WASaBubbleButt

Okay, I'm not done! There are a gazillion questions about which drugs can cause pouch harm and which are okay. Which supplements can dissolve in a pouch and which can't. Oh my goodness, I'm thrilled you are here. Don't you dare leave us! I won't have it! While I have your attention (even though you are new here and may never see this thread again).... Is Venom (supplement) okay to dissolve in a pouch? The capsules are HUGE, the capsule itself is easy to dissolve in a pouch. But is it safe? Ohhhh, I have questions!

(GASP!!!) You are an RPh? Ohhhh my! We can use you! Seriously, there are tons of questions about which drugs can be crushed vs. which can't. I'm thrilled you are here!

For fat surgery or plastics? For fat surgery I went to Dr. Aceves. For plastics I have yet to decide. I don't like the guy my fat surgeon sent me to so he is working on finding me a plastics person I don't want to smack.

I couldn't agree more. I *do* feel bad that people who really are in pain are questioned to death. It's not right, it isn't how it should be, but it is a reality. I'm sorry you had to be questioned to see if you really were in pain. I'd be a liar if I didn't say that I have probably done the same thing to patients. Heck, I know I have. I have even gone as far as to apologize before my behaviors were pointed out to me. It's a reminder that I do cop attitudes and it isn't right. I'm not sure I know what the answer is. I'm human, I get frustrated. MOST of my patients in an ED setting are narcotic seekers. I don't trust anyone to tell me the truth anymore. It's not right that we have bets and watch people checking into an ED to see if they are legit or not. But we do. I have learned that the more drama someone shows, the more I distrust them. If they are rolling on the floor of the ED waiting room, moaning and groaning... I wish there was a Valium salt lick in the same waiting room. But once every now and again, we all call it wrong and a faker isn't really a faker. You fell in that group and I'm sorry for that.

HA! You know, I got my panties in such a wad over that thread that I unsubscribed and never read the rest of it. I should have. Thanks for posting the link. MORE SO, thanks to TravelGirl for her post. There are times I KNOW full well I know what I'm talking about and I KNOW I am giving the correct information and people just look at me and stick their tongue out. (Okay, that doesn't happen on the boards but I KNOW it happens while they read, I feel it. ) I get frustrated. I want soooo much for others to experience what I do. I want them to be normal size and enjoy the world as a normal size person. There are times.... well, if the truth be known there are times I just wanna smack people then shake the leaves right outta their tree! I want them to see what I see, I want them to experience what I experience, I want sooo much for them to be healthy. I know how to do that. I know how to get to that point. But I come off as such a bitch that it doesn't show what my real intent is. So I give up and move on. Okay, that was my rant. But thank you. Sincerely, thank you for posting that thread and thank you TravelGirl. I wouldn't have finished reading that thread had it not been for the two of you.

One issue I don't deny is that I have done one hellovajob. The reason I have done such a good job is because of the support here. People calling me on my own BS. People not letting me get by with excuses. Jacqui, Chickie, LosingJusMe, Jack, Julie, lots of people. Wayyyy too many to name. I shouldn't name any of them because I'm leaving out the majority. I need this site. My goal is weight loss and by God, I did it. I honestly, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart... I don't think I could have done it without a few kicks in my behind at times. Sure, I give myself credit for the work, but I also give credit to those who kicked my behind when I wasn't doing things well. When I had questions about exercise, Jacqui was able to answer my questions. When I needed a reality reminder, Jack was there. When I had questions I was too embarrassed to ask in public about plastics... Julie. The list goes on and on. Then there was the time (in real time) that I went to dinner with an e-friend and I ordered what I KNEW I bloody couldn't eat and Denise excused herself to go take laps around the parking lot because I was stuck. The list is endless. Sometimes I get frustrated and think I am going to leave LBT but the truth is, I need this place. I'm a newbie goal person. I still need the reminders and the support. Wheetsin is great about making me remember there is a funny way to look at things. I look at my gut and think, "Old, dehydrated fugly dog gut" and she turns it around and instead of embarrassing and humiliating, it's suddenly funny. When I become frustrated and annoyed for ANY reason (thinking my banded friend here) LosingJusMe reminds me of how things are in the real world. When I am unsure of advice FaithMD reminds me that there are alternatives. The list goes on and on. When I was banded I couldn't even tell my husband. Yeah, he didn't know. He went out of town on business and I went out of town to Mexico. There are things he just doesn't get. Folks here do. They get it. There are things I can discuss here and people understand exactly what I am referring to. My husband doesn't. Did I mention we are separated? It's not because of weight loss, but that is part of it. There are just soooo many examples. Babygrl is another. When I am frustrated beyond words and trying sooo hard with a newbie, she puts it all in perspective and zaps me back to reality. People will do what they do. Period, the end. When the patient coordinators are chasing me like a yapping dog because I dare to suggest that no one doc is the right doc for everyone and people should do their research, everyone jumps in and supports research. Well, the non patient coordinators do, anyway. I need this place. That's the bottom line.

Lemme put on my xray vision glasses....

Wheet, how would you feel being an ER nurse who is so busy you can't take a pee because up to 80% of your patients are narcotic seekers? I really think you have to see it to believe it. It's a huge eye opener. When most of your shift is trying to figure out which are the drug seekers vs. which ones have legit issues, it's very hard. The drug seekers know the lingo, they know exactly what to say to be seen quickly, and they know how to get drugs. Most ERs have a database of the drug seekers. You should see the size of that thing. Without a doubt, hands down, most people in ER are drug seekers. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Most have nothing wrong, they just want the narcotics. I've seen people get their narcotic Rx and ask to use the phone and FROM the hospital they are selling the Rx. Using the hospital phone!!! The regulars, they are the people with needle tracks up and down their arms. I had one lady that came in and after time, you can eyeball them and know bloody well what they are there for. She was having a hard time walking. Security was holding her up. First thing she asked me is if I was a compassionate person. I said, "No, not really. How may I help you?" She smiled and went on to explain that her OxyContin accidentally fell in the toilet and she was in soooo much pain. She needed another Rx. Turns out the reason she had to be held up by security was because she was so high she couldn't walk on her own. Her car was in the parking lot and she drove over a brick fence. Her car was on top of the brick fence. Know what her job was? She was a drug and alcohol rehab therapist. Again, it's just something you have to see daily before it sinks in just how serious this problem is. You might be shocked at how many narcotic Rxs are lost yet antibiotic and blood pressure meds are never lost. They are never dropped, flushed, stolen, or filled incorrectly. It's mind boggling.

I told the truth. I have no reason to lie. The patient in question did have a previous WLS and it was messed up by a US surgeon. Clearly that is not to say that US surgeons are bad. They aren't. But some are - just like some Mexican docs are bad. The family doesn't blame Dr. A for what happened and they were there, unlike the person you are quoting. People need to make their own decisions. I really don't think you should go to Dr. Aceves. You don't have the trust necessary in a doc and so you should probably go to someone else. Trust is key. However, I have a hunch you are yet another Gonzalez coordinator trying to trash yet another Mexican doc. If the coordinators could depend on quality information about their own doc they would have little need to attempt to trash Ortiz, Aceves, Zapata, and other quality Mexican surgeons. They could depend on their MAIN ID, they could post the facts of their own docs vs. PMing me and asking me not to post stats because it makes their doc look bad. When a doctor has a great reputation, has done thousands of bariatric procedures, is voted for by even the US docs into international bariatric positions, and they have one person that wasn't even present during a horrible event vs. the thousands of patients that had perfect experiences... people have to engage in a few critical thinking skills and make informed decisions. I don't stand by and let Ortiz get trashed without sticking up for him, I'm not going to let you trash, post and repost the same half truths for my own doc without standing up and saying something. The thing about trashing docs and having individual experiences is that the patient can go on line and make any claim they want. The doc CAN'T defend himself. He can't tell the rest of the story, the parts that the patient left out. Such as, there was a patient that had surgery, she was told not go take tub baths or go swimming for "X" number of weeks. Four days after having surgery she went swimming in a public pool and one of her incisions became infected. She went posting to everyone telling them she got an infection and blamed her doc. She didn't tell the rest of the story until later and turns out, she went swimming in a public pool where people urinate in the pool. Where does the fault go with that kind of infection? The doc? Or the patient who specifically did what she was told not to do? You are taking a story with half truths and manipulation and posting on more than one thread trying to discredit a Mexican doctor and surprise surprise, you are another supposed Gonzalez future patient. Why is it that it is mainly Gonzalez patients trashing everyone else? Why is it Gonzalez patients have a need to start threads and push their doc non stop? Daily they post how much they love him. Daily they have new patients trashing other Mexican docs with new IDs. It doesn't take someone with 3 brains to figure this one out.

I used to wonder why oldtimers don't hang around much after reaching goal. I'm beginning to understand. I used to think it was because they were off living their new life as a thinner healthier person. The difference in posts today vs. 1 month ago are amazing. You know, I have said since day #1 that writing is not my forte. I can't get what is in my head on a computer monitor with the same tone and intent. It's me, it's my writing style. I take full responsibility for it. It may not be who I am but it is how I write. With that said, nothing has changed about information, links, thoughts, or suggestions but after reaching goal things have changed drastically in many ways. I used to read, "Thanks, I needed to read that." Now I get, "Well YOU just don't understand." I understand quite well. That's why I offered the information that I did. There are lots and lots of things in life I don't know much about. But I *do* know about the band and researching doctors. I know the medical aspect of each and I know the personal aspect of each. People will continue looking for validation of poor behaviors and I will continue calling 'em as I see 'em as long as I so desire.

You can thank the drug seekers and those that don't pay their bills for this one. You think ER staff enjoy being that busy? One hospital I know of formed a new policy. If you wanted narcotics they would not give them to you. Got a headache? Not all headaches are migraines that need Morphine. So they give Toradol and Inderal. Works just as good but no euphoric high. Lost your narcotics but not your blood pressure pills? Call your PCP. They started this policy and their ER visits dropped by 80%. Then there are the people that don't want to pay $50 for an office call for a sore throat so they wait until after hours and go to ER, don't pay their bill, and the hospital eats it. No ER WANTS to be that busy. They have no choice.

AMBIEN!!!!!! I had my days and nights mixed up and no matter what I did I couldn't break it. Got a 90 day supply of Ambien and now I'm cured! I'll stay cured for the next three months if that is what it takes.

As a newbie you have the right to eat anything you want and complain that you aren't losing weight. As an oldtimer I have a right to tell you that you are a dumb ass for thinking that a diet of chocolate pie and oatmeal Cookies will help you lose weight.

I don't think it is unreasonable for any country to deny entry by an illegal or even someone entering legally when they will be tax dependent. If they won't follow the laws upon entering that country, why would they follow any of the other laws? Those who have been paying into the system their whole lives are being denied health care because they don't qualify for help while people who have never paid a dime in taxes are sucking it up. Let them stay in their own country. Let their own country take care of them, the place where they paid taxes at one time. We aren't talking about someone's own citizens, we are talking about which countries should be taking in all those who are simply expensive. I don't blame NZ. I wish the US would follow.

Yep, I know exactly who you are talking about.

OMG NO! It's abused here daily. Our county hospitals cannot deny people care. So people go there and just don't pay the bills. People from Mexico live in Mexico, stay there, work there, pay taxes there, but get a US PO box and claim to live here and collect welfare and free medical care. Our system is abused in every way possible. Insurance doesn't have anything to do with it. There are quite a few times when people with no insurance get better medical care than those with insurance. It's horrible. I fully support what New Zealand is doing. I don't blame them a bit. To have an already over burdened system and then encourage more people to come in and be tax dependent, it's just not wise. Nobody can afford it. Money is not a bottomless pit where one can pay and other spend and spend. It just doesn't work, eventually those that have paid into the system for their whole lives are supporting those that haven't.

Candy... It's hard, but you can do it! You won't believe me today but honestly, in no time at all you'll hardly even think about Diet Coke. You'll be so busy seeing the scale move in the correct direction that you'll WANT to do anything to keep it moving! You'll do fine!!

It's really personal preference. Just look for a well known brand, not some little company that nobody has ever heard of before. I like Matrix 5.0 by Syntrax. Others like unjury. Unjury is more versatile in the sense that you can get unflavored. You can put it in your coffee, juice, use it in cooking, whatever you prefer. Try to find products where you can get samples for the cost of S&H vs. having to buy a huge container just to discover you don't like it.

When I was a newbie I would see someone's ticker and there was almost a jealous aspect of me that I wasn't there yet. Why didn't I know about the band sooner? I would have been where they are. I don't *think* I ever let my jealousy and frustration show but who knows, I might have. I think that many times the oldtimers don't give as much slack as the newbies do. Someone can say, "I can't do the pre op diet, I tried and I can't make it one single day." They were right, they made it up through about noon that day, day #1. Newbies will pat them on the head and tell them it's okay, the pre op diet really isn't important. The oldtimers know better and we don't play the games. We stand up and speak out. We explain WHY the pre op diet is important and instead of thinking it through and taking responsibility for their own actions they come out fighting and insisting they know better. Well, if they know better why are they going to a doc that doesn't know a bloody thing? Look at the posts, when the oldtimers are agreeing with the docs and the newbies are validating poor choices, what would an outsider think? Which is more realistic? Which response is better? The newbies know more than many of the docs out there? I hand out the SAME information now as I did before I hit goal. Same wording, same attitude, same everything. But now that I am at goal I have actually been told that I just don't understand. I don't understand??? I live it DAILY. Or I don't remember what it's like. How the heck could I forget? I've been at goal for a month. I think there is a lot of critiquing of oldtimer posts that doesn't seem to exist with newbie posts. We could be saying the same thing but the oldtimer will be told they have an attitude. We don't have an attitude, we have experience. Big difference. There were people that called me on my bad choices in the beginning. I didn't resent them for being honest with me. While I didn't like it I did respect it. I think that is a main issue here.

She had a failed bypass of her own. She said she "blew her pouch" but I'm not exactly sure of what that means, stretched?? Regardless, bypass wasn't working for her anymore. Her husband told me that he really wanted a band but she insisted he get bypass (while she was getting revision from bypass to band!) because she didn't want him taking off time from work for fills. It's probably the most extreme example of sabotage I have yet to hear.

Sometimes it's easier if you put it all in perspective. Consider this, what if you had a photo of a can of Diet Coke and a photo of you thin. Which do you want more? Diet Coke is pretty insignificant in the whole scheme of things. Don't misunderstand, I TOTALLY understand what you are saying. I used to drink Diet Coke non stop. I could go for weeks and weeks without ever drinking Water. I drank Diet Coke. I'd get up in the middle of the night, be thirsty, realize I was out of soda and get dressed, go to a fast food joint and get a mega huge Diet Coke. OMG, how horrible is that? Thin is soooooooooo much better than soda, I swear. It's not as bad as you think giving the stuff up. When you see the scale moving down down down you'll realize it is all completely and totally worth it. Good luck to you! And most of all, congrats on your future weight loss!

Mexico is a great option for many people. It is very possible to have a quality and safe surgery. Just be sure to do your research well. Please see my sig for a link for suggestions on how to do this. You'll love banding! It's the best thing I have ever done. It's a lot of work but the thing is, traditional diet and exercise were things I just couldn't do. It was too hard. While banding is hard, very hard, it's the KIND of hard WE can do, our population. Congrats on making the decision to be banded!!

No regrets at all. Matter of fact, I plan on having plastic surgery there as well.

I think a lot of times we are so desperate for surgery that we don't always tell the truth. If your doc requires a pre op diet and you can't do it, if you tell him will he still do surgery? The fear of not getting banded outweighs common sense. I understand that. But it wouldn't be supportive of me not to point out the obvious. Sometimes the truth hurts, but when it comes to banding the truth is necessary. I was desperate enough to fib on my pre op paperwork. I didn't tell the whole truth about my medical history. I was afraid my doc wouldn't do surgery. I just wasn't sure and I wasn't taking chances. Turns out, he still would have done surgery with no problem as my issues are common but I didn't know for sure at the time. So I understand the concept but when it comes to the diet you have to have a back up plan and that can only be done with your doc. But the flip side to that coin are not the band babies but the "bad advice givers" who try to say that a pre op diet is easier than a month of post op liquids. ??? HUH? People need to know the truth. What they do with that truth is up to them. But we wouldn't be doing any favors by supporting bad behaviors and actions. We can provide the truth and facts, what the person does from there is up to them. :cry

WOW.. it also has 300 calories, 80 calories from fat, 16gms carbs, 9gms sugar, and if you mix it with milk that doesn't include fat, calories, and carbs from milk. My doc has us stick to 800 calories daily. With milk that would take half my calories for the entire day. I have to stick to something with fewer carbs and calories. While many would do well on a product such as this, I'm not one of them!