gadgetlady

Just to let everyone know, we're losing our hold on the triples/quads today, so if you're interested in booking a room that holds more than two people please contact me TODAY before 9pm PST.

I had a friend who had RNY at Chapman but I don't know the dr's name. Best of luck to you!

Sheesh -- I was going to help out with some advice but it appears the LBT group came through for you BIG TIME and you don't need any more advice!!! But -- if there's anything you have a question about you can probably find the answer on the cruise line website FAQ's and First Time Cruiser's section. Also, feel free to PM me -- I am a travel agent and have been cruising regularly since the age of 9.

Where are you being banded in OC?

I had mine during surgery (do a search and you'll find lots of threads about it). Pad only -- no tampon. It would have been tough to remove after surgery.

Thanks, guys! I will try all of the above :-)

I've had heartburn for the past month, on and off, but today it's particularly horrible. I'm going for a slight unfill tomorow. I took some Zantac but it isn't really working and I'm really hungry. Does anyone know of any foods that will give me a little relief? My dh suggested drinking milk or eating yogurt, but I really have no idea what might help (or at least not make it worse!). I remember when I was pregnant I had heartburn and I used to suck on orange pops and they helped. But I don't have any orange pops in the house and I'm looking for something with more protein.

BeachBumFL, here's a cut and paste from Jenna's first post in this thread. Let her know if you'd like to join the group -- the more the merrier!

I did and would do again -- BOTH the numbing cream and the ice packs. The first treatment is tough but the easiest. After that it gets worse and the numbing cream was, in my case, indispensable.

THANK YOU for your prompt response. I'm sipping milk as I'm typing. I didn't want to try something now knowing if it would make it worse.

I haven't gone since my final treatment 1.5 years ago. Mine did! They do full Brazilian if you want. I didn't want.

I would do it over again. I'm thrilled that I haven't had to use a razor on my legs and underarms in 2 years. And I love not having to bleach or wax my upper lip. The hair that's still there (on my cheeks) is bearable (much more so than the moustauche ever was) and the pain is gone once the procedure is over. I hate pain, too, but I would do it again for the benefits.

I'm just a big ol' party pooper. No alcohol, ANYONE! But feel free to hit the 24-hour ice cream machines as often as you want :bananapartyhat:

Ya know, I distinctly remember my doctor telling me not to drink my calories once banded . . . :bananapartyhat: but I won't tell :speechles

Hi Mystjin! Sorry I haven't answered -- I was waiting to give you a final number but it seems like every few days we add more! Based on what we have now we'll settle in around 10-12 rooms, but if people keep sending their info it could get up as high as 20-25. What fun! :clap2::clap2::clap2:

My dh is my dream/ideal partner and my fanstasy lover

I have a paypal account if you want to make a donation (grin)

Well, instead of putting things in several different posts like everyone else, I just saved it all up for one!

I’ve been reading this thread for a while now but haven’t had time to respond in depth. I do want to say as a preface that my thoughts on this matter are from my personal experience and viewpoints only, so they won’t necessarily apply to everyone. I also don’t want to imply that my views are necessarily right for anyone else. OK, sorry for the novel but here goes! I know, 100%, without a doubt, that my dh hasn’t cheated on me. He is a man of integrity and would never lie to me, especially about something that important. When I discussed the things some people on this board had said with him last night, he said he thought if someone cheated on their spouse it would be the same as “taking a gun and shooting your beloved in the head”. Any man who calls his spouse his beloved, and says it in all seriousness, isn’t cheating. I have also seen him very deliberately turning his head away from a television show or ad with a woman with her boobs hanging out of her shirt, even more so with such a woman in person. He refuses to watch television shows where the plot centers around unfaithfulness. These are not easy things for him. He is careful to protect himself from outside interferences that might distract him from me and our marriage, and in doing so he protects our marriage. I am indeed a very blessed woman. I am not so stupid as to think cheating could never, ever happen to me (or by me, for that matter!); in contrast, I am smart enough, as is my dh, to recognize that it is all too easy and therefore important to guard against it. From my personal experience, I don’t believe faith and religion are causally responsible for the lack of or presence of unfaithfulness. All human beings, regardless of their faith, are susceptible to temptation. Some Christians live in a bubble and think that because of their chosen faith, they are immune to infidelity. This is simply not the case and is actually in direct contrast to what the Bible says about temptation. I have known too many Christians who think that they’re immune and therefore don’t put up the barriers that you need to in personal life and relationships, and end up succumbing to temptations that they could have easily avoided had they been more careful or knowledgeable about the pitfalls. I think the reason people tend to view marriages among people of faith to be more solid is because the marriage vows are professed not only to each other, but also to God. My dh performs wedding ceremonies pretty much every weekend (we have an officiating business) and he sees everything from the standard “till death do us part” vows to “until we no longer love each other.” As a group, people of faith tend to view as more serious the professions and vows that are taken to each other and to God. They feel that when the vows include God, they are more likely to be adhered to. It seems like vows that are taken “until we no longer love each other” reflect a lack of personal commitment. Personally, I think holding any couples’ vows in higher esteem because they are sanctified by God disregards the fact that we are all fallible human beings. The statistics for divorce are the same in non-religious communities as they are in religious communities. On another note, I personally DO believe that the use of porn in any form undermines a marriage. My question to any user of porn would be: what purpose does it serve? Does it endear you to your spouse? Does the body you’re viewing make you think of your spouse – or someone else? Does it make you think of your spouse when making love? Does it make you value your spouse’s body – or compare that body to the airbrushed body of an inanimate object? How does it serve a positive purpose in the marriage? I personally believe porn is a major cause of infidelity. It encourages sexual feelings which are not connected to, caused by, or in any way related to one’s spouse. Being overweight, I’m sure we have all heard or read that we link food with activities in our minds. Behavior modification is important to weight loss. If you always snack while watching television, or if you always hit the refrigerator when you come home from work, you associate those activities with food. Sex is the same way. If you always imagine Brad Pitt when your husband is making love to you, or if you always sneak into the bathroom to look at Playboy before you make love to your wife, you are conditioning your brain to require Brad Pitt or Playboy to have a sexual response. It starts slowly and seems harmless, but for many people it can be so addicting that it takes on a life of its own. It can destroy the porn-viewing spouse’s ability to maintain pure feelings of love for the other spouse, and it can be incredibly destructive to the non-porn-viewing spouse’s self esteem. There is such a thing as a sex addict. But sex addicts make choices about how to behave on a daily basis. Just like food addicts do. Barring neurological issues, there is not one person here who could claim that it wasn’t in large part our poor food choices that made us fat. We just didn’t put restrictions in place that would curtail the caloric intake. We are banded (or en route to being banded) to put an artificial restriction on our eating. Sex addicts can take steps to put an artificial restriction on the behaviors that lead them to cheat. It’s not easy, but it can be done. My dh and I have counseled many couples, all professed Christians, having problems in their relationships. In many of the cases, there was cheating (or had been in the past) on one or both sides. Because some of these spouses had had a taste of sweeter fruit – and what fruit isn’t sweeter when it’s fresh? – they did not want to devote any more time or energy to the marriage. This “grass is always greener” syndrome is the cause of the demise of many marriages. Better to toss what you have away and start fresh, they think, then actually dig your heels in and work on what you have (bearing in mind that it is, of course, impossible to work on what you have unless both parties are interested in doing this work). To those of you who have been cheated on, my heart goes out to you. It is devastating to find out that your spouse perceives you are not meeting his/her needs in one way or another. To those of you who are in unhappy marriages, let me say that all is not lost. There are ways to rekindle the romance and rediscover the love you once had. Love is not a feeling – it is a decision. You, in conjunction with your spouse, can decide to make your marriage better in a number of different ways. I strongly suggest you seek counseling together or even alone to determine what you can do to make changes. That being said, choose your counsel wisely. I have seen many a marriage screwed up because of bad counsel. Marriage can be wonderful and fulfilling and is well worth the fight. I say this with even more emphasis when there are children involved. All studies show that children in “unhappy” marriages are better off than children of divorced parents (barring, of course, abuse and the like). To all women, please don’t let the claims of “all men cheat” or “all men would cheat given the opportunity” discourage you. It is simply not true. And it doesn’t matter. What matters is YOUR marriage. If your spouse is cheating, it’s 100% for you. And if he isn’t, it’s 0% for you. Know that this is an issue you must tackle in this day and age; it is something you should discuss with your spouse, and it is something you should take measures to protect against. Let me reiterate I did not write the above to judge or condemn anyone who lives differently than I. I believe that everyone has the right to do what they want with their own lives and while I hold very dear the sanctity of marriage, I know that the choices people make are their own. I am very, very blessed to have a wonderful, fulfilling marriage, both emotionally and physically. But I also have a very clear understanding that for many this is not the case. OK, I’m stepping off my soapbox now.

It's my understanding that if they DO confiscate the liquor, they will return it to you at the end of the trip. Also, if you PACK the liquor, you shouldn't have an issue. It's just if you come on the ship from a port with shopping bags full of liquor they'll see it in the scanner when you get aboard. Also, often times one or two bottles or cans in the bottom of a backpack are not worth the trouble for security to confiscate. Of course, if you do choose to pack it and it's a glass bottle, put it in a plastic bag in case it breaks or you'll be smelling like gin for the entire cruise :huggie: I always bring/buy beverages for myself (caffeine-free, sugar-free) because the sodas they have have caffeine, which I don't drink, and the other free options are lemonade (full of sugar) or iced tea (full of caffeine). They don't care a hoot if you bring non-alcoholic beverages aboard.

100%, not a chance in the world that it's happened. We're together virtually all the time, haven't even spent a night apart since we were married, and talk to each other about everything. He is a man of great integrity and hates dishonesty, disloyalty, and wouldn't for a minute consider cheating. He won't even watch a movie where the characters are cheating.

Good definition, Kim! I agree with you but take it a little further -- I don't believe spouses should be turned on physically by someone other than their spouse -- so nothing from flirting to porn! I'm a little extreme and don't subscribe to the "I can look but I can't touch" philosophy. My dh and I have been married for 13 wonderful years. People think we're newleyweds all the time. Neither of us has ever cheated. We have a deep trusting relationship. It IS possible to achieve and very rewarding

Thanks for checking this, Jenna. Josette, I checked with the cruise line and the rate would be $459 + taxes of $85.54 (including transfers) out of Detroit. So it looks like it would be much cheaper to find flights independent of the cruise line -- at least from your destination.

Oops -- I voted and I haven't been banded for 6 months yet. :rolleyes The only other time in my life I've had reflux is while pregnant (last stages). Now I have it virtually daily, easily controlled by one or two tablets of OTC meds. No fun at all.

Hey everyone! I've talked to a lot of you and most of you already have deposits in, but we have some stragglers. If you don't have your deposit in yet, please PM me or call me so we can chat about preferences, etc. If there's anyone who is interested but hasn't let us know yet, please connect with me or Jenna. If there's anyone who thinks they might want to go but won't know until it's a bit closer to the date, please also connect with one of us. There's still time, but the sooner you book the better your selection of rooms and guarantee of rates. Thanks!