ReneBean

Just one more thought - check out your doc with previous patients. I understand about self pay - but seriously - the difference between $12,800 and $15k is really vary small in comparison to the difference between a competent surgeon and a not so competent one. The skill of your surgeon could save your life - and money pales in comparison to a happy successful future. If you find at least 3-5 patients who tell you that your doc is the best thing since sliced bread - then go for the cheap one - but don't base your decision on price alone. Surgery is no place to shop for "factory seconds". Best of luck!! I love my band. I love it, I love it, I love it. :]

Liquids are a lot easier AFTER the surgery than before... Good luck!! If you take prescription meds - see if your pharmacy has liquid or chewable versions. Meds in the morning are tough. Oh - and screw that "stiff upper lip" crap. Take your pain meds - PAIN IS BAD. Hugs!

I think you have to put the best spin on that. I struggle with not eating that cookie if it walks right up to me. But if it doens't land on my desk - it is so much easier to say no. I would be happy that my boss made the extra effort to get an appropriate snack just for me. And the fact that the cookie was clearly available if you wanted it was good, too. :]

I didn't get the guilt trip - but my parents did worry. I am fortunate that my insurance DID cover the surgery - after I took them to the state insurance board... It was the only way. Since the initial healing period - I can tell you that I haven't been particularly diligent in my food choices - but I have lost weight ever so slowly - just the same. If you really do make the proper choices and follow the rules and exercise - you will see dramatic results. Do you have a 401k you can finance - some money that is just yours to get a loan against? I understand what hubby is saying and I understand the worry angle - but none of them can possibly understand how hard it is to live with no hope of ever looking like a normal woman - of walking without pain - of just living a normal life. I would pay $17k for the hope alone. Keep your chin up and do what you feel is right. If your family won't support you - we will. Hugs!

Hey Y'All Another glorious day in Mortgage Lending - Another wubulous flight from Dallas to Jersey. But - HEY!! I didn't need an extender for my seatbelt!! WaHoo!!! It was so nice to be able to snap that belt and not have to wonder if some snotty attendant was going to make me feel like crap for asking for one.... We are staying at the LUXURIOUS Orangeburg Holiday Inn... apparently - if you wait until less than a week before you travel to book your rooms - it can be a problem. *sigh*. Oh well. At least we have internet. No elevator - but we have internet. I am hoping that Eileenie and I can hook up for lunch or supper or something. I have the wheels for this trip - so it's all good. Aside from my little trip - not much going on for me. No good fart stories to tell. Nothing nearly as good as YOUR stories! I do recall one time in Walmart - yelling over the aisles to my hubby - and thinking I was going to slip one of those quiet ones out. No body was close to me - I wasn't overly concerned... so I let-r-rip... and rip it does. LOUDLY. My husband heard it on the next aisle - and the people down the way from me about fainted from the shock. I swear - I thought it was going to be a sneaker - but it sounded like a bullhorn sprouted from my behind! Thank Good I have no shame. :] Well my darlings - I am going to surf a bit more and retire. That 3.5 hour nap I had last night + the 2 hour nap on the plane still doesn't add up to a full night's sleep. Love to All!! Hugs!

Clearly I haven't stopped by this thread nearly often enough! I mean - Sherry is literally disappearing on us! Wow-Za!

Wow, Mandy - she is adorable!! so - do we know what happened to our chat?? Did someone delete us?? Shhhhh - I'm not really supposed to be here right now, anyway - I just dropped in to change my signature for my new Official weight. I only change it when I visit my doc's office. Hope we find the other November Chat. I know there is stuff I missed... See y'all later.

Hey Y'All Another glorious day in mortgage lending. Actually, it's pretty tame around here for month-end. DH and I ended up running around more than I had intended this weekend... groceries, a couple of trips to Walmart - that sort of thing. Nothing exciting happened - my favorit kind of weekend. I did get 301.4 on my scale this morning - and that is pretty exciting. I won't start jumping up & down until I see that number for more than one day, though. I need to do liquids for a few days or something - cause I REFUSE to go back to my doc's office until at least MY scale says I am under 300 lbs. My appointment is for Thursday. *sigh* DH and I are off to the gym tonight for a quick workout before I head for home to put the finishing touches on the gypsy costume. I made a wine-purple brocade skirt - also suitable for RenFair and an off the shoulder chemise that I will wear as a peasant shirt with the skirt. Tonight I have to whip up a wide belt and a head-scarf & shawl. I will have DH take my picture if I think of it. I hope it all comes together well. Well - Hugs to all. I have to get back to the madness. xo **Oops - almost forgot - I will be in NYC next week Tuesday, Nov. 7 thru Friday, Nov. 10. lunch, Eileenie?

I think 50 lbs must be the magic number. The first pounds came off my neck, chin and back. Yes - those lovely back rolls go first for me. This is a good thing - but it's much better to FINALLY be into a size down. Only now when I am nearing the big 300 on my scale can I finally fit into that size 30 (vs 32, 34) clothing again. It will happen - eventually - it will happen. Hugs!

My loss has been SOOOOO gradual - (aka SLOW & not enough of it!) that until now, nobody has really noticed too much of anything. When you see someone every day - it takes a lot for people to notice the change. In a way - it's a good thing. I haven't had to answer too many questions - but if people sincerely want to know so they can do what I am doing - I tell the truth and explain that it is very slow - not at all like "that other surgery when they chop up your insides" and that it has been relatively easy. Hugs Kat. This too shall pass.

Hi Guys just stopping by to check in. I had to run to the store during lunch today to get the finishing stuff for my gypsy costume. Patty - just a hint for the new card - never write your pin number down - never save it to your computer. If you have your bank account number and stuff saved on your computer - take them off. With high speed internet - hackers can get right into your desktop - and take anything you have saved to it away with them. Sorry you are having a tough day. Hugs!! Love all of you - but I have to run. Hope everybody has a Spooktacular Weekend. xo

Hi All. I'm just going to start off with a little rant - since I can and I am feeling a little pissy right now. My work is getting all snotty about when I show up. I have been working from 9:30-10 am thru 7:30 or 8 pm (or later) on a consistent basis. Certainly, the company was getting a great deal - cause I ALWAYS work at least 8 hours and usually work 9-10 hrs. Now they want me to come in earlier - which means more traffic and more time on the freeway, vs. time at home drinking coffee with my husband. I have always been very generous with my time - to the company's benefit - but now, because my flaky-assed co-workers work less than 8 hrs a day and come and go as they please, we ALL have to conform. Why do Screw-ups have to ruin it for everybody? One of the great joys of my life was that I could work a flexible schedule and saved an extra half hour each way by working the hours that I work. Plus - for a caveman like me (Throg get up when sun shine! Dark for Sleep!) the hours made working acceptable. I am what we call "Royally Pissed" right now. I will try to calm myself enough to respond to my pals! Crispy - I know what you mean. I keep trying to think of things I can do to become independently wealthy so I can quit the rat race and go home. I haven't figured our anything plausible, yet. *sigh* Mandy - Hugs and Love. Patty - thanks for the Luau dreams, Hon. Keep your chin up. We all love you. Perhaps a child-free weekend will be relaxing for you. Mary - I am a little down on work right now - but I wouldn't expect to see any actual cash response to your happy customers. From the perspective of the boss - that is what you are SUPPOSED to be doing - making them happy. *sigh* Work sucks. Betty - I am not looking forward to the drive home in the downpour, either. I am hoping it will be over before I leave - although I expect to be leaving a little earlier tonight - and every night from now on! grrrr. deep calming breaths.... Darcy - my neck is getting a little better every day, now. I knew it would. It was just a tension/stress thing. I am sure that by next week I will be able to do neck rolls with the best of them. For now, I am just bending from the waist. I sorta almost have one, again. :] Cindy - I agree. Poor John. He was just pouring out his shock and disgust and suddenly he got the whole illness vs evil debate. It really doesn't matter whether you consider molesters sick or evil - the remedy is the same. Get them off the street. How horrible would it be for you to find out someone you were close to - someone you loved - is and had been a molester. I can't even imagine. Eileenie - Hugs!! Glad the drugs are working - sorry your tummy is queasy. Well - I have to get back to it. I am past my lunch hour - and in this new world of conformity, that is unacceptable - no matter that I would make up the time tonight... All hail the clock. Master of all. xo

Hey Y'All! Another day in the salt mines. Anne - good to see I am not the only one who vanished... it's good to see you! That 311 number is from the end of August or the beginning of September. So - it's a loss - but not dramatic. It seems like the darned scale sticks for weeks and then I drop a couple of pounds. Then it sticks again... *sigh* Sherry - sign me up for the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip! MMMMM. I read a lot too. I like Janet. The romantic thriller is a nice change. I am waiting for the official start of the basketball season. I am going to follow the Mavs from the beginning this year. I have great hopes for them. Dianne - I remember well when I lived in the NW that 70 was a balmy summer day. Just goes to show what a little acclimatizing can do to a gal. Brrrrr. 70 is my lower limit, now. Sounds like you had fun with your DD. I spent my 21st with my folks, too. Had my first legal drinks and watched the Bears slaughter the opposing team in the superbowl. (NO - I don't remember who it was. It was 1986 for heavens sake! lol!!) Eileenie - I feel your pain darling. I hope those drugs are good. Demand whatever you think you need. Hugs!! My neck is a little better today. I still can't tilt my head back - but I have more range side to side and I can tell that I will be fine, again, soon. Mandy - Hugs and much love. I know how hard it is to lose a beloved pet. It is good that he is no longer in pain. Try to keep that in the front of your mind. He is free to romp & play in kitty heaven. I am sending the warmest and most loving throughts your way. Hugs. Cindy - at least you have the right attitude about the construction. So many people get so uptight about delays - and there are ALWAYS delays. Hope the finished product is all you could possibly want. Hugs! Patty - my sister had the same problem with her son. The schools just don't want to deal with ADD - other than just making sure the kids are doped up - they don't want to make any special effort or take the time to do what needs to be done. I know that the school systems are over-loaded - but and educated teacher should be able to make the adjustment. Good luck with your fight. Kat - I have been getting your cute e-mails! Sorry I have been so crazy busy at work to be able to get back to you on all of them. Have you noticed that most of the ADHD kids are really intelligent? I really think that it is some sort of an evolutionary shift. Their brains run so fast - which is why it is hard to get them to focus unless you really capture their attention. I felt that my nephew was just too bored to keep his mind on the schoolwork. Just a thought. Well, after that wild ramble - I guess I had better get back to work. Love you guys.

Sometimes I swear he must be trying out "reverse-psychology" on a grand scale. Nobody could be that much of a creep in real life, could they?

Wow - you drop off the face of the earth for a week or so and it's hard to get caught up... No worries here - just the same old stuff. Work is crazed, with no back-up. I can't even call in sick. I don't have a back issue - but my neck is killing me... and I have only partial movement of my head. Neck down - I am swell - but I can't tilt my head back or twist my head from side to side. Just a little too much time spent hunched over my computer with tension in my shoulders, I think. It started on Thursday and while it is a little better after the weekend, it is still painful. I may have to visit my PCP to get it checked out. On the weightloss front, the scale seems to be superglued at 303. Of course, the fact that I haven't been to the gym in almost a week probably has a bit to do with that. I know what the answer is - I just have to DO it. It is so frustrating to be so close, and yet so far... Oh - and I want to tell you that we get so spoiled down here in TX that it is difficult to get out of bed when the temperatures drop below 70 degrees!! Brrrrr. Too chilly. Can't I just snuggle in bed with the cats and the spouse until Spring? I am already a half hour over my lunch hour - so I have to run - but I had to check in with my peeps. Love you guys!! Hugs!

Telly - you look fabulous! You will have to keep us posted on how the healing and stuff goes - since I know there is a tummy tuck in my distant future. Your doc really did a superior job with the belly button. It takes a lot of the fear out of it for me. I too have seen some scary looking belly buttons. yours looks great! Sugar - good luck with the giving up the cigs. Just think - you have Telly's flat tummy to inspire you. Next time you get a craving - come look at Telly's belly. :]

Gummi - I am with you. It's been slow going for me, too - but exercise has been helping in recent days. Walk the mall, park farther from the office door, whatever. Every little bit helps. Hugs and good luck!

Hey Y'All! I am alive and well... I don't have time to go back and address all that has happened with all of you since I last posted - but I will update you on the wonderful world of Irene. :] No Earth Shattering or Life Changing stuff - just little daily kind of excitement. My scale dropped a little - it is now hovering in the 305 range... I actually hit a new low on Saturday of 304. I have vowed to break the 300 barrier before I return to my Doc's office on November 2nd - so I have some work to do - but I am still excited. DH & I have been exercising again - and we both feel better for it. I did a steady thirty minutes on the Evil Eliptical the other day. Remember when I had to fight for 15 minutes? I feel pretty good about that. I also went shopping in my own closet... I have bags and boxes of clothing in all sizes in my closet. My mother and sister have always been big gals, too - so we have done some clothing swapping over the years. While sis and mom were living together about a year ago - they went on some crazy diet together and lost a bunch of weight - so I am currently in possession of all their "fat clothes" and all the clothes I gave them when they got too small for me. Well - I am wearing a shirt out of that collection today - and I have several other "new" items in my closet to wear in the near future. It is also nice to be able to get into my old clothes again. It's very exciting. A friend invited me to a private screening of The Guardian over the weekend - so we went out in the rain to catch the flic yesterday. I can recommend it. It was very good. Work is steady - same kind of crazed busy-ness that it always is. That's actually an improvment. By the end of last week, I felt like I was losing ground. At least there is hope that I might be caught up some time in the current millenium. Speaking of which, I have to get back to the grind. I need to get out of here on time so DH and I can hit the gym again. I WILL break that barrier before the end of the month. I can tell you that it has been at LEAST 4 yrs since I was below 300 lbs - and I am not even sure I dropped below that number then. I was guestimating based on how my clothes fit in those days. I just don't want my doc to scold me again when I go in. It made me so mad the last time... *sigh*. It would have made me angrier if it hadn't all been true. Oh well. Another day - another fraction of a pound. I am thinking good thoughts for you and all your loved ones. Love you guys!! Irene

Hi All. Kat - it only takes a tiny spark to start a fire. Keep on hoping and we will all keep on sending waves of positive energy into the universe for Rick. Hugs!! I am swamped - what a shock, right? - but I wanted to stop in and say "Hi!" to all of you. Much Love. Irene

Hey Y'all - no time to write today - only to read. Kat - hugs! I am thinking the best thoughts for Rick that I can think. Love to All.

hey js I swear - I told the guy at the gym that he couldn't film my first attempt for America's Funniest Home Videos... I was sure the beast was going to throw me to the ground... and my first try, I could only do two minutes. The only thing to do is keep on going back. The trick is to keep your heartrate inside your target range... The machines at my gym have the little sensors - so I keep my speed to whatever it takes to keep my heart-rate under the max for my age group. Once my heart rate exceeds the max - I get off the machine and move to the stationary bike. Just keep your chin up. Your stamina will improve, I promise. I started at two minutes - about a year ago - and now I can go for 30-40 minutes on level 3. Hugs!

Hi Guys. Just another exotic & exiting day. Thought I would stop by and say howdy. Diane - what a handsome boy you have there. Sorry about your Step Granny. It's never easy to lose a loved one - no matter how old. Hugs! Sherry - you have to love those employers... they think that - since you have been doing the work of three people for so little money - they can sucker you into doing the work of four for only a small raise... NOT. I am thinking good thoughts that they won't do anything stupid like hire somebody dumb enough to work for the amount they were offering you... Hugs! I am just not overly excited about bosses in general today... The new gal they hired instead of me started today - and my boss has been taking her around to various people having her train with them. He has passed by my desk with her several times - but has not introduced her to me.... Like I would bite her or spit on her or something... I expect the only introduction I get will be if I run into her in the bathroom. What. Ever. I have no animosity toward HER... I know it's all about the boss man. I might spit on HIM... Allison - glad you hear you got a new job. Whatcha doing? Processor? Loan officer? I am an Underwriter. Have a Mortgaglicious day. Oh - and shameless is good... even though you probably work for the competition. :] Chrispy!! Congrats on your new band. Definitely take those meds as prescribed - but take them! This is no time to be brave. I felt ready to return to work at my desk job by day 4. (I didn't - but I could have) Hope you feel better, soon. Eileenie - we need to know how Olivia is doing. Hugs!! Mandy - you Disney Chick, you... Sorry you are under the weather. I can't wait to see the pictures! Cindy - it's true - I am the last person on earth without a cell phone. Seriously - If one can't get me at work or at home - one really doesn't need to talk to me that badly... I am ALWAYS at work... I will send you those numbers. It occurs to me that you probably don't have them.... DANG - you get a day off to go to the Fair... What a deal. Stinking mortgage companies don't give you any days off at all, if they can avoid it. Capitalist Pigs... :] Well - lunch time is over and I have to get back to the old grind. Love you guys!! (Ira? We really do want to know how your DW is doing. Please stop by.)

Wow!! A Hot Chick on the Beach!! Woo Hoo!!! You look FANTABULOUS!!

Hey Two days in a row!! Yee Haw! I figure since I am never going to get promoted, I may as well take a lunch... :heh: Dianne - good to see you... Sounds like you had a great time... Glad your DH is showing his appreciation in an appropriately lavish way. I can't wait to see the rock. Don't sweat the 1.5 lbs. You'll be well rid of that in no time. Just step away from the cookies! Trust me, nobody understands the cookie compulsion more than me. Patty - trepidation is to be expected. When money is tight, it's scary to give it to a stranger in hopes he will help. Everyone is thinking good thoughts for you. We'll get you banded, yet. Hugs!! My boss made a point of telling me that I was 2nd in line for the job and he knows that other opportunities will arise for me in the future. Don't know how much that actually means - but it was a warm fuzzy in the aftermath of the being pissed off. Kat - I can't see my toes, either. I am happy when I look down and my boobs block my belly from view. That was an actuall NSV for me... lol! No need to send the snakes to the gal... It isn't HER fault my boss hired her. Now, if you wanted to ship a few to HIM... lol!:evil: How is your daughter doing? Allison - Great to see you! 40 lbs Rocks! Since surgery? or since the Pre-op? I am keeping track of both, since I have been such a flake since the surgery. Seriously - I have only lost 25 lbs since my actual surgery date - but I lost 16 lbs the week before - so 36 lbs sounds better... Hopefully my renewed enthusiasm for (sorry about the E-word, folks) Exercise will help with that. Did you find a new job, yet? Or are you taking a little State Sponsored Vacation? Cindy - thank goodness, it isn't likely that I will be expected to train the gal who got my job - THIS time... but that has actually happened to me on several occassions. My question is: Doesn't the boss have ANY clue how much it pisses you off to have to train the person who got the job you applied for? Or is it some sadistic thing that they do for their own ammusement? Anyway - yes - we plan on going Saturday. Whether we actually make it out of the house or not is always a question, though. If you send me your cell number, I will give you a call. :wave: Eileenie - sorry about the shirts. They looked like they had potential. Bummer. Hope Olivia is doing ok. Hugs!! :bounce: Well - lunch is over again. Hugs to everybody else. Hope you post again, soon! Irene

100 lbs since January ROCKS!! Congrats!!