WASaBubbleButt

Yeah, not a lot of critical thinking skills in action there, eh? :youcandothis: There are those with a strong faith, those who are questioning, and those who lack belief. The Falwell's of the world force the middle group to make a decision. Given more time and a gentle approach, they might stay with their faith. Thus, Falwell types increase the ever growing atheist community. It still boils down to hate in the name of the xtian God. And people think this is a good thing? I don't get it. Unless people just want to hate and the Falwell types give them permission to judge and hate in the name of religion. I don't know.

Not sure I can explain my feelings well but I'll give it a shot. I'm guess I don't think that is the best way for people to leave their faith. There are lots of people that know deep down there is no God but it gives them a little peace in that they are not in this world all alone so they go with the motions. My problem certainly isn't individual spirituality, my issue is with the harm organized religion does. There is a huge difference. I don't want people looking at their beliefs the way I look at (my religous upbringing) Catholicism, with utter disgust. I would hope that if they do walk away, they focus on the positives instead of it being such a negative experience and feeling like they had been duped big time. There are more gentle ways for people to reach the point of ... well, leaving their religion.

Lucy... Great post. I don't think people realize how much the Falwell's of the world push atheism. People look at people like him and realize there isn't a chance in the world they could believe that hateful bilge. They start taking a long hard look at how people like him can so easily justify hate and greed and they walk away from their belief. Yet, now the whackos will be coming out from the woodwork to tell us all how wonderful his brand of hate is. Very odd. (Again, whacko's meaning the extreme fundie types, not the normals.)

That's spooky! Don't eat or drink ANYTHING for about six hours. Then take verrrry small sips of warm Water every 15 minutes or so and see if that helps. But if you start showing signs of dehydration you need to get to an ER quickly. Sorry you are going through this. Many of us know exactly what you are experiencing and it isn't fun!

It is supposed to stop and regrow but I'm telling you, when I have to clean my hairbrush daily, sometimes twice daily and my pony tail is REALLY small now compared to what it was, it's just freaky! It's nothing for me to pull out two handfuls of hair daily from my brush. It has to stop and quickly or I'll look weird.

Now when people tell you that you are just melting away you can look them square in the eye and say, "Damn straight I am!" :youcandothis:

It's not just the fact that he was human and made mistakes. He taught hate and filth. I was raised xtian and that's not how I was raised that xtianity is supposed to be at all. Some people appreciate and value that kind of xtianity, I don't. That is the very behavior that makes xtianity look so darn bad. His son's (and daughter, btw) don't have the following he did. He was losing his following after 9/11 anyway. Even the whacko xtians couldn't see how that was right let alone logical. (And by whacko I'm referring to the extreme fundie types, not the normals.) Sadly for his family, the world is a better place without him.

I think it is fair to judge the results of his work that others are left to deal with. He's gone and doesn't have to deal with it, others do. It's easy to excuse bad behavior by saying the person is dead, it is quite a different matter to clean up political messes he made.

In Christianity it kinda does wash away all those evils people did. Remember, even Hitler could be in the Christian heaven.

Doctors differ on water issues. For example my doc says drink up to the time to eat and nothing for two hours after eating.

Positive Atheism's Big List of Jerry Falwell Quotations

And that's fine, I respect your opinion. I think he did lots of very bad things for Christianity including making a complete joke of the belief.

The band is in a different location. The port is sewn into the fascia, that is tissue above a muscle and below a fat pad. Check this out: LAP-BAND: Surgery Technique I can't remember how much detail it goes into but it might give you a better idea how everything is placed. It's a web page, not a video.

LOL!! Well, since you brought it up.... :youcandothis: I don't want to see anyone suffer, not sure if he did or not. I just caught the tail end of the news. Haven't looked it up yet. But the earth certainly won't be at a loss without him.

That's just it, you don't always know. It's like my doc says, 75% or more of slips are the patient's fault for not following the rules. It can happen today, tomorrow, or next year. It's from eating too soon after surgery and not completing the healing phase, eating too much, being too tight and doing nothing about it, etc. Sometimes slips happen and nobody knows why. Sometimes it's the doc's fault. But the greater majority of the time it is the patient not following the rules. Think about it, if the band isn't set appropriately, if the scar tissue (that is responsible for keeping it in place) isn't given an opportunity to hold the band in place, what WILL hold it in place? Following your doc's instructions is soooooooooooo important. It just can't be said enough times.

You can do that, I've lost 70lbs in 5 months. Believe me, if I can do it ANYONE can do it! :youcandothis:

An esophogram isn't going to show if adhesions are forming and what long term issues will be. It shows something completely different.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound like a witch but this issue makes me angry. It shouldn't, what others do is their own choice but I am sooooo pro-band and I want it to work for everyone. I want the whole world to be thin! :youcandothis: It especially makes me angry that doctors don't explain WHY the post op diet is so important. It's just as much their fault as it is the patient's fault for not following directions. If the docs would explain details and explain why it is so critical to follow the post op diet then patients would understand the reasoning and be much more likely to follow the diet. Just telling people it is a healing phase is not enough. The details need to be explained. It's the patient's body, they have a right to understand everything there is to know about the band. Once they have the instructions and the reasoning behind the instructions then it is up to the patient to follow the advice or not. I mean, FIVE lousy minutes! That's all it would take docs to explain this yet most don't seem to do it. Most come here knowing it is the 'healing' phase but they don't really know specifically what is healing or why eating solids too soon is bad. Heh.. this is turning to a vent. When you are doing clears/full liquids/soft foods remember that sugar, ANY kind of sugar will make you want to eat your right arm. Protein will kill hunger. It's the way your blood sugar and pancreas work. When you eat sugar your blood sugar increases. Then your pancreas kicks out insulin, then your blood sugar decreases and that sends hormones that tell your brain you are hungry again. When you consume protein it doesn't mess with your blood sugar much so your body isn't constantly trying to tell your brain you are hungry. Oh, you'll still have head hunger issues, but we all have that and that is a big reason we are fat. But mix head hunger with stomach hunger and we will fail. It's just too much. So cut out ALL sugar, try to cut out sweeteners as well if you can. Then bump up your protein and that should make it so you can manage post op diets.

I totally agree with Argon, it is insanity to keep you in this position. Usually after an unfill they have you drink liquids for a day or two due to natural swelling that goes with fills/unfills. Liquids are all you should be having right now anyway. You are just doing liquids, right??

You aren't as likely to stretch your pouch with no fill. The concern would be that you haven't formed adhesions and that won't likely cause problems until later down the road. When you eat food your stomach has to churn and work to break food down so it can pass through the GI system. When you drink Clear liquids it virtually does little to no work. When you drink full liquids it doesn't have to work hard. When you eat solids your stomach has to work very hard to break down food. It almost looks like stomach spasms. Since it is the scarring and adhesions that hold the band in place and not the sutures (long term), when you eat solids your stomach is moving and churning and this prevents adhesions from forming. When you don't follow your doc's instructions you are only harming yourself. If you want the band to work, you have to do as your doc tells you. I think there should be a huge warning label somewhere that patients have to read before surgery. If you want your band to work you have to follow the instructions for EVERYTHING and especially a post-op diet, otherwise, don't get a band. Why did you eat solids four days after surgery? Why wouldn't you follow your doc's instructions?

I don't know this for fact but I would assume there is a deal on quantity. I mean, if a hospital buys them for several surgeons they are going to get a better deal than someone who buys enough for one surgeon?? Again, that is merely an assumption. Not claiming that as fact.

I was two when my tonsils were removed, no fat, no band, no unfill required. :youcandothis:

But these have REALLY good spices in them. I have no clue why mine don't turn out like theirs. Well, actually I do. I can't cook. :youcandothis:

Get a rubbermaid brand or something similar. They are really light and it won't be a pain to carry it around with you. I have one for my dog. :youcandothis:

I think you'll find that it is mostly a matter of pain. The issue I would be aware of when lifting your son is that it's a reaction to pull away when you touch a hot stove, right? Same concept applies here. If you go to lift him and it is painful you might have a natural reaction to pull away and there is a little more chance of dropping him. Just take things verrrry slow and easy. A friend was banded in February and she did things with her 14 month old such as getting a step stool and if she wanted to be held my friend taught her before surgery to climb up on the step stool and then up to the couch where Mom was sitting. She said it worked quite well. That didn't help when it came to the changing table though. Just think about those kinds of things and how you can make it easier on yourself.