Devana

Tiffany, I'm glad you've started to post at last. I kind of did the same thing, lurked for months before posting. Congratulations on your approval. It sounds like you're going into this very well informed. All you have to do now is balance that natural fear you have with the prospect of the whole new life that's ahead of you. You can do it!

Thanks for that info, Bobbie!

Welcome! Have you had your surgery yet?

Hi Toiya, I can't tell if you've just had your surgery on Feb 9 or if you're scheduled for Aug 2. In any case, congratulations. Everybody feels things differently. I had quite a lot of referred pain from my diaphragm to my left shoulder, but other than that I felt good. Keep posting and all the best with it!

I had an American in my office up here sputtering in anger over this just yesterday. She claims it's a typical example of the type of hypocrisy going on.

Thanks, BJean!

Well put, BJean. It sounds like people are suggesting that there is a great amount of time and money spent on this issue. Is that really the case? And I've also heard that recruiting is becoming a problem. Would it not be advantageous to have a whole new group of possibly willing volunteers?

Patty, honest to Pete, sometimes the things you say makes me guffaw my beer right out my nose! Could it be that "Liberals" actually may care for their fellow humans and want the best for all? You know what? It's kind of like some conservatives are colourblind. They can only see Liberal ideas from the point of their own self centeredness and protectionism.

Too funny, Mom. I've also heard us referred to as "dull Swedes". :confused: I've seen Harry Manx perform here in town a couple of times. He lives quite close. Very good stuff!

And so far so good. I really was only being facetious in my last post because I've been following, but not participating in, an Amazon discussion thread titled "Do you believe that the Bible is the word of God?" for a couple of years now. And I've been following it for this long because no matter how many times I try, I am unable to unsubscribe. Anyway, it has been a very lively and interesting discussion.

No philosophical debates, no answers qualified with comments? No matching of wits? Dang.

Well, it sounds like this govt was trying to develop something new. And it also sounds like it was deliberately hamstrung. An opportunity lost and profits for the profiteers.

Why? I need 10 characters to post this and I'd rather not add question marks, because this is a gentle why rather than a demanding one. So I definitely have enough characters now.

A program to provide health care for all that doesn't have profit as their bottom line?? And this is bad??? I really have a hard time understanding this fear-based paranoia about all this. Maybe it's apples and oranges. I would have huge reservations about my (Canadian) health care system being run by big profit centred corporations. I also would have even more reservations if my neighbour (whether he was currently working or not) would not get the same care as me. I also have a hard time understanding the self centred attitude I've read on some of the postings, things like "why should I end up paying for people who sit on their asses all day and are too lazy to work and therefore get insurance." I get the feeling that even if a universal health care system was more affordable for current insurance payers they would still be pissed off because "It's not FAIR!!" (feet stomp petulantly). This whole thing continues to astound me and makes me lose hope for the US. It feels a hell of a lot like devolution.

Hi Sharon. Congratulations on your banding! You should check out the food and nutrition threads as well as the post surgery threads. I'm sure you'll get some good information there.

Way to go Smoogee! Good luck with your weight loss.

Congratulations on your date! It's coming up soon. I took Vitamin K before surgery, and Bach Rescue Remedy for the nervousness. I also used low level laser all over my belly. I had just learned that it's useful before surgery as well as after, it speeds healing. If you see a chiropractor who uses LLLT get a session a day or two before you go in. Good luck!

Holy smokes, it sounds like you have more than your share of hoops to jump through. I was self pay so I haven't had these issues. You may want to check some of the insurance threads, there might be others with the same experiences. Hang in there, though. It will be well worth it. All the best.

Hi Misty. I would explore the Doctors and Surgeons threads. Some people have very strong opinions on who is good to see in Mexico and who isn't. I got a brand new credit card and put my surgery on it. I was desperate. I would rather be in debt than dead. I managed to get a new line of credit afterwards, with a way better interest rate, and paid my card off with that. Although I'm a slow loser, I am indeed losing, and more importantly, I'm not gaining so I consider it well worth it. Good luck with it.

Good luck with your journey, Beatriz. A whole new life awaits you!

Cool cartoon, Wendy!

Patty, thank you. I don't know how I could have missed this post from months ago. Our boy is 17 now, and things are pretty much the same other than he pulled off an excellent mark in Math which is far from his favourite subject, and the oil painting has gone by the wayside. Our house smells much nicer now!

Interesting going over this thread. A lot of old friends gone........ I had all the usual reasons for getting it done, but the deciding factor for me was watching a documentary about obesity and hearing the statistic that of all the people that lose substantial amounts of weight, only 4% will keep that weight off. I just knew I would never be one of that 4%. I had already lost and regained much weight a couple of times and I knew I needed extra help.

You're so right here, Kat. I recall taking a communication course in the mid '70's where the professor took two people out of the class and showed them a photograph. They each came back into the class separately and described the picture. One described it as the first warm day of very early spring. The sun was shining and the snow was beginning to melt. The old woman was delighted to be out walking for possibly the first time since winter and she had been to the store and was coming home in the sunshine with a few groceries. The other person described the scene as a cold and snowy day. The poor old woman was trudging home in the snow, lugging heavy groceries. She was probably alone and lonely and had nobody to help her with her shopping. Two totally different interpretations of the SAME PHOTOGRAPH. I think the interpretation of words is even more open to different perceptions. (Hence the use of emoticons in forums like this to help the writer get across the intended meaning.) The point of the class was to explore perceptions and why we perceive in the different ways we do. There are words written down in the Bible that are as solid as the photograph my classmates looked at. But how we interpret those words or that photograph has everything to do with what we are and our past experiences.

I'm curious, what profit did your company make last year?