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I use it too and love it. Including today, the last few days I've been having a few problems with it. I close my browser and start over. It's getting irritating. What browser are you using? I'm using Firefox. Don't know if that has anything to do with it b/c I wasn't having problems before the last couple of days. I've only been using it for a week and half though. I also have the free membership. I can't imagine upgrading since all I'm using it for is the basic stuff anyway.

That is sooo Poetic Justice! I think your timing was perfect!! :redface: I'm pretty blessed in that DH is pretty involved with ALL aspects of DD and her care (she's 2 as well). Right now I'm having a rough time of it b/c DH is a fireman and he's stuck on duty with all these fires in the state. He's been on duty for 3 weeks and not coming home til Thursday. We don't have any family in town so I don't get any breaks. We go see him at the station in the evening sometimes so he plays while I sit and watch. If I have an appointment or class, she goes to a friend's for a couple of hours but that's all the break I'm getting right now. This last week she's been sick and now I think I'm getting it, so UGH!! I just keep telling myself "this too shall pass." Sorry about that! Guess I needed to get it out! :thumbup: Congratulations on your new band!!!

Sades, glad to know surgery seemed to go well. I'll pray for good healing and that everything from here on out goes well for you. Take care! M

Best wishes, Joan! Lots of prayers to you and your family!

Congratulations on your new bands!! DO NOT BE TRYING TO DIET RIGHT NOW!!!! These first stages are for healing ONLY! Doesn't mean you should go crazy but give yourselves a break. The only time you should worry about it is when you are on solid foods and getting your fills. Until you start getting fills, you're going to be hungry and it's going to be hard to not get out of control. Do know that it is COMMON for people to gain a few pounds until they start getting their fills and feeling restriction. Your band doesn't work without fills and restriction. Until then, follow dr's orders and concentrate on healing and just do the best you can. Best wishes to all of you! Take care!

I'm turning 40 in a couple of weeks (26th). I don't have a problem with it except I'm starting to feel old and I'm not old! That's one of my many reasons for getting banded. I don't want to be 50 and feel like I'm going to die any day now!

Brownie, I don't understand the medications thing. I hear people on here all the time taking things. As long as they aren't too tight and can swallow them. As far as the hair and skin thing, have you thought about adding Omega 3 oils to your diet or supplements? That helps a lot. As far as the hair falling out, I always thought it was a surgery-trauma-to-the-body thing. Or not enough protein. As far as constipation goes, can't help you there. I'm anticipating problems myself since I have some issues now. I get plenty of water and fiber. I've started taking pro-biotics (make sure there's at least a billion in each dose) and hoping that helps. It's too soon to tell. And thanks for posting. It helps to hear EVERYTHING! Take care! And I hope your "issues" get resolved.

Congratulations!! Don't worry about losing weight at this point. These eating stages are for just healing. Until you get your first fill, you may not even lose weight, and in fact, may gain a little. Don't worry about it though. It's all normal. Be sure to check with your surgeon about the timeline for starting exercise. Some say 6 weeks so be sure to check at Thursday's appointment. Take care and best wishes!! :redface:

A few examples. 1.) My mom looks great at 60 and we were in a store and I called "mom" over to see something and a salesperson standing near said, "Oh! I thought you 2 were sisters!" My mom loved it, I didn't! 2.) My DD was in her infant seat at the grocery store and a lady asked me if she was my granddaughter! Uh, no! I was 38 at the time. 3.) A couple of ladies I hooked up with at my weight management class, (1 is 30, the other is 24), were shocked(!) when I told them I was going to be 40 this month! I liked that! I have some gray hair going on too and they both thought I was a lot younger than I am. Not covering up the grays though, thought about it but I earned 'em darn it!! :smile:

Suzannety, it sounds like you're too tight! You need to call your surgeon's office NOW! You shouldn't be throwing up after a fill unless your bites are too big and you're not chewing thoroughly enough! And 6 weeks is too long to be doing that. Ask for a slight unfill. You may end up having to have more out later b/c you'll swell up and won't be able to get anything down then. I don't want to scare you but you could cause damage by being too tight for too long. Take care and let me know what happens and how you are!

Ang, When I flew (Alaska) to Seattle a couple of months ago, I was worried too. The first time I flew, a few years ago, I weighed 50lbs less. I got on Alaska's website and looked up their seats and they list how big they are and how long the belts are. I sat in a chair that was about the same width of the seat and brought a sewing tape measure (it's flexible vs. a regular tape measure) over my lap, like the belt would go, to see what kind of room I was going to have. I was fine and it made me feel better not having to worry about that on top of everything else (2 yr old DD was flying for the 1st time!). I'm a good 4 inches shorter than you and was about 240 and I carry most of my weight in my tummy/butt, then thighs. Don't know if that helps at all. Best wishes and hope you have a great trip!

Mac, fantastic article! WTG! I've just realized that I need to change how I look at food. Your article helps put it all in perspective. I'd like to share it with class, if you don't mind. I'll PM you.

SNT, you're too funny! And no, you can't change the relatives! BUT their friends aren't really black, they act more white! :scared2: <dripping sarcasm, in case someone didn't catch that!> YY, that's wonderful! I'd have cried too! There are times when I'm just not comfortable standing up, it makes me sad and then later pisses me off that I didn't do it. I'm not defending myself, there's no defense for it, just explaining. One of the network news hour shows (20/20, 60 min.) has had a couple of shows about people standing up for others or what's right and it's amazing to watch. A real eye opener. NO, NO, you can't laugh! It'd totally RUIN the effect!! :smile: Glad I made you laugh though. I like to make people laugh! Sounds like you have great friends! That's horrible about your previous jobs. Not right at all.

RSG, I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum as you are politically (we both answered the political leanings poll). I don't know that it has anything to do with politics. I think it's more just plain ignorance in most cases. I hate confrontation too. Like you, I never know what to say or if I did, would get into trouble for it! Have you thought about just doing a really over the top shocked/incredulous look? I mean the whole thing. Mouth falls open, eyes go huge and a stammer of, "ummm, okay, excuse me, need to get back to work. Ummm bye!" Then turning immediately to your computer, phone, pen and paper, file, whatever is handy. That would shut them up! I grew up with a black uncle and cousins and mixed race cousins and I don't look at any of them any different. People are surprised when I say that. I don't know why. If my aunt married a white guy instead of a black guy, he'd still be my uncle. Doesn't make sense to me why there'd be a question of it if he's not white! My own daughter is mixed race. Her birthmother is 3/4 mexican, 1/4 italian, birthfather is black. Made no difference to us. In fact I'm hoping her ethnicity does her well in her life. All three have strong female influences and I hope that carries her. I worry about her sometimes and hope we do well by her. I hope that she doesn't have to deal with the garbage that my uncle, cousins and my aunt (being married to a black man and getting it from BOTH sides) have had to. Anyway, went on way too much, as usual! Sorry!! :wink2: Best wishes and good luck finding something that works for you and doesn't get you in to trouble with the higher ups!

Sades, I just wanted to wish you well on your surgery Thursday. Hopefully everything will go fine and you'll finally be able to get on the right track WITH your tool! Take care and let us know how everything goes.

Oh My Gosh! I don't even know what to say! Thank GOD you're okay now! What a horrible ordeal! I'm sitting here with my mouth open, in shock! I'd definitely check with the medical board and a medical lawyer. I'm not one for suing but this is a case where I'd at least look into it. Has the doctor said anything about your prognosis and maybe conceiving again or is it too soon to tell? I'm surprised you didn't end up with a full hysterectomy after all of this. Please try to take good care of yourself. Keep us updated on how you're doing.

OH MY GOSH!! Just LOOK at your eyes!! Congrats!!!

Yep, heard of it happening before. A year or 2 ago a radio show had a contest and the person who could drink the most Water in X amount of time got some prizes of some sort. A woman died doing the contest. It happens at colleges too when the fraternities are doing some of their stupid stuff. Do you know how much water 10 liters is? That's FIVE big bottles of soda! And he did that over several days?! Sheesh! I'm sorry he died but that was just crazy! I feel bad for his family. I don't even know how you get that amount of water into you. I have a 2 quart container in the fridge to try to get my water in everyday (I've got a 2 yr old, I lose count!). If I drink too much too fast, I feel sick! And I'm just talking about a glass or 2 of it too fast! Man...

Hi! I'm near Fresno. Am going through the program with Kaiser. There isn't a central ca board but not a bad idea! I don't know how many there are in the area but there may be more of us. I'm a little far away to be a workout buddy but hopefully there is someone who is closer and willing! It may take a few days to get more posts here. Be patient! Take care and "talk" to you later!

Hi! It might help if you list the cities you are willing to travel to. I know others have talked about doctors in Texas who will take patients from Mexico but I couldn't tell you who they were or where. Might want to search some of the threads to see what pops up. Check the insurance and doctor/hospital threads too and see if there is something there. Best wishes to you. Take care!

Whiskypie, That is so exciting!! Congratulations! How did you get through so fast? After the surgeon's class that I mentioned in an earlier post, I've decided to wait and stay with Fresno. They have brought a laparoscopy bypass surgeon to Fresno and he will start doing bands sometime this winter once the after-care team is in place. I would rather wait and only have to drive an hour for appointments then go now and have to drive 3+ hours each way. It looks like I would still be having surgery around the same time for either so I would rather be closer. I have child-care issues and that's a big factor in my decision as well as the gas money!

Juli, you make some great points. Thanks. I hadn't thought about it that way. My whole view was just the "You're presenting yourself in public, do so as well as you can" view. Which is a fairly narrow view, or can be. Thanks again!!

Juli, I'm not sure I'm saying it right. What I'm really talking about is the "Hood" speak that some of them use for language. Not really the English language. They obviously have talent and I'm sure many of them were smart enough to get through HS and college without the free rides you sometimes hear about (our own CSU was caught doing that many years ago with football and basketball players), so why, if they know the English language, were taught correctly in school (you hope!), do they continue to speak that way in public? You don't hear their mamma's talking that way. You don't hear the older men in their communities talking that way. I guess part of my point is that they are also role models to young children. I'm really NOT trying to start a debate. I guess I just don't understand it. I do have to say though that it reminds me of the the Valley Girl talk in the 80's. I was a participant! You couldn't tell what we were saying most of the time either. Maybe it's the same sort of thing. Better believe though that I did NOT speak that way at home. Folks wouldn't put up with it! BUT that was just between us girls as friends having fun. We weren't on TV! As a side note, I think I'm just digging myself a deeper hole!! :thumbup:

You both make great points. I still think that's bad that those men grew up speaking that way to begin with. What's so cool about speaking so absolutely NO ONE can understand you!!

I played with an online BMI calculator and went til I got into the healthy range and set it there. At almost 40 (end of the month) I know I'll never see the 120 I was when I graduated from HS but that's okay. I just want to be healthy again!!