surely you have made some changes already - babysteps, babysteps!! Pound by pound you are going to creep up to your goal, and one day you're going to BE there!!! If you want advice on specific challenges you face you know we're here for you!! xxoo

Uh huh... Yum...

Egg salad, chili, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, sausage, ham, roast beef... Like Teresa said - anything!

Teresa - You're theory makes sense to me!! Anyone notice that their arms/legs seem hairier now that your arms/legs aren't so fat? Do tell!

Sissy - You are too restricted, or drinking too fast, or both. You may also be experiencing esophageal spasms, which is pain on the first bite that subsides after that initial pain. Since you're not eating solids yet I don't think it's spasms, but it could be. Try very warm liquids first thing. Cold drinks are going to make you feel even more restricted, if you're already very tight. Sometimes warm drinks can help relax your restriction a little. But it really sounds to me as though you need to have some fill removed. NO, you are not supposed to be in pain. Honest. And please do not put this off!! A burning sensation could very well be reflux, and that becomes very dangerous very fast. Keep us posted!

Vera, so glad you are now pain free. What a nightmare. **hugs**

Hi O31 - You need to define what's important to you in a surgeon - price, location, experience, follow-up/aftercare. Call Inamed and they can give you a list of surgeons in the areas you're interested in. If you choose to go to Mexico for your surgery, the initial surgery will probably cost less, but you need to make a budget for travel back to Mexico for the possibility of any kind of revision surgery. My $10,000 band surgery has had a total coast of about $17500, with a port revision, an unbanding, 4 fills, travel and medication. I probably could have been just banded in the states for that much, but the revision and unbanding probably would have been a great deal more. You will have to contact the individual doctor's offices yourself to check on price. Once you narrow down your list to docs you can afford, and locations you're willing to go to, post the names of the docs you're interested in and ask for feedback. Popular docs in Mexico: Dr. Kuri, Tijuana Dr. Rumbaut, Monterrey Dr. Ortiz, Tijuana Dr. Sanchez, ? A mistake many self-pays make is not budgeting for the costs beyond the initial banding. I would make sure you keep at least $5,000 in reserve for unforeseen complications. Good luck, and keep us posted!!