plain

Hi cristinaann. This is a question best answered by your personal doc, since they all have slightly different standards. My doc said I could drive as soon as I felt like it (about 3 days.....I had my surgery done on a Friday of a long weekend).

Whoo baby, intellect is as intellect does.

You need to bring back your sense of humor. I liked you better when you weren't so defensive.

That's pretty funny. When you called me an "ass", I tried to get in on the joke with some self - deprecating humor by asking for your sources. Instead of laughing it off, you then called me an "assmunch". And when I called you on that, it turns out that you didn't really mean it......it was just all jokes. Ok, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here. Maybe I read it wrong.

Hey AM, I'm not whining, I'm bitching. And I didn't actually observe, on this thread, that you were taking up for the righties. That doesn't mean you haven't done it on other threads - where you did in fact, do it to me and in favor of a right winger that you obviously, by the arguments you make, support.

And you're the one who's whining. I do not have to back up anything. I can say whatever I wish, within reason. You can believe me or not - your perrogative. You, as a mod, should be careful about unfairly singling out someone for getting personal by getting personal.

Geez, this is fun.

Hey, I give as good as I get. No, you don't have to back up anything you say. However, when you post distortions of the truth, I'll call you on it.

If you think my behavior is untoward, then you should report me and let a third party arbitrate, not call me an "assmunch". Again, if you can find a single instance where you think I've been unfair, post it for all the world to see. If you can't do that, then you're just spreading bitter untruths.

Yes, within reason you can say what you want. I would think you'd want to stick to the truth, but ultimately that is purely your decision.

Or you could ignore the content of this post and call me an assmunch again. That'd be the intellectual thing to do.

Hey Amber, welcome! It's always great to have experienced bandsters on board. First off, you've done great! Second, good on you for being determined to buckle down and lose that extra little bit that has crept back up on ya. Good luck!

Hi Joya, welcome to lapbandtalk! What a way to start the new year off!! Good luck!

Hi Hawk, welcome to lapbandtalk (hmmmmm....poet and I don'tknowit?). Your 10 weeks will be here before you know it, so get ready! We always need folks willing to add to the discussions. Now, if we can get you to root for a good school (like, say, a certain institution located in Austin, Texas) you'd be all set, lol!! Good luck!

Not an opinion, an observation.

You're often repremanding folks for getting too personal. But you don't mind getting personal (and rude) with me.

I don't mind getting personal when people are stating personal opinions, and you don't seem to if you disagree with someone. But if you like them, you expect everyone else to back off. Ass-munch.

I don't see where I've gotten personal at all (unlike some folks who will call names, like ass-munch, or accuse me of using my mod position to bully or change posts......You've done all these things). I pop in from time to time to offer an opposing point of view. I never get personal. I defy you to find a single post where I've personally attacked you. What I think, and this is just an opinion, mind you, is that you get all flustered when I ask a question that you can't easily answer with your propaganda (usually taken verbatim from moveon, or huffington post.... I know this because I read there too).

And where have I ever stuck up for somebody that has broken the rules? If anything, you and beth should know that I try to put in extra effort to keep the peace without anybody getting "binged" for breaking the rules.

So either back up your false claims or quit whining.

plain you're an ass.

Is that a personal opinion, or do you have an internet source to back that up?

Hi bandsters! As of right now im on stage 2 diet .. which consists of mostly Soup, applesauce and yogurt(which after this i never EVER ever wanna eat soup ever again) But I think all is going well .. i have lost 10 lbs since the surgery (in total i have lost 90 since july) But i have some questions that hopefully you guys can answer.

#1: Im craving salt like no tomarrow, is this normal?

#2 Since it is December its very cold out and i noticed that when i go out side for walks i feel my little stomach cramping up, did you guys get that feeling too?

#3 How easy is it to stretch out your little LAP-BAND® stomach?

#4 Is drinking almond milk okay?

#5 When i went in for the surgery i was still getting over a cold, do you think me coughing would mess up the staples/stitches arround the band?

Thank you guys in advance!

My 2 cents:

1) I'd think this is an individual preference. Some people love the sodium, some don't.

2) I don't know what you consider cold. I live in Texas, and it's been unusually cold here (low 30s......occasionally high 20s). I don't get those muscle cramps. What you feel is probably related to the "recentness" of your surgery.

3) I don't know what you mean by "stretch out". Do you mean is it easy to eat too much food?

4) I guess so. Is it a high caloric / high fat liquid? That would be my only concern. Personally, I love soymilk (and real milk, lol).

5) Probably the amount of coughing you would get from a cold would be ok. Coughing is rarely as violent as vomiting.

Don't be silly! Of course I know that most of Congress voted to fund the war in Iraq and they voted to give Bush the authority to make the decision of whether to bomb Iraq. That takes no convincing - it's fact.

Holy moley!! I'm saving this post!! BJean acknowledges that it was, in fact, congress that voted to invade Iraq.

But what you don't seem to acknowledge is that Bush and Cheney and their cronies fudged the truth, they manipulated the facts and it is and was their war due to their decisions and their behavior.

Now this is debatable (vs the facts that we finally got straight above). I'm sure that there was plenty of deception involved for all parties. Heck, what politician isn't draped in some sort of deception? But.....I can't buy the "Bush and Cheney and their cronies fudged the truth, etc, yadda yadda yadda". Here's why: Intelligence leaders of other countries also thought Iraq had WMD (mostly because Hussein engaged in a purposeful campaign of deceptively claiming that he DID have WMDs to seem stronger than he was). To say that Bush knowingly lied about the facts is to also believe that Bush was in charge of England and Israel too.

The reason the Congress voted to give bush authorization and the reason people initially gave bush the benefit of the doubt is that the war was sold to EVERYONE as if it were a product.

So Congress gets a pass for the bad intell, but Bush doesn't? Maybe I'm wrong, Cleo's mom, but it seems to me that you are ascribing much more power and influence to President Bush than he really had. Answer me this.....Is President Obama more powerful than Bush, less powerful, or are the about the same?

Hi Steph. Have you looked in the "local lapband support groups" section on the main page? It breaks down support groups by geographic location. If there's nothing there, then why not start one yourself? Good luck.......looks like you're doing great!

Hi Sherid, welcome to lapbandtalk. I totally "feel your pain". I live in a very rual part of Texas (although I'm lucky to have a support group about 45 miles away). This site is a good 2nd option. There is a ton of info to be shared, posts to read, and people to chat with. Glad to have you!

Hi Amanda. Sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders. Before you decide on ANY weightloss surgery, research, research, research!! Doing your homework is essential. We're glad to have you here no matter which direction you decide to go. Good luck!

.I am not saying that Bush did not have a hand in it, but he DID NOT act alone.

You will not be able to convince BJean that congress authorized war against Iraq. I've tried many, many times. For some posters on this thread, Bush (and republicans / conservatives / anybody not a democrat) is directly responsible for every problem in America.

I feel this way about Obama...He talked about change, and told people what they wanted to hear, and boom he's president.

There was some change. He's playing with different special interest groups than president Bush played with. Same story, different names.

There is that whole massive expansion of government thing. There's some change you can believe in.

Hi library. I've never had any kind of radiographic procedure related to my band.

There are a lot of variables with restriction. Time of day, time of the month (for women, lol), stress, all of those things can affect your restriction level at any given time. It's also possible that you've found a food that it more difficult for you to tolerate. It's ALSO possible that maybe you just got a little careless and didn't chew as well as you thought. Living the banded life can be tricky, eh?? Don't get too discouraged.....although there is certainly a learning curve to the band, it's a pretty steep one. You'll learn it eventually. Hang in there!!

Sounds like things played out just the way that your doc said they might. I seriously doubt that you've damaged anything just by some carbonation....probably just the gas trapping issue. If you continue to have pain / discomfort, then consult your doc, because the doc always has the last word.

Preop sucks! There's no way to sugarcoat that. It sounds like you are doing well, though. Just keep plowing through!!

Well.....admittedly, I don't know very much about the bypass. My insurance only offered the band, so that's what I went with.

What I have found that I really like about my band (besides the restriction) is that it has kinda re-taught me to make better food choices, while still letting me live a more or less normal life. I know others may feel differently, but I love my band.

Micon, you are kicking ass!! Keep up the good work. To answer your question, everybody is different. You're correct that the liquid phase is quick weight loss. Larger people tend to lose more quickly that smaller folks. My doc told me that a good "average" is 1 lb every 2 weeks, once I got into real food. You may be a little slower, or you may leave that number in the dust. Right now you're doing great!

Hey there Cheyenne! Welcome to lapbandtalk. Get ready to work with your band......It is a powerful tool to help you, but you have to do your share as well. So...jump right in and read, chat, and share. Good luck!!

Fanny, you're looking brilliant!!

I agree and let me give my opinion of who makes up the republican party that has grown increasingly conservative. Of course there are exceptions (most on these boards will take exception, of course, but here it is):

The 4 R's of Republicanism:

1) Rich

2) Racist

3) Redneck

4) Religious Right

The first group are the CEO's, the wealthy, the have's - those that have jobs, healthcare, an investment portfolio, etc.. and they want policies in place that make sure they get all the breaks and continue to be the haves while not wanting the have nots to get a piece of their pie. They think they deserve everything they have - no one else does.

The second group are those who hate minorities, blacks and latinos and who are very anti-immigration. They blame everything on them. This group is largely the white men who are republicans. They were once in control of jobs, etc.. and now blame the minorities for taking what they believe was rightfully theirs.

The third group are largely under or un-educated people who have no understanding of how the government works. They just are anti government. It is evil to them. And they say this as they collect their government unemployment, collect Social Security and medicare, drive on government paid for roads, etc.. And they say all this as they hug their guns and profess to be God-fearing people.

The last group - well they just want their particular religious views to be injected into the government and promote policy and agenda. But they don't want government in their religion, of course. They also want the government to fund their religious initiatives.

Many can fall into more than one category but again, this is my opinion and based on seeing and listening to those who are conservative republicans.

That's so funny! And then BJean gets mad @ Patty for a joke post about liberals vs conservatives! Classic! Yup, Cleo's mom, that's who makes up the republican party alright.....you have them dead to rights.

There has always been this element in our society, but the Bush legacy is that they have been empowered and emboldened by Bush's administration's and the Republican dominated Congress's fine tuning the rules and regs that allow them to run roughshod over everybody else in this country.

Question: If a democratic congress and and a democratic president can't pass their bills, who is to blame?

Answer: George Bush.

Liberals can keep blaming everybody and everything under the sun (including Bush), but the fact is, the majority of Americans don't support this bill.

Just try and pay attention when you are satisfied (vs. full). And definitely EAT Proteins first.

Bumped, because it's sooooooo important!