HeatherO

I have had both a Realize band and Lapband. My Realize band slipped after 1 1/2 years. This happened when it was empty. I am prone to feeling band tightness hormonally - and even though it was empty, it was too tight. The slip occurred the last day I was in the hospital after giving birth to my daughter. I now have a large size Allergan lapband which is working very well for me. Both bands work great. The Realize band got me to goal. The Allergan lapband will keep me there. I would have to say that if you are sensitive to having a band, the flexibility with the larger size Allergan band is better. The only problem is, you don't know if you are extremely sensitive or not until after you are banded.

Oh by the way . . . if a really special Violet has not received or has just received their secret santa gift, it is because another didn't get her butt to the post office with all of the holiday hubbub until the last few minutes before it closed before the Christmas holiday.

Secret Santa arrived!!!! Well, actually it was last week when I was away in New York. My darling teenage son got the package and stuck it in a closet meaning to give it to me and, well, umm, forgot. I was putting away stuff from the trip last night . . . and lo and behold, there was a package. The best surprises are the unexpected ones, like finding money in your coat from the previous year, lol. Thanks, Jane :0). I luvvvvv Bath & Body works and fragrance warmers. Ayla is also very happy with some new toys to slobber on, lol. She is just in that stage of either gumming them to death or throwing/dropping them just because she can, lol. I do have to admit though . . . she was having a whole lot a fun with the wrapping paper. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

This made me LOL. :laugh: Most men can't take or give subtle hints or find out information covertly . . . usually it is about as subtle as a 2x4 to the forehead, lol.

Have a wonderful Christmas Vi's!!! I will be in New Jersey, better know as the armpit of the US, for the holidays. It will be fun to be with family. Although I am not quite sure when anyone would "choose" to live there - at least not where I am going. If anyone here is from NJ - I am just kidding. It is just that traffic really sucks close to NYC and you can't even make left turns. People are not friendly or accomodating at all either. I have met some of the most unfriendly people on the planet in that general area, lol. That reminds me . . . last year when we visited, we drove up to Atlantic City for an evening. In the casino, I had some drunk guy with a beer belly, hawaiin shirt and slurred speech swagger up to me and ask "doan u peeple even spiik engliss?" It went on unpleasantly from there as he started slurring out religious questions and I don't want to bore you with the details . . . but since when did I become "you people?" Red hair, freckles, born and raised here - I look pretty darn American if I do say so myself. The other thing that surprised me is that I was the only American in the group of people I was with and even though no one was speaking English - why did he single me out as the one to ask insulting racist questions to? Judy, the church is adorable. It has that inviting feel that some churches always seem to miss. Anyway, everyone please have a lovely Christmas :0) I am so looking forward to seeing family, I am sure we will have a wonderful time.

Most embarassing moment of the year . . . happened last night at Blockbuster. I bought a new car yesterday and traded in my old one. This car is a standard transmission with a stick shift. I can drive it because I learned on a stick and it is pretty much all you can find to drive in Europe and the Middle East. So, I went to Blockbuster with my dh. We are joking the whole way because my dh kept stalling out the car and shifting poorly but I drive clean and smooth. The whole way there the conversation is basically all about how I can drive better than he can . . . until we come out of Blockbuster. I couldn't figure out how to put the car in reverse. I am blushing to my toes and he is laughing so hard and trying not to pee his pants. I even put it in neutral and shifted my body back and forth trying to get it to drift backwards using gravity to get me back down the hill. I could only make it halfway and someone started honking at me. After a gazillion tries, I take that manual out of the glovebox and am flipping through the pages in a huff. While I am flipping through the pages, my DH says he figured it out. He finally figured out that the scrunchy part of the stick shift has a little ring in it that you have to lift in order to go in reverse. I have driven at least half a dozen cars with a stick shift and it has never been that way before that I can remember. I am WOMAN, I can do anything, right??? Just don't ask my dh this week, lol..

Judy, It seems like all of the malls are getting a little more dead each year. One thing that I noticed anecdotally is that the majority of the people in the malls near where I live seem to be of a different socio-economic class that the general population from the area. I am not referring to different racial mixes because that part is irrelevant to me. I am referring to the inner city style of dress and the propensity for the use of expletives and just speaking loudly period. Another thing that I notice is that with all of the people walking around the mall, I don’t see quite as many shopping bags as I used to. I am not sure if everyone there is necessarily buying all that much right now. I went to the mall last week with a friend for the first time this year and walking around you could hear someone loudly proclaim “oh that b**tch ain’t nuttin but a ho.” I seem to lack any strong desire to add that language to Ayla’s repertoire, lol. Maybe it is just that I live near Cleveland . . . perhaps it is not as bad in other states. That picture of Grady is soo funny, lol. He also looks so big in that picture. That picture of Bob was too sweet. :0) Pam, that is really sweet about the ring. I agree with Michelle, you should wear it . . . perhaps when you want to remember your dad. It sounds like you got your hands full with Klausy although he is too adorable to stay mad at for very long, lol. Michelle, we don’t live too incredibly far apart. I feel lucky that I have not had your snow woes :0) I want to go see Avatar also. It looks like fun.

I haven't been posting much because I have been too darn busy to breath . . . it always happens this time of year. I feel sorry for that poor kitties owners. Do you know where the cat came from that Klaus killed? I am a little behind on secret santa . . . I will have to nip it this weekend :0)

My DH just read this and he said it is a great book. It is next on my "to read" list and is sitting on my nightstand. He said his culture is similar to his in that by the time you have had tea at someone else's house three times, then you are pretty much like family. Tea to them is more than just a drink, it is a daily ritual of utmost importance.

Everyone is so different, it all depends on your body. Some are fine with a fill the entire time, some need a small unfill and some can not tolerate any fill. For me I got ultra-sensitive to the band during pregnancy, needed three emergency unfills and had a slip in the hospital during delivery on an empty band which led to a band replacement. The absolute first symptom of pregnancy for me before any other (and I am talking within days of pregnancy) was extreme band tightness after I had been floating by with the same fill for six months. I think the level of fluid is something you just have to take as it comes . . . let your own body be your guide as to whether you have too much or too little. Just be careful with vomitting . . . if it happens regularly a complete unfill is best or you may risk your band.

I think it is 1600 calories a day that is needed to support breastfeeding. If you can get enough healty food in, you should be fine.

Happy Monday everyone. I hope we all have a good week. The holidays are fast upon us. :0)

I forgot to mention the truly worst part of it . . . I had to pee like you wouldn't believe. What was I supposed to do, hang my but off the bridge, lol. In all honesty I would have been too scared to leave my car and walk between passing semi's and the small wall to the right in the dark snowy night. Have you ever been stuck in a car for 2 hours having to pee soo bad it hurts??

I had a horrible night last night. I had a tire blowout while going 65+ on a huge bridge in the middle of nowhere coming back from class. It was 14 degrees with a little snow, extremely windy and windchill brought it below 0. Worse yet, my cell phone battery was dead. I sat for 40 minutes before a police car stopped to give me a hand. I then called triple AAA and waited for more than an hour for a tow truck to come an help me eventhough the bridge was only two lanes wide and every huge semi passing by rattled the entire car. I was actually scared sitting up on that dark bridge in the cold without a working phone. Not only did my car shake with the passing semi's, I could actually feel the bridge moving a little with the wind and traffic. Anyway, I tried to attach a picture of the bridge . . . I hope it worked. 271 North Bridge.bmp

Fanny, Congratulations . . . it sounds like you are doing wonderful. I can't wait to see a couple of pictures once you are feeling up to it. :0)

Hello Everyone, I got my fill and it is working better. I feel like I got a band again but am not quite at my sweet spot. I definitely get stuck if I eat too fast or the wrong thing. It slows down the flow but I can still get anything in if I go slow enough. I think I will need another tweak in two weeks and should hopefully be good. On a positive note, I gained 10 pounds between fill 1 and 2 (which included Halloween, Thanksgiving and a voracious appetite) but lost 3.5 between 2 and 3. I have 6.5 pounds to lose to get back to the start point . . . it could have been worse, right??? What scares me is that if I can gain 10 pounds in one bad month . . . it wouldnt take too many months to put me back to the obese range. Staying in goal range is really fragile . . . without a working band it is virtually impossible for me to maintain. By the way, I am in the clinical trial management industry providing software and services to support drugs and medical device trials on the road to FDA approval.

Hello everyone . . . I had a crazy day today. We went from 46 to 39 employees with layoffs. We used to have more than 150 people only two short years ago. I really hope business picks up soon. I also got a fill. 1 more CC which brings me to 12CC in a 14CC band. I can already tell that I am not at my sweet spot and need more. It is crazy that my band needs to be just about filled to capacity in order to work. Everyone have a nice night.

The yorkies were adorable :0) Judy, I can't wait to hear the drama unfold on the pastor. I hope all ends up for the best . . . which it inevitably will but it is all a matter of timing. I took Ayla to the doctors yesterday for her six month check up and to see if she has any inkling what her problem is . . . and the doctor says she is perfect healthwise and is probably teething. I guess the consensus is in . . . I just have to suck it up and live through it. On a side note, I put Ayla in bed last night and she kept crying. When I went into check up on her she would immediately smile and wave like she is excited. I also noticed that her eyes were completely tear free and her face is the normal color (she is very pale like me and will get really red and blotchy for a long time if she is upset). Anyway, I think she is just complaining, not crying. If she is "fake" crying at 6 months, I am not sure how well this bodes for the teenage years, lol. I just so happen to be reading a Wally Lamb book right now called I Know This Much Is True about two identical twin boys where one has schizophrenia and one doesn't. The story is great, the characters are interesting and I find it to be a really enjoyable read. I have also read She's Come Undone and it was also an interesting read. I really like Wally's style.

Hello everyone, just a quick drive by post since I am swamped with work to do. Pamela, the pictures look great :0). Laura, christian side arm hug???? I don't get how rough riders and christian hugs go together, lol. Perhaps I am missing the point . . . it was a little weird to me. Ayla, Ayla, Ayla . . . my sweet perfect baby who sleeps all night like a perfect angel and all I have to do is lay her in her bed at the appointed time has unfortunately and most regretably changed. All thanksgiving holiday neither of us could get to bed until somewhere between 1 - 3 AM after continual walking around with her. She is miserable at night and doesn't want the swing or anything and she won't even let me sit with her without crying miserably, perhaps she is teething. I took her to the doctor to get checked out and the doctor said she is perfect, no problems, it is probably just teething. If this is teething, I am already very tired of it and she doesn't even have a tooth to show for it yet.

Different size people is correct . . . some of us have big noses, some have small, etc. I had a small band but it slipped and then I needed a new large band because of scar tissue. That is another reason you might need a different size band.

Actually i am the last to post . . . so I'll be taking that trophy.

I got a fill yesterday but i can't tell if it is working yet . . . that scares me. I haven't had breakfast yet (well I did have coffee :0) and havent been hungry so maybe that is a little bit of clue. I gained 10 pounds since my last appointment . . . am I insane, how is that even possible? It would be really difficult to lose 10 pounds in a month. I just hope some of that is from TOM. Perhaps I need to do the 5 day pouch test again since that always zips off a few pounds in a hurry. One funny thing is . . . when I arrived at my fill appointment, they were waiting for me and took me right back. Apparently I was the last patient and 1/3 of the patients cancelled (fills are done 1 day a month in this location). I was just wondering if all the cancellations occurred because Thanksgiving is tomorrow, lol. I hope everyone has a lovely Thanksgiving.

Yeahhh . . . another girl. Congratulations!!! :ohmy::wub::confused: It seems we have been inundated with boys recently, lol. You are going to have lots of fun shopping for a little girl.

Actually I think it is mine :0)

My dh can eat a ton and stay thin and athletic while I can eat a small amount and get heavy. Metabolism is so vastly different in some people. I have a lot of heavy and thin friends and I don't really think of them in terms of weight so much as that is just who they are . . . kind of like some people have big noses and some have small noses. I do find myself having a bias when people blatantly disregard reason and do self destructive things. Whether it is overindulging in alcohol, food, drugs on a regular basis I seem to get upset. I am not talking about an occasional issue but a sustained issue over extended periods.