Lap_dancer

and still more photos..as the evening went on, it just got better and better... Theresa (and we are both sign language interpreters!!) so we could talk quietly across the table from eachother...and who knew what we were saying????? Julie and Theresa The divine Mz. Deb (who came all the way from Portland) and I came from Florida so the locals who weren't there missed a good one. Our group photo. We were being very 'expressive' Take it to Warp Speed with the wacky expressive

Hola mi padres!!! I am still reeling from the gathering at Red Robin on WEST Arapahoe and I-25 last night. Where else can you talk to people about slimes and bat wing fat flaps (arm fat)? and feel among family only more like kindred spirits family than real family. ** and to all of you that were there last night Mary Mem620 Julie KayleighsMommy Theresa Laptastic Deb DebinOregon Dee PrtyAntOvrYt Mal Mal Thank you for making this trip one of the bestest ones ever!! Posting some photos from last night...here goes Photo 1 Left Mary (mem620) Right Julie (KayleighsMommy) Photo 2 Mary, Julie and Theresa (Laptastic) Photo 3 Patty (Lapdancer) and Mal Photo 4 Mal and Deb (DebinOregon) Photo 5 Dee (Prtyantovryt) and Patty

More pix Enjoy!!!!

I was going towards the mountains and Silverthorne, or so I thought. I got lost and ended up pulling off the road to take these photos, turn around and come back to 470 west to Morrison. Morrison is one of my favorite places. Home of Red Rocks Ampitheatre it is the simpliest little town with fun places to photograph and other places with interesting items (like the antique shop)

Hey Friends: Having an amazing time here in Colorado. I got my appt mixed up and it is TR not Tues. So far I've been tooling around taking photos, shopping at CASTLE ROCK OUTLET twice. Bought my grandson a pile of clothes and myself three rings. You all have read about my year from Hades and I thought how symbolic to buy a Garnet, deep red, symbolic of what feels like giving blood at the office with my horrid school year, the pain and Fibromyalgia...heretofore known as "FM" because it sounds so much cooler. Those meeting at RR tonight can't wait to meet you tonight. Here are some photos: the storm clouds Monday night from my hotel window. (they had tornadoes touch down on Sunday in Aurora and nearby). My rings..I love Black Hills Gold Marilyn- the first smile that greets us at Dr. K's office. Natalie- Our fellow Lap Band diva and our 'go to' girl at Dr. K's office. More to come......... Enjoy.

I'm game! :biggrin:

The 10th is cool by me! I can be there the 11th too. DEB! Finally. Julie tell me you will be there. I'm bringing a bag for you. Friends I need a spa day, I need a message. Know any good places that do aroma therapy, message? AND I am very interested in holistic doctor who is open to other more natural alternatives in pain management for fibro. Names? Places? Thanks again for the lodging and rental tips. Patty

YEEEE HAAAAAA!!!! :frown:

Goodmorning Friends! To my fellow educators, Happy End of the Year Countdown!! Dee, add me to the list. I would like to lose 15 lbs. I think given that it is summer and I will have the chance to pace my pain and go and come and work around the home without killing myself, I will make some good progress. I'll have my offical weight at Dr. K's office on the Tuesday, the 9th. I look forward to this weigh down challenge. I find the group momentum is inspirational. We should call this one FREEDOM FROM FAT July Challenge or F3 = Freedom From Fat. Count me in. DRUM ROLL......... I had a non-weightloss victory! I woke up this morning with two of my bracelets in the bed and off my wrist.That's two gold bracelets, off my wrist, SLID OFF MY WRIST and into my bed sometime in the night. That means...my WRISTS are getting smaller!!!! We don't think about our fingers and wrists or neck size but because I make jewelry I am pretty tuned in to this kind of stuff. It rocked my world seeing that gold bracelet, putting it on without undoing the clasp..sliding it on my wrist and then observing it DROP OFF my hand. So cool. COUNTDOWN: 9 days until our gathering at Red Robin.:frown: I truly am looking forward to meeting you all. I am bringing some Florida Happy Packages with me. So far I have counted 5 including myself. I don't want to miss anyone. Be sure and post that you are coming. I'll start a roll call again. Who is coming to Red Robin on Thursday, June 11th? PATTY will be there!!

Hey Beautiful Bandsters! How are those smaller sizes fitting these days? Anyone on here being banded between June 8,9,10,11? I would like to talk to you about being part of my project. Thanks again for the trip tips. I booked my flight, room and car rental today. I am staying at the Marriott Hotel by Meadows Mall in Littleton. It's near the intersection of 470 and 25 if I remember correctly. I'll be arriving on Sunday about 3 PM. Planning on taking advantage of that cushy bed at the Marriott. Please tell me some good places to check out. I have a coupon and the chance to add a trip to Silverthorne outlet. Is this place worth it? Or one of the overpriced outlet malls. Let me know before I buy a field trip to this place. Do we know how many are coming to RR? I am so very thrilled to be coming out there this time. I know it will be a tremendous trip. Again, please let me know if you are on the band list for the time I will be coming out there. Those of you who I have talked to about being part of my film project will be hearing from me this week with those questions and we also can work out a good time to get together. Can't wait to see you!!!!!!!!!!!:thumbup::smile:

It will get better. Remember you just had surgery there. You're going to feel real funky for awhile. I found my tastebuds were all out of whack. Go easy on yourself. Back off the hard foods and switch it up to warm hearty Soups for a day or two and see if that helps. When in doubt, call the doctor..always. Good luck.

Makes total sense. That assures me even more than I am in need of a fill.

Hi Snowgator: You absolutely do not have to be filmed. I was going to pan the table and show the group support of the Red Robin meetings. I will work around anyone who does not want to be on film..and BTW, that is not the intent in June at Red Robin...Anyone else, you do not have to be filmed and I will not have the camera going the entire time. I'll put it up and start chatting...after all some of you I will be meeting for the first time! I'm so excited for that.:thumbup: .......................................................................... Anyone else flying in from out of state? ............................................................. Michelle, hope life is blissfully blissful. To the original Red Robin Gang...try to make it in June. I would love to see you all. .............................................................

I say invest in a new scale to monitor yourself at home. .......................... Thanks Dee. ..............................

June 9th meeters at RR (that's the right date? ) Please read I am doing a documentary film on my Lap Band experience. I will be filming at our meeting as part of the support and friendship aspect of having the surgery. I will have my camera with me when I come to our gathering but I would also like the chance to interview, as in five minutes or less, a few to describe your personal experience prior to the band, any event that stands out and then where you are with your band journey. I'm doing this for a professional project. I will be translating the film into American Sign for other professionals like myself, or the deaf, to utilize as a source of information. If you are interested in participating, please pm me or contact me via email at handjive1228@yahoo.com thanks. Patty

Congratulations bandsters!!!!!!!

OHHHH and I forgot to mention, I'm not suggesting he does this all the time but Dr. K hits my port first time every time. You're getting a surgeon to do the fills! The one time I went to Fill Center USA closest to me, she was super nice, tried her best but MISSED my port and was even digging a little to get a hit. I was sick for the next four months, stomach hurt, appetite was funky...this is my experience and not typical, who knows what happened that day but I decided then not to risk my band getting damaged and have to fly out to Denver, have my port unfilled and find the solution was discolored with particles in it (truth), no, the investment in my wellness became a whole action commitment and I decided to follow up with fills from Dr. K only. But again, everyone has different experiences and mine could be an isolated incident with the fill center USA. Keep asking questions, it's a good way to find out information.

Great questions! I don't know how many lap band sugeries he has done but I can tell you he's done 10K laparoscopic surgeries. Since the scope is what is used to place the band and do the surgery, I felt at 10,000 SURGERIES, that beats the hundred or so required by a Centers of Excellence. Want to know more about him? I did some research...check this: Sixth paragraph down in the article: When Routine Surgery Turns Into a Nightmare - ReliableAnswers.com 2. Fill center USA here in Florida charged me initial visit $300. Each fill post that was $150, now you want my take on fills? I went to Colorado about every 5 months that first year not including my six week post op. From Tampa, I can fly round trip for $200 not including rental but they do have shuttle services to hotels. Technically I could do a quick turnaround the same day but I figure, what the heck, once every five months, I leave FLORIDA and fly to the Rocky Mountains. In three days including my fill, I've seen everything from Buffalo Bills grave on top of a mountain (the drive was awesome), my husband toured the Coors factory in Golden, he also went skiing in Breckenridge one day while I went to the doctor and did a little shopping. I look at my fills like a mini vacation and don't we all need vacations! Beautiful part of the country and I just love going out there. Once I knew I was self pay it was like going on a shopping spree...gee, where do I want to be in case I have a little medical situation? Do I want to look out and see snow capped mountains? or do I want cactus and people who don't speak English as their native language. (I'm just saying is all...remember I'm a translator for a job so that allows some selectivity on my part) I picked this awesome doctor after researching his history and then calling the office. The staff is real user friendly. Remember...to get to the doctor you gotta go through the staff so that was important. Natalie is what I call the 'go to' girl. She's email accessible and if I call, I can typically get her (but I seldom call). I hope this helps. I recognized your questions because they were the same ones I had!!! hahahah. Great minds. Best of luck.

Thanks for the tip!!!!!!

Be patient friend. If it is meant to be it will be. Feel safe in the knowledge that your doctor is not in it for the buck$ (take the money and run) but puts our health first and foremost. *side thought* I had a child with disabilities and another who manifested arthritis in 3rd grade. I also work with the deaf as a sign language interpreter. I've had a wealth of doctor's experiences..as have the ones on here who work in healthcare. We're the ones who sniff out the good doctors. Doctor K is one of those doctors. ....................................................... I want to talk a bit about the fills and headwork and finding the green sweet spot. I had my surgery on April 17, 2007, that is two years ago. It was not the flight to Denver for fills, or not enough fills, it was not until, I believe, my last fill in February of 2008 that I hit my green zone/sweet spot. The card says the green zone is when you feel full soon, have longer periods of time between meals and you are not hungry or craving food and you are losing weight. You are not having GERD or productive burps, do not feel pain when swallowing. Since this is the first time in perhaps twenty years since I would begin to know what normal people feel when they experience fullness, or that "I'm hungry now" feeling, I had to learn to tune into that and train my head and body to listen. So in all fairness, it took me a year to hit that place. But I'm still learning new things. I'm learning when instinct tells me that today at this time of the day, based on what I have eaten all day, bread is not a good selection, I should listen rather than taking two bites, knowing that hung up feeling, spitting it the next bite before I get worse and feeding the cats my sandwich...I need to listen more. A friend said "It took you 20 years to gain it all you can't expect to take it all off in one year." Yup I tell myself.

You bet i do!!!

Hi friend. You had me at the telephone consult. I felt the same when I hung up. I knew I had made the right choice. I am coming to Denver on the 9th and would love to come to Parker and see you off into the Band Land of Wonder. and I feel the same. and add my name to the list because I will be flying in June 9th. I am in the early stages of making plans for several weeks out west. My summer is coming fast, not fast enough. I would get on a plane west the last day out but my family might wonder why so fast. BUT I will be there. /////////////////////////////////////////////// Colorado friends, the Travel Channel says leasing a car is cheaper than renting for two weeks. any tips on places to lease a vehicle for 3 weeks? Let me know! Thanks. Patty

Woo Hoo!!!:thumbup: Your lucky charm is effort on your part. Congrats on a great two weeks.