piercedqt78

I wanted to add a few pictures to this thread. Here are my side by sides. 1. Oct 2004 235 pounds 2. Oct 2005 191 pounds (10 weeks post-op) 3. Jan 2006 177 pounds ~Mandy

my daughter has sooo many problems with her bowels the doctor has her on 1 tbs of mineral oil every other day. She is as regular as can be now. I have also had really good luck with warm apple juice, thanks to a very helpful bandster here. 8oz of apple juice warmed but not hot and within an hour or so I am on the go so to speak. Hope some of the suggestions here are helpful. ~Mandy

I grow mine out every few years and just as it is getting long enough for a pony tail, I cut it all off. I am letting it grow out again. Maybe with my thinner face I will like it better long? ~Mandy

I can cross my legs and breath at the same time. Sex is way better. I can run up and down the stairs to do laundry with no problem. This may sound crazy but I can sit in the bathtub and have room on each side, my hips don't touch the sides anymore. I can sit comfortably in a plane seat now. I have gone from a 22-24 to a 14, soon to be a 12. I can buy clothes in stores that don't even have a plus sized department. I can stop eating when I am starting to get full. I can and have tossed most of a cheesecake in the trash as it had gone bad. I passed on the chance to get ice cream today. I can hold my head high and honsetly say I am 22 pounds lighter then the weight on my drivers license, I lied about it to begin with. Need more inspriation? I could go on all day. ~Mandy

I have a MIL from hell also. I worked for her, actually she bought my last place of employment. When I quit, her partner relieved stress by yelling at me all the time, she stopped seeing my daughter. This was in June and we just saw her at Christmas time. I had surgery and she never called to check on me. She used to keep my daughter for about 8 hours each week so they were pretty close. I told my daughter that grandma was mad at mommy and it was not her fault, she stopped asking about her after a few weeks. (she is 4) After Christmas she asked about her a few more times and she has already dropped it again. Kids bounce back, don't bed this woman to be a grandma. That is a gift from God, you and your husband to her, if she chooses to throw that gift out the window let her. I am sure that the kids have plenty of other people that love them and will treat them with respect that they don't need her. (besides don't you worry that they will be with her and someone will drop a house on her?) I have helped my daughter move on and understand that it is not her fault. Just make sure that you are giving extra hugs and kisses and remind them that they are loved more then they know. I am sorry that your MIL is bad, mine is too. I am down 50 pounds and she never said a word at Christmas. I smiled and bit my tongue. She kept offering stuffing and dessert knowing that I don't do either. She also has a habit of serving ham ( I never eat pork) when we are all there. Sometimes MIL are a pain, that is what we deal with for great husbands. I joke that my hubby takes after his dad and that is why his dad divorced his mom, cuz she is a witch. ~Mandy

shellyj, just remember that wedding dresses have their own crazy sizing thing going on. When I got married I was in a 14 and my gown was an 18 They don't do anything to help a bride's self esteem at all. Just wanted to remind you. Lisa, you look great now. You looked great then. Remeber that we are all here to support you any way we can. Keep up the great work, Mandy

Trish, I am soo sorry that you are not having an easy time right now. If you want to talk PM me and I will give you my number, I am here 24/7 if you need a shoulder to cry on or someone to listen to you scream, cry whatever you need. I am having a hard time in my life, but I am lucky my band is doing pretty good right now. I am one of the ones that eat pretty much whatever I want just MUCH smaller amounts. I avoid bread, rice, pasta and tons of sugar, but I just had 1 cookie. 1 not 15 like I would have before. Again, I am here if you need me. ~Mandy

My insurance covered all of the pre-op testing 100% (I paid co-pays at office visits) The psych visit wsa covered in a seperate mental health insurance policy that my husbands job provides. The back of my insurance card has a number for substance abuse, that is usually mental health services. My evaluation was covered all but $25. I was all too happy to send in that check, I was told it would not be covered and would cost between $400 and $600. So all in all yes my pre-op testing was covered. Now if I could get them to cover more than one follow-up appointment I would be a happy camper. ~Mandy

The thing about Oprah looking so young, 99% of the time that the public sees her she is in major make-up. She can also afford to use the best skin care products on the market, I know that she loves origins products, the eye cream is $42 an ounce. I love it too but at that price it is a rare treat for me, she can afford to bathe in it if she wants. ~Mandy

I use a product called water sensations I get them at Target. They are added to water and have no sugar substitutes in them. You can get more information at www.watersensations.com I also do a slpash of lemon or lime in my water for a change. ~Mandy

I believe Inamed made them stop the auction. I spoke with Don Mills and he said that Inamed's legal team was going to jump right on this auction. Also that seller let 2 other bands sell for less than $500 each. ~Mandy

Most meds are available in liquid form. I was told that I could take pills that were the size of an M&M or smaller. I take tylenol and break them in half and have never had any problems with that. I also take cold meds with no problems. ~Mandy

Everything I have ever heard from her and Dr. Phil is anti- WLS. I can't see her having it and then bashing it so publicly. I would think that she would be affraid that if anyone found out she had the surgery and lied about it she would be ruined. Just me 2 cents. ~Mandy

For those that want to add her to a prayer list her name is Abigale. Thanks again, you guys are just what I needed to get through this. ~Mandy

Thanks so all of the support, you guys are really the best. I slept a little better last night knowing that so many people are praying for my little one. She is going back to school today for the first time in almost a month. She was sick in mid december and then Christmas break was 2 1/2 weeks long. Her teacher actually called friday and talked to her on the phone and told her how excited she was to finally get to see her again. Last night at bedtime we got out her backpack and clothes for today and she was really excited about going today. This morning she wanted to get up and dressed without a major drama (our usual morning routine) Maybe the zoloft is starting to work and we are going to see the sweet happy child again soon. I will let you all know what the doctor says tomorrow. ~Mandy

To find a bidders history click on advanced search, then items by bidder, then put the users name in the box and click the box that says include completed items and items and the even if not the high bidder box and then search. You will see a list of items that have been bid on and the column on the right will show if they won or not. You can also look at their feedback. To see items that a sellers has sold click in the auction, then click see other items, then on the left side there is a cloumn that has several options listed in it. Click the box that says items from this seller only and completed listings. Then you will see a list of the sellers completed listings. ~Mandy

Guys I am sitting here in tears, you are all the best. I have recieved more support from you in the last hour then I have at all from my family. I don't know what I would do without you all. Thanks so much for being there. ~Mandy

My port is on the left. My first thought was my gall bladder but it is the wrong side for that. I will let you all know what the doc says. ~Mandy

I have had my band almost 6 months and I have been doing great until last friday. I had some bean soup at my mom's house and it came back up, then I did 24 hours on soft foods/ liquids. Last night I had some roasted chicken (very moist, never a problem before) and that came back up too. Everytime I eat I have a very sharp pain around my port. It is weird, I have never had this pain before. I am calling my band doctor first thing in the morning and see what he has to say but I wanted to see if anyone here knows what this might be? I had an adjustment in december and it was too tight so I had some removed on the 23rd of december, I still have a bruise from the adjustment but it just started hurting this week. Any thoughts? I do have a massive amount of stress in my life right now, could that cause this? ~Mandy

Seems to me that if you wait 2 hours after each meal that is 6 hours each day of waiting to drink, then add the 20 per meal that is it supposed to tak eus to eat is another hour. That brigs us to 7 hours. I was also told that it is best to go to bed with an empty pouch so nothing by mouth for 30 min before going to bed. We are at 7.5 hours with nothing to drink. I couldn't get all of my liquids in if I did that. I wait 30 mins after meals and I have lost 50 pounds in 5 months. I don't feel hungry any sooner than when I wait an hour to drink. ~Mandy

Penni, they did not find this on their own last night. I called the 800 24 hour number and the guy I spoke with was going to forward the information on the the higher ups. I was actually on the phone with Don when your e-mail came through. He told me that they would send a lawyer after the seller and make them stop selling the band and the ports. I gave him all 4 auction numbers and told him what the description said. I also offered to bid and win as long as they reimburse me, then they would have the serial number and proof that they are selling to unlicensed buyers. He said he would call me back. They have had these problems before and have had to stop "grey market sellers" from selling their products. I told him the sellers name, address and phone number and he is going to pass it on to the legal team. There are not only FDA laws being violated but also agreements with Inamed that are being breeched. He said they could track the serial number back to the original purchaser and they would handle it with their legal department. It scares me that some wacko could be buying an expired band and actually putting it in someone, or worse taking it to an unexperienced surgeon and having it put in themselves. This is the kind of thing that gives the band a bad name. Don also said that it probably came from Mexico as they have less strict laws there and they can sell it legally there to a place in the states and then they list it on Ebay. They are so cheap because they are expired and bands only have a 2 year "Dry shelf life" They need the moisture of the body to remain soft and plyable. I will let you all know if Don calls me back. ~Mandy

I spoke with Don Mills at Inamed and they are going to send a letter to the seller demanding that they stop the auction. He also said they can track the serial number and know what doctor origanilly purchased those particular bands and the correct action will be taken. The bands listed on Ebay are expired that is what the little hour glass and the 2004/12 means. They are not considered safe for implant as they only have a certain "dry self life" Don thanked me for the information and took my number and said he would get back to me. I'll let you know what I find out. ~Mandy

I did recieve my cloak and it is beautiful. I am sooo sorry I didn't post the day it came but there is a ton of stuff happening in my life/home right now. I will post a picture of me in the cloak as soon as I can get one uploaded. Thanks for the very generous prize it is really beautiful. Thanks again, Mandy

I contacted Inamed on the 24 hour 800 number and they are contacting Ebay about this on monday. There were 2 other bands that have recently sold from the same seller for $250 and $350. They also sell ports, sutures and disposable scalpels (sp?) Scary huh? I am going to follow-up with Don Mills on monday and see what he has to say about all of this. Something else that is scary on Ebay is disposable tongue piercing kits with an instruction sheet. It is a do it your self kit. Scary huh? ~Mandy

They have the band listed too http://cgi.ebay.com/BioEnterics-Adjustable-Gastric-Banding-System-6010302_W0QQitemZ7578343073QQcategoryZ31469QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem They have sold 2 bands in the past month one for $250 and one for $350. I called Inamed and they are going to look into how the seller got these bands. ~Mandy