RavensRiches

I have just about hit goal with only 12 more pounds to lose. I will be having reconstructive surgery soon (tummy tuck and boob-lift) and would like my port to be moved or replaced with one that is much smaller. As it is now, it is easily seen and felt as a large lump. Is it possible to switch ports and/ or have it moved to a different area on the body?

Thanks! I'll do a search within the site.

Oh, I forgot to add that I've changed my goal weight from 140 to 130. No telling how much flesh will come off during surgery. Who knows, maybe I'll be fortunate enough to lower it yet again to 120! I used to be 120 almost 20 years ago. Cool!

Oct. 06 and I'm down to 144! Only 4 pounds to go to get my boobs lifted and the belly tuck! I'm so excited! I am wearing a size 10 in pants now and can fit in 8's except for the alien mass attached to my front mid-section. Yeah for me! I know I'm tooting my own horn here but I can't help it! I'm so excited!

:help: The song was written and performed by the group Mr. Mister and the lyrics go..... Lyrics for: Kyrie Kyrie eleison, kyrie eleison, kyrie The wind blows hard against this mountain side, across the sea into my soul It reaches into where I cannot hide, setting my feet upon the road My heart is old, it holds my memories, my body burns a gemlike flame Somewhere between the soul and soft machine, is where I find myself again Kyrie eleison, down the road that I must travel Kyrie eleison, through the darkness of the night Kyrie eleison, where I'm going will you follow Kyrie eleison, on a highway in the light When I was young I thought of growing old, of what my life would mean to me Would I have followed down my chosen road, or only wished what I could be Kyrie eleison, down the road that I must travel Kyrie eleison, through the darkness of the night Kyrie eleison, where I'm going will you follow Kyrie eleison, on a highway in the light oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh Kyrie eleison, down the road that I must travel Kyrie eleison, through the darkness of the night Kyrie eleison, where I'm going will you follow Kyrie eleison, on a highway in the light (repeat chorus) "Kyrie Eleison" is Greek for "Lord, have mercy." It is used as a prayer in both Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox services. Greek was the original language of the New Testament and it was later translated in to Latin. So the literal translation would be, "Lord, have mercy (on me) down the road that I must travel. Lord, have mercy (on me) through the darkness of the night." And so on..... I just LOVED that song in the early 80's!

I have had my consultation and the appointment is set for mid-November for both a lift (w/ small implant) and a tummy tuck. I have breastfed for over eight years and after 7 months of weaning, have NO breast tissue left. There is nothing there to "lift" except skin. I will get the implant just to have anything at all. I had 6 pregnancies with 4 live births (a.k.a. four kids) so my stomach muscles (what are those?) are gone, stretched out, ruined. My 3rd baby gave me an umbilical hernia; she did reuse my existing stretch marks which was really nice of her. The hernia will need to be repaired at the time of the tummy tuck. All in all, the quote is a little over $12K. I may spend more just to spend more time in the hospital for recovery due to having small children at home. That will increase my cost but I think it will be worth it.

I personally don't care if it did turn out to be an accidental drug overdose (like River Phoenix). I think EVERY 20 year old should be able to party his ass off with whatever combination of pharmaceuticals he likes and NOT DIE!!!

Hello everyone! I haven't posted in a while. I am only 5 pounds away from earning my boob-lift and tummy-tuck! I went ahead and scheduled my surgery for the middle of November. I'll dehydrate and starve if I have to in order to weigh in at 140lb. on surgery day! My final goal is 130 but I swear, my boobs and extra alien tummy probably weigh 5-7 pounds if not more. How is everyone else doing?

Howdy everyone! I am doing well and have lost another 3 pounds. I think I am the slowest loser ever! I have a question for those who know....I am not losing pounds/weight but I am losing inches. I don't exercise if I can help it and still, I've dropped another dress size. How is this possible? I am now at 147 pounds and want to get to 140. I had my first consultation with a Plastic Surgeon and he also wants me to lose the last few pounds before doing the tummy tuck and boob lift. At my weight lose rate, it'll be next year before I lose those 7 pounds. :phanvan

O.K.....what's a NSV? I had another little fill of 0.6cc this week and finally feel restriction again. I stalled out for almost 6 weeks (I did lose 2 pounds but jeeze!). I'm allergic to sweating (a.k.a. excercise) unless it involves loud music and a dance floor. I do like to garden and nap. Does that count? People have noticed the weight loss and since I am living a lie and only telling close family members (and all of you here on this group), I just tell them I'm on a low-carb diet and that I'm working very hard. Thank you for noticing! As for issues, I sometimes miss goey buttered rolls. And PB & J sandwiches, toasted. Salads have been iffy. THe lettuce blocks the opening I guess. THe last few times I've eaten a salad, I've pucked it up. Yuck! I was mad too because it wasn't a cheap salad! I figured out how to eat at my favorite buffet restaurants; get the to-go box usually sold by the pound. Fill it up, or not, and then sit down and eat with the family. Take the rest home for tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day......

My hubbies post was technical but I like yours so much more! My fill doc, my hubbie, is hot and a male (go figure) but I'm not sharing him.....yet. Another Q: when do we get to count a pound lost? When it still hovers in the .4 range or when it is off the scale for say, 2-3 days? I got on the scale this morning and have lost another 1+ pounds! I don't know if that's because I was dehydrated or due to my bowel movement but hey, I want to count it on my ticker! I'm drinking beer with salt tonight so it will probably be back tomorrow.

From Raven's Husband, Paul: Assuming you have experience with accessing various types of ports, it's easily done in about 1-2 minutes. If you can't feel the port outline to determine exactly where the diaphragm is, consider US guided access as an option to fishing around blindly in hopes of locating the diaphragm. Supplies: -20ga Huber needle with short tubing extention. 1"-2"+ needle length depending on depth of tissue over port. -10ml syringe. -18ga needle to draw saline. -18ga needle to draw 2% Lidocaine w/ epi. -25-27ga needle to inject Lidocaine into tissue overlying port. -Sterile saline (Or contrast media, if necessary for visualization via fluoroscopy or CT. Check port manufacturer's data to confirm compatibility.). -Alcohol prep pads. -Betadine prep pads (Unless allergic, then substitute as needed). -1-2 gauze pads. -Bandaid. -Spill safe container of Water for patient to drink from. -Non sterile exam gloves. -Sterile gloves if desired. 1. Patient positioned supine w/ 1-2 pillows under his/ her back. 2. Draw up roughly 1-3ml (Or as much/ little needed) of saline with 10ml syringe and 18ga needle then remove needle. Attach syringe to Huber needle w/ extention, flush and clamp the tubing. Note volume of saline remaining in syringe. 3. Locate the port. Spend as much time as needed to get comfortable with port location and attitude. 4. Prep site with Betadine/ Alcohol, wipe with sterile gauze for better visualization. 5. Infiltrate Lidocaine to tissue directly over the diaphragm. Less is better, too much and you'll have trouble feeling the port. 1-2ml is probably enough. 6. Reprep the site as needed, inject Huber needle through anesthetized skin and tissue to the center of the diaphragm. It takes a bit of firm pressure to penetrate the diaphragm. Don't worry, the port body is plenty strong enough to prevent overpenetration. 7. Release the tubing clamp and aspirate until resistance is felt. Again, note volume in syringe. If unable to aspirate at all, you're either not in the right spot or the port & band are completely empty. 8. Inject desired amount. Clamp tubing and note volume injected. Have patient drink a small amount of water while still supine. If patient's esophagus is now obstructed and unable to swallow any Fluid, aspirate enough until no longer obstructed before removing the needle. 9. Remove Huber needle, clean up the site, place Bandaid. Repeat swallow test in upright position with at least 120ml of water (4oz) to "Proof" the patentcy of the esophagus. 10. Discharge patient to home with 24hr phone# access to your service for emergencies related to this fill.

Mmmmm, PIE!!! What kind?

I'd like to add my 2 cents worth here. I don't think it's a good idea to go overboard with the alcohol consumption all in one sitting (for obvious reasons) and also because you don't want to be dry heaving or vomiting profusely with the band. You could damage yourself or your band. That being said, I like most alcohol with the exception of gin (allergy to juniper berries) and moonshine! As I age, I find that the sulfites in wine really give me a horrible headache. I've had no problems with organic wines though but have a hard time finding them. Vodka is by far my favorite hard drink and I like the Crystal Light idea. I'll have to try that one.

My husband, a certified Physician Assistant, did my last fill and will do any and all that I need in the future.

:hungry: I love sushi and haven't had any problems. I haven't tried oysters on the half shell yet. Anyone try those? Since I don't typically chew the oysters first, I'm thinking that they will get stuck. That could be a really bad PB!

Hi VegasWildFlower, I'm on a hunger binge that has lasted about 4 days now. I think it may be connected to my period starting but don't really know yet as my period hasn't resumed a normal pattern since birthing my baby 5 months ago. I've been eating like crazy and even when I am full, can't stop thinking about food! Craving food! Overall, I've lost 20 pounds (may have gained one or two back this week but don't want to look) and have 20 or 30 more to go. I'm STILL learning how to work with my band. I am so glad that I have it though and get nervous when I don't feel restriction when I eat. All in all, Life is GREAT!!!

"Oh yeah That Shakira is nice too Hips Don't lie with Wyclef....." No kiddin' about Shakira! She's hot! She's just acting my part until I lose another 20 pounds. I had to take a decade long vacation, ya know??! I'm guessing she had some middle-eastern dance lessons as a child. She flowwssssss--. Her voice ain't too shabby either. When I'm working, sweating, or being creative, I like to listen to rock and roll baby!. Three Doors Down = "adult angst workin' it all out" metal Third Eye Blind http://music.yahoo.com/ar-266450-bio--Third-Eye-Blind = Stephan Jenkins (vocals) and Brad Hargreaves (drums) both turn me on! I would hate to catch myself in a room alone with those two men---pure fantasy of course!---One could keep the rhythm while the other one sang in my ear and flexed his muscles. Yeah, it's a good life!!! Then I wake up from my fantasy and see my really normal family and give thanks for the stability to help our children experience boredom.

This thread is JUST what the Doctor ordered! I am laughing so hard my port site hurts! I have three girls (8yrs, almost 5yrs, and 2.5yrs) and my baby boy is just that--a baby! He's 5 months old yesterday. I haven't experienced the taliwacker thing yet but with my girls, we call everything by it's medical name (occupational hazard I guess). My eldest daughter is the one who taught her 1st grade classmates all about conception, pregnancy, and birth. I had plenty of phone calls during that year!!! Needless to say, some of those moms are now my friends and can laugh about it. On the plus side, human anatomy will be a breeze to my kids! My hubbie even refers to the bones in their medical terms, for example.."The distal head of the right femur was protruding from skin.". When we are on long road trips as a family, my girls either ask for scary stories or they say, "Daddy, tell us about one of your patients. A really good one with lots of blood. Did she die!" As far as the topic of the thread---we have some neighbors (damn, I wish I had bought that land when I had the chance) who have two little girls who are the same age as my two eldest daughters. The oldest one is extremely talented and can stick her fingers in her crotch at the same time as she is picking and eating her boogers! I am always amazed at the human species. The wonder of it all. The younger child is just preoccupied with her boogers, not her vagina. Whenever they visit (damn, I wish I had bought that land when I had the chance!) and they do this, I tell them that it's not going anywhere so they can let it go. And with the booger eating thing, I just try to catch them in the act and tell them not to eat it. "I saw you! Don't eat it!" The younger one thinks this is so funny and will eat it just to see my reaction. She's a keeper she is. When we found out our son was a boy, I requested a second ultrasound to confirm gender because I was a little freaked out about the boy thing. I wanted to double check. I just kept thinking about all that rough hewn cedar paneling in the bathrooms and how we needed to get that replaced soon. All the little boys I've known have not been able to control their pee. It brings out the germ freak in me! Honestly, I had a real problem with this. I was scared to parent a boy. Not to mention that I would have to learn new parenting skills. Girls are easy. They potty train themselves pretty early (mine do anyway). They like to look clean and pretty. They don't drink strange looking and smelling chemicals from the barn at random. In fact, I've never needed to call poison control and can't imagine why I'd ever need to with my girls. But boys! Oh my God! They see a gas can sitting all alone and think they need to drink out of it just to keep it company! Let's see, it smells bad, it's green, and it has a skull-and-crossbones on the outside. It MUST be food! I think holding onto their pin-ess is the least of our worries!!!

Hey everybody! Tomorrow is my 38th birthday and I'm feeling just a tang bit of blues. I had a big Barbie-Q (love it spelled this way) party planned for this Saturday and had invited my entire family of origin (took great care to even invite the ones that are really unhealthy for me to be around). My Mom is the only person who has RSVP'd as of today. My soul-sister can't make it because of a prio-committment that I knew about. And my bio-half-sisters won't come because I've offended them by living this long. Hell, I offend people just by walking out my front door most days! My family of origin is sooo disfunctional that they prop their cocktails on the dead elephant under the rug without another thought. One day they hate you, the next day they're asking for a loan. WTF!? My hubbie likes to joke about our gatherings as being elephant graveyards. My goal, life lesson, Quest, ambition, what-ever you want to call it is this, to not let any of their manipulations and hurtful words affect me at all. I only see this happening when they are all dead, or I am. I don't like hardly any of them, and only put up with my Mom's manipulating shit because she's, well, my Mom, but it still bothers me when they are so hateful. I hope to one day be able to not take it personal. This probably isn't the right thread to post this on but hey. I've vented. I feel a tiny bit better. Sandee------have you called and made that appointment yet? When is your surgery date? Make sure you take a good picture of your BEFORE self in either a bathing suit or something like that. Good luck!

I'm curious with anything that contains the word -- harem --it's got to be good! Hee Hee Hee

Actually I was kidding when I said the "Good Drugs" posted by Cashley Not a bad idea! Except that whenever I've choosen this route, I end up drinking even more!!! Gosh, those were really fun times........ Have you thought about getting your band tightened so that you restrict even MORE calories throughout the week to make up for your fabulous, "sucking the marrow from life", weekends? If your under 30, have no kids, and aren't running for President anytime soon, I say party hardy girl!!! Rockin' like Slayer Mannnn!!!

I've lost 20 pounds so far and have another 20 to lose. The weight comes off slower than it does for heavier people. It's ok though. Stay upbeat and remember that your in this for the long-haul. You CAN do it!

I'm a stay-at-home mom to 4 young children ranging in ages from 8 1/2 years to 5 months old. I don't have the luxury of boredom----someday though! I look forward to it. Whenever I do get time to myself (usually 12 midnight to 2 am) I work on my art or surf the net. I always have an eBay window up and open and will listen and watch new videos. Other times, I catch up on all my favorite programs that I've tivoed. I can watch 2 hours of programming in about 1 hour and 15 minutes! I love tivo! I also like to garden, catch up with friends, thrift shopping....

Thanks for the holding your breath tip----I really can use this one.