Dody

DeCarla to DeLarla. Is there a reason behind this. Veddy, veddy confusing.

Now I remember (after you jogged my mind). Yes, what a long time ago that was. I do recall the day Kennedy was assasinated like it was yesterday. I was living in NY and my oldest daughter was just a little toddler when we got the news. It was like the end of the world around my part of the woods. Where I lived the population was almost all Catholic, and I recall now he was the first Catholic president every elected, and it was devastating. To this day I believe there is more to the story than we will ever know, but it shall remain a mystery I guess. Thanks for refreshing my memory Jack. My health is OK except for arthritis. I had 5-way-bypass in 2001, but no problems since the surgery. This should be a walk in the park compared to getting my chest cracked open and wired shut again. The first few weeks of that are a blur thank God.

It makes sense if you got banded in Mexico and followed up in the U.S. that they might have problems finding the port. I guess that is one benefit to having the surgeon doing the banding doing the filling. Each surgeon does things just a little bit differently, and I think if the same surgeon places the band that does the fills he knows exactly where that port is. You are right, getting jabbed many times probably would not cause infection, but it sure could be unpleasant. I was kind of hoping fills didn't hurt. :eek:

Why did you change your name from DeCarla to DeLarla if you don't mind my asking. It took me awhile to realize you were you. I always knew you are DeCarla.

I'm very surprised that you weren't given Procardia at the hospital. I worked the ER for 38 years and that is the first step we took with high blood pressure. One Procardia tablet usually lowers the BP about 30 points in 30 minutes. It is common practice in hospitals to try this method. I can't understand why the dr. didn't try to lower your blood pressure. We used to get a lot of trauma patients whose BP would be very high, and you may have what we called "white coat syndrome" meaning doctors or hospitals actually make you nervous and your PB sky-rockets. So sorry you had to be sent home, but curious why they didn't try and lower your BP in hospital surroundings.

Insurance seems to be a huge issue for almost everyone on this forum. A lot of people find they aren't covered, or they have to fight for their coverage and it takes a long time. A lot of people give up and self-pay and a lot of people persevere by fighting the insurance companies (kudos to them). You should find out first if your insurance covers the surgery and go from there. All insurance companies are different and I know nothing about yours. Good luck.

I've just recently had a lot of dental work done and my teeth lasered, and that alone did wonders for bad breath. I was getting gingivitis, even though I'm faithful about going to the dr. She prescribed a medicated mouth wash that is prescription only and it is marvelous for bad breath. I used it for about a mo., but now that I've had my gums planed(talk about painful) and my teeth lasered I find I no longer have any problems at all with bad breath. I am fanatical about brushing and flossing after each and every meal now, as I don't want to go through that gum planeing ever again. It was extremely painful and I had to have each quadrant done on separate visits. It was worth it though. I just had my teeth lasered and they are as white as if I was 16 again. I'm so proud of them and want to keep them this way. I sure hope surgery doesn't change it. Why does this surgery cause bad breath? I'm just curious.

I take 1200 mg of ibuprofen every 6 hr. for arthritis. My dr. has recently switched me to Celebrex because of the upcoming surgery. She also has told me that too much Tylenol is very bad for the liver (not sure why), but it is. I'm actually hoping that losing weight will helpt the arthritis and the foot pain and I can eventually get by taking very little in the way of medicine. I have high blood pressure which is wonderfully controlled with Lopressor and Norvasc, and I will probably always have to take it, as I know that even when I was thin I was prone to high blood pressure. Everyone in my family has it. I will always have to take Lopressor 100 mg bid because of arrhythmias, but it is far safer than a lot of other medications on the market. I've taken it for about 20 years now, so it's certainly not a new drug. I don't get headaches, just the pain from the arthritis, but that can be miserable for sure. Not sure if I've helped much, but probably the Celebrex is the right answer for now....and I certainly would allow it to disolve part way before swallowing it. You girls and guys are full of great advice. This forum has been very informative on what to expect and how to deal with it and I thank you all for sharing your experiences. Everyone should belong long before they are banded, because there would be lots fewer surprises afterwards. Now I know what to expect at least and what is normal and not normal.

I haven't yet been banded, but I've heard many bandsters here say they gained weight after their surgery. I'm sure many will chime in and tell you the reasons why, but you will lose it. I think it's a pretty common experience from what I've read on this forum. Don't give up on yourself. You've just begun an incredible journey. Good luck. There's a lot of great advise on here, so just wait for someone to chime in who is already banded and been there and done that. Wish I could be more help to you.

I think we all have weaknesses. Probably that one day will be a reminder for a long time of what not to do. Hey, it was one day, and you ate all the crap-food you've been wanting, so don't beat yourself up over it. If you have a desire for something I really think you should have some of it instead of craving it. You probably sabotaged yourself with the first stop at Jack In The Box, and figured the rest of the day was shot. Like I said, it's only one day, and the chances of you doing it again are slim to none. Today is a new day. Back to the bandster rules. Please be kind enough to remind me of that after I am banded and craving Reese's Peanut Butter cups, because I know it is my one big weakness. If it has peanut butter and chocolate in it I'm a goner. I'm also going to Tennessee for my surgery to be with family that "loves to eat" and OMG southern food is just soooooooooooo good. They drink loads of sweet tea (which I find out is really what we call iced tea), but I can put splenda in mine and some lemon (can't stand it without lemon) and be happy. Strange thing, but no matter what they eat for dinner macaroni and cheese is always a part of the meal even if there are mashed potatoes..... I'm going to be tempted at every turn I think. My daughter has a list of all the things she misses from her Idaho upbringing that she wants me to cook...that one will be tough I'm sure....especially after banding, but they both work, so that's the least I can do. Wish me luck, because I'm up against a big challenge, but dying to see my kids, so anything is worth it. Hoping for surgery in May, but not seeing the surgeon until the end of April. All paperwork is in order, so hopefully won't be too long getting around to it. Heck, I've waited a yr. and I guess a mo. or so more won't hurt me.

I'm 64 and hoping to be banded in May. I don't know what to expect, but I'm glad to see there are a lot of older bandsters out there. Jack, was Kennedy president in 59 when I graduated? Darned if my memory goes back that far. I do remember my daughter being about 2 when he was killed. I believe that was 62....close?

When I was growing up (in the old days) my Mom made the best lima beans and ham. Today I couldn't imagine buying or cooking lima beans, but I grew up with them and loved the way she fixed them. I couldn't stomach drinking tomato juice though, because I'm just not a tomato lover. I get my protein in my South Beach Protein Bars and call it good. Wait...I'm not even banded yet. My opinions don't mean a thing. It just got me thinking about how I used to love lima beans. My Mom could make Spam taste like ham. She would put cloves in the spam and a brown sugar sauce on them and bake it. That Spam was to die for. Thanks for mentioning a lima bean and bringing back all those memories.

If the same surgeon puts the port in that does the fills, how come he doesn't know exactly where he placed it? That part confuses me. I wonder if some people have the band and port placed somewhere else and then follow up with a different dr. for their fills and that could be part of the problem. Anyone have an opinion on this one?

I order a product called Shock It Out on line. Two bottles last me a good 6 mo. and I use it for everything. You dilute it with water (spray bottle is included). It is great for pet stains and anything and everything under the sun. I use it in my carpet cleaning system and find it does a better job than anything I can buy on the market. It is excellent with pest odors also.

I thought I would be a wreck going in for open heart surgery, but the anesthesiologist told me I wouldn't even remember and he is right....some Versed beforehand puts you in happy land long before you get to the OR. You don't have anything to worry about. These anesthesologists work wonderful magic. Good luck on your banding.

I was excited to read the post where you were taking mushies and tolerating them.......and then you started having problems again. Have you tried making sure the Water is not ice cold? How about bottled water at room temp? It seems like water seems to give you the worse problem, and you are right, that is weird alright. I hope by the time I have my surgery you will be feeling great and be able to give me some advise from what you have learned. So sorry you had a "down day" again. I hope tomorrow and the days after get easier for you. Think Cowbells!!

I don't like yogurt and I despise cottage cheese. I'm going to have a rough time of it aren't I? I will try this new yogurt though just to see if I might like it. I haven't found one I can eat yet except the Yoplait chocolate. I love lemon, but I've yet to find a really good lemon yogurt so I've given up. However, I do love the South Beach Diet products and especially the protein bars. I can make a meal out of one of them. I hope I can manage them as well down the road after the surgery.

I don't ever go to fast food restaurants, so I won't miss them. What I will miss, however, is my diet Cherry-Vanilla Dr. Pepper. Now that I know I can have some if I let it go flat, I'm OK with it I think. I can't imagine it will taste nearly as good though. Fortunately I love cranberry and grape juice. I can't give up my coffee either, even though one cup is plenty for me in the morning. My worse habit is turning myself around and learning to eat in the daytime instead of at night. I guess if there is anything I crave it is salt and I therefore love potato chips....I haven't heard anyone mention them, nor peanuts which have lots of protein. Is it possible to eat peanuts if you chew really, really good?

I am going to Tennessee for my surgery. I am scheduled to see the surgeon on Apr. 26 in Nashville at Vanderbilt Hospital. I have had every test known to man before getting the OK to go ahead. Between my GP and my cardiologist...I have had upper GI; psych eval; echo; ekg; thallium scan; abdominal scan; endoscopy-you name it, they have put me through it before giving me the go ahead. You are right, if I can recover from having my chest cracked open I figure there can't possibly be anything worse. That took me 6 mo. to even feel normal after and I think I still have about the ugliest scar possible even after 5 years. I developed keloids in that scar, although I have never had this problem before. I've had gallbladder surgery and you can't even see the scars, nor can you see the scars where they had to cut open both legs to get enough veins for the open heart surgery. Anyone that has even become alert after surgery on a ventilator and paralyzed can only visualize what I went through. I don't wish open heart surgery on anyone in this world. My husband was killed in an automobile accident, and I also lost my mom...I lived on coffee and cigarettes and worked night and day so I wouldn't think. The not thinking got me bypass surgery, and the cigarettes went for good. I turned to eating to fill the void and that is never a good thing, and absolutely no excuse on my part. Today I've come out the other side a stronger and more determined person. I have just had all my dental work completed and my teeth lasered (OMG I so forgot how white teeth could be), and I have all my own. Now, I'm ready to venture into the band and hopefully I won't be too big a complainer, but I'm sure I'll turn to the board for support. Sue, you are absolutely right about the tests that should be run. I guess I should be glad that I have overly cautious doctors that have ordered all these tests, because I know I'm going into this without any major problems. I already had to put the surgery off 3 mo. because they found an ulcer they had to clear up and I will remain on aciphex which should be easy to take because it is only the size of a birth control pill and works great.

I had 5-way-bypass exactly 5 years ago and have been doing fine. The weight that I gained when I quit smoking is the reason my cardiologist wants me to have the surgery. I eat good food always, but I eat far too much of it, and I tend to not eat all day and be starving by nighttime. I have to relearn a lot of things for sure. Not eating at night will be the biggest thing for me, but I'm looking forward to a longer life with the help of the band. My feet kill me too. I'm hoping that losing some weight will help it....my feet are my biggest problem. I've never had a problem with my heart in the past 5 years Thank God, and I'm cleared for surgery by my cardiologist who is 100% behind the band.

Please keep us posted on how your Dad does with his surgery. I'm very anxious about mine, even though I really want it. The age thing bothers me a little bit, but not being around for my grandchildren bothers me more. I'm sending out a special prayer for your Dad. My Dad was very special to me and died 2 years ago at 100 years old. That's why I say you are never too old to have the band....lucky girl your Dad could be looking at 30 years or so with this new band. I'll especially be thinking of him and sending out a prayer on the day of surgery.

Kellie was flirting with Chris? I missed it completely. I do remember during the auditions how happy Chris's wife was for him to make it through and said it was his life's dream. They seem immensely happy together and I don't think the wife has a thing to worry about. I would die for Kellie's body...but lets face it I think I had one at 17 too...I vaguely remember. Seacrest was on Jay Leno last night and told them that Simon Cowel hired a sculptor to make a huge statue of himself for his courtyard...talk about worship!! They also asked him about dating Terry Hatcher and he owned up to it, but made light of it saying "we are the same size and can wear the same jeans"....too funny. I'll have to keep a closer eye on Kellie this week and watch her. She should be old enough to know married is off limits. I imagine she will be great in the country theme though, probably the best because it's her genre. Still thinking they are going to have to beat Chris out. He is awesome. When he sang Hemorrhage I could close my eyes and hear Fuel....and yeh I occasionally listen to rock (what can I say). My favorite is country though. In my part of the country if it isn't country it isn't music. Someone mentioned Grey's Anatomy. It's my favorite show and I love Patrick Dempsey as McDreamy. He is definitely DREAMY, and the show is fantastic. I like it better than Desperate Housewifes to tell the truth.

Your Dad has me beat. I thought probably I was the oldest gonna be bandster on here. Hope your Dad does great.

I just turned 64 and am looking at May for surgery. You are never too old to get healthy.

I can wear a size 12 at 180 lbs. That is the goal I'm setting for myself when I get banded. I'm 5'9" though. It makes a difference whether you are short or tall, or where you happen to carry your weight. The important thing is you are losing...good for you.