SchexyMomma

Thank you, Chica, for updating everyone! And thank you to all of you for all your prayers!!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!! We Still Have Our Little Boy!!! I still can't believe it! It's true that the bio family may appeal, but I don't care right now... I can finally breath and get back to my life! yea!!! -mel

Hi everyone. I have been out of here for, I think, like a month...maybe more. Going through some tough stuff right now personally... need your prayers. The short story is that we are foster parents who desperately want to adopt our little guy that we have had since he was 12 months old, and he is now 2 1/2 yrs. Long lost Aunt & Uncle have crawled out of the woodwork after all this time and hired an attorney to get custody. It's a jury trial and this is the end of the third week of testimony (which doesn't include all the pre-trial hearings and depositions). If you live in Houston, channel 13 has been covering our story, but not the whole story. We decided not to talk to them, because it's a private matter, and as foster parents, there isn't a lot of information that we could give- even if we wanted to. So the reporting is coming from the side of the biological family and the Chinese community activists. But we know the truth. Anyway, we really need your prayers. We could have closing arguments tomorrow, or the other side may call more witnesses and then we will have to go back Monday and start week 4 of this trial. When we win, and all this is behind us, I'll be back on the boards. More reading than posting, but reading for sure. -mel

My little ones re adopted, and they are boys. So, my situation is very different from yours... but I am always thinking about what they are eating, too. My 2 yr old is little for his age, and refuses to eat much at all. My 1 yr old is big (90% for both charts) and has been since he was about 2 months old... and he eats anything and everything! I worry about the younger one out-growing the older one and how that will affect them (getting teased/questions & comments from rude people) as they grow up. I have had access to a nutritionist from the pediatrician's office, and learned all about portion size. Like, 2 tbsp. of veggies is a serving. I am sure you could find the info in a book or even on-line (reputable website). But even having discussed with a professional, it's a daily struggle to get their nutritional needs in every single day. Especially when they have such different needs!

I have pretty good protein intake... probably the same or even mroe pre-surgery. Yet my hair is falling out like crazy! Could there be another culprit besides protein (lack of)???

Have you looked into self-pay? If you are determined, then there is a way!!! If you could get a loan, it should be a heck of a lot cheaper than a little car note! I was covered by insurance, but I was really thinking that it would not be covered, so I looked into a personal loan for $15,000 and the terms were reasonable. I was also considering going to Mexico (less than half the cost here) because in all my readings, I have never seen one post negative about Mexican surgeons/surgery itself/after care, etc. Don't give up!!!!!!

I realize that y'all just had a meeting, but are you considering scheduling the next one? Count me in!

I would like to know more about this also. Three times since my surgery 4 months ago, I have had terrible episodes of such pain that I wished I had passed out! The first episode, I thought I was dying and went to the emergency room. When they took my vital signs and everything was reading normal, I then realized that it was probably gas and was so embarrassed! The next 2 episodes, I stayed home in complete misery. Episodes seem to last an hour. Blinding pain in abdomen, sometimes more on one side. GasX, mylanta, pepto, and sometimes a shot of the liquid painkiller from surgery... and then it goes away (but not "exiting" the body, more like dissipating). I can't connect the episodes with any particular food. Look forward to reading more about others' experiences.

TRACYK.... you look beautiful! wow! my only suggestion is to get a schexier (sexier!) swim suit... you look fabulous! :kiss2:

Hello Violets! I got my first Fill today, and now I finally feel like I am in the Bandster Club! I finally know what "restriction" is all about. YEA!!!!! I have to say that I am actually a little nervous, because doc said (and I have read it on here a thousand times) that the restriction may not set in right away, may take a few days... but tonight at dinner, I could only eat a few bites of mushies!!!! Perhaps it's not real restriction, but my tummy being mad that it was disturbed???

I'm a Poker Chick, too! I play all the time: casinos when I can, a weekly home game, a monthly game, poker rooms, and (the dreaded) online. My dream is to play professionally. I need to get mine done today, too! LOL

I feel for ya! I guess that I would suggest using this time to better prepare yourself... you'll be 100% ready by the next surgery date without all of the anxiety and that will help you so much for the big day. Try to look on the bright side- but I know that isn't easy. Pray about what God wants you to be doing right now. Pray for peace about the operation. Get yourself busy with projects that you won't feel like doing right after surgery (clean out garage, closets, etc. maybe). Remember that we do things according to His plan, not ours. oh, and one more thing.... where do you find Vanilla Diet Coke???!!! I would pay BIG MONEY for just one more of those!

First six weeks post-op, I lost about 20 - 25% of total needed to get to goal. I am nearly at the half-way mark for goal, and I just noticed my hair is really coming out in clumps and handfuls now. But I think it started falling out, (not in clumps) right at the -50# mark.

I forgot to address this part... I did lose the weight, so I can't say for sure; however, I think that he would have because he didn't want me to know how much and get stressed. I remember reading others' posts about this and recall that some lost 8 pounds, some lost 12 pounds...

My doc required a pre-op 10 day liquid diet to "shrink my liver" to "make the surgery go easier and safer". He went on and on about how a liver too big gets in the way... just losing even a little will make the surgery safer... blah blah blah... I really thought he was just testing me to see if I could lose any weight at all. so he wouldn't tell me how much he expected me to lose on this diet, because he didn't want me to stress out (Ha!) but later when I was alone with one of his assistants, I asked "can you tell me again how much I am supposed to lose on the pro-op diet, I can't remember?" and she cheerfully read my chart and said "fifteen pounds". I smiled and thanked her. In my head, I was like, "what??!!!!! impossible!!!!!! I can't!!!" Then, on tv I saw a show about WLS and the doc was stressing how a fatty and enlarged liver was so bad for surgery and dangerous... and they showed livers during surgery of patients with "good, shrunk livers" and "bad, big livers". I was convinced and began a low-calorie/low-carb diet a week before my actual liquid diet and I lost a total of 20 # before my surgery! Doc said I had an easy surgery and thanked me for the weight loss!!!! so this post is already too long, but here I go again.... I felt great after losing just that 20 pounds! And it was such a great way to start of my new life. I also think it helped me emotionally for the surgery... I had already said good-bye to unhealthy food and binging on my own - not because my new Band made me.