Penni60

Here is a pic of Bev doing finger snaps for the recording.

FOr those that don't know my sweetie is a singer/songwriter and he has his own state of the art recording studio in our home. I mean it is about 2500 square feet of space. HUGE!! It takes up half our house. LOL!! Anyway, we periodically have people come in and do projects and this makes us money. Ronny Cox has been in a lot lately. He did his latest CD in our studio. He is a great singer/songwriter as well. Anyway, his good friend Ned Beatty and Beverly D'Angelo are doing a rendition of "16 Guns, What do you get" for some benefit CD. Yes I knew they were coming but I was so nonchalant about it. I was all "giddy" inside meeting Bev and Ned today. They are so cool. Just really sweet people. I talked alot with Ned's wife. Anyway, it was a blast having them in the house. I gave them water and veggie crudette'. They didn't really eat because they were recording and singing. But the water was much appreciated. Here is a couple of pics to enjoy.

Still recuperating from my lapband removal due to erosion, knowing what I know now I would do some things differently but I would YES get the band. I would NOT go to Mexico I would fight my insurance co tooth and nail to get them to cover. I would find a US doc that would place the band and let me do it in payments. I would NOT go to Mexico I would NOT go to Mexico Are you getting the picture?

Please do keep us posted. WORRY WORRY WORRY!!!

In fact, attacking the person is breaking a guideline that we all agreed to when we signed up to post to this forum. SO be aware that you can post your thoughts, ideas, opinions, but never ever attack the person expressing those things. Let's all be more mindful of each others feelings. There are ways to constructively disagree with someone without attacking them. Dody, I think that Sue had a rough time with her surgery to remove the band and that is what she is referring to in rearranging her innards. So, don't be so quick to snap at her about the possibility she is wrong.

I just added myself to the map.

OH MY GAWD!! I am dying over here. TOO FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know we can take up a collection and buy him one of those BIG COLORING BOOKS. And the first grade colors that are fat. You know?

YUP 12 gauge loaded and cocked. LOL!!!! Car running! Heater going! Billy alerted. OR ready.

I am not sure how far Tahoe is from Vegas but Billy does business out of an office there now too. SO you might wanna call and see if he can see you there. Not sure if this is even an option now either though. Just a thought.

I am still laughing on this one. LOL!!!

Dr. Pleatman: Thank you so much for the clarification. It is so nice to have a DOC on board here.

This is so beautiful. I think it is the best card I have seen in a long time. Very cool. http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=0212320003

I was asking the same question about Zoe about a week ago. No response yet. Teresa and KC are on a cruise right now. She should be getting home soon.

The people we bought from here in LA own a film studio. They do lots of film and music video work. The owners were really sweet and invited us to come down and watch this group do their first music video. YUP it was Staind! What an awesome group of kids. I love their music. I love how the bass player almost touches the ground when he plays. VERY COOL!!

Port issues & Antibiotics with Dental work Port Issues = I began about two months out having this HUGE (size of a softball) redness surrounding my port area. It was raised, itchy, hot, and red. I assumed it was a reaction to the port but didn't know for sure. I sent pics to my Mexico surgeon which went ignored for two weeks. I finally called him and was ignored. Long story short by the time I finally was told to come and see him in TJ the tubing was almost protruding through my skin. You could feel it through my skin. I have pictures I can show of both items. Anyway, Dr. Billy fixed the problem for me and I was fine for 18 months. However, the port issues I had initially "might" have contributed to my erosion. Antibiotics with Dental work = Neither my initial surgeon nor Dr. Billy have suggested that I would need to be treated before dental work. I even asked my own dentist about this when it came up before. He said "there is no reason for you to be treated with antibiotics just from the lapband surgery. Most times being treated with antibiotics would mean that you have a pre-existing condition that requires this therapy regardless of the lapband surgery." That is my input on that subject.

My first name was IGGY and yes it was a boy. LOL!! Now that I it is gone I amazingly still have small amount of restriction so far so I will call this PHANTOM. LOL!!! You guys can decide if it is a boy or girl.

Sore still but really able to do more each day. THanks for asking. Heck I am up to having it here at my place as well. Or we can find a mutual middle ground for us all. dinner? Movie night - I have a HUGE TV and lots of DVD's? sleep over - I have three guests rooms and a huge living room floor with a couch, love seat, and a recliner so I can accommodate lots of people? Or all of the above. IDEAS??????

Just click on the link and fill out the blanks. Then copy and paste your letter here. I am still laughing at mine. OUCH! LOL!! OUCH!! LOL!! Hurts my belly to laugh but this is too much fun. Here is the link: Dear Santa Here is my letter: Santa Clause North Pole, Earth Dear Santa, I have been a good girl. It really wasn't my fault what happened at Ann's Office party. It was Lisa who spiked the punch with too much Apple Martini. I can't help it if I drank 7 glasses. It was so good---smelled and tasted just like Celion Dion Notes. I thought it was funny when I put Christina's Bra on my head and danced the Samba on the Sofa while singing `That's What Christmas is to me'. I didn't mean to break Ann's Ipod and don't know why Ann would accuse me of murder. I don't remember calling Steve's wife a shitty pig---even though she looked like one with blue eye shadow and red lipstick! And when I threw up on Bea's husband's leg, it was only because I ate too much of that Cheetos. After all that fun, I admit I was a little tired. So I fell asleep on my way home and drove my Chrysler 300 through my neighbor's roof. I don't think that was any reason for my neighbor to call me a bold dog and have me arrested for prostitution! So, Santa...here I sit in my jail cell on Christmas Eve, all heavy and gorgeous. And I'm really not to blame for any of this beautiful stuff. Please bring me what I want the most---bail money! Sincerely and was yours, Penni (Really a nice girl!) P.S. It's only 3 bucks!</B>

Loads of luck and here's to a speedy recovery for you and your MOM. Take it easy ladies.

Still in Van Nuys here. After the holidays, anyone up for a get together for us Left Coast people? IDEAS????

Hey there band sis. I am with you. Since I don't have my band anymore I am looking at cutting back on calories and increasing exercise. Hey, let's do Jenny Craig? Maybe we will become the "FAT ACTRESSES"!! Where is my boa?

I never meant to imply the band isn't a foreign object. All I was addressing was that the body doesn't reject it and therefore cause erosion. First, the port is not the only thing implanted into the body that could be seen as foreign in your statement. The entire system from the band to the tubing to the port can be seen as foreign. Second, the band itself does not erode. Neither does the tubing or the port. The port is made of metal surrounded by plastic. This port material is the same thing used in Port A Caths used for Chemo patients. If you ever get a chance to look at a Lapband Port turn it over and it says Port a Cath on the underside. I saw this while in my surgeons office when I had port issues earlier. Third, the stomach wall is the part that erodes. Want proof? Look at my thread where I posted pics. You can plainly see the band intact and inside my stomach. The reason the reports of erosion in LapBand patients is "easier" is because this device has something to wrap around. The other devices, most actually, just lie on the surface of the organ or right under the skin of the person. Our ports for the LapBand for instance. Has anyone heard of where the port has eroded out of the abdomen or into the intestines? Look I am not saying I am the authority on the subject. All I am saying is ask the questions that give you peace of mind. Get the tests that give you conclusive proof of your fears. Don't second guess yourself and don't take advice or opinions as facts. Do your own research and be an informed consumer. We good now?

The band is not seen as a foreign object, so therefore the body does not attack it. There have been no known or reported cases as of June 2005 stating that the band was rejected, according to my surgeon. Now there have been on known cases stating it hasn't either. The erosion does not occur because of the body rejecting it. There are several factors that can develop causing erosion. If you already have concerns regarding your immune system then I would do more research and talk with your surgeon more about having the band placed. Make sure you have all your questions answered before making that surgery date.

Paula: I felt fine till about a month ago. Then the PB started more often and I just "felt" funny inside. Hard to describe. Yes the erosion was already there I just didn't have it diagnosed till the Endo. Dr. Billy thinks my problems started way back when I had all my port issues. Remember the protrusion and the weird redness and all that well he speculates that was the culprit. He can't definitively say that is the cause because we just don't know. He also said it could have been a stitch but he didn't see one when he took my band out. He also mentioned I could have had an ulcer develop between the first Endo I had in June 2004 and this last one. So any number of things could have caused the erosion. Just no way to be sure.

Erosion = the band can erode into your stomach which is what mine did. Understand the band itself does not erode (break down) the stomach wall does. Here is a link to the page that shows pics. My Endo results -- NOT GOOD!! Hope this helps.