Leecelove70

Hi there my name is Lisa and I was banded on June 13th,2006. I had my surgery at Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville, Westchester County by Dr. Daniel Davis. Iam now 7+ months out and I have lost 55 pounds since June with only one fill in October of 1cc in my band. Iam a member of the June Bandster, but no one in the group there is from New York. So.... Iam am offically starting my own thread or so called group; THE NEW YORK BANDSTERS! The only requirement is that you have been banded and are from New York. I want to hear from you: talk about your pre-op and post-op experience, how you are doing, voice your opinion, vent, blow off steam and all that jazz-lol. I also want to set up a once a week chat so we can all meet and talk other than posting in here. Maybe if we live close some can even meet and get in person support. There are no New York support threads in here so lets start one here! Let me hear from you the Big Apple! Lisa

Poodles : What are you talking about I proved my stereo type? Iam not a rude person! I really feel for you in your many problems with the band and I supported your so much. As for my Bipolar Iam not using it for any excuses in my weight or in my life. Unless you have a mental illness and deal with depression yourself please do not judge me or others who do. You were very cruel in your post by judging others. Not all of us are where we want to be with our Band, I know Iam not. Iam thankful for whatever I have lost. I am sorry if I took offense to your post or it seemed I came across as " Bitchy" it is not in my nature! What Iam about to say truly comes from my heart whether or not you believe me or not- I REALLY WISH THE BEST FOR YOU AND HOPE THAT ALL WORKS OUT FOR YOU WITH YOUR BAND. I realize that you are really hurting right now and you needed to vent, that is what the board is here for, we are all intitled to our opinions. When these are hurtful or bash others who have worked hard and have reached success that is when I feel is is not fair so that is why I took offense. For those who felt I was wrong in what I wrote, Iam truly sorry! Lisa A former June Bandster Crew Member!

I really hope that your above statement is not about me since I take very strong offense to it! You do not know what Iam going through right now in my life! Yes, I have lost 80 pounds going from 290 to 210, but its has not been easy since I have Bipolar! My husband just had another health scare, we had martial issues and debut to deal with. You do not feel sorry for me! I surely would not wish all of this on you, and they say those from the South are nice people. They give us New Yorkers a bad wrap for being insensitive and rude! I have been right there all this time supporting you and I relate to you the most since I have Biploar just like your sister. Please do not bash others for your problems, its just not fair to us! Thank you, Lisa **This will be my very last post on this board since I have joined another board and found a much needed support group in New York. While I did find some support on from some of you in this room, others were not as nice or supportive to me. I might be from New York, but Iam not your typical stereo type of a New Yorker that most of your in Texas seems to think we are. NOT ALL OF US ARE RUDE! There are nice people out here who are living our lives day to day just like you back there. I would hope that over these almost 18 months that most of your realized that I was one of these people with a caring heart who was looking for and was willing to give love and friendship and support to others. I did not care about your race, or religion. I just cared the we were all in this Lapband thing together looking to support each. For those of you that were my friends I will greatly miss you and I want to wish you continued success in your journeys.

IAM STILL AROUND BUT NEED SOME MUCH NEEDED TIME OFF THE BOARD! I needed some must needed time off the board since there have been alot of both personal and health problems in the family. As my 18th month Surgery Anniversay nears on December 13th(my surgery was on June 13, 2006) Iam extremly depressed since Iam not where I had planned to be weight wise at this time. I have gained and lost weight but Iam maintaining a 80 pound weight loss, which Iam thankful for. I am feeling so discouraged and not eating healthy at all due to stress and other factors that I can not name here since they are to personal. I need to make a checkup appointment since it has been over three months since I last saw my Nurse Pract. and Dietician but because they do not take insurance and money is extremly tight! I know that my health is suffering since Iam not eating well and vomitting alot more often. Christmas shopping and purchasing gifts on a budget is hard but we did it! We finished all our shopping as of last weekend thanks to my husbands early holiday bonus check. My personal life is so in shambles right now and I can so relate to the posts made by Regina even thougth I would love to be as close to goal as she is ! Since I do not drive and my husband works until 7pm, I have not be able to attend any of the support meetings that my doctor had at the hospital where my surgery was done. (I did go to the required seminar before making an appoinment for my consult with him and his surgical team). I have looked continously for support groups and meetings in my area and the times and dates do not work for me. They are either during the time when my husband is working or when he is on his way home. I do live downstairs from my mom in her house but these meetings also confict with her work schedule and she is unable to watch my son for me so I can attend. When I first went looking for support online I went on Obesity Help only to have them bash me since I have the LapBand and not gastric bypass! They are not the kindest group of people online, even thought the site was helpful in giving me the name of some Lapband doctors in my area. Then I found this site and this group and it has helped over the past 18 months. The only thing is just about all of you are from Texas! That is so far away from me here in New York!- lol I really was hoping to find some local support and I have not been able to find any. I even at one point tried to start my own post much like Melissa and asked New Yorker Bandsters to join and only recieved two replies -- How sad is that? So right now Iam so dreading the Holidays! I hate especially New Years Eve since every year I look back at another year that I failed to lose weight and I cry. I also cry on New Years Day since every New Years is the same resolutions to finally lose the weight and be thin! My greatest wish is for that not to be my New Years Resoultions anymore. I read in this weeks People Magazine that Valerie Bertinellie felt the same way about her weight and said that this is the first year where her New Years Resoultion will not be to lose weight! She also used Jenny Craig for the past 8 months!-lol So ladies this is where Iam right now, I am sorry if I depressed anyone-- I just thought that maybe a few of you can relate to what Iam going through. I want to wish you all Happy Holidays and a Happy Healthy and Safe 2008! As always I sign this ......... Love and Hugs, Lisa

Regina: Wow! What an incredible story! I love happy endings and you brought tears to my eyes! You and your sister look so much alike. You look so beautiful and may I say "Hot"! I had taken a break from the board since my husband had a minor set back in his recovery from penumonia/asthma- he went back to work Monday only to have a terrible asthma attack Wednesday and was sent back to the emergency room at work. They did some test and they came back negative. They said he came back to soon and they have him out until next Wednesday. Iam hangin in there and trying to keep my spirits up! My son with his cute 5 year old ways and contagious laughter has been a great help. We are getting ready for Halloween here and Andrew is going to be a policeman! He picked the costume himself with all the gear to go with it. I have to say he looks so adorable and I would not mind getting arrested by him ! Iam doing well on the weight front even thought I have not actually weighted myself in awhile I feel it in my clothes. They are very lose fitting. This is always a good sign in my book! I just got my hair cut and my Mom and husband have told me that my face looks alot thinner. Iam also getting alot of compliments from my neighbors when they see me take my son or pick up my son from the school bus, or just walking outside. Iam not sure if I have made my Halloween goal of getting under 200 pounds yet. If I have not, Iam not going to get upset about it since it has been a very stressful time for me and I will be happy if I lost any weight at all! All I know is my 38th Birthday is January 6th and I will be starting out the New Year under 200 and that will be somewhere I have not been since 1990! I WISH EVERYONE THE BEST ON REACHING THEIR SET GOALS BY THE END OF THE YEAR- WE CAN DO IT LADIES! Poodles: I hope all goes well for you, Iam thinking and praying for you. Good Luck and May God help you make the right choice! TO ALL: Have a great weekend and a good week! Make healthy choices! Love and Hugs, Lisa

Poddles: What type of BC/BS do you have? I also have BC/BS but PPO of New York and my Lapband surgery was fully covered. The Hospital was in network and so was the doctor. I did pay some co-payments and maybe deductable. I am not sure about the RNY since I never looked into that surgery. I do know that BC/BS does have very tough standards when it comes to Weight Loss Surgery. They make you go through alot of paperwork and alot of testing and if you do not have the right forms or paperwork submitted they will make you wait for a surgery date. I did not go throught with this nightmare and I was given a surgery date very quickly. I had my consul with my doctor in April of 2006 and my testing in May of 2006. I was approved on June 1, 2006 and given my my surgery on June 13, 2006. That is how fast BC/BS PPO of NY gave me my approval after all my paperwork was handed in ! You really should not be pressured into a decision by anyone, its your body and your decision! You have to ask yourself how badly do you want this weight off and how much are you willing to risk your life for it? Its not worth risking your life over ! I know that your have a child, do you want your child without a mother and your husband with out a wife? These are things I thought over before I decided which surgery to get. Yes, I wanted to get the weight off quickly, but I did not want to risk losing my life. I lost my best friend from high school due complications from gastric bypass surgery she was only 29 years old! She had the surgery in 1999 when it was new. She developed complications due to her surgery and and died 6 months later when she developed a blood clot and it traveled to her brain. Right now, from what you wrote, it sounds like your doctor is pressuring you to have the RNY and it scares me! Please really think this out and talk to a medical management specialist at BC/BS or go to the site and ask about the Weight Loss Surgery coverage and what is covered. I think you might need to really talk to them more about what is covered and what is not-BUT THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BC/ BS SO MINE MIGHT BE DIFFERENET FROM YOURS - SO I WAS COVERED! GOOD LUCK, AND GOD BLESS! Love, Hugs and Support, Lisa

Thanks Pinky and Melissa for the compliments on the photos from my brother's Wedding. it felt so great to finally go to a family occasion and not have to wear a tight"piece" under my dress. I had on only SPANX under my dress! It felt great to have all the compliments from my family members. I do not count SPANX as wearing any "piece" since it is more like wearing support hose. Iam finally closing in on onderland and it feels great. I hope to be uder 200 be the end of this month. I have not been there since 1990 when I weighted 170 and that was my lowest as an adult, I was 20 at the time. It would be great to enter my 40's at my ideal weight for my height of 5 feet tall and to stay there. I have spent all my childhood, teens, 20's and now 30's as an overweight person. My 40's are approaching and Iam looking foward to spending them and the rest of my life as a healthy adult. I hope everyone else in the June Crew is doing well, there are so many who have not posted in while and I really miss them alot! Pinky my seasonal allergies are causing me to have some problems with throwing up ( I do not PB) a few times this week also. I have been trying to watch what I eat and stay away from dairy which I find makes my allergy problems worse. Also we are having Indian summer here in New York this week - It has been in the 80's all week and today it was 85 degrees here and its October 6th! We took my son to the park and they had the sprinklers on for the kids it was so hot! I wore shorts and a tank shirt and my sandals. I will miss putting them away since this will be the last time I will be wearing myh size 18! Next summer its GOAL AND HOPEFULLY MY DREAM SIZE 8! Have a great 3 day weekend! To all my fellow Italians- Happy Columbus Day! Love, Lisa (Iazzetti) Hall aka LeeceLove70

In this bunch of pictures are: 1- Andrew my son at the reception where he took off the tux sayin it was itchy! 2- My Mom's family taken in the church: Her sister is the one witf the short black hair in the back and her husband is athe bald man with the glasses. The rest of the young people are my first Cousins and their kids. 3- My Cousins Mary and Peter, My Brother in Tux and of Course me in the Sexy Silver Dress!( taken after I danced my butt off!) Don't you just love when people take pictures of you after your have danced and have sweated! Lisa

Hi ladies dad finally sent me his pictures from my brother's wedding and I now can share some of them with you all. If they are huge Iam sorry I can not figure out how to make them small. Also the dam red eyes reduction on my dad's amera was not working well so his pictures have us all looking like devils!-lol Some of these are actually mine so they are combines pictures from both the ones I took and the ones he took. I will try to explain who everyone is in the pictures. Pic 1- Bride and her Dad Pic 2- My son Andrew as Ringbearer Pic 3- Her Mom and Dad with Bride and Groom Pic 4- My parents with Bride and Groom Pic 5- Me, My son and my parents with Bride and Groom ( I just love how we all look like devil from the red eye!) Part 2 - set 2 of pictures ins next post. Lisa

Pinky: Wow girl looking good ! I can not make mine small either so do not feel bad!-lol I will be posting pics from my brothers Wedding so I hope that they are not huge, and if they are Iam sorry to all, but I look really good in those pics!- lol Lisa

Hi all! I have been so out of the loop lately but for a good reason! My husband who has asthma was hospitalized late Friday night for pneumonia! He was in the hospital until Wednesday when they finally released him to come home. He is not 100% but he is home Thank God! What a scare I had Friday night when he told me I have to go to the hospital and here it was, I do not drive! My mom drove us to hospital with my son asleep in the carseat in the back of her car. The ex-ray showed spots on his lungs and he was put in the Respitatory ICU . I had to sign the Health Care Proxy and he was given last rites thats how bad he was ! Now he is home with a neubulizer machine and a ton of medication! He had to sign the family leave act for work since he will be out for while recovering. He is a hospital transporter and he can not be pushing strechers and transporting patients for a long time in his condition! All this on the same weekend as my son's 5th Birthday party! ( His birthday was Sept 19th) That Saturday the 22nd, I had to have my mom take over his birthday party for 10 kids because, I did not have the heart to cancel the party at Mcdonalds. Needless to say only 5 kids showed up and he got all clothes as gift and was so upset(When I was 5 who wanted clothes as gift, I wanted toys!-lol) Oh and the best part or the worst part the clothes were all the wrong sizes ( my son is small and slim and wears a size 5 ) these were in sizes 6-8 and they had the tags on with no gift reciepts! What fun Iam going to have trying to return these gifts!-lol My stress level has been extremely high since the last time I had to deal with some one this sick was with my son in 2002 in the NICU when he was born! This was so scary for me! It's been really hard not to get stressed out and to keep my husband stress-free so no asthma attack is brought on! All this while taking care of a very active 5 year old boy! On the weight front I have hardly have time to eat, if I get in two meals its a major miracle right now! On Tuesday, I start my training at my son's school for Learning Leaders a volunteer program where I will get training to help students with reading, writing and math within my son's school. I get certification after taking the class and getting approved! I really hope I get approved this is something I have wanted to do for a really long time now -- Help out kids with reading! I am a book addict-- I have loved to read since I have been a child! I read 4 books a month and Barnes and Nobles is getting rich on me!-lol If I can give back to a child this would mean alot to me as a Mom! Regina: Do not give up- your are almost there- no more negative talk! Both Barbs: Happy Birthday Belated!! Poodles: You have my support in whatever you do! I do however, hope you decide to keep your band and have the surgery that Socgal had for the repositioning. May God help you decide!(Iam Catholic so I pray alot!---lol) I will try to keep you all posted on my husbands conditon. I might not be on the site that much though. Right now if Iam online its to go on Webkinz.com since my son was given a beagle puppy by friend today and he has been bugging me to set up and play with him on the site. For those who do not know what it is: - Its a toy that has a website where kids can play safe with a virtual pet. Lisa

Cath: I was staying at the Triton Hotel and was in San Fran from Friday, Sept.14, until Monday, Sept 17th. I am Bipolar and on alot of medication for that and anxiety and I can only speak for myself, but MY SEX DRIVE IS THROUGH THE ROOF!-LOL My profile has my picture so see if maybe you passed me by. My htoel is right near Chinatown. I hope you had a nice weekend with the boyfriend and got in some NOOKIE!-LOL LISA

Hi all! Just got back from my brother's Wedding last night. San Francisco is such a great city and with all the uphill walking that I did I lost 10 pounds! Iam extremly proud to be able to claim a new number on the scale this morning--205! THATS 85 POUNDS DOWN!!! Iam now 5 pounds from 200 and I have not seen that number since 1990! I have adjusted my ticker for my new Halloween goal of 190 which would finally give me my 100 pounds lost goal! That will be my proudest day aside from when I gave birth to my son which was on Sept. 19, 2002. By the way he turns 5 tomorrow! I got so many compliments on how great I looked and on my weight loss from my relatives who have not seen me in over 5 years ( last time was my Wedding in 2002). Also I got compliments on how great of a job my son did on being the ring bearer! He looked so adorable in his little tux! When I get all my film developed and scanned I will post a few pictures. I had such a great time and was able to take a boat cruise to see Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bridge. We went to Fisherman's Wharf where my son named almost all of the seal's!-lol I went on my first cable car ride and also on the electric buses. Chinatown was up the block from our hotel so I walked there to go shopping for some soverniers. There was also a Starbucks on every corner and I had iced decafe coffee almost everyday! My son comes home tonight with my Mom and her boyfriend since we went on different flights. My husband could not get off work, boy did he miss out on alot!-lol My brother and his wife are going on a special tour of Europe for their honeymoon which includes London, Paris and Italy. Iam so happy for him since at 34, it took him long enough to get married!-lol I will post pictures soon and I hope everyone is doing well. I missed you all while I was away! Love and Hugs, Lisa:)

Hi! All sorry its a while since I posted. My son started Kindergarten on September 4th and its been crazy getting him settled. Yesterday he and my Mom and her boyfriend left for San Fran for my brother's Wedding which is Saturday Sept. 15th. I went for my 15th month check up at the doctor and had my third fill. I have now lost 75 pound! It has been tough few months since my one years in June. I was so having problems and going back to old habits. It was hard to get back on track. Then I got stuck at 220 which was 70 pounds down and was there for like a month! Iam so happy to happy to now be in the teen and only 15 pounds from the 200 number which I have not been near since 1990! I leave for the airport in about a hour but right now Iam very nervous, I have not been on a plane in over 15 years, and Iam going alone! My husband is not comming to the Wedding since the had some layoffs at work and they need him for these days. Iam going on Jet blue and they have Tv and I went to Barnes and Nobles and bought a few books to read on the plane, plus lots of gum! I will post some pictures when I get them developed and scanned and uploaded. I wanted give shot outs to the following people : PinkyLee: Good Luck on the New House! Socal: Wow your getting close to your goal! Regina: Love the new picture on your icon and your so close to goal congrats! To anyone else I left out, you are all doing so great , it looks like we all got back on track! Take care ladies and I will post when I get back. Lisa P.S I will fix my ticker later I have to get ready for the airport now!

Hi all! Sorry I have not posted in a while. I have been really busy getting my son ready to start kindergarden here in NY on Sept. 4th and then on Sept.15th we fly out to San Fran. for my brother's Wedding. So its been crazy here ! I have last minute doctor appointments for my son to get ready for school. I had to have my dress dry cleaned - I choose neither of the two that I showed you since- 1. I was told not to wear black since the bridesmaids are wearing black ( dress #1 disappointment!) 2. My cream Wedding dress ended up having a tear on one of the sleeves and it is to delicate to get repaired in time for the Wedding( it has alot of bedding and lace that had to be repaired -dress#2 disappointment!) So Iam wearing a sliver halter top like a-line dress that I wore to one of my cousin's Wedding. It is a size 20 and loose on me but it looks incredible on me and again no girdle!!!! My arms are not flabby and now have some muscle so I can pull this off and it has a jacket to wear for the church! My son is excited about being ringbearer and wearing his little black tux! My husband can not get off work we found out since they let go of one of the other transporters at the hospital where he works ( he is a hospital patient transporter) and so they are now short a transporter and need him for those days. So its just my son and I(My Mom and her boyfriend are flying out Thrusday- parents have been divorced since I was 20, I have a step-mom! ) flying out Friday, Sept. 14th and comming home on Monday Sept. 17th. Then that Wednesday is my son's 5th birthday! Iam busy right now trying to plan the party. We are having it at our local YMCA where we are members since it has a party room and the kids can do gym or craft activities for the party games. The theme is "Go Diego Go" since he loves Diego! It going to be a Diego/Safari party! Not much change on the weight front, Iam trying to get back on track from my vacation "food feast/cheat feast". Iam still holding at 220 and 70 pounds down and Iam very grateful for this loss, but I have to get back on track and back to the gym. Going to gym has been hard right now with my son home since, I used to go while he was in school. I tried going at night and it was to busy for my liking! The early mornings on the weekends are okay but since he is now in soccer camp my time is limited on the weekends now! I can not wait until he starts school again, so I have my "Mommy Time " back again! I hope you all are safe from Hurricane Dean, I know it was headed towards Mexico and parts of Texas when last I checked. Have a great day all, and I will try to keep you posted as the weeks progress. Love and hugs, Lisa

Well, Iam back from vacation and I was going to go dress shopping for my brother's Wedding which is now a month away - Sept.15th! I was not good while on vacation so Iam still holding at 220 which is still 70 pounds down. Iam thankful for that even though I really wanted to be further down the scale by now! But......I HAD A MAGIC LAPBAND MIRACLE MOMENT HAPPEN THIS MORNING! 1. I CAN NOW FIT INTO THE BLACK BRIDESMAIDE DRESS I WORE IN 1996 WHICH IS A SIZE 18 AND IT FITS WITHOUT A SPECIAL PIECE TO WORN TO HOLD ME IN! 2. MY WEDDING DRESS A SIZE 20 NOW FITS PERFECTLY AGAIN WITH OUT A SPECIAL PIECE WORN UNDERNEATH! **What I mean by special piece ladies is that gross, tight, "I have to feel like a sausage and hold it all in piece!" You know the one the digs in and you stay uncomfortable for hours to look good! --lol Iam just going to buy a good bra and underwear and control top pantyhose. I need to get new shoes and a bag. Iam enclosing pictures of me wearing the gowns : The black dress was worn in 1996 for my cousins Wedding and is a size 18, I was 26 and I loved that dress. The pictures have me with my Mom and my brother. She is wearing the Pink dress. Do you think we look alike? Can you believe she just turned 60 on August 9th, she is very young looking you will notice! The second cream dress is from my Wedding of March 27,2002, and since it was my second marriage I wore a cream dress. It was a size 20! The pictures have me with my husband Bill. They might be big since I can not adjust the pictures from my HP photo shop files. Iam very sorry for this, I am having a hard time learning to adjust them so please bear with me! I not sure which dress Iam going to wear, but Iam gearing towards the cream since I have only worn it once and the black dress at least 4 times for other Weddings of friends and a few Christmas parties over the years. I will post when I decide which one I will wear and of course the Wedding photos I take of me in the dress and my son in his tux as ring bearer. Lisa

Hi all ! My son graduated from Pre-K( he went to a special 1 year program at a special school for his speech delay.) Iam enclosing in this post a few pictures of him since he looked so darn cute! Sorry if they are to big I have HP photo shop and do not know how to adjust the size on it! He left for San Francisco with my Mom last night to visit my brother unitl August 15th. Here are the pictures:

Hi Ladies! Well LeeceLove70 is back and her to stay ! I finally was able to send a private message to Alexandra one of the adminstrators here on th site and explain that I could no longer login as LeeceLove70 which was my orginal user name when I joined back in October 0f 2006. I also told her that I had rejoined under under another user name on my other Aol account and had been using Lisa170 for a few months since I was locked out of using LeeceLove70. She was extremely nice and will try to link all the post from both user names and deleted Lisa1670 on my request and gave me back LeecLove70 once again ! So ladies Iam back to normal !--lol I had a pretty good weekend : We took our son to see " UnderDog" and it was so cute! He loved it so much and the dogs in the movie are just so lovable! Then we bought him Leapster Tv as a graduation from Pre-K gift but the dam thing did nto work on our tv after we tried for three hours hooked it up and unhooking it up . I think we might have gotten a defective one at Target and we are taking it back and instead buying him a BigWheel! He saw a cute Harley Davidson BigWheel at ToysRUS that he liked and so we are going to get him that instead and a cartidge for his handheld portable Leapster game. He leaves for San Francisco with my Mom to visit my brother on Friday afternoon and he is so excited . It will be his first time ever on a plane ( they are taking Jet Blue)! I hope that everyone has a great week ! Its so good to be back as LeecLove70 but Iam will always be Lisa to you all! Lisa

Barb 456: Thanks for explaining that to me! I do get that productive burp as the warning sign that I need rush to the bathroom or find a place where I can throw up!-lol What I mean by find a place to throw up is, I went with my husband to have my flavored coffee and we shared half a bagel at Dunkin Donuts yesterday morning. ( I should have never had that bagel:mad:!) I thought I would be safe with half a bagel but hell no! As we were driving home I had to have him pull over next to a tree and I had to thow up! I swear it was really bad. Whenever Iam out and this happens I have my husband pull over and quickly and find a tree or a parking lot near a dumpster where I can throwup in private and no one sees me! If in a resturant I make a mad dash to the bathroom ! The productive burp or blech or heckup is the warning sign that its going to happen and I feel the tightness in my throat. Its like get out of my way and quickly !-lol So anyway to me it is and always will be THROWING UP! Lisa

Hi all! : I am hangin in there! I read a funny post asking about what PBing means! You know what, I did not know what it meant when I first came on here either, and I rather not use that phrase! CALL IT WHAT IS! THROWING UP IS THROWING UP! DO NOT MAKE UP A FANCY PHRASE FOR IT! Sorry but I say what is on my mind Iam from New York after all !-lol Who made up this dumb phrase anyway? What the heck does PBing mean anyway? I holding steady at 220 from 290 and 70 pounds down & now a size 16 finally! Taking my son to see 'Underdog" this weekend they made the old cartoon into a movie that looks so cute! I have to start packing and getting his stuff ready for his trip with my Mom to see my brother in San Francisco they leave August 10th at night. Have a good weekend all Lisa P.S. Has anyone else read the new People Magazine (I have a subscription) Star Jones finally admittted she had Gastric Bypass Surgey in 2003! Its about time you BIG LIAR! I knew she had surgery back then, there was no way she could have lost that much weight that fast! Even in here book she was in denial about having surgery( I borrowed it from the library out of curiousity it was rather a brag fest!) -AGAIN WHY LIE! How do you all feel about how she lied about this? -- Iam curious about others take on this topic--LETS HAVE OUR OWN-- " VIEW HOT TOPIC"! Lisa

To all: Since alot have been posting about having problems and sensing that it might be their gallbladder, I did some research online. I found this on a health site and it scared me, since I have alot of the symptoms mentioned so I thought I would share what I fount with you all. Here is what I found: Symptoms of Gallbladder Disease steady, severe pain in the upper abdomen that increases rapidly and lasts from 30 minutes to several hours pain in the back between the shoulder blades pain under the right shoulder nausea or vomiting abdominal bloating recurring intolerance of fatty foods colicb belching gas indigestion Gallbladder disease Definition Gall bladder disease includes inflammation, infection, stones, or obstruction of the gallbladder. Alternative Names Biliary disease; Gallbladder attack; Biliary colic Causes The gallbladder is a sac located under the liver. It stores and concentrates bile produced in the liver. Bile aids in the digestion of fats, and is released from the gallbladder into the upper small intestine (duodenum) in response to food (especially fats). Conditions which slow or obstruct the flow of bile out of the gallbladder result in gallbladder disease. Types of gallbladder disease include: Cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder) Cholelithiasis (gallstones) Symptoms Abdominal fullness or gas Abdominal pain that is:Severe Located on the right side (right upper quadrant) or in the upper middle of the abdomen (epigastric) Decreased over 12 to 18 hours in uncomplicated cases Recurrent or similar to pain in past Occurring after meals Worse during deep intake of breath Radiating to back or below the right shoulder blade Worse after eating or drinking fatty foods or fluids [*]Fever [*]Nausea and vomiting [*]Heartburn [*]Chills and shaking [*]Chest pain under the breastbone Exams and Tests Examination of the abdomen by touch (palpation) may reveal tenderness. Tests that detect the presence of gallstones or inflammation include: Abdominal ultrasound Abdominal CT scan Abdominal x-ray Gall bladder radionuclide scan A CBC shows infection by an elevated white blood cell count This disease may also alter the results of the following tests: Lipase Amylase Amylase, urine Chemistry panel (chem-20) Treatment Treatment depends on the specific type of gallbladder disease. Outlook (Prognosis) See the specific type of gallbladder disease. Possible Complications See the specific type of gallbladder disease. When to Contact a Medical Professional Call your provider if you develop symptoms of gallbladder disease. Prevention In most cases, prevention is not possible. Weight reduction, and reducing intake of fatty foods, may reduce symptoms in people with gallbladder disease. Use of the medicine ursodiol may shrink gallstones, but it is used only in special cases. I hope this is helpful to all of you since when I read it, I said to myself I need to go and have test done! Something is not right! I had a gastro-intestional virus which I really think was the start of this. I have alot these problems metioned above ever since this happend to me on June 4th. I will keep all posted on what my course of action will be, right now I need to make some phone calls to my doctors. Lisa

That digital frame thing sounds really nice, I was thinking of doing that at first. My mom is not into all this digital stuff, she is sort of old fashion- she still can not program a VCR! We bought her a DVD player for Christmas and its still in the box! She does however have a cell phone and knows how to use it well and it takes pictures which she knows how to do, so go figure! I upload to my computer for her. She is a Executive Assistant to The Head of Global Marketing at Bayer (as in Bayer Aspirin). She used to work in the Diabetes Division and would do the Juvenile Diabetes Walks in Westchester County here in New York. So she is very computer able. I completed filling the album I bought her with the photos this morning while my son was in school and it come out so nice. I can not wait to give it to her on Augut 9th her 60th birthday! I might give it to her early since Iam dying to see her expression when she opens it up and see's all those pictures! Wow! Alot of memories! It brought tears to me eyes seeing the pictures of my now deceased grandparents (her parents) since they lived so close to us. They would watch us while my parents worked when we were little and then after school growing up until my parents got home from work. My grandma taught me to cook at the young age of 8 all the old fashion Italian dishes. We would use the fresh vegetables and herbs from my grandpa's garden. These were just some good memories ! Hope all have a good day! Lisa

Regina: Thanks for not being mad! I also get frustrated about having problems with certain foods, not being where I was hoping to be by now and some personal problems(way to may to even get into here!). Its nice to know we can come here and vent with our friends and know that they will understnd and support us! Poodles: You are so right about being thankful for what we have lost and not gained! Iam so sorry to hear about your struggles. I loved reading your recent post and seeing that your doing well on your new food plan. I hope that it continues to work for you! Iam behind you 100% and you have all my support and love! In other non-weight news: I just recieved from Kodakgallery.com the pictures that I had uploaded and refinished to put into a special photo album for my Mom's 60th birthday present. She will be turning 60 on August 9th and I along with my Aunt's help got together pictures of her from when she was a baby until recent, me as a baby until recent, my brother as a baby until recent and also my son. It was a pure labor of love getting them all together but I know this will be something she will cherish forever! I can not wait to give it to her on her birthday! Love, Lisa

Socalgirl: You may be right, but she did not specify who she was refering to, I just assumed it was me. That was since I was the last post before hers. Iam sorry to hear you are also having problems with your band! I do know that I was told from the begining not to drink orange juice or eat grapefruit or any citrus fruit for that manner. I wonder why? I will have to go back and read the literature they gave me in my post-op package also look into my many books I have about LapBand Surgery. It seems so weird that this is happening to so many of us as we have past our one year anniversaries! It really is putting a scare into me! I hope you feel better and keep us update so we can compare notes-- If I find anything in my reading I will post ! Love and hugs, Lisa