youknowit

Check out the thread entitled: Any one use Dr. Daniel Huacuz-Tijuana? Though it's not completely about this subject, on the last couple pages of the thread, there is a recent discussion of this clinic. Best in your search...

lisa and kare -- you two kick butt... and i'll see what i can come up with in the offense department. hmmm. can't think of anything (yet!). hehe. ps -- kare -- do tell us about the date! hope it went great, and you're all madly in love as we speak!

hey all... thanks for the clarification. got it and i appreciate the help. i seriously feel like i've offended some people with my clearly stupid questions. again, i apologize. (ps - glad you like the name kare, love yours too... everytime i see it, i think of the Care Bear Stair... I loved those cuties when i was a kid).

ReneBean -- you are right about the "investigational" or "experimental" thing... that's what I was told by my insurance. They don't like to cover the bypass either, but they figure if they offer that, enough people will be scared s-less of it, to say "nevermind"... and move on. My Dr. told me this is common. Sorry you got the No on the band... I hope they will change their minds. They won't here... Maybe in the future.

I wasn't saying don't talk about it... just wanted to know. It seems like PBing is common, and all I'm really concerned with is... can I avoid it in general? I'm still in this phase of deciding on what doc to use, not whether or not to get the band. I will do this, I just want to have as much amo as I can going in, so I appreciate your bringing this up. Sorry if I offended you.

Thank you for the sermon... I hate to say this, but I seriously think the reason a lot of docs are using the "bait and switch" to bypass is money. I know my friends mom who got bypass paid over $30,000. Clearly, the band does not cost (and thus make) this much money. True enough, the band patient does have to come in again and again... but let's face it, when we hear of the bypass patients who restretch their pouch (and regain most, all or more weight) this might be something that could be monitored and/or avoided by having to see the Doc. Just my two cents... Hang in there KAT72... if you don't feel comfortable with your current drs. office... find another. You don't owe them anything. Take care...

I've been wondering about these things too... Glad someone asked (I'm still pre-band). Can I add one question... Are you always aware of your band and port (physically I mean)? Or, does it become just like a part of you overtime...not thinking about it much? Just curious.

This thread is scaring me (I'm not banded yet). Is this something I have to "look forward to" or can it be avoided? Tried "bulemia" in high school...not wanting to try it (in any form) again. Help! :think

Well, when I was a child/teen and was in every sport, and worked out (literally) 3-4 hours PER DAY I wasn't fat... but truly, I was never thin. Scarily enough, in that "workout" or "excercise" time, I would go to PE one hour per day, go to sports practice for two hours per day, and psychotically, would go home and do aerobics, or go back to the gym and work out for another hour (sometimes more, sometimes less... who's counting at this point). I think I had excercise bulimia. I ate horribly, or wouldn't eat at all. I was told on so many occasions, "you have a pretty face, but..." and we all know what that means. If you weren't fat, or at least were thinner, you'd be "pretty"... whatever. I didn't gain the freshman 15 in college, I gained the freshman 50 (yes, fifty my first year, and then I just kept going). Kept gaining and gaining. It doesn't help that my step-mom (she's thin, tall, was a Miss America contestant -- seriously), she kept saying to me "no one wants to hire a fat person," and "you'll never be successful if you're fat"... You get the idea. Now that I'm in my late 20s, I've sort of plateud (in the 220s/230s), I go up a little, down a little, but a lot of this weight got this bad from dieting and obsessive behaviors (with the eating, excercise,etc). It doesn't help that my mom is HUGE (I am very, very worried, she's got to be 400 or more... I'm really scared about that). My dad isn't thin or even close. My brother is about the same height as me and weighs even more (I'm 5'1, he's 5'4). All my grandfathers brothers and sisters are very large and have diabetes, etc. So my mind, pressure, genetics, all that is "probably" why I'm fat. I've gotten the counseling and help I need in that area. Now, I'm moving towards fixing the physical fat with the band. Here's to my success (and all those negative nellies can kiss my future tiny little a--!!!).

YOU GO GIRL!!! thanks for the shout-out truth!

GYTM, I know how you feel with the downs of life; it's unfortunate it has to happen, but this to will pass. Do you have anyone you can talk with face to face? You are going through a lot, and there's no shame in going to a neutral person, like a counselor, to get some of the troubles off your shoulders. Of course, we here on LBT are behind you. I'm going to continue watching The Biggest Loser too, but only because my friend is on there. She's been trying to lose the weight off and on for a long time. I keep telling her she's doing great, because seriously, she lost over 100 lbs on her own... now she's going for more, which is great, but I feel that show is very unrealistic in it's methods (if we all had 2-5 hours of our day to spend excercising, well, if we actually did it... wouldn't we be a lot thinner too?)... And yes, that Jillian lady is a b... you know the rest. I was thinking of starting a thread about this show, to see what people think, how they feel about it... What do you think? Hope you're doing better... Hang in there my friend!

Good info. Since missy4gordon just got her surgery a month ago, she wouldn't be filled already, right? Curious to know... Hope you get better soon Missy! ps -- do you have allergies? i get a hack from that, off and on all year...

GYTM-- How come you're depressed? The eating...tomorrow (or today) is another day... a major cliche, but hey, sometimes they help. Let me tell you something really scary... I was watching TV this past week, and I kid you not, I saw a good friend of mine from home (I moved away a few years ago) on a show... Of all the shows, it was The Biggest Loser. Ahhhhh. Now isn't that scary? hehe

Oops...Thanks!

Cool. Is this who you're going with then?

McGraw-addict, Did you ever find out if Rumbaut is Inamed certified. If you don't mind me asking, how much is his office charging? If you want to PM me with that info, that's cool too. Thanks!

you know it... i'll be right over! (vegas traffic, allowing, of course).

I love that everyone on here is free and able to express themselves; it is truly amazing, and unique. Not everyone has this luxury. I wanted to keep out of this, but I just have to say vinesqueen was reading my mind, and I'm with you sister! In my HUMBLE opinion, the most troubling line of the Paul Harvey quote is that he is so ethnocentric that he doesn't even bother or care to do his homework... no one at a ping-pong match in China is saying a "prayer to buddah"... especially when people in Tibet are being murdered daily for doing such! I also find it troubling that people don't know where the pledge came from... I encourage everyone to look it up and do our homework (that's the teacher in me coming out). History is so important. It plays into everything, all day, everyday. Just my humble two, three and four cents.

I am so glad to see someone talking about this, as I've been having a really hard time with this issue; to tell, or not to tell. I feel like I need to talk with/ tell someone, but there's not one person in my life I feel I can talk to about it without the requisite stuff you mentioned (the easy way out, just stop eating, blah blah blah). DeLarla has been of great help to me in talking with me about this, and all of you on LBT give me hope and courage to get my butt in gear. It is seriously weird, but I was with a group of friends recently as well where this topic came up over dinner, and I kept my mouth shut about any of it, until one of my friends husbands said "god, i don't get why this is such a big deal. just stop eating. it's really pathetic that people can't just stop eating. it's just willpower and laziness" I flipped. I didn't say why. I told him "aren't you the one who went on Jenny Craig with your wife for oh, one week, and you bitched the whole time? If it's so (blanking) easy, what's your problem?" He shut up and didn't say anything else about it. I turned to his wife, my friend and said, "you don't have to put up with this shit." and that was that. (as a side note, my friend is over 400 lbs and has indicated in many conversations that she would like to get the band, and he's been rude about it everytime, but this was my wits end.) Everyone else seemed like, whoa, you told the truth. One person gave me the thumbs up, but they ALL kept quiet. I was so upset. I clearly cannot tell any of these people about this. And you know, it makes me a little sad, because I want to say to my friend, we can do this together, but that won't happen. So the end of my dissertation is this... I'm not telling one single person that is already a member of my friend/family circle. The only people who will know is you guys on LBT. I'm starting to accept this fact, and move on to getting myself in gear. Glad to find out I'm not the only one. -- angie

Read Big Sur. My favorite book by Kerouac. It's nuts! Try Ginsberg in addition to Burroughs, and you'll be "On the road" with your discovery of the Beats.

If you do a search for the name Pleatman, you'll see there are lots of threads referring to him, and his patients.

Wondering if you made your decision on which band yet, and if your doc is charging less for the MID vs the LAP (Inamed) Band? Very interested in hearing your thoughts.

Thanks for the help, ladies! I think the one thing you said that is driving it home for me is the pain/pressure that will come with drinking WHILE eating. I'm feeling really glad to know the real answer to this question, and it has helped me with my Quest towards the band. Can you all give me your thoughts on how long to wait after eating, and how long to stop drinking before a meal? Thanks again!

Hi there...What medications (prescribed) are you on? Anything new since the band? A friend of mine has been under mass stress, but as soon as she started taking anti-anxiety meds, her hair is falling out massively. The doc doesn't think that's it, but she's only 24, and like you, it's sooooo weird for her hair to suddenly fall out in clumps. Have you considered asking your dermatologist to check for Alopecia? I don't want to scare you, but this can and does happen to many people, and can happen at any time. My aunt had the kind of Alopecia that you lose ALL hair everywhere, but a lot of people who have it, get it in only one part of their body, which is called Alopecia Areata. Check it out for more information at this website: http://www.naaf.org/ DON'T STRESS! This is most likely NOT what is happening, but maybe something you haven't thought of. I wish you luck. I'm not banded yet, but thought I might be able to help! angie

i'm not sure if it's available where you are, but here in Vegas, we have grocery stores that can/will deliver to your home, so if you forget something, it might be good to have their info. Try looking at www.vons.com or www.albertsons.com angie