GeezerSue

I think that when you knowingly go to an unethical doctor, you get what you're asking for and what you deserve.

I was just going to demand a "Dramatic Exit" board...

Everyone survive?

I'm pretty sure you were involved with the Kennedy Assassination. And Michael Jackson's accuser's mother is my prime witness...so as soon she has a free moment, your ass is TOAST!

My cell phone works from there IF (and this is the hitch) I'm at the right altitude. So, in the hotel Kuri uses...which I don't like anyway...it doesn't work, except at particular locations on the highest floor. But at the Gran Hotel (or is it Grand Hotel?), the really tall twin towers, it works fine. And, even on my old account, which did have roaming charges, the phone thought we were on the US side and worked fine.

And...I suppose I could have been a tad more delicate. So I apologize. (I seldom do that, so will someone alert the media?)

Monterrey is lovely. I want to go back. I'm glad all went well.

You know...this is Alex's board and he can run it the way he wants. And I think that many of us who were not in on the BS would really like everyone who DOES have a vested interest to take the discussion to a private venue or at least, so as not to make those investigating banding think that getting a band makes people f'ing crazy, to someplace other than the "General LapBand Discussion Board." Forever and ever, 'til the wheels fall off, AMEN!

You detected my ACTUAL goal. And it will be no problem.

I had both the echo and an EKG done a few weeks ago. When I was finished with one and was waiting for the other, the guy in another chair in the very small (five patient) waiting area, died. I had to mention it to the woman behind the desk. I kept telling her to call a code. (We were in a hospital.) FINALLY, she called a coworker who called the code. (Meanwhile, my husband and I moved the furniture so a crash cart could get in.) They got him going again, and then lost him and then got him back. Later that evening, I called the hospital and the guy said, "We are about to lose him." I made weird noises, I guess, and the he said, "I mean, he's moving to another hospital." All things considered, the Echo and EKG were pretty uneventful. I just told the tech that I had a sternum-placed port and that was that.

I think Cirangle in San Francisco is down to under $13,000. He has a lot of experience, and in case of emergency, he is closer than Mexico and more US doctors will listen to him. The travel costs will mount up quickly from there.

Thing is...unless he's placed AT LEAST 50 bands--successfully--I'd consider him a beginner and wouldn't want him to do my surgery. As far as deaths are concerned, band-related deaths must be reported to the feds...I'll see if I can remember where. But, maybe he has had non-band-related mortalities. And, I believe the bypass mortality rate is approximately 1 death out of 200 surgeries.

Two of my cousins have kids with Down Syndrome. One is 32 now--going on 12--and a typical adolescent. He lives in a group home and has a job-coached job. The other is about eight years old. He is also autistic. And he has a 13-year-old brother who is in college. Talk about the cloudy corner of the gene pool...we are a strange lot.

I'm somewhat partial to "You farking ice hole." But some people seem offended even though I'm NOT using any naughty words...go figure.

Your punishment for this outburst is that we're going to ignore it. Deal with it. Geezer Sue Self-appointed Queen of LBT

And I can't comment on Penni because of her angel-ness.

...but too many cooks spoil the broth/soup/stew. And, Alexandra really is a genius at this moderator stuff. Not that the others are not great... but genius needs to be recognized.

Some very nice, hard-working, dedicated people just tried to plan a bandster bash in Chicago and it failed. IMHO--and the HO's of several others--the main reason it failed was OVERplanning the weekend. To save money and ease transportation, etc., the event was scheduled outside of Chicago, near the airport. And there was a buffet dinner on Friday, a brunch on Saturday, meetings with speakers at an undisclosed time during the day, and then a dinner dance with DJ on Satudrday and brunch on Sunday. It was a bargain for $150 (plus transportation and accommodations) for those who wanted to spend all that time together, and hear why the LapBand was a good choice (evben though the event was being marketed almost exclusively to people who were already banded) and almost NO time in Chicago. They needed to sell 70 tickets and, from what I've been told, got nowhere near that number. It didn't fly and was cancelled today. (And there were a few days of really hard feelings because some of us who might have liked to meet people for lunch or dinner, but do Chicago on our own instead of hear why the band is a swell idea, decided to go on our own...and were perceived by some as "distracting" from the original event, or being too cheap to pay, and a bunch of other things. Go figure.) A Friday night "Meet and Greet" and maybe Saturday Happy Hour and dinner or dinner only would have had a lot more participation. Just throwing it out there for those who are planning.

Writing as someone who was (for a change) not involved in (as they used to call the Civil War) the "recent unpleasantness," I have an observation, comment or whatever...or two. 1--I get a more than a little tickled when I read complaints ON THE LOUNGE PAGES or FEEDBACK PAGES, from people who say they only come to LBT for the support. It's like swearing that you just went to the magazine rack to pick up a copy of Family Circle but want to complain that Playboy has some dirty pictures in it. If you're just there for the Family Circle, don't OPEN the freakin' Playboy. Leave THAT magaine to the people who DO like dirty pictures. 2--I am really not aware of who did what to whom...but, locking a thread is certainly within the rights of any moderator. As is deleting an offensive thread. But becoming a Nazi in the interest of Sweetness and Light is still becomg a Nazi...and digging up and reposting something that a member wrote and then deleted smacks of digging through the trash to find dirt on other people...all National Inquire-y. Yuck. Just because I wasn't involved, I had to get involved after the fact. Going back to my bubblegum flavored children's Motrin, now.

I'm on the cusp of weeks two and three post-op. I'm very tired of not being 100%. My surgery was painless and I'm progressing just fine. But the progress is not speedy. And one boob is sort of tender. And I want this to be over.

Marie...I REALLY didn't know how many people were involved and what exactly happened. If I had known it was only one moderator involved, I would have been more vague. Sorry that I didn't read every word. It was not meant to single out anyone...just the practices involved.

We did..so have many others. IRS has no rule abut WHERE the surgery took place.

Thought #1--The area where stomach acid is NOT supposed to be--the esophagus--might, when exposed to acid, bcome swollen as well as irritated, and then the restriction could increase. Just a theory. What do I know? Thought #2--For those with pre-existing reflux, the band "cures" the problem more often than not. It's those of us who never had reflux pre-op who have to watch out.

Yeah...I had to empty mine, too. If anyone got ignored, there's room now!

All I have to say is that between my sleeping a lot due to antibiotics and a minor post-op infection and my being engaged in an online battle elsewhere, I'm feeling really left out. The next time all hell breaks loose, someone should call me. Thank you...and I'm going back to sleep now. Sue