BJean

Far out! Grandpa's can be real nutz sometimes! My dad used to try to get my son to say, "I'm a horse at last" when he was learning to talk. You can imagine how it came out! :embarassed: Boo Boo Kitty: If my dad had given my kids coffee, I'd tell him that he had to buy them a small decaf latte or a hot chocolate instead of real coffee. Otherwise, I'd make him go sit in a corner all by himself! :heh:

BOH: When I do things like that I start thinking that I really am my chronological age. Most of the time I'm in denial. :help:

DynamoMini: My DH was home with me the day after surgery when I came home from the hospital. I was glad because if I needed anything, like water or lunch (jello, I think) he fixed it for me. However, I was up pretty much after that. I was sore and didn't stand up very straight, had trouble finding a comfortable position to sleep (I'm used to sleeping on my side), and I did have left shoulder pain. That was troublesome, but the more I was upright and walking, the less that was a problem. The doctor sent home pain medication with me, but I'd heard that it was constipating so I never used it. Not once. And I'm usually one to take advantage of pain meds. I just didn't really need it. I think you can reasonably expect to be uncomfortable for several days, but not in mega pain, as with a midline incision. The only way you'll understand is to go through it. I read many people here advise that walking is the best thing for the shoulder pain. So I got up and walked around the house as often as I felt like it. But at the end of week one, I woke up one morning without any shoulder pain. You'll be fine!

Denise: I lost 7 lbs. prior to surgery on the high protein and protein shake diets. After that, I lost about 3 to 4 lbs a week for a while. The last two months (of my 6 since surgery), I only lost about half a pound a week. I got a fill last week and now I feel like I am losing some again. I think I didn't have enough restriction plus I am sure I hit a plateau where my body didn't want to lose and wanted to urge me to put the pounds that I'd lost back on. That's what my body expected because that's what I've done in the past so many times. I am pretty sure that my subconscious was sabbotaging me too. I didn't have faith in the band and my ability to keep the weight off. Now that I am beginning to lose again, I am emotionally and physically hardly hungry at all again. YEA!!! That's what I've been hoping for. The dietician has told me repeatedly that at some point I will finally realize that I am not going to regain the weight and that I will continue to lose. She follows so many banded people and from what she's told me, what I just went through for the past couple of months, is very common.

This afternoon the DH and I went to Mark Walberg's new flick, "The Shooter" and it should be required viewing for a lot of people who post here. Nah, not really, afterall it is a movie, not a documentary. But it is amazing how relevant it is specifically to the political discussions and thoughts people post about the war here at LBT. If you're in denial about Bush and Co., you will make all kinds of excuses about how it is an exaggerated version of what goes on in Washington, D.C. In my humble opinion, based on my experience and exposure to politics, it offers up more truth than fiction.

Carlene I think the reason we won't see the morning after pill sold over the counter anytime soon is because of the potential side effects, although I do not know that for a fact. Do you know anything about the side effects?

L8BloomR: No problem! I don't understand your opinion, but I respect that it's yours and you believe it.

Jack, listening to Rosie? I don't.

Flopsy and Mopsy would work for me! MimIn: Hang in there darlin' I hope your BF is taking really good care of you. Thanks for checking in and letting us know how you're doing.

It's definitely a hot issue. If there were no threat of Roe v. Wade being overturned, the issue wouldn't be so hot. I can understand a people's ethics and not believing in women's ability to get an abortion. I can understand why you wouldn't want to have your taxes go to fund a poor woman's abortion. I wish there were some way that some of you could really understand what it means to some women. You can't, so I won't.

Denise:: You didn't ask me, but I'm over 60 and I am on HRT and I've lost 40 lbs. in 6 months post-op.

Jack you are obviously guilty of what you are accusing others of. Or does the fact that you watch BBC make you more Enlightened and less biased than most other Americans? Do you honestly think that Bush has a great plan for improving the United States? He's done nothing but run us into the ground, and that has nothing to do with political bias. It's a fact. We have the dead bodies to prove it.

TOM: Having bum knees myself, I can't imagine how you've managed to move that amount of marble/rock. She's going to be thrilled and proud of you. I just went back and read the first part of this thread about Tina's birthday. I am completely with Carlene on this one... if she says she doesn't want a big deal made out of her birthday, I'll bet she doesn't. Any other birthday that I've had was completely different from my 60th~! I spent the day holed up in my office. I wouldn't answer the phone because I knew it was friends and family wanting to wish me happy birthday. I just couldn't handle it. The shock of turning 60 was almost unbearable for me. My mom died many years ago from cancer, but if she were going through all that at the same time I was turning 60, I can't imagine how I would have coped. I wish I could come up with a sure-fire way for you to make her happy on her birthday, but I am of the opinion that you should play it down and don't say the word "Sixty" anywhere near her! Actually TOM many of my girlfriends are also on antidepressants. There really are some chemical changes that go on - the way all of our hormones are changing in our bodies and I don't just mean sex hormones - all of them. So if Tina is really having trouble coping, get her to a doctor who will listen to her and understand what she's going through and if she needs help with an antidepressant or anti-anxiety pill, do it! It doesn't have to be a long term med, but Tina's bound to be having one of the worst times of her life and there's not a whole lot that anyone can say or do to make that any different. She (and you) just have to live through it. She's going to be very happy with your yard project! She will enjoy it everyday.

TOM: I find it very interesting that you and Tina have a similar relationship/marriage as my DH and I. We couldn't be more opposite I don't think. It definitely does work to make things very strong since where he has weaknesses, I am strong and vice versa. It has been an amazing marriage. From the sound of things, yours is at least as amazing as ours. Maybe even better and stronger. Congratulations! Here's hoping that the reports on Monday will turn out to be very good and you will have spared her the opportunity to freak out. :girl_hug: I'm crossing my fingers for you. It's a little hard to type, but you're worth it.

TOM: I agree completely with your last post. The point you made is exactly why you can't compare Hannity, Limbaugh, Colter, Savage, and their ilk to people like Rosie O'Donnell and Bill Maher, for heaven's sakes! The interesting thing is that so many people today are finding more truth in some left wing comedians' lines about the news than they do in the "real news" reports from the extreme right wing.

TOM: What if you were called upon to service the airplane that was going to be used to whisk all the Bin Ladens back to Saudi Arabia (or wherever) the day after 9/11? What if you thought there was a very good chance that one or all of those people had information leading to Osama's hiding place? What if they were known to have been involved in the financing of 9/11? Would you want to be compelled to service that plane by the government even though it would go against everything you believe in? What if it was your job to service the airplane that was going to drop a nuclear bomb right smack dab in the middle of Iran? Is there ever a scenario where you would be called upon to go against your better judgment or moral values? As far as the gal who became impregnated with an unwanted child, most towns have people with a conscience who would be more than happy to help her get to a doctor who would perform her abortion. If a doctor disagreed morally with my decision to have an abortion, you can bet your sweet life I wouldn't want that dude touching me. As for the pharmasist, what is wrong with someone choosing not to compromise their moral values? Do you honestly think that we're going to have a massive onslaught of people wanting to become pharmasists just so that they can refuse to dispense that drug? As long as a person makes his or her wishes known about his intention not to dispense a drug before he is hired, I believe he has the right to back away from a job that compels him to dispense it as much as I believe that the company can not hire him based on his refusal. The whole thing could wind up back in the Surpreme Court, couldn't it? Well I guess that may be exactly what they're real intentions are. They've pretty well managed to stack the deck in the Supreme Court, so if that happens, my children will finally understand what it is like for there to be back alley abortions and women who do them submerged in a piping hot bathtub with a coat hanger.

Ugh. I've read this thread and what disgusts me most are the comments that "this is not about abortion." It is TOTALLY about abortion. From time to time stuff gets thrown in that isn't verbatim about abortion, but if this isn't a discussion on abortion, I don't know what is. Why is everyone so afraid to discuss it for what it is? They know that there will be lots of heat from both sides of the argument. I realize that Bubble says that the argument is all about whether a doctor should be compelled to perform a medical procedure that goes against his moral convictions, and whether a pharmacist should be compelled to dispense a drug that goes against his moral convictions. If that were REALLY the issue, why not just say THAT? Personally I think there is way too much interference today in what Americans can and can't do that should be guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. I don't think that any physician should be compelled to perform a procedure that goes against his values. I don't think that a pharmacist should take a job where he will be expected to dispense a certain drug without disclosing to the employer that he will refuse to dispense a drug if it is against his morals, before he takes the job. It isn't the job of the physician to ensure that a woman be given a drug that causes spontaneous abortion or to perform an abortion procedure even if he's the only doctor in town. The woman who became pregnant, even if by rape, is responsible for seeking help within the community, if possible, or outside the community, if necessary. Just so you know a little more about what I believe: I believe it is every woman's right to be able to make the decision of whether or not to have an abortion or take an abortion inducing drug.

Jack: re: "and the huge group of those who have no interest in who they are and what they may say..." Poppycock. If there was truly a HUGE group who had no interest in them or what they say, they wouldn't have such a public forum in which to speak. This is a capitalistic society baby, and whoever pulls in the money is who gets to be heard. So I'm guessing by their exposure, they're pretty darned popular so the corporate bigwigs put them on the air and the companies are willing to endorse them by spending lots of money on advertisements right before, during and right after their shows. The fact that there are so many people who want to hear them and who do tune in, is significant indeed. If fact if people weren't being influenced by the right wing media, people in this country would be rising up en masse to oust this president and his pack of war mongers.

P.S. Sorry about your mom's BP. We're dealing with that right now with my MIL. She had a stroke right before Christmas, was doing well with re-hab, then had another small stroke, but is doing well again. Not quite able to dress herself completely and take a shower alone, etc., however. The cost of her being in a nursing home/rehabilitation center is astronomical. If she can't go home soon, we're faced with putting her in some kind of assisted living facility. She's seriously p'oed about it. Just wants to go home. She has no problem with speech or mental except for a little bit of short term memory loss. I cannot imagine how I would cope with it if someone suggested that I bring her here to live with me. My heart goes out to you. How the heck did your dog get mange? I didn't know that malady still existed. Is it from an allergy to fleas? We had a neighbor dog about 20 years ago that suffered from it and his was from flea bites. (If my memory serves me right.) Also to relate to your bird story, we have some doves that made a nest right outside my kitchen eating area windows in a planter. She laid 3 eggs and I was looking forward to watching them hatch. Well a hard rain and strong wind came and they all got blown out of the nest and broke in half. Dang it.

Bitter: You (we) have every darned right to be bitter!!!! Is Dan Boren David's son? I remember David Boren. My family used to like him pretty well. At least my teacher sister did (lived near OKC). I've read here at LBT that some of the neo-cons who still love the hell out of Georgie Porgie, don't think Dubya should be taking all the blame for the war in Iraq. They keep posting that a president can't take our country to war all alone and that Congress is also to blame. Is that the kind of thinking that is going on Oklahoma? If you say yes, I'm going to stop feeling so darned homesick!

My nieces and nephews are getting into those drinks so that they can work out harder, run faster, etc. Yeah. Speed freaks!

TOM: In your first post about this you wrote "Muscular" Sclerosis. Did you mean Multiple Sclerosis? Anytime someone in a doctor's office says a word like cancer, or multiple sclerosis, or alzheimers or any other possibly life altering disease, it is jars you to your very core. The very idea that there is a chance that your life could change dramatically or could even be shortened is a huge concept to have to deal with. I've have had to deal with this several times in my life. Once for myself, the others with loved ones (and one very, very precious loved one). What I know for sure is that for a lot of people, getting the news in baby steps is much more bearable. Someone asked if Tina knows you went for the tests. If she did not, you might tell her something like: the doctor thinks my imbalance problem could be something we need to figure out by process of elimination. So he wants to give me lots of tests to rule out anything bad. Then depending on when she is planning to be back with you, give it to her in very short, non scary bits, especially if she's still in N.Y. If Tina is anything like me, she will sense that you are concerned and she will want to know more, in fact demand it, and she deserves to know what you (actually both of you) might be up against. I think it will be up to you to sort of set the bar for how alarmed you both feel. If you appear to not be too worried, she will probably be less worried and be calmer. If you can focus on any positive possibilities, that should help both of you. Let me ask you this, if the shoe were on the other foot, and Tina was in Fla and you were in N.Y. and she was undergoing tests, would you think it would be better for her to wait until you got home for her to tell you all about it? Would you want her to wait until after your birthday? Or would you rather she would share it with you and rely on you for moral support? You're the only one who can answer that question, and the input you got from your son is the next best thing. If I know you, you've already explored everything available on the subject of demyelinaton and MS, muscular or multiple, on the 'net and you've got a pretty good idea of what your worst case scenario is, as well as the best case. You know that there's a whole lot that plays into recovery or remission when it comes to illness and treatment. Much of it has to do with how you handle it. I have lots of faith in you and your ability to keep a positive outlook. You have a great sense of humor and although it might be hard to stay upbeat when you are worried, being depressed doesn't improve your prognosis, no matter what it is. Oh geez, listen to me... I'm on Wellbutrin! I can say positively though, if you need an antidepressant, don't hesitate to take one! Please, please keep us posted. You know we will all be thinking about you and wondering how you are and what you've found out! I wish I could give you a big strong bear hug, but for now this will have to do. :girl_hug:

karey: I think Weight Watchers works for some people. For chonically overweight or obese people who have been that way for a long time, I don't think it or any of the other calorie restrictive diets work - not without some help. Otherwise why would so many of us go on them, lose weight, go off the diet, regain the weight, go on them, lose weight, go off them, regain the weight, etc? Even Weight Watchers is a place that for most people it only works as long as you're going to the meetings, counting points or calories, and all just according to their plan. We need a way to change our habits for life. If it was as simple as a diet, most of us would have been able to do it. With the Lap Band, we still have to do careful planning of meals and be aware of what we put in our mouths. It is just a tool, and we still have to do the work ourselves, but it is a tool that helps us all the way. I know you must be really happy with your band Karey because you've had fabulous success. Just remember that it is YOU who did the work!

sandranoelle: You are unbelievable!!!! 70 lbs. since July - almost August- is fantastic! In fact 60 lbs. since Sept. 25 is something to brag about too. You're ahead of me and I'm not unhappy. A little envious, but happy with my measly 40 lbs. since Sept. 11. Congratulations to you. Keep up the great work! :biggrin1:

MimIN: Hey, you're up! Glad you're feeling like typing. Four lbs. isn't so bad. I remember one of the boys when we were kids saying that my sister was fat... in all the right places! Hope you continue to do well.