Wheetsin

Yep, happens all the time. My first PB was just a few days after surgery, still had my staples. Like Susan's, it was my worst to date.

I believe (this is not one of the things I have followed most closely) Obama defines middle class as 150k/annually or less, but I don't know where his "or less" would transition into lower class. McCain - was asked to provide a specific number at which someone transitions from middle class to rich. After saying it was $5 million, he said "...I don’t think you can". So who knows how he is defining it. How's that for a non-answer? :biggrin:

I've had a bit of an LBT sabbatical, but I want to know how you're doing. Figure you're most likely to check here, that I know of! How about the rest of the old RnR crew? Different flavor here now. Anyone still around?

Jack - certainly it does. I was just interested in what you had experienced. Being under a social work label, I wasn't sure what type of investigations you would run. (E.g. I know a few social workers who actually investigate social work cases such as child welfare, but I also know some who investigate internal and process compliance). It's just an area I"ev always found interesting. :biggrin:

Odd that they won't let you walk unless you've already made a certain amount of money. But anyway... you sure you want this in the RnR forum and not Lounge? I'd be happy to move it for you...

I had a hard time with maternity clothes because they're virtually impossible to find in "tall." Penny's was the only place I could find, and I didn't care for their styles. I found the *best* pants at Kmart, of all places. Total fluke. I was there to buy a registry gift for someone, walked by, thought "cute jeans" and then saw they were maternity. They're cool darker denim, not the light stuff you see everywhere (my friends commented on how cute they were before they even knew they were maternity). Full panel, which I wanted. Perfect length, which surprises me because that means they will actually be too long for most people. Like $20 each. I don't know the brand but they have little storks embroidered by the waist or pocket. And they've really held up. After going through sizes as I lost weight, I was determined not to let myself go wild and buy the whole pregnancy wardrobe, so I only bought one pair of capris and one pair of jeans. Just lately had to break out the jeans. I wore my skirts as long as I could, but when they had to go I was exclusively in the capris, and they're still in perfect shape. The sizes run big. Pre-pregnancy I was ~18 in pants, and in these I'm between a L and XL. L is very tight in the thighs, XL fits the thighs but gapes at my waist. Story of my life. :crying: For shirts I've gone with Old Navy and Target mostly, plus some longer empire styles I had pre-pregnancy. And one short I found... don't even remember where... another "walked by and saw it". Target sometimes has super cute stuff, and sometimes just has super weird stuff.

I'm not a fan of welfare (as it exists right now) but this is very true. Welfare is very misunderstood, by recipients as well as non. (Unfortunately I hear a lot more about gas prices around the candidates than I do things like welfare reform). food stamps - one of the worst abuses out there. Again, this is anecdotal and limited to my state, but about 90% of people on food stamps think it is there to purchase their groceries. It's there to subsidize what a bunch of calculations and formulas have determined you should be contributing to your grocery bill, so that you and your children can have healthier, more nutritious food than what you might otherwise be able to buy. It is not intended to carry the grocery bill for the entire family (hence W-I-C). Dad, feed yourself. Incidentally, here is my state's current WIC list. I don't necessarily agree with everything allowed, but at least they're starting to get more serious about narrowing the scope, enforcing generics, etc. And as an aside... Jack -- what types of situations were you responsible for investigating?

It wouldn't exactly get "stuck" above it, but if that's what people experienced, they would describe it as "I got stuck." Different mechanics happening. In terms of analogy, this is the paper plate or plastic bag that covers the sink drain, blocking the sink but never actually making it into the drain. The drain (banded part) is completely clear, nothing in it at all, but directly above the drain, at the very bottom of the sink, there's a blockage. Prior to the band the body has some capacity to accomodate too large of bites (most people have done the accidental *gulp* and swallowed before they were really ready to swallow - sometimes feeling nothing, sometimes feeling a "weird" feeling down their spine, etc.). With the band, that capacity is gone because there's absolutely no stretch allowed when you're clamped to a specific size.

So many resources and people define it in so many ways. Sometimes it's an earnings figure, sometimes it's a standard of living, sometimes it's personal characteristics such as education, etc. Census data uses quintiles, and I've also seen the third quintile used to bracket "middle class." Quintile salary definitions change annually, so even by this standard there wouldn't be a set definition. Historical Income Tables - Income Equality (doesn't include recent years) American middle class - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (See "Academic Models" section in particular)

I was allergic to the adhesive sheets they covered my incisions with, and to the adhesives on steristrips. (I've yet to find any type of adhesive bandage or tape that doesn't cause some kind of a reaction for me). Do you have anything other than just staples/stitches? After my surgery I developed a hivey rash bad enough that I called my surgeon's office. I was advised to use Benadryl cream. It helped, but didn't solve. Sometimes the itching would wake me up enough that I gave up on trying to sleep. What gave me the most relief was either ice, or to literally pour/drip calamine lotion over the area. Blotting it on with a cottonball did nothing other than make it itch more, but if I let it freely run over the area, instant relief.

I'm a ways out, but I eat cereal. As soon as I was allowed "foods as tolerated" I added it back into my diet. I don't remember ever having a problem with it.

The only surgeon I know of who will fill others' patients is Dr. Malley. As a heads-up, around Juneish I called his office to see about transferring my care there and was told there was a 4 month waiting list. I've heard that Dr. Hitchcock (formerly with SMMC) has left and joined Malley's practice. Might be worth looking into, though I have no idea if he is as "open" about taking others' patients as Malley is. You could also look for a local fill center. I have no idea if there are any or not, never looked. I believe I've also seen a bariatric center off of I-435 east of State Line but west of Holmes. Somewhere in there. I don't know if they do bands or fills, but if you could find their name it would be worth a phone call.

It depends. I'll try to be as non-technical as possible. If you eat too large of a bite, it can become stuck "above" the band, e.g. it is never able to leave the esophagus and enter into the "band tunnel". Sometimes a bite can be small enough to enter into the "band tunnel", but becomes stuck there (like a fat guy who can squeeze halfway through a window, but can't budge after that). Sometimes something gets stuck, but when you get sick it doesn't come up, but you still feel better. A lot of this is just guessing, but many veteran bandsters and doctors believe something can be stuck and the act of getting sick is enough contraction to push the stick through so that you can only bring up what's sitting above the actual stuck particle(s) and still get full relief. Kind of like plunging a toilet. Often the plunge clears what's stuck, even though it doesn't necessarily pull what's stuck back up into the toilet (ewww). Lots of "don't know exactly how it works, but it does" in band world. As for later bites getting stuck - lots of possibilities. One is that the earlier food has already moved through. One is that it isn't "stuck" so much as "one bite too many." (IMO this is what happens a lot of the time). Often these two happenings are referred to synonymously. But think about it this way... it doesn't take long to see a post about someone eating after their soft stop and "getting stuck" as a result, but if they've really filled their pouch to capacity and threw another bite on top of that, it's not "stuck" that's happening, it's overfilling. Both seem to feel about the same. The degree of restriction you have can also change over a very short period of time. I can't validate this idea, but IMO it's possible to be eating and have restriction that allows the food to pass, then you swell slightly and the food above it can no longer pass. So you're "stuck" in the same sense as brakes... the movement can continue until the point that the brake "clamps down" enough and eventually stops movement, at which point the rotor is "stuck".

The whole universal healthcare thing gets me. It's one of few issues I'm on the fence about. I can't help but think that we (unofficially) already have free healthcare. In a manner of speaking. Anyone can walk into an ER and be treated. If I was poor, had no insurance, and something happened to me (cold, broken leg, paper cut, amputation... doesn't matter) that's exactly what I would do. And it happens ALL the time. And by doing it, I'm raising the cost for the next guy who has private insurance and is already paying a $150 copay. So are we better off paying for it as part of an organized system, where we know what we're paying, or are we better off paying for it indirectly through higher premiums, higher cost of treatment, reduced benefits, etc? It's a very difficult question to answer (for me anyway!).

Well, it depends on what information you're talking about. The pay information comes from two cousins and a good friend who are active military (two Army, one Navy), as well as the information listed on the military.com benefits site (though their information actually reflects higher comp than what I mentioned). If you're talking about the other information I posted, it comes 18 years as part of an active military family, and about 12 years as part of a retired military family, knowing what my active military family and friends experience, etc. Why do you present things like having to take care of your own yard as such a hardship? (And I never said housing allowance was given when you lived on base. It makes sense that it wouldn't be - we didn't need an allowance to pay for something that was free.) I don't think I contested any of this. We were (and should have been) expected to maintain our free yard when we lived in housing. I mean - yeah. Not hard to do when water was free, we were provided a free lawnmower (granted it was the spinning razor push type, but it was useable), and we could even borrow sprinklers from the... forget what it was called, same place from which we could borrow broadcast spreaders, same place that would provide seed/fertilizer if we needed it, etc. (Drawing a total blank but it was the same building people would go to to get the free bread, cheese, peanut butter, etc.) This is going to vary by state and time of year, but right now my electric + water bill is hitting about $510 a month. Not having to pay those would be significant. Cable is optional. Phone is arguably optional, but doesn't cost anywhere near $510. I'd just pay phone + cable over mortgage + electric + water + maintenance + repairs etc. in a heartbeat if I had the choice. Yes, you give up freedoms for free housing (at least we did) but they weren't huge comparatively. We couldn't hang more than one thing on a given wall, couldn't renovate or remodel, we couldn't paint whatever color we wanted to (we could put down carpet, but we had to remove it when we left the house). But when our roof caved in we were put in a hotel and it was fixed free of charge. Exterior painting & other maintenances were free. As a homeowner, I know which I'd prefer. Yeah, free healthcare. Just like I said. Yes, and I've experienced it happen. Maybe that's note as valid as seeing it? Dunno. Not Iraq, but deployment without warning (and families torn apart for 9+ months at a time, including mine). When I was in active military family there was no charge for uniforms. Not that I remember, perhaps I'm remembering incorrectly, or perhaps something has changed since then. Entirely possible, it has been a while. I didn't say it was easy. I would never say that military life is an easy life, especially knowing what it did to me and my family. In fact, I say quite the opposite and always have. But not in financial terms. My belief and my experience is that financially, enlisted do have it "easier" than civilian, in terms of financial responsibilities. If I insinuated anything it's that an abnormally large number of military families seem to have financial problems when you compare them to civilian families making similar incomes, paying more in cost of living.

People do it all the time. Some have complications, some do not. Most I know personally who have cheated have regretted it for some reason or another. From guilt to band removal, and everything in between.

Unless I'm already stuck on food, or am eating, I can drink however much I want. It funnels right on through. Well, most of the time. If I'm extra tight fluids may take a while. For the most part thin fluids such as water, juices, etc. I can drink however much I want, as quickly as I want. I was a chugger pre-op, and while I don't chug quite the same way, I can drink continuously. Hope that makes sense...

Jachut, if you thought the idea of our dough in a can was weird -- have you seen our drinkable yogurt? How about the squeeze yogurt that comes in a long plastic tube? Not to mention some of the 40+ flavors that are available.

1. The idea of a "shower" for the father? I put shower in quotes because I'm not talking about the traditional play stupid games, eat sugary food, get free baby stuff showers. More like a man party for the father to Celebrate with his friends, as much as men will admit to celebrating... 2. The idea of a "grandmother to be" party, to celebrate the grandmother's oassing into grandmotherhood? I'm considering both of these, don't know anyone who has actually done either. I've had a few of my showers (friends did something separate from family, work separate from people I know through organizations, etc) and even though two of them were couples showers, my husband begrudgingly admitted to feeling left out. All of his direct family lives overseas. Most of "our friends" are really "my friends" and are doing the froo-froo girls only shower thing. I completely understand why he's feeling this way. So I was thinking of doing something like a ManBQ, for "his friends" (I know some of them but not all). A non-cutesy, non-celebrational, non-sober event for him. Don't remind me how many etiquette rules that's breaking... I just want him to have some "attention" or "celebration" too, as it's not something he is really getting, or will get from his family. I talked to my dad about this, and suggested a clear "no gifts please" message so people wouldn't think we were trying to get another shower out of it. My dad suggested something along the lines of "free beer if you bring us a bag of diapers. And even if you don't" so that if people WANTED to make it a shower type thing, they could of their own accord. (Which means it would be the wives of his friends doing it!) And on the grandma thing... this is a huge deal to my mom. For 8 years she was resigned to the fact that she would never be a grandmother. Now she will, and she's really kinda psycho about it. I let her come to one of my OB visits and she bawled when she heard the heartbeat (even though I was 20+ weeks). Last week I had a 4d ultrasound done and she nearly broke down. Words cannot describe her grandma-itis. So I was thinking about a little party for her, with her friends (who don't know me), that I would host. Maybe a brunch or something equally informal. A distinct "no gifts please" but I would give her some things... I'm thinking one of those "going to grandma's" pull-alongs full of all the sentimental/cutesy stuff she likes... onesies/bibs/outfits with "grandma" something on them. A generations pendant or ring. Frames for future pictures. Maybe a camcorder so she can record times with the baby (and as the baby grows). Stuff like that. You have to keep in mind, she was buying baby stuff "just in case" years before I was pregnant. As soon as she learned I was pregnant she bought (AND WORE) those grandma sayings t-shirts. She's totally into this. Just wanting to gather opinions, what do you guys think?

The band worked (and is continuing to work) for me. My surgeon required 1 yr of waiting to conceive when I was banded. My understanding is that he has now increased that to two years. Haha, I learned I was pregnant two years to the date of my band surgery. Funny how those things work... When/if you find a surgeon, ask this during your consultation if not sooner. Some surgeons have you sign a contract that you won't get pregnant until X months after. Not that I've ever heard of a lawsuit over breach of contract...

Can you link it at all to what you've eaten? E.g. do you feel the pain (period, longer, more intensely, etc.) if you've eaten a fatty meal that day? Does it "flare up" at night? Etc.

If you can, drink something with Protein, even if it's just a protein Water. Proteins satisfy hunger longer than other food types. I didn't have a 3 week liquid phase, mine was like 2 days, so this isn't sarcastic if it comes across that way, but can you just drink more? I ask that because when I feel hungry (even pre-op) I could drink and satisfy it for a period of time. Do you get any relief from drinking more? Hang in there, soon (probably) your stomach growling won't phase you in the least. Now it's just another sensation. But pre-op, and soon post-op, it sends you into a sort of "must eat" panic mode. You will adjust/adapt.

Noticed that posts from my Firefox browser (3.0.1 and newer) weren't retaining paragraphs, auto insert quotes, etc. Posts were also truncating after any instance of "<" as though it was being perceived as a code start, and emoticons were not translating. Tried in IE and it works just fine (including a copy/paste of the same exact post that didn't work in FF).

To me' "bandster hell" is pretty much where I was at 2 days ago, bent over a public toilet trying to yak so that the relentless pain in my abdomen would go away. I think most people refer to "bandster hell" as the period of hunger they experience between surgery and fill kick in. (For me, that was a drop in the bucket compared to the time I missed my flight due to being doubled over in the public airport bathroom). It's all relative. Plateaus have to be expected. The "per week" weightloss guideline generally means averaged out long term, not literally each and every week. Your body needs time to adjust and equalize. Two weeks no weightloss, no worries.

Hick-ups? As opposed to Hick-downs? (Sorry, I live in Missouri, can't help but have the association). I have hiccups more frequently post-op than pre, but they're different. I most often get them when I'm "stuck", in combination with the gurgling and burping. They also tend to be... how can I describe this... more "shallow" than pre-op hiccups. As in, they're tiny little "hic... hic... hics" than the deep "hiiiiiiiiiiiiiic" I had pre-op. And oh, for me a "hicburp" means that something stuck has just flushed through and I'm clear. Always.