WASaBubbleButt

I got my hair cut, colored, highlighted, etc. for my last reward. But that was $220.00. I'm sure you could get in stages or a cheaper place. Take a trip, most of the places we don't even consider going are within our own state. I live in AZ and have lived here for 22 years and I have yet to go to the Grand Canyon. :eek: Trips don't have to be expensive. Next milestone is a "haunted weekend" with friends. We are going to go to hotels and such for a long weekend that are known to (supposedly) be haunted. There are lots of things you can do. What do you want to do? We might be able to come up with an affordable way to do what you've already been wanting to do.

That would depend on what type of Judiasm he follows. If he follows the strict ancient form it may not be. If he follows more current thinking it would be fine. He'd need to speak with his Rabbi on this one as there is no "one size fits all" answer due to the numerous ways people follow their traditions and beliefs.

Interesting how all these newbies come out of the woodwork at such a convenient time. Funny how that works.

Honestly, I stopped reading at this point. You are getting silly. I wrote ONE comment, Dr. G advertises that his erosion stats are 3-4%. That is a concern to me. Period, that's all I have written and you go into this long diatribe about how evil I am. Honestly, enough. If you don't like your doc's erosion stats take it up with him.

I don't know a lot about him. I know someone that went to him and she adores him but when asked HOW he is good, she just said he's nice and very good looking. He has a good rep, he works out of an actual hospital, he is indeed a nice guy. Very easy to reach via email, and honestly.. that's all I know about him.

When it comes to banding I don't really believe you can research too much. You can't ask enough questions, you can't know too much. There is a great deal to learn to be successful. I don't think it really matters if it is you or your wife posting. You both need to know everything there is to know about banding. You have come to the right place. I agree with TerriDoodle, we have spent so much money on weight loss gimmicks and fads that we just don't believe anything works anymore. There was a poll on this forum some time ago, it was a "Would you do it again" poll. As I recall over 90% of the people said yes, they would. Less than 10% said no, they would not. I don't think everyone is cut out for a band. People that just aren't ready to give up food are not going to be great for banding. A friend of mine has lost 50lbs since surgery. I forget exact numbers now but she lost quite a bit on the pre op and post op diet. She is hardly losing at all now (surgery 2/1/07) but, she isn't ready to give up food. She was in tears at her first fill in fear that she couldn't eat in huge quantities again. She needs a fill now and refuses to get one, she's just not able to wrap her brain around normal portions of food. She's larger than your wife. She eats her 800 calories daily in food and 2000+ calories DAILY in chocolate and crap. She won't get a fill, she won't exercise, she won't make good food choices, she won't chew her food well so she PBs and claims she's too tight. She won't work the band. So the band isn't for everyone. I still have hope for my friend but I'm telling you, it's not a fast process in her case. Matter of fact, I need to PM a person that has been helping me to help my friend. I'm at a loss, I don't know how to support her at this point. Anyway, my point is to keep posting, keep asking the tough questions, keep learning about the band, how it works, how to choose a surgeon, how to do everything. You just can't know too much. Then you and your wife can make decisions. I would read the following links (can't remember if I posted them already): Tracy's FAQ I know the owner of this site and she was banded in Mexico. Much of this is about surgery in Mexico but certainly not the bulk of it. It answers just about every question on banding. LAP-BAND: Surgery Technique Interesting and informative. BMI Calculator A must know for every person considering banding or any WLS. Weight-Loss Surgeries Compared Another must know for newbies. Keep reading, it doesn't matter if it is you or your wife posting. Just make sure you both are as informed as possible.

I'm down 93lbs and 9 to go. I've been out of town and eating all the wrong things this weekend so I'm afraid to weigh today. Amazingly, my scale addiction seems to have eased up a bit today. Funny how that works. HA! Although I ate all the wrong things I PBed on them too so hopefully most of it didn't stay down. :cry

I went out of town with a banded friend of mine, she was banded about six weeks after me but hasn't been working very hard and hasn't lost a lot. But we were talking about this very issue and she just doesn't get it. She keeps saying, "But you can SEE yourself in the mirror, you can SEE with your own two eyes!" I finally reminded her of a 78# anorexic, they SEE 300lbs. She still doesn't get it.

I know we used to be able to change our User IDs but I see the option is no longer there. At least if it is, I'm not seeing it. Is it possible to change it? I just want to close up the space between Bubble (space) Butt. I would prefer not to have it two different words. Can I do this? If not, can a mod do it? Thanks!

Dr. Mike... Thanks! Everyone, Dr. Mike is a good friend of mine. He's doing my own hormone replacement therapy. I'm going to give it a shot. He drew the labs last week and he's a GEM! I adore this man! He was born in England, raised in Barbados, trained as an MD in Mexico, and practices in Nogales. Quite well rounded. His claim to fame is bio-identical hormone replacement therapy. Dr. Mike.. according to a new poll so far about 50% of us are losing anywhere from some to 50% of our hair. Help?? Thanks!

HA! What crackers??

Holy crap, I just sent the email and it dawned on me he'll see my ticker. Oh well, he won't tell.

Makes sense to me. You know, I know someone that is a bit of an expert in hormones. I do believe I'll send him a link to this post and beg on bended knee to respond. Dr. Mike??? Are you out there? (he isn't, he's likely never heard of this forum before but I'll send an email right now)

I wish I had some words of wisdom for you or better yet, a solid answer but I don't. I will tell you one thing. May not mean anything today but it will later. The times you are dealing with today, the embarrassment and the humiliation.. it will pay off in the future. You will form a kind of compassion that those around you just won't get. You will understand things and people in ways others never will. It's like this, when I was growing up both my parents were alcoholics. I knew at a young age I didn't understand what they were going through and I hoped I never did because some things you just have to experience before you can relate. I never wanted to relate to their issues because I never wanted to experience it. Well, today I have experienced being humiliatingly fat. I know the difference in how I am treated fat vs. not as fat. I know how many doors are opened for me in life today vs. yesterday. Most of all, I know how others feel when they are experiencing something like this. I think it is (in part) a wisdom thing. I have something now I didn't have ages ago. I may well never be able to explain the string theory or whatever the heck it is called to little children when I am old and gray but I damn sure can teach compassion and teach others to step in the shoes of someone else. I have a kind of wisdom I would have NEVER had if it weren't for my experiences being fat. I have something that others will never have. If I had to do it over again I would. I know, that sounds crazy. But I am a stronger person and best yet, I am a more wise person because of what I experienced. You can have it while you are a big person, but you have more when you jump the hurdle and lose the weight. It's one of those things that you will experience. I guess my point here is that these horrible times and embarrassing times will indeed pay off someday in the not so far future.

Well, you know... I do have my student license to fly. If we both trust me by that point and if I get my real license, I can fly and push you out of the plane! At least I have a hunch that is what it will take to get me out of that plane! HA!

BJean... Lauren and I may well break bones but damn, we'll look good jumping out of that plane skinny!

I'd have to disagree. This is from the OP: Sounds like exactly what I was thinking when I first heard of the band. Also, the above sounds like typical newbie questions to me. Didn't you ever once wonder if the band was just another weight loss gimmick? I sure did. This person sounds like they are just starting their work on learning about all this and maybe it sounds too good to be true. That's how it sounded to me in the beginning. Still does! LOL

Awwww, don't you think she should at least get my fat clothes? Heh....

I wrote this in another post but I'm going to write it here too. I finally took the plunge and cut my hair. It's shoulder length now and my hair loss has come to a dead stop. Not sure why that is but I don't care. It's stopped. Now waiting for regrowth...

The main protein source is collagen. That is a seriously bad protein.

OMG, I'm LOL in real time!

That's not fair. People come here TO educate themselves about the band. Most docs don't really go into the kind of detail we need to make these decisions. THIS IS the place for people to ask the very questions this person is asking. I think the real negativity is the person that comes here, fully admits they are not chewing well, they are taking bites too big, they are eating too much... they know it and they admit it and then they claim the band is a piece of silicone horror. ORRRRR, the person that eats 6 bowls of ice cream before each meal of Twinkies and claims the band is a failure and doesn't work.

To put it simply, if you were told you had to stand on your head and knit a sweater, that would be a daunting task. However, if you were told that you didn't have to stand on your head...just knit the sweater...it's still work, but it sure looks easier to accomplish! Great comparison! Can I steal that one someday? <!-- google_ad_section_end -->

Yes, that's why I picked a Mexican surgeon for my own surgery. That's why I clearly explain repeatedly that in my personal opinion the best two docs are Aceves and Rumbaut. Perhaps you are not aware but they are both Mexican docs. Wow, I am anti-Mexican docs! I quoted your boss regarding his erosion stats, again... take it up with him, they are his claims and not mine. Dude, you are grasping for straws. The rest of your post is just as silly. Now, didn't I explain to you that I'm not going to argue with you further? Was there something about this that confuses you?

HA! I tried one once. I got it down but I sure didn't keep it down. Gahhh