DonnaB

I'm 6 weeks out and I can't see or feel mine. If I move a certain way I definitely feel it though! I went through a few days recently when it was uncomfortable no matter what I was doing. I don't think I pulled it or anything - God knows I haven't been exercising! - but it seems to be feeling better again the last couple of days. I wonder if that constant awareness of the port will ever go away? Seems like as we lose weight and the fat covering it becomes thinner, we'll be more aware of it, rather than less. Don't really know.

Love you and your odd moods. I guess that says something about me and my odd moods too, doesn't it? LOL

How right you are Janet! It's just human nature to resist change. If I came to this board and I knew from the beginning I could not edit or delete my posts I would still have become a member and not regretted the decision. I love you all and I'll take you even if it's with a pinch (OR a pound) of salt!

LOL - I ate Mexican food day before yesterday - no problem whatsoever, flour tortilla and all! The only difference is the amount! I had leftovers for dinner that night and for lunch yesterday! I'm really starting to be a cheap date! I will say that I haven't had a fill yet and this might very well change my ability to eat mexican food or at least parts of it. After a fill I will be extremely careful and wait a full 1 - 2 minutes between bites just to be sure. The last thing I want is chips and salsa coming back up. Yuck. One piece of advise on this subject: Have the waiter bring the chips and salsa at the same time as the meal. If they're sitting on the table while your food is being prepared, the urge to eat them - and thereby fill yourself up on them - is overwhelming. At least it is to me.

PhotoNut, This is a tempest in a teapot. The bigger deal is made of it, the more likely changes will be made. Either you have to accept that someone may delete a thread you wanted to go back to, or you have to forego the right to edit and/or delete your own threads. You see, even not using the "quote" function, you can be quoted: Photonut: I doubt any mod would want that hassle. And then you'd have folks up in arms about the mods editing their posts. Me included. In reply to this statement, it's not like that would happen frequently. In your experience how many times have you wanted a moderator to go into someone elses post where you've been quoted and make changes to your quote? Besides, I just asked Alexandra to remove a post of mine and it wasn't a big deal, she did it within 3 minutes of my request - and that in the middle of this sudden, brewing issue! I can't tell if you have a specific idea in mind as to how to fix this 'problem'. It sounds like you're in a kind of free fall about what you want the outcome of these arguments to be. Sorry if I'm misunderstanding you, I'm not normally obtuse but that doesn't mean I don't get it wrong occasionally! lol Whatever happens, I will be more careful with both what I say on LBT and with quoting other's. IMHO an atmosphere in which one must remain guarded in case of giving offense, or in fear of the inability to edit or delete, sadly, will become sterile, dry, and less palatable. I like LBT the way it is. Or was, now.

I think the simplest solution to this issue is to allow us partial 'ownership' of our own posts through the ability to edit them - without constraint on editing time, but not the ability to delete entire threads - even those's we've started. If you can delete all participation in a thread, even the opening post, it's like you were never there. Even if someone quotes you, you can always ask a moderator to remove or edit that quote, right? If I'm missing part of the bigger picture - and not just a general disagreement with censorship (I happen to agree with that sentiment, but this site doesn't belong to me) - please point it out to me. Thanks for keeping this thread going everyone. I think it's important that we all understand the rules of the game so we we don't 'foul out' or acrue time in a penalty box! Besides, if I don't understand the rules, how will I know when I score? lol

A get together in Texas sounds like fun - I guess it depends on the details for me. What's Kemah? I've been in Texas for over 20 years and I don't know what that is? How could that be? LOL As for a late summer date, DeLarla's Vegas Bash is in late August and I was already making plans to attend - is late August the right time for a Texas Bash?

Diane you look amazing! I love the bathing suit pictures. I hope you're planning on wearing it in public and holding your head high while you do it! Keep 'em coming. BTW, your before pics look so much like mine it isn't even funny - right down to the stretchy bra - does it have a row of hooks and eyes in the front? lol It's me, I swear.

Dang - I was hoping this thread was what our slogan for ourselves is. Mine is: If you're going to go, go all the way. If you're not going to go all the way, don't go at all. My generated slogan is: When It Absolutely, Positively Has To Be DonnaB Overnight.

JANET!!! Where have you been? We were starting to get worried. OK I was starting to wonder if you were the single ticket $265 Million Mega Millions Lotto winner and were off in wherever you go to collect THAT jackpot! I suppose it still COULD be you. Is is? :-) See y'all tomorrow.

I drink right up to 10 minutes or before the meal but then I don't drink with the food or for one hour after eating.

I didn't even notice it but Paula is right - unless you've moved away from that addresss. In which case, the psycho killer is going to go to someone elses house. :omg: Might not be a bad idea to crop that picture just a touch.

ALEXANDER: Dear God.... How did I come to this? I played Richard III... There were Five curtain calls! I was an ACTOR once, damn it. Now look at me ... LOOK AT ME! I cannot go out there, and I won’t say that stupid line one more time. I can’t ... and I won’t. JASON: You will . . . go out there. ALEXANDER: I won't. And nothing you can say will make me. JASON: The show must go on. ALEXANDER: Damn You! Damn You! Never give up. Never surrender. Just take a short break if you must but please, please come back soon. We'll all miss you so much. "By Grabthar's hammer, you shall be avenged."

Don't trample on my rights and freedom, but DO limit the amount of time and space allowed to advertisers, manufacterers and distributors of junk foods. At the very least demand equal time to advertisement of good and healthy foods and pay for this advertising through taxation of these same unhealthy food manufacturers and distributors - NOT by making the American public pay for it through their tax dollars in the form of government "public service" advertising. There is definitely a relationship between advertising and obesity but there are simple controls which can be put in place to reduce the destructive trend. We here at LapBandTalk, of all people, should be able to see that self-control is not only difficult to maintain against constant temptation but virtually impossible to continue indefinitely without outside intervention. With regard to the link K@t has provided, (http://www.slate.com/id/2139941/nav/tap1/?GT1=8019) I disagree with the concept that there is no such thing as second-hand obesity. It runs in families for a reason and not all of those reasons are genetic. Children learn by watching their parents. Parents are poisoning their children with the choices THEY make. The parents' choices are being heavily influenced by marketing and advertising. IMO second-hand obesity is not only possible but prevalent. Children literally do not have a choice when it comes to the food in their homes. Even GIVEN a choice, children will choose sugary, fatty, unhealthy foods that taste good (good = sweet to most children) or that are "fun" to eat - think Easy Mac or Spaghetti-O's. Vegetables are rarely marketed as a "fun" food! Should government intervene and take away our freedom of choice? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Should governement protect us through controls placed on the food and advertising industries? Probably. Almost certainly. I don't view this as any different than the controls placed on the drug industry. This issue isn't going to solve itself and it's going to be an expensive battle we'll all have to wage and ultimately win. Either that or resign ourselves to the fact that our country will ultimately be overrun by a foreign power which we will be unable to stop because we can't get off the couch, or march into battle because our joints can't bear our weight for long enough to defend our country. That may sound melodramatic but we're already at, what?, a rate 60% obesity among adults with epidemic obesity rates among our children. How melodramatic will this be in 20 years? 30 years? Where is this going? I'm not really sure myself, but we, as a country, have to do something about this situation right away. I truly believe our nation is at risk. Man - talk about a soap box! Sorry to rant but, clearly, you've touched a nerve with me. :-)

PhotoNut - it's funny that you started this thread yesterday. I was feeling those same thoughts so strongly yesterday that I almost posted the same message. I held back because I thought it would be strange for me - a virtual stranger and a relative newbie - to tell you all how much I love you. This site has been my best friend for weeks now but I didn't know how to express that. Thanks for doing it for me! Seems I'm not alone in my feelings and I guess I must have been feeling that group hug yesterday. I want to take a minute to apologize to some of you for a few harsh posts. Sometimes my mouth runs away with me and as the days and weeks pass I regret having been so abrupt. You know who you are and I hope you'll forgive me if you haven't, in fact, already put me on 'ignore' and are therefore not seeing this apology! I'm impulsive and passionate which can be a bad combination on occasion. Having said that, I can't honestly say it won't happen again! lol Every day, in every way, I am trying to learn to control all of my bad habits! Sometimes I just slip. I hereby renew my committment to behave more like a 44 year old woman and less like a 15 year old brat! Wish me luck.

Definitely easier when you move on to mushies and solids. In fact, I get in about 1,300 calories a day and as much as 1,800 if I'm not careful. As far as the protein goes, are you drinking Isopure? It's a great source of protein - 40 grams in a 20 oz serving - and no carbs. Good luck.

My best suggestion is to read as many threads on LapBandTalk as you have time for. This site was a GREAT help to me while I was considering this surgery and provides the most amazing support. Do yourself a favor and don't spend TOO much time on the "Complications" forum. It's a good idea to know what kinds of things CAN happen but if you spend too much time looking on that forum you'll be scared witless - at least I was. The thing to remember is that the percentage of complications is very, very low compared to the percentage of successes. BTW, welcome to LapBandTalk and good luck on your journey, wherever it takes you.

DON'T WAIT! Your insurance company is in business to MAKE MONEY. If they have any reason to deny your surgery they will. Sorry to be so negative but don't wait. You WILL have to start over and they're hoping you'll get frustrated and give up. Don't you do it! Best wishes for your insurance approval and surgery.

Hi Xann77, I'm a BIG fan of the sugar free, fat free chocolate pudding to curb those ol' gotta-have-chocolate-or-die blues! Make sure to use fat free milk. Mmmmmmm. Oops! Wrong post. Wait, let me think a minute. I like to buy fully cooked whole chickens from Sam's Club. When I get home from the store I wrap them in foil and put them in the oven (breast side down) on a low setting till my husband gets home from work. Usually, when I pull the chicken out the oven it's sooooooo tender it literally falls off the bones. It's very moist when done that way and I don't have any problem getting it to go through my stoma - no golfball syndrome! Even better, the part we don't eat right away makes for great leftovers and additions to Soups. My favorite is a brand called Cugino's - their Chicken Enchilada Soup mix. It's sold in the aisle with the dried Lipton soups and flavored potatoe mixes. I add a can of Rotelle tomatos so it's good and SPICY!

I think a whole Xanax is in order today! But then don't drive. Call your doctor and ask for your follow-up to be moved up - that's a long time to be scared. See if they can put you on a waiting list for cancelled appointment times which may become available. Tell them you're scared and make sure they understand that your life - at least in that scared, all consumming panicked place in your head - is at stake here. A little well placed drama might get you an earlier appointment, just don't make the mistake of letting your 'move my apointment up' drama freak you into a real panic attack, OK? You're going to be completely fine. I firmly believe this. Besides, you've already used up all of your medical drama for this year on your band surgery - which is good news because it's only April. You have eight months of worry-free health to look forward to. If our insurance can set limitations, I say so can we! Keep us posted, OK?

Megan you are soooo pretty! I'm glad I don't have to renew my licence for another year - I want to be able to do side-by-side, can-you-believe it? pics too!

Don't panic Leener, I had a pap come back with abnormal endocervical cells - the kind that like to show up with cervical cancer. I went and had a re-pap and it came back completely normal. When I asked my gyno about it she said abnormal paps happen ALL the time. She said it happens far more frequently than people realize. Having a history of uterine cancer makes it a little more scary I realize but try to relax about it until you can get rechecked.

Hi Janet, Guess what? My situation has changed AGAIN! Mike and I WILL be coming to lunch and looking forward to it. I'm going to have to reschedule my first fill for another day. See you Saturday - unless something else happens!

As long as it's not delivered by a stork I think it's GREAT! Congratulations on your date, don't blink too much or you might wake up and have tomorrow be the big day! lol

What did the test consist of? Did you sit with a cuff on your arm or did you have to have an eight pint blood transfusion with a high colonic followed by tap dancing to Yankee Doodle Dandy while wearing an Uncle Sam suit? LOL Sorry. That was the weirdest thing I could think of off the top of my head! Seriously, what's involved with a metebolic test?