GeezerSue

I've been on the internet since the early 1990's and I FINALLY got my first Nigerian bank scam email. There's a really good website somewhere where they guy played along with one of these crooks for a while...but I don't have any current plans to go to Europe. (But now that I have a reason???) Anyway, for your entertainment: From: "Sijuwade Harrison" <sijuharrison@gaza.net>__Add to Address Book To: (me) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2004 09:06:17 -0700 Subject: FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION Dr.Sijuwade Harrison Plot 19A ,Osborne Street, Victoria Island ,Lagos. Email:sijuharrison@netscape.net FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION RE:RELATIONSHIP/PARTNERSHIP. It is my great pleasure to write this letter to you.First I must solicit your utmost confidentiality in this transaction. I am making this contact with you based on reliable information available to us,courtesy of the internet business index and confirmed locally by our chamber of commerce and industry, thus we are convinced that you would be capable of providing us with a solution to a money transfer transaction of US$16,500,000.00 (Sixteen Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars). Source:During the last military regimes here in Nigeria, government officials set up companies and awarded themselves contracts that were to be paid from the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) set up by the military regime for the purpose of financing special projects and these were grossly over-invoiced.The present civilian government have constituted an Interim Management Committee (IMC) with the mandate to investigate all contracts awarded as well as carry out debt verification of all claims that have not yet been paid with a view of settling all legitimate debts owed by the Federal Government of Nigeria to both local and foreign contractors before the government wind up the Trust Fund. We as members of this committee have identified a lot of inflated contract funds which are presently floating in the Central Bank of Nigeria.In the meantime,the government have already made a budget allocation for the payment of these contracts,but by virtue of our position as civil servants and members of this panel, we cannot acquire this fund in our names. I was delegated as a matter of trust by my colleagues to look for an overseas partner into whose account we would transfer the funds totalling (USD16,500,000.00) and you will be adequately compesated with 25% of the entire sum, hence we are writing you this mail. The present Civilian Government is determined to pay foreign contractors all debt owed so as to maintain an amiable relationship with both the Foreign Governments and Non Government Financial Agencies and to attract foreign investment into our economy.We have decided to include our bills for approval with the co-operation of some officials of the Federal Ministy of Finance (F.M.F) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (C.B.N.).We seek your assistance in providing us with a good company account or personal account into which we can remit this money,you will be acting as an ORIGINAL CONTRACTOR in this deal, the fund will be paid to you. This we can do by SWAPPING of account information and changing of beneficiary information to apply for payment. We will prepare letters of claims and job description on your behalf,on confirmation of your willingness to assist us. It is our intention therefore,while having your understanding and co-operation to invest 70% of this funds in pulp and paper manufacturing plant for worldwide distribution and importation of agricultural and oil prospecting equipment to sub-western region of Africa.While the balance 5% will cater for all local and foreign expenses incurred in facilitating the transfer of this funds. Please contact me immediately on my private email address(sijuharrison@gaza.net)immediately you receive this mail thus signifying your capability and willingness to assist us.We are building our trust on sincerity of purpose, mutual understanding and recommendation.The business itself is 100% safe and fail proof, provided you treat it with utmost secrecy and confidentiality and you follow my instructions carefully and religiously.Your line of specialization does not matter as it cannot hinder the successful execution of this transaction. Again we look forward to doing business with you and solicit your utmost confidentiality in this transaction.Thank you for your co-operation. Yours faithfully, Dr.Sijuwade Harrison N.B.(PLEASE,DO QUOTE REFERENCE NUMBER (SH/01)IN YOUR RESPONSE.)

Patty, Most of this diet would plug me up (and give me hiccups, too) in a heartbeat. For me, ANY chicken breast is too dry. I now eat dark meat only, usually stewed, seldom grilled. Cheese sticks would not work, again, too dry. And some people say cheese is just fat, anyway. Were there noodles or potatoes or rice in the cup of soup? I'm not sure about the V8 or yougurt, unless you ate/drank it too fast. Lettuce is almost always a no-no for me, although vey finely chopped, crispy romain sometimes works. You may be filled too tight. If you are, you will start "eating around the band," by eating liquids to avoid problems. Not good. Okay. So what TO eat. Fish? A little halibut or salmon or snapper that is NOT cooked until dry. And, when I'm protein deficient, I sometimes try a little chili, with or without beans. I'd suggest going like we do when we introduce foods to a baby...try one food at a time. And avoid things with multiple ingredients...because I can eat crab just fine, but crabcakes have breadcrumbs and I can't eat bread. And if the roasted winter veggie soup has potatoes, I'm sorry I ate it. And pay attention to how fast you eat and when you stop eating. (My usual mistake.) There are days that I think I ate the right amount and stopped at just the right time...and then four or five or even ten minutes later, I start with the saliva. THAT may be age-related, as we older folks have slower esophageal function and by the time I FEEL like I should stop, I'm way late. You are learning, give yourself time.

Sorry. I just missed you. Post a hello on the intro board. (I'm old and going to bed now.) Sue

Alrighty, then, I answered the scammer. Dear Dr. Harrison, May I call you Siju or Sijuwade? I apologize for taking so long to reply. I haven't studied your country, but I certainly understand how things can get messed up when such entities as the military and democracy get involved. I'm a widow, Sijuwade...or Siju...or Dr. Harrison. I don't have a lot of money, and what I have I had to fight the insurance company for after the whole suicide thing. That goddam Seymour. Right there in the hotel. Anyway, a little extra cash would be a great thing. Costs are rising you know, especially medical. By the way, what kind of doctor are you? Are you by any chance a psychiatrist? If so, we sure could have used you with that whole bathrobe deal with that frickin' Seymour. Am I going to need some kind of contractor's license? I ask because I'm not as good at taking tests as Seymour was. But Franny is very good at taking tests. That whole family is pretty famous for being Wise Children. I just married into it. I can probably pass the test, but I might need to study for a couple of days. We've got a few problems. I'm traveling with my sister-in-law Franny and her daughter right now. I'm using their email and and won't be able to answer you right away. And, they don't often leave me to my own devices, if you get my drift. But what's the deal? Sincerely, Muriel Glass P.S. How is the cost of prescription drugs in Nigeria or Lagos right now? Nothing fancy. Maybe just the stuff Rush Limbaugh uses. I mean used. Whatever. Do they cost a lot there? Opinions? And apologies to J. D. Salinger. Sue

When your doctor tells you to call your surgeon...you want OUR advice? :mad: Okay, I apologize for the sarcasm, but I'm trying to make an important point. Your doctor SAW you and just told you to contact the surgeon. No one here can give you a more informed answer. Pick up the phone! Dial! :ninja Sue

Here's one link for you Potter fans: http://www.scamorama.com/harrypotter-ayokure.html

BTW, I KNOW Nigeria is not in Europe. But the gal who ran the scam on the scammer met them in Amsterdam, I think.

nightingale, I think the idea is that when you want to chat, you add to the post Donali started, which will bump it into the "new posts" area, then others popping in will know you're there. Sue I think.

Shelly, Notice the date on the article. Since that was published, it was also mentioned that the woman didn't want anyone to know she had the LapBand, AND she did not contact her band surgeon and she went to a hospital other than the one that did her LapBand (so the hospital had no records) and that by the time she or anyone in her family notified the attending that the surgery had been performed and s/he was able to contact the band surgeon, it was just way too late. There may have been a surgical error. But the reason she died was apparently fear of having others know of her surgery. (Granted, SOMEBODY should have asked what the big white silastic circle showing up on her x-rays was...but, who knows.) Sue

I think it's like "the cranberry juice for urinary tract infections recommendation." My mom's doctor's office--in a senior community--always tells the patients to get cranberry capsules or to drink cranberry juice for a uti. Deal is, if you check the research, cranberry MAY provide a slight benefit in preventing uti's if you use it for a year or so, and BTW, that has never been studied in in elderly population. But, research proves that it is of no value in treating a uti. However, they've said it so often, they believe it. Last I checked, about two years ago, two surgeons from New Zealand were doing a study on whether their two-weeks on liquids diet really made a difference, or if it was just a new urban legend. I wrote to one of the doctors, and his response was (a rather arrogant IMHO) comment that people who couldn't do two weeks on a diet weren't ready for banding. But, I haven't seen any results published on his study. Many surgeons want the two week liquid diet, but I think it's based on not much more than a rumor. I asked my surgeon, and he said that when the proof was in, he'd consider it. Turned out, my liver was positioned in such a way that it wouldn't have been an issue in my case. I didn't mean that your surgeon doesn't know what he's doing. But one thing that is crucial to successful banding is a supportive doctor. If he is convinced, before the fact, that you won't be successful, it may be that HE hasn't had success with larger patients, and--no matter how wonderful he is with other patients--he might not be your best choice. Check those other websites and see if you encounter rave reviews about him from other extraordinary bandsters. THEY would be valuable resources. Good luck, Sue

You might want to consider another surgeon, as the one you have spoken to is using OLD information. Here's the abstract of a six-month-old study on the subject (I added the underlining): Surg Endosc. 2003 Oct;17(10):1541-5. Epub 2003 Aug 15. Related Articles, Links _ Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding for massive superobesity ( > 60 body mass index kg/m2). Fielding GA. Surgery for massive super obesity is a formidable challenge. No existing open or laparoscopic procedure reduces BMI below 30 from a starting point above 55. Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding has been used to treat 76 massive super obese patients with a BMI > 60 kgs/m2. Median weight was 193 kgs +/-34.7 kgs (154-335 kgs). Five patients had a BMI > 100 kgs/m2. There was neither mortality nor pulmonary emboli. hospital stay was 3 days (1-6 days). Excess weight loss was 46.69 +/-10.5 at 1 year; 59.14 +/- 11.7% at 3 years and 61 +/- 15.1% at 5 years. At 2 years, 84% of the patients had greater than 50% excess weight loss and this was maintained at 3, 4, and 5 years. BMI fell from 69 +/- 6.2 to 49 +/- 7.73 at 1 year to 37 +/- 4.45 at 3 years and this was maintained at 4 and 5 years. BMI in 13 patients with > 5 year follow up was 35.09 +/- 53 kgs/m2 (27-44). Weight loss with laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding in this group of massive super obese patients has been similar to all other surgical techniques with reduction of BMI from 69 to 33 kgs/m2 at 3 years. The relative safety of the Lapband avoids bowel surgery in these very big patients, suggesting that laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding is a valid surgical approach to these difficult patients. PMID: 12915973 [PubMed - in process] Sue

Carmen, There are never guarantees. When my husband had a heart attack (which he survived), our daughter said that in her head, she kept thinking that there had been a mistake with the phone call...that I would be the one to suffer life-threatening illness or disease, and he--younger, physically active, dangerous job, etc.--would simply have an accident. She was in shock because she had aways assumed, based on doctors' diagnoses, which of us was more likely to be the first to be in an ER due to illness. But you never know. You don't know how long you'll have him...nor does he know how long he'll have you. And you probably want him to do whatever he can to be with you as long as he can. And he likely feels that way about you, too. If you were in an airplane going through a drop in pressure (like your life is right now), you would put YOUR oxygen mask on first and then see to the masks of your family members. If you didn't do yours first, you might not be able to help them. The same logic applies. Even though you may be feeling very terrified and alone and even angry or potentially abandoned, when you can, you should try to tend to your needs first in order to be of assistance to the others. And, forgive yourself when you rely on old methods of comforting yourself. Sue

I've corresponded with two South African Lapbanders on the Spotlight board. I don't know if they still visit. Jennye, can you find them? Sue

I think you've diagnosed it well. Once you irritate the stoma, it can swell for a few days. You might be able to look back at your surgery to see how sensitive you were for how long post-op. If I really irritate my stoma, I count on liquids for a day or so, just to be on the safe side. Sue P.S. Although my doctor advised chipped ice for such occasions, many people find that cold causes more restriction. You might want to try warm-ish chicken broth.

I'm not YET a success story and I paid cash and I'd do it again. I long-ago figured I'd lose the Miss Congeniality Contest, and this may tick off some people, but here goes: I think a good part of obesity is simply that we are crazy. I don't mean lock-up-forever crazy, just crazy enough to keep engaging in a self-destructive behavior...kinda like smoking. I tried several times over almost forty years to quit smoking. Then one day, I decided that I had just had my last cigarette and that was four years ago. Done. No more self-destructive smoking. The deal is, I'm not there yet with food, and I think we have to "be there" in order for the band or the bypass or Weight Watchers or whatever to work for us. Now the surgeries are a FAR more powerful tool than a diet or Jenny Craig, but they can be circumvented and are on a regular basis. (That crazy stuff, again.) If you hang around long enough on wls boards, you start learning that many people who have had RnY start--usually at about two years out, when the malabsorption begins to wane--to go through the same garbage that we banded have to go through from the beginning. The fortunate (those brighter than I) learn to make those changes right away, the rest just take longer. I know that the band is there and that I know what I have to do and I just need to get around to doing it. (Like when I REALLY quit smoking.) If I had had the RnY with my same resistance to change, I'd be much thinner than I am now, but not necessarily any brighter or any less crazy. Sooooo shortly, I'd start gaining weight. (With the band, I've lost SOME, gotten an unfill, gained some, lost a little of that and then maintained.) And then, right about the time I'd finally get around to getting smart, the malabsorption wouldn't be there and I'd be in the same battle with only a smaller stomach than before. With the band, the small stomach can just sit there and wait for me to get less crazy or more smart...whichever comes first. We are a new board, so I don't know if anyone here besides the CoffeeWench (starrring in a commercial or on a billboard near you) is at goal yet. But there are bandsters at goal. Sue

The "liquids only" part of banding is a very small part. Good luck on everything, but are the other five people there too old/young/gone/frail to help out just for a couple of weeks? I'm not trying to pick on your family, just to mention that it IS hard to not eat and maybe you could send them out to feed themselves for a week or two? If not, then just hang in there, even if the post-op loss slows down (it often does)...but do whatever you can to make this difficult time easy on you. (I think many obese women are obese because food is the only thing we "do for ourselves" when there are other things we need more.) Oh...your questions. I had "about one week clear" and "about one week full" liquids. I wasn't told to do sugar-free anything, with so few calories going in it didn't seem to matter. Do get some protein in. Protein drinks or the like will help with the hunger. Sue

No offense, but: And in two or three years, you'll have..another old car and ... ??

Sandy, I didn't know you didn't know. You say that "the buzz is that Kuri and/or his group don't like Ortiz and want to keep HIM away!" Do not assume that that sentiment is a one-way street. You'll have to trust me on that; I've been there and I know. And I took it with a grain of salt. The deal is that they are competitors in a pretty tight market. While some insurance companies have stopped covering RnY, others have started approving the band..and those patients stay in the states. Three years ago almost no doctor in the US was placing LapBands, now many are. And, the prices are going down. When I went to Mexico, it was mostly for my surgeon's experience. But it did save me $20,000 compared to local doctors' prices. Now the difference is only about $2000, if I'm willing to go to Northern California and $4000 closer to home. And there are many people who can and will come up with an extra two to four grand to stay in the country. I suspect the Tijuana surgeons now (or soon will) have to offer more to pocket less to stay competitive in a tighter market. Meanwhile, JNJ should be about half-way done with their band's clinical trials and that product, if successful (and I hope it will cuz I bought the stock), will likely be the star of its own tv commercials. I'm checking with my surgeon to see which--if either--bash he is attending. Any time I can drive a couple of hours to see him, instead of flying for twice as long, I'm packing and driving. If he's planning to be in Tijuana and to see patients, that's where I'll go, even if it's the Tijuana Hard Rock Cafe on cinco de mayo. And, I'm just curious, bit if Ortiz isn't aware of this bash, does that mean that right now you have a doctor-less bash? Wow! Sue

Oh, and while I'm being a Number 4, here's something terribly clever that thought of at the right moment. (Usually, there's a delay between the event and thinking of the right thing to say.) DH and I went out to dinner at a seafood place I wanted to visit. Rather than HIS favorite seafood place. Me: What did you thinK? Him: Well, I like the other place better. Me: Too bad. Him: Why? Me: Cuz the other place is dinner and this place is foreplay. Him: But it IS starting to grow on me.

Alexandra, I think that on a support board, we are all that person you described...but each in our own way. In other words, I'm here looking for support, too. But I'm way meaner than you. Now, don't get me wrong, because I don't mean that you are clueless...what I mean is that whatever the topic and whatever the goal, you'd be pretty much a Number 2. You are so kind and so giving and you really tend to the needs of others. You would be that way, I'm betting, if we banned all talk of weight and lap bands and limited outselves to discussing Boston ferns or internal combustion engines. You're just nice, no matter what, and you want people to feel good. (For many of us, that's just not naturally a big issue. We really have to work at it.) I'm--generally speaking--a world-class problem solver and reseacher. With no tact at all. I have anal tendencies and want things to say what they mean. Exactly. And I have no idea why I do better reading what y'all have to write, but I do. Even though I'm pretty sure I'm getting out of the "real work," when I'm hanging out here. And I think Donali is, as usual, right on. I have MAJOR issues with weight loss. And a few complications. But I don't really want to go into detail, because I have a really good idea what's going on here. I want to read of your lives and how you are solving your issues. And I'll do that, right after my grand entrance in my pink fur cowboy hat. Now, if you all would just utilize your Section 125 benefits, and file the bills in THIS little thingy, and calculate the net cost of participating in your 401k, and stop by the hotel and pick up the two-for-one dinner coupons and, yes, I'll write the letter to your landlord and yes, you'll get your deposit back...and**flinging the boa back over my houndstooth muumuu**pick up your taxes at my house because I've done them for you...see what I mean? Sue

Sandy, THIS is what's posted on the Kuri Bandster Bash board: From:_ XXXX Date:_ Fri_Mar_19,_2004_ 9:38 pm Subject:_ 5th Annual Bandster BASH 2004 MARK YOUR CALENDARS! DON'T MISS THE 5TH ANNUAL BASH!!! It's official!! The TJ Bash this year will be held in Rosarito, MX, about 20 miles south of the border. What: Dr. Kuri's Rosarito Beach Bash When: September 10-12 2004 Where: Rosarito Beach Hotel, Rosarito, Mexico Cost: 90 Oceanview Rooms at $99 per nite 20 Rooms with no Oceanview $78 per nite Registration Fee – To Be Determined but Significantly Lower than Last Year Events: Main Bash Event will be Saturday, 11 September 2004 Sat AM – 5k Walk/Run on the Beach Spas/Facials/Massages available Peer Discussion Groups Transportation to & from the Border will be Arranged Come one, come all Bandsters – you don't have to be a Kuri patient to attend this celebration! Newly banded, pre-band, bandsters of all stages are welcome!! Come early, stay late, the weather should be great! The Steering Committee will be meeting soon and details will be released as they become available!! ~~~~~~~~ Sandy, the motive for this Tijuana happening may be pure as the driven snow. Or, it may be that a couple of Tijuana doctors are having ego- or business- problems with each other. Such is life. But that is THEIR problem, and patients or potential patients shouldn't be misled because of whatever is going on there. The way the Tijuana deal is being promoted and the misinformation that is being promulgated has been called "tacky" on a Yahoo board, and you seem to have been torn to shreds on the Spotlight board. I should think you'd want to revise your remarks such that even those of us who DO have bands around our brains can read our way through to factual data; right now, the facts are seriously obscured by inaccurate sniping. Sue

Sandy, I'm not convinced that you are explaining it--or that I am comprehending it--completely. Dr. Kuri has hosted the Bandster Bash in Tijuana for four years. He's had other surgeons participate, including mine. This year, from what I understand, Kuri decided to move the party to Rosarito and away from Labor Day Weekend. I don't think he uninvited any other doctors or their patients. (He was not my surgeon and he did invite me.) Then, if I am reading correctly, a few patients AND DOCTOR ORTIZ decided to "appropriate" the title of "Tijuana Labor Day Bandster Bash" and have their own party. My issues with this advertising campaign is that you, as the leader of this group, have kind of muddied the waters and caused the confusion. My skeptical side is convinced that the confusion is intentional, but I'm willing to accept that it may be accidental. Either way, however, there should be more of an effort to unconfuse the mess. Your party should have the title of "The First Blah Blah," to differentiate between yours and the established bash. And, you should stop insinuating that Kuri's bash is closed to other doctors and patients, because that's simply untrue. I won't be going to the Labor Day party in Tijuana, mostly because I have better things to do than spend HOURS crossing a border, to visit a hot city, on a busy traffic weekend during a time of national security problems, (I'm a frequent traveler to various countries/continents and have been crossing the border at San Ysidro since 1965.) On the other hand, I may not go to Kuri's party, either, even though it will be along the beach, on a not-holiday weekend. But I know which one sounds more enjoyable. Sue Just trying to clear up the misunderstandings

Nancy, Many, many years ago, I learned that there are four "types" who show up at a meeting: Type One are those who go to make sure every "i" is dotted, and every "t" is crossed. Type Twos go and are not concerned about what's going on but want to make sure that everyone is happy with the process. Type Threes hate the entire process, show up because they have to, and are convinced that nothing is being accomplished. Type Fours are those who arrive late, make splashy entrances, have minimal respect for anyone else's comfort zones, but have all the great ideas. The deal is, if anyone is missing, the meeting is generally a failure. The personalities totally disagree and don't really have much respect for the others' needs (except for the second group), yet they need each other to function. Think of the boards as meetings. It should help. Sue P. S.--I'm Number 4, then Number 1, with a little bit of Number 3. Who are you? Edited to correct the description of a "Type 2."

Call and ask them if they want you to eat before the fill. Most do not. Sue

With capsules, you put one in your mouth and let is sit there while the Gelatin softens. Then, just as it's ready to start dissolving, you drink some Water and wash it down. With pills and caplets, I use a pill cutter and take one-half or one-quarter of the tablet at a time. ;-D