WASaBubbleButt

You know, I went to that forum and posted about lap bands. I was in the mood for some battling! LOL I didn't get it, everyone was quite supportive. I was almost disappointed. ;o) Truthfully, I was just glad nobody was downing WLS. Maybe the tide is changing and people will soon see it as a treatment for a legit problem.

Thanks for the compliment! Usually people think I am mean. ;o) Yep, met goal and I'm below goal. 128 and DONE! Congrats on getting back on track! You can do it, you have to want it enough to get out there and do it! I don't do low carb but I do no-white-carb. That made all the difference in the world for me.

Do a search here, I know I have read about others having similar problems. They appealed an won. How much over are you from 50?

I'd have to agree with you then. I didn't go back to look at the post and I was going by memory. But as you explain it here, I fully agree.

It's all burned into my brain. ;o) It will be there for an eternity! HA! Actually, there are times someone throws me and I have to go look something up. Most times I know the answer.

I think the rule is to attack the topic, not the person. I do not agree with the person that wrote the idiot comment, but I'm not quite sure if it is actually breaking a rule in R&R or not since he wasn't directing the comment at an individual person. I think hard nosed republicans that vote according to religion vs. the issues are idiots. I don't think that is breaking any rules so I doubt TommyO was breaking rules but I could be wrong.

I don't think I'd feel comfortable going to a doctor that has been arrested and convicted of insurance fraud in the US.

Why would you want to reverse WLS? The only reason to have a band removed is due to band related complications such as a severe slip or erosion. Then people revise to something else. My vote is for a sleeve. Fewer complications than band or bypass.

People have opinions, doesn't mean they speak for everyone. There are plenty who say if one is an atheist they are an idiot. Who cares what a minority of people think, does it matter? Instinct... there is a huge difference between instinct and behavior. Raping is not an instinct, it is a behavior. World of difference.

When people are afraid of Mexico for surgery it really is due to a lack of information. Many Americans tend to let the media spoon feed us information and a fear of ALL of Mexico is really a lack of education on the topic. There is really bad care as well as amazingly good care to be had in Mexico, just like the US. You have to do your research. See my sig link for more info on how to research Mexican surgeons. BTW, since you are in AZ you should join us for our monthly (or kinda monthly) lunches! You can meet people from all over the valley that are banded and from all different doctors. Local and out of the country. One gal was banded in ... I forget, it wasn't Mexico or the US. She was not happy with her outcome but I think it was surgeon, not the country she went to. JORDON! That is where she went. My insurance covered banding but I too, had a six month medically supervised diet, nutrition eval, etc. I went to Mexico, I wasn't willing to wait. I realized that by the time I would have been getting my first fill under insurance by a doctor I didn't want, I was actually at goal by going to Mexico.

We disagree. Adolf Hitler - Christian, Atheist, or Neither? >>13th December, 1941, midnight "Christianity is an invention of sick brains: one could imagine nothing more senseless, nor any more indecent way of turning the idea of the Godhead into a mockery.... <here insults people who believe transubstantiation>.... "When all is said, we have no reason to wish that the Italians and Spaniards should free themselves from the drug of Christianity. Let's be the only people who are immunised against the disease." (p 118-119) << He used Christianity to get what he wanted. People in politics know what sells. Religion sells. This is what happens when people vote according to religion and not the issues.

Hitler was as Christian as I am. ;o) He was raised Christian but later it is clear he used Christianity to gain political power. Had he been honest about his religious beliefs he would have never been voted in office and he would have never obtained political power. If you look at his quotes during political speeches and anywhere in public he was quite Catholic. However, if you look at his quotes when he was in private and in front of friends he made fun of Christianity and made it more than clear what his true feelings were. He was most likely deist. There are many claims he was anti-animal cruelty (a load) because he didn't eat meat. Many have made assumptions about his religious beliefs based on his veggie diet. Truth is, he got sick when he ate meat. That is the real reason why he did not eat critter. I have links on my PC that explain this in more detail, but I'm on my laptop. ;o) There is a book written by his secretary that defends much of what his friends claimed about his personal views on religion. I don't recall the title, I have the book and if I can find it I will post the title. It's really quite interesting.

That "truth" tends to change with society. If society changes, people change. Again - slavery, abducting young Native American children from their homes, burning people alive because they might be a witch, the list is endless. People are social animals and they can potentially tend to behave like a pack. Many do as they are told. There are leaders and followers. Who the leaders are tends to change the view of society as to what is right and wrong. You are a product of your upbringing, society, and your own moral code with a few other details thrown in for good measure. Had you been born in a different time, different place you might be an African believing in female circumcision, you might be a Jew, an atheist, a wife beater, a pedophile, a <name your label>. It is not believable to assume that regardless of your upbringing, your culture, the era you were born, etc, that you would have the same beliefs and opinions as you do now. No, that is exactly not my world view. That seems to be the point of view of some Christians posting in this thread. It can be like pulling teeth to get some people to answer questions. There are some that won't respond and they just go running from the topic with their tail between their legs and others who seem to give half ass answers to just about everything. I believe I have, we all have repeatedly. Please see previous responses to this topic.

No, you are changing the meaning of morality. Nowhere in the dictionary does it state that morality must mean personal sacrifice. That is a Christian twist to inflict guilt. But that isn't the true meaning of the word. And speaking of circular logic, you have some there. ;o) Now, would you answer the questions I posed to you? Assuming it would not be a personal sacrifice for you to refrain from raping a child or killing a little old lady, is the only reason you refrain from these behaviors is because you fear punishment? Is it so that you can earn a seat in heaven? Or is it something else?

I don't think it is silly, I think it is spooky. If the only reason someone does not rape children and kill little old ladies is because of a fear of hell, that tells me someone doesn't have a clue what true morality is. There are some people that should keep believing, society needs it.

Let me ask you something. Why don't you rape little children and kill little old ladies? Is the ONLY reason you don't do these things a fear of prison and hell? If it wasn't for punishment, would you do these acts? And do YOU believe true morality is not doing something only for a fear of punishment?

Oh, I don't know. I kind of think that creating a deity to answer an unanswerable question is kind of irrational. That works both ways. Why do you suppose they had rules of society and laws before Christianity existed? Were they just filling time? Or did they want order within society? Morality existed long before Christianity, many Christians seem to be under the assumption that their religion created morality. Not so, actually Christianity copied their rules for conduct from the two previous religions, Egyptian and Hinduism. You are correct, morality changes as society changes. I have a book from the Civil War era. It is one of two of that title that exist today. It explains in detail how slavery is justified by the bible. Thankfully, we have come a long way since that line of thinking and we know today that regardless of what the bible says, slavery is not morally acceptable today. I don't think it is reasonable to suggest that people depend on their religion to teach them right from wrong, or what is moral. When we did that we owned black people, we took little Native American children from their homes and family and forced them into assimilation so they could be good Christians too. Today we know that was wrong. Just 100 years ago we thought that was peachy. When it comes to morality one needs to draw from common sense, how we want to be treated, and a place of compassion. Most religions today are seriously lacking in compassion. So we have to draw upon other things like common sense. From what you are saying any atheist should be okay with someone raping their child because there are no consequences to pay. Does that sound reasonable to you?

Pssst.... there are valid surgeons all over the world. They do not just exist in the US. The technique used to put your band into place was created by (gasp) Mexican surgeons. Nobody claimed removing the Fluid from the band works every time. It is the treatment of choice a majority of the time. You never want to jump to surgery as a first option, surgery is always a last option.

What do you think will happen to the band if you exercise? I mean, specifically, what are your fears?

The fear of lifting after surgery is because there is a minimal risk of causing a hernia. Since it is lap surgery and not a full open procedure the risk is extremely minimal. However, this doesn't have anything to do with cardio or hard cardio. The sooner the better for most people.

Christianity did not create right and wrong. There are certain standards required to be a part of society. Even cavemen knew this and acted accordingly. Before Christianity there were rules to be followed and laws in place with consequences. I would look at anyone with a raised eyebrow if their only reason for not harming people, killing adults, raping children... was because they would be afraid to go to hell if they did. If the only reason someone does not steal and harm others is because of a fear of hell... I say that I hope they keep believing. The rest of us like a nice society with good people doing their thing in life. We don't like chaos, crime, murder, rape, etc. Most of us are not good people because we want the reward of heaven, it's simply the right thing to do.

The "not so great" doctors have to do things like that or nobody would go to them. The good doctors don't have to stoop to those levels. If ANY doctor COULD have FACS behind their names, that's a big deal and they would. But not when they didn't earn it. Part of research is verifying affiliations and especially this affiliation. You can't pay a fee and have it by your name, you have to meet certain standards. But to claim it is kinda tacky when you didn't earn it.

Mindy... Speaking of research, after the ordeal with Huacuz claiming to be a fellow of the college of surgeons I wondered about Arturo Rodriguez. Being an FACS member is a HUGE deal, people go to doctors based on their FACS affiliation because they have to meet so many standards to go there. So I emailed Cynthia Hicks at the Welcome to the American College of Surgeons and Rodriguez may claim to be an FACS member, but he isn't. Here is the email: >>I've checked our records and I do not believe Dr. Rodriguez is a Fellow of the College. Thank you for calling this to our attention. Cynthia Hicks Supervisor, Credentials Section American College of Surgeons Phone: 800-293-9623 or 312-202-5284 Fax: 312-202-5007 Email: CHicks@facs.org<< Doesn't look like he'll have that affiliation after his name much longer. Of course, he apparently didn't earn it so he shouldn't. This is a big deal, they don't take this lightly. He can get in a lot of trouble for making those claims.

Considering that most in the US who needs WLS do not have Bariatric coverage, one has to wonder how long this will last that docs require insurance. Seems as though they'd have to turn away most people. They won't be able to do that for long.

Well, as I told you on another forum you really need to do your research, dig for information. As I told you on another forum there is no ONE good doctor, there are several in Mexico. I'd stay away from newbies for MD information, they are great about sharing their experiences but if you want the real info talk to people that are over a year out of surgery. All newbies go through a honeymoon stage, they all love their surgeon and they all love their surgery type, we all go through it. People that have been out of surgery for a year or better are usually more objective and realistic, they are done with the honeymoon stage of their surgery. Good luck to you.