July 2006 Band Crew

[ericsmom 2]

Sorry that some of you are sick. I needed the day off today too. I had an appointment with my doctor but I was really tired from yeaterday so I called and changed it to next week. After my visit I am scheduled to get a fill. I want one but it sure does hurt me. My port is turn sideways and last time it took him awhile to stick it right. But I really want a fill so I guess I will overlook the pain.

I didn't do much today but I am tired anyway. I am going to bed early and read. So I will talk to you all tomorrow. I hope you are feeling better.

Where is Stephanie today?

I'm here!! :bolt: I have been preparing for my garage sale that is tomorrow... My hubby went up north fishing with a friend and my son is at Boy Scout camp for the weekend, so they helped me get it all set up and I had a sneak peak tonight and then tomorrow is the sale. They have what is called "East End Garage Sale Days" in my end of town. I always say I should have one at the same time because there are tons of people that roam the streets looking for sales. Well, now I'm alone and I caught my hubby's cold!!! After tomorrow I should be able to resume some sort of normalcy :clap2:

I went to the doctor today and got a second fill. Boy, was it a traumatic thing, though! Nothing like last time! I guess when you lose weight things shift around and even though my port is sewn in, it had shifted, so the doctor couldn't, for the life of him, find the spot to get the needle in. He stuck me 4 times with number stuff and 7 times (yes, you read that right) with the needle trying to find the port access. :omg: When he finally got in, he put another 2.5 cc's in. I guess I have the VG band that holds 10cc's, so now I have 5.5cc's. I am going to look like he sucker punched me in a day or two. You should see all the poke marks on me! :puke: The physician's assistant who does the follow up care and fills felt so bad. I told him not to beat himself up over it and it was fine.

My surgeon was in his office when I walked into my exam room. I asked the nurse to tell him to stop in and say hello. He not only came in and said hello, he sat down and asked me a bunch of questions about how it's going and how I'm feeling. So essentially he had an appt. with me, but it wasn't scheduled. I told him about this site and FitDay. He wrote them down. I also showed off my "I'm with the band" Bracelet. He thought that was pretty cool. Can you tell I love my surgeon??

Well, I should go to bed as I have to be up early tomorrow for the sale. I'll check back in either tomorrow night or Sunday. Thanks for asking about me, Beth!

[KariK 0]

There is a saying in the medical profession that if you hear hoof beats outside it's probably a horse -not a zebra.My point (and I do have one) is that Kari is right about following up but don't get too worried about Zebras yet.

Yeah im just seeing stripes because of my own personal life/experience. I reread my post, I hope I didn't scare you either. Sorry. :puke:

[Stesti 0]

Hellooo:

I'm here. I am the Business Manager for Bobbi Brown at Neiman Marcus and we are in our fall Beauty Week. (More like Beauty Hell week!) Needless to say, I've been up to my eyebrows with needy customers. LOL Customers with BAD, ungroomed eyebrows. So that's where I've been...not to sound like Bitter Betty.

Michele, our doctor schedules us for fills every month for at least a few months. We have 10 CC bands and it takes a while to get them filled so that you have alot of restriction. He told us that you can't go in and fill the band substantially at first because your body needs to adjust gradually. My fill under x-ray should be under $200. We'll see when that bill arrives. He filled us last month with no problem in the office. I guess I've developed more scar tissue since then.

Kari, thanks for noticing I was gone. It's nice to be missed.

Stefani

[jdjjwoo 0]

Hi guys! It's been really busy again this week, so I haven't been on much. My "sneeze injury:doh: " is still hurting just as much, so I finally went to see my doctor instead of just talking to office staff on the phone this time. He had me lie down, do a leg lift to tighten my ab muscles (OUCH!) and felt for my port. He said it felt fine and that I probably either pulled or tore a muscle. I'm supposed to go back in 2 weeks for my normal follow up and he said if it's still this bad then, we can do an xray. He said athletes are usually out for 4-6 weeks when they do something like this and I asked if there was anything that could be done for it. He said I should take my pain medicine and rest:notagree - ha! I have no time for that right now! I did go and buy an abdominal support brace that binds that area and it really seems to be helping me not keep tearing it. It would feel like it may be starting to heal, and then sure enough, I would turn wrong or something and it felt like it tore again. I've only felt it hurt once since I started wearing the brace yesterday. So there's my excitement for now!

The timing is not so great (when is it?) because we have the San Genaro feast in town this weekend. It is a huge carnival, fair, and Italian feast:hungry: - all my favorites in one! So, now not only can I not "feast" on the amazing italian food, I also can't ride any rides. I know, boo-hoo for me:think . I still want to go and let my kids have a ball and have a "taste" of the good stuff!

Stephanie - your second fill sounds like my first. I'm so sorry you had to go through that:phanvan . I'm even more scared for my second now - especially after this injury of mine. I just don't know what to expect.

My band holds only 4 cc's and he filled me 1 cc the first time. There is no set schedule for fills for my doctor. He has us come in every 6 weeks to check on things - if I've lost 1-2 lbs a week and I'm not starving, no fill. I'm in no hurry to get another fill right now, so it will proably be at least 8 weeks more for me - I guess we'll just have to see.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Desiree:)

[mbprn 0]

Kari-I know what your talking about (I'm a pediatric nurse) so every time one of my kids gets sick I'm pretty sure they have the black plague and we practice ring around the rosie. My DH is constantly lecturing me on keeping the ponies in the corral (that sounds dirty) and maybe they just have a sinus infection. What does he know? Sorry about your friend-thats really rough. How's your battle with strep going?:sick

Desiree-glad to hear everything is okay.I like the advice about the pain medicine and rest -I will even go as far as to be your back up auxillary participant in the festival:pizza:. Yeah, I know I'm too nice- but you have to be there for your friends, right?:humble:

Stephanie-I have the phenomenon like when you're pregnant and you fall in love with your OB:love: (mine is ever so dreamy...)with my band surgeon. He's so cute-I love seeing him -you'll remember he complemented my esophagus-you know what that means-wink,wink-(really I have no idea what that means but I liked hearing it). Now with your cold -absolutely NO sneezing!!

Baylormom-you sound alot perkier lately-I just might mail you some pom-poms if you're not careful.:cheer2:

Stefani-I have to admit this -I know you're a professional but-umm, okay I'll just say it "I have bad eyebrows" :eyebrows:There, sigh, I feel better. The upside is that they're blond so from a distance (cue Bette) they look ok but up close-AHHHH:second:. Blond spider nests:sorry:. I have wax phobia and I'm an absolute wimp with the tweezers.

Mind you I have no problem sticking someone with a large needle or stopping massive bleeding but tweezers-

So here's what I'm thinkin-after we've all lost our wt we'll get together for a huge makeover seminar hosted by BobbiBrown and TLC-do you mind throwing that together for us?:puke:

Time2live-don't give up-we have all been through rough spells with our bands-this too shall pass. You haven't hit you're "sweet spot" yet and when you do -watch out!! Remember slow and steady is much better for permanent wt loss and less sagging skin. My doc recommends about 2lbs a wk so hang in there-you can do it!!!:bolt: :D

Laugh for the day-Retired Hooter Girls:

[findingme2 0]

Hi all July folk:

It's nice to hear your stories, victories and comforting to hear the support for those having down days. I too am having a down time with my DH's caregiver situation. We went through 4 in seven days. I don't think the agency is being up-front with the fact that he needs a lot of assistance due to 2 strokes. The lady who left yesterday (in her Ghanian accent) said "they told me I would be sitting for an elderly man (well, he's not THAT old) but they didn't tell me I would have to observe him." Duh. When you take care of disabled people you usually need to keep an eye on them. Anyway....I went back to square one and am going in a different direction than the agency. I am just so depressed today. I have something in place for next week but still feel so overwhelmed by it all. I miss pieces of him so much. His strokes have changed our lives and I try not to get down about it but....well, wish me luck, please.

On a happy note I had a nice NSV yesterday. One of our teachers is a "Mr. Muscle" competitor (whatever they are called....body-builder). We are kind chummy (I listened to his divorce saga #1 and #2). I had the opportunity to chat with him yesterday and asked him if he did Protein Drinks and what does he use. We had a conversation about Protein, etc and I finally told him about my band. He said "I KNEW you had lost weight but some women freak if you say anything. You look amazing!". Wow. That was lovely coming from mr. beautiful body.

Michelle....the Hooters pic MAY be your best yet. What a perfect Halloween costume. I don't think my principal would approve though....what do you think...lol???? YOU are a hoot.

Have a nice weekend all you nice July people.

Ruthie

[mbprn 0]

Ruthie-do you mean to tell me you want these people who are hired as "caregivers" to give care? What is wrong with you?? Look just because you pay them to do this...BTW luck,luck,luck. May the Mary Poppins of caregivers come your complete with a leather carpet bag full of compassion and a bottle of wine (for you).

oops sorry-looks like she's not available

<CENTER>Mary Poppins moved

</CENTER>It seems that Mary Poppins has moved to California. She has started a business telling people's fortunes. But, she doesn't read palms or tea leaves, she smells one's breath. That, right, the sign outside reads: Super California Mystic Expert Halitosis.

ps-I take that "may"be my best as a challenge...

[Baylor Mom 0]

Oh how funny!! Michelle you are a hoot. I bet it is fun to be around you. Maye someday we can all meet.

Ruthie- I hope you find a caregiver soon. I wish you the best of luck and you are in my prayers as well.

Desiree I hope your pain gets better soon. I am glad that you went to the doctor and hopefuly it is not your port. My port is on it's side so it really is a pain when I get a fill.

BTW I am going to go get a painful fill this Wed. I am not looking forward to it but I need it so I will endure.

I have had a bad headache all day. I have been in bed most of the day. I finally got something that worked and it went away. Tylenol never works for me but today it did. Maybe I should try it first next time. My daughter got a kitten so I guess for right now I can say I have a grandkitty. Although I would rather it be a child but I can't rush her. A kitty will do for now. I think that is all she can handle right now anyway. She is very busy. I can't wait to see the "baby".

I hope you all have a great Sunday and I will talk to you soon.

[ericsmom 2]

Hello all, just checking in...I have a long list of things to do today, starting with picking up my son from Boy Scout camp at 11am. It's a 30 minute drive, so I'll leave about 10:15-10:30. Then I need to come home and pay some bills...something I've been neglecting to do for about 2 weeks (I know, that is so bad!).

I had two nice NSV's yesterday. I get together with four other ladies practically every Friday night. Well, I haven't seen them in two weeks. One came to my garage sale yesterday and the first thing she said was "OMG look at you! Pretty soon you'll be smaller than me!!" I guess it's getting more noticeable. Then I went to another one's house to pick something up and she said "Holy Cow! How much have you lost now?!" She sid you can really tell through my upper chest and neck. Yippee!! I'd love to see 270 by Halloween!!

Well, I'd better get myself ready to go. I'll check in later

[KariK 0]

Stetsi Stephani, I don't know how you can deal with plucking ppls eyebrows lol. I could NOT do it lol. I can barely handle having my own done, I keep my eyes closed the whole time! Ouch! I think it would be fun to put make up on ppl though. So have you ever purposely made someone look like a clown? Like some really obnoxious rude person? lol I would hhehehe. *evil grin*

Michelle that picture is so funny! Even my husband got a kick out of that one. Im so glad we have this julyster thread. When we all become skinny bi**hes we'll have to have a big hurrah in some tropical place.

ericsmom Stefanie, congrats on the nsvs! I can't wait until you start posting some before and after pictures, Im sure the change is remarkable. Keep up the good work!! You motivate me sooo much. Thank you.

Ruthie, hope you feel better soon. I'll pray that you do and that you find a good caregiver too.

Beth congratulations on becoming a purrfect grandma! lol for years my Mom was my cat's grandma too hehe. Everyone talks about my cat like he's a person, its so funny. Even now and I have 2 daughters. Isn't it funny how attached we can get to our four-legged friends.

Im back to square one on my strep throat, the antibiotic shot they gave me started to seem to work for a bit, but now it seems my infection is over-powering it. Im going to go back in tomorrow and get a different anti-biotic. I feel like im just post-op again as im on a liquid diet. Its hell. Ive never had strep before this, it feels like theres a razor blade stuck in the back of my throat. The worst part is, im dehydrated because I can barely drink liquids even. So I think my breast milk is drying up. *sniff*.

[ready2bthin 2]

Okay, everyone, I just shared something with Kari in a pm, but I decided to "confess" to my fellow bandsters here in case someone else has also struggled a little in recent days. I had my first "binge" since getting the lapband. I had about 1/2 bag of small peanutbutter cups early in the day (this was Friday...I think) and then had icecream as well. I can eat more now and will not get my fill until Oct. 7. Yesterday, I did okay, but I'm eating too much as the restriction is mostly gone for me. So, today, I declare that I will go back to "bandster eating". I do not want to gain back what I've lost. Many people have been complimenting me and my pants are getting baggy!!! Thanks for all of your support....Whew...feel better that I've "confessed"......lol......

[nannerpuddn 0]

my doctor in east, texas charges 100.00 for a fill

[Paulax 8]

Okay, everyone, I just shared something with Kari in a pm, but I decided to "confess" to my fellow bandsters here in case someone else has also struggled a little in recent days. I had my first "binge" since getting the lapband. I had about 1/2 bag of small peanutbutter cups early in the day (this was Friday...I think) and then had icecream as well. I can eat more now and will not get my fill until Oct. 7. Yesterday, I did okay, but I'm eating too much as the restriction is mostly gone for me. So, today, I declare that I will go back to "bandster eating". I do not want to gain back what I've lost. Many people have been complimenting me and my pants are getting baggy!!! Thanks for all of your support....Whew...feel better that I've "confessed"......lol......

It is so hard isn't it? And for some reason, when we are feeling good and that our pants are getting baggy, we sabotage ourselves. Consider yourself worthy.

I think many of us are the same way, I am, and it is a constant struggle to NOT binge.

Forgive yourself and move on.....

Group hug to you and all of us who sturggle daily.

[Stesti 0]

Hi everyone:

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

Michelle...Don't you worry, I have AWFUL eyebrows! It seems that I can shape and groom other peoples brows, but not my own. LOL One of my fellow artists is always fixing them for me.

Bobbi is super nice and I'll mention to my Trainer, Rojellio (who looks like a latin rock star! YUMMY!) that it would be nice PR for the company. You never know.

I've noticed in our doctors office that some women, even though they've lost enormous amounts of weight, seem to still dress the way they did when they were quite heavy...baggy and moo-moo like. I know that I like to cover up, Hence, the skirts to the ankle. eeek. Some of my friends have encouraged me to dress in more fitted clothing. I've noticed that I get tons of compliments when I do this.

Are any of you also struggling with this? It's so odd to have people notice your body. Maybe this could be good!

Kari...So sorry to hear that you're not feeling better. I actually love my job and like helping that woman who's always taken care of everyone but herself. It's great to see them feeling beautiful and better about themselves.

Stefani

[Baylor Mom 0]

Mary don't worry you are not alone. After church today my hubby and I went to eat Mexican food. I did real good at first. I got the children's plate of chesse quesadillas and rice and Beans. I was doing good until my hubby ordered the soapapillas. I ate 2 little ones and one big one and I scrape the plate clean with my fork. I thought I was in heaven. But now I am ashamed of myself. I was doing so good and even losing more that normal. So you are not alone. It is hard sometimes when something that we used to eat and not think about it much now is a no no. I feel your pain. But like you said I am back on track now and will not do that again. I even told hubby not to let me have any next time.

Kari I too am sorry to hear that you are still sick. I hope the doctor can give you something that will work better and you can get well soon.

It is raining here and it is so tempting to sleep (my favorite passtime) all day. I did take a good nap and then I have been reading in bed. It is just a lazy day. It is supposed to rain tomorrow too so maybe I can get some more reading done. We really need the rain or I would complain.

If I don't get back on tonight I hope you all have a great Monday.