argon

I'm sure you can... I have been saving receipts and will be claiming mine for sure.

Andrew said it all... but i want to add one thing. I'd be careful. I don't know how much you weigh or how tall you are, but if you've got "only" 75lbs to lose, don't be so sure the gov't is going to pay for it. They'll probably want it to be more than 40, and if you're lucky, 35 if you've got some co-morbitites. What's your BMI? Most likely this thing will go over like it did and still is, in Alberta... a handful of people will be the lucky ones who get to try it out first... and they'll probably only be able to do limited numbers for quite a while. If they don't take people who are currently on bypass waiting lists and move them to the lapband, the list is gonna get VERY long, very quickly... just like the bypass.

I can drink beer fine.... I could go to a restaurant and drink a glass of beer easier than I could a glass of pop, for some reason. But of course... I always get water! :heh: Same here, I drink about the same now that I ever did. I was on a big Caesar kick for a while, and rather than bring all the mix and such to parties, I'd buy the pre-made bottles. Nowadays, they're a little too iffy for me... quite often causing me heartburn = no more drinking. I'm not condoning anything, but last weekend, I saw a commercial for the Bailey's "SHIVER" (pretty much ice and Bailey's, blender-ized), and went out and bought some... man oh man... yummy. One thing, if you tend to drink TOO much, too the point of nausea, or hangovers with nausea, or there's the slight chance of it... I'd go get some Gravol suppositories. The last thing you want is to be puking your guts (and band!?) out the next day. They're a good thing to have around ANYway, just in case you are nauseous for whatever reason. It's really up to you (and your surgeon)... you might not be able to handle something like beer (Have you tried?) anymore, like I am with pop. I couldn't/wouldn't go to the parties we have around here without having a drink or few. It really is easy to say 'you dont need alchohol to have fun' when you don't drink, but if you're at a party where everyone IS drunk, it's not fun being the sober one.... I'm sure everyone would agree. That said, I, by no means am going to 'classy' parties. :phanvan

Congrats Andree! Good to hear you're doing so well

Is there anyway to allow us to have 'more' to our profiles, such as a multiple pictures, and a large area in which to write about ourselves? Kind of like how ObesityHelp's profiles work... ?

Thanks everyone! :eek: Dan whipped this up for us to email to people today:

Ditto what they said... get a little defill. You'll be so much happier. Best wishes to you and your dad :hug: Mandi

yes... it IS tough. Bet you the first thing you say when you wake up after surgery will be "UGGgggggg! Can I have some Water NOW?!" :car:

(ahh... but the internet has been so good at keeping my secrets up til now! thanks :car: )

Hey y'all! So, as of last night, Mandi is engaged! Picked Dan up from the airport, we went for dinner, drove home for 2 hours, and he got out the present he had for me.... he'd told me it was a makeup case he'd found at Liquidation World, because he'd CALLED me from Liquidation World to see if I needed a new makeup case! Inside it was a pile of rose petals, a tshirt/dress and underneath, more petals, and some black thing. I eventually grabbed the black thing, to discover it was a box... a ring box. He started saying something... I started saying "shut up" and "you're not serious"... He was on his knee, then among saying other things, 'asked me' and I said yes. So... yeah, I'm engaged. :phanvan We're not really telling people, just a few friends (and family), and asking that they not spread it around, cause I don't want people making a big deal... cause I'm weird. :whoo:

I would think that 1 plastic bag creates less garbage than a plastic or reg. milk container? I usually by the bags, and slip 'em into my reusable milk jug thingy... cause they're cheaper! In Saskatchewan we had 4L jugs of milk, but here in New Brunswick, the biggest I've seen is 2L.

Thanks guys! I got my bag back yesterday afternoon, intact! Phew!

Oh, I've tried everything... I love the ice cold glass of milk thing, but it's still gotta be hours before I go to bed, unfortunetly. I'd love to get to be able to eat right up until just before I go to bed, cause sometimes, you just have to! I hope the defill works out for you!

Congrats Susan... you're doing great! Definitely get your head into the idea that 2lbs a week IS the way to go, and is the BEST you want to do a week! Anymore than that, consider it an awesome bonus! I worked out my goals as if I were to lose 2lbs a week, and also for 1lb a week, which is what we're supposed to aim for... and I always hit 'em! Set yourself up for success!

Hey Andrew, Are you doing anything like cutting off eating and drinking for a good time before bed?

I have thought about this for a loooong time, and now the internet has given me the opportunity to ask more than just the odd American I meet now and then, about it. When I was young, young, I noticed that on the TV shows I watched (and 99% of the sitcoms were from the US) , people were walking in and around homes and not removing shoes... kids and adults, and I was baffled and thought it was just 'an American thing' (but always wanted to find out) They also never used the washroom... I've since discovered Americans, like Canadians, do have bowels and urinary systems. hehe

Thanks And I hope it's good news!

I also got my hair cut whilst I was away... a good 10 inches, I'd say!

Just wanted to update: Got home this morning.... long flight, but I slept most of it! I was feelin' saucy, so I hopped on the scale this evening. 163.8 :car::eek::car: And in the middle of the day, even! (I always weight first thing in the morning, cause its always better then!) No ticker changing though... I shall wait for wednesday! I'm glad to be back... BUT... Air Canada lost my freakin' suitcase! I really hope they'll find it and send it over soon! There's not too much insurance when they lose your bag, is there? I was wondering if my tenant insurance or Visa card comes with any kind of protection for such things. Man... I'd hate to lose all that stuff.

I've got a 4cc-er... Andrew's is much bigger. Seems more understandable that that little of an amount would make a difference in mine... but yeah... these things ARE weird! The aspiration: I don't know if its the correct term, but what I'm talking about is when I wake up in the middle of the night, fluids having slipped back up my esophagus, and I've inhaled and choked. I don't think you can stop it from happening. I think it's a matter of being too tight. The best way to avoid it would probably just be taking your fills slow, so that you avoid getting too tight. I never had the problem for the longest time, then BAM, tight fill... and they started. (this ended up with me getting my first defill) Oh yeah... also, making a point of not eating near bedtime can make a difference. But ... once again, I USED (prior to defill) to be able to eat right up til I went to bed! It's probably a good habit to get into anyways :car:

Are they 'bad'? I have wanted to try making my own greek ribs, and finally did a couple weeks ago. I'm in love, and am eating them alot. I can't really find anything on the nutritional value, and what I do find, I don't know if 6oz includes how much they weigh with the bone-in, and if so, how the heck am I supposed to know how much meat I'm getting off of them? As a general rule, are they very high in calories and/or fat, and no the best meat choice? Should I stay away?

Apparently if you take your shoes off in anothers home, you're just asking for them to be stolen. As a Canadian, I find the fact that so many people think taking your shoes off when going to someone elses home is ODD. I can't even comprehend the thought of someone walking into my apartment, shoes on, and coming and sitting down with me on the couch to talk. I don't tell, OR ask ANYone to do so... it's an understood courtesy here. Glad to see this thread being revisited.

Right now my fear is aspiration into my lungs. I hope you never have it happen to you. Waking up choking after inhaling a mystery Fluid is not enjoyable, and knowing how much WORSE it was with that extra 0.2 cc, I'm a little hesitant. Maybe if I'd lost someweight since that defill, I'd tell myself that maybe my stomach fat has shrunk, and the band might actually be a little looser, and I could manage the 0.2cc's again.... but I haven't, and I can't see how going back up 0.2cc's this time will be different. That's my fear. My local support system? There is none. I have my boyfriend... that's it. I've been virtually on my own up til now, and I guess I've done well enough that way. (and this place, I would say, has been my biggest source of support) I guess I would be considered a success, because as of right now, I have lost more than 80% of my excess weight. Andrew, I agree. It would be kinda nice if there was someone giving US a check-in call every now and then. That's something they should work on. I feel your pain with the fill/defill train. Even being as close as you are, it's the paying part that's the kicker. Maybe I should be looking into moving to Mississauga. :cry hehe It would have been really nice to have seen some kind of discount, or maybe the clinic kicking in some of the expense of our fills. I don't know who decided $100 was a great fee to charge for what (for me at least) is about 2 minutes work. It really sucks. Mandi

Oh, you made me feel guilty! I wondered if I was one of those people he looked at as not following up and thought me a failure! I looked back at my old sent emails, and my last official "I weigh "this much"" email was back in January! I was 180, by the way.... BOOoooooo! I've had contact since them, but only 'I need a fill, or I need a defill!" So I did it... mentioned my frustrating flucuation, and asked for an opinion. I'm scared to get another fill, because my last one was a DEFILL of 0.2cc! And it helped my 'reflux' at night, but I still need to make sure I don't eat (or drink) less than a few hours before bed... and I don't want to get another fill just to have to go back in a week for a defill. (once again, I'd be all over trying these things out if it were a matter of an hours drive, and were free.. but 8 hours of drive time and $200 would be an expensive way to get me back to exactly where I am now. :phanvan) By the way... he said that he had a 80-90% success rate? What makes for a success?

Hey Leslie, We have a rule here anyways... no changing your ticker UPwards for little gains! Believe me, I don't! Don't worry about it... happens to the best of us. It'll be gone, + more in no time! Wish I could join you guys in TO :confused: Take care, Mandi