Babe

those girls are totally ridiculous... i would have loved to see that fight! to be honest, i don't consider being called 'fat' an insult. i suppose it onlu hurts to hear that when someone is being deliberately malicious. what i would hurt more is being told i'm stupid or unintelligent, but that's just me. i guess when you've always been thin, you live in fear of being fat - so being called fat touches upon those fears. having been fat most of my life, clearly I'm not afraid of it LOL

hey skinnyagain, i totally sympathize with your pre-op struggles. i've been on this thing for the past 3 weeks, and it does get easier.... the first few days were torture, but eventually your body gets into the rhythm of it. a couple of things really helped me: 1) make sure your protein shake has enough proteing (slim fast/carnation/ensure only have like 12g so switch to a higher protein on like Muscle Milk or EAS Myoplex which have 30+; 2) drink water - especially when you're hungry - and for some reason i find warm water or tea curbs my hunger; 3) take a metamucil pill between meals - the extra fibre will give a sensation of being fulller longer and help regulate you. also, assuming you're being banded at the OCC, talk to Dr. Miranda if you still feel hungry or are bored with what you're eating. She's great at suggesting alternatives.

CONGRATS ALI!!! I'm getting banded in a couple weeks and you've really inspired me... thank you!

Clynn What an awesome story... it us single gals some hope Congrats to you both!!!

hold up Clynn... a fiance!?!?! you can't leave us all hanging, what's the story?

How much does NW fills charge?

hi sharon, i'm so sorry you're going through all this drama! i booked my flight through travelocity for 215$US return flying out of Seattle instead of Vancouver. If you have a friend in the Seattle area that you can stay with for a night, it might be worth your while to fly out of there.

i've flown quite a bit over the years, and the rudest remark i've gotten from airline staff was when i checked in once and asked for an aisle seat or an upgrade to business class because of my size. the attendant told me (and i'm paraphrasing here) "maybe you shouldn't fly till you've been to the gym". suffice it to say, i was livid and asked to speak to her supervisor immediately. i managed to get myself a free upgrade to business class and use of the fancy executive lounge. other than that, the rude comments and attitude were mostly from fellow passengers who did not like being inconvenienced by a fat chick sitting next to them. i'm looking forward to my flight home from Mexico cause it will be the last time i'll ever have to ask for a seatbelt extension!!!

Carrie, I completely relate to your frustration. I was maid of honour for my best friend this past summer, and trust when i say I was ready to kill her after a year of all sorts of crap (including her bitching me out at her bridal shower after she showed up 2hrs late). There were several times where I wanted to confront her about some things (including expecting me to spend a lot on wedding related outfits that i could not afford). I talked to her about the smaller stuff, but waited with the bigger things. I ended up not talking to her about these things until a few weeks after the wedding. I didn't want to upset her and add to her stress. Also, i didn't want us to fight before her wedding. She's like a sister to me. Part of me regrets not talking to her before the wedding, because i wasn't able to enjoy the festivities as much because i was annoyed. But she had a great day, and was thrilled that i was there by her side. In retrospect, I'm glad I let things wait. We had a long conversation after the honeymoon in which i told her how i was feeling. She was very receptive, and apologized and even pitched in 200$ to cover some of my wedding expenses. I'm not sure what the right decision will be for you, but whatever happens just remember that the brides in genera; get VERY self involved and become totally oblivious to others probs - not because they don't care, but because they've got so much on their plate and are pretty overwhelmed. Please, keep venting to us and to your other friends. It'll help you feel better. Good Luck!

Jazzy, this is exactly what i needed to read today... thank you! i've been starting to get discouraged with the whole pre-op weight loss, and your post has really helped.

sabrina, where did you have your fill done? with Dr. Arseneau or did you go to NW fill center or somewhere else? Did they use flouroscopy? I'm trying to sort out who to go for after care... thanks, Ayeesha

have you checked with Dr. Miranda? she'd probably know best.

I was dx with PCOS a couple years ago, and have been taking Metformin ever since (not that it's actually helped much). Anyways, I'm curious the band has helped alleviate the your symptoms (ie. facial hair, skin probs, periods) and if you've had success losing weight. I have a very very difficult time losing weight on my own, and i'm concerned that i won't be able to lose it even with the band.

Because I've got a higher BMI, Dr. Miranda want's me to lose 15-18lbs before the op. For those who are already banded, did you lose the required amount? and if you didn't, what happened? was you surgery postponed? I know that the whole point of this is to shrink your liver and melt some of the fat around your stomach, but i really don't know if i can lose that amount of weight in a month. i mean, isn't the whole reason i'm getting banded because it's hard for me to do it on my own? between the PCOS and a thyroid problem (not to mention other health issues), it's been really challenging. sorry, don't mean be whiny. i'm just nervous about the surgery and hungry

mansaw, yeah it's just my pre-op goal... it's too overwhelming to focus on the larger picture right now.

Hi, I'm new here, but I've been lurking for a while. I'm getting banded February 16th... I'm so excited!!! Is anyone else getting banded that week? Dr. Miranda already has me on the pre-op diet. I won't lie, it's definitely a challenge. I would kill for some pizza right now!