NJ (& Others) Nov/Dec 2008 Chat

[HarleyNana 10]

Just in case some of you missed one of Sherry's earlier posts, she said thought coloring would make her feel better, so I sent her a coloring book and some crayons, LOL.

Sherry, what is the Lindora company? Are you still working?

Darcy, you still making candles?

Kat, thanks for the list, I guess we gained a few and lost a few. Anyone heard from Cindy lately?

Edited December 12, 2008 by HarleyNana

[Iluvharleys 15]

Good Morning Y'all!

Went to work yesterday, was there 1 hour and had to come home sick. What a terrible day! Needless to say I sat in the bathroom most of the day. I sure didn't drift very far away either.

Sherry - All surgery is very scary to me! Just remember though that all of your angels on here are going to be in that room holding your hand, and we'll kick a$$ if they don't do things right. How can anything go wrong?

Pat - You are so sweet, always thinking of one of us! We love you girl!

Michaele - congrats on the w/l! How cool!

I hear from Cindy once in a while, she is fine and enjoying life!

Kat - Thanks for the list! I am mailing out mine today!

Well going to go get dressed and see what I can find to put in this sore empty belly. Always thinking of food!

[Kat817 19]

No, I haven't heard from Cindy in forever. Get the occasional email from Mandy. Patty has been AWOL for a long time too---have no idea how she really did AFTER being banded! She was here before!!!

That was part of the reason I suggested cell #'s and personal email on our list, maybe if one of us disappears we can check in. I know last year some were steady, daily posters and overnight just were gone--it leaves a scary, hope they are ok feeling.

Sorry you were sick Betty....I refer to that as the POP diet. Poop Off Pounds! Lousy way to lose it!!

Well I have had a busy morning. I was up late last night....so had full intentions of going back to bed with Kinsey after she got here. My DD made a life change decision yesterday, and rented an apartment for she and Kinsey, the reconcilliation with her ex is not working out. None of us (except her) really thought it would, but now she can move forward without any doubts. But she come in, and visited for awhile about her apartment, and the move etc. She left for work, and 2 minutes later was back. She had a flat tire! Keep in mind this is happening at 5:30 AM! It is 14 degrees out, and dark! So, I took her back to the next town over where she lives right now, to get the jeep so she could get to work! So we had to warm up my car to put Kinsey back in, who was sleeping still. She slept all the way over (15 miles), all the way back, and the last turn on to our road---open popped her eyes....no nap for Granny!!

I think this is a wise move for my DD. She made the decision to go back, based on her health, and wanting Kinsey to have both her parents. But she is not being treated well, and I fully believe he is still fooling around. She admits she thinks so too. So she found a little place about 2 miles from us, a 2 BDR. 1 BA. There are 4 apartments on an acre of land, and the owners place. This one opened up, and she heard of it through a co worker who has a 4 year old DD who lives in one of them. The other 2 are rented to an older man who has lived in his place for 12 years, and a young couple with no children. So Kinsey will have another 4 year old little girl right there.

I want my daughter to do right by my granddaughter, but I hate to see her give up her own life, when I know for a fact she can give Kinsey a good, upbringing, even being divorced----------she herself is proof of that!

She has a good job, an excellent job! Hopefully the oilfield (natural gas actually in her case) stays strong enough for her job to hold on. She has benefits, and can insure them both, and survive if her ex flakes out.

My best friend, Becky---her husband has been sick for about 2 months now. I think I mentioned it back a ways. He had the stomach virus going around, just like you mentioned Betty. Everyone in the house had it, and got over it---except him. Gary had the diarrhea, and it would not stop. He has been to the Dr. umpteen times, to the ER, had a colonoscopy run. They eventually diagnosed him with Ulcerative Colitis. He is 6' tall, and began at 185 - 190 pounds. Well they FINALLY admitted him to the hospital night before last, and he weighs 130 pounds! He is gray. He has not had any nutrition for over a month. Now they finally decided his intestinal tract is too irritated to absorb any of the meds they have been giving him. And to make matters worse, his butt is totally raw, and now has a secondary infection. They have a new Dr. and he believes he is dealing with Crohns Disease, that has ulcerated the colon. He has him on total IV nutrition--nothing but sips of Water by mouth. Hoping to give the intestine a chance to heal. He is receiving IV steroids, and IV antibiotics as well as the fluids and lipids. If none of that works, he is headed for a colostomy!!! Scary business! He looks so bad. He seriously looks like the pictures you see of people in foreign countries dying of malnutrition....or of AIDS patients. His skin is gray, his hair is falling out in clumps. He has kept every appointment, and taken all the meds, but the Dr refused to see the problems! Finally through an ER Dr. they got another Dr. on the case.

Well I am off to get ready to go back to Farmington again, and take my Mom shopping for a white blouse for the church Christmas program. She is in the choir, and Kinsey is a star. They do the program tomorrow night.

Will check in with all of you soon!!!

Feel Better.....color your heart out Sherry.....Pat, Sherry wanted a color book to feel better.....um I think a new Lexus would help my mood immensley!!!!

Love Y'all!

Kat

[HarleyNana 10]

Kat, remember I'm old, I'm not expected to remember everything just right, LOL, so I went back and edited my post, haha.

Lexus.....looks like you're going to be moody for a while, but I will send hugs!

Later gals

[SherryW 4]

Hi Pat, Lindora is an online diet type program but, you can also get weekly coaching sessions too. You use the program to log in your food, Water, exercise, they have daily emails for encouragement and helpful hints, weekly call from your nurse coach, there are forums to chat and medical forums to ask questions and if you want you can order Protein based products from them to put in your program etc. Apparently a woman from this program was at a seminar that my surgeon and his nurse were at and the nurse got to talking with her. So she asked the nurse to recommend 10 lapband patients for the program and they'd get the program and coaching free for 10 weeks. So she offered me a spot and I accepted. Lindora wants feedback on how the program works for lapband patients. I"m sure so they can market it to lapband folks but, I think it's cool. At least I can start it right after my surgery and see how it goes from there. I told Chrispy about it so she contacted our surgeons nurse and the nurse called her back and recommended her for it too. Chris was also accepted into the 10 week program. We're excited to be able to do this together too. She's been struggling with her weight too and thinks this will help her kick back into doing what she's suppose to do too. Hopefully we'll both like the program and work it so we can get the weight moving in the right direction again. I'm excited about starting! I know alot of the products they sell I've had on previous protein based diets and liked them so that will be a big help.

I also signed back up as a Herbalife distributor so I could get DH moving in the right direction too. If anyone is interested in that product you can have my discount on it. I'm not doing it as a business...no desire to do that! I'm busy enough as it is...I did it to get the discount. I lost quite a bit of weight on Herbalife before...then got pregnant with my son lol. It's a Protein Drink based program with herbal Vitamins etc. I'll probably be drinking those shakes right after surgery.

Colored my first page Pat it was relaxing lol. Tonight I think I might hit a crossword puzzle hee hee.

Tomorrow...the baking begins. I have a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough ready to go and I want to make a Red Velvet cake for my friends birthday. Then I might try some sugar Cookies with orange zest in them. Ever have those? OMG.....thank goodness I'm getting this band fixed! This time of year totally scares me! I have to bake though.....got neighbors I give tins/trays to for Christmas. DH is going for a freezing motorcycle ride so I'll keep busy between baking and laundry lol.

Hope you're all doing well. Everyone must be Christmas shopping today with no posts in here. I still have so much more of that to do but, I don't wanna UGH.

[SherryW 4]

Hmm Good morning folks. Where is everyone? I hope you're all enjoying Christmas shopping or something. I can't say I enjoy Christmas shopping...it would be GREAT if I didn't have to have money to do it lol. There is so much I'd love to get folks but, eh gotta keep a budget. Things are tough for everyone. My friends and I agreed to not buy for each other to help each other out instead we got together for a nice dinner and we each made a piece of it. Easy, simple and lots of fun getting together. I just have a few gift cards to get my nephews because they get so much at Christmas I never know what to get them so they can pick something out themselves.

I have a red velvet cake in the oven right now. Made if from scratch too. Never made one before so we'll see how this works out. Making it for my friends birthday, she doesn't know we're coming over with it....her DH does though :tongue2: I called him yesterday to work it out. I baked chocolate chip Cookies yesterday but, I need to finish baking off the rest of the dough.

34 degrees out and DH is out on the motorcycle. NUTS! No way was I going long johns or not lol Too cold burrrrrrr.

What is everyone up to today?

[HarleyNana 10]

Good Morning All,

I'm being lazy as usual, waiting for my girlfriend to call and see if we're doing the Sunday morning BloodyMary bar at the local grill, LOL. I really should stay home and wrap, wrap, wrap, but a few BloodyMarys would probably make wrapping much more fun ;o).

I was thinking about fixing some chili, but I'm out of cans of chili, hahahaha!

Later pals

(I wasn't joking about the chili)

[SherryW 4]

Umm Pat do you add anything to that can of chili? hee hee. Hey if it's what you like, it's what you like no harm in that. Lots of folks like the chili at Wendy's but, I'd prefer my own. I don't like it really spicey so I can control that when I make it myself. I use the recipe on the McCormick packet and it comes out nice. I add a jar or mild salsa too.

Ok really weird nothing in my band....and I'm choking on a cookie. I swear this thing is flipflopping around in there. So frustrating!

[Iluvharleys 15]

Good Morning Y'all!

It's in the mid 70's here but the wind is really high! Of course it is blowing all the leaves in the pool again.

I went Christmas shopping this morning, finished up most of it, just a few more things and I am done! I can't believe the prices this year!

It's almost 1:00 and I haven't done my first load of laundry. I am already tired but I do have to get that done. And, what is DH doing? sleeping on the coach! Men, they have it so darn good!

I do have a pork roast in the oven cooking away so that much is done. I did my floors yesterday, so that is also done.

Sherry I am like you, I like my own chili better, but if I could I would just open a can like Pat! I should learn how to do that! It sure would save me lots of work!

Next week I will probably do some baking. I am going to get my hair done again on the 24th, it is already grown so much! I am ready for it to be shorter again!

Our neighborhood is really pretty with all the decorations. Almost everyone puts up lights and stuff so it is really colorful.

Well, I guess I best get my arse moving or I won't get anything done today. I only have to work 4 days this week, then I am on vacation for a week! I can't wait!

[Iluvharleys 15]

baby it's cold outside!

[HarleyNana 10]

Ok, here's my chili recipe....

Crock Pot

4 cans of steak n Beans chili

2 large cans of diced tomatoes, peeled,

2 packs of McCormick chili mix

a little Water for the chili mix and to get your thickness/consistency to your liking

sea salt to taste and any other seasonins you prefer

Add a little love and you're good to go

[Trishadish 0]

Okay, okay, ladies. You are making me crave Chili! I make mine from scratch. It's always good on a cold day. Yum.

We had our family christmas party on Saturday. It was fun. It easiest for us to do it early since most live out of state (short distances of about an hour or so) and have small children. So, we do the BIG christmas party early. Besides the regular present to mostly my parents and the little ones, I try to give everyone something creative (but not very expensive). This year I got every family member a tee shirt (different color for each family unit) and designed a logo that had all our family names outlining a large circle. Inside the circle, it said, "My family.....we put the FUN in DysFUNctional" Everyone had a good laugh and we took family pictures of each group. The shot taken of my immediate family was blurred, so if another family member took one, I'll get try to post it.

Sunday was my boss' christmas party. Tonight, I have another work function. So, needless to say its been busy and very challenging to healthy ending. :frown:

I think I'm done shopping. Gosh, I hope so.

[signgirl 0]

Just a quick "check-in"....let y'all know I'm still alive, LOL! Pat, Sherry, Betty........think of you guys often. I havn't been doing as will as I should be. Havn't been exercising, Havn't been avoiding the "junk food". Seems like the only food that'll stay down is the junk food. It's so hard to eat lunch at work. I'm sitting there at a table with other co-workers and have a cup or less of food and have to get up halfway and go spit becuse I have a huge mothfull of hard slime. I know that's gross...but there's no-one else that would understand that ('cept maybe you guys!) . When it hurts too much to sit at the table amymore, I have to go spit, and it's usually a "pillar" of hard slime in the toilet...I swear, that stuff is soooooo tuff! I remember one time, Kat, you said something to the effect of " you could stretch it across the room and hang clothes on it!" Boy that's the truth! Once I had a fork in my hand, walking a plate over to the sink, when a little spit wanted to slip out of my mouth...Ugh! So unconciously, I squeegeed it off my lip with the fork. ( I know...too gross again....), but what really blew me away, was the fact that the fork didn't break that "fine hairline" of spit!!!!!! so I pulled the fork away (to break the spit), ad that lie would NOT break! It became facination....a spiderweb-like strand of spit, was so tough that I was able to stand there and wrap that fine strand aroun the fork four times befor it broke!!!!! No wonder it hurts when it gets to be about a half inch, or more, in diameter, and sitting in my pouch and working it's way up my eusophagus (sp?)

Anyway, now that I have totally disgusted everyone (lol)... Again, I'm sorry about the nasty content of this post, and at the same time, thanks for allowing me to feel comfortable enough to share.

[SherryW 4]

Diane....is your band too tight? It worries me that you can't get more than a few bites down. BELIEVE ME you don't want to live like that. If you can't eat good healthy food...and only junk will stay down...GIRL I know that all too well and look what i have to go do now. How much do you have in your band? How long have you had this problem? yes...call me a worry wart but, I learned the hard way and I don't want any of my friends to have to do the same.

[HarleyNana 10]

So Diane, just what were you eating? Just curious if you were trying to eat any bread? I agree with Sherry, you really should have the band looked at, and soon! Please call me, we need to discuss this!

My band has to be the most finicky band, I scheduled a fill last week, because I could eat anything, this week it's working, what gives? I'm on a mission to lose 10 lbs, I even walked a mile on my dreadmill yesterday, but then my foot hurt all day, I think my arch fell :blushing:.

Got up early so I can catch up on my wrapping this morning, hubby's at the beach house playing golf, so it's a good time to getter done.

Hugs