munchkin392

Well, as far as my experience goes, I have a local fill doctor because it is just easier for me. However, he charges so much that I could easily fly out to see Dr.K for the same amount of money probably (and someday I will Dee, just you wait!):smile: It is simply a time constraint issue with me. And having 5 dogs that I need to have a dog sitter for. That being said, I did pretty good until about my 4th fill, and that is when my band was filled too tight. My fill doctor follows a loose protocol, but mostly bases it on how much you can eat, if you have gained or lost weight, etc. He will not give a fill if you are losing at a decent pace. The wierd thing was, I was ok for about 4 days after my 4th fill, then....BAM. I couldn't hardly eat anything, and I was having massive PB episodes. So that experience with the seemingly delayed reaction to my fill leaves me apprehensive to get one away from home I guess. But this is just my experience. Many other people here have had fills with Dr.K and had no problems. He is a great doc, you will love him. I wish I could give you more insight about Dr.K doing fills, but I at least wanted you to know my experience with my fills. I don't ever want to be too tight again, it was absolutely miserable! (And I worry every day that I caused my band to slip from vomiting so much...) Good luck, and let us know what other questions you need answered! You have stumbled upon a great group of people on this forum!:tt2:

Dee, That is a great story about how all the people in the store had WLS!! The whole sleeve experience doesn't sound so fun.... I hope the salespeople you encountered today were far more helpful than one I encountered...she was so rude I actually talked to a manager (which I NEVER do). :tt2: I don't understand what is wrong with people sometimes...sigh... I was looking at clothes because I need some new shirts as mine are all ginormous on me, and she walks up to me and says "Do you want to try those on?" And I reply, "Yes, but I'm not done looking around yet." So she sighs and VERY pointedly looks at her watch. So I say "I'm sorry, what time is it?" And it is 8:30. Thirty minutes before the store closes. It takes me about ten minutes to try stuff on...maybe not even that. Maybe I'm just cranky today, but nothing burns my britches more than people being whiny about their jobs. I haven't gotten off work on time more than twice the entire time I have been a nurse (and no, I am not exagerating). So quite frankly, I do not have much sympathy when it's 30 minutes before closing time and someone is whining because they think they are not going to get out on time...boo hoo, let me play my violin for you! Ok, I am done ranting now. Just had to vent! If I didn't have to work all weekend, I would consider borrowing your naughty chair!! But alas, no fun for me until Monday or Tuesday! How do I get in on this weighing in stuff? Not sure if I want to, but it will hold me more accountable!:smile: I followed in your lead, Dee, and recommitted myself to the bandster rules. I went grocery shopping and got all very healthy things tonight, so I should be able to be a good girl!

Dee-what a way to start off your fun weekend...with the "annual boob squishing" as I refer to it! At least it was slightly more comfortable this time. I always wonder how they do mammos on flat chested women...??? I mean, it's easy for me to just heave my deflated water balloons up there, but what if you have nothing to heave? :thumbup: Ouch!! My goal was to lose this weight without getting any plastic surgery, but I can see already I am going to need a breast lift. When I was skinny, they used to be nice, perky B cups. Now they are the aforementioned deflated water balloons! Yuck!! GOOD LUCK in Vegas!! Win a million bucks!! Did I ever tell you one of my first EMT jobs was on one of the casinos here? We were part of security, so we had to do security duties too. I was out carding people to get on the boat, and I carded this girl who turned 21 that day. It was time to switch posts, so I followed her into the boat. She walked right in, put $1 in the progressive slot machine, and won $100,000! What a great 21st birthday present huh? May you be so lucky in Vegas!!:rolleyes2:

Well, I think it's confirmed...you are officially a MILF Bahot!!:cursing: Good job, you look fantastic!

Dee-I think its great that you still cry when the babies are born...that means you are not jaded yet (as so many nurses become after doing it for awhile)... Yes, sometimes I wonder if I am too tight, but my band is soooo fickle. Some days I can eat normally, and I can almost eat too much it seems, and other days I can hardly eat at all. I was just reading a post on OH about dehydration, and I wonder if that is the issue, because I know I do not stay hydrated like I should. Any thoughts? Brandy-I am so relieved to know there is someone else out there who is freakish about DMB too! (Actually, I know there are A LOT of people who are...just go to a concert and it is obvious!)

Brandy-Added a new DMB avatar...see, you didn't believe I was such a freak, did you? :drool:

Shelbi-I am so happy everything was ok with hubbys heart cath. I think you are right on the money about the ejection fraction and the arrythmias. It's great that you were a L&D nurse...much like you with cardiac, I don't know nothin bout birthin no babies! I did love my OB rotation in nursing school though. All this time I thought I had no maternal instinct but I cried in my first delivery! Such a sap!! However, I can live without C-sections. I was never meant to be an OR nurse, I can't stand watching surgery! Dee-After seeing your picture no wonder you had an illicit love affair and made out with all the boys! You were adorable! I completely understand what you said about your weight back then. Get this...when I was in high school (and even for a few years after high school) I weighed 110 pounds. I wore a size 5. And I thought I was a huge whale! I look back now and can't believe how warped my body image was!! But it is also a reality check regarding how my little frame is not meant to carry all this excess weight! Because underneath all the fat I am pretty tiny and fairly small boned! No wonder I have knee and foot issues! Mini-That is great that your documentary went well! I hope it does not end up on the cutting room floor. The world needs all the education it can get about this subject! Brandy-Glad to see another DAVE fan!! I am such a Dave Matthews fan...I have DMB ringtones, that is all that is ever in my CD player in my car...and I am getting DMB lyrics added to my back tat. Yes, I am a complete freak!!:confused_smile: Deboregon-Everytime I see your avatar pic, I love your little dog! He is sooo cute! I originally wanted to be an English teacher. Everytime I see one of my high school teachers, they always tell me that they can't believe I am a nurse and not an English teacher. Apparently they all thought I had a long career in the profession of teaching English ahead of me! And now I don't even know proper grammar! So pathetic! I couldn't teach English now if my life depended on it! Mal-I am so glad your Buster is doing better! That is fantastic news! It was really a reality check when Bailey had those seizures a few weeks ago...talk about feeling helpless. I was so frustrated because as a nurse I knew what needed to be done but I couldn't do it. And I was terrified because he wouldn't stop seizing long enough to walk him to the car, and I completely freaked out about how I was going to get him to the vet, and finally ended up calling my dad, in tears, telling him he needed to leave work and come to help me! (He did by the way! :scared2:) Thank goodness for my dad! I can't remember who asked about eating bread...maybe Mini? Now that I have proper restriction I cannot eat any bread whatsoever, not even if it is toasted. It is PB city for me if I do. I will be honest, I do miss bread sometimes. Sometimes I just want to eat a sandwich, but I don't do so well with some deli meat either. Last week we went to an outlet mall 90 minutes away, and the only thing to eat was Arbys, so I got a roast beef and took the bun off. I took tiny bites and chewed well, but about three bites in, I was in trouble! It was one of the worst episodes I have had! And Dee, I also learned a hard lesson about left over chicken breasts after I had a prolonged PB session in the bathroom at work after eating one! I came out looking like I had been in there doing drugs...my face was bright red and my eyes were all bloodshot from watering! Not good! I can eat steak as long as it is medium rare and I cut it into teeny bites and chew well. My fill doc says it is ok to eat steak if I want it. He says to mostly be careful about drinking high calorie drinks. Hope Wednesday finds everyone happy and healthy! Happy Hump Day!!:drool:

Wow! I really need to keep up better, but I was soooo busy at work last night that I didn't even have time to think about logging on to post! Work kicked my butt last night! Two of my patients almost coded within an hour of each other, and the other nurse I was working with was stuck in his critically ill patients room, so I had to essentially single handedly pull them through it myself. I must confess I felt a bit like Superwoman when I was successful though! Some nights things just flow right, and thankfully, last night was one of them! (Ironically, one of the patients was the dad of the owner of the consignment shop where I have been taking all my clothes when they get too big for me...so that adds even a little more pressure to not fail...not that failure is an option anyway when it comes to my patients!) Dee-I love your story about your illicit love affair with a 15 year old! It's great! I have one question though...you were a sophomore in college at 17? Were you a Doogie Houser or what? You child prodigy you!! Brandy-I found out the hard way at the Dave Matthews band concert a few weeks ago that alcohol maybe doesn't agree with me so well now. I felt like I got buzzed really, really fast, and when it was time to quit drinking, well, let's just say my body told me in no uncertain terms that if I took another drink it would end up in the bleachers in front of me! Also, that letter your MIL wrote you was horrible!! What a hateful person! I just don't understand what is wrong with people sometimes...they do not think before they speak (or write as in this case)... By the way, if any of you are Dave Matthews fans and have a chance to see him in concert this summer, the show was AWESOME this year!! We go see him in Chicago every year, and this was the best show I have seen. (And alot more enjoyable minus 40 pounds!) Mini-you crack me up!! I don't even know which post to start with! I always get my daily laugh out of you and Dee! And yes, I guess that will make you the GILF!! Hee hee!! (There could be worse things...) Shelbi-GOOD LUCK with your husbands procedure today!! I will be thinking about you guys! It will be a piece of cake, and remember what I said...he gets good drugs! That almost makes it worth it! He'll get a nice Versed induced nap and be all rested, bright eyed and bushy tailed after he is done and fixed up! Let me know if you have any questions and I will try to answer them! (BTW, you live in North Carolina don't you? How close do you live to Havelock? That is where my sister lives and I really want to go visit her sometime this year. If you aren't too far, maybe we could meet for lunch or something!) Well everyone, have a happy Tuesday! I am off to sleep now! (Finally!)

Mare-So sorry to hear about your baby. Don't beat yourself up over it, it was an accident. (I know, easier said than done, I would be doing the exact same thing...) Good luck on finding a new dog. Have you thought about just getting a lab (since I am the lab lady and all...have to promote the breed!):sad: I have 4 labs and they are wonderful. They all have completely different personalities, appearances, and they are all super intelligent (to a fault sometimes!). My vet always cracks up when she does their exams because of their vastly different personalities. Whatever you decide, it will be right. And don't beat yourself up about your gain either. Understandable with all the stress you have been under. It sounds like you are already getting back on track! Dee-I forgot to answer you last night when you asked about the disaster plan for Cedar Rapids. I found out last night that they evacuated almost 200 patients out of Cedar Rapids Wednesday night into Thursday morning. We apparently were supposed to get a few of the ICU patients, but they closed off the interstate between Cedar Rapids and here, so they would have had to loop up by Dubuque (an hour and 1/2 away) and back, so they just took the patients to the Dubuque hospital. There are a few local rural volunteer ambulance that have to bring all their patients to our ER because the roads are closed to get elsewhere. I just saw on MSN that the dam broke in Des Moines too-what a mess! Also in Keithsburg, which is about 35 miles away from where I live in Moline. Yowza!! I feel bad for all those people!

Oh, and Fatwidow, food addiction can definantly be overcome. If I can do it, you can too!

Mini-That is GREAT, FANTASTIC news about your dad!! Woo hoo!! I am so happy for you I almost cried!! Dee-Ahem...maybe I will tell you when I have a goat in the back yard and an otter in the bathtub...or maybe not! Hee hee! I can just see you guys contacting A&E's Intervention...here is the commercial...(cue dramatic voice) "Nurse.Wacky animal hoarder.Compassion gone horribly awry..." Ok guys, please forgive me, I get a little kooky at 3am when I am at work! Shelbi-I would be honored to take care of your husband as long as you don't mind me feeling up his groin every 5 minutes while I recover him after his procedure! (A necessity to make sure there is no bleeding at the entrance site...) I sometimes joke with male patients that they are going to get to know me a little too well over the next few hours after they return from their heart cath procedure!:thumbup: Well, I suppose I should go to work now... Gotta make all the big bucks to support my animal menagerie!

Ok, I figured out how to accept friends, now I just need to figure out how to invite people to be my friends!

Ok, how do we do the friends thing? Shelbi was nice enough to invite me to be her friend (thanks Shelbi!) but I don't see where to accept...can you only do it from the email you receive?:smile:

Shelbi-Ditto on the letter idea, that is great! My mom and I have a love/hate relationship also. I have to admit I am slightly relieved to know I am not the only one. I think sometimes we are too alike! But in other ways we are not alike at all....very complex! Yes, when is your hubbys procedure? I am the heart cath queen, so if you have any questions, just let me know! I take care of heart cath patients every day that I work and have since I have been a nurse! I have even been thinking about going to work in the cath lab since it is kind of my specialty area! Just rest assured that it is a very simple procedure with very few complications far more often than not. And your hubby will get some good drugs...he he!:smile: Mini-my husband tried to impose a rule like that on me also...but you see how far it got him!:crying: When I do have a goat in my back yard and an otter in my bathtub, then you will all know it is time to do an intervention with me!

See, I knew I would forget something in my overly long last post! I totally agree with what you said about people that don't have pets...I am leery of them also. And if you don't like dogs you may as well forget it with me...I just find there to be something very wrong with someone that doesn't like dogs! I love your UNO playing dog by the way! Too cute! Lap-I forgot to tell you that I adore the name Georgia O'Kittee! Adorable!

Hello everyone! Wow, this thread moves fast! I have been gone for a few days and I can barely keep up, so if I forget anyone, my apologies in advance! Dee-That is AWESOME about your labs! :thumbup:What wonderful news! And I think I peed my pants about "The Fat Whisperer". You are so funny! Love the pics of Red Robin and the one of you waiting before surgery. I was not a big goof ball prior to surgery, I was scared witless being there by myself! Mini-Thank you for humoring my nosiness and telling me your sons story. I know it is a very difficult thing to deal with as I have loved ones with mental illness also. I love that you teach your students about it-I think one of the biggest problems in society is the stigma attached to mental illness, and the more we educate people about it, the less it becomes. The irony is that most mentally ill people are incredibly bright-but people don't give them enough of a chance to see that! Wow, I wish I could come see Earley talk, that would be really fascinating. He is the only author I have ever been compelled to write to after reading his book. I thought he gave a very honest portrayal of mental illness and the challenges surrouding having a loved one suffering from it, and the problems with the system. I am sorry to hear about your dad. Please know that I am sending prayers and love your way. I did have to chuckle about your statement about optimism because I work with a vascular surgeon who always lectures me about how bad it is to be too optimistic-"Heather, if you expect the worst then you are pleasantly surprised when it doesn't happen." Then I tell him he is too grumpy and he needs to chill...:rolleyes2: (This is the vascular surgeon who is notorious for throwing equipment that is not functioning properly across the room and screaming...I finally figured out how to keep him in line...his dad was a my patient one weekend and I told on him to his dad for how he acts...haven't had a problem since! Who would have thought a 40 something year old man would still be so scared of daddy? Bad of me, I know, but I just couldn't resist!) I also love what you asked the vet about cat & dog loving people...tender hearted. Is that what I am? Here I was beginning to think I was just one of those wacky animal hoarders! :biggrin2: Or running some kind of home for "special needs" labradors! Mal-I am so glad Buster is feeling better! I have been worried about him! Really, I was driving back from Iowa City yesterday wondering how he was doing and praying he was on the mend! Poor buddy, he will be back to himself in no time. Although if he feels as cruddy as I did when I had pneumonia in Feb he has my sympathies! Brandi-you are smokin hot and kicking the pants off of me at the 6 month mark!! You go girl!! I went to the outlet mall yesterday and shopped in the non plus size section! I was so psyched! I went to my favorite, the Gap outlet, and kept having to take smaller sizes in the dressing room, which I don't think has ever happened to me at the Gap! I know what you gals mean about the mental aspect of things....I don't see myself getting smaller even though logically, I know I am, because I have gone from a size 20/22 to a size 14/16. It really is hard to wrap my brain around sometimes! Hope this morning is finding everyone healthy and happy! Big floods in my neck of the woods. They just had to evacuate a bunch of people out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which is about an hour and twenty minutes away from me. It is unprecedented for Cedar Rapids! They had to evacuate a bunch of the hospitals! Dee, can you imagine what an absolute nightmare that would be? Especially with the ICU patients!:biggrin:

Dee-my coworker still insists I am not adorable, especially "not at 4 in the morning" in her words! :behindsofa: Mal-I am so sorry about little man Buster!! I know how much you love him! Bailey had 5 seizures in an hour last Tuesday and I was beside myself! He had to spend the night at the vet for the first time since he was a puppy, and it just wasn't the same here without him. I agree, Buster will thank you for it when he feels better. On some level he knows you are trying to help him. He just feels like poo right now! Tell him the lab/mastiff crew said to hang in there! Mini-that is very cool about your documentary! May I be nosy and ask what your sons diagnosis is? When I started nursing school, I wanted to specialize in mental health nursing, so I am always interested in these things. I love that they have programs like the one your son goes to. We have a few of them here and they really help people. Unfortunately, we also have a lot of people fall through the cracks of the system here also. Have you read the book "Crazy: A Fathers Search Through Americas Mental Health Madness"? Great book. I highly recommend it. (BTW, if I am being too nosy just tell me to buzz off!) I hope everyone is having a wonderful Tuesday! The weather has finally been nice here today. All last week it rained. It was sunny and low 80's here, the dogs have been loving it. They have all been lounging in the yard in the sun. Aahh, it's a dogs life for sure!

BTW, I can't remember the pin to edit my ticker. Can anyone give me tips on how to start over with it? I can't remember for the life of me how I did it! Thanks in advance!

Good evening everyone! (Well, good morning I guess, I am at work and didn't realize what time it was!) Fatwidow-Honestly, if I could do it over again, I would have stayed another day at the hotel before flying home. Although, if I recall, the third day was also the worst for me as far as pain also, so maybe it was a good thing I went home when I did. The only problem I really had when I flew home was walking through the airport-my flight was at what seemed like the furthest possible gate, and all the walking killed my stomach as it was very sore. And I was completely wiped out by the time I finally made it home. Yes, Dr.K knew I would be staying at the hotel by myself, but he does not usually want people to do that. I don't know if he was ok with it because I am an ICU nurse (nurse heal thyself?) or because he knew I was in touch with Dee. Talk to him about it when you have your phone call with him. Dee-my coworker is sitting here laughing about you saying I was adorable when you picked me up after surgery- she said I must have still been under the effects of the anesthesia when you picked me up because she swears I am not usually adorable!:tongue2:

Wow, I didn't realize how much I have missed you gals!! I am glad to be back!! Ok...so, about my dogs... -Bailey-8 (almost 9) year old male black lab (my sweet goofy boy who still acts like a puppy sometimes...) -Abby-7 year old chocolate lab (queenie of the house) -Jake-4 year old black lab (my anxiety ridden special needs lab) -Reilly-4 year old black lab (the leader of the pack, so to speak) and for my new addition.... -Brutus-1 year old fawn brindle English Mastiff (the biggest,sweetest, most gentle dog I have ever had the pleasure of being owned by) That's it in a nutshell. I am now offically the "Crazy Dog Lady". You know, kind of like the crazy cat lady but with dogs instead! They are alot of work, but I love them to death and would not trade them for anything! Both Jake and Brutus came from homes where they were neglected (and possibly abused), and I never feel better than when I look at them and know that they are healthy, happy, loved, and safe now! Both of them are completely different dogs than they were when I brought them home from the shelter. I took a picture of Brutus yesterday and it was the first one he ever had a big ol Mastiff grin in!

Yes, my angel Dee did pick me up and take me back to my hotel! I don't know what I would have done without her!:incazzato::biggrin::driving: Fatwidow, I went to Colorado alone also, and it was ok-the biggest issue for me was getting back to the hotel from surgery, and Dee took care of that for me! Other than that it was smooth sailing!

I am sooooooo jealous that you have a Mini Cooper!! I had a Mazda Miata that was my alllllll time very favorite car in the entire world even though it was itty bitty! I loved that car!! I will get another one someday!:incazzato:

Dr.K did my surgery December 5th, 2007. I was worried about going there from Illinois all by myself, but it was fine. I am also a nurse and was worried about the facilities the surgery would be performed in, but no worries-the surgery center was nicer than the 2 year old hospital I work in! And I second what other people have said-Dr.K's staff is great, they are very responsive to any needs or concerns you may have. I have a local surgeon who does my fills, but I would not hesitate to fly back to see Dr.K if I needed to! (And as a side note, my surgeon here, who is a great surgeon in his own right, is very impressed with the job Dr.K did...)

Hey everyone! It's true, I am still alive! I have had much going on in my life over the last 5 months, so I haven't had time to post. HOW IS EVERYONE DOING???? I have missed you gals! (And guys!) Well, other than having one episode of having waaaay to tight of a fill (because there ended up being too much Fluid in my band when my fill doc aspirated it out...WTH??) I have been doing great...I hit onederland a few days ago....and......I bought a size large dress from NY and Company last night!! I tried on the extra large and I thought it was ok if not a bit loose under the arms, but the sales clerk kept insisting I try on the large. I thought it would never fit me...but it did!! I was soooo stoked!! I don't have any current pictures, but I am going to have my friend take one at the end of this week, so I will try to post one. The only thing my weight loss has not helped is my incredibly bad case of plantar fasciitis. I was really hoping I could come to the cookout, but alas, I have to use my vacation time in August to have surgery on my foot. Does that suck or what? I am not looking forward to being on crutches for two weeks with my five very huge dogs probably knocking me over every chance they get! It should be amusing if nothing else!:thumbup: Maybe my foot will magically cure itself and I can still come...but I'm not going to get my hopes up since I have tried everything but surgery to fix it! Dee, 4 inch purple heels? Woo hoo, you go sexy momma!:confused:

Just curious if anyone has tried this...I am contemplating buying some, it looks like it gets good reviews, but is a bit pricey...