DeLarla

Best piece of advice is to buy a king-size heating pad. It worked magic on all the aches and pains you might get from trapped gas. Also, laying in bed stiffens joints, so the heating pad was my best friend. You'll most likely have to fast 24 hours before surgery, then they will give you Water in recovery. I brought my own bottle of Gatorade, which they let me have right after surgery instead of water. By that time I was dying for something, and the Gatorade was much better than plain water. I also brought pink fuzzy booty socks, which I lived in. This way I could wander the halls without putting slippers on and off or getting my feet dirty. Pack light. Don't bring your whole wardrobe to the hospital. I had one small tote bag, which was plenty. Do yourself a favor and leave all the girl junk at home. Chapstick, lotion, toothbrush, change of panties, magazine, Gatorade, pink fuzzy socks, cell phone. That's all you'll need.

Congrads on a couple levels!

That doesn't sound normal to me. I only have a little restriction, but pizza isn't one of those things that slides down easily. You should ask for fluoro as soon as possible. Maybe you are completely normal, but sudden loss of restriction could be a sign of erosion. Also, fills sometimes take a week or two to kick in. Just be on the safe side and have them look under x-ray.

I thought it was a ploy from the Dairy Counsel as well. However, I don't mind making cows rich since I adore them, so I'll go along with this one.

Haha, I'm married to that same guy! Hence the Aquarian's response to, "what do you think about calling cards?" is "Is that Thunder I hear?" Thunder? Who the hell said anything about thunder? I gave up talking to my husband years ago. Everything has to be superficial. If I go any deeper than the surface he'll mention pepperoni pizza or something so off topic that I want to scream!

Wow, it's a trip hearing about other people's stories. You sound like you've got your sense of humor, which you'll need when the gas starts coming out! You mean they gave you nasal pain drops? Never heard of that one before. And is the Upper GI afterwards a standard test they do now? Good luck to you, and a big congrads!

Chris, this doesn't sound normal to me at all. Get on the horn with Ortiz and don't wait for an e-mail response since he might not get back to his desk today. He's really good about taking calls, so call him right away, okay?

My husband married his first wife twice. I think that's actually pretty common. I hope this is a postive thing for you, sounds like you're doing great! Congrads to you on your new life, and how funny that you call them, "Squids." I'll have to remember that one!

Okay, maybe "penny pincher" was the wrong term, but Gemini's are very aware of money, just like you always checking the account. January 14 is Aquarius... Kathy, do you sometimes wonder where dad is upstairs? This isn't to say that Aquarians are air heads, they just tend to wander away mentally to their own little world.

I've never felt deprived. I do pull my hair out at nights though out of sheer addiction. I'm able to eat a good amount of food. I have read thousands of posts in the past year, and I think I'm the one that has the worst problem of all of us when it comes to addiction. I have anxiety disorder, and I've used food as a drug my entire life. I still love my band! I've only lost 1/2 of the weight that I need to lose, and I won't lose any more till I break the addiction of eating past being full. The band helps, trust me. I couldn't stop eating to save my own life before, but there are times the band stops even ME dead in my tracks. Hard to believe.

I don't recall ever seeing 1%, but I'm going to look. Skim milk is clear so I'd have to gag it down. I wonder if the Weight Watchers ice cream bars are a real dairy product?

I thought I was the only one on earth that had Steve Martin albums memorizes! Thanks for the memories of $10,000 worth of cat toys; don't you hate when it goes under the couch? Gimme that, gimme that! I'm sorry if I came off too harsh on hubby from the original post, but I've been a little irked at men in general lately. ALL of them except darling Jonathan, that is!

Every time we want evil diet soda we should drink (gag) skim milk. I'm going to buy a half gallon for my work fridge.

I can't make Texas, but it's mandatory to post pictures at LBT. I swear it is!

I think I sent you a long post about my leaking wound. Please get back to us and tell us if it stopped leaking.

Wishing the best for you and knowing in my heart that you'll do great.

Okay, I wasn't sure if this was funny, but since we're on the topic of stones.... Taking a wee break from the golf course, Tiger Woods drives his new Mercedes to an Irish gas station. An attendant greets him in typical Irish fashion, unaware who the golf pro is. "Top of the mornin' to ya". As Tiger gets out of the car, two tees fall out of his pocket. "So what are those things, laddie?" asks the attendant. "They're called tees," replies Tiger. "And what would ya be usin 'em for, now?" asks the Irishman. "Well, they're for resting my balls on when I drive," replies Tiger. "Aw, Jaysus, Mary an' Joseph" exclaims the Irish attendant. "Those fellas at Mercedes think of everything."

Stacey, I had the major poohs, too. Nasty & rumbly to the point I thought something was horribly wrong, so I ran to Urgent Care. They ran tons of tests but nothing was wrong. It was just years worth of built up sludge from way inside my colon & guts, I suppose. Sorry to get gross, but we're all in the same boat.

I know this won't make you feel any better, but I'm gonna say it anyway: Just be happy your insurance covers the band! A lot of us had to self-pay. Besides, it's the bride's wedding, so everyone will be looking at her. You'll have your day soon.

That's such a nice introduction. I hear there's a BOGO sale going on: Buy a Lap Band and get your new lap free!

Okay, I read that article. That's too creepy for me. I'm not putting that garbage in my body any more.

We can be a pretty gross bunch, that's for sure. If you think this is TMI, try checking out my other post under, "Warning, Gross Pictures." I've never heard anyone having such a long PB stuck episode. Mine usually pass within 5-10 minutes. I can eat bread, just not as much as I used to, as long as I take small bites and chew really well.

A PB is something that happens when you eat too fast, or when you try to swallow a bite that's too big. The particle gets trapped and can't pass through the band, and the sensation is horrible and hard to explain. PB is short for Productive Burp. You'll be eating, then suddenly feel like a golf ball is trapped somewhere in your throat or esophagus or chest. Hard to describe, and everyone has a different version, but my eyes start to Water, it's hard for me to talk, the pain & pressure makes me keep trying to swallow but that doesn't help press the offending particle down. I march around the house pounding my chest, but that doesn't help either. Then, either the stuck particle will suddenly pass through, which will bring you immediately relief, or you will have a famous PB, where you'll kind of upchuck wads of gross slime a couple times, then the stuck particle will come out your throat and you'll spit it up. As soon as the thing gets unstuck from either going down or back up, you'll feel normal again. It's almost like a heart-attack feeling of pain & pressure, only in the throat/neck/chest kinda area. To avoid them, don't eat fast - ever. Chew your food till it's mush - always. Don't ever drink during a PB because it makes it worse, not better. liquid will not push the thing through. Good luck!

Bumping for Jenna. By the way, these pictures don't do these wounds justice. Just ask Penni, they were much more horrifying in person. I could have stored a golf ball or two in the gaping hole. EEWWWEEE!

So, let's see those photos!