plain

But.....what if a young muslim or asian you described hated you simply because you are white? Wouldn't that be racism? In America, what about the trashy rednecks that hate wealthy blacks because of the color of their skin? Wouldn't that be racism, despite the social and economic flipflop? It seems to me that racism is the child of ignorance (like Stacey M wrote), but ignorance is the child of poverty.

Newhope, I don't know if this is practical or not, but maybe try asking the GM to shadow this lady for 1-2 days to evaluate strengths and weaknesses (this approach worked for me. My boss went behind a co-worker, checking up on him discreetly, and saw what a waste of space he was).

LMAO, Glouc.....I'm giving you a rep point

LMAO.... "Mr Smith, as your doctor, feel free to contact me any time with any questions. My email address is monstersausage69@xxx.com" I can honestly say I'd never considered how important an email address might be, until you posted that, kathystric...

ReadySteady, you tattletell....Oops, that was name calling. Here comes the lockdown!!

#1 - unfortunately, yes. I think with every generation there's a little less, though...or maybe it's just not as universally accepted. Think about this: We all on LBT interact with each other in a way that was impossible 15 short years ago. #2 - "racism" to me implies a dislike based solely upon race, so reverse racism is a bit of a mis-nomer, IMO. #3 - Affirmative action based on race, no. To me, that belittles the accomplishment of the individual. Now, affirmative action based on wealth (or income) I could totally get behind. #4 - stereotypes......that's a funny word. I don't believe anything should be assumed due to race only. But, there are certain individualisms unique to all cultures (so, cultural stereotypes, maybe. Racial stereotypes, no). OH Juli, isn't that a racist statement you used earlier? That no civil liberty gains could be made if a white man were to be elected president? Does that mean if a black man is elected, racial problems will be solved, or even eased?

I think either is fine. I would hope that no matter what WLS somebody chooses, they would change to a healthier lifestyle (I mean, just because it might be technically possible to lose weight eating nothing but potato chips doesn't make them the best choice.....absurd example, but y'all see my point). Personally, I like that the band tames my appetite but I still have to eat healthier. It's empowering, to totally use a "girl" term, LOL. RNY vs. LB......whatevah. I'd applaud anybody willing to make the big step to take control of their life, no matter what they choose.

Turler, whenever you feel like you're struggling with your appetite, all you have to do is.....not eat. Sometimes you only have to resist temptation for 5 minutes to feel better, sometimes it's an multi-hour fight. And if you do slip off the bandwagon from time to time (like every-dang-body does) just climb back on without beating yourself up too much. You seem to have a great attitude. I know you'll do well.

I have a size goal, not a weight goal. I posted a rant about that the other day (except, I railed against a BMI goal, instead of total weight, per se). If I can get down to a 34 or 36 waist size, I won't care one whit about what the scale says.

Hey there Roustabout. I'm afraid I've got some semi-bad news for you. Weight loss reduces he severity of sleep apnea for some patients. Mostly, weight has very little to do with having to wear a CPAP. The biggest risk factor is genetic (How your airway is shaped. You get that from the parents). I'm a registered sleep therapist, so....take my opinion or don't, LOL. I will tell you that some of the most severe sleep apnea patients that I've had in my lab have been as big around as my arm. Bottom line, will WLS help your BP and sleep apnea problems? Probably. It's sure not going to make them worse. But will WLS cure your BP and sleep apnea problems? Nobody can conclusively say. Good luck to you, no matter what path you take.

Brandy II - Nope, you're not a dumba$$. Don't even look like one. I would squarely place the blame on the doc / doc's office. Even if you did have some "stop and starts", they should have erred on the side of giving you too much information. You sound pretty laid back. I think I'd be a little angrier @ my docs if they pulled a stunt like that.

Cool, Pnw_Red. I had very little pain with my surgery, too. Personally, I was a little more sore the 2nd day, but it was no biggie. I felt like I had done 2000 crunches....it was that kind of soreness. Everything will get better very quickly. Just be sure to closely follow your doc's instructions.

Hey jeepingirl! Welcome. Always glad to have a fellow Texan lurking around here :redface:

So, Brandi II, I'm curious. Do you think your doctor didn't give you enough information to make a good decision on band vs. other WLS? Because that would really suck, if you got banded without knowing all the ins and outs beforehand. I'd have to give somebody in that office a good talking to. My doc actually told me that he takes it very personally to make sure all his pts know everything they can about the band (could be BS....but they went over everything to the point that I felt like I could go out and be a "lapband sales rep", LOL).

I think you're doing great. Think about all the factors that make us different. Sex, age, body composition, metabolisms, etc. No wonder everybody loses at a different rate. My tip - try to gradually fit some strengthening exercises into your schedule (if ok with your doc). Walking 30 mins /day will help burn fat, but resistance exercises help build lean muscle that will boost your basal metabolic rate (resting metabolism), which helps you burn calories in between exercises. Just don't get discouraged, sounds like you are right on track. Good luck

Good going, Sue. Mega-accomplishment!

You'd think that docs would counter any misconceptions with explicit education / instructions. A higher band failure rate due to lack of aftercare = bad PR = less surgeries = less money. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones that has an excellent doctor. From seminar to pre-op, they repeatedly drilled into my head that I would only get out what I put in (to the point where I was tempted to interrupt the speech with a "I got it, I understand").

MandyJo, I looked at the pic you have up on your profile. You do not appear to be too skinny. Don't give any credence to internet posters that say you are.

Hi Anna. Congrats on the approval. My doc required liquid diet 2 weeks prior to surgery. His plan is for the first 3 days, replace all meals with Protein shakes. In between I was permitted to have Water, crystal light, and sugar free popsicles. After 3 days, I was allowed to replace one of the "shake" meals per day with a small garden salad (only veggies allowed. He did say it was ok to use some lowfat dressing). You can do it. I alternated between the Protein Shakes his office sold and using Slim-Fast shakes. The Slim-Fast generally tasted better, but the other shakes were higher protein, and kept me from getting too hungry. Hope this helps.

Jaimee, sounds like you have done your homework. Here's one thing you may or may not know: The restriction happens very gradually, so it's real important to follow all the rules your doc gives you. For what it's worth, I'm one of those people that has issues with the amount of food that I could eat at one setting, and the band has been a Godsend for me.

I'd compare somebody to Hitler ONLY if they had that rocking 'stache.

<------- Holding no grudges and still loving everybody

Ok, fair enough. I'm not trying to pick a fight. Far from it. But I still do not understand the physiology of tubing to the colon. Is there any way you can explain the path, or am I being dense? The tubing and port are anchored in the peritoneum, but outside the stomach, right? So the only way tubing can get into the intestine / colon is to pierce it from the outside, or enter through the hole that the erosion made (that erosion hole was what I was referring to as the "stoma".....technically correct, but confusing, I know), right? Since out digestive tract is essentially a tube-within-a tube, those are the only two ways I can think of as to how a foreign object finds its way in. Granted, just because those are the only ways I can think of doesn't mean those are the only 2 ways...but I cannot wrap my head around tubing inside the lower GI tract.

Gee, Wasa, let me guess.....were you banded in Mexico? I think maybe you misread my previous post (or I worded it poorly. That could certainly be the case). I was not dissing Mexican hospitals or doctors. My point was that Mexican hospitals don't have the same litagation worries that American hospitals do. So the paperwork may be different. Get that chip off ya shoulder! Also, in the case of the NICU baby.....having a "cleaning team" go through the chart is not the same as providing preop paperwork to the patient. Again, it was not a diatribe as to how American hospitals are vastly superior to Mexican hospitals. That wasn't even implied. Ok, I understand what an erosion of the band is. What I don't understand is how the tubing comes loose and finds its way into the stoma. That would be like threading a needle without using your hands. And you don't think there was any bleeding or bruising prior to the port "popping out"? I don't get it. It still seems fishy to me. And I didn't quite understand that part where you might opt for a revision to a procedure that allows you to maintain weight. What would this procedure be? Why not unfill, or have the band removed altogether? Or maybe that's what you were talking about? Lastly, I wouldn't mock somebody's medical knowledge because they're an EMT. That's kinda elitist of you, wasa.