DeLarla

Is the area hot, red, inflamed, warm? Does it appear infected at all? Is the small brick you feel the actual port? Most people can feel the port right under the skin. If you think there's any chance of infection based on heat or redness, call your doc pronto. I had 2 ports removed already due to infection. I felt hard lumps too, which was the tubing right under the skin. This could be normal, but it wouldn't hurt to call your doc for good measure.

I can't tell if it's the Corti-Slim or the extra Diet Pepsi I had yesterday, but I made it an entire day without goodies. Dr. Billy prescribed the book, Picture Perfect Weightloss, which I'm now reading. One part (summarized) says regardless of whether you have physical hunger or mental hunger, there are several chemicals that are responsible for making us want to eat. So instead of depriving yourself, make a healthy choice and eat. Last night I looked at some of the healthy choices vs. the bad choices pictured in the book, and I ended up with a poppyseed roll with a smudge of P-butter compared to the prior night's quarter gallon ice cream, Cookies, etc. I'm was very pleased with myself. So, is it the Corti-Slim? Is it the book? I think it's a combo deal of both of them added to the fact I'm drinking shakes again in the morning. I'll finish off the box then let you know if they help me (Miss Anxiety, USA.) But I've slept like a puppy since starting them, which I never do. I'm not scooting on the carpet yet, but I'm twisted enough to really have enjoyed that visual! Did I mention my doc gave me a B-12 shot, which did nothing for me? What's the diff between that and the B vites in Corti-Slim?

What's wrong with people? I can only answer for myself. I have a good, solid heart, but I come from a long line of mental illness. Sometimes (uh, often) I go off the deep end when I feel it's justified. In your shoes, I would have snapped by now. Time to put Mommy Dearest in her place. My mother looked like a fashion model when I was a fat kid, but she never called me names as a child. Now that she's FAT, she goes around barking that I need to be a Vegan like she is. Last time we spoke she started ranting about my choice of white rice instead of her staple, brown rice. I finally went off and told her she ain't no Jane Fonda. She's over 250 pounds, yet she's telling people how to eat based on what she looked like 20 years ago? Ever since I mentioned Jane Fonda she's kept her trap shut. Sometimes you have to speak up. Next time she makes a negative comment, remind her that being surrounded by daily negativity makes you want to eat. Tell her if she wants to help you, try paying you a compliment or keep your trap shut, Old Woman!

Nice to meet you, Buttercup. Thanks for sharing. My hubby would say he could sop her up with a biscuit and swoosh her around his mouth. She's perfect.

While I've had my fair share of NSVs, I've fallen back into some old habits and just had one of the NSDs (non-scale defeats) that I used to hate so much. Okay, I'll admit it... as a morbidly obese woman, I used to drop food on my shirt all the time. I notice thin woman rarely have stains on their clothes. I just ate dinner and did pretty well "bandwise." But as I was putting the food away, I had to shove one more bite in, which left sauce slopped all over my fresh-out-of-the-dryer white t-shirt. Had I only stopped when I was full I'd still be smelling Downy fresh.

*** shakin' my big ol booty***

What's humidity? Did I mention that Vegas is in the desert? Snort.

Sounds great to me! I got caught in another incredible storm yesterday, and the weather calls for thunder & lightening all weekend. Betty, hubby will have jelly in his belly that you have nice weather!

Mari, I have nothing but white on my walls. I'd love a foxy hot chick painted in my boring little laundry room. A girl that looks like me with great big boosoms holding a laundry basket, making laundry look sexy (to tie in with the piles of dirty laundry that hubby tosses on the floor NEXT to the empty hamper.) I think that would be so cool considering the laundry room leads to the garage where the Harleys are.

Trish, can I place an order? We had our pool retiled, and I want a couple ceramic trinkets to hang on the back wall that will POP to bring the colors of the pool tile to life. You know, like a cobalt blue snake or a brown lizzard walking up the wall behind the pool. I was thinking a couple lizard or Kokapeli figures surrounded by some plain squares or geometric shapes. Can you do simple, basic things? Is that something you can do? Can I afford you?

Kelly, Pamela Anderson wants to look like me. It's all about attitude, Baby!

The reason hyper vs. hypo confuses me is because nearsighted vs. farsighted sounds backwards to me. I also have a problem with astigmatism. Do you have a stigmatism, or an astigmatism? They should drop the "a" and call it a stigmatism! People also get "fortunately and unfortunately" backwards all the time. Therefore I have a slow thyroid, no confusion! Now I have to read up about how soy will affect my already slow 'roid.

*** hanging head low*** I get "hypo" and "hyper" thyroid confused. I have to take meds cause my thyroid is slow. Did I finally find a delicious milk product that I'll actually drink, only to learn it will hamper my weight loss? Is whole milk the same as 1%? Regular milk is too thick, so if I drink milk it's only 1-2%. Betty and Alex, you girls just have to try this stuff. Maybe I bought sweetened or something? But it's like drinking Carnation Instant Breakfast or eggnog. I can't believe how good it is. I started reading labels when I bought the stuff, but there are about 25 different containers of soy milk, which is why it was easier for me to ask here. The carton I bought had all sorts of health benefits from Protein to Calcium.

Mari, any chance you'll ever be in Vegas? I would love for you to draw a fantasy room for me. Your work is amazing.

And here are a few bags that are in Jazzie (the shop where my bags live.) I usually prefer much funkier bags, but her line of clothing is somewhat reserved, so she wants me to keep them simple.

Here's a welding cap I made for the guy that heads our motorcycle group. It's lined with American flag material to match the big US flag on the back of his jacket.

My doc said none of us want carbonation, otherwise we'd all be crying over missing Perrier Water. He said we only want the crap inside the carbonated water. So true for me considering I crave the chemicals in Diet Pepsi. However, he said there's no proof or documentation that carbonation causes slippage or problems with the band, unless a huge burp manages to get trapped. But I don't know any bandsters that have problems ripping a huge burp! My surgeon knows my biggest problem is ice cream. The amount of fat in a pint of Ben and Jerry's is disgusting, but ice cream is my biggest problem. A couple weeks ago my surgeon told me he'd rather see me as a "Diet Pepsi Filling Station" than for me to ever rendezvous with Ben & Jerry again. Since then I've been backing off the sugar, because at least I have my Diet Pepsi crutch. No, my doctor does NOT recommend that anyone drinks any kind of diet or regular soda simply for the fact they are loaded with nothing but crap. But for me, he said go ahead and use the Diet Pepsi if that's what it will take to keep me from night bingeing. If you can quit and stay off it, more power to you. There's absolutely no nutritional value in any kind of soda. Maybe one day I'll be able to quit, too. But I didn't eat any sugar today since I had my DP fix.

Pam, you might have just invented a product that will make you a millionaire.

Our demons are no different than the crack addict or the alcoholic. How many alcoholics have quit for years only to fall off the wagon in one fleeting moment. I spend way too much time here, too. But without LBT I have no other avenue for expressing myself. It's so safe here, because I could talk (write) for hours if necessary, and it doesn't matter if anyone reads it or not. Just getting it all out takes it off my shoulders. I've had a heck of a time so far after losing two ports, so maybe I'd still be on my honeymoon if I had regular fills and constant restriction. For now I'm going to keep writing and posting till I figure out my next move. I shudder at the thought of yet another surgery, but I need a fill, which means I need a port. I like to ramble, blah blah blah yada yada yada! The whole "honeymoon phase" isn't something I came up with. My surgeon explained it to me and it clicked immediately. This isn't something specific to me, it's something most, if not all of us, will have to face eventually, so thank God for LBT. Peace n' love - it's bed time. Wink.

Wow, I had the coolest dream last night. Most of you know I was raised without love (my mother is a certified paranoid schizophrenic.) Last night I dreamt that Barbara Streisand was my adoptive mother. In my dream, I was obese and sloppy, and she was slender and beautiful, but she took my face in her hands and told me how absolutely, unconditionally she loved me. It was the warmest, nicest feeling in the world - like what it must feel like to have a real parent that loves you. Meanwhile, Ozzie Osbourne was laying on lounge chairs with us in my front yard giving us a private concert. We were all drinking beer having a fabulous time when the cops showed up and broke up the concert. I yelled out, "Who the hell called the cops?" And Shirley McClain said, "I did." Then I woke up.

California's a great big place... where are you from?

I finished my bottle of Xango but don't feel any different. Now I'm taking some funky liquid vitamin that tastes like Mango along with colon cleanse pills and Corti-Slim pills and multi vitamins. The B-12 shot did nothing for me, yet I'm still dead tired and can't drag my butt out of bed. Is this another form of OWD? (Old Woman Disorder.)

Has anyone taken Xango? Is it going to make me nervous or keep me awake? I just took my first 3 ounces of Xango. What's Xango? I don't know, but think, "Vitametavegamin." I was stumbling around the UPS office shipping a box when the clerk noticed how tired I was, so she started telling me about Xango. She's into network marketing and sells the stuff, yada yada yada. I was so tired that I grabbed my wallet, willing to try anything. But then she said, $37.00, so I laughed at her and gave her back the bottle of juice. Anyway, she's so convinced this product works wonders that she GAVE me the bottle in exchange for my promise to take it each and every day. I drank my 3 ounces of Xango today. A co-worker is monitoring me and I haven't turned into a warewolf yet. Anway, this woman claims she's making a small fortune selling the stuff, which is from a plant that's only grown on the Pegdoodle tree in Hooka-looka-loo. I'll let you know if I feel any better after the bottle is gone. http://www.xango.net/index_flash.html

Too many kids, too few babysitters? The grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side. I have zero babies. I have zero nieces, zero nephews. None of my friends had babies. There are no babies in the neighborhood. And I'm the one that wanted 9 children!

Thanks for keeping this thread going. I tell a lot of people to come here (I even told my surgeon to read this post.) I always assumed everyone was overweight for the same reasons, but that's not the case. I have the #1 Combo Upsized, which comes with the dysfunctional family, the obesity gene, the "clean plate or die" threat, and a side of the there-was-no-food-as-a-child-so-make-up-for-lost-time-now. With a large Diet, please.