petrafarmer

I have the same question. I am a biologist and to me HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotrophin, the thing they check for to tell if women are pregnant.

No, you need a passport

I never slimed or PB'd until after my second fill. Facing the possibility of either one is a great deterrent for eating too fast or too much.

You go Krista, you took a major step. In order for you to take that step you were ready.I flew to San Diego from Philadelphia and was picked up at the airport. The hospital is fantastic, all of the staff are wonderful. It will be a much better experience than in any US hospital. Every time I have been there I have felt I was a part of a large family. The staff is so wonderful and so eager to put you at ease. It still amazes me that they seem to know me personally when they have so many patients. While you are in the waiting area you will be in with other patients in various stages of various procedures. If no one is talking take it upon yourself to start a conversation, like I said before , it will feel like you are part of a family. We are actually members of a special club and so we share a special bond. No one who has not faced the struggle with weight can truly understand. As far as questions are concerned, jot them down when they pop into your head. Trying to remember all of your questions is almost impossible. You hang in there and keep us updated on your journey =)

Geez! Thought I was going to die tonight! My son made barbequed ribs and I love them. He made them nice and crispy, just the way I like them. Well, I was in pain for over an hour. I did all the wrong things; I did not chew well enough and I ate too quickly. Oh well...tough lesson learned (once again!!)

Ooooh yes Erica. I forgot about the sticky rice. I love sushi. Now I have to pick off the rice. Weird yes but worth it to me.

I want to thank everyone for posting their experiences. I am a bit away from having to consider PS but I have always said that I will have anything I need done. Why spend all of the money on surgery and then not look your best (unless of course you did it for medical reasons like for diabetes or such). My best friend has been thin all of her life but we are both around the 50 year mark. WShe will come with me. We have decided that when it is time we will have our stuff LIFTED, SHIFTED, TIGHTENED, WHITENED, AND BRIGHTENED!!!!

I have a pair of the Reeboks. I can feel it in my legs when I wear them. I realize there is no way they will make me have a butt or legs like the girl in the commercial does but they make me feel like I'm doing something!

It should feel normal to eat. I had that feeling right after my second fill and Dr. So removed some and then I was fine. You may have some swelling that causes this. I would definitely contact the OCC and discuss it.

If I am stressed almost anything can back up and boy does it hurt like the dickens!! I am a high school science teacher so stress is my middle name. There are times when yogurt and bananas have gotten stuck. I'm certainly not saying that getting stuck is good but it has helped me to realize that my stress level is high and it causes me to slow myself down and relax. Rice seems to give me trouble as do the drier types of meat. As someone else said, hard boiled eggs are out unless I eat the white only. I give the yolk to my dog. I realize now, in a rather painful way, just how much gulping down of food I did. I can no longer do the quick bite between meetings nor can I pop that last big chunk of sandwich into my mouth. I have five cats in addition to the dog and if they think I am eating something I should be sharing with them, they become really annoying. I realize now I used to just shove whatever it was into my mouth,give it a few chews and swallow well....not anymore! I think what you can and can't eat is different for everyone and we will all figure it out by trial and error. Let me just say that when you feel that first little bit of discomfort, STOP. If you think you can eat through it trust me, you can't. Just sit still for a bit, relax, and allow it to work its way through. Then take itty bitty bites and chew, chew, chew.

You look faantastic!