WASaBubbleButt

I didn't vote because I'm not six months out yet but I am three months out. So far, 48 pounds. Almost half way to goal. However, I work really hard too. I spend about an hour a day on my treadmill and I count calories. Minimum of 600, max of 800 calories daily.

You know, I was trying to remember that exact diet and I couldn't remember the final item, bananas. I was going to post this earlier but couldn't remember all of it. I remember doing this to lose that last five pounds in high school. Yeah, now I just outed my age, eh?

Anyone remember Starch Blockers? They were tablets that came out in the 70s. Yeah, they don't work.

Had to mention something here. I did as you wrote above. I chugged it and downed water afterwards and crossed my fingers. It worked. But, the thing I wanted to bring up is that since that time I have not been hungry in the least. Not even a little. I've consumed a total of 290 calories today (it is currently 7:45PM) and I'm not hungry. That isn't why I decided to use it but it's just an added benefit. Of course, it dawned on me that I now have calories to spare. I have a Rum/Diet Lemonade sitting in front of me and it tastes GOOD! I have given up bread, Pasta, eggs, meat (not difficult since I don't really care much for it anyway), and essentially anything with flour or sugar. I really didn't think about Rum. ;o)

Anyone ever take Metamucil? Anyone ever mix up that stuff before? If you make it and don't drink it right away it turns into a solid gel, like tough Jello. I have this vision of drinking Metamucil and getting stuck forever and ever in my stoma. Any experiences out there?

No clue if these folks are anywhere near you but I'll give it a shot: <TABLE class=datatable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=selected>ALASKA Dr. Leland </TD><TD>Jones</TD><TD> </TD><TD>907-279-8486</TD><TD>Medical Park Family Care 2211 E. Northern Lts. Blvd. # 101 Anchorage</TD><TD>Alaska</TD><TD>Call for current price</TD><TD>does not use flouro</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=selected>ALASKA Dr. Loretta</TD><TD>Woods </TD><TD> </TD><TD>907-373-5940</TD><TD>West Valley Medical Campus, Wasilla, AK</TD><TD>Alaska</TD><TD>$250 </TD><TD>Does not use fluoro</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=selected>ALASKA Radiology Associates</TD><TD> </TD><TD> </TD><TD>Must be referred by a Doctor - they must make the appt. for you.</TD><TD>Fairbanks Memorial Hospital</TD><TD>Alaska</TD><TD>$250 Yes, they do use fluoro. Also it helps if you can bring your own Huber non coring needle (they won't have a huber long enough.)</TD><TD> </TD><TD> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Okay, I just have to do it. Atheists do not "refuse" to believe in a God anymore than a theist (Christian) refuses to believe in purple flying elephants. We simply lack belief in this God. Belief is not something one turns on and off like a lamp. One either believes or they do not. When people insist that we really do believe they are saying they know better than us what our own individual thoughts and feelings are and that doesn't make one of us look very smart. I can no more spontaneously "believe" in your God than you can spontaneously claim a lack of belief. Seriously, if beliefs can be turned on like lamps then they can be turned off just as easily. What would it take for you to honestly, sincerely, believe your God does not exist? Yeah, that's what you are suggesting we do by simply believing. It is not a "fact" that your God exists. It is faith. If you had facts you wouldn't need faith. Unless you can bring your God to my home for dinner tonight for a nice chilled protein shake, it is your belief he exists. If you want to insist that it is a fact that your God exists, please feel free to trot out your proof and explain why you no longer have faith but facts instead. "I FEEL him in my heart," is not proof - it is an emotion. Christians and other assorted theists have every bloody right in the world to believe anything they wish. If you want to believe in a God or many Gods that is your right and I would defend your right to believe until my very last breath. Would you defend my right to lack belief in the same way? We don't need to hear the Word. I know more atheists that have read the bible cover to cover than Christians. Matter of fact, I can count the number of Christians I know that have read their own good book (cover to cover) on one hand. I know the bible well, I likely know it better than most Christians. I didn't *just* go to church on a very regular basis I read the bible and studied the material. Quite frankly, that is what led to my atheism. Christianity is not new material, it just isn't. If you research Christianity you will see it was borrowed from myths prior to Christianity. The Hindus, for example. Egyptians. Then we have holidays, Paganism anyone? Just because I am not a Christian and I will defend my right to lack Christian beliefs, that does not mean I am anti-Christian. That is a cop out and nothing more. We know it, so do you. Christians are not being persecuted in the US. The only difference between today and 100 years ago is that now Christians are being forced by law to follow the same rules as the rest of us have had to do since the beginning of the Bill of Rights. That is not persecution and if you insist it is then you have to say that the rest of the country has been persecuted since the beginning of the Bill of Rights. The founding fathers were not all Christian. They were an assorted bunch, everything from pantheist, Pagan, Christian, atheist, and deist. And while I am bringing up the beliefs of others Hitler was not a Catholic or any other type of Christian. But I admit, that is a topic for another day. Yes, Christianity is the majority religion in the US today. However, that is changing. Christianity numbers are dropping by just shy of 1% annually. This has been tracked since at least the '80s. The two fastest growing groups are Pagans and atheists. It's true, deal with it. Considering the fact that Christianity is going down in numbers it has been estimated that by somewhere around 2040 or so, Christianity will no longer be the majority religion in the US. Assuming this is true, are you really sure you want your religion in public schools? If you set the tone today for religion/public schools, do realize that in the near future you may just get your wish. However, your future generations may not be worshiping the Christian God but perhaps Ra, the Sun God while dancing naked around a maypole under a full moon at midnight. Is this what you want? This is what many Christians today are pushing for. We are not out to convert the world. We don't care what your religion is, we just don't want to participate it in and we don't want to follow the same rules. We happen to disagree with a great many of the beliefs Christians want to (and have) put into law. If we promise not to try and convert you, would you grant us the same favors? We do not worship a devil. If we lack a belief in the supernatural such as the Christian God, it is quite safe to assume we lack belief in a supernatural devil or demon as well. We do not eat babies. Amazing, I know but we really don't. Some of us actually have our own children and we don't eat them either. I fully realize this list is not directed to all Christians. You know who you are. Most Christians are honest, decent, kind individuals following their path in this life. They are doing the best they can. Guess what? So are we. About 10-20 years ago we nonbelievers made up about 14% of the US population. Since we are one of the fastest growing groups today you can rest assured that number is significantly greater now. We are here to stay, we aren't going anywhere. We aren't growing in numbers by recruiting, it doesn't work that way. People are being educated in sciences more today than any other time and people are making these choices on their own. Wouldn't it make more sense to work together as a community and not worry about what everyone else believes? We are all in this world together, it only makes sense to be peaceful, respectful, and considerate of others. Keep in mind, it is likely a bunch of atheists and Pagans taking care of you when you are in the hospital. I've been in medicine for over 20 years now and I'm here to tell you, you can't spit in a hospital and fail to hit a nonbeliever somewhere. We are professionals, we are part of your community. Instead of focusing on differences let's find ways to make life more harmonious. Whew... okay. I'm done.

Lots of good things people are saying about him: http://obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/bariatric+surgeon+reviews+Daniel+Huacuz+rhr.html

I've made this recipe and it is great, I really like it. I thought about using Splenda but by the time I got the cabbage to rice size pieces (takes forever, I grated it) I didn't want to take a chance by changing to Splenda. What if it didn't work? LOL

For Lemon Shrimp substitute Lemonade concentrate for OJ and Lemon peel for orange. Orange peel shrimp PF Changs Serves 4 Ingredients: 1/3 cup Orange Juice concentrate 1/4 cup soy sauce 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar 2 teaspoons cornstarch 2 teaspoons grated orange peel 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes -- or to taste 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 4 garlic cloves -- minced 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger 1 red bell pepper -- seeded and chopped/Omit 1 cup snow peas -- cut into 1-inch pieces/Omit 1 1/2 pounds shrimp -- peeled and de-veined 3 green onions -- cut into 1-inch pieces 6 cups cooked white rice – optional/or Brown rice Preparation: In small bowl, whisk together OJ concentrate, soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch, orange peel and red pepper flakes until thoroughly mixed and cornstarch is dissolved. Set aside. Heat oil in wok or large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic and ginger; stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add bell pepper and snow peas, stir-fry 1 minute until crisp-tender. Add shrimp and green onions, stir-fry until shrimp just turns pink, about 1 minute. Stir in reserved soy sauce mixture, cook and stir until sauce boils and thickens. Serve over cooked rice, if desired. Serving Ideas: Serve over stir-fry noodles or plain white rice. Notes: The most time consuming part of this dish is assembling the ingredients, once that is done this dish is very simple. Heat this dish in a heavy pan on the stove, until gently bubbling.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Probably 95% of the time today when I try to go from page to page, or click on any link I get the following: Database errorThe LapBandTalk.com - Lap Band Talk Forum - A forum for Lap Band Discussion and Lap Band Support database has encountered a problem.Please try the following: Load the page again by clicking the Refresh button in your web browser. Open the www.lapbandtalk.com home page, then try to open another page. Click the Back button to try another link. The www.lapbandtalk.com forum technical staff have been notified of the error, though you may contact them if the problem persists. We apologise for any inconvenience. I've tried rebooting, everything. I am not having this problem on any other website today, just LBT. Am I doing something wrong?

I guess my biggest problem with him is that I am considering having my band removed. He quoted me one price. When I told him my hubby is a psychiatrist and I am a nurse the price went up by $1500. When I reminded him of the original quote just 5 minutes earlier he laughed and said okay. I don't like the business practices. However, that might work in your favor too. Tell him you don't have enough money for two procedures and he might give you a deal ... two 'fer one or something. ;o) I don't know about his surgical skills.

I do believe we have switched "food" for "LBT". ;o)

Cool... I was just looking for anyone else that had experience. Thx!

Well, when you lose weight you'll have energy you didn't know existed. SO GO! Go to medical school!

Ahhh, the MD part of your ID fooled me. I fight with 'em too, someone has to. The more minds working together the better. Anything to save a band, right? ;o)

It's a great recipe. I'm a horrible cook and I can do it. I make my Wendy's Chili without beans or meat and it's great. It's easy and crock-potable. ;o) Don't taste test it until a couple of hours have gone by, it's not good until the flavors blend.

Going by memory here... She's had it for 14 months so I am assuming it is not systemic or she is not critically ill. I thought about removing the port only but wasn't sure that was wise considering it is MRSA. I just wasn't sure so I didn't mention it. Sooooo... when are YOU going to be banded!!??!!?? Details?

Faithmd... you are my new hero. ;o) Seriously, I wish all docs looked at this as you do. No, they don't need to be checked q3rd dose but this gal is a prime example of why it isn't a bad idea. Most docs I work with do order Peaks & Troughs q3d dose. I prefer that myself. It's part of the anal-retentive part of my personality. ;o) Will Zyvox give her any hope at keeping her band? Is it a possibility? I'm very familiar with it in your standard patient but with an implant, could it work?

My experience is totally different. My surgeon (Mexico) has GOT to be the MOST conservative doc I have ever met. He does adequate fills, nothing more and nothing less. I think your surgeon was pulling your leg. Remember, they are none too thrilled that so many of us are going to Mexico for surgery. They are charging about $5K just for their services during surgery. $5K an hour isn't bad, you know? ;o) Fills just don't earn them the same income so there are a lot of political issues between US docs and Mexican docs. Jealousy issues that are based on greed. You might be shocked at what the US docs claim about Mexican docs. They pretty well do anything to prevent people from crossing any border to get surgery when they could be doing it instead. Don't get me wrong, I understand business. But trashing a country of docs based on greed is going a bit far but a LOT of docs do that.

Vanco is a drug that HAS to be given via a pump. It also has to be given through a special IV where they thread a wire from your arm to your chest. Or, they place a port in your chest for infusion. Running a Vanco IV is kinda sorta like running a Draino IV. ;o) It certainly won't work for many doses if not given correctly. Is there any chance you could talk to your doc about Zyvox before giving up your band? Also, with Vanco blood tests have to be drawn every three doses, not so with Zyvox.

BTW, another drug for MRSA when all else fails is Zyvox. Just in case, might want to start doing your research now. It would be nice if they could deal with the MRSA without removing your band.

Red Man's Syndrome is not an allergic reaction and yes! You can get quite ill from it. The problem is either they gave you too high of a dose or more likely, they infused it too fast. Either the doc wrote the orders incorrectly or the nurse infused it incorrectly. It really is the best drug for MRSA. Rocephin is good but not as good as Vanco. Do you know what your dose was? Were they doing blood tests every three doses? How long were you on it? Do you know how fast they infused it? An hour? Hour and a half?

May I ask what drug you are allergic to and what your symptoms were? The reason I ask is that Vancomycin is typically used for MRSA and that causes Red Man Syndrome, many docs still blame an allergic reaction on that and in reality, it is a dosing problem or how fast it was given. Who did your surgery?

Do you have any links for stats on that?