piercedqt78

Make sure that you have something to eat before the flight. I skipped breakfast thinking I would eat when we landed. (we were going to FL and I LOVE Chick-a-filet) I couldn't eat anything for about 6 hours after the flight. My band was sooo tight. I had soup for lunch and then a very light dinner. By the next day I was fine. ~Mandy

I was fine the day after surgery. I actually took care of a 4 year old the day after. We got a ride to the mall and walked around, we also walked to the park with a neighbor and her son. I was fine. 7 weeks post-op I was riding roller coasters, and doing 4 theme parks. ~Mandy

I just got Sharon's book for Christmas (I have a great DH) and it does not mention RNY anywhere. She had the band and is having it removed, she says she wants to work on her mental status, not have the band make her vomit all the time. She was bulemic going into this, and should have never been banded to begin with until it was under control. ~Mandy

Santa came to my house while we were at my mom's house. My DH might have to go to work early in the am, and I didn't want him to miss it. We have spent the last few hours opening, and playing with new stuff. Last sunday was the in-laws, tonight was my mom and step-dad. Tomorrow is just us for most of the day. My mom and step-dad will have dessert with us. I am making a pot roast for Christmas dinner. We had pot-luck at my mom's today. I made beef stew (ok, it was one of those crockpot bag deals but tasted great) My mom bought fried chicken, and we worked together on the sides. Last night I made confetti brownies, basic brownies, then add marshmellows, m&m's and carmel after they are done, stick them back in the over until the marshmellows start to get puffy. They are cute and tasty. I also made cookies for santa, I ate 3 of them (they were small) and the rest were wrapped up for hubby to take to work and share. Tomorrow will be roast, yukon potatos,and onions. For sides I'm making corn and green beans. I am making dessert for my little family. Apple cranberry pie, a pumpkin pie, and an apple cranberry ring. I am off to bed, between cleaning, baking and doing the gift thing, I am pooped. I have almost cought up with the laundry. Oh, DH got me Sharon Osbourne's book and the two coolest pair of jeans on the planet. They are DIsney (of course), one pair is Pirates of the Caribean, they have the pitrates skull in pink glitter on the front pocket, and have a tattoo style ribbon that says, "a pirates life for me" the others have classic disney characters printed down the legs. Both are awesome and they are ....12's. WooHoo. I am washing them tonight, I will take pics in them tomorrow and post them. Merry Christmas everyone. Love to you all~Mandy

I wanna be in Texas for new years, I would LOVE to be at the great coffee meeting of 07. ~Mandy

I see Dr. Lahmann, he is the best. I am in Romeoville, let me know when you feel up to getting together. I am going to plan something for Jan, hopefully, we will have a good trunout. It would be nice to have a montly luncheon, or at least coffee with the Chicago bandsters. ~Mandy

Cindy, I thought you might have retired and then decided to travel or stay in your jammies all day. How is the stay at home mom thing? You retired from teaching but have taken on a whole new job, one that is much more fun, and the end result is soooo much more rewarding. ~Mandy

When you continue to have pain, there can be a stone in the duct. I would ask for another ultrasound. ~Mandy

Are the ones on the entertainment center wood? ~Mandy

I was 6 months out almost to the day when I had my gallbladder removed. If you are having pain and the ultrasound is normal ask for a hydascan, it tests the function of the gallbladder. I had no stones, but my gallbladder wasn't contracting, and I have having severe pain. It felt like a balloon being inflated under my ribs after almost every meal. My band doc sent me for the hyda scan after my PCP told me it was NOT my gallbladder. I had my 6 month check-up for my band and told him I was living with major pain and living off yogurt, he set up the hyda scan for the next day, 4 days later I was having surgery. I haven't had that feeling or pain again. The gallbladder issues come from the modified diet, not the weightloss. My mom did major diet changes a few years ago due to chrones disease and she didn't lose a single pound but her gallbladder had to be removed. The surgeon blamed the diet changes. ~Mandy

Darcy, I love the stackable snowman, I have a wizard's hat and a witch like that for halloween and a scarecrow for thanksgiving. I got them from a big warehouse sale from a local importer. Where did you get the snowman? ~Mandy

No snow here, but I HAVE A WASHER!!!! and it works!!! WOOOOHOOOO!!!! I am off to wash, wash, wash! ~Mandy

I do ok with carbonation as long as I let it sit for a few minutes before drinking it. I only have a carbonated drink every now and then, not even once a month, but for a special treat, I was told it was fine. ~Mandy

I do rum and coke (the splenda kind) It's a rare treat, and like others have said it takes much less to get tipsy, than before. ~Mandy

I was told 30 days, total, not business days. I know every state is different but my insurance was in NJ and they only had 30 calender days. ~Mandy

I understand the difference between the stones and infection. My doctor and the new doctor agrees, that doing both are not reccomended. I was at the foot doctor today and ask about having a neuroma removed at the same time as I have my tubes tied. He advised against it, saying that multiple proceedures are a bad idea. So that's the third surgeon to tell me one proceedure at a time is best. ~Mandy

Legally they only have 30 days to review the files. Is it Highmark by chance? If so I fought them and won, I will help if I can, let me know. They can be tough. ~Mandy

Actually you only have to be 14 this is directly from myspace.com MySpace.com reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject, refuse to post or remove any posting (including private messages) by you, or to restrict, suspend, or terminate your access to all or any part of the MySpace Services at any time, for any or no reason, with or without prior notice, and without liability. Eligibility. Use of and Membership in the MySpace Services is void where prohibited. By using the MySpace Services, you represent and warrant that (a) all registration information you submit is truthful and accurate; ( you will maintain the accuracy of such information; © you are 14 years of age or older; and (d) your use of the MySpace Services does not violate any applicable law or regulation. Your profile may be deleted and your Membership may be terminated without warning, if we believe that you are under 14 years of age. My nieces all have accounts they are are under 18, it even says so on their profiles. ~Mandy

Some docs believe that the band is a clean surgery, and the gall bladder is a higher bacteria surgery. The band is going into healthy clean tissue, the gall bladder has a problem. I was told that I had to wait to have the gallbladder removed. I had surgery in July 05 and my gallbladder in Feb 06. I was thinner and more able to quickly recover, I'm glad I waited. ~Mandy

I forgot to mention I can't do chicken or shrimp in chinese food, I think it gets over cooked from sitting in the hot sauce too long and it gets tough. ~Mandy

Hi all, I have been in battle with Sears all day. I won. 2 weeks ago my washer broke, I think I mentioned it after it happened. Repairman #1 comes out and says it a belt, and orders said belt, promising to return on tuesday (yesterday). Monday the parts arrive here and I call to let him know they are here and ready to be installed. They tell me that he will come sometime on Wed (today). I pitch a royal fit, I have cleared tuesday for the repair and had doubled my already hectic schedual for today to make time for the tuesday repair. I'm told that they can't change the schedual as it has already been sent to the repair crews and can't be changed. I was also promised that I would be first on the list for today so I only had to move a few morning appointments. Then they call to confirm last night that the repair person will be here between...wait for it....4 and 8pm. AGH!!!! Can't these people read the notes???? Didn't they get the memo, they are dealing with a crazy lady with laundry stacked to the celing????? I have a serious melt down.....I tell the guy that if they are not here by 9:30 am, they can fix the damn thing at sears, cuz I am going to throw it through the stores window.....there is silence on the other end of the line. Then the stunned man says...let me see what I can do, just calm down mam. LOL! At 9 am the repairman comes, and the belt was only the beginning of my problem. You see Repairman #1 was an idiot....did I mention that he cut his hand, dripped blood on my carpet and got several greasy hand prints on my laundry room wall??? Repairman #2 puts on the belt and starts running the wash cycle, then ask for towels, you see my washer has MAJOR damage, the tub is cracked. This is a 6 month old font loading, Kenmore (almost $900 new), and the tub was cracked by a belt comming off. Repairman #2 is nice, funny, helpful, all the great boyscout like qualities that you want in a repairman, I think he would have stayed and helped with the laundry if he could have fixed the machine. He tells me they are going to have to custom order the tub, and the surrounding parts, along with a replacement door, and front panel as repairman #2 gouged them in several places and they can't just touch up powder coating, it's not like paint I'm told. He gose to the truck to make some calles to see what he can do. In the mean time I am fuming that I am going to spend the holidays with no washer and having to try to go to a laundrymat on friday. AGH!!! notice a pattern here??? I am starting to bang my head at this point. I decide to call the store where I purchased this machine, just to see if they can do anything for me. I call and speak to the manager she is nice and very polite, but firm that they will repair my machine. I tell her my next call is to the credit card that I paid for the machine with, I am sure they will help me, did you guys know that cedit cards will do that??? Apparently they will, or so says my hubby. that does the trick, she is suddenly telling me that there is machine on her sales floor that is a $1200 machine with some scratches on the top and one side that she will mark down to the almost $900 that I paid for mine, if I want to do an even exchange. I told her I wanted it delivered and setup at no charge. And I wanted the 1 year warranty that other new products get. It's being delivered friday I hate sears, but at least I am getting a working washing machine, and I will have the weekend to get my laundry caught up, I think we are going to be stuck at home anyway, Abi is sneezing green tonight. I am going to call the doc in the morning, poor baby, she just can't seem to have a holiday without being sick. It was recovering from the tonsils on her b-day, what we thought was the chicken pox on thanksgiving day and now this for Christmas. I hope she will be well for New Years, I am going to let her stay up to ring in the new year for the first time ever. Well it's been a long day, I have fought the good fight, I have taken a hot bath and I'm going to make myself a coffee and then I'm off to bed. We have a crazy day tomorrow, vet's appointment in the am, lunch with a fellow bandster then I have an appointment with the foot doc for a cortisone injection. Friday is the class party, and then Sat if we aren't too sick we are going to the Holiday Magic light festival at the local zoo on Sat. (http://www.brookfieldzoo.org/0.asp?nSection=2&nLinkID=2&sHTTPLink=../pgpages/pagegen.174.aspx ) There are nearly a million lights and a laser show. We love the zoo, and go often, but this is special, it is really spectacular. Ok, night all, I will check in tomorrow. ~Mandy

I take a softened pack of cream cheese, and spread it over a plate, add a can of drained crab meat then top with coctail sauce, it's a hit. I serve it with veggie ritz crackers. 1 jar of chili sauce, and equal amount of grape jelly, in the crock pot. Blend and melt until smooth, add meatballs. Taste like a sweet and sour bbq sauce, also good with coctail sausages. Layered taco dip 1 16oz container of sour cream blended with taco meat seasoning 1 16oz container of guacamole lettuce (i buy the bagged preshredded) cheese refried Beans ot black beans drained if you want to add ground beef layer and serve with chips 1 block of velveeta 1 can of diced rotel tomatos 1 cup of light cream 1 pack of taco sasoning melt in crock pot you can add ground beef if you want I top with cilantro and serve with tortilla chips

I can only have eggs made into egg salad. I do ok with Chicken, I usually eat the legs. I live on fish and shrimp. I can eat shrimp as long as I take small bites. ~Mandy

Snow day???? Where are you located again? It's actually sunny here, doesn't even feel lik Christmas with no snow. ~Mandy

The last and final day.....a Partridge in a Pear Tree.....