jena

I made mine for the 16th too! My appt is at 1:00. Maybe we'll get to rendezvous!

Hey Dawn, did you make your appointment yet? I forgot to bring the phone number with me but I've got it to call tomorrow. I hope they have an opening for this weekend! Do you know how much for the second fill?

Julie, my friend, it's time for you to learn a life lesson that I learned at an early age. When some idiot comes at you with something like "go on a diet" they are expecting you to slink away and hide under a rock. What they don't expect is for you to turn it back on them. Instead of coming up with something equally as smart as he said, point out to him and whoever is listening how stupid he is. My favorite retort in that situation is "Is that all you've got? Go on a diet? You're endangering your dog and all you've got is "go on a diet?" You should thank me for not calling the police." The fact is that you ARE on a diet. Everyone who sees you can see that you are overweight. You need to own that. We can't hide our excess pounds like an alcoholic can hide their problem. If some idiot says something like that, it should be a "duh" moment. Ask him to repeat what he said. Ask him again. People who heard him the first time may snicker at what he said to you, but imagine you prompting him to say it over and over again. It puts the focus on what an idiot he is. All of a sudden people will be laughing at HIM because he's such a jerk. He might as well have JERK tattooed on his forehead. Have you ever read any quotes of Friedrich Nietzsche? His most famous is "That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger." It is so true in this situation. Another one I think you might like is "No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." If you own yourself and your body, words like that won't hurt you. Watch this clip of Steve Martin in the movie "Roxanne" and learn how to treat a bully. This clip taught me a lot. http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=tWNLhptltBg Jena - waxing philosophically

I was just making a note to myself to make an appointment ASAP! What day are you shooting for? I'm hoping they have something this Saturday. If not then next Saturday.

I love the Mike and Juliet show in the mornings. One of their regular features is "This for that" where they feature one meal and/or snack and then show another meal/snack that has about the same calories and less fat. For instance, instead of the Riblet dinner (Ribs, beans, fries and slaw) from Appleby's you could have the Quesadilla burger, tomato basil soup, steak portabello, Calif. shrimp salad, AND the Tillapia! That's ALL of them! Not only that, the second option has almost 30g less of fat! Take a look at the features that are labeled "This for that" http://www.mandjshow.com/category/videos/health/

Just some random thoughts... If you are in the States, contact your State Insurance commissioner's office. See if someone from there can intervene on your behalf. What kind of life insurance did you apply for? There is probably a better chance if you look for term insurance. You can ask for an exclusion for your high bp maybe. Find out from the insurance company if you can appeal now, or how long the waiting period is. Every company where I've worked offers a minimum life insurance policy for free and you can obtain higher coverage and/or coverage for your spouse for a low cost per $10 thousand over the basic policy the company gives you. Maybe you and/or your husband already have this through your job so check that out. Finally, if all else fails, take the money that you would have spent for the policy and open a Roth IRA and deposit it every month. Hopefully you will live a long and happy life AND have a nice sized retirement account too! Jena

Cathy you are looking great!! I've finally started losing again. Yippee! I need to post a new picture of me, I got my hair cut shorter and highlighted on Saturday and everyone is telling me how much younger it makes me look! If I had known it would make me look younger, I would have gotten it cut shorter a long time ago!

I'll put this in the recipes area, but I want to make sure all of my band friends see it. When I cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts they always come out kinda dry and tasteless. Not long ago I had a grilled chicken breast from Zaxby's and it was so moist and tasty. I wondered why I couldn't grill a chicken breast and have it come out like that. I did some digging and I found the answer to my question!! Brining. It's really easy and there are tons of recipes on the internet. Here's what I did, 1 1/2 tablespoons non-iodized salt 1/4 cup sugar (white or brown) 8 cups water Dissolve the salt and sugar in the water. Then I added 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts. I let them soak in the brine for about 45 minutes. (The recipe says you can leave it in from 30 minutes to 8 hours in the fridge) Then I got the grill really hot and threw on the chicken right from the brine. I cooked them until they were a nice caramel brown on the outside (turned them once) The sugar gives them a nice color. Then I put them on a plate and covered with foil so they can cool down and finish cooking. I couldn't believe it! They were so moist on the inside I didn't have any problem eating small bites! No gagging or PBing. It seems like chicken is a problem for most of us. Give brining a try! If you try it, let me know how it turns out. The recipes say brining is good for pork too.

First she tells you what you did was unnecessary and then she tells you not to get an attitude? What GALL! Here's my "what I wish you said", "Don't get an attitude? I don't have an attitude, it's just that you're a stupid be-otch and it's a shame that there is no operation to cure that. Maybe if you just try harder to change you will."

Don't worry about your sleep apnea during surgery. Your breathing will be monitored. If your spending the night at the OCC, bring your machine with you. About the diabetes, just make sure to monitor your sugar closely after surgery.

This incident has nothing to do with being overweight and having lap band surgery. Instead of being assertive and telling people it is none of their business, or it's a private matter she chose to lie. Just because someone asks you something personal about yourself, you are not obliged to give an answer and neither do you have to lie just to satisfy them with an answer. The money came from a fund, not from her fellow employees having a bake sale. You apply, you present your case and you are awarded money if there is a need. The same with the vacation being donated to her. I would be REALLY pissed if I donated a few days of my paid leave only to find out they lied about why they needed them. No matter if I would have donated if I knew the real reason, by lying she took away my choice to give her my leave. You cannot be discriminated against because of health reasons. You can be fired for lying and taking money under false pretenses. Think about that $1000 she took from that fund. How would you feel if your child fell ill and you needed some money to make ends meet and you found out someone took the last $1000 available from the fund and they had lied about their circumstances? This whole thing makes me so angry.

Fan-freaking-tastic!!!!

I have a VG band (holds 10cc's) and the amount used for the fill is greater than for the 4cc band. Mine actually had 1cc in it when I was banded. 3.6cc's were added for my first fill giving a total of 4.6cc's. Here's the thing, no one can guess how many fills/unfills a person is going to need. Paying for the band is only the start of your expenses. You absolutely have to line up aftercare and be prepared to pay for the fills. If you cannot comfortably pay for the fills, I would recommend putting off the surgery until you can. In order to work the band must be filled to your "sweet spot". If it's not you won't be losing weight. Jena

I guess since we're on the subject of all of these dangerous food additives that the FDA is being paid off to approve, Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) should be mentioned. see the official web site for the full story http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html some excerpts: What are some uses of Dihydrogen Monoxide? Despite the known dangers of DHMO, it continues to be used daily by industry, government, and even in private homes across the U.S. and worldwide. Some of the well-known uses of Dihydrogen Monoxide are: # as an industrial solvent and coolant, # in nuclear power plants, # by elite athletes to improve performance, # in the production of Styrofoam, # in the development of genetically engineering crops and animals, # as a spray-on fire suppressant and retardant, What you may find surprising are some of the products and places where DHMO is used, but which for one reason or another, are not normally made part of public presentations on the dangers to the lives of our family members and friends. Among these startling uses are: * as an additive to food products, including jarred baby food and baby formula, and even in many soups, carbonated beverages and supposedly "all-natural" fruit juices * in cough medicines and other liquid pharmaceuticals, # as a preservative in grocery store fresh produce sections, # in the production of beer by all the major beer distributors, # in the coffee available at major coffee houses in the US and abroad Most important of all; What are some of the dangers associated with DHMO? Each year, Dihydrogen Monoxide is a known causative component in many thousands of deaths and is a major contributor to millions upon millions of dollars in damage to property and the environment. Some of the known perils of Dihydrogen Monoxide are: * Death due to accidental inhalation of DHMO, even in small quantities. * Prolonged exposure to solid DHMO causes severe tissue damage. * Excessive ingestion produces a number of unpleasant though not typically life-threatening side-effects. * DHMO is a major component of acid rain. * Gaseous DHMO can cause severe burns. * Contributes to soil erosion. * Leads to corrosion and oxidation of many metals. * Contamination of electrical systems often causes short-circuits. * Exposure decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes. * Found in biopsies of pre-cancerous tumors and lesions. * Given to vicious dogs involved in recent deadly attacks. * Often associated with killer cyclones in the U.S. Midwest and elsewhere, and in hurricanes including deadly storms in Florida, New Orleans and other areas of the southeastern U.S. * Thermal variations in DHMO are a suspected contributor to the El Nino weather effect. Anyone out there get my point? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

I read somewhere years ago that Dolly Parton had roses tattooed over her hysterectomy scar and I thought that was so cool! I've been thinking lately that I would have that done when I have a tummy tuck. Thanks for the picture! It looks great! I love it.

Well, Will, she is on team CRAPtastic! My Dell did the same thing Mona and I was able to get through to them. It died within days of my warranty! They sent out a shipping box the next day, I put my computer in it and sealed it up and gave it back to the driver (they included the mailing label) and sent it back with the delivery guy. That was a Tuesday and it was in my hands on Thursday! I used the online support to report the problem. Have you tried that route?

Chances are it's because you are eating more protein than carbs. It's typical in a low carb diet and eventually subsides. Like the others said, drinking and drinking and drinking water will help with the problem.

Cathy, She had it before the band in an attempt to lose weight. I've never heard of using lipo to lose weight. Giving a 12 year old lipo to lose weight is shocking, but then I think about my 12th year and how horrible it was because of my weight. If lipo and/or banding were available when I was 12 I would do anything in my power to get my parents to let me do it.

It will be on again at 11:00 pm EST on TLC. I was surprised that Brook had lipo before being banded. I had never heard that before. I see her mom here from time to time and I hope everything is going great for Brook. I saw on the net that her sister got the band as well. I hope she is doing great too. Brook is in one part of the story meeting with an overweight young girl who was grossly overweight and was giving her support as one young girl to another. Brook's mom, do you have any information on how the young girl in the show is doing? Jena

I've had high blood pressure since I was 14. That's 36 years y'all. On my meds I usually run a high normal, 130/90 or close to that. I had my fill last week, about 2 months post op and my bp was 117/58 (or somewhere in that neighborhood). I'm going to see my doctor in a couple of weeks so he can determine if I can go off of one of my meds. I've lost a ton of weight before, but it has never really changed my bp. It runs in my family. I think it has more to do with the placement of the band than actually losing weight. There was a segment on 20/20 or one of those shows that talked about how bariatric surgery causes almost immediate drop in bp as well as normalizing blood sugar. Jena

Isn't this true of any diet? As soon as you stop, you gain the weight back. I've seen this said about Atkins all the time, but Atkins shouldn't be singled out as a diet that makes you gain weight as soon as you go off of it. >

Don't worry Julie, he's been reported. It doesn't make me angry, I feel pity for people like him who have such a sad and lonely life that they will do anything for attention. Pity him, don't be upset.

You should find out soon if you didn't get all of your fill. It's so noticible after it's done when you eat. Everyone has there own rules about what to do after getting fills, so if I were you I would stick to Dr. O's rules since he did the surgery. The zoo sounds fantastic!!!! Jena

You lost all stomach and kept your boobs. Stinker.

Cathy, the first reaction when something gets stuck is to eat or drink something to try and push it on through, but that is NOT what to do! You have to wait it out until the food goes through. As you found out the hard way (as did I) if you add more on top of it it will just come back up.