DeLarla

Okay, it's me typing to you from my very brand new computer! I'm so excited that I just had to scream it here. It's me, just me! No pop ups, no error messages, no stalling, crashing, re-booting. Just me! Woo hoo! I feel like I'm cruising in a Cadillac! I highly recommend going in huge debt to anyone having computer issues. It's SO worth it! Did I say woo hooo yet?

Wow, you're already back at work? Another Wonderwoman. Congrads to you.

I call can say are curse words. Holy $#$%@$%. Unheard of.

No, goofy, that's not a toilet brush! It's one of those toilet paper caddy's glued to a mirror.

Now that my spiffy puter works so well, I'll work on that new avatar. I'm planning on whacking off half my hair and maybe trying blonde for once in my life?????? I'm not getting any younger, it's now or never!

I just went to the doctor and asked her if there's any new diet pill for night that won't keep you awake. No such luck. I wish I had friends in the pharmaceutical business that I could invent such pill. Just think, you take it at 4:00 p.m. and buzz around scrubbing bathtubs, then suddenly at 10:00 p.m. you can't keep your eyes open and get a full 8 hour's rested sleep. And today I totally forgot and already drank Coke. I will NOT be eating anything past dinner other than my bowl of fresh fruit. I have two PMS with phone numbers. I will call someone each night to make a no-junk committment.

I've got tears rolling down my face from laughing so hard. Anyone care to guess what song we did for this ballet recital? It's as if they new DeLarla was yet to come. Sing with me...... I feel pretty, oh so pretty, I feel pretty and witty and.....something about it's alarming how charming I feel..... Penni, Liana only spent the money on dance because she wanted to shock the town by putting hooker make up on us. My sister was in the class, too. We were the only ones wearing make-up, so all the mothers wanted their kids to stay away from us. That's how I see it. We didn't get the pretty white gloves or the ribbons up our legs like the rest of the class. She wouldn't spend the money. It's so old that there was no color film yet. Those costumes were turqoise.

I give up with you. Phooey on the whole thing. For today, anyway. Tomorrow I'm starting a new day. Want to join me? I started a whole new thread about it. Go check it out.

Whoa is me and you... I'm so sorry for your heartache. Seems the season for it. I'm trying to support my sister, who just got dumped. My best pal is hanging on a relationship thread, and tonight I had my life's biggest nervous breakdown (with my husband's name all over it) complete with foaming at the mouth and throwing things. I think I popped my band, no lie, it's throbbing after yelling so long & hard. Something's in the air maybe. Deep sigh. But we have to trust that closed doors mean open windows, right? There's hope out there, I just know there is.

What an ugly kid. I look like a toothless drunken hooker with dirty knees. Thanks, Mom.

Well, well, well. If it isn't Ms. Snooty Pants. How is your skinny little butt? Can't wait to see you in September!!!! Now I gotta run out & buy a People.

I'm envious, not only that you've got that darling daughter, but that you have matching tu-tus. Please post the Mommy n' Me shot now in matching costumes.

Hey, when I was having all my port complications this board saved my life. I've made sooooo many wonderful friends here that I can't even keep track of them, which is why I'm having another Band Bash at my house in September. Anyone willing to come to Vegas for the weekend is invited - do a search for 2005 Las Vegas Bash for more info. No more aspirin or NSAID's once banded. NSAID's are non-steroidal anti inflammatories like Ibuprofen, which usually comes under the brand name, Motrin. The only really safe over the counter pain medication is Tylenol. If you look at the Alieve package, I'm sure it's an NSAID. Get in the habit of reading all labels and avoiding anything that's a stomach irritant - even plain old aspirin. No more Bayer, Execedrin, generic aspirin, etc. pills usually have a hard time passing through the pouch, so they just sit there - so if it's one of the stomach-irritating kind of medicines, imagine that pill just sitting there irritating that delicate pouch. We have to protect our Bands. I keep a supply of liquid medications at home (usually children's meds come in liquid.) I have liquid Benedryl & Tylenol. Right now there's a banded woman recovering from a complicated band removal surgery. Do a search for Dianne Beck and you can follow her recovery. I don't have first-hand knowledge at this point, but chances are that she damaged her stomach by using Ibuprofen, which may have lead to her current problems and loss of her Band. When I had my original Band surgery my surgeon gave me one of these anti inflammatory medicines for pain, but he only gave me a very small supply. Meanwhile, it's good to let the port dry out, but if it starts leaking again make sure to keep it covered and clean till the area heals over.

I'm allowed to call myself a Pollock since I are one. I just went for sushi. All-you-can-eat is $21.00. I was damn starving, and since sushi is pretty expensive, I figured I could eat $25 worth. I could only eat $14.00 worth. So I had to order extra stuff like cucumber salad and eggrolls & ice cream. Then I had to strategically hide leftovers because they'll charge you extra if you don't eat all the sushi. So I had to pay $21 for $14.00 worth since I still think with big eyes like before getting Banded. I could have just ordered the pieces separate, but will I ever learn? Probably not.

I don't know why we feel the need to apologize for our drinking, so pooh-pooh on anybody that pooh-poohs it, and thanks for sharing what your doc said. I personally drink too much out of obsession, but I don't think it's because I'm an alcholoic, it's just my constant need to consume mass quantities of anything. Put a gallon of juice in front of me and I'll drink the gallon. Show me to the ice cream and I'll eat the whole quart. Diet Pepsi by the truckload. Nachos, margueritas - it doesn't matter, I'm a consuming machine. I quit booze for almost 2 years and never missed it, but lately I've been drinking more than ever, and it started during my Band surgery when the Mexican doctors asked me how many shots of Tequila I wanted in my IV bag! I know the rules say to avoid caloric beverages. The rules also dictate that we should all lose all of our excess body weight and maitain the loss for the rest of our lives by following all the band rules. Damn, if it were that easy we wouldn't need a band. And those of us that have one would be at goal right now.

Just a warning about the Advil. I'm sure you know that we need to avoid NSAIDs (non steroidal anti inflammatories) because of potential band erosion. I'm pretty sure Advil is on that list. However, Band doctors often prescribe them for short term use under their guidance. I'm sure Ortiz told you that, but nobody should think they can take Advil, Motrin, etc. once banded unless it's under doctor supervision. I hope you're done leaking by now and that things have calmed down & started healing.

Man, I gotta have my sushi. I don't care if it's raw fish. It's not just that I love eating it, it's the whole experience. If you haven't tried it, like Nike says, Just Do It. If the raw fish freaks you out that bad, just ask the chef or waiter for choices that aren't just raw fish. I've heard a lot of people having problem with seaweed getting stuck and causing bad PB's, but now you can ask the chef to make the rolls with rice paper. Also, I was a very bad bandster and ate deep fried rolls the other day (shh, don't tell Dr. Billy.) But DAMN they're good fried! All the others were raw but I couldn't resist one fried.

Some heal fast, others take longer. Could take months before it feels comfy, and even after your port is fully healed you may have days where it seems to bug you, or you may totally forget it's even there. But you'll always have to take special care of the area - just ask around about the gal who stretched too far and damaged the port.

Damn, I rushed to this thread because I thought Paula would be wearing a tu-tu.

I just revisited the before & after thread. What amazing accomplishments. Everyone looks fabulous.

Soups, mashed potatos, yogurt, cottage cheese. Don't introduce solids until your doc says it's okay. Any kind of meat, including deli, is considered a solid food. If you chew steak enough it will turn to mush, but that doesn't mean we should eat it. Every time you introduce food into your pouch, the stomach starts moving & wiggling to begin the digestive process. Mushies slide right through the pouch, where solids need more work. Why take chances swallowing bits & pieces that aren't pureed? I'd put the turkey in a food processor first to make pate'. Follow the rules, that's why they're written.

<HR style="COLOR: #d1d1e1" SIZE=1> <!-- / icon and title --><!-- message --> First Pic - Here's me & my handsome man before my band (uh, and before he bleached his gorgeous hair.) Second Pic - Us this weekend tearing up the Las Vegas Strip. I wish he'd go back to his natural Pepe le Peux hair like the stinker he is. VERA... I'm wearing my princess ring!

That's my question, too. None of these pics allow me to see where the pouch is. It just looks like our whole esophagus accomodates our food intake. Where does the pouch cut off in comparison to the whole espohagus?

What a nice way for her to spend her time. Losing loved ones is the hardest thing in the world, but she's lucky to have you making such lasting memories.

Not to scare the living daylights out of you, but isn't 3:15 a.m. the exact time the guy in Amityville Horror wakes up every night? Christina, it's not your port waking you up, it's the Boogey Man. I wish I could be there to help you out. I wasn't ever able to sleep on my belly, then again, I had an open wound for a year. Have you tried getting a little sleep on the floor for the sake of that bad back? You need to lay on your back with your legs bent (like an "L") and rest the calves on a coffee table or ottoman (with your bottom squished way up against the table/ottoman.) This presses the lower back into the floor. I usually put padding on the floor and lay with my head to the side watching TV, then I end up falling asleep. My back doc suggested this, and it's the only way I can sleep when my back is out. Plus my dogs can lick my face easier. And I always have that heating pad under my lower back. Do you have your heating pad?