anonemouse

It was absolutely the worst thing I've ever gone through. I'd had small ingrown hair abcesses (maybe dime-sized, at most) there before, but nothing like what I had this time. It's something that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. And I'm being completely honest there, not facetious.

Last I heard, he was taking time off to be with his wife. I'm hoping that that's all it is, and that something didn't happen to him. I think he hasn't been on since sometime in February or so. I really am starting to worry, though.

Hey guys, I just thought I'd let you know that my surgery got scheduled for July 3rd! I meet with the surgeon next week and have to go to two nutrition classes. I just can't believe that my surgery is less than a month away.

Gadget, you forget, we're agreeing with you. We also agree that any laws concerning abortion should be made by the scientific consensus of when life begins. The problem is that there IS NO SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS. So which is it? Should laws be based on what YOU consider to be life? Or should laws be based on what SCIENTISTS consider to be life?

I am feeling wonderfully now. A couple of weekends ago? Not so much. WAY not so much.

I'm sure it was a horrendous experience, watching your father go through that and watching him be disrespected like that. To me, it's simple. Do people want their families to suffer endless pain, let them be hooked up to machines that breath for them, feed them, keep their hearts beating? Or do they want to give their family members a dignified death that is of their own choosing, on their own terms, without pain? What really gets me is that so many people that apparently believe in God and all his powers also think that it is horrible to remove someone from life support, that it's murder. Don't they understand that their God wanted them to die? God isn't the one keeping their loved one alive.

That's not discrimination. Now, if they were refusing to cast a black woman for the role, that's different. And I would actually be all for casting men in women's roles. It would be nice to get over the latent homophobia in Hollywood. It's legal, but it shouldn't be, IMO. Pink hair and nose rings don't necessarily change how a person can do a job. If someone can do a job well, they should be hired, whether they're black, white, latino, gay, straight, or have pink hair.

Yeah, I don't think I am going to eat "light" anything after this surgery, if I can help it. I am sick of always dieting. I plan on eating what I want, just a whole lot less of it. I think the full-fat, full-sugar, full-flavor foods are fine, as long as they are eaten or drunk in moderation. And with the band, I'll finally be able to experience moderation!

BJean, I think you should have sued that doctor. And the hospital. And everyone who stood in the way of your legal right to allow your father to die in peace.

To me, that's refusing to serve someone based on their behavior, not based on who they are. Again, based on behavior. And on health codes, actually. Not on the actual person. I do think that's discrimination. If someone's weight prevents them from doing their job, firing them isn't discriminating against them. Again, I think that's discrimination. They would, if men had vaginas and could give birth.

Exactly, and that's the point people have been trying to make. Scientists can't come to a conclusion about when life begins. Some think life begins at conception. Some think life begins at implantation. Some think life begins when the organs form and start working. Some think life begins when those organs are able to work on their own, without support by the mother's body. Why is it YOUR definition of when life begins that should be followed?

My brother's ex-girlfriend works as his nutritionist. I'm not sure how many bands he's done. He seems to do mainly RNY, from the way she talked. Since you are looking for someone in Memphis, have you checked out Dr. Virginia McGrath-Weaver over at St. Francis? That's who will be doing my surgery. I asked her office manager about how many bands she's done, and she said that Dr. McGrath-Weaver's done well over 100 of them, since she did a bariatric fellowship. Her center's also the only Center of Excellence for bariatric surgery in Memphis.

After thinking on this issue for a while, I think that Sunta has a very good point. If we say that some companies can refuse to serve customers based on their sexual orientation, where would it end? They could refuse to serve blacks, or hispanics, women, or fat people. I think that companies can focus their services towards any demographic they want to, but they shouldn't be allowed to completely refuse to serve people of other demographics.

I agree in general principle, except when the business is providing a service that is otherwise unavailable. Obviously, that isn't the case here. If E-Harmony was the only online dating service out there, I would feel differently.

What are Chik-fil-a's politics like? I know that it's a Christian company, since none of them are open on Sunday, so I am taking a leap and assuming that the rest of their politics are similar. Sort of like Curves', maybe?

That's what I want to know, too! Apparently, if you believe in a woman's right to choice, you have no right to talk about children at all!

You stated that wonderfully, Denise. And you know what? The "d" in my username stands for my middle name, which is Denise. It's nice to meet another Denise, since the name isn't exactly a dime a dozen! I try to be understanding and rational here in RnR, but I'll admit that there are a few topics that really get me going. I can usually keep a cool head, but occasionally (usually when I feel especially insulted or am just completely frustrated with either the argument or real life), I let my Scotch/Irish nature get the best of me. I come from a family with some extremely bad tempers. We're usually slow to anger, but once we do, watch out!

I'm feeling much better now. The abcess is almost completely gone and I am just finishing up the antibiotics. What really gets me, though, is that I didn't realize just how much it really hurt until it didn't hurt anymore. Before I went to the doctor, I was literally unable to do anything without pain. Whenever I stood up, I always had to stop and stand still for a minute or so, just to let the pain pass. Walking, especially in the morning, was super painful. There were a few times that I was just crying because it hurt so much. I seriously considered going to the emergency room for it. I couldn't sleep because of it, because no matter what position I was in, there was some sort of pressure being put on it. I couldn't lay on my back because the blanket would settle and put pressure on it. I couldn't lay on my side because my legs would put pressure on it. I obviously couldn't lay on my stomach. I eventually just had to choose which position hurt the least and then try not to move. Heck, even when I was just sitting down, I couldn't even lean forward slightly without putting pressure on it. I can't get over the size of it, either. When I went to the doctor, I knew it was big, but I didn't know it was that big. Two and half inches.

I did not say they were animals, did I? Although, we are, biologically. Anyway, I was using the situation I described to illustrate my viewpoint about abortion. Non-viable fetal animals or fetal humans, it doesn't matter. They aren't living, breathing individuals. Once they're born (or once they reach the point of reliable viability), the matter changes.

Thank you for this well-thought response. To me, you are one of the good ones. A lot of people don't realize that many women who choose to have abortions are in between a rock and a hard place, whether those are of their own making or not, whether they are exagerrated in the mind of the woman or not. Many people say, "Just give the baby up for adoption." In some cases, that works. In others, it doesn't. Would the crack baby of a drug-addicted prostitute have a chance in hell of being adopted? Probably not. In an ideal case, adoption would solve everything. Unfortunately, this world isn't ideal. It's not black and white. Many of these women choose what they feel is the best option for them. It may not be the option that other people would choose, but we don't live their lives, do we?

Neicyrenee, I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your cool-headed approach to this. You are completely respectful of other people and their opinions, and it truly is refreshing. Like other people have said, honey draws more flies than vinegar. Your approach to this is much more likely to draw converts than some of the other styles in evidence. People aren't attracted to the ideas of people who call them murderers. That's a cold, hard fact. You have respect for our position, and I can honestly say that I respect your position also, if for no other reason than the fact that you are polite and respectful of the people around you (and not calling them murderers or saying that their opinion is a "stain on them").

I think Porkchop would be surprised that the demographic that is currently experiencing the highest HIV infection rate are straight, married African-American women.

ckbw, I'm also originally from Crossville! We may know each other!

That's a really nice way to put it, Carlene. I probably wouldn't have been so nice and modest in my word choice. In fact, I came up with a comment last night while I was trying to go to sleep, but I'm biting my tongue because it isn't the nicest wording in the world. And I am going to speak up with Mark here. I understand that he's not talking about abortion in general, but just this one, single poll. People were asked to choose between thre choices: pro-life, pro-choice, and pro-choice in certain extreme circumstances. To me, he's right. To me, the people that chose "pro-life" don't think that there are ANY circumstances where a woman should be allowed to have an abortion. Not rape, not the bad health of the mother, not the bad health of the fetus. They think that the survival of the fetus takes precedent over everything else. Otherwise, they would have chosen the option of "pro-choice in certain extreme circumstances."

This time next month, I'll be banded. I can't believe it. After having so many delays, it just seems really weird that it is actually going to happen. :omg: I have to go to Memphis for my surgeon consult and a nutrition class in 10 days. I've been trying to think of questions to ask the surgeon, but I don't know what to ask! I feel like I've been so well-educated by this site, I don't have any unanswered questions.