[Part 1]
Hi all, like all of you here, I am victim of BB too. I like to share my story and hope you guys can help me out. It is a long story so please bear with me.
I don’t know when my BB started but I know I only discovered that I have BB middle of this year. I am a 32 years old Asian Chinese and being in Asia, people are more tolerant of BB and because Asian don’t want to hurt people’s feeling, they don’t say anything about it. It is like a taboo subject. I am married and even my wife doesn’t say anything for years! I have never bothered much about BB because Asian like us believed that human’s body get ‘heated’ up sometimes and our breath smells. I discovered I might have BB when I started noticing people stepping back a little when I speak too close to them.
One day, I decided to ask my wife. I asked her to smell my breath and she says you are ‘heaty’. To her, the subject of BB doesn’t exist. Asian refer BB as ‘heaty’. She says, it is normal and said that the reason I am getting it is because I am not getting enough sleep and the body heats up. I was shocked. Then I asked her if she how long she has been noticing it. She says, you have it most of the time. Great! That word hit me straight on like a bullet train.
I might be having BB since I was born. Or maybe during my teenage years. Even during our 12 years of courtship, I am kissing her with a BB breath. She never said once to me. Such a loving wife. Anyway I was devastated. All my life, I have been offending people with my BB and I didn't know a thing. In one way, I was mad at my family and wife for not telling me but this is the way of the Asian. Some things are left undiscussed.
I started analyzing myself and reading up on the subject of BB. Firstly, my oral care is very basic. I brush twice a day and I rinse my mouth with Listerine in the morning. I am very afraid of the dentist and the last time I visited them was years ago. All my teeth are still intact and I never had an extraction before. My gum's condition are bad, most of them are receding. To make matter worst, both my lower wisdom tooth are impacted. Since I discovered that I have BB. I started poking my fingers in my mouth to smell the source. I tried licking my hand and letting it dry for a while and it smelled. I don't know how to describe but it is no pleasant. I poke my fingers on both my wisdom tooth and it smelled like shit. I pointed a torchlight into my mouth and I discovered my tonsils have
whitish substance in it. When I googled about it, I realized it was tonsil stones.
After reading lots of information on this site and googling for hours, I suspect my cause of BB might be my wisdom tooth and the tonsil stones. I remember that time was sometime early Jun this year. I was sad that I am jinx with this illness but I am determined to fix it.
INTERESTING AFFILIATE LINKS
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Story of an Asian Chinese with BB
[Part 2]
I needed to find a way to measure my BB as I know my family will not tell the truth if I were to ask them. They keep saying it is fine and everyone has it. No big deal. It wasn't a big deal to them but it meant a lot to me. I googled around and brought a breath tester. I brought it on Ebay from a Japanese seller. The model is a Tanita Breath Checker HC-212S. I got it for a fairly cheap price, I think including shipping it was around USD60.
For those who are wondering, the device works by detecting volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) in the breath. It has a scale of 1-5. I know it is not very precise but it does gives me an estimate as to how bad my BB is. It works by breathing into it for 5 seconds. I did it and it measured 3 out 5. I tested it several times on different timing like early morning, after brushing my teeth and after lunch and it most of the time, it displayed 3. Once in a while, the reading will go up to 4. So roughly, I know my BB is not that acute. I wasn't very happy about it but at least it is not that bad.
Anyway, first thing first. I had to overcome my fear of the dentist. I scheduled for an appointment and went there for a checkup and scaling. For years, I have not visited the dentist and I was worried what she might finds.
After the dentist was done with her work, she told me my gum's condition is bad. They are receding and I need to take action quickly. I need to start flossing as there are gaps between my teeth and there is a hole on one of my molar. I told her I will start flossing daily and I got her to fill the hole in my tooth. After that, she commented that both my lower wisdom tooth condition is bad. The wisdom tooth is decaying itself and so is the molar tooth beside it. If I don't deal with it, the decay will impact the nerves of the tooth and it will hurt like hell.
I was frighten like hell. I never had an extraction before because I was afraid of blood and injections. When I was young, my parents extracted all my tooth themselves. What more now it is the extraction of the biggest tooth in my mouth. I was determined to fix my BB more than my fear so I scheduled for extraction for both teeth in coming weeks.
It took me several weeks to extract both my wisdom tooth as I did one at a time and the doctor suggested to let one side heal before going for the next one. It cost me like USD500 for both surgery.
As soon as both teeth were extracted, I couldn't smell shitty smell when I touch the wisdom tooth area before. I was delighted! Even after tooth extraction, my breath checker still displayed a reading of 2-3. I don't know if the impacted wooth was one of the BB root cause but I am sure it contributed to it. At least I got rid of one bad smell.
I needed to find a way to measure my BB as I know my family will not tell the truth if I were to ask them. They keep saying it is fine and everyone has it. No big deal. It wasn't a big deal to them but it meant a lot to me. I googled around and brought a breath tester. I brought it on Ebay from a Japanese seller. The model is a Tanita Breath Checker HC-212S. I got it for a fairly cheap price, I think including shipping it was around USD60.
For those who are wondering, the device works by detecting volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) in the breath. It has a scale of 1-5. I know it is not very precise but it does gives me an estimate as to how bad my BB is. It works by breathing into it for 5 seconds. I did it and it measured 3 out 5. I tested it several times on different timing like early morning, after brushing my teeth and after lunch and it most of the time, it displayed 3. Once in a while, the reading will go up to 4. So roughly, I know my BB is not that acute. I wasn't very happy about it but at least it is not that bad.
Anyway, first thing first. I had to overcome my fear of the dentist. I scheduled for an appointment and went there for a checkup and scaling. For years, I have not visited the dentist and I was worried what she might finds.
After the dentist was done with her work, she told me my gum's condition is bad. They are receding and I need to take action quickly. I need to start flossing as there are gaps between my teeth and there is a hole on one of my molar. I told her I will start flossing daily and I got her to fill the hole in my tooth. After that, she commented that both my lower wisdom tooth condition is bad. The wisdom tooth is decaying itself and so is the molar tooth beside it. If I don't deal with it, the decay will impact the nerves of the tooth and it will hurt like hell.
I was frighten like hell. I never had an extraction before because I was afraid of blood and injections. When I was young, my parents extracted all my tooth themselves. What more now it is the extraction of the biggest tooth in my mouth. I was determined to fix my BB more than my fear so I scheduled for extraction for both teeth in coming weeks.
It took me several weeks to extract both my wisdom tooth as I did one at a time and the doctor suggested to let one side heal before going for the next one. It cost me like USD500 for both surgery.
As soon as both teeth were extracted, I couldn't smell shitty smell when I touch the wisdom tooth area before. I was delighted! Even after tooth extraction, my breath checker still displayed a reading of 2-3. I don't know if the impacted wooth was one of the BB root cause but I am sure it contributed to it. At least I got rid of one bad smell.
[Part 3]
The more I read about BB and mouthwash, I knew the Listerine I am using is definetly not working. Even after I rinse with Listerine, it still measured a 3. The breath checker manual says alchohol may affects the reading. Listerine contains alchohol and I think that might be the reason. I needed to find something else. I am not promoting any products here but I discovered Therabreath. I was reading the reviews in Amazon and there were so many good reviews. I needed to give it a try. So I look for it. Being in Asia, these product are not easy to come by. Normal pharmacies doesn't sell it. But finally, I found a shop that imported this mouth wash and I nearly fainted when I saw the price.
It was ridiculous. It is at least 3 times more expensive than normal mouthwash. Still, I brought 1 bottle. I knew my morning breath was the worst in the morning so before I tried Therabreath, I did a breath check on my Tanita breath checker and it displayed a 3. After following the instruction of the therabreath by swishing and garling 2 cups (I poured a lower dosage, around 3/5 of the recommended amount), I checked my breath again and I couldn't believed my eyes, it displayed a 0!
I ran to my wife and ask her to smell my breath again, she says she smelled nothing! I was happy as hell. I thought I found something that works but I needed to know how long it will last before the BB is back. I checked my breath every hour and around 2.5 hours later, the reading was back to 2-3. Again, I was devastated. Some of the review on this products says it lasted 6-8 hours. Is it a lie?
I increased the dosage to suggested amount and since I didn't have any good ideas, I kept using Therabreath since I already brought one bottle. As each day passes, I kept checking my breath every few hours, and it seems that the effect lasted longer and longer. I don't know why. I used it early in the morning around 8am and even by 12pm, it still measured 0-1. I can live with 1. Then I thought, I might as well use it twice a day to prolong the effect during my working hours. I gargled another cup after lunch and it lasted till I finished work at 6pm. Instead of mints, I take Fisherman's friend lozenges a couple time a day to freshen up.
So I thought I found the perfect combination. It may not cure my BB but at least I have a work around. That was working for me since I trusted my breath checker and I didn't bother checking my breath with my wife. She still may lie to me so that she doesn't hurt my feelings, so I thought.
The more I read about BB and mouthwash, I knew the Listerine I am using is definetly not working. Even after I rinse with Listerine, it still measured a 3. The breath checker manual says alchohol may affects the reading. Listerine contains alchohol and I think that might be the reason. I needed to find something else. I am not promoting any products here but I discovered Therabreath. I was reading the reviews in Amazon and there were so many good reviews. I needed to give it a try. So I look for it. Being in Asia, these product are not easy to come by. Normal pharmacies doesn't sell it. But finally, I found a shop that imported this mouth wash and I nearly fainted when I saw the price.
It was ridiculous. It is at least 3 times more expensive than normal mouthwash. Still, I brought 1 bottle. I knew my morning breath was the worst in the morning so before I tried Therabreath, I did a breath check on my Tanita breath checker and it displayed a 3. After following the instruction of the therabreath by swishing and garling 2 cups (I poured a lower dosage, around 3/5 of the recommended amount), I checked my breath again and I couldn't believed my eyes, it displayed a 0!
I ran to my wife and ask her to smell my breath again, she says she smelled nothing! I was happy as hell. I thought I found something that works but I needed to know how long it will last before the BB is back. I checked my breath every hour and around 2.5 hours later, the reading was back to 2-3. Again, I was devastated. Some of the review on this products says it lasted 6-8 hours. Is it a lie?
I increased the dosage to suggested amount and since I didn't have any good ideas, I kept using Therabreath since I already brought one bottle. As each day passes, I kept checking my breath every few hours, and it seems that the effect lasted longer and longer. I don't know why. I used it early in the morning around 8am and even by 12pm, it still measured 0-1. I can live with 1. Then I thought, I might as well use it twice a day to prolong the effect during my working hours. I gargled another cup after lunch and it lasted till I finished work at 6pm. Instead of mints, I take Fisherman's friend lozenges a couple time a day to freshen up.
So I thought I found the perfect combination. It may not cure my BB but at least I have a work around. That was working for me since I trusted my breath checker and I didn't bother checking my breath with my wife. She still may lie to me so that she doesn't hurt my feelings, so I thought.
[Part 4]
Recently, my mom and wife has been telling to sleep earlier. I am an owl, I sleep around 1am daily and I get around 6.5 hours of sleep only. I started getting suspicious when my family members started brewing barley and chinese herbs as drinks for me. All these drinks are supposed to cool down a person's 'heaty' body according to Chinese beliefs. Also, sometimes during the evening, I could smell a weird cheesy smell when I do swallow my saliva and clear my throats at the same time. This is the same smell I have been smelling off one my colleague breath which I think he has BB too.
So I confronted my wife and ask her if my breath stanks again. She told me the same thing again, you are heaty again. Sleep early and all will be ok.
WTF! So what is going on??? My breath checker is saying 0-1 reading but my wife is saying it stinks. I am back to square one. So did Therabreath ever work? Now I am just bloody confused.
At this moment, I don't really know what to do but I think the other BB source is from deep in my throat. So I am experimenting swallowing some Therabreath mouthwash hoping it will kill the ****ing bacteria living down there. Then I am going to get my wife to smell my breath every 1 hour to see how long it will last. I am also suspecting the smell might be from my stomach because I burp a lot. Everytime, I burp, I could smell the food I ate. I am not sure it is normal or not. Should I go test for H Pylori? In the past, I have gastric problem and sometimes my stool looks blackish.
I know the road to fix BB is a long winding road and I am NOT GIVING up. I am wiling to try anything.
So this is my story so far. If anyone has any idea, please feel free to share.
Recently, my mom and wife has been telling to sleep earlier. I am an owl, I sleep around 1am daily and I get around 6.5 hours of sleep only. I started getting suspicious when my family members started brewing barley and chinese herbs as drinks for me. All these drinks are supposed to cool down a person's 'heaty' body according to Chinese beliefs. Also, sometimes during the evening, I could smell a weird cheesy smell when I do swallow my saliva and clear my throats at the same time. This is the same smell I have been smelling off one my colleague breath which I think he has BB too.
So I confronted my wife and ask her if my breath stanks again. She told me the same thing again, you are heaty again. Sleep early and all will be ok.
WTF! So what is going on??? My breath checker is saying 0-1 reading but my wife is saying it stinks. I am back to square one. So did Therabreath ever work? Now I am just bloody confused.
At this moment, I don't really know what to do but I think the other BB source is from deep in my throat. So I am experimenting swallowing some Therabreath mouthwash hoping it will kill the ****ing bacteria living down there. Then I am going to get my wife to smell my breath every 1 hour to see how long it will last. I am also suspecting the smell might be from my stomach because I burp a lot. Everytime, I burp, I could smell the food I ate. I am not sure it is normal or not. Should I go test for H Pylori? In the past, I have gastric problem and sometimes my stool looks blackish.
I know the road to fix BB is a long winding road and I am NOT GIVING up. I am wiling to try anything.
So this is my story so far. If anyone has any idea, please feel free to share.
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Archimonde
- Super Angel
- Posts: 885
- Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2007 12:14 pm
My opinion:
1- It sounds like you have mild bb. It's impossible to go thru years of real BB without ever hearing at least one comment from acquaintances or strangers.
2- Your wife doesn't seem too bothered by your breath so it can't be that bad if she still kisses you etc. Most men here are single and don't date because it's simply not possible, no women put up with serious bb.
3- Halimeters don't detect all odors, only specific ones.
Chlorophyll does wonders for mild cases of BB. Either take chlorophyll supplement or blend/juice dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, chard) everyday. You'll know within 2-3 days if that works or not.
1- It sounds like you have mild bb. It's impossible to go thru years of real BB without ever hearing at least one comment from acquaintances or strangers.
2- Your wife doesn't seem too bothered by your breath so it can't be that bad if she still kisses you etc. Most men here are single and don't date because it's simply not possible, no women put up with serious bb.
3- Halimeters don't detect all odors, only specific ones.
Chlorophyll does wonders for mild cases of BB. Either take chlorophyll supplement or blend/juice dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, chard) everyday. You'll know within 2-3 days if that works or not.
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halitosisux
- Moderator
- Posts: 3339
- Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 1:29 pm
Rule out the h pylori! It's a $5 kit from Amazon or ebay. A NO means you don't have it, a YES means you might. If you get a yes then see your doctor for further testing/therapy.
I can't think of a worse way to confuse yourself than to be using a crappy unreliable toy breath tester, and being around asian people who still believe in ancient nonsense. And to top it off, you're using Therabreath which is only going to add to your confusion.
Therabreath and other similar types of breath products do have some antibacterial properties, but they mostly act by neutralizing the odour in your mouth for a while, just like bleach will immediately do to a stinking toilet. As soon as the stench starts building up again, you're back to square one because the underlying problem remains.
If your gums are receeding, you probably have something that needs to be addressed there, especially if you're only 32. Sort those out and then please keep us informed of your progress.
I can't think of a worse way to confuse yourself than to be using a crappy unreliable toy breath tester, and being around asian people who still believe in ancient nonsense. And to top it off, you're using Therabreath which is only going to add to your confusion.
Therabreath and other similar types of breath products do have some antibacterial properties, but they mostly act by neutralizing the odour in your mouth for a while, just like bleach will immediately do to a stinking toilet. As soon as the stench starts building up again, you're back to square one because the underlying problem remains.
If your gums are receeding, you probably have something that needs to be addressed there, especially if you're only 32. Sort those out and then please keep us informed of your progress.
Archimonde : I don't know how bad is my BB but Asian are very tolerant about it. It maybe very chronic as well. I think I will ask my wife about it. I am going to stop relying on the halimeter. I am going to try to buy some chlorophyll supplement like you suggested. I will keep you posted on the result in 2-3 days time. Btw, I forgot to mention that I have Bipolar Mania disorder too. So I am on mood stabilizer and anti-depressant drugs on daily dosage. I read that some of these medication causes bad breath as well. But I was only diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder 2-3 years ago. Judging from the respond I get from my wife, I think I am most likely suffering from BB before my diagnosis and my medication.
Halitosisux: I am going to listen to your advise and I have scheduled a H. Pylori blood test tomorrow. I hope I have it and it is the root cause of my BB. Then I can fix it up for good. I am going to the dentist again and see what they can do on my receeding gums.
Thank you for replying. I am really happy that I can find someone to talk to. I tried to bring this issue up with my good friend a while ago and he thinks I have gone bonkers.
He denied I have BB. My family thinks it is a small issue but I find it very depressing. Now that I have this self awareness of BB, I find it scary to talk to my colleague at work and even to my wife. I distanced myself when I talk to someone, like 3-4 feet away. It is seriously affecting my confidence and affecting my job because I can't stop thinking about it.
At this moment, I am gargling my mouth with Therabreath every 3 hours. I hope I don't get poisoned by overdosing. That is the only way I can keep my sanity.
Halitosisux: I am going to listen to your advise and I have scheduled a H. Pylori blood test tomorrow. I hope I have it and it is the root cause of my BB. Then I can fix it up for good. I am going to the dentist again and see what they can do on my receeding gums.
Thank you for replying. I am really happy that I can find someone to talk to. I tried to bring this issue up with my good friend a while ago and he thinks I have gone bonkers.
He denied I have BB. My family thinks it is a small issue but I find it very depressing. Now that I have this self awareness of BB, I find it scary to talk to my colleague at work and even to my wife. I distanced myself when I talk to someone, like 3-4 feet away. It is seriously affecting my confidence and affecting my job because I can't stop thinking about it.
At this moment, I am gargling my mouth with Therabreath every 3 hours. I hope I don't get poisoned by overdosing. That is the only way I can keep my sanity.
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Archimonde
- Super Angel
- Posts: 885
- Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2007 12:14 pm
If you're going with the route of covering your breath with a product such as mouthwash, do it the right way:
Get peppermint oil, put a few drops in a bottle of water and take a sip every 30 minutes or so throughout the day. If your bb is mild, the oil should cover your breath. Carrying a bottle of water goes unnoticed as opposed to going to the bathroom every 3 hours to gargle.
What country do you live in? I'm guessing Singapore since english seems to be your native language.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_ ... mint%20oil
Get peppermint oil, put a few drops in a bottle of water and take a sip every 30 minutes or so throughout the day. If your bb is mild, the oil should cover your breath. Carrying a bottle of water goes unnoticed as opposed to going to the bathroom every 3 hours to gargle.
What country do you live in? I'm guessing Singapore since english seems to be your native language.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_ ... mint%20oil
Archimonde: I just brought a bottle of pure extract of chlorophyll essense yesterday and have been taking it since then. I will see if my BB condition improves in a few days time. I have checked several pharmacies around my place and I couldn't find the peppermint oil but I have managed to locate it on a local online aromatherapy store. It didn't mentioned that it is consumables so I am a little scared to drink it. I think I will try out the chlorophyll method first.
I just had my blood tested on Sunday and the results will be out this Thursday. I went for a full body checkup and not just H. Pylori. I cannot remember when is the last time I did a full body checkup. Since they are taking my blood as well, I thought it will be a good idea to test everything. I hate needles and blood.
You are close. I am from Malaysia. A neighbor country of Singapore. Nea, English is not my native language. But I was brought up in a English speaking family and I went to a English based school. Where are you from? I see that you have been a great contributor to this site. Your postings is by the hundreds. I assumed you are a BB sufferer as well, so what do you do about it? Did you managed to find the root cause of your BB or you try to mask it? To me, I want to find the root cause and nail it dead for good but until then I will do everything I can do mask it. It is depressing but I have to carry on with my life.
I just had my blood tested on Sunday and the results will be out this Thursday. I went for a full body checkup and not just H. Pylori. I cannot remember when is the last time I did a full body checkup. Since they are taking my blood as well, I thought it will be a good idea to test everything. I hate needles and blood.
You are close. I am from Malaysia. A neighbor country of Singapore. Nea, English is not my native language. But I was brought up in a English speaking family and I went to a English based school. Where are you from? I see that you have been a great contributor to this site. Your postings is by the hundreds. I assumed you are a BB sufferer as well, so what do you do about it? Did you managed to find the root cause of your BB or you try to mask it? To me, I want to find the root cause and nail it dead for good but until then I will do everything I can do mask it. It is depressing but I have to carry on with my life.
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dick.karma
- Advanced
- Posts: 137
- Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2009 7:54 am
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Forwardfaith
- Total Newbie
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sat Oct 19, 2013 1:28 am
RE
First off, we can consider that was a blessing that nobody told you had breath issues till later! It allowed you to explore places without being self conscious and home bond. For myself, it wasn't until I was in college, but back in highschool I was so free spirited because I did not believe I had constant breath problems. (I'm sure you can relate =) )
After reading other several posts, it seems that tonsil stones are a common theme. Have you also been experiencing post nasal drip? From my understanding, it is characterized as having an abundance of mucus with the need to continually swallow or spit it out.
If you have time, I have a few questions.
When you lick your wrists, did it smell like old milk?
Also, do you ever get a wiff of halitosis when you are at the dentist after they remove one of their instruments from your mouth that are covered in saliva and they let it sit then bring it back to use?
I hear activated charcoal works, so 'm gonna try it in the upcoming days and will let you know if it made any difference.
Blessings,
Faith
After reading other several posts, it seems that tonsil stones are a common theme. Have you also been experiencing post nasal drip? From my understanding, it is characterized as having an abundance of mucus with the need to continually swallow or spit it out.
If you have time, I have a few questions.
When you lick your wrists, did it smell like old milk?
Also, do you ever get a wiff of halitosis when you are at the dentist after they remove one of their instruments from your mouth that are covered in saliva and they let it sit then bring it back to use?
I hear activated charcoal works, so 'm gonna try it in the upcoming days and will let you know if it made any difference.
Blessings,
Faith
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ItsgoingtobeOK
- Newbie
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Wed Mar 19, 2014 10:07 pm
I think I somewhat agree with the opening post.
In Asia, folks are much more tolerant to BB. They don't twist a knife in your soul by putting you down commenting or making fun of your bad breath. It's really not as big of a deal as it is in the Western World.
Not sure why, as someone said, people (in the west) are programmed to sh!t over those who have bb?
In Asia, folks are much more tolerant to BB. They don't twist a knife in your soul by putting you down commenting or making fun of your bad breath. It's really not as big of a deal as it is in the Western World.
Not sure why, as someone said, people (in the west) are programmed to sh!t over those who have bb?
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ItsgoingtobeOK
- Newbie
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Wed Mar 19, 2014 10:07 pm
Re: RE
Yeah, I heard about it too in this video. Watch what the doctor says.Forwardfaith wrote:
I hear activated charcoal works, so 'm gonna try it in the upcoming days and will let you know if it made any difference.
Blessings,
Faith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrW_QYk6zRI
Please let us know how does it go?
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betterdays
- Newbie
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everhopeful81
- Newbie
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- Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2011 6:29 pm
- Location: London
