Alexandra

Please tell me when, where, EVER, has there been "no" abortion? Never in the history of humankind has there been an absence of women doing whatever they must to end unwanted pregnancies.

I don't want to take over the thread with a rules and regs discussion, but I will say this: 396, there is a difference between saying that (for example) "knitting is boring" and saying that "knittERS are boring." That's the difference we ask everyone here to observe. The first is criticizing the activity, the second criticizes the people who do it. For all of your disapproving language, your earlier post is criticizing liberalism, not liberals. And that's the way it should be.

Hi Karen, I'm sorry to hear you'll be losing your band, but SO glad to hear you have other options! Your health and quality of life are what comes first, and you need to take care of yourself. That's especially hard when family is sick, as I'm sure you know. Good luck with everything and best wishes for strong health and healing for both you and your husband!

Hi Crabby, welcome to LBT!! Yep. the pre-op testing can be a drag, but it's all in order to make you the best you can be before undergoing this life-changing process. You're getting a tune-up!

I completely agree with Mariecarmen, but I'd go even a little farther and change the last line to "choose to find a different way to use it." YOU are the one determining your goals, so YOU are the one who will determine how best to use the lowered capacity the band gives you. The person in the OP who lost 160 lbs in 10 months obviously chose to go the ascetic route and lost WAY faster than most bandsters. That speed is RNY territory (are you sure she didn't have an RNY?). As far as plastic surgery goes, there are no guarantees. Much depends on your age, genetics, speed of loss, patience, and dumb luck. Losing weight at a sane rate, keeping well hydrated and getting lots of exercise will give you the best shot at minimizing the appearance of loose skin. But in the end, it's your choice. If you don't want to have PS, don't! It's that simple.

Who? :Banane43: :thumbs_up: Nope, 396, there was nothing even remotely inappropriate about your last post. Now, compare it to the earlier ones which we did take issue with, and you will see "attack the idea, not the person" at work.

Phyllis, I'm right now in crossed-fingers maintenance mode, trying not to gain weight before I can be re-banded in a month or so. I don't have any pipe dreams that a new band will help me lose the 50 lbs I have on me that the medical community would call "excess weight" but I am hopeful it will make the lifelong task of maintaining my weight a bit easier. Constantly clenched jaws do not make for a sensible approach to dieting. Only you can decide if therapy can help. Personally, I've never partaken professionally but I've done a lot of soul searching. What I find hardest is taking the certain knowledge that: a) I am not hungry, and :Banane43: this next bite is unnecessary and possibly harmful , and adding them up into c) I WILL NOT PUT IT INTO MY MOUTH. I'm trying to break down the disconnect between A/B and C so that I can create a connection that will stick with me. WHY is it so hard to remember NOT to eat something? My brain simply doesn't seem to access the control button until AFTER the extra calories have gone into my mouth. Am I distracted? Self-destructive? Unconscious? Stupid? In denial? What??? I don't really think I'm an emotional eater, except on the rare occasions when I consciously know that I feel [insert emotion here] and want [insert activity here] to counteract the emotion. For me that activity is just as likely to be shopping or calling a friend as it is eating, though, so it's not a major source of my excess intake. When I do get a grip of the thought process going on, I have found that there is a sense of entitlement at work--like "I can have this, I'm an adult, no one can tell me I can't..." Rationally I know I need to have another conversation with myself about the UP side of not eating something I COULD eat. The self-talk about entitlement is working at cross-purposes with my goal to improve my health, and I am the loser. That's an ongoing challenge for me, day after day after day. And I look forward to having a band at my side to help with that challenge by giving me other reasons to put the food down.

Hi Debbydo, welcome back! I'm going to be jumping back on that wagon with you very shortly. :biggrin1: Save room for me!!

Not only would I do it again, I AM doing it again. Soon!!

This thread is being closed at the request of the thread-starter.

To be honest, I'm quite relieved about this though I understand your frustration. Betancourt has just risen a coupla notches in my estimation. Turns out they DO have some medical standards! Mya, believe us when we tell you this is a good thing. You have lots of options and weight-loss surgery is just not something you should be thinking about. Good luck with your future, whether it includes modeling or not!

Bubble, by "considering the source" I hope and assume you mean the publication Leatha quoted, the article by Hank Hanegraaf, not Leatha herself. Am I right? Once again, everyone, please let's keep the discussion about the ideas, not the people.

If your husband can't or won't cook (which of course he CAN), you might pre-cook a lot of meals and stick them in the freezer. But really, a few days out and you'll be good to go. The temptation aspect will be there, but if you're always going to be the cook you are going to have to deal with it sooner or later.

That is a really disturbing and acute observation. Mya, please take it to heart and THINK TWICE about this.

My guess is that most people are looking at 800 x 600, and in that view the screen is too narrow to accommodate the ads without scrolling.

The question refers to the program you use to navigate the Web. If you don't know, look at the menu bar. If there's a Help menu, click on that and you should see "About (Name of browser)" And then you'll know!

Wheetsin! You're baptized!! Feel any different? Me, I'm a heathen, through and through. Babies born to atheists have to go it alone.

You are too tight. Whatever's in your pouch when you lie down refluxes up and into your esophagus. You might be able to manage it by not taking in any food or liquid for several hours before lying down, but in my experience that's only a temporary fix. You really need to talk to your doctor about getting an unfill to loosen things up a little. Good luck!!

Oh, yes, it's a gift incalculable our parents give us when they give us the ability (and responsibility) of self-determination. Some would say they gave us enough rope to hang ourselves with, which is indeed another way of looking at it. You should have seen my (atheist) father's face when I told him I was majoring in Religious Studies, and six years later when I was marrying into an Irish Catholic family.

Tami, I went back to work on Monday after surgery on Wednesday. If I'd had to, I could have gone back even earlier. Have you ever had surgery before? Do you know how you react to anaesthesia? The muscular pain and soreness is very manageable; many people don't need anything more than Tylenol even as early as the next day. For me the big thing was dizziness related to the anaesthesia. I wouldn't have wanted to drive my long commute to work if I could avoid it. But the pain wasn't the problem at all.

I agree with those who say followup is KEY to success with the lapband. It may not be a big deal to have surgery three hours (or a plane ride) away, but if getting there on possibly short notice is not possible in the future then one crucial element of post-op life is missing. People without ready access to adjustments might be inclined to ask for tight fills and just "live with it," which is very likely a major risk factor for erosion. That's why we always say it's absolutely critical to find local follow-up care before deciding to have surgery at a distance. Is three hours too far? Only you can say; you know your lifestyle and obligations. But do bear in mind that trips to the doctor are a NECESSARY part of banded life, at least for the first couple of years.

I forgot to mention I'm also going to get a low-profile port. Just in case I lose more weight with the new band. :biggrin1:

Please refrain from personal comments, folks. Critique the ideas, not the people. Thanks, Sunta, I can really relate to your comment about being 7 and ticked when you heard that women can't do something. I remember being equally appalled as a kid as I learned about the life of our Orthodox Jewish friends who lived next door, and being so thankful that my parents weren't raising me in a world with artificial walls. I would look at that mother and wonder where herSELF went, and how could she be willing to live her life according to restrictive rules, etc., while her husband and sons could do (dress, act, say) whatever they wanted. My parents would assure me that it was her choice (which I never quite believed, somehow) and that those rules don't apply to me and wouldn't, ever. Thank you, Mom and Dad. :biggrin1:

I hear that clicking on Go Advanced makes it possible to edit. (I personally am not having any editing trouble, so this is rumor.) Give it a try and let us know what happens.

Hi Freebutterfly, I too think my band was very tight from the beginning, and it was just recently removed due to slippage after 3.75 years. While I'm very much enjoying being able to eat bulky foods again, I'm having a new one installed in the next few weeks because I know myself and don't think I'll be able to maintain my weight loss. There are new, larger bands available now that just weren't on the market four years ago. Have you looked in to them? Good luck with whatever the future holds for you!!