PamRN

"Coochy is shaving cream." I'm gonna try that one on my hubby and see if he'll let me apply it! Ohhhh... it's a product... my bad

ok...so that was the grossest thing I have EVER seen! Do we know for certain that this product isn't conglomerating into what he's passing? I've administered many a bowel cleansing and have viewed the clean inner bowels of many, many patients. NONE have ever passed anything remotely like that. Call me skeptical, but 'I ain't buyin' it'. Methods we use at our major university hospital are: the fleets enema, soap suds enema, miralax prep, nu-lytely, mag-citrate, or phospho-soda for bowel cleansing. To assist a sluggish bowel, or ease constipation we use: prune juice, warm apple juice, Fiber mixes, prunes, dates, colace, senna, milk of magnesia, or dulcolax suppositories. We offer variety because some patients, or their doc, have a preference and want what they've used successfully in the past.

That is a bit of a tough call. Good care is priceless regardless. Is your husband right about the level of care you'll receive in the public facility? It would suck to wait and then have problems because your care wasn't top notch. No amount of money saved would be worth substandard care. Are you guaranteed a date in one year, or in one year do they decide; 'ok lets see when we can get around to you'? Thus creating longer delays... Your priority in your decision has to be your health. Can it take another year of obesity? If it can, (no or minimal comorbidities) and you know the care will be sufficient, a year does pass fairly quickly. Prebanding, my daughter got married. I am preserved forever and for anyone to see, in all my overweight glory, on her mantle in the family shot. My only banding regret is that I waited so long to act. That picture makes me cringe.

Congratulations! You may have just done the one thing for yourself that you'll never regret! Words can't express the feelings you'll have watching those dreaded numbers falling off the scale. Wait until you pull on a pair of pants that you haven't worn in a long time and they don't fit... because they're too big! You'll feel great soon, it took me a total of about 3 weeks to feel totally back to normal, no pain or discomfort, could eat again, etc. Welcome to bandland!

Lime away is great on hard soap scum, and the rain-x does a great job too! I've used the dish towel on the swiffer with 409 or other cleaners, I double it over for extra absorbancy and it works great. We used to own an ice cream shop with a huge triple stainless sink. I kept it clean with bar keepers friend, and once in a while polished it with car polish to keep oily residue and water spots at bay. It seems to me that oil would resist water spots, but attract grime...though I've never tried it.

I hate when people say 'dethaw'! I want to say...defrost or thaw...to dethaw would be to freeze... but I usually let it go.

Lisa, Dont you DARE let the sensitivity of a few run you out of here! I'm willing to bet cash money that if someone who knows how started a poll asking if you should stay or go... you'd be cemented here for life! Your posts are funny, heartfelt, and entertaining as hell. Who cares if they aren't always politically correct, they are your honest opinion, and you are entitled to them! This is an adult board, and adults know how to choose what they read. I notice that those who complain the loudest are doing it on a thread they are "disgusted" by. So WHY are they on it?? No answer needed to that... I've said before that you are a refreshing breath of life here. I've answered SO MANY of the same questions over and over and over, that I personally need something new to keep me interested. I am an educator by nature, but I need something from here too. If the new members want the sage advice of the experienced to continue, they'll have to understand that it takes other things interesting to us to keep us coming back, because after so many band posts, you run out of anything new to say or read. Without the daily experiences and humor this place would be a DUD after ones reseach was completed. Alexandra teased that you need your own forum for your fan club... they don't really want that... lbt would lose too many! Your threads are ALWAYS worth a read, generally lead me to comment, and usually make me laugh. I am in agreement, this place is boring without you!

I tan as well, and my scars have tanned with me, making them nearly invisible. I was banded for about 6 months before my scars saw sun, so I didn't have any problems.

Mine was 1964 ~ Baby Love by The Supremes... sweet!

The other exchanges had a $10 minimum. I think any gift from the heart is enjoyed. In the first exchange, participants gave a brief list of ideas. The host of the exchange changed this time, so she may have other ideas for how she'd like to organize things. We'll need to hear from her on this. The main requirements from the other exchanges was to thank the sender, so they know you got it, don't sign up if you aren't going to follow through (some folks got shafted the first time), and post a picture of the gift you receive if you can.

Why is MY nose bent out of shape? There is methochloroisozolinone in all my shampoo's and I don't know why the hell it's there! ok jokes aside. This is a board for support, advice, understanding and friendship. We will always have periods of upheaval, disagreement and misunderstandings, sad, but in a group of thousands where only 2d text determines the tone... inevitable... If it were all sappy roses and love songs, I'd find it quite boring I think. We need to find a way to disagree with an idea or statement without making it a personal attack. I've seen perfectly understandable comments suddenly ripped to shreds by someone who didnt get the true meaning of the comment, or took a joke as a jab. That's truely too bad. We have some awesome, bright, loveable people here, it's too bad the text trips so many up.

Be very careful with the silvadene! Too much can cause further irritation. Use only a super thin coat on ONLY the burnt skin. It can irritate healthy skin.

Couldn't have said it better myself! I refuse to allow commerse to dictate what love should be for me and mine. I agree with those who pointed out that something is obviously bothering him. I also agree that his behavior would have pissed me off too if I'd gone to that extent and he didnt at least acknowledge my effort in some way. I'm sorry you were hurt after all the love you obviously put into the day. Communication is key, and you two obviously weren't on the same page Tuesday. I refer again to NJGirl's quote. 2/14 is just another day. <hugs> and wishes for better days & nights ahead!

I recently bought the new 'wave' blender, and I really like it! I have a small chopper that I used for small amounts of veggies, and a blender stick that I used to puree soups and the like while on mushies. I love the wave for shakes, it dispenses out the bottom by pushing your cup against it. It even has a dispense speed that keeps stirring the shake downward as it's coming out the spout, so you get blended shake, not the bottom liquid only. Well worth the money IMHO.

I'm not suggesting the idea for research into teen obesity and banding is bad. On the contrary, I think education is the key to freedom. I would just like to see verification from anyone asking for information about children over the internet. Particularly when an unknown is asking about a group (or their desperate to help them parents), who may suffer with self esteem issues making them vulnerable to exploitation. I guess it's just my protective nature both as a mother and as a patient advocate. A legitimate source of inquiry will only respect that.

LMAO a jade with hypoxia... turning blue... that's just sad!

I don't think there are any children at this site, nor any parents of lap banded children that I am aware of. I'm sure you have an idea of how asking about someone's children over the internet might look? Perhaps more credentials or a link to your homepage for verification might be beneficial.

LMAO at spelling stalker... that's gonna be a full time job here! (carefully sweeping all my own posts under the rug)

Welcome aboard Mary. This site is a wealth of support and information. I owe my entire success to LBT. Good Luck to you!

I love it raw, torn up in my salad, sometimes it's my only green, sometimes I mix it with other lettuces. You didn't say if it was fresh or frozen. If it's frozen you have to cook it, or mix it in dip. There is a spinach dip folks make that they stuff into the center of hawai'ian bread that is awesome, but I don't have the recipe. I'd bet someone here does though!

I live about 4 hours away from St Louis in eastern central IL. There is a Dr near here Dr Rohrscheib who has an office in Decatur, IL. Last I knew he did lapbands, and I've heard his prices are comparable to others, in the area of 14k. I'm not sure if that's close enough to you, but it's as close as I know of. If you go to inamed's web site they have a surgeon locator that can give you a list of docs closest to you for lapbands with address and contact info. Good Luck!

When I first visited LBT I kind of felt that way too, like I was intruding on a group of friends. It didn't take long for me to warm up to most everyone on here, it just takes time to get to know some folks and that flows both ways. Senior members to newbies and vice versa. The debates here come and go. we'll have months of niceties, then a hot topic opens a flood gate of various emotions and one or more people will misunderstand anothers meaning or in general just disagree with a poster's stance on a subject. I find that if it starts to get personal, then just staying out of those areas keeps me sane and safe. Every now and then I just don't log on for a while. I check back after a few days to find everyone calmer, friendlier, and in general laughing together over a common fat person trait each of us thought we were alone with. The longer you're around the more you'll feel like a member of the family. Keep in mind that all families squabble from time to time, and it doesn't mean we don't still love one another.

The band choice you make should be one well researched. I went to mexico, have the french midband, and have had really good results. However, aftercare in the US is nonexistent for me. I am finally at a point where I need a first fill, so I am going to have to go back to Tijuana. Aftercare is VERY important to consider. If you are one of the bandsters that need several fills to hit the "sweet spot" you may have to plan several out of the country trips if you use anything other than the inamed lapband. Research carefully and make your decision fully informed. I fully agree with Alexandra regarding personal issues. The band will help you, but you have to use in the way in which it was intended to maximize results.

I couldn't eat salad at first, it took a few months before I could get it down. Then I found that if I have crunchy in it, like croutons or crackers,for some reason it goes down better. I love all kinds of cheeses too, especially feta and blue. Just go slow and chew well, making sure your lettuce is particularly well chewed.

You could do like Big Paul and visit those sites with your eyes closed :bandit ... he's such a gentleman... doesn't read them you know.