Evilah

dawneb, what doctors did you check out? I'm stuck right now deciding between dr. hirai/oh and montgomery or miachelson at northwest weight loss surgery. It almost makes me want to try losing weight on my own again! LOL! And my insurance has already given written pre-authorization!!!! Why did you choose dr. srikanth? -Evilah

I didn't know there was a support group that meets at evergreen!! I'm tentatively getting banded at st. francis, where did you get banded? Private message me if you'd like to make a time to meet for coffee. How are you doing? Are you still in pain? Big change isn't it? I'm so nervous! Evilah

I've found vega and ultimate meal to be very filling and energizing. ultimate meal is about half the price of vega. I'm actually not a vegan but whey and soy protein are GROSSS! And they seem poisonous. Soy estrogens and god knows what in conventional whey. I only consume organic dairy products, and mostly from organic valley. Baltic, insubordination, how is pure advantage and ladybird? Does it give you lots of energy?

i se bare escentuals too. I had given up makeup altogether, because I have decent skin and makeup would make me breakout. Bare escentuals is great as long as I wash it off with a gentle soap before bed. (I know they say you can wear it to bed, but if I do that more than once in a while, I breakout)

I just short of skimmed through this thread, because of LB on top. I just wanted to report my many awful experiences with lane bryant retail store. 1. I worked at two different ones. The first one was okay, but discriminated against me because I was white. This may sound outrageous, or unbelievable, but it is true. Check my postscript. The second store sucked generally all around, no discrimination, but the managers were jerks (ladies) and very careless and irresponsible. I quit after being denied a vacation day that I requested and was approved for MONTHS in advance. Why? Because she "lost my paper and forgot". 2. The service at three different stores (in addition to the ones I worked at) has been frequently atrocious. Store a mess, no one around, long lines, not enough cashiers, rude salespeople. 3. They screw up their advertisements and misrepresent on sales frequently. 4. I have had 3 pairs of their stretch jeans pull apart from what looks like dry rot after a month or so of use. No bleach, not too tight, no reason for them to do this. So I go to the Avenue and hope I can lose enough weight not to need to shop at fat stores anymore. Sometimes I think that corporate owners understaff those stores on purpose because the market is cornered, not so much supply, lots of demand for cute retail plus sizes. You can get a size 10 anywhere. But if you want a size 22 in a cute fashion that fits well and isn't outdated, choices are limited. I think they know there are lots of fat women who will pay alot and put up with alot because there are no other choices. My mom always said to try to say at least one thing good about someone (or some organization) if you can, so here it is: Lane Bryant's stretch tees are made of nice fabric, last a long time, are made in a variety of styles and colors, and are frequently on sale. I still occasionally run in there, if I walk by, and there's a good sale on plain stretch tshirts. Evilah ps I had an immaculate employee history, and was really friendly, and overheard the manager say to the assistant manager that another employee would be given more hours because they thought she could bring in more black customers, even though my sales were higher and I was a more reliable employee. !!!!!! I didn't fight it, I just kept quiet and then moved to another store. Is that discrimination? I think it was. I told a thin girl who worked at the second store, and she voiced similar complaints about being given less hours because she couldn't wear the stores' clothes to advertise and customers couldn't "relate" to her. I also chatted up a gay male employee who said he loved working there, and was very happy with the management.

"Vega" and "Ultimate Meal" Both tasty, and mostly sustainable, organice, kosher, and both all vegan.

It's true "was a bubble butt" some of the same symptoms could mean the body is rejecting the band, or that there is erosion or something-- that the band is the problem, not the toxins.

Carlene, It's awesome that your dh is pro pubic hair. Sometimes it creeps me out when guys like women totally bare. It makes me wonder if they might be a pedophile. I'm not accusing anyone, it just makes me wonder, too close to to what a child looks like, you know? my husband likes a "landing strip", which is similar to having well manicured eyebrows, and still looks womanly, not childish, so I'm okay with that. I have a little girl and I'm always trying to protect her, so maybe Im' oversensitive about the pedophile thing!!! Maybe I can understand normal men who like it bare, but my husband doesn't so I try not to think about it. Evilah.

Actual chart notes. Doctors should weigh you at visits, and that's what the insurance company wants, a sheet from a chart with the date, your name, and your weight. Come to think of it, I didn't give my doctor a detailed weight history. I was supposed to but I neglected it (not on purpose, I'm a mom and have so much to do). evilah

I'm really nervous about the clear liquid diets because artificial sweeteners, even the slightest bit, give me headaches. It's a combination of sensitivity to the chemical and need for sugar. Anyone else suffer this? Any advice to offer? Evilah

fat soluble toxins: Parabens (preservatives in cosmetics, food, etc.) Estrogen Mimickers, and estrogen itself (Birth control pills, dioxin from water/air, pthalates from plastics even polyethylene plastics 4,5,1,and2 but especially from polycarbonate plastics) Solvents (alcohols such rubbing alcohol, benzene -soft drinks with benzoate and citric acid-, various alcohols used in shampoos and cosmetics), Air pollution from cigarettes and cars, but ESPECIALLY cars (PAH's polyaromatic hydrocarbons). :mad: Water pollution (Pesticides, etc.) Im' assuming most people don't expose themselves to pesticides, but then someone buys them. There's so many more successful natural ways to deal with pests than pesticides. If you live near a cotton field, or even near any other farm where crop dusting is used, you probably have bad exposure to these sorts of chemicals) If it is fat soluble, whatever does not get deconstructed and made excretable by your liver, or absorbed by Fiber (and excreted as a solid) in your gut) goes right into your fat cells. Plus, heavy metals can get stuck there too if they form a complex with a molecule (one that is fat soluble on one end, and can chelate a heavy metal on the other end). I know for sure that they get stuck in your liver cells, and won't come out unless you use chelation therapy. MINI RANT: Most people go on and on about the dangers of tobacco, but here's the deal, your daily commute exposure or exposure if you live near a highly trafficked roadway or freeway is as bad or worse than smoking a cigarette. It has been proven repeatedly that such exposure increases heart disease, decreases childern's intelligence, and causes respiratory problems such as COPD. Google it. I live in Washington, and my response to their no smoking ban, was that there are from more people smoking their tailpipes right into my lungs than cigarettes. I have asthma, and second-hand smoke will irritate me, but diesel fumes or burning oil will send me to the hospital. I have a really hard time being civil to other people who talk about how "healthy" they are, and concerned about other people, then putt away in their poison puffing vehicle. If you drive a vehicle with bad exhaust PLEASE PLEASE fix it, or if you don't know find out. There are so many people whose lives are made miserable by car exhaust. Chimney smoke is pretty bad too, because of the large particles it contains. I drive a newer honda 4 door honda civic which has near zero emissions, and as soon as I've saved up the down payment, I am purchasing a prius which has virtually zero emissions. I shove my large body into a newer smaller car, even though I could afford to drive a larger more comfortable slightly older larger car, because I can't drive something that I know makes me sick, and others too.

Someone was posting earlier about community MRSA. I am one of those evil people who carry it around. I spent 6 months in a transplant ICU with family member, and that's where drug-resistant bugs get started. In immuno-supressed people who need tons of antibiotics/anti-fungals to stay alive. I'm pretty sure I've got it living on my skin along with all the regular staph aureus. I feel guilty about it. My family member died, btw. Makes you wonder if transplants are worth it at all.

For those who got banded at st. francis, or nwwls, how did they seal your incisions? glue? stitches? staples?

:help: I am having the hardest time making a decision about where to get my surgery done. Now that I have insurance pre-authorization, I really want to get it going. Plus Ihave a toddler, and I will have help in June with her, so that's the best time for me to get my surgery done. If I switch to NWWLS I don't know how far off they will push my surgery, but they are so close to my house! ! I didn't know that they were so good until I read all of the posts here, so I went with the center of excellence (dr's oh and hirai). I would be glad to get comments/posts from anyone who can help me with this decision!?!?! thanks, evilah

Jen/Miss Wolfy, I live in near you! If you come back by here, please private message me! thanks!

<p>Is there a support group for NWWLS bariatric surgery patients? I am tentatively getting banded at st. francis but live north of seattle</p> Okay, I am editing this post! I read through this ENTIRE thread, and found several support groups through yahoo and different surgery centers. I did my intake with Dr. Hirai on the 18th of april, and my endoscopy is scheduled for next friday. My insurance gave me pre-authorization today, but after hearing all the great stuff about NWWLS (which is very close to my house) I'm wondering if I should switch and stay closer. I chose st. francis because it s a center of excellence according to the American Society for Bariatric Surgery. I like that Dr. Oh is very strict though, I believe that people who stick to stricter liquid diets at the beginning experience better results, less slippage, erosion, and more weight loss long term. HI EVERYONE!!!! -Evilah

If Dr. MacMahon banded you at Steven's hospital in Seattle please post here!

Ultimate Meal Replacement is the name. It's a powder and you blend it with fresh fruit and water. it's amazing . tastes ok and keeps your bowels moving.

I think my thread is maybe out of place, would a moderator fix it? I didn't look at the food forum before I posted it.

My liquid diet time is coming up. 10 days before, 6-8 weeks afterwards. I'm going to be on liquid meals for a long time, and I have started a chart comparing them on my computer. Any suggestions for me to try?

laurend, I have nearly popped my knee out of socket and once pulled a muscle giving myself a pedicure. LOL. wearing my husbands glasses help me magnify the area and see details so far away! LOL Carlene, I used to get my eyebrows threaded at this great salon in houston called aisha's. can't find another one here in seattle. My eyebrows never look so good as they did when they were threaded. I don't trust a waxer, and have trouble getting it right tweazing. The threads trim and pluck at the same time... amazing! enterprise, I want to have laser hair removal too, but my mom (wound nurse) told me that killing your body hair causes healing problems for those areas of your body. Hair follicles create growth factors that seep out into your skin and help you heal if you get a cut or bruise or something and if you kill the follicles you just don't heal as well from any skin injury. Just an fyi, even knowing this I'm still debating getting some laser hair removal, like my bikini line! I'd never do my underarms because they're too easy to shave and I think shaving scrapes off the dead skin cells along with the stink and any deodorant hanging around. laura, I need to get an eyebrow razor. I think I've seen, but never paid much attention. I bought my husband a manual nosehair trimmer. its a little cylinder with slots that you stick in your nose, then you squeeze the lever and the internal razor trims all of the hairs that stick into the slots. Very cool, I thought.

Dry hair-- I only wash it twice a week, with garnier. It has the highest amount of silicone in it which protects hair and makes it look shiny without look greasy. I also do a deep treatment ONLY on my ends when they look like they need it. WHEETSIN! I am a nail junky. I love having my nails perfectly painted and filed and I like to do it myself. I love to use orly rubberized bonding base coat for two things: as a basecoat, it prevents chipping, makes my manicure last 7-10 days. I do two top coats. I learned how to use a cuticle nipper and my home manicures and pedicures look a million times better and last longer. I use homemade body butter for my feet (shea, cocoa, and coconut butter with sweet almond oil and jojobo oil, essential oil too if I want fragrance, and I don't forget to add a few nutrients like vit. e to nourish)

Asking for a tip! I want to plant some approx. 24 inch plants in a narrow (18 inch bed) close to the house under the overhand. I want to plant lavendar but I don't know if it will grow. It's part shade, well drained, semi-moist soil any suggestions? evilah

Wonder if I can make a surgery date in may???!? probably not! insurance approved, endoscopy and surgery date scheduled next week. evilah

;Hi, What is this group? About finding clothes, I have tailored so much of my own clothes to make them smaller. (during my weight loss attempts of the past) A used sewing machine and a library book go a long way if you like working with your hands and have a bit of time. evilah