Momotrips

The stalking accusations are what have driven me to "log out and lurk". I will only log in to post. Why should we have to defend ourselves against reading and posting in ANY thread as long as we aren't being ugly and we ARE following the rules? Why do we have to get our user names plastered in a post asking "WHY are you here"? So, if the definition of being a "stalker" is reading posts and commenting whenever and wherever we feel like it - as I said last night - stalk on LBT, stalk on. However, I'll be doing it "stealth". That is all.

No worries! About the beer, I mean. A little grass never killed anyone - did it? I'll have to add that to my siggy, DrewsLou!

Ah, I see, the fireworks are lurking around out there...

Well? When do those fireworks start? And more importantly, where is my beer!? It's the full one!

I second that emotion, NurseKathy!

Damn, I forgot beer!

Diva, that was HI-FRICKEN-LARIOUS! Exactly! - I can't help myself. I just know someone's head is going to explode :D and God help me, I just don't want to miss it. How far will they go? How low will it sink? Will that ever-elusive "TRUTH" ever come out? STAY TUNED EVERYONE! If you can't beat 'em then watch 'em self-destruct. I'm just waiting for the "grand finale" - will it ever come? Do we even care about Lap Band anymore? Yesterday I was angry and more than a little upset about the unrest and hatefulness. Today, what the hell, let loose the lions, roll out the chariots! A little holiday entertainment is coming right up!:pop2: :pop2: :pop2: :pop2: Really, no matter where I go on the board, this stuff keeps popping up. I guess this makes me a stalker! Stalk on LBT! :rockon: Stalk on!

Hey Brat! I hope everything goes smoothly for you - I'm still waiting on my date... I'm in Sugar Land, where are you? What surgeon did you choose since you're self pay and not restricted by your plan? Take it easy - by tomorrow you'll be BANDED! Congrats!

Ain't that the truth? Even therapists can be jerks - they're mere humans. I'm still trying to figure out my son's therapist we see for ADD. So far she has really not told us anything we don't already know - everything she suggests we've already tried or are currently implementing. I constantly have to fight back the "duh" reflex. I'm wondering if my IQ (and my son's for that matter) doesn't outrank hers by quite a bit. Nothing against her, she's very nice but my son is smarter than the "average bear", so can't he see right through her? He's only 8, but really he knows that she's not just "playing games" with him during sessions. Maybe you're a little smarter than your therapist too, jgandg - at least where it pertains to what's right for you at this moment. You've made a point of researching WLS and yet, your therapist that is supposedly trying to counsel you on weight issues has not done his homework thoroughly. Trying to tell an overweight person that their problems can be solved simply by just "eating less and exercising more" is like giving them permission to binge, because they once again feel like a failure. It's not very supportive and not terribly constructive. Doc says: "Follow this diet and exercise program and you'll lose weight". Fat person hears: "I'm a lazy, lacking in willpower sack of lard and I am less of a person because of it - oh yeah, and I'm hungry. If that's all I need to do, why is my insurance company paying you $110/hour to make me feel like a loser?" I bet your (likely skinny) therapist never feels hungry on a regular basis. Ask him. While you're at it, ask him how many calories he eats per day - does he know? Does he know how many calories per day he burns? Does he measure or weigh his food? Does he go for months (or years) without a spoonful of ice cream/french fries/tortilla chips/(insert verboten food here) ever touching his lips? Does he know what it feels like to not be able to give up his one addiction because he will literally die without it even though it is killing him slowly? If he can't answer these questions, or at least hasn't done enough research to be able to understand a patient's pain when THEY have experienced all of the above and failed, then he doesn't get the right to "help" you. Find someone who is willing to help you with your issues and support you with your decisions for your life. Your therapist can't control your actions, or then he has to take responsibility for the product of those actions. I guarantee he won't want to do that. I'm sure that most of your issues are in some way related to your weight and vice-versa. Finding a therapist through your surgeon would be your best bet. The psychiatrist that my surgeon sent me to for my psych consult specializes in weight issues as well as other areas of psychology/psychiatry. He was very understanding and very positive. If I ever wanted to go to a therapist on a regular basis, I would either choose him or another recommeded by my surgeon who is a woman - I don't know if I could open up to a male therapist completely, no matter how understanding he seemed. Bottom line - don't let your therapist make you doubt your decision. You do what you feel is right for you and find a therapist that will support the better, more assertive and in-control you. Good luck!

Thank you Great Dame and Leatha_g.

I'm sorry, Mandy. I don't really know you, but I've read your posts and you seem like a really sweet person. I too am not feeling safe here. There are dangerous elements in play and who even knows which side is the "right" side anymore. I am going to try to stick it out a few more days to see if anything is done about it. I've just gotten tired of lurking around and watching things crash into the ground. Perhaps by next week I'll be gone, too. Lot's of others may be as well at this rate. The sad thing is then "they" whomever "they" are, will have won. So sorry to see someone like you with so much to offer driven away like this. Good luck to you.

So now we're not free to read all threads? Who made you people the LBT thread police? I can lurk and read anywhere I want to, thank you very much. At least I don't have to hide who I am. I am Momotrips, Melissa W. from Sugar Land, TX. I have 8 year-old triplet boys that behave better than some of the supposed "adults" on this board. I am waiting to get a date to get my lap band. I am sorry if by reading all threads I am lumped into a group that is considered to be stalking any one of you. I have found from reading these posts that some of you are not very nice people, even though you constantly claim to be. You seem to take great joy in hurting other peoples feelings and that is wrong no matter who you are. These threads are like a trainwreck that many of us can't turn away from. Sorry if that offends you. Don't post and I won't look. I am new here and spend most of my time lurking because I am too intimidated (like I'm sure are many others) by the ones of you that always have something "smart" to say to make anyone who doesn't agree with you 100% feel stupid, or feel bad about themselves. You should be ashamed of your selves and I KNOW you don't even know who you are because you are all too self-centered to "get it". I dare not name names for fear of retribution which will be swift and ugly. I'm sure I'll get it anyway. Oh, and don't ask me to prove it, either - that is childish and not a fair tactic. Now people can't even just READ the threads without being accused of stalking. What is wrong with you people? I wanted to see if anyone ever found out who the Kraggie Hope person was, because I found her posts to be odd. I should have known. If you don't want people to "stalk" you why are you all EVERYWHERE? My God, this has got to stop. What is the payoff? Are people trying to dismantle LBT altogether? Is that the intent? That's the only thing that I can figure out. Nothing like support, right? By the way, I have NO friends here. I support no one inparticular, so don't even go there. Friends are for the real world. I hoped to make some really good aquaintances and build a support network, but the hopes of that look mighty dim these days. Now, proceed to dissect my post and tell me how lame I am and to mind my own business. Try your best to make me feel small and bad about myself and denigrate me to the rest of the members here. Carry on...

P.S. I don't mean to speak for all newbies - I just know that as a newby that's the way I feel and ASSUME that many other newbies feel the same. You know what they say about assuming... See, already I'm apologizing. Oy!

Heaven knows I may regret this... I haven't posted in a long while because of the turmoil going down. But believe me, I have watched and read it all, but being a newby, have been too guarded to post ANYTHING for fear of someone taking something in the wrong way and attacking. It seems to take almost nothing these days. I just HAD to post now, because I had actually written a complaint to the mods that this is not a safe environment to share and be supported. None of this would be tolerated in a place of business, a church or your own homes - it shouldn't be tolerated here. I think that the mods and Alex let this go on unchecked much longer than I would have, had I been the owner of this board. Apparently they are much more tolerant and patient than I - nice people our mods. The hundreds of wonderful people on this board have been completely drowned out by the handful of pot stirrers. The ones who protest the loudest should take a look at their own actions and hurtful words. If everyone took a serious look at things they have said in the past couple of weeks (and farther back) you will see some uglyliness that has been claimed to be provoked but has really come out of oversensitivity and failure to think and cool off before posting and frankly spitefulness and pettiness. I am speaking from my heart. Do not attack me for putting into words what most of the newbies that have been reading this board have been thinking. No blame is being assigned, only concern for the wellbeing of everyone here that comes for support, information and entertainment. My feelings on Lisa go from one end of the spectrum to the other. She reminds me of the child in the book The Good Little Bad Little Girl; "When she was good, she was very, very good, but when she was bad, she was horrid!" We have to let her go. It doesn't matter what her background or what her problems - we've all got our own weighty luggage. It doesn't give any of us license to say many of the things she did, or do many of the things she did. She did a lot of good for LBT (count the many fabulous threads she started from her fertile imagination!), but the turmoil she stirs up outweighs all the good she did. We should not get into a blame game - even those that plead innocence the loudest are nowhere near it. At this point, her mere presence is toxic. It's a shame, but true. The final word on all of this belongs to Alex, I believe. The blame can't be put on the mods. It's his domain and he can kick any of us out at any time. If anyone doesn't agree with his decisions then they are free to go elsewhere - it's better than staying and having bitter feelings and an unfulfilling support network. If this doesn't clear up soon, I'm afraid that that's what I may do - at the time I'll need all of you the most, which would be really sad. I have three eight year-old boys that behave better than many of the members have been bahaving lately. I really don't need more infighting in my support network. Please, let's all just let her go and go on with support and laughs as usual. In the past few months, I have come to love this place and depend on the levity and heartfelt good wishes of the members. I'd hate to see that change. Most Sincerely,

When I was in the hospital after having my boys, a wise older nurse gave me prune juice mixed with orange juice. I don't like prune juice, either, but the mix is not bad at all and it works! Much more gentle than laxatives. Make sure you're well hydrated, too. I have IBS, too but my problem is generally the reverse... Good luck!

Sorry that happened to you - scary and embarassing. I passed out years ago after getting Fluid drained from my knee and steroids injected into the joint. I was a teenager and really interested in the procedure and I'm not afraid of needles. However, you have to realize that your mind experiences some trauma just watching those things happen to your own body. The doctor put this horrendously huge needle into my knee and extracted some fluid and then with a slightly smaller needle injected the steroids. No problem. I watched the whole time and was fine. I got up from the table walked out of the exam room and up to the payment window and BAM! :faint: down I went. I was completely embarassed. He TOLD me I shouldn't watch, but I thought I was so tough - I'd watched my friend's father do open heart surgery lots of times. How bad could a couple of needles be, right? I have NEVER watched a medical professional put a needle into my skin ever again. Once it's in that's fine, but the actual puncture is apparently too weird for the ol' brain to accept. The only other time that I remember passing out is when I was 8 years old and we took the train to the top of Pike's Peak in CO. Barfed on my mom and went down like a sequoia. I was out for quite a bit, too. My mom is paying me back from the great beyond for all the times I barfed on her at the expense of one of my boys - he has migraine's and barfs all the time at the most inopportune times. Last time was on a Jeep tour in South Dakota looking for Elk. He spewed on my husband, me and himself - not to mention all over the back seat of the Jeep.:confused: Whoopie. How embarassing is that? Don't feel bad - it happens. I'm actually surprised that the doctor was so concerned. It has to have happened before. I'd say, make sure you're hydrated, cool and don't lock your knees. And whatever you do, don't look!

My most memorable happened before I was even really FAT. I was well under 200 pounds and I have always carried my weight well... However, I was "fluffy". Anyway, my husband bought me a gorgeous emerald and diamond ring and it was too big. I am 5'5" and large framed on the bottom, medium on top, but I have tiny, small hands like my dad. I wear a 4 1/2 on my wedding finger and a 5 or 5 1/2 on my right ring finger. We took the ring in to the jewelry store to be sized and the young man behind the counter handed me the ring of ring-sizers. I slipped a 5 on and then a 5 1/4 and then a 5 1/2. I couldn't decide by the design of the ring which size to choose. I decided on the 5 1/4 and handed the ring-sizers back to him and said "I'll take it in a 5 1/4." The young man said "Oh, you must be mistaken - that can't be right!" I looked him in the eye and said "Just what exactly are you trying to say?" Much sputtering and back-peddling ensued. I grabbed the sizers back from him and slipped the 4 1/2 on to my wedding finger and said "See this one is even smaller. Do you have a problem with that?" :angry Heh. I loved the look of embarassment on HIS face. Dumbass. Mostly, my brother-in-law (a generation older than I) used to call me "buffalo butt" - in the most endearing way - but I still hated it everytime he said it. My more memorable embarassments came from having red hair. "I'd rather be dead than red on the head...", "Fireball", "Big Red" and the number one - "Big Red Gives Head!" this from a boy on the bus that had a secret crush on me and had no better way to express it. He yelled it EVERYDAY as I stepped off the bus at my stop. The best one happened at the homecoming game my freshman year in college. I was being introduced to my best friend's date, whom I'd never met previously. (I looked fabulous, by the way in a winter white silk herringbone suit BELTED at my tiny waist - those were the days). His FIRST and ONLY words to me were, "Nice to meet you. Are you red all over?":o I thought my friend and MY date would just die. I didn't even know how to respond except for with, "I guess YOU'LL never know." She cut the evening short and third wheeled it with us later on. I think that most of my insults probably go on behind my back - that's where the biggest part of me is anyway. Heh. Luckily, I know where to steer away from things and I also don't let being fat stop me from doing things I want to do - I'm stubborn that way. I'm so sorry that so many of you have been treated so poorly by so many. My mother was quite morbidly obese the last 15 or 20 years of her life and I know that she was hurt on many occasions - usually by innocent children or whispers. She also had the fear of restaurant booths and airplane seats. However, if she ever fell down, she got up faster than you ever thought a fat woman COULD get up. She was pretty clumsy - even when she was skinny, so I guess she got used to it. It was an ongoing family giggle.

Joyce, Collins Street Bakery in Corsicana, TX makes a tasty fruit cake, too. They're pretty famous, at least in Texas. I don't usually like fruit cake, but theirs is quite tasty.

Great thread, Funny! I LOVE Christmas, but I'm not very good at preparing early. I do up a mean tree, though! We moved 3 years ago and we have a 2-story entryway so I purchased a 10-foot pre-lit tree - gorgeous and HUGE. I do it up in burgundies, deep reds, gold and lots of red drop crystals. I would really like to do a small tree in the kitchen with a fruit and utensil theme. Perhaps I can start the process this year. We also collect Christmas CD's. We have just about everyone. I love finding odd ones to mix with our traditional and popular ones. Our all-time favorite is Amy Grant's "A Christmas Album". My favorite "odd" CD is The Crash Test Dummies "Jingle All the Way". It's a Canadian band whose lead singer has a haunting bass voice. Their minor key version of Jingle Bells is a scream. I have been a fan of them for years. I also love Jimmy Buffet's "Christmas Island". We have almost as many Christmas CD's as we have regular CD's. Several movies in our collection, too. Christmas Vacation and a Christmas Story are faves. The kids like The Grinch and Nightmare Before Christmas. We like to dress up our dog, too. She has several Christmas outfits, but everyone's favorite is her elf hat w/elf ears. She only weighs 4 1/2 pounds, so she's really cute! I have my final meeting with my surgeon tomorrow before insurance submittal. Wish me luck! I don't want to make any big goals until I get a surgety date, however, I'd like to be in "onederland" by Thanksgiving when we visit my husband's family. I won't tell them about the surgery. One sister-in-law is mentally fragile and has battled bulemia most of her life. The others are just pretty much ignorant about these things. My husband and his brother somehow made it out of the family intelligent and worldly, his parents and sisters, not so much. It'll be our little secret. I'm sure others can relate. I'll officially join up on the challenge when I have more info. Luckily I have UHC and the drs. staff see a quick approval! I hope they're right!

Funny how we all think we are the only ones. We're all so hard on ourselves. I asked my surgeon about the size of the liver and pre-surgery fast and he said that he has the tools he needs to get the job done (move the liver out of the way) and doesn't prescribe a pre-surgery fast. He also likes his patients to take Protein drinks in moderation and not to "overdose" on Liquid Protein because he wants you to learn to eat good food, not drink calories and because he claims these drinks can be hard on the kidneys and liver. He and the dietician prefer Carnation Instant Breakfast and extra powdered milk added to smoothies, cream Soups, milk, etc. to add additional protein, but not mega doses. It's interesting how each surgeon has their own way of doing things. Mine is very strict with his aftercare and liquid diet post-surgery, but very lax pre-surgery. Others are just the opposite. I guess they all have their own opinions. I have confidence in my surgeon - he's been doing laporascopic surgery since the beginning and he's an innovator in the field. I still feel a little nervous about how out of control I feel and the "what if" of a "ginormous" liver. I like so many of you have been eating burgers and fries (I NEVER eat that stuff) and have been eating lots of ice cream which I also have never gone overboard on. We just went on vacation and luckily the food was not that great where we went and we went hiking and biking an awful lot in high altitude. However, we rented a house in the mountains and I was able to make Cookies and a cake and we ate ice cream several times. I did get in lots of Water, though. I haven't stepped on the scale since I've been back, though - still a little wary. I have also in recent months started gaining weight around my middle - I've always been a pear! I know that middle age is starting to set in, but that really freaked me out. That's about the same time I decided to get the band. It's good to know that other people are having the same pre-surgery issues. I've had 2 1/2 months of "last meals" (and snacks). It's time to put a stop to it. I have my private consultation with my surgeon this Thursday, and expect to have a surgery date soon after. By Thursday I'll be freaking out!:omg:

Sassy sagittarius!

My screen name always seemed perfectly obvious to me, but no one else seems to get it - everyone always refers to me as Momo. It is Mom O' Trips - Mom of Triplets...BTW, my boys just turned 8 last week. EIGHT! How did that happen? My real stripper name would be Daisy Bridlewreath (first pet, first street name) However, we moved so often that I will just take my pick of street names. Daisy San Miguel sounds stripperish. If I used my second pets name it would be Muffy San Miguel both equally trashy. I think that if I'd ever had to choose a stripper name it would be a one namer - Fireball. My cousin used to call me that to annoy me. When you're a redhead you come equipped with a whole set of nicknames - cute to pornographic. Can I get an amen from FunnyDuddies? I have the cutest redheaded boy since Opie Taylor (luckily he's precious and has a personality to match). Maybe I should prepare him for the inevitable nicknames. I have another drop-dead gorgeous auburn haired boy - being pretty is his blessing, because he's a real brainiac and is destined for MAJOR geekhood. My third has brown hair and the bluest eyes you ever saw - already he loves the ladies. Weird looking triplets, I tell you.

Maryb, good luck with the car decision. I swear the engineering curriculum in college RUINS people for ever being "normal". LOL! However, I think I'll keep my "abnormal" engineer for a loooong time!

Ding, ding, ding! I guessed it! I guessed it! I only guessed it because I have one of my very own (I feel your pain, Maryb). Only my guy ponders and he thinks and he analyzes and he investigates and he thinks and he researches and then he impulsively purchases out of the blue, just when you think he's given up. Very odd. We started looking at Suburbans the day we had our first ultrasound when I was pregnant. It was the only vehicle that could fit three car seats and all the gear that TRIPLETS require. Of course our boys will be 8 this weekend, so our big, blue bus is almost 9 years old. She was one of the last models to have a 42 gallon tank - do the math with gas at $2.98/gal. I'd complain more if my husband wasn't actually in the petro/chemical industry. We can't get rid of her though, because she's the only thing big enough to haul all of us and all our camping gear! My husband drives her, now. She just got a little overhaul this past weekend and is riding smooth! My newest vehicle is a deep red Chevy Trailblazer XL with the extra row of seats. It fits all of us comfortably with the requisite DVD player, etc. Unfortunately, it doesn't get any better gas mileage than the Suburban. I do love it though. I also highly recommend the XM radio and OnStar phone service. Both addictive. The car I'd have if I didn't have to haul the kids around all the time, is the Infinity FX in Autumn Copper - to match my hair. Cute! I also love Volvo's. My favorite cars from the past were my '81 Supra in Mercedes Mirror Silver w/burgundy leather and my '94 Forest Green Metallic Mustang with saddle interior. Both indulged my need for speed... The Mustang I traded in for the Suburban because by 5 months pregnant with "triple trouble", I couldn't fit behind the wheel anymore!

I'm in the Sugar Land area and just wondered if there were any LBTers in the area. There seems to be a lot in the N and NW areas. My doctor's patient load is still majority RNY - he's not new to lapband, he's just really great at RNY. I'm going to start the support group at Memorial Hermann Memorial City, but know that I'll be in the minority at most meetings. I know that Drs. Spivak and Spiegal are majority or exclusively lapband, so their support groups will reflect that. Unfortunately I have UHC and they've both recently dropped. I'm not going to pay out of pocket when I have excellent insurance coverage. I was curious about other bandsters in my area. Give me a shoutout if you're nearby.