Carlene

Cool....I didn't even realize I had a rep - at least not on LBT.

It probably depends on the employer's policy/specifics. I have UHC and they cover fills. In fact, I just got an EOB this week where they paid on my DH's last fill.

You could try a bit of Benefiber each day. It is colorless, tasteless, and harmless. It just adds water to the colon. It's not a quick fix - more like a maintenance thing. But it works GREAT!

Thanks! Yesterday I ate Slim Fast, (canned) Soup, yogurt, chicken broth, and applesauce. The applesauce was the highlight of my day, and I don't even like applesauce. How sad is that? No more canned soup, though. It is just gross (except for tomato, which I can handle). When I was a baby post-op, I made soup out of all kinds of veggies that aren't generally considered soup material, like black-eyed peas and sweet potatoes - thick soup, but no "lumps". I think I'm going to revisit those. They were much more tasty and satisfying than the canned stuff. Only 16 days to go.

Wise move. A too-tight band is the number one cause of not just esophageal dilation, but slippage, as well. I was VERY lucky to have dodged that bullet. Plus, after several months, it was damaging my esophagus and my lungs. You do NOT want to cause Barrett's Esophagus - a precursor to esophageal cancer. What happens is, the esophagus tries to protect itself from the ravages of the stomach acid by growing new tissue that is similar to the tissue in the intestines. But in doing so, the body changes the cell structure and literally invites cancer to set up housekeeping therein. Esophageal cancer is very painful, and almost always fatal.

My DH wears a size 14. Based on that, he says it should be bigger. But I suspect all men think that. PS...His height and my lack thereof can be a problem, though.

Are you serious? Bush Sr called Reaganomics "voodoo economics".

81% of all abortions are performed on women age 20 and older. Surely, by the time they are 20, most women realize that sex isn't "bad". We need to educate young women, I agree, but we also need to NOT promote abortion as birth control. Just as WLS is not the best way to avoid getting fat in the first place, abortion is not "family planning". It is - or should be - the choice of last resort.

Not all of us. It is possible to oppose abortion on demand without getting in anyone's face. It is possible to hate abortion but not be willing to lobby for its repeal. Some of us just wish the pro-choice people would put more emphasis on choosing not to be pregnant BEFORE conception occurs. Then we could stop having this argument.

Best thing I've read on this thread so far!

I have a dilated esophagus, unfortunately. But at least it's not a slip.

Since I am doing liquids and mushies for the next 3 weeks (GAG), I decided to replace my worn out Magic Bullet, except that I found a better deal. JC Penney's has an off-brand that is on sale for $30.00 and includes 5 large containers, one small one, and all the lids, colored bands, etc. It also has two blades - a chopping blade and a blending blade. Works great and so much cheaper than the MB, which, in my case, cost $60 and lasted only a year.

Me,too. Or at least some hot discussion.

Actually, no one is screaming about childhood mortality as much as they should be... SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants who are 1 month to 1 year old, and claims the lives of about 2,500 infants each year in the United States. The leading cause of death in children over one year of age is trauma. Each year, more than 6,000 children die from accidental injury. Over 14,000,000 children are hurt each year from carelessness. Children Killed by Guns: In 1999, there were 3,385 firearms-related deaths for children ages 0–19 years. They break down as follows: 214 unintentional, 1,078 suicides, 1,990 homicides, 83 for which the intent could not be determined, and 20 due to legal intervention. Source: 2002 edition of Injury Facts.

More from "The Third Way Culture Project"... Roughly 9 out of 10 abortions are performed in the first trimester. • 57.6% of abortions occur within 9 weeks. • 77.9% occur within 10 weeks. • 88.1% occur within 12 weeks — the end of the first trimester. • 0.08% occur after 24 weeks — the end of the second trimester. Part III, Finding #2 The reason most women give for having an abortion after 16 weeks is not realizing they were pregnant. Only 5.8% of all abortions are performed after the 16th week. Women often give multiple reasons for relatively late abortions, but not realizing they were pregnant was number one. 71% cited not realizing they were pregnant as the reason for having an abortion after the 16th week. 48% cited difficulty in making the arrangements to have an abortion. 33% said they were afraid to tell their partner. 24% said they needed time to make a decision. 8% said they hoped their relationship with their partner would change. 2% cited a late diagnosis for fetal abnormality.

Is there some study you could cite for us on that, or is it just your gut feeling? I've seen plenty of mothers interviewed whose children grew up to be infamous criminals. Not once have I heard one say, "You know....I almost aborted the little bastard. Too bad I changed my mind."

You have to remember that most of these cabbies are self-employed. They do not work for a cab company. They own their own cabs and this is their livelihood. So I say, if they are willing to give up all those fares, let them go to the back of the line and wait for a "dry" customer to come along. It can take HOURS, and that's their gripe. But it's also the most equitable solution, I think. If you don't want me and my fifth of Mexican tequila in your cab, fine. But you don't get to sit there and interview one traveler after another, until you find one that suits you. Although I think it's perfectly okay to ask the fares to stow the liquor in the trunk.

I am the mother of three (now grown) sons and one daughter. Two of my sons were anti-potty poopers, so I truly feel your pain. I never found a real "cure". I decided it wasn't me, since son number one and the daughter were both soooooooo easy to train. So it had to be those two hard-headed, rotten-to-the-core, out-to-drive-me-crazy middle boys, right? (Yes....it was.) Eventually they will conform to the norms of society and poop in the toilet....I promise. Any type of social setting (pre-school, mom's day out, etc) will help. Once the other kids start calling him names (and they will), he will straighten up and fly right. Do not protect him from ridicule. If he doesn't want to be known as "Stinky Pants" then he will suck it up and use the potty like everyone else. His choice.....life has consequences. Console yourself with this thought....no one ever started school in diapers. Although I have a granddaughter who had to wait a whole year before she could attend pre-K for that very reason. And her mom's a Kindergarten teacher. She was totally humiliated (my DIL, not the granddaughter).

Actually, Betsy, young, uneducated teens have the fewest abortions, as a group. Abortions by Age of Woman Under 20 - 19% 20 - 29 - 56% 30+ Years - 25% 61% of women who have an abortion have had a prior birth 48% of women who have an abortion have had a previous abortion. These are the reasons women cite for seeking an abortion: Fetal abnormalities - 3% Too young and immature to have a child - 11% Relationship problems/unmarried - 13% Health - 3% Rape or incest - 1% Already have enough children- 8% Inadequate finances - 22% "Not ready for the responsibility" - 22% "Life would be changed too much" - 17% The most likely person to have a later term abortion is a girl under age 15. • Nearly 14.7% of all abortions performed on girls under the age of 15 occur after the 16th week of gestation. • 8.5% of abortions for older teens occur after 16 weeks. • Only a tiny percentage of women over 20 have an abortion after the 16th week Roughly 1 of every 3 births in the U.S. is out-of-wedlock. Nearly 1 of 4 white births, nearly 7 of 10 black births, and more than 4 of 10 Hispanic births are to unwed mothers. There is no correlation between out-of-wedlock births and abortion rates. Six Southern states are among the top 10 in out-of-wedlock births. But there is no correlation between states that have many of out-of-wedlock births and abortion rates. States with the highest percentage of births to unmarried women have abortion rates near the national average (2001) State % Births Out of Wedlock Abortion Rank Louisiana 46.3% of births out-of-wedlock 32 nd in state abortion rate Mississippi 46.3 33rd New Mexico 46.3 19th South Carolina 40.1 28th Delaware 39.9 3rd Arizona 39.5 42nd Florida 39.0 2nd Georgia 37.3 17th Nevada 37.2 9th Arkansas 36.1 36th Mean 40.8% of births out-of-wedlock 22nd in state abortion rate States with the lowest percentage of births to unmarried women have abortion rates near the national average (2001) State % Births Out of Wedlock Abortion Rank Utah 17.4% of births out-of-wedlock 45th in state abortion rate Idaho 22.0 46th New Hampshire 24.2 n/a Colorado 25.0 47th Minnesota 26.3 20th Massachusetts 26.7 7th Nebraska 27.7 38th North Dakota 27.9 41st Iowa 28.8 34th Washington 28.8 5th Mean 25.5% of births out-of-wedlock 31st in state abortion rate Abortion statistics unavailable for California, New Hampshire, and Alaska. Louisiana and Florida figures include out-of-state residents who had abortions performed in those states. Source: The Third Way Culture Project The Demographics of Abortion The Great Divide Between Abortion Rhetoric and Abortion Reality This was the most unbiased, and the best documented, source I could find. The report also had this to say... The data in this memo illustrate how the divisive abortion debate is focused on hot-button political issues that rarely occur in real life or outside the minds of fervent activists. The social onservatives’ focus onso-called “partial-birth abortion” affects, at most, 8 of every 10,000 abortions performed. The social liberals’ traditional defense of abortion on the grounds of rape and incest or the life of the mother is irrelevant in approximately 98 of every 100 abortions. The abortion debate is so far removed from reality that it would be like debating the 2000 Presidential election by discussing only the candidacies of Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan.

I think there is a huge difference between forcing someone to live and deliberately ending their life. If you believe that abortion is subverting God's will, you must also believe that forcing someone to live by tethering them forever to a host of machines is, too.

I have done it. It's very difficult. If you have never watched someone die by inches, in excruciating pain that cannot be relieved by drugs, short of shutting down their respiratory system, then I can understand why you might think you would never sign a DNR order.

Signing a DNR is not the same thing as "pulling the plug". "Do Not Resuscitate" means just that.....if they stop breathing, leave them alone. Do not get out the paddles. Do not initiate CPR. Do not hook them up to a heart/lung machine or a ventilator. It does not mean stop treatment. It does not end life....it just does not prolong it with heroic measures.

GL....never say "never". There are circumstances that I'm betting could change your mind. End-stage Cancer, for one. Some types are not so bad, but then again, some are unbelievably painful.

Bush did not push Medicare Part D thru for the benefit of senior citizens. He did it for big business. Seems too many Baby Boomers were retiring and taking their health insurance plans with them, as they were promised they could. Once Part D became law, those big corporations were allowed to duck out of prescription coverage for all their retirees. Instead, middle America now bears the cost. And the insurance premiums of big business went way down. But not the premiums the retirees pay. They stayed the same. Only now they have a "donut hole", during which there is NO coverage. And most are paying about double now. In addition, Bush will not permit Medicare to negotiate with drug companies for discounts, although the VA does. He has threatened to veto any bill that would allow said negotiations. Is that for the good of the seniors? No....it's to protect the profits of the drug companies. Clinton was in bed with Monica, but Bush is in bed with big business. I prefer the former.

You know what's scary? The HUNGRY MONSTER. I had forgotten what it felt like. Being unfilled sucks!