Penni60

Hey Michelle ROADTRIP!!!! I will come and pick you up and then we can drive to pick up Francesca and then drive to VEGAS. LOL!!! I gotta break in my new car. LOL!!! Sorry I am just so excited about it. Francesca I am feeling your pain. You, Michelle, Lisa, and I should all make a trek to TJ and picket outside both Lopez and Ortiz offices. Demand a refund on our bands. Love ya girl PS: I was told I could get rebanded in 6 months. Will I? Only if insurance covers it (which it most likely won't). But I am gonna get a shot at Biggest Loser so I won't need a band in 6 months. Hey I gotta have a positive attitude.

Hell I drive to Newport Beach now for my eye doc so what is one more trip. Especially since I have a nifty swifty new car. LOL!! So PM me the info girlie girl!! Hey maybe we can do lunch or something when I come for a treatment? That would be fun.

I have some takers. The 22 size is taken. The 16/18 have been spoken for but I have a few in that size so if there is ONE more person that contacts me then I will share the wealth between you two. Make sure you PM me with your address ASAP. I am leaving town on Monday and will need to get them in the mail by that morning. I have to leave at noon to catch a plane. SO GET ME YOUR ADDRESS ASAP!!!!!!!!!

OH man I am soooooooooooo jealous. I would rather have the whiteheads than the dark hair. I am looking for a good Laser Hair removal place in my area. Anyone know of a good place? I live in the Los Angeles area and I am sure there are lots but it still would be nice to have a referral.

I would think that INAMED and not the FDA would know more about the procedures for their products. I could be wrong. LOL!! Also, once the needle is in the port you could do a jig and it wouldn't hurt a thing. Of course it would be best to not dance or move around alot. Nothing is absolute but once the needle is embedded in the port you have to really pull on it to get it out. This port is much like a port that is used in cancer patients. By the way, I was a cancer nurse for 8 years and dealt with this port ALL the time. The needle once in is there until you physically remove it. Now there is a chance that the needle is not far enough into the port and can dislodge with movement but that is highly unlikely but not impossible. It just depends on the technique. When I got fills, I always had to do a half sit up so the stomach muscles acted as a back board for the port while the doc pushed the needle in. I always knew when he hit the port cause it felt "funny". Like a movement inside me. Hard to describe. He only missed the port once and that was because the port was tilted. Once I had surgery to correct that he hit it every time. Always with the half sit ups.

OH OH OH I want one. Mine would have a slight southern drawl. Youall!!

SARGE!! YES SARGE!! Private Merrick reporting for Weight loss patrol. SARGE!! LOL!! Can you tell that I was a military wife at one point. You don't say YESSIR to a Sargeant cause they are Non Commission. LOL!! Anyway, back on track this morning with diet. By the way Sarge I did exercise last night with all the dancing I did. SO THERE!!! I just walked outside to make sure the car was actually real. I keep waiting for a phone call or the police to show up and say "Mame there has been a report of a car matching this description seen leaving the Dodge car lot under false pretenses." OH NO!! But no the car is still here and just a pretty as the first time I saw it. DROOL!!! I am still on cloud nine.

Ok this is a long story but I will try to keep it short. As some of you may remember I am involved with this guy John who is a singer songwriter. We went on tour in 2000 doing House Concerts and had an L.A. based film crew follow us around and do a documentary. We finally got a distribution deal signed sealed and delivered last month. WHOO HOO!! The distributor is taking the film to Cannes Film Market in May. Guess who has the opportunity to go to the French Riviera in May? YUP! ME and John of course. So what does this have to do with Biggest Loser auditions? I am getting ready to tell you. GEEZ you guys are impatient. LOL!! Anyway, the Biggest Loser contract was downloaded and filled out two weeks ago. I re-read it last night and discovered I would need to be available for filming, because you know I would be picked, from Feb through June. SIGH!! So Biggest Loser or South of France??? HMMM!! Hard decision!! Thoughts from you guys?

Francesca I feel your pain and anger. I too went through all that and everytime I see that scale go up instead of down I go through the same emotions all over again. I am doing the Nutrisystem meals and they do work. You have to be diligent and count those pesky calories. In fact you have to count the calories in the meals and what you supplement the meal with. That gets OLD believe me. That is why I gained back 5 lbs because I rebelled and didn't count those calories and ate junk for 4 days. SIGH!! I guess I should be happy I only gained 5 lbs. Now I have to work twice as hard to get those 5 off on top of losing more. SIGH!! I am pissed at Lopez too. I have thought several times about sending him a letter or calling or something but then I think what good would it do other than make me feel better. Lopez and Ortiz are NOT going to do anything about what happened to us. They have their own agenda. Well I can't speak about Ortiz actually because I have not dealt with him. I can speak about Lopez cause I have first hand knowledge about how he treats his patients with complications. It is just NOT right or ethical the way he treated us. Lopez might be a good surgeon and highly respected but his ethics leave alot to be desired. SIGH!! Anyway, sorry Francesca for venting on your venting thread but had to or I would have exploded. Sending you lots of HUGS and I know exactly what you are going through sister.

You can do a search for Erosion and lots of threads will pop up and give you all kinds of info. Erosion=the band erodes into the stomach. Now the band does not erode the stomach wall is the thing that erodes. My band was about 50% eroded into my stomach. Symptoms = I never had a one. I just knew somethng wasn't right. Some bandsters lose restriction others like me didn't lose restriction at all.

...cause I sent in my application and DVD for the Biggest Loser today, Jan 24th. The deadline is the 31st so won't know anything for awhile. The minute I hear anything you guys will know it.

As far as I know Lopez does use a stitch technique, he was the surgeon that placed my band. But then again I thought all surgeons used the stitch technique to prevent slippage. I think it depends on where the stitch is placed whether it MIGHT cause erosion later.

Mom and Baby are fat and sassy. He is a little pig with is mealtime. Takes after his grandma. LOL!!!! Daughter is sore and ready to get home. She had her tubes tied the same night he was born.

I had a port revision and also band removal due to erosion and my insurance covered both procedures. It is all about how the doctor codes for the surgeries.

Rozirose: I sent you a Pager message about Dr. Helmuth Billy. (Hey Michelle his first name is Helmuth and last name is Billy.) LOL!!! I went to Cedar's for my initial consult when I was doing research and was NOT impressed. The doctor that I talked with did not know alot of info related to the band and did not know what some of my medications were for. That scared me. Cedar's might be a really great hospital but the doc turned me off to having it done there. I am sorry but I can't remember his name now.

Believe me it is torture. But I am heading there on the 12th so I will have baby in arms on the 13th. Pics to post that night for sure.

Funny John doesn't look like a bag of Wasabi Peanuts. Damnit now I want some of those peanuts. Sunday is Farmer's Market day. Gotta resist. Gotta resist. Gotta resist.

OK I had my Nutrisystem meal and have drank 32 oz of water. Both something I was NOT doing over the past 3 to 4 days. NO WONDER I GAINED! I was off the plan the last few days and that is where the gain came from. I am back on plan now and should see better results at next weigh in.

Well I am so disgusted with myself over the last few days. I went off the Nutrisystem diet to film the DVD footage to send in and man does it show. I have gained all that I lost. Just look at my signature. SIGH!!! I am starting back beginning today. Man you just can slide at all can you? Not even for one cookie. Because actually I can't stop at one cookie. I have to eat the whole freakin bag. SIGH!! Just so disgusted with myself right now. I haven't been drinking my water either and that is huge factor in my gain. WATER is a must for weight loss. OK enough wallowing in my own self pity. Picking myself up and dusting myself off and staring "ALL OVER AGAIN". LOL!! Thanks for all your support. It makes my plight lighter to carry.

Just look at my signature. That says it all. :faint:

Dr. Billy in Ventura, CA is my doctor and he is awesome. He removed my band when it eroded. He is such a caring and supportive doc. I can give you his number if you want. Just PM me.

Try David's Bridal shops. They have lots of really nice dresses. IN ALL SIZES!!! Here is a link to their special occasion dresses. I am sure you will find something there. David's Bridal - Special Occasions, Social Dresses: Return

Nope no information was given. I just know the deadline is the 31st to submit. SIGH!! ANTICIPATION!!!!!!!!!!!!! SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Paula, they didn't take their digital camera to the hospital. IDIOTS!! Um, guess they were a little preoccupied. LOL!! Anyway, they had them taken at the hospital and will send me a pic. But by the time they get them I will most likely be there and have my camera myself. I won't get to see him till the 13th of Feb. SIGH!! Believe me as soon as I get a pic to post I will do that.

This whole LOPEZ issue just sickens me. Teresa PLEASE get an endo done. PLEASE!!!!! The number of erosions from LOPEZ alone is staggering. He is a piece of work.