Wheetsin

Yoda - similar here, you put it into words better than I did. I "contemplated" it since 2001, when sisters I know were selected to be part of the FDA trials. In November I went to an info seminar. I decided that I would go ahead and fill out the paperwork so that "if" I decided to go through with it, I could just go... and wouldn't have to THEN wait for the paperwork to get done. I'd like to say that somehow my "if" transitioned into a "when", but that wouldn't be entirely accurate. Deep down, I had already made the decision to do it. I made the decision to do it before I went to the info seminar. I just didn't put the decision into action before then.

Teresita - I'm right there with you. I can flip to any post on any thread here and see someone who started where I am now. *sigh*

I'm not of the opinion that everyone should get free elder care. You had a lot of people telling you "if she has the money she should pay". I don't think that planning for retirement makes you less deserving of "free money" than those who didn't plan for retirement. This doesn't mean "free elder care for everyone". Maybe it means "no free care for anyone". Is there a double standard in that? Or did you mean "double standard" in the general sense, and not specific to what I had said?

It's way beyond theoretical, it happens all the time. Maybe it's you, maybe it's some other stranger I don't know. Every time I pay a tax someome is legally taking money out of my pocket. Every time I go the grocery store and pay more than I did last week because the owner had to raise prices to cover losses due to shoplifting, someone is legally taking money out of my pockets. Every time my premiums increase because my insurance company has to cover the 3 billion in insurance fraud... you get the idea. It happens every day. I can't think of too many places we put our money that aren't effected by someone else's actions. Communism actually advocates receipt based on need. Socialism is based more on quantity & quality of work done within a classless (other than working class) society. Is me having to pay higher grocery bills because someone else got a rush from shoplifting a form of communism?

By advocating for freedom of choice, you're necessarily advocating for people who choose differently than you do. It's a great paradox.

SOB! Are you serious? We had to pay multiple fees to convert a foreign curreny wire into American funds. The fees aren't small, esp. with our bank. If we'd been told it was $12k p/y... that would have been one fee per $24k instead of one fee per $10k. Now I'm mad and calling my bank!

At goal, any gastric procedures would be seen as preventative, and as Alexandra said, I don't know of any US insurers who would cover WLS on a preventative basis. Given enough $ you can always find someone to do it for you.

I have a "special" UHC EPO. I did not have comorbidities and did not have to submit a supervised weightloss effort. I don't know about a 5 year obesity requirement. Wasn't a problem for me, as that was documented in my medical records.

Good Samaritan laws don't protect as well as you might think (or hope) they would. Unfortunately I speak from personal experience. A well-written terms & conditions could take care of a lot of the liability, but you aren't looking at a cheap bill to get that from a valid source. Good call, Carlene, on the gift tax. We ran into that earlier this year with some money that the ILs wanted to give us. The max at that time (April) was $10,000.00 per transaction for cash gifts. The key being "per transaction". A larger amount can be given, it just needs to occur in multiple transactions, e.g. 5 deposits @ $10k versus 1 deposit @ 50k. I couldn't say whether or not the cap has changed since then.

Nothing made me decide. For me, coming to the decision was a long process of nearly continuous evaluation. Research average suggests 1 - 2 lbs per week.

Nope. Few here are doctors, and even those who are, aren't *your* doctor. If you haven't tried your PCP start there, or find a good doctor to start with. If you're banded, let your band surgeon know what's happening.

I had my 2nd fill 3 weeks after my first.

Being on liquids doesn't make one a "dickhead". Do call your surgeon. Pain in the shoulderblade could be gas. When I'm stuck I feel pain between my shoulderblades, aligned with my spine, but not the shoulderblades themselves but that doesn't mean you will be the same. I definitely feel it more when I take a deep breath. Have you had any excessive salivating? Please do call your surgeon. If nothing else, it's peace of mind.

That's a nice gesture but it's virtually 100% impossible to know for sure that funds are going to the right person, right reason, etc. Plus you have the flip side... so be wary and informed, or you could potentially have legal consequences. You also need to consider the long-term of your actions. Let's say you give someone lap-band who couldn't otherwise afford it, and then the worst case scenario happens and they have complications and need revision surgeries, port replacements, or removal procedures. What happens then? You can build contingencies for it, just be smart in what you do. Not trying to rain on your parade, just trying to help you see a different side for your actions. Lots of unforseen consequences can come out of trying to do something nice for someone. If you really want to do something charitable with it, you could do something that might not have such consequences attached. For example, you could roll the money into an effort to bring meals to people who are recently banded. Or do a series of small "grants" to help people pay for the travel for their procedures, or for associated costs. That way you're touching a LOT of people, and not having to tie yourself so closely into something that could bite back. Here's another thought. Since your band is paid for (as was mine, and I had planned on being a self pay) put the money aside for some cosmetic work after you reach goal... or into a "fund" for a fantastic reward for yourself when you get there.

Long story short - SIL had a baby at some point within the last 6 days. We don't know name, gender, condition, etc. Need to send a gift, but I'm clueless. There are also some special limitations I have to work around: Cannot be electronic (it's going to a foreign country and they're on DC) Cannot be language-oriented (so no books or things with words on them) Has to be gender neutral - we don't know what the baby is Cannot be "decorative" (e.g. bedding) because we don't know what the nursery looks like Has to be easily shippable, e.g. fit into a standard size box, not overly fragile, etc. Ideally it's lightweight, but that's not necessary Cannot be foods or perishables This is their 2nd baby so most of the basics (safety things, hi-chair, etc.) should be taken care of. I'd like to send something other than clothes, but with the restrictions above my creativity is pretty much tapped. Any suggestions? For those with babies, is there something you got that's a must-have, that you maybe never thought of before you had kids?

I burped less frequently, but differently. The best way I could explain it was that the burp felt "deeper". And was never forceful, quite weak, but lasted forever. That stopped being so noticeable and the gurgles kicked in. Now I rarely gurgle unless I'm stuck and things are, more or less, back to the way they were pre-op.

I know it recognizes limited dual citizenship (with select countries vs. any country). At least that's what we were told about 8 months ago when my husband looked into dual citizenship. He had not pursued American citizenship because he didn't want to forfeit his national citizenship.

Unless something else is going on, a bandster cannot physically dump in the sense that a RNYer can. If sweets are making you sick, could be lots of other causes. Ingredients (sorbitol and maltitol are a bit infamous for sendind people to the bano), separation & intolerance, etc. I have similar symptoms, kind of, when I have sweets with sorbitol or maltitol. No increase in bathroom usage, but major, major pain for hours & hours. Doesn't have to be a whole lot, either. A stick of gum isn't going to bother me, but the quantities you find in candies do.

Umm... really or are you kidding?

This is a tough one, Carlene. My mother works very closely with income aid programs, and as much as she's "for" them, I tend to straddle the fence. I don't necessarily think that just because you worked hard and saved for your retirement, you should have to pay for your own care - especially when someone who doesn't work hard and doesn't save can get theirs for free. Less of it, probably, but none the less. I do believe that if some people are going to get aid, all should. So sometimes it might be best if none did. I do not believe that surviving relatives should be concerned with "getting something" out of a relative's death. Perhaps it's not intentional, but as I read your story, I tend to think the ILs are being greedy. Kind of like, "The less we spend on her, the more we get for ourselves." I hate seeing people think of death as a way to profit.

The surgery is not the cause if your sister's problems. "Addiction hopping" is a common occurence - when one addiction is removed, rather than move beyond the addiction, you just assume the behavior in a new form. This might look like an overweight person with a food addiction who transitions to an exercise addiction and keeps a crazy workout routine. Many, many people who "beat the bulge" without medical intervention, and who maintain their weight, do it because of addictive behavior aimed in the opposite direction of overeating. It's not just limited to food behaviors, at all. Help your family understand this. Help them understand the surgery is ancillary. It's the behaviors that are causing your sister's challenges. And advise a good therapist for your sister. When an overeater swaps their food addiction for exercise, the results are usually short-lived. Few people can really maintain a gruleing workout regimine for very long. Then, usually, it's right back to the food. Drugs are more permanent, and a little professional help can help her a long way.

I've been writing that gibberish for 13 years. You develop a weird sort of fluency with it. I can look at pages and pages of gibberish like that, and "see" what it looks like on the screen. And vice-versa - I can look at the end result, and "see" what's behind it. Like that moment when you hit real flunecy with a foreign language, and you finally just "hear" what's being said, instead of having to make the translations. I'm a geek.

FIrst - don't let anyone pressure you. It's not their decision. High carb foods can be a downfall with the band, but I think most of the concern should be on liquid or "easy" carbs to eat. Soft calories, etc. With proper restriction, grain-based carbs may not even be an option. It's the ice cream, juices and sauces you need to watch out for. Part of the challenge is that it's hard to know what behaviors you can or will change before you're actually in the situation. My surgeon gave the advice that -- if someone really, in their heart of heart believes they won't be able to give up the soft calories, then maybe bypass IS their best option... because if you can't change your behaviors, that one forces it more than the band.

I've lost shoe size(s) every time I've lost weight. At my highest I was a 12W or 12WW. (I'm almost 6 feet tall, so it's not as ridiculous as it sounds!) Yesterday I bought some 11s and they have a bit of room to spare, but I wanted them and they didn't come in half sizes... so I'm probably around 10.5 now.

Or just [ quote ] and [ /quote ] to omit the original poster.