Will T

I suggest you click on the link in the upper right hand of this page that says "My Controls", then go down to the lower left to "Manage ignored users" and include anyone you feel has been negative and rude in posts. The words they type will NOT APPEAR for you. It worked wonders for me!! We are all in it together, and once the sourness is gone, the rest of us will escort each other on this journey. Remember... go to your profile page and block anyone you feel isn't helping you. There are TOO MANY AWESOME posters in here to allow people you feel are hurting your efforts to drag you down. Bill

So a french vanilla chocolate sundae with those luscious wet walnuts, whipped cream and a cherry was not a good thing?? my bad. It sure TASTED good.

Every time it happens to me, I go back to normal routine. It's the one issue that messes me up, not the routine.

I personally think it was the Def Leppard music that caused it. You should be back to normal within three days of the concert.

LOL... a lot less calories than the real chocolate!

Yep! Bandgropie has my vote too!!!

All right... I've sent requests to all you girls to be friends, and have confirmed a few already.... I love to send chocolates, so expect some. Bill

Facebook is the grown-up version of MySpace. I'm at Bill Willard (look at Cathy's page, or search for me under friend search)

I am!

Storms, you might also want to contact your local Council for the Aging, or similar entity in Portland. They can advise you on your legal rights and might give you other ideas based on the laws of your area. Time shifts are tragic for older adults. My grandmother began that in her final years also. She began to tell us things our family had never heard before, about events from her early teens about her life, and surprisingly they ended up being true, as far as we can tell. She ACCURATELY told us the score of the homecoming football game from 1925, and what happened in the game (this was in 1997). Do contact one of the agencies that deal with the elderly. They have seen what you're experiencing, and can tell you the smartest ways to address it. Keep me informed. Bill

Josefa started my IV. It was painless. I also tend to have difficulty with technicians starting IVs. Josefa was one of the best, if not THE best person to start the IV I've EVER had.

Stormy, my father in law died in a house fire on June 2. My sister in law separated from her husband and moved in to "take care of him". He was in poor health, and began to use his funds to improve her life style (expensive cell phone plans, new car, insurance, laptop, credit card bills, etc) to the tune of $20K since September through the end of May. No. You should NOT feel the least bit of guilt. You established a LOAN to pay for your life-change. You are PERFECTLY within your rights as a daughter and sister to ask for an accountability of your mother's assets, including copies of bank statements and any credit activity. You can start with "Let me sit with you and look at the bank statements, because according to my calculations, there should be enough there for mom's medicine and more. Show me where I'm mistaken." Also, if there is another plea for money, it should be understood that both of you (you and your sister) should be contributing to the account for that purpose. If you provide $100, then she should also. But my opinion is that YOU are entitled to do things for YOU. You aren't WASTING your money, you are addressing HEALTH issues BEFORE they get out of control. For that, you should be commended. Secondly, a sister should not be telling you what to do with your money. It seems from what you've written that you haven't been discussing HER finances with her. In our situation, there has been tension caused because of all the wasted money of my father in law. $20K over 9 months is painful to look at. Because the sisters did NOT begin this process while the father was still with us, there is little that can be done at this point short of establishing poor familial relations that would destroy a once-close family. I suggest you attack the problem at the source. Exercise your right to examine the finances of your mom, and do so with your sister present for her to explain where the mom's funds are going (and have gone). And DON'T let your sister run the guilt gauntlet around you. Good luck, Bill

me three... i can't get in either.

Alana, point to your butt. Say "Kiss it now while it's big. Soon it will be smaller than yours." Then be proud of your commitment. It takes STRENGTH to make an $8K commitment that is for a lifetime, not just until the next fad pops up. I'm proud of you for not decking her right then and there, and even MORE proud of you for your commitment!!

Give it some time. I had my first fill at 5 1/2 weeks also, and a second fill a month later. I was filled with 5 cc in a 10 cc band the first time, and noticed restriction. For me, restriction felt like I was stuffed (like after Thanksgiving dinner) after eating less than I used to eat. It takes a little while (I am surmising this part) for my body to adjust to the different amounts and limits, and at the point where my weight plateaus - stays the same - it's almost time for another fill. The second fill was 1.4 cc additionally with the original 5 cc (total of 6.4 cc) and tonight, for example, I could only eat half of a small calzone (I used to eat an entire large myself). I just felt stuffed. If nothing else, my eating out bill has decreased dramatically, and my weight is going down slowly. And I am happy with the fact that I am FULL so quickly. Good luck with yours... give it a little time. Ask OCC when you can get your second fill, and plan on asking them to be a little more aggressive.

Michelle, remember if he (your significant other) doesn't support you on your procedure, we are all here for you. When you become the bombshell you want to be, and ALL the men are lining up to talk to you, I'll bet he changes his tune. AmberLam posted this on May 23 (under the thread entitled 'priceless') Cost of Lap Band weight loss surgery: $8,000 Round trip air fare to San Diego to have Lap Band surgery: $500 Monthly follow-up visits for my local Fill Center USA doctor: $85 Seeing the look on my EX-fiance's (the one who dumped me 5 days before the wedding, when I was at my highest weight and after being together over 6 years!) face after loosing 105+ pounds........ PRICELESS (my compliments to AmberLam once more for giving us this wonderful Kodak moment)

G'day mate! You made a bonza decision getting the band. (I've got a wonderful friend in SA, near Adelaide, and she's taught me ALL the best terms, including 'crikey'.) Another possibility for you is to look for a nutrition store nearby. We have them here, called GNC (General nutrition company) and they sell all sorts of food supplements. A store like this one should have that product, or at least a parallel product that would accomplish the same objective. About the questions... no worries.... keep right on asking them! Bill

Glad I could help. I do group presentations in two areas, one of course is Titanic (I'm approaching 400 presentations now) and Civil War Battles, one of which is Gettysburg. I incorporate the photos I take into the powerpoints, and show the areas of discussion as they look today. It's tough to do Gettysburg in one day, but start EARLY! Most of the photos I take feature other people. Because of my self-consciousness, I seldom appear in any family pictures. I guess it's a by-product of being large. I think, when I'm down to my target weight, I will visit these places again, and this time, appear in some of the photos. Have a great time, mona... when you're there, please give my regards to the Armistead point (where he died at the copse of trees) and the memorial at Little Round Top.

Luck, and prayers for you, vix. Please let him see a few of these threads, with the photos, and how the band has changed our lives. Let him see the confidence we all have in Dr. Ortiz. That may let him see that you aren't just being impulsive. Again, luck... and prayers. He may shine through and let his love for you outweigh (bad pun, I know) his paradigms. Bill

The first of the two movies (though it was released afterwards) is "Gods and Generals". When my mom found a lost great-great grandfather's burial spot (he died in an early civil war battle), Gods and Generals was on hiatus, and several reenacting groups came over for the service at the old Confederate cemetary. It was quite moving to see the Gray marching in with drums, battle flags, and men who looked like real soldiers. Gods and Generals showed two major battles where my ancestors participated. It was a learning experience, and a humbling one.

We stayed at the Frederick, Maryland Courtyard near the Francis Scott Key Mall. It was a 25 minutes (or so) drive to Gettysburg, and a pleasant one at that. Take the bus tour, and if the weather is right, ride on the top. See the best places to stop at, then drive your car along the route. Then you can spend all the time you want to at a particular location. I spent a lot of time at the copse of trees, and Little Round Top, and at the different monuments of interest. General Joshua Chamberlain and General Lew Armistead are heroes of mine from the event. I traced several SC and NC units to their locations (with family ties to both states) and followed the progression of the days. I advise watching the movie "Gettysburg" and see the story. I spent a long time at the memorial with the statue of Robert E. Lee (being from the south) which is at the location of the start of Pickett's charge. To think that 15,000 men could stand shoulder to shoulder, and march straight forward into the Union best, firing at will... it shows incredible courage.

I used the wireless at the hotel, but did not take my laptop to the occ. There are computers there, available for use. I either walked or slept the entire time I was there and only went on the computer to do a testimonial. I enjoyed taking the laptop out by the Lucerna pool though. It was relaxing and I put it up as Renee, her Darryl, and Lynn came out and we had a great time talking to each other.

Atta girl!!!! Way to go!!

I saw no cost differentiation for the bands. As far as I know, the cost is the same at OCC no matter which band you use. I wanted Fleetwood Mac or Evanescence, but ended up with 10cc. (I know... Paula is about to throw something at me for that one, but it was THERE... I couldn't resist.....)

Me too, Don... I went into Victoria's Secret to shop for some undies too... but they were ALL cut oddly compared to the boxers I wear now. It was almost like I was wearing that blue paper thong once more... Then one of the ladies who work there shared that Victoria's Secret only carries women's attire.... believe me when I say I was QUITE embarassed. PS> The ones I tried on fit, and were... ooooo la la.