neveragain

Truely, you could try joining a dating site like Match.com or Cupid.com or whatever. It's really easy and you can take it as fast or as slow as you like. Just my .02, though. :-)

See, I love the gym and I'm going to hate being restricted for a while...:phanvan

I just had a heck of a time putting my rear wheel back on after getting a new tire on it...wow those things are a pain. lol:faint: Tomorrow.............I ride. :bandit

You are right, ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and CRP (C-Reactive Protein) are VERY non-specific tests. Basically, they determine whether there is inflammation anywhere...hs-CRP is also a very non-specific indicator of possible CE's, but it's not used much because of the lack of reliability. Oh, and some forms of birth control can actually make a CRP positive, IIRC. The chance of you having cancer, something autoimmune or something major like that is very low, but I don't have your family history in front of me, so I can't tell you for sure. Would some inflammation around the area of your band cause that? I suppose it's conceivable, but I'm not 100%. I'm hoping the best for you, though! Keep us updated! Do you have the exact figures from your test, by the way?

That bad breath is from ketosis and it WILL go away when you go back to eating regular foods. Without going into lipolysis, kreb's cycle, and acetyl and everything, what you taste are called ketone bodies. When your body goes into ketosis, instead of burning glucose like you normally would, you start to burn fat. When you burn fat as part of your primary energy expenditure, ketones are a byproduct. They get excreted though your BREATH and urine. They tend to have a sweet, foul odor. If you want to know more, by some odd chance, let me know and I'll bore you to death. lol. If you ever wanted to know, that is.

Any love for the guy with a fully-faired sportbike or is this a HD only group?

Good luck. :bandit

But what if my surgeon says I have to be on clear liquids for a month???:faint: . . . . . Even though I know that probably won't ever happen, I would still do it anyway. I haven't been to medical school, yet, but I'm sure there would be a good reason. Tammy just hit the nail on the head, everyone. This goes for all facets, though. I can't tell you how many people I know stop taking perscribed medication of ANY kind WITHOUT talking to their doctor. YOU MUST TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE STOPPING ANY MEDICATION! Unless the bottle says as take as needed or PRN (latin). Same goes for taking more than the perscribed amount. For example, taking a LITTLE too much acetominophen (Tylenol) can put you into liver failure without too much of a fight. Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) can do incredible damage to your stomach if you don't take it with a ton of water and take it often. It's NOT uncommon to see people with that! *end rant* I'm sorry guys, this one's been bottled up for a while...lol.

*cough* I'm a guy *see avatar* *cough* :omg: Man, I should really do something about that cough... GOOD LUCK AMRDMR!!!!!!! 9 days!!!!!

I'll give you an idea of what MOST of the healthcare field thinks. My dad is a doctor, mom is a head nurse here in town. EVERY SINGLE doctor and nurse I talk to says that it is a remarkable breakthrough and they would recommend it to just about anyone with 50+lbs to lose. Obviously, I can't speak for everyone, but the trend is exciting. I can't wait to see where this progresses in the future. :welldoneclap:

If there's one thing I've learned, it's NEVER pay attention to the scale. It's a horrible judge of health. You're gaining muscle and losing fat. Muscle burns EXPONENTIALLY more fat and *weighs way more than just fat*, so don't worry. Your workouts are not for nothing. Keep working out and you WILL lose the fat WAY quicker. If you don't believe me, do the math. Yes, math. There is an actual formula. You can do this! You're doing so well! Just keep up with it and you will be SHOCKED with the results! KEEP IT UP!!!!!!

Good luck, congrats, and tell us how it went when you're done!!!!! :welldoneclap:

I haven't posted on their boards, no, but I've actually had a lot of success with them...until I gained it all back...every single time. It's a good program, IMO, but it doesn't work for everyone. Oh, and about their lap band negativity, I think they're just scared of something actually working. It's a pride issue. Well, maybe that's a little harsh, but you get my point. If you think you can eat with that large of a deficit of calories for that long and lose all of your weight without surgery, go ahead. As for me, I'll stick to my band. :welldoneclap:

Thanks Tammy!!! I'm super excited, but like all of us surely were before sugery, a bit nervous. There's so much to do beforehand, so that's keeping me busy, not to mention that I'm so knee deep in my pre-medicine courses that I can barely breathe as it is. So, at least I have something to occupy my time. hahaha. How are you feeling? How is everything going??? :-)

Just wanted to say hey! I'm due for surgery on the 28th! :-)

I sure will!

Hi everyone! I have my banding on the 28th, so I'm at the tail end of things here. haha. I'm kind of nervous about the post-op pain from reading some people's experiences, but I'm trying to hold up the best I can. I'm not having second thoughts, but I think that I'm just scared about the whole process. I know I'm just being a baby, but I can't help it. No matter what, though, I'm going to go through with it. I just worry that I'm going to do something to screw it up, even though I'm going to follow everything to the letter. I'm also worried about not being able to take the hunger...:faint:I don't know... I'm sorry for the rant, I just needed to tell someone and because I don't have anyone around me that would listen.

So, I scheduled my surgery for the 28th. Sooooo nervous... hahaha.

Thanks everyone! I'm really excited about the appointment tomorrow. I'm hoping to learn a lot and get started as soon as possible!

I may just have to pay him a visit...

Has anybody gone through the procedure with him? How long did the process take you? I'm self-pay, btw.

Hi everyone! My name is John! So, I'm a bit nervous, but at the same time I'm super excited... There's a doctor in Scottsdale, AZ that it supposed to be really good, so I have an appointment tomorrow to learn about starting a new chapter. I'm dead set on getting this done and doing everything right. Now, to learn how to eat right again...:hungry: Oh, and looking at all of your before and after pictures are awe inspiring! Congrats! I hope that I can help you all as much as you help me!