donali

No one wants to be a "cheater" - we all want to be known for our "fair play." Next time someone tells you WLS is cheating, say it would only be cheating if the game were fair and we all started at the same place. :eek:

I love these posts that make us think! :grouphug: *grin* This was Gyou, not Syou. *laughs* BUT... ...isn't any different than thinking that everyone is the same, and that we all have the same expectations and commitments. :eek: Believe me, I do this ALL the time. I think most people do. When something is just so OBVIOUS and downright darn LOGICAL, it's virtually impossible to understand how any reasonable person could do/think/feel differently. I don't know why I'm constantly amazed at this... You'd think I'd have learned MY way ISN'T the only way by now. Just because it's the best way... *laughs uproarously at self* :pray2: ((PhotoNut))

Best wishes, Sunset. They clean the band off, so it shouldn't be too gross. BUT - there won't be food and guck on it - it's on the outside of the stomach (at least it's supposed to be! lol), so they'll only have to clean blood and stuff off it. Everyone who has a band taken out should ask for it to be returned to them and send it on to the maker for their stats (or keep it for their lawsuit, whatever). Inamed always asks for the eroded bands to be returned for study...

:update: :horn: Beanie's banded!!!! Wooot wooot!!! :clap2:

(((Megan))) Boy, I still get choked up when I think about how I used to talk to myself. Megan, I had no idea you were using MY tapes... :eek: My take on all of this: 1. Fat is a SYMPTOM of something else. It may be a biological/genetic/social/physical/mental/emotional/nutritional/exercise problem, or some complicated combination of all or some of those things. FAT is the result of some thing/multiple things being out of whack. 2. The band (with a correct fill level), at best, treats only TWO of the multiple possible causes of obesity: a) insatiable physical hunger :grouphug: excess quantity It does not address the fear of change. It does not address the physcial addiction some may have to their body's chemical reaction to certain foods. It does not address the emotional reasons people eat. It does not address habit. It does not address convenience. It does not address poor planning. It does not address social pressure to eat what everyone else is eating. It does not address the need/want/desire to "fit in". Remember someone making the observation that even within WLS groups there seems to be a hierarchy? The thought that all people go into WLS with the same expectations is an example of that. Anyone know a slender person who "Just doesn't get it."? How frustrating it is to try and explain WHY we can't stop eating, WHY we choose less nutritious foods, HOW we got to be so fat? Lots of times we don't know ourselves. We feel SO different, so alone. THEN we get into a group of obese people, and we think FINALLY! People who really understand the struggle. And THEN... We find out... WE'RE STILL different!! Not everyone came into this with the same strengths, weaknesses or challenges, and thinking that we did is not better than slender people thinking everyone should be slender because THEY are. I think one of our biggest disservices is the attitude: "If I can do it, anyone can." Sometimes it's meant in a supportive way, sometimes it's meant in a derogatory way. Either way, though, it just is not true. It seems like it should be, but it's not. We are all individuals, and NO one, and I mean NO one can possibly know every single factor in an individual's obesity (or anything else, for that matter - obesity is just the topic of the day.) Even the individual themself rarely knows or understands every contributing factor to their obesity. For those who are struggling, more support would be indicated. BUT - not everyone will respond well to that support. Not everyone will seek it, or accept it. Why??? We'll probably never know. The best that we can hope for is that we will find someone else whose day to day challenges seem the most like ours, and hope they can give us a little insight to our demons, and vice versa. Not every obese person is going to have good advice for us personally - I mean something that really resonates to us. I try to read every thing I can, looking for the little nuggets that I think I could really apply to ME. I try to file all of it away for future reference, so that even if it's not something that helps me, maybe it will help someone else. There are other boards that are absolutely, positively intolerant of those who make less nutritious choices, however rarely. I know lots of people who are afraid to post on those boards, because they know they will get slammed. Here I think it is a little less intimidating to post that we're still struggling with certain demons. Almost always there are good supportive posts for those people, with hints and ideas on how to "slay the dragon" - for today, at least. Still others support by posting, "Me too. Let me know when you find the answer." Still others scratch their heads in amazement, but are kind enough to not post to that thread with their true feelings, or post tempered with humor. lol For me, banding wasn't about STOPPING my less nutritious choices, but moderating them. Prior/post banding, it is almost impossible for me to stop eating if there is still food, particularly certain kinds of food. Why don't I stay away from that kind of food altogether????? Good question. I keep thinking I can moderate. With the band that was true! Post-band is better than pre-band, but I am still not able to stop before I have consumed too many calories, whether it's nutritious or less-nutritious. I don't think there is a simple answer to why people continue to try to eat the way they did pre-band. Some people seriously weren't ready emotionally for the changes, some people don't want to make the changes, some people are going for moderation, some are learning as they go. It's cool how different we are, huh? :clap2:

Annie Lennox, Shawn Colvin, Maureen O'Connor, Suzanne Vega, Kate Bush, K.D. Lang, Tracy Chapman, Enya, Elton John, John Denver, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, the Eurythmics, Wilson Phillips, Rockapella, Tommy Emmanuel, George Winston, William Ackerman, Mozart, Vivaldi, Verdi, Mahler, easy listening KYXY 96.5, various musicals.... So basically, new age, easy listening rock, pop, classical, light jazz, alternative... Biggest requirement - melodically/harmonically pleasing. Mostly don't do country, but do love the voices of LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill, Anne Murray, to name a few...

*sluuuuurrrrrpppppp!!!* The sound of yet another one being sucked into the vortex... It's really just a great big experiment - how long does it take most people to get addicted to LBT?? lol You are in fine company... Now you understand why we eroded people could never seriously dream of leaving... :help:

(((Kathy))) I hope it's just pneumonia, and that all is resolved soon. So glad it's not your band!!!

Great... As if we didn't have enough problems - now there are faulty needles? A whole batch of them?!? :doh:

ROTFLMAO If only it weren't true...

Whoo hooo!!! Whoo hooo!!! Congrats!!:clap2:

LOL. See, gwe're not so bad - no gone's answered syou yet. hehehe PhotoNut and DAWG - where have syou two been all my life?!?! xxoo

Date Banded: 1/23/05 Country: MX State: Tijuana Surgeon: Dr. Juan Lopez Corvala Eroded? Yes/No?: Yes. Band removed 7/04. Port revision: 11/1/03 (I tore my port sutures and had to have surgery to reposition and reattach the port.

Whoo hoo, JQ!!! We're so proud of you!! xxoo Can't wait to read the article!

BWAHAAHAHAAA!!! to the fainting goats video!! ROTFLMAO! :faint2:

:notagree boring... Hello?? I'd like to place a collect call to the FUN Alex. Thank you. :decision: ROTFLMAO

NO ONE should "get used" to PBing - it is the number one cause of slippage, and should be avoided at all costs. If you have a fill get a slight unfill. If you don't have a fill, check with your doc - I'd want a barium swallow to double-check placement, particularly after several episodes of 2-3 hrs PBing. Yes, it is rare for a banded person to NEVER experience a PB - there is a learning curve, afterall, but it should NEVER be commonplace. Really.

(((Mary))) Sending you strength and healing vibes...

OH! Can we add the "s" for "specifically... YOU" - I think that would help clarify things even further. sOkay? gOkay?

Alex, are you talking to ME??????? :clock: Sorry, I couldn't resist. I couldn't agree with you more. :hail: Although Dawg has a very intriguing idea... I kinda of like the new language suggestion. What do gyou think? Gyow? Gyom? How about ryou? Gwe really need to stop thinking that everything is about rus. Sometimes it's about gus, even if rwe've just posted. On the other hand, sometimes it really IS about rus, not gus. Peace and love, geveryone! Assuming ieveryone, of course. IMVHO. Really. Actually, I think gwe just need to use more emoticons...

I can't believe you deleted posts... AGAIN... I wondered what was missing, as someone quoted something that was no longer in the thread. sigh... I believe we should get what we pay for. I believe we should educate ourselves as much as possible. I believe that the surgery itself is only the beginning of the journey. And while I think lots of people need/benefit from some sort of program, I'm with Kare on the "my choice" bit. I was self pay, so okay, I didn't have a lot of options I could afford. To tell the truth, I don't know that for a fact - I think I just assumed I would only be able to afford to go to Mexico. But I was definitely over jumping through anyone's hoops, and surgery and fills was basically all I wanted from my band journey. I'm glad I had the Mexico option. And everything was going exactly as planned until... well, you know. :bananajump: I guess some things in Ortiz's post didn't stand out to me like they did to others - I didn't think he was saying that the eroded people here were giving misinformation. And I guess I glossed over the "similar techniques" comment, as I have no idea how much one doc differs from the next. A big congrats on your 12 pounds! And big hugs all around. xxoo

LOL BB - Posting a comment that basically says "Bumping" is when you don't really have anything to add to a thread, but you post a short comment ("BUMP" or something similar) so that it comes back to the top of the list as new posts so people will read it. This way they don't have to make up some sort of inane comment just to get a thread revived. Some find bumping old posts annoying, because they've already read that thread months ago, but some people find it helpful because they're new, or they'd forgotten.

I love the scramble game on your website! Whoo hoo! And welcome, and congrats on Samantha!

Big Paul does indeed ROCK! And Kare - I love your new profile name, and I love your golden rule post!

I'm mapped!!