Band_Groupie

Just got home (college orientation overnight for DS1) and I'm NOT weighing in at night LOL....I was 206.5 yesterday morning before we left, so count that...back about where I started before the gain...sigh. Some things never change...WHEN am I going to get OFF this giant yo-yo?!!! Chin(s) up LOL! CONGRATULATIONS Kaner!!! The success stories here each week are keeping me going!

Well Tuesday, after posting my garden pics blog after dinner, things got a little crazy around here. One of the couples going to the concert with us/old neighbors that moved close by was in the area (birthday dinner out for one of their teens). They called us and we invited them over. We invited another couple (going to the concert) over, had drinks on the patio (perfect weather) and discussed our plans while all the kids visited. The last couple (going to the concert) was returning from vacation that evening and we got a call that an Uncle in their family had died (expected, Hospice had been there). After about four more calls back and forth we found that the viewing would be during the concert, so they couldn't go. Then we got a call from DS1, that he'd been in an accident; no injuries. I always hesitate to share negative things about my kids here, but I will just incase it keeps someone else from having an accident (or your kids). He works with one of his good friends and after work his friend was performing in a band at a local bar (they have events scheduled on occasion just for underage teens, no alcohol). He was following his friend's car through the parking lot to park (probably too closely) and looked down 'for a second' to tune his iPod…friend stopped, DS1 didn't (even with hands-free phone calls there are too many distractions in cars these days with all the electronics...FYI we've always limited the number of kids he can drive and he's supposed to set the iPod to a playlist before he leaves and phone is supposed to be on speaker and only for important things). Bottom line is the friend's car had a higher bumper with a long/large trailer hitch and my minivan's front end (must be made of cellophane) was no match (minor damage to friend's car). He was going between 2-5 mph at the time (that was the prediction of the auto-shop manager the next day, as the airbags would have gone off if he was over that for the kind of accident he had, and they hadn't deployed). So that evening we spent some time sorting that out. Somehow (LOL) we also ended up with everyone's kids spending an overnight at our house, so there was popcorn to be made and sleeping bags and fresh pillowcases to be rounded up after the parent's left. We spent yesterday morning getting kids fed/home, then lunchtime calling; insurance, the friend's father (DS1 called to apologize, etc.), the rental car place, and we took my minivan to the car shop (5-6K or possibly totaled; and yes, DS1 was there at each step to hear it all); the hitch punched into my minivan killing the radiator and A/C fan (maybe more) and wrecking the hood, front end/bumper and front side panel…ouch! DS1 is going to be paying what the insurance wont (we made a deal with our kids that we'd pay for their first accident only). He had a similar wreck just about 8 months ago at the stop-light right in front of his workplace. DH's car that time…a bumper miss-match with a tall SUV in front as they were all stopping for the light "she made a hard stop sooner than he expect" and even though he was down to under 10mph DH car went under the other car's bumper (can you say TAILGATING!). Again, the SUV had hardly a scratch, but they almost totaled DH's car. Insurance yesterday said 'Didn't he just have this same kind of accident?' 'Ummm, yes, just a different car.' AHHHH! I know some of you'll think we're the strictest parents (we all do the best we can), but I'll tell you anyway (and no, he didn't get any consequences other than a long talk for the first accident, but the second time it becomes carelessness)…we'll only be letting him drive to/from work, but with us in the passenger seat for awhile to 'coach/tune up' his driving skills (punishments always seem to punish the parents too don't they...can't wait for the late night pick-up when the restaurant closes), and no, he won't have the iPod (or even the use of the radio or phone) in the car for awhile even when he returns to driving…we need this one to 'hurt' as he doesn't really have an appreciation for just some money coming out of his savings account. We'd also had already been talking to him about getting a second job as he wasn't getting enough hours at a restaurant, so we forced that issue yesterday and he called and got rehired at his old job (retail store). Of course it's not the hassle or insurance rate going up (it will) that we care about; he just needs to learn the lesson now before he or someone else gets HURT or worse…that's our real worry. Driving is a privilege and he's gotten over-confident in his abilities (we've seen that watching him drive recently…he started off as a careful driver, but now he's gotten complacent after driving for 3 years and needs an attitude adjustment). He needs to take it seriously and understand the responsibility of driving. We've had several sit-down discussions with him and I'm sure well be talking more about it on the way to PSU tomorrow (fun, fun, fun...NOT). In the afternoon we ran and got things for our tailgate and got ready. We thought we had someone set to take the now extra set of tickets, but that fell through less than an hour before departure. So more scrambling with others trying to find friends to go and finally the concert attendees suggested we take our daughter/BF (about 10 min. before departure). I grabbed DD some clothes in case they could come and off we went (the neighbors picked us up and had fully decorated the car and had bought us all kinds of whacky stuff to wear and display at the tailgate. We had a great time people watching (a major spectator sport at this concert) tailgating with the neighbors (I ate some sub (VERY carefully) and none of the sides we took, but I did have a two Corona's/Lime as it was all we had there (with some Gas X, and yes, my doc says carbonation is OK after a certain point post-op...and I nursed them forever...the tailgate is longer than the concert at JB). DD/BF got to the concert about ½ hour late (she had to work until 7pm), but they had a great time too (virgin Parrotheads). We danced, we sang, we had a blast…Buffett was awesome as always! What a way to celebrate our 50th birthdays! TERRIBLE phone-camera pic attached of us doing the Big 5-0. We picked up a rental car for me today and I'm off to pack for our orientation overnight at PSU tomorrow…it's been a busy, sometimes very stressful 48 hours. *Portion of Post Deleted for Lap Band Book

Thanks gals...ALuv- Oh, I am looking forward to tomorrow and we'll have a great time...we have a few things left to discuss (that's the part that's not fun) and then we'll move quickly on to all the fun stuff. It's all about him this trip regardless of what happened. Staying at the Nittany Lion Inn and I'll try to take some pics around campus (I'll give JoePa a kiss for you). Football tickets go on sale tomorrow night for Freshman, so I'm hoping the internet will work as I hear they sell out in an hour (we have a plan 'B' with the aunt- our god daughter/niece goes to PSU so she knows the ropes). More ice cream to tempt me at the Creamery! Parrotheads...we saw a few 'down for the count' around us...youth...with age comes wisdom...you need to learn to pace yourself LOL. Being a parent is the hardest job in the world...and Barbara, you're the only one I've heard of who's kid actually took them up on the offer most of us give our kids these days...I think that says a LOT about your daughter and your relationship...good job! -BG

Ditto the above...and FYI I was still on clear liquids until week 4, but after that I was allowed 1- 1 1/2C. If it doesn't hurt at week 2, then you're probably not overeating. Best Wishes! -BG

WELCOME TO LBT!! Lots of great people and info. here. I'm guessing you were banded this month, so there's a June group in the home page under the Groups Forum, then 2009, then June. Lots of people at the same stage you are to share with. Keep on bloggin' -BG

I took some pics of the back garden today and thought I'd share them (didn't seem appropriate to put them under the before/after albums). Looking these over, I'm proud of all the work we've done. I love gardening. Enjoy my slice of heaven and where I love to spend time… Pic 1.5- My little herb garden that sits just out the kitchen door. DS1 helped me put in the brick paths. Lavender section is on the left, Thymes in front, my poor spindly Basils on the right (with a few parsley and dill) and everything else in the back. You can see DS2's raised big veggie garden just beyond. Pic 2.5- Is the same garden from the sidewalk by the lavender looking across to a small bubble fountain. Pic 4.5- Is the little pond and waterfall we built into the curve of the patio. I did all the stone work and everything else but the digging. Lots of fish, frogs, and tadpoles. Pic 6.5- Looking across the herb garden to the rest of the patio/gazebo. I put clumping bamboo all along that side of the patio to block the wind from the West. The "big hill" I've been complaining here about mulching forever is just behind the bamboo and drops down. That's where the steps/path goes down to the basement walk-out. Pic 13.5- A view from the French doors across the gazebo and into the yard and our woods. Ooops, should have put the cushions out on the chairs, oh well. On the edge is the kids clubhouse I designed and we built with the kids help as a family project (looks like a dollhouse in the pic, but that's a full sized door on it). I acid stained the patio.

xavier- OMG...too funny you picking that plant!!! DH likes to buy those tiny cactus that you get at the local harware stores, you know, in a tiny 2" pot. We've only lived here 9 years, and I'm not sure when he bought them but not immediately. The one by the gazebo corner you pointed out is now 5' above the soil, but if you look closely across the gazebo to the far side there's a green pot with another one in it (looks like a post) and it's 6' above the soil now (you can't see the leaves because they're above the gazebo). They're called a Madagascar Palm (but it's not really a palm, it's from the cactus family of Pachypodium so they're sometimes called that). Of course we have to bring them in here in the winter (which is a big production since we have 2 steps down to the patio...someone always gets stabbed). I'm laughing because I call the big one 'DH's phallic symbol' it's a single stem and in the winter here they go dormant and slowly lose their leaves (the giant one is just an ugly gray stem in the winter)...every year I think I've killed it and every year that damn phallic symbol grows back (DH thinks it's hysterical...he always let's me know when the baby leaves are starting to show again). Well I've only got 9' ceilings on the first floor so sooner or later it's not going to be able to winter over inside LOL! Oh, and in the pic the leaves are just about 1/2 way out so they'll get twice as big/long as you see here. He's got several other varieties cactus/palm ones out there you can't see. DD just bought him a 4" 'bunny ear cactus' for Father's Day (looks like a whole bunch of Mickey Mouse heads)...wonder how big that will be in a few years! diva-I don't grow the herbs year round inside, but my Mom does bring some of her annual ones in to winter over (Bay, Rosemary), but they go into 'dormant' mode here over the winter even in a window and don't do real well (not the same kind of sun to keep them healthy looking so I choose to buy the annuals again each year). Three sections of the herb garden are all perennials (and a few annual herbs in pots) so they come back every year and the section that looks bare is where I put the annuals (basil, dill, sage, parsley, rosemary, bay...but even some of these stay year round in hotter climates so it depends on where you live...ie. rosemary can become a huge bush in the far south). We're only a 'Zone 5' on the planting scale here in Pittsburgh. Most herbs like hot sun, well drained soil and not too much water.

((Hugs)) for you. I'm sorry for your loss. -BG

Yep, it means where you get enough fills to have perfect restriction...not too tight that you vomit, but tight enough to keep you full on solid food for about 4 hours. The period before you get to that has been dubbed 'Bandster Hell'...you've got the band, but little or no restriction yet and many gain weight during this period, so you're doing great 'on your own'. Oh, and the 2cc's; it depends on what band you have and whether your doc put a 'primer' (small fill) in during your surgery. I have a 10cc APS Lap Band and it takes more than 2-3cc's just to fill the port and tubing, so if I had 2cc's then none of that would be in the actual band. Talk to your doc about it. Good luck! -BG

Take a peek at Voiceomt2002 blog...she's got great broth and soup recipes. The broth was heaven (I was on clear liquids for 3 weeks), and if you are on Full liquids the creamy soups were even better. Just pulverize it in the blender and they go down great. I just found a packet in the back of my freezer yesterday of the cream of mushroom and I was so excited. Yummy! Hang in there! -BG

When your drink too fast just post-op you will get a "sharp" or "uncomfortable" feeling in your chest...it's because the area where the band was put is very sore and swollen right now. They cauterize (sp?) some of the fat and tissue around the stomach to get it placed and you have the stitches on your stomach holding it that haven't healed, so you can see that any stretching right above the band is going to hurt some. I had to sip all day to get in fluids in tiny amounts. The breathing in and having pain is something that I did not immediately have, but started for me 5 days later. It was VERY sharp and I had a sudden onset. They sent me to the ER to check for a blood clot in the lung (long story-didn't have one). I think some pain upon breathing is just moving the band and causing pain (like the above), but watch for any major changes and keep your doc posted. Best Wishes! -BG

Yep, your biggest worry now is just healing and that takes 6 weeks. Besides the incisions, the stiches that they put in on your stomach to hold the band need to heal. If you get a fill too early then it can cause them to rip out and you'll have a slip. Schedule your first fill for 6 weeks. Bandster Hell is just a part of the process. Best Wishes! -BG

Thanks girls...anyone need some herbs LOL? Even in our first apartment I grew herbs in the sunny windowsill...they're easy.

I'm back from my long weekend with DS2. We had a great time with my family. We left early on Friday and arrived in Columbus for an early lunch (white-knuckled trip with pouring rain until we were almost there). I was supposed to be on mushies the whole day and then start solids Saturday (post-fill), so I chose some cottage cheese for lunch. I brought flowers from my garden and between those and Mom's we made about 8 arrangements and took them over to my Middle Sister's to start prep for the party. We worked until dinnertime and I was able to get down a little thin crust pizza and mixed fruit salad back at Mom's. Saturday found Mom and I (and two of her Herb Society friends) on a two hour trip down to a lavender farm for a festival (sorry, I forgot my camera but found these pics of the farm online-no, I don't know that cute little boy). It smelled like heaven as we pulled into the lavender field to park. She'd signed us up for two classes so we went off to the 'Mediterranean Cooking with Herbs' class. As I've said before, I'm not the chef in our family, but I was excited for this class. I have a nice herb garden (most cooks would kill for…my neighbors do come to take snippings occasionally at my urgings) and I'd like to learn to use more of them. I always dry some herbs each year (mainly for show in my kitchen and basement rack), but the only things I really use fresh are the basil to mainly make pesto or my mozzarella/tomato Italian flag salad, the tarragon for a chicken bake dish DH makes, and occasionally some chives, dill, or oregano for an occasional recipe. The teacher is the regional cooking expert for Macy's department stores (I think she works a lot with brides, etc.) and she was very knowledgeable. I'm inspired to try to incorporate the fresh herbs more now while they're in season. We had a meal of bread, salad, chicken, pancetta, and cookies all incorporating the herbs at the end of the demo. I almost had a stuck moment as I was carefully eating the herb salad (I thought I chewed very carefully). I was trapped at an inside table with people all around or I would have gotten up as I could feel the sliming about to start. I was panicking and I'm sure the folks across from me saw my eyes watering…but then it passed in a few minutes. I quickly gave Mom the rest of my salad saying I'd taken too much…whew…that was a close one! The Lavender Festival was wonderful, but small (about 20 vendors and the classes), so then we found ourselves with about 3 hours to kill before our next class. It was almost 90 degrees out so after the 'cut your own lavender' trip to the field and shopping the vendors (I bought; 5 plants, a pair of beaded earrings for DD's birthday in August, and 20 wooden garden markers for DS2's vegetable garden that he can decorate) we looked for a shady spot and bought some lavender ice cream from the Mennonites who had an ice cream and baked goods booth (they had a small John Deere engine attached to the ice cream maker…cool to watch). I asked for only one scoop…OMG that ice cream was wonderful…fresh cream from the cow…a scoopful of heaven! Our last class was making a framed picture from pressed flowers and Mom is going to be doing this at one of their Festival's at the herb garden she volunteers with weekly, so she was very excited. We were done in record time (the heat made us work fast) and we were back in the car for our trip home. Then off to Middle-Sister's for my nephew's HS graduation party (he's in a college program now to become a police officer). It went perfectly; no rain and lots of fun. We collapsed after pitching or bagging up the extra food around midnight. Sunday we stayed until late morning so I could spend some more time with Dad for Father's Day. I gave him a nice box of smoked salmon, which he loved. Unusual gift, I know. DH and I (and the kids) twice visited DH's sister and her family when they lived in Alaska for 2 years. We took my only brother on the second trip. He loved it so much that he and DH arranged a fishing trip there (in a motor home for a week traveling the area) a few years later and they took my Dad. He loved getting the salmon they caught smoked and so the salmon I bought him was labeled as being from one of the rivers in Alaska that they fished…he noticed right away. We got in the car for our 3 ½ hour ride home and DS2 said 'It was a great weekend!' and high-fived me as he said 'It was a nice trip with just you and I!' I forget that the baby of the family, even at 13 yrs. old can still need some quality one on one time. We played Mad Libs most of the way home and stopped at McDonalds for lunch (I ate ½ a grilled chicken club sandwich…went down fine). Had a nice evening of playing Frisbee in the backyard and grilling out for Father's Day back home with the family (Happy belated Father's Day all you Dad's). Tomorrow is the Jimmy Buffet concert with 2 neighbor couples (can't wait) and Thursday morning we leave for PennState with DS1 for our orientation (staying at the old colonial Nittany Lion Inn on campus overnight-run by the PennState hospitality program, so it should be fun). DH took off the rest of the week for all this, but I'll try to post some updates when we have some down time. I'm off to the Drs. (routine) with the boys and then on to DS2's guitar lesson (he AMAZES me with his talent...no idea where it comes from, but it's great for each kid to find something they're good at). Today is my two-month bandiversary and I'm down 19 pounds since surgery (most of that, just post-op though). I'm just hoping to keep losing or at least not gain during this 6 week wait for the next fill. Sorry I went on and on as usual, just catching up. Have a great week all!!! I'll post some pics I just took of my garden later.

Whew!!! I was so hoping it was just thrush from the antibiotics (my kids got that all the time from being on the antibiotics for ear infections)...YAY THRUSH!!! Glad to hear you're turning the corner...all of this will soon be a blurrrrrrr... Say it with me...'I AM A BANDER!!!!' :-) -BG

Hey, if I say you're an inspiration, then you are!!! Especially for continuing to face the issues and work on this with the 'rough times'. The old me would have used all that as an excuse not to get back on the wagon...EVER...so you're an inspiration for the tough times we'll ALL face sooner or later as well. We'll all need to face those food demons (like stress eating) that got us here in the first place and it's helpful to me seeing you work through it. Thank you! -BG

Sounds like you both had a wonderful holiday. DH was just in Palm Springs on business...he loved seeing the area that all the old Westerns were filmed in. That's great that you didn't gain with all those lovely Pina Colada's!! Bribery will get you everywhere (bowtie). -BG

You two are SHOOTING STARS! Great blog!!! Counting down with you...BG

You sure sound like you're doing well! Keep up the good work! -BG

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