BJean

Yeah patty, President Obama single-handedly wrote the bill and HATES marriage!! And I have an ocean front lot in Arizona I'd like to sell you. I do really, really appreciate you posting your sources though.

You didn't answer any of my questions. You have no credibility. You have a lot of gall making the assumptions that you make and using such extremely biased sources. Gall. The extremists invented it. In the dictionary by the word "gall" is a picture of Rush Limbaugh.

Cleo's: "Reagan's solution was to convince corporate america that they could make more profits by reducing their workforce and getting more work out of fewer people. And middle america lost jobs and wages and hasn't been able to catch up yet. " And Americans won't get back to work unless there are incentives put in place with corporate America and a new direction for the country that includes creation of jobs. Corporate America has been incentivized, as Cleo'smom said, to eliminate jobs. Corporations have made the American worker irrelvant, and they've created a small upper echelon that has become wealthy beyond belief. That's what the Republicans have given us. And that's what patty's political/economic philosophy promises. It has been proven, there's no mystery involved. It has become popular for the right wing to pretend that they are arguing the merits of no government involvement in anything. Sorry, we can't buy it. They have the same history that we have. They just stand to profit from their stance so they make like we are the ones who don't get it. We do get it and we do need to call them out on it. btrieger, it's a complicated issue. And it would be an unpopular thing for us to discuss here. But we should not turn our backs on women in trouble... complications with a pregnancy, deformed fetuses, inability to carry a baby to term without seroiusly threatening her own life and the list goes on and on. The extremists deny that women have these probems and they turn their back on them because they have their own personal agenda. So it is easy for them to say they want to deny any type of funding for women experiencing a troubled pregnancy. It goes right along with them denying that there is a need for health care reform at all. Heartless buzzards.

Bernadette, I totally agree! But I do know that some people are in love with their band. I think we're all different and our doctors are different too. My best to you. Let us know how your revision is for you. bjean

Btw, I've lifted and pulled and pushed things down low and way overhead, time and time again. I do not believe that you could have pulled your port loose if it was properly installed. I'm no doctor, but if the things were that easy to dislodge, everybody would be in a world of hurt.

Hey Fab, I was very sorry to read your story. But I have to tell you that I am jealous that you're scheduled for revision and I'm not. I can't wait to get mine out and no telling when I'm going to be able to afford to have it done. There is a patient in my doc's office whom I've befriended who had the same symptoms that you have. She had a revision to a sleeve and she is one happy camper!! I hope that everything goes well for you and this is the answer to your problems.

Government isn't the problem. The greedy and powerful jerks who take advantage of others is the problem.

Reagan was an idiot who could deliver a speech. Actually he was smart in that he figured out before his brain went awry, how to take advantage of his star power. But being able to do that didn't qualify him to be governor, much less president. By the time he was out of office, most people knew the truth about Reagan. Now the right is trying to re-write history about Reagan. It somehow gives them comfort. Reagan was a tool of the rich and powerful in America.

Fascinating. A new poll, by whom? How was it worded? How do people know which bill before Congress it is that they're responding to? Anybody can claim anything. Marketing companies do it all the time to sell their products. But I must say that I don't doubt for a minute that Americans would rather not pay for other people's medical treatments. They can't even afford to pay for their own under the current system so why would they say they would like to pay for other peoples medical treatments under some new bill?

What 85% of people are you talking about liking their health care? Well Americans LIKE their HEALTH CARE, when they can get it. But they don't like what they're having to pay for it and they don't like being denied coverage by their insurance companies when they're paying astronomical premiums off the top! You're waaaay out in left field on this. On the right side of the left field, of course. You're always spouting about what our country is supposed to represent and what we're all about. Well, you're saying it's all about greed and disenfranchisement in your posts. I disagree with you. I believe that what has made this country great is people like Teddy Roosevelt - NOT Pat Robertson, Rush Limbaugh and Rupert Murdoch - who are all about keeping the little man down to make themselves more powerful. Merry Christmas oh ye of grumpy thinking.

Theodore Roosevelt said in Syracuse, NY, on September 7, 1903: "Let the watchwords of all our people be the old familiar watchwords of honesty, decency, fair-dealing and commonsense... We must treat each man on his worth and merits as a man. We must see that each is given a square deal, because he is entitled to no more and should receive no less. The welfare of each of us is dependent fundamentally upon the welfare of all of us." Theodore Roosevelt also said in Osawatomie, Kansas, on August 31, 1910: "The object of government is the welfare of the people." and he also said on June 17, 1912, in Chicago, IL: "This country will not be a permanently good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a resonably good place for all of us to live in." The greed and unfair dealings of the insurance companies and lobbyists have made health care "reform" a necessity in this country. The question should not be whether we need or want health care reform. The question should be how do we get the job done for the good of this great nation of ours so that it can be "...a reasonably good place for all of us to live in."

Oh my. I really hate to hear of another person having the same kinds of problems. You hang in there and keep insisting on finding out what is causing the problems. I'm glad your GP is following up and has you scheduled for more diagnostic tests. As for your bariatric surgeon, it sounds like maybe he isn't very experienced. He couldn't possibly understand the potential consequences and still put you off like this. My heart goes out to you! Please let us know how you get this resolved. We'll be thinking about you. You too Carriemc!!

patty: "If you saw the issue of abortion as the death of a baby that is caused at the hand of it's mother, you would understand some people who are against it and why. But, all you can see is the "rights" of the woman. You are blind to the 'rights" of the child. I understand that you don't believe that when it's in the womb, that it is a living being, only when it gets through that lovely birth canal can it now be deemed a human being, but some people don't agree with you. Some people don't like murder and feel that since babies can't protect themselves that adults should do it for them. If only you liberals could see the issue from the conservatives viewpoint, but I guess their viewpoint isn't worthy in your eyes. What a shame." Patty what you don't seem to be able to grasp is that we totally understand your reasoning and your belief that an abortion is the murder of an innocent child. We know that you believe that a fertilized egg has just the same rights to life as a fully developed human being (the woman). We understand and we sympathize with your feelings on this issue. Our position hasn't nearly as much to do with whether we think that a fertilized egg is a human being or not. We know that it is "human tissue" and have no quarrel with that. What we believe is that the government has no right to make decisions for women in this country when it has to do with THEIR health and reproductive organs. It is wrong for the long arm of the law to extend itself into the vagina of a woman and make a determination whether a baby is carried to term or not. This is a personal issue - not a governmental one. There are many, many reasons why a woman might choose to terminate a pregnancy. You've decided that it is a matter of convenience and that is why you cannot understand the medical implications and risk to women that could cause such a decision to be made. We have no quarrel with the religious right to do all you can to help women and babies that may be in jeopardy in this world. But when you've set yourself up to steal away a woman's right to life, no matter what the circumstances or conditions might be, by FORCING her to carry a baby to term, then that's wrong. And we will fight you forever over this. Women are good people. They are religious people, they love god and children. They are your mother, your sister, your niece, your aunt, your cousin and your best friend. Counsel them if you feel you should, but you have no right to enact laws that place control over their reproductive organs, just because you believe that a fertilized egg or embryo has all the rights that a fully deleloped human being has. But when you understand that women will have abortions, whether they are legal or not, you will understand that your job, if you see it as saving embryos, is to be done through love and compassion and assistance, not FORCE! Force does not work.

The religious right, which has taken over the Republican party, has as its main action plan, making abortion illegal again. That is more important to them than any other single issue. They sometimes soft-pedal it so as to not scare people off, but it is what they live for... to see abortion made illegal again. They will not be satisfied or placated in any way with a bill before them than to try to tag on something that will make abortion illegal and stem cell research banned. So it is no surprise that this has reared its' ugly head with the health care bill (such as it currently is.) I'm very unhappy with what they're proposing in this bill. But I also know I will have to be patient because their lobby is far more powerful and influencial than the progressives. And as for the abortion ban, we Americans were raised on guilt, churches continue to pile it on every week, and they do all they can to make us feel guilty for wanting it to be every woman's choice. It's similar to when the Republicans decided that if we didn't support the war in Iraq and George Bush, we were not patriotic and we didn't care about the men and women who serve our country in the armed forces. They even made a lapel pin a barometer for measuring patriotism. I think Americans are waking up to all this nonsensical razzamataz, but too many people are drinking the extremist kool-aid because they think it is the Christian thing to do. Who wants to be called a baby killer? Who wants to be labeled unpatriotic? Those Republicans... they're very good at what they do.

Cleo's: "... when I went on the sleeve site I went right to complications." I haven't had the nerve to go there yet. I have seen my doctor's video of a revision to a sleeve that he has on his website. It's gruesome enough to make me take my time with this decision. I do know that you're right, it is a relatively new surgery and the jury is still out on a lot of the issues. For instance, they do remove the thing that causes hunger, but some people are now saying that eventually another part of the stomach compensates for that and you eventually get hungry again. Cleo's: "...it never took away my hunger or provided me with satiety and when it was overfilled to 3 cc's (by my idiot former doctor) I had reflux, heartburn and pain. And again, no satiety and still hungry. But what the band has done is cause me to get stuck - very painfully..." Me too! I've had lots of fills. My doc was always very conservative with the fills. But there were a couple of times that I actually came away from his office after a fill when I wound up not being hungry for a day or two. Which was, frankly, heaven! I eventually have come to the conclusion that the darned thing seems to generate hunger. Which is of course, quite a different result than most other people have with the band. And that's confusing and discouraging. No, my insurance will not pay for any part of the surgery. Unless of course, I have a hiatal hernia or other complication. And then it would only pay for that portion of the surgery - the repair. Insurance has become a double-edged sword these days. And for the life of me I don't understand how some people in the U.S. just don't get that. We need reform and I am just hoping that the darned Congress doesn't sell us down the river to the greed-driven insurance companies so that they continue to call all the shots with our medical treatments. Merry Christmas!

Well that's a new wrinkle for me. I have heard of side pain and port pain but not shoulder. Good thing I didn't know about it, cause I probably would have gotten it.:-) I know exactly what you mean about having a horrible episode that scares you so much you are afraid to eat or get a fill. Twice I had unbelievable episodes after flying. So whenever I needed to fly I took no chances. Restriction removed. Doc said he'd heard of it before but couldn't explain it. With your hospitalization and shoulder pain, I'm sure they did a floroscope or xray to be sure your band hasn't slipped. This is why I think I'm ready to get mine out. I can't face the possibility of having another horrid, painful episode so I'm afraid to get a fill. So what's the point of having the thing? This is such a dilemma. I spent so much to get it (nearly $20,000 out of pocket) and now I think I want it out because I am afraid of it. Then there's the question of getting the sleeve. It's a risky surgery, but there are so many glowing reports, it is tempting. And then there's the money thing - another $20,000 out of pocket. There are lots more ways I'd rather be spending that kind of money! But I guess my health is the most important thing I have. I hope once that problem you had fades to the background in your mind, you will be able to continue to use the band if you need it. It's sure incentive to eat healthy! Good luck.

You shouldn't still be getting shoulder pain from that surgery. 15 months? I think it must be something else - like from a pinched nerve or stress or something. When my doc was explaining that I'd get it again if I get the revision, he said it wouldn't last long, just until your body moves it out. I know you heard that it was caused from pressure from the band and if that is true, I guess it could still be bothering you. But I've never heard that before. Only that the gas during surgery is the cause. If I do get the revision I think I'll avail myself of the pain meds this time though. Last time I didn't take one thing when I got home from the hospital. I just listened to Mozart and tried to walk around the house a lot. The intense shoulder pain lasted about a week, like they said it would. Then I was fine. Keep me posted if you learn anything about what's causing yours. I'm concerned for you.

You're absolutely right. I do not know you. But I do have a pretty good profile of you from the things you post here at LBT. It's been many, many months and unless you've been insincere in what you've posted, your inner core is revealed for all the readers to know. Just as I think mine has been. Thanks for your kind prayers. I too pray that you will open your heart and mind to be a more generous person and that you will be less judgemental in your dealings with others. And I hope and pray that you and others who share your extremist views, will open yourselves to guidance from the Lord in expanding your narrow interpretation the Bible and grow to be more loving and peaceful people.

patty I hope you won't be offended if I tell you I just don't believe you.

Aw plain, I didn't get mad at patty at all. I just made an effort to explain to her why others call her names and give her labels. And at the end of my post I even acknowledged that she might be kidding. In fact, I suggested that she was putting us all on just to get us riled up. You gotta understand dude (and she does too), when patty posts lengthy pages of material that she passes off as her beliefs, she (and you) shouldn't be surprised that people think she's the one who said it. Only when she cites her sources are we able to determine that patty's only quoting someone else and not using her own brain power to come up with the stuff. And plain, won't you and patty get more and more comfortable the further we get away from the 8 years of the Bush administrations greed-driven politics... it's no different from post-Clinton when everyone blamed Bill Clinton for EVERYTHING even including 9/11, for gosh sakes. And they even conveniently ignored the fact that the Congress was Republican dominated and had, in effect, with their impeachment proceedings, crippled the Clinton administration. Of course the further we get from that, the less it comes up too. Have no fear, eventually people will start forgetting the horrors of the Bush White House and the policies that got us into the hideous messes, both with the economy and the war. And they seem to already have forgotten how every other country in the world thought we were war mongers and that we didn't care about the world as a whole or other countries specifically. Fortunately a man with a brain and a conscience is steering us away from all that. A man who refuses to prosecute the bad people in the Bush administration for their high crimes and misdemeanors, but instead wishes to mend fences and repair what is broken. People like you and patty don't want that to happen because you don't want President Obama to be right about anything. Just remember, you reap what you sow.

C'sM: Yup, that's exactly what my doc said... they must use gas to expand the area so they can see to do the laprascopic surgery. Your diaphram doesn't have feeling and the shoulder pain is deferred pain from that. I learned here at LBT that if you walk as much as you can after surgery, it helps move that gas out of your system quicker. Nancy, sure looks like you're doing well weight wise! Congrats. I am very happy for you. I know there were quite a few months that you struggled with the band and what to do after it was removed. My doc's office said that they only insurance company that covers revision to a sleeve surgery is Blue Cross and Blue Shield - through government employment. Such a deal!

patty: "Take a look back at the history of the posts targeted at me. I have been called numerous names. Fool, hater, extremist, bigot, and I could go on and on." Have you stopped to consider why you keep getting called these things? If not I will be happy to tell you. Your posts prove that you represent all of those things. patty: "I can understand how a liberal, who doesn't have any morals, would feel that a person ,who does not want to allow sinfulness to be lawful, is stifling their freedom to do the things they would like to." It obviously pleases you to make this stuff up. It is sad that you stay so cloaked in the darkness of your judgemental thoughts. I have come to understand that you enjoy this extremist way of thinking and posting your beliefs. If they even are your beliefs. If I didn't know better (and I really don't, do I?) I'd think that you are the poster child for anti-Christian dogma. You seem to be trying to get people to think bad things about Christians. And I have noticed that over the months of reading your posts, you have become more and more extreme and more judgemental and less open to reason. It's almost as if you are learning how to get people stirred up and you thrive on it. It is a shame too, because it seems sad and pathetic that you would go so far to influence people to distrust and disrespect Christians. I don't know why you do it. But I have wondered if you and other extremists do it purely for entertainment and shock value.

Glad the revision is working out for you Nancy! I knew you'd had lots of problems and were thinking of getting it but didn't know it had been done. n How long ago did you have it? My doc said that he doesn't do a restrictive diet before revising to the sleeve but there is the normal clear liquid diet afterwards with gradual adding of mushy, etc. He said you still have the shoulder pain afterwards like with the band but he only keeps you in the hospital for a day - a little longer than the band. C'sM: You're one smart lady!

Btw, the nurse and I talked for a long time and she said that when you have the sleeve you have to eat 5 times a day. The dietitian in their office gave me such a hard time for trying to eat 5 times a day. She said that with the band you absolutely MUST stick to the 3 meal plan. When I related that to the nurse, she said that she is aware that the dietitian believes that the 3 meal a day plan is for everyone, but they have learned that some people do much better if they eat more often. Those are the people whose band does not curb appetite. Nothing seems to be written in stone with these things and we are all different. When we come in contact with someone who is too rigid in their thinking, we have to continue to listen to our bodies first and foremost.

Please don't let some of us who have problems create any for you. It sounds like you're doing well and I'm sure you'll continue to do well. Plateaus are not unusual even for bandsters. When I was successful, I hit a couple of plateaus and thought that might be it for me. Then in a couple of weeks I'd drop another pound or two. When we're in the prep stage and in the liquids and soft and mushy stages after getting the band, we lose so fast that we're hoping that pace will continue. But it doesn't and that's normal. Hang in there and don't worry too much. Some of the bandsters here think their band is their best friend and they would be devastated if they had to get it removed. I'm hoping you're in that group!