singandsew

Happy Day! Tonite is the Tacoma Support Group at St. Joe's in the cafeteria! 6:45 pm! There is a clinical psychologist coming tonite to speak at the end. So be there! Can't wait to see everyone! Merrillee

Hi Cheryl! Good for you! Wow! You've done really well! As for your questions...Yes, my Dr. does the drain thing. I believe they all do. I am having a FULL tummy tuck....Dr. says he is cutting from one side of the table to the other. Tightening the tummy muscles and lipo-ing the pubic area. I didn't talk directly to Dr. Oh about changing to a PS, but the gal I talked to was fine with it. And, yes, my PS has worked on many folks with lapbands. As for the St. Francis support group, you'll need to go to the St. Francis website. I do know that there is one that many of us go to on the 3rd Monday at 6:45 at St. Joe's in Tacoma in the dining room. Thanks for posting! Merrillee

SUPER! We'd LOVE to meet her! Merrillee

Hi All! Support group last Thursday was FAB! We've decided to change the time to 6:30 to 8:00-ish from now on..... SO Thursdays at the Gig Harbor Borders cafe from 6:30 to 8:00 pm! Be there if you can! It's a HOOT! Merrillee

Hi! Thanks for responding. We've been meeting for a couple of weeks and it's super! We decided to start the meeting at 6:30 and go until 8:00 or so... so please pass on the info! Thanks! Merrillee

Hi Lise. There are some pictures of my dogs on my myspace.... myspace.com/merrilleesings I also belong to a great lap band group there. Check it out under MY groups. Merrillee

Support Group in Gig Harbor tonite! Who's coming?!!! Merrillee

Hi Lise, My dogs names are Buttercup and Sweetpea, then my daughter has Peanut and Jake. We used to have a business called "Buttercup and Peanut" where we made clothes for customers and boutiques. Wasn't enough money in it to keep it going, though. BUT my dogs have TONS of clothes.....I'm working on embroidered silk dresses for the girls for Easter....LOLOLOL! Knitting for them will be fab for you! I've tried a little, but it's not my thing. I LOVE dressing my dogs..... Merrillee

Hi Lise! I looked up your blog site. You have doggies! I LOVE doggies! We have 4 of them here....min-pins and chihuahuas. I sew for mine....LOL... Like Sue said, take it easy....let everyone else do stuff for you and just let yourself heal. Congrats again on starting this fabulous trip! Merrillee

JUST A REMINDER! Support group in Gig Harbor this Thursday nite from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at Borders Books in the Cafe..... Merrillee

Hi Lise, Congrats on your surgery today! God bless! Merrillee

Thursday nite again this week! Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Channel! Gig Harbor Borders books in the cafe from 7:00 to 8:30 pm Be there! Aloha! Merrillee

Hi There! Welcome to the newbies.....Potatie, Lise, and Misty! This is a super place to get info and good solid support! Glad to know ya! Lise! Who is doing your banding? Where? Merrillee ps! You all should also check out obesityhelp.com and find the WA state forum. Good stuff and LOTS of support groups!

Hey all my sistah babes! In reference to finding Dr. Foley, I just kept looking up Plastic Surgeons on the internet and doing background checks, etc. The cost for the whole thing, including the anesthesia is $6800. Of course, the surgery will be in his own surgical suite (not like Dr. Oh, who does it at St. Francis).....but he IS across the street from a franciscan hospital in Lacey. I really liked him and the whole office. I think my TT is the $6000 end of the financial spectrum because I have a TON of skin....he thinks like 10 pounds to remove.....also he is going to lipo my pubic area.....good times..... Glad you can come next week, Sue. Should be fun! Dawn, I MORE than appreciate all prayers. Thank you! Mer

Hi Sue! God bless ya! Thanks! It ended up being just Rachel and me.....BUT I have had a LOT of interest and it's going to be in the paper for next week's meeting. I got a good amount of literature together, too, and I'm taking all the classes with ObesityHelp.com tomorrow. ON another Front! I found a super plastic surgeon in Lacy that is going to do my tummy tuck on April 1!!!! YIPPEE!!!!! He is Dr. Art Foley, and he's super. Can't wait! Merrillee

Hi Sue! (AND ALL!) Thanks so much for supporting my support group efforts. Next week is fine! You go be with your boy!!!!! It's every Thursday for now. I am working on getting support group leader certification through obesityhelp.com.....I should have it all done this weekend. They have lots of good info and materials to share. It will help me a LOT with direction, etc. Dawn! And anyone else in the area.....Can you come this Thursday? Merrillee

Hey Wendy and ALLL!!!! We are starting a new support group here in Gig Harbor at Borders Books, Thursdays at 7:00 pm. I've been hanging up fliers around town and stuff. So if you can...Y'ALL Come! Merrillee

Hi Wendy, I have looked into my insurance covering it, and it's not going to happen. Yours might.....yah never know. Merrillee

Hi Wendy, I have a feeling that some PS's may be wanting us to wait the 6 or more months because they are afraid we are going to gain back weight.....isn't that a little biased? Prejudiced? The PS that does the folks on Big Medicine says that you SHOULD see a PS when you are about 20 lbs from goal to plan plastics. So! As for money! Dr. Oh is probably a little more that what Dr. Chen said. It's about $11,000. Probably because it's done in the hospital with an overnite stay. BUT I think I prefer that for obvious reasons. Merrillee

Hi friends! YES! The meeting was superb! I had told him at his open house last week to expect us to grill him....and we sure did! He was a very good sport! Nice guy! Might have him do some face work. We'll see. I am still having Dr. Oh do my tummy in April, however. He seems to think it's appropriate for what I have and where I am. So I'm going for it. And if my skin shrinks more.....yippee! Merrillee

YIPPEEE for SUEEEEE!!!! I am soooo happy for you! AND YOU LOOK MAHHHVELOUS, DAHLING!!!!! Merrillee

Hi! Got my TT surgery date! April 15! Yippee! Not the best for hubby. He might be out of town....BUT I have good family and girlfriends who are happy to help me out!!!! Happy birthday present to me! My bd is April 19! I MIGHT feel lilke partying a LITTLE after 4 days! Dawn! Missed you last nite! There really wasn't any food or even drink we could have.....all the drinks were carbonated....Sue and I DID each get a little cube of cheese. Everything else scared me.....LOL He seems like a really nice guy. I think he'll be a lot of fun at the support meeting on Monday. Merrillee Seattle Girl, Don't know who your doc is, but, yes, you may get to have a little bit of mushies...or at least protein drink if you haven't had that already. Dr. Oh had us on just liuids for the first two weeks and then we were able to add the protein drink for the next couple, then we graduated to mushies. I think Dr. Shrinkath adds mushies at the 2 week appt. Hang in there! It's all worth it!!! I promise!

Hey all, Dawn (and anyone else), I am going to the open house tonite to check out the new PS. Maybe I'll see you there! Merrillee

Sue!!!! BIG LOOLOLOL! Mer

Hi all, I saw Dr. Oh today for a checkup and asked him about a tummy tuck. He had me show him my tummy, so I undid my pants and pulled up my hurking big bunch of skin for him and he said......Oh yah! I'll do that tomorrow for you if you want! I said, how about April and he said for sure, and that he will do a really good job for me. YIPPEEEEEE!! I couldn't stay for his nurse to set up the date because there was another appointment I had to get to. So, I expect I will talk to her tomorrow and get it set up then. His fee, including the hospital and everything, is still $9600. I am going to move heaven and earth to get that amount together asap no matter WHAT it takes. This giant gut is horrendous! Merrillee ps. I got new bras today and they do a really good job pulling the old girls up.....AND I didn't have to spend thousands on a boob lift! LOL!