Wheetsin

Because laying down to sleep isn't likely to cause a bloodclot, but surgery is one of the top 3 causes. BIG difference between laying down and sleeping, and laying down while someone cuts you open, exposes your liquid blood to dry air, induces you with gases that slow blood flow, etc. On a slightly different note, I'm glad to see the medical profession finally becoming serious about blood clots. I almost lost my mother to DVT four times, three of which were following surgeries, two of which were minor. It may seem like a pain and hassle, but that's nothing compared to what a blood clot feels like. They're EXTREMELY painful. Anyone who has had a bloodclot would welcome DAYS in a pressure sleeve before going through the agony of having another. I was prone to SVT while on the pill, in areas I wouldn't think of as particularly tender (inner thigh, top of foot...) and with my SVT I could barely stand for anything to touch the area, including something as light as bed sheets. With DVT I saw my mother's leg swell so much & her skin stretch so tightly that it was shiny, burning hot to the touch, and when she tried to call the ambulance before any of us got home all she could do was drag herself across the floor using her forearms because the pain was too much to stand up or walk. Yes.

First is to remember that the scale measures your entire body mass, not just your body fat. A main culprit of unexpected weight gain is Water retention. This can happen for no apprent reason, or one of several that are more apparent: PMS/menstruation, eating salty foods, hot weather, etc. You don't mention an exercise routine. If you eat 1000 calories, and your daily routine burns 1000 calories, you won't lose weight.

That doesn't make sense to me. If you hated the word "morbid" used to describe your physical condition, you wouldn't be here at a place designed for those doing something to not be "morbid". Seems like the opposite would be true... But I do agree 100% that very few who are fat is truly happy being that way. Maybe sumos. :confused:

Yes, indirectly. To make a long story short, there's a correlation between fat and hormones - both "female" and "male" hormones. Hormonal imbalances in women can cause atypical hair growth - not just of the lip/chin, but also chest hair, lower abdomen (what I've always called the "Happy Trail", etc. The same hormonal issues are what may also cause some obese people to experience acne, even into adulthood - especially in the "hormonal" areas of acne breakout.

Save, save, save! DH and I are both really bad about impulsive purchases, and I don't mean $10 here, $20 there - I'm talking "Oh, these leather couches would look good in the great room" purchases... furniture and anything home decor/design is a real weakness for me, and anything electronics/home theater is a real weakness for him. We both do 10% into our 401k, we have an additional $2k/month direct-deposited into our savings account (otherwise it would be long gone), and we do *some* additional investing but not nearly enough. We should be saving a lot more and spending a lot less on stuff we don't need. We don't have any credit debt, but I have a lot in student loans - so #2 resolution would be to get thiose paid off too.

I want to have my eyebrows done. Surely it can't hurt more than waxing. :confused: I bought my mother laser removal for her chin, upper lip & eyebrows for part of her holiday presents - I'm letting her be the guinea pig. She hasn't gone yet. For numbing, I would suggest EMLA cream. They use it for many things, including burn victims who have to have skin peeled off. They also use it for children who need IVs, especially ones who need it in sensitive places. Some tattooists also use it for tattooing some of the more painful areas. I think it's by rx only. A friend whose also a doctor gave me a tube to use for a piercing I was getting, and I didn't feel a thing until about 45 minutes after. You apply it and cover the area with plastic (I used Saran Wrap) to keep it airtight. You let it sit - the longer it sits the deeper it numbs. When I used it I let it sit for about 3 hours, maybe a little longer. Mine was a regular cream in a tube, but they also make it pre-applied to adhesive discs so you don't have to worry about the airtight covering.

I'm not banded, but to control my portions I do something similar, and I'm sure I will continue with this habit after banding. When I'm done I place my napkin over my plate. This lets the wait staff know to take my stuff - I'm done, it keeps anyone from having to look at my plate (how appetizing is a meal that has been picked, stirred, poked anyway?), it gives me a place to put my dirty napkin, and most importantly - I'm sure as heck not going to lift the napkin, so it keeps me from nibbling.

Are you exempt or non? Could be FLSA consequences to working through lunch. I've been a boss, and have had many of them, but I've never written an employee a letter like that that wasn't part of a written warning. Even then I would never use subjective terminology like "disappointed". That's really quite inappropriate because it is bringing emotions into the game. (And I would absolutely never open something on someone else's desk) Was it just a letter, or was there anything else with it? As for a 40 minute drive... this may sound harsh but so what? You took the job knowing what the drive would be, or made the move knowing you had the job -- one of the two -- and that's 100% yours to deal with. ASgain, sorry t sound harsh, but from an objective standpoint that's the view. What do you think he observes in the time he is there that has given him this impression? If he gives you the letter, take some time to process it. If there are any supporting facts that you disagree with, schedule a follow-up. If there aren't any supporting facts, schedule a follow-up and ask him to provide you with concrete examples of what you are doing wrong. Tell him you want to understand what the undesired behaviors are so that you can focus on stopping them. If he is unable to provide you with examples (and really - whether he is or not this advice goes for anything that is in the emoptional realm) provide a copy of the letter to your HR rep. If anything disciplinary is done it has to be done with backup. "Bad performance" or "not dedicated enough" say nothing... press him to define what is happening, and if it's too subjective you'll want your HR people to be aware of the situation from day 1.

Bots are awesome when you consider the amount of programming that goes into them. They were huge when they hit the Internet chat forums - gosh, probably around 15 years ago. My husband majored in AI in college and helped push out one of the early bots - the explosion of them since then is HUGE.

If that's how you feel about them, why worry about whether they want you around or not? If they're really discriminating against you because of your weight, chances are you won't find acceptance because you lose the weight. Maybe it's not an issue of fat? It doesn't sound like you care for these people much - maybe they have picked up on that? Just guessing.

Also, what's your water intake? Water is crucial for metabolozing properly -- and lots of other things. If you don't drink water, you simply won't lose weigh as effectively.

Definitely check your calories. Also find out what your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is so you know what your base calorie intake should be. You might also want to convert (many tools online for this) your activity/exercise to calories to find out what you're burning each day. You can eat a very restricted diet and feel hungry (or not) all the time, but if you're burning fewer calories than you're taking in, you aren't going to lose weight. Also talk to your mom, encourage her to ask questions here or any other resource. This is not something that should be causing you or your family frustration.

I will restate to: "...and the numbers they cite indicate no erosions."

Red Rock Canyon if you enjoy hiking/walking. My cousins (about your kid's age) have always enjoyed going to see the dam.

I'm not banded yet but this came up during our info night. There are two surgeons, and they have had no erosions. At the time they'd done around 600 bands.

Yeah, ok - I lied. A "loose" package showed up this morning. Apparently they sent the main box and forgot to include some things so they sent a follow-up box that just arrived. Guess what? There's my gnome!

Nah, in-laws are Scandinavian, but my maternal grandfather was from Greece and they know it's somewhere I've always wanted to go - so they sent him a ticket. (BTW, the dates on the ticket they sent "just so happened" to overlap dates for a Caribbean cruise we were booked on). Well - no gnome this year. I guess they got the hint. Instead I got these really horrible silver earrings that look a cross between incisors and a catepillar... like big bulbous, segmented teeth. And they're silver, which I don't do.

Gradaute school starts back up January 10, which is also the end of the waiting period to hear back from my surgeon's office re: insurance process, paperwork, etc. So it looks like there's a good chance I could be banded mid-semester. The good part is that my program has an online option, for people who can't make it in to class, so I'll be able to lay in bed with my laptop & wireless and "go to class".

Ah crap, our Big Brother software here at work is blocking the site. So now I'm REALLY curious...

Poodles: DH and I don't separate money. They give it to him, but it's wired directly into "our" account. They have actually bought me many nice things over the years, much to their dismay if they knew.

Well it's official, our annual gift box arrived yesterday. I should be able to add another "year" to my list in a few short days. If you guys really want pics I will see if I can track down the gnome magnets. A few years ago my co-workers wanted to see the gnomes so I brought them in and had them stuck on my office cabinets. I'm not sure I ever moved them when I left that job, but ssurely I'll be able to find one or two around somehwere. I can also add some pics of some of the more interesting birthday gifts I have received. We didn't even TOUCH birthday gifts on this thread!

The material it's made of should last in our bodies. As to complications - another issue. I've read a lot of doctors doing complete unfills after 3 - 5 years pass and new behaviors are formed, but that has less to do with physical integrity of the band and more to do with it simply not being needed, and a way to bypass it w/o removal.

I love the courtroom sketch.

Another job area you might want to look into is fundraising. When I was a kid my mother was the director of corporate fundraising for the American Cancer Society. We lived in San Diego at the time, and they had their corporate offices near Old Town. She says it's hands-down the best thing she ever got paid to do. It was her "job" to network with celebrities & movie stars and get them to attend fundraising events. Professionally she was an accountant, but left a corporate controller job to take this position (her past work was not a qualifier, they wanted someone "fun" and "entusiastic" who could sell people on coming to events). I can remember being at home one night and the phone rings and I answer and hear, "Yeah this is Dan Fouts. Is your mom home?" (Dan Fouts = old quarterback for the San Diego Chargers) I was maybe 12. I ran straight to my dad with the phone still in my hand, still up to my mouth, and told him, "Uh-oh dad mom is having an affair with Dan Fouts, he's calling for her at our house!"

Another good thing to look into are the online Master's program - well, some of them anyway. What better way to help prepare yourself for an industry that's becoming more and more e-based than to have completed an entire curriculum online? UCSD has an AWESOME program. My master's program is mixed. It's offered on campus, but you can also take it distance. Then we collaborate with the classroom-based people and become on big classroom. My program is through Boise State University. It's pricey (about $1500 per class) but who cares, work pays 100%. :eek: