Penni60

Before my unfill I could eat this with no problems. I love oatmeal anyway so this was just one more option for me to get in some protein and fiber. YUMMY!! I do suggest for those with alot of restriction in the morning when you fix this oatmeal add some extra water to make it thinner. Goes down much easier. I love both the cinnamon and banana bread flavors.

Patty here is an avatar for you. Plus directions on how to post it. TO post the Avatar follow these instructions: Click on the USER CP located at the top left of page. Then click on the Edit Avatar link located on the LEFT side of page Under the SETTINGS & OPTIONS box. Scroll down the page past the cartoon avatars and you will see CUSTOM AVATARS. In the box that says CUSTOM AVATARS FROM YOUR COMPUTER click on the BROWSE box and find the pic you want to use for your new Avatar. When you click on Browse it will search your computer looking for all your pictures. If you have saved it to your computer then find it and click on the picture. The http:// info will fill in automatically for you. Then click Save changes.

HOLY MOLY Rene look at those cheek bones. WOW!! I agree you are a beauty. The hat is a adorable as well.

OK just got home from seeing Dennis at Dr. Billy's office. He removed all my fill with the exception of .5cc that always remains in the tubing. SO I am empty now. Nope no fill for me. Then they sent me to have an upper GI. I was shocked they wanted me to have it done today. I was equally shocked I was worked in so fast. ANyway I drank that horrible stuff and rolled and tossed on the table while the doc looked at my innards. He showed me the pictures and he said it all looks fine. It doesn't appear I have either a slip or erosion but then again he wasn't my band doc. So Billy gets back in town on Monday and he will review my results and if I need the endo still I have it scheduled for the 6th at 7:30am. Pray I can cancel that appt. Will keep you posted. Dennis said that we will start fresh with the fills after the results from my tests. I am scared to death knowing I don't have ANY fill right now. I mean petrified. HELP!!!!

Love that hat Rene. TOO CUTE!!! OK went to one of my favoritestestests restaurants today. HOUSTON'S!! THEY ROCK!! They also have the bestest spinach artichoke dip. MMM MMM GOOD!! I had two chips. I swear. Then I was a good bandster and ordered their Veggie Burger with monterey Jack cheese. NO TOP OF THE BUN! I didn't even eat the bottom. I also had a slice of avocado on it. MMM GOOD!! I hate it all. I also had a couple of their shoestring fries. All in all I was a good bandster. The calories I don't even wanna think about. LOL!! Tonight I had a medium size apple with a tablespoon of Peanut Butter, a cup of Soup, and some carrots with Light ranch dressing. That also was pretty good for me. Now I am starving over here. Actually it is head hunger I am experiencing but man is my head screaming. LOL!! SHUT up NO YES NO YES!!!! See what I mean!! OK I am getting tired so I will drink a LARGE glass of good ole Water and off to beddie bye for me. TOmorrow is another day!! Love you guys.

OK before you all blast me, let me state my case. I have an older, other worldly sister that lives on her own astral plain (plane-you chose). I have been through hell and back with her. She put me and my children through some rough times one weekend where I didn't know what was happening for with her for 72 hours. She was bouncing off the walls and saying her legs were making her walk. She has been diagnosed as a Manic Depressive and refuses to take her meds. OK she is my sister and I love her. I let her live with me for about two years and believe me that was HELL. But she is my sister and I love her. Notice I keep repeating that. She is my sister and I love her. This is just at tip of the ice berg of what I have endured being her loving sister. Not to mention what my kids have endured. OK during the time she lived with me (by the way she lived with me to get away from her abusive hubby), she apparently was selling jewelry and doing rather well according to her last email to me. (I will get to that in a minute.) Here is where it gets good. I am starting my own jewelry making biz (ok the cats out of the bag). I am making presents this year. I make her a beautiful Chakra Necklace with earrings to match. I send it to her. I get this email from her today. Thank you for the jewlery. Did you use any of my stones that were at the trailor? I was just curious because I made good money making jewlery but due to you or Amanda stealing my stones and jewlery paraphinalia I don'e make this type of jewlery anymore I am on to new and better things. I am desging clothes and making shoes out of deer and elk leather. The trailor she refers to is when she is living with me and my children. I was floored by this email. Now you know why I made the statement "Sometimes I think Sisters are over-rated!" I want the damn necklace back now. Thanks for letting me vent.

Now you have me salivating and foaming at the mouth for a burger. I am aroughtuyoruoghgouroutohnglcmnoosdi8ougonnn turning into woeuriengoivuaoisueoruoaslnlsngvoiuboiuaser a mad woman over here. GOTTA HAVE IT GOTTA HAVE IT GOTTA HAVE IT WANT IT NOW WANT IT NOW WANT IT NOW OOPS sorry I thought that your leg was a burger. LOL!!!! Love you guys!!

Hey there band sister. SO happy you are home safe and sound. I was so worried when we didn't hear something right away. HUGS

Dennis and I discussed whether to unfill completely or just a partial but we both came to the same conclusion that a complete unfill was warranted. I had a really bad PB the night before and was barely able to get liquids down. SO I think that giving your esophagus a rest like this is warranted. Also I agree with Alexandra about a year or more bandsters should consider getting an unfill and resting the esophagus. Mind you I am resisting temptation to eat a big ole juicy Wendy's TRIPLE cheeseburger with Fries and a LARGE Frosty. MMM MMM!!!! It scares me to think that I could actually eat it right now. I am resisting and trying to think of alternatives to meal time foods. SIGH!! Now I guess the work really begins HUH? Thanks for all the encouragement and support. LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!

I saw where Dave, Francesca's hubby, just posted an update. Haven't seen anything about Michelle or Sue. I have posted a thread on what I was told as well.

Your pain I feel I too had the test I have no fill Fluid is at it's lowest (Sorry my rhyming days are numbered)

OH THanks Dave for giving us an update. I was so worried when we didn't hear anything right away. Thank you again and give her a big ole hug from all of us.

YUP I FOLD!!!

OK after sleeping on this all night and wrestling with it this morning, I finally decided to call my sister and have it out. I just got off the phone with her and she agreed what she accused me of was wrong and she apologized. We cried we laughed we forgave. We worked through a bunch of OLD issues we both had been harboring for years stemming back to when our father left us. She and Mom still have some things to deal with but all in all we worked through lots of things on the phone. She is my sister after all. LOL!! Thanks for letting me vent.

I too was fortunate enough to have played with and cuddled Milo. He was truly a special kitty. I miss him already. I resized the pic for you Lisa.

Ya know if she is on that otherworldly plain plane then she can stay there. I have bent over backward throughout all my life to help her through all this. I even helped her get the counseling she needed after the abusive marriage. Meaning I paid for it. If she wants to return my gracious gift of unconditional love with accusations then it is a sad day for her. Well and me too actually. I can't make her get the help she needs. I can only offer my sisterly love. Which I have done my entire life. And yes if she were to come to me and say she was destitute then yes I would do everything in my power to help her get on her feet. But I refuse to take the verbal abuse and accusations anymore. ENOUGH!! I love the CIA comment. I laughed so hard at that. Thank you I needed that!

I don't know the details of your life and I don't profess to know a tenth of what you have been through. All I can tell you is I am rejoicing when I hear of another empowered woman making a better life for herself and her family. We are here to support you girlie.

I just scheduled an appt for a complete UNFILL for Wednesday. I think I have slipped my band. SIGH!! When does it end? My prayers are shooting out to Michelle, Francesca, and Sue. HUGS to you all.

Lisa (DeLarla) and I had a long chat this morning and one of the conversation topics was erosion. Michelle and I were banded the same day. SO I feel a connection to her on a personal level. I have been PB all day long. It started last night. I PB'd today on chicken noodle soup. THE SOUP part not the noodles. I know I have slipped the band or it is eroded. I have been on the phone with my doc's office and finally got an email from Dr. Billy saying he will set up an endo for me. He wants to see me before the procedure to discuss my options should there be erosion. He doesn't believe I have eroded but he wants to cover all his bases and so do I if I have. I am waiting now for a call back from the office to schedule the endo. SIGH!! I am in the meantime on liquids totally. In a way, this is a good thing cause it will certainly jump start my losing again. I had stalemated for a while. LOL!! Just got a call from Saralee at Dr. Billy's and they want me to come in on Wed for a complete unfill. They will schedule me for an endo when I come in for the unfill. I won't have the endo that day but will get it scheduled. SIGH!! I am so disgusted right now. I hear all these noises as well. The LOUD gurgling and feel the pressure and all that good stuffs. Oh and my lower stomach is burning like mad. SIGH!! It is almost like the restriction I had when I first was banded. I hope the unfill will help with that. SIGH!!!

HOWDY! Carmentorres. Come and post often. We love newbies.

OK just saw this post. The fact that this message board is non-demoninational and non-judgmental is the very reason I come and visit and am a moderator. As a moderator, I humbly request that any comments on ones religious beliefs should not be addressed on this board. Please re-read the guidelines that we all agreed to when we became members. We will show respect to other members whether we agree with their comments or not. I think Kathy (thebestme) said it best in her first paragraph.

If I was faced with losing my band, I guess I would look into the Duodenal Switch that Sue was talking about. I have looked at all the other options and I think that is the one for me. I don't like the aspect of it anymore than any of the other surgeries but I know me. I would gain all the weight I just lost and then some if I lost my band. I would need something. So the DS is for me.

1. What does your handle mean? Penni60 = My first name and the year I was born. Nothing too exciting actually. I made it something easy for me to remember. 2. What book are you currently reading, or did you last read? I love NORA ROBERTS so I am finishing up the last book in her Night series. Very intriguing. 3. What do you do for a living? Survive. I was a Cancer RN for 8 years in my former life. Now, I am blessed enough at this time to not have to work. I have a great guy that supports me. 4. For what in your life are you most grateful? My children and grandchildren. They are a blessing to me every single moment of every single day. 5. What's one thing about you that you think would surprise other people? That I do have sad days. I always seem upbeat and happy and laughing all the time. I do have days were the darkness seeps in. I can hide it rather well. 6. One word to describe yourself? Compassionate 7. One word others use to describe you? Would have to ask them I guess. 8. Would you rather play a game with someone better or worse at it than you? I don't like 'games'. If you mean a sport then someone on the same level as me would be better. 9. Favorite movie? Toss up between Godfather or Wizard of Oz. Favorite show? ER, Survivor, Biggest Loser, Law and Order: CI, Law and Order: SVU, Any TLC programs 10. Something unusual about yourself? Well I wouldn't call it unusual but new maybe. I am starting my own business. That is consuming me lately.

Thanks Vines for starting this thread. My heart goes out to you all for facing these surgeries. I too am sending all my love and prayers. This is a scary time for us bandsters. I too am concerned about my band and am requesting a endoscopy from my doc. Nothing is alarming me I just wanna give myself piece of mind. Gosh this sucks!!!!

Hey Debra: How you doing post banding? I love Dr. Billy. He is my doctor as well. He did not place my band but he did a port revision surgery for me and has been my follow up doc ever since. What a cutie?? Dennis is a sweetie as well. I go see Dennis on Monday the 28th.