DeLarla

Brother, I am SO there with you. Ice cream is my biggest problem, and I can certainly attribute at least 50 pounds to it. Do you suffer sympathy PMS when your wife gets them? I ask because there's no way I can get through my "special time" without ice cream. The first of the month I buy 1/2 gallon, and it's gone by the 2nd day. My skinny husband eats 2 snickers a day. When they were 20 for $10.00, I bought 2 cases. I can't pass up a bargain, so the fact you can get 10 pints of ice cream for $10 should be illegal. Could you imagine a cocaine sale? Addicts would go nuts. But on the dreamy side, how fun to have 10 different pints in the freezer. If I ever have a week to live, it will be 7 days of eating ice cream.

I've never heard of fat pads, but I'd celebrate if anyone offered to remove them!

Everything is finally okay. My wound is clean and closed. It's not a pretty scar, but at least the thing is closed. Dr. Billy said I could have a new port in November, but I won't be able to afford one for another year or so. Kelly, if your port is really uncomfortable, they can do a fairly simple port revision surgery. I'm starting to hear that they are placing the ports deeper, because the port too close to the surface can cause problems. Babs, I feel like a walking science project.

Nobody wearing clean new underwear has ever gone to the ER. Murhpy dictates we only have emergencies the one day of the month when the only clean pair are the old, stained granny ones with the stretched out band. Mary, those ER doctors have seen everything, and they are probably wearing holy underwear, too. But that kind of pain you described concerns me, and I wish you'd get it checked out.

Two words: HEATING PAD. It will be your best friend till all those weird aches and pains go away. So glad to see you on the banded side. You sound like you're doing great. Congrads to you. See you soon.

A friend of mine bought me special hair & Nail Vitamins when my hair was falling out. I took them for a long time but never noticed a difference. But even though my hair was falling out, my head or hair didn't look or feel any different that I can tell. Think of it as a Spring Cleaing, out with the old hair so new can grow in.

I miss going out for All-You-Can-Eat-Sushi. That was a regular for me. I haven't even tried sushi since banding though because I've seen too many people PB on the seaweed, and I really love my rolls.

Boy oh boy oh boy... yes. I'm still suffering horribly with the compusion to eat, even after a year. I'm not sure what to do about it. I realize I should be going to Overeater's Anonymous meetings (which have helped in the past) but my allergies & sinuses keep me in constant headaches, so I don't feel like going anywhere after work. I keep a list of Banded friends' phone numbers, and I spend a lot of time clucking on the phone with them. Once I asked for appointments to keep me busy every day of the week, and that seemed to work. As long as there's a phone in my mouth I can't eat. My problem is that I've always been a night time eater. My band is tight in the morning, so I can't eat much during the day. But my band opens up at night, so I can get quite a bit of junk in. Yesterday I quit my "newly developed" Pepsi at 3:00 p.m. habit. Today I'm going to try no sugar... none. I was much better last night, but I still ate chips & cake even after a bowl of fresh fruit. One day at a time... there's always tonight to try again.

Okay, everyone ready to laugh at me? The pea-size lump was the tube! I thought it was scar tissue, but it was actually the port tubing moving around. I had no idea it was so close to the skin, but like most of you know, the incision popped open and the tube popped right on out. Kel, I had major port problems from the get-go. My original port became infected so I had a second surgery to remove it (the only cure for a badly infected port is removal.) When they removed the port, they clamped off the tubing and left it inside me. Many months later, I had a 3rd surgery to replace the port. But the doctor left the tube too close to the skin again, so I needed a 4th surgery to remove the 2nd port. I'm currently portless and broke, so I can't afford Port #3 for another year or so.

I had bad rashes from bandages. I used Neosporin, which turned my rash into red bumpy blisters cause I was allergic to that stuff, too. I'm all cleared up now.

The first thing you'll learn is that everybody is different. Some have no pain after surgery, others have a rough recovery. I was never in pain, I just had bloating and bad discomfort, but nothing painful. Most of us have 5 small incisions, and they put the ports in a lot of different places. You can use the "SEARCH" feature here using words like, "scar" or "incision" and find pictures of what the wounds look like. Some people heal and have practically invisible scars, others have more noticable ones. Do some searches & you'll find loads of information. Good luck.

My hair was falling out in buckets according to the lumps I found in my drains. But I never noticed a difference in what my hair looked or felt like. It all grows back so fast, you can't even notice it. It's not like I had balding patches or anything.

Chick flicks are the best! Note to self: Rent the Notebook. I'm sick of spending huge money on bad films... thanks for the tip. I have no children, so I cracked up at Bob the Builder and Dora, etc. Too funny!

My surgeon says it's a myth and a "crutch" for banded people to hold on to so they can avoid doing the work it takes to lose weight. He said so many people keep getting fills looking for a non-existent "sweet spot" simply because they don't want to make healthy, permanent changes. I tend to agree with him. I've had two ports. They gave me my first fill when they removed the first port. Then I got a 2nd fill when they replaced the port. But then they took out the 2nd port with no fill to hold me over. I know damn well that I have enough restriction to lose another 50 pounds, but unless I make the decision to eat like a banded women, I'll never lose another ounce. According to my surgeon, people want to be so tight they can't eat a pea, and when they are that tight they lose weight and therefor think they found that "sweet spot."

23 is so young to be worrying about your entire future. I was engaged at 23, and thank GOD I didn't go through with that marriage. I waited till I was 37 to marry my current husband, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Most women want to get married and start families, but I don't think women should marry till after 30. Get your own life in order, figure out what you want for your future before settling into somone else's idea of what life will ber like for you. Your story reminds me of Everybody Loves Raymond. Some guys (girls too) are seriously attached to their families, and they expect their spouse to fit in. If you stay with this guy, you are seriously marrying his entire family. Do you want to raise your family, or do you want a mother-in-law imposing her beliefs and daily rituals? I'm not happy about the way he dismissed you so quickly, as if "his way or no way." Are you sure he loves you as much as you love him?

I'm the big drainer around here! Please let your surgeon know that your wound is "weeping." I've had 2 infected ports already, both came with a lot of leaking from the port site. Make sure the Fluid is clear or sligtly buttery, maybe a slight pinkish/orange tint. But if it's infected (green, foul odor, etc.) then you need to get to the surgeon A.S.A.P. They might give you more antibiotics. My story is long, but my port incision began leaking about a week after surgery. I called the surgeon, but they just kept telling me "that's normal." After a month, I went to Urgent Care and ended up back in Mexico having a 2nd surgery to remove the port, since the area became infected. The only treatment for a badly infected port is to remove the port. Once it's removed, the area has to be completely healed before they do a 3rd surgery to replace a new port. Let's hope your wound heals nicely now. Please keep a keen eye on the wound. If it's pink, warm, red, hot, inflammed or oozes infected fluid, get to your band doctor ASAP. Let me know how it goes. Good luck. If you want to talk on the phone, send me a PM and I'll give you my number. Keep in mind I was the "freak" patient where lots of stuff went wrong, so don't worry. Weeping wounds are not that uncommon.

There was a 13 year old getting banded when I did. She was probably 50-60 pounds overweight. Her aunt was also getting banded at the same time. At first I thought it was horrible to band a teen, but her mom had a Gastric Bypass the prior year. With a morbidly obese mom and aunt, an overweight teen probably doesn't have much of a chance. I wish they'd find LBT. We all exchanged e-mails but they never wrote back. I'd like to see that lil girl smile.

We are having a clothing swap at the Vegas bash in September. Dr. Kuri is also have a huge Las Vegas Bash where they have an enormous clothing exchange (I think his is in May.)

I believe the FDA requires you be at least 100 pounds overweight to get banded in the US, or you at least have to be significantly obese with co-morbities (weight related health risks such as diabetes, hypertension, high BMI etc.) Mexico has no such standards. They'll band anyone.

Some band surgeons are more strict with rules. My first surgeon specifically told me never to diet again. The key is to get enough Protein along with a variety of other foods. However, my current surgeon is strict and actually wants me on a diet. He said it's typical that most patients will lose about 1/2 their weight with just the band, but in order to lose the rest we have to count calories.

We have 2 Harleys. A big daddy new one and Shorty, my lil 1200 custom. Always wear a helmet with 1/2 face shield, but when summer hits I'll be sleeveless. Yes, I tood the safety course and the instructor grabbed my throttle and slammed me into the ground. She was suspended and now I see a chiropractor 3 times a week. No accidents... knocking... no, SLAMMING on wood. And YES, I'm horrified of having one.

Dr. Helmuth Billy in Ventura. Honest, fair, informative, dependable, flexible, and not too hard on the eyes.

I was so drunk in that 2nd pic - you can see how googly my eyes were... and we were all red & glowing. Please pass the pitcher...

My doc told me to ride my Harley home from the hospital. Then again he encouraged poll dancing. I'm thinking he was joking?

Thanks everyone. This info kinda pulls it all together now. Damn, today I'm gonna try to fly Pepsi-free. Then again it's Friday... shoot.