BJean

Thanks TOM I sure appreciate your stories and I believe I learn from them. It has been so refreshing for me to come to this thread and get fired up about something someone has written. I've been disconnected far too long, and I'm getting myself back. Who knew that the Lap Band could play a part in that!

Good grief they're just mammary glands with some silicone atop. What's the big deal? :heh:

Hey ya'll! I am happy too that I have you all to share this experience with! My doc says this is a 2-yr plan. He doesn't believe in losing it any faster than that. When you start thinking in terms of 2 years, instead of several months, it should be much easier to live with the slower pace of 1 to 2 lbs. a week. Also, we're supposed to be exercising. Unless you're like Rita Ann, who can leap tall buildings in a single bound you may not be in the best shape you can be. So when you start exercising and building muscle, you don't usually register a weight loss - your scales may even show a gain. Muscle weighs more than fat. And after your initial water loss (if you aren't eating a lot of carbs) that's when you get down to losing the real fat that will make a difference in your health and beauty.

My doctor and hospital are submitting their invoices to my Insurance Company, with the hope that they will cover some part of them because of the hiatal hernia.

When can you start, darlin?

All churches have man-man rules that their members either adhere to or not. Some of the man-made rules in the Catholic Church are so difficult for their parishoners to live by, they just go ahead and break the rules and take communion anyway. I don't understand it at all. I was divorced and fell in love with a very good Catholic young man, and he with me. We went to the Bishop in Wash., D.C., who was in charge of making the decision about whether we could be joined in matrimony without my DH being excommunicated, or even better, if I could become a member of the Catholic Church and we could be married in the Church. The Priest said, well..... we don't excommunicate our men anymore for marrying a divorced woman, but they sure aren't allowed to take communion or partake in any of the sacraments. And you cannot become a member of the church since you are a divorced woman. We were married in a civil ceremony and DH stopped taking communion. The Catholic Church in Petersburg, VA, where we attended church every Sunday and Holy Day, decided that my son would not be allowed to attend pre-school there. Not because I wasn't a member, but because I was divorced. We moved to Arizona (closer to liberal Calif.) and the priest in our parish there was conducting classes for people with our circumstances. We ultimately paid the money, filled out the lengthy paperwork and had my first marriage (conducted in the Baptist Church) annuled. Like as far as the Catholic Church was concerned I was never married and divorced, just had a child (which of course is totally fine). That action made it permissable for DH to once again receive sacraments. But, it did not put me in a position to take instructions and join the church. My children (first being adopted by DH) became Catholics because the church said that was a must for DH. It's all very complicated and one-sided, having little to do with the needs of the parishoners, but more to do with furthering the goals of the Catholic Church. One of the first of those goals being to keep up the numbers... that's where the money is and that's how they continue to be an enormous organized religion. When a man-made rule in the church is just too much for the parishoners, sometimes the rule is modified or changed. Like accepting married Episcopal ministers as Catholic Priests. Like meat on Friday. I realize by the response (or lack thereof) to my posts, you readers are undoubtedly bored out of your skulls with my personal stories. But to me they are relevant and they have made me who and what I am today. I haven't thought about these subjects for years and I think it is good that I am doing this stroll down memory lane. It makes me be very thankful for what I have - and reading your posts makes me thankful indeed, that I never joined the Catholic Church.

Rita Ann: I'm much older than you. But when I got married I weighed 106. After my children were born I was 110. When I turned 42, I got depressed, had some female problems and gained to 135. From then until now it's been a roller coaster of up and down off and on every diet ever created (or close to it). My heaviest was around 218-220. I am very small framed as well as short. Consequently, my knees are now shot. It only took just over a year for them to deteriorate to the point that the only answer for me is total knee replacement - both knees. So, you're young, and you've got a handle on it. You have the Lap Band, you can be healthy and not waste years (like I did) being fat, unhappy, depressed and a couch potato. You keep up the good work - look at your picture - and think of me when you think you can't live without some high calorie EVIL food!

Interesting to read about your wonderful adoption of Tommy. I am so happy for you and him and your grandson. It really warms my heart. My son, Zack, was born in 1967 when his father was serving in Viet Nam. I was just over 1 month pregnant when my husband was shipped out. We had been in college and he got drafted, sent to boot camp and infantry school and then on to Nam. I was 21 yrs. old. It was a troubled time for many Americans back then. If it weren't for my parents and sister, and many caring friends, I don't know how I would have been able to come through it emotionally healthy after 9 months of worrying whether my baby's father would make it home alive. His entire platoon, with the exception of him and an Korean-American soldier, was wiped out. It really does make me feel good to know that something so good, the adoption of Tommy into a loving home, happened during 1967.

MOM: Man, I feel your pain!! I have had some days like that. I've found that if I have the low-cal, f/f, s/f foods in the house I am so much more able to keep on track. I've learned that in the past when I dieted I made the mistake of having things in the house that I couldn't resist. So I didn't resist them. Now there's really nothing that wonderful around, so it's easier to just eat something to stave off the hunger pains. Hope you get past that gnawing hunger sensation! Tomorrow should be better if you're anything like me. Good luck!!!

Rita Ann: The photo is really cute. You're gonna be a total knock out when you lose another 25 lbs!

Green: You continue to bring a different perspective to this discussion that is incredibly helpful and appreciated. Your personal experiences are a testament to how important it is for people not to make reproductive decisions for others. No one can truly know what is in one's heart and soul. And it only helps to solidify my very strong belief that legislators do not have any business making laws that control women's reproductive rights. Btw, when I was a legislative aide in Richmond, many years ago, I met a brilliant young female attorney who was working as a lobbyist (not too many females equipped to compete with the men at the time) in Washington. We frequently had lunch together and discussed topics of the day. Women's rights, the ERA, abortion and many other things were hot items in the media and on the Hill where she worked when Virginia's legislature wasn't in session. One day as we broached the topic of abortion rights, she told me her story. When she was young and in college, a college football player who was headed for the pros, took her to a party. She was a young Freshman, totally enamoured with this fine looking big man on campus. During the party, he (or a friend of his) slipped some kind of substance in her non-alcoholic drink. Later, in the front seat of his car, he forceably took advantage of her condition. She was helpless to stop him - couldn't even feel her limbs, or face. It won't surprise you to know that she became pregnant. Her story isn't all that unique. But she was a young woman who knew better than to be alone in the car with someone she didn't know well, and totally beat herself up emotionally over it. She had to take time off from school to have the baby. But she did. Afterall, abortion was illegal. She gave the baby up for adoption since there was no way she could take care of him on her own. She lost her scholarship since she interrupted her studies for more than a semester. She had to work to get back in school and back on track with her plan to be able to take care of herself as an adult. She subsequently found that she could not allow herself to become serious with any man because she knew she would have to reveal her "unfortunate" past. She sure couldn't lie, even had she wanted to. Her stretch marks would never allow that. She told me over and over that day, how much she wished she had been able to have an abortion. She had all the scars and emotional trauma from going through 9 months of pregnancy and the painful delivery, with nothing positive to show for it, only the emotional trauma of having allowed herself to be taken advantage of by a man she barely knew. She was extremely unhappy because she had to live with the fact that she had a child out there somewhere, whom she did not know, but who could show up on her doorstep anytime in the future, expecting her unconditional love. I also had a friend in high school who got pregnant, her boyfriend abandoned her, and she went to Illinois to finish her pregnancy and deliver the baby, whom she gave up for adoption. She was only 17. Later, she went to nursing school, got a B.S. degree and married a sweet young man. They had their first child and unfortunately he had Down's Syndrome. So she gave up her first totally healthy child, only to find herself raising a Down's Syndrome child. She always blamed herself for giving up the first child - thought it was God's way of punishing her. She was very active in the Baptist Church in our hometown. However, she and her husband subsequently divorced. She and I had another friend when we were just out of our freshman year going into high school, who became pregnant at age 15. This friend was a cheerleader, beautiful and from a wealthy family. Her father took her to Dallas (we lived in OK) for a quick abortion. She didn't miss a day of school or one cheerleading practice. She went on to get her Master's Degree and is a school administrator after 10 years of a successful teaching career. She married her childhood sweetheart (father of the aborted fetus) and they had 3 children and basically have lived happily ever after. So I've come by my feelings about this topic via listening to friends and acquaintences' experiences and seeing the torture that they have experienced and knowing that no one but the people immediately involved should be making a decision of whether to have a baby or not. Sometimes an abortion can cause untold mental trauma for a woman, sometimes having a baby and giving it up for adoption can cause unquestionable mental trauma. Sometimes things are not so traumatic and there is peace in everyone's heart. But these are not things that can be achieved just because some lawmaker says they must happen by their rules. When you've lived through the age of illegal abortions, you realize that this is a very complicated and generally strident topic. I haven't thought about these things for years. But with the current administration and Supreme Court appointees, it has resurfaced its' ugly head. I just wish it wasn't a relevant debate today.

Helensmith: I totally understand your depression - I've sure been there! And I still fight it every day. I hope you can get a handle on it because the depression just complicates and tends to undermine our efforts sometimes. Every insurance company is different. I guess part of it depends on how good your policy is and how long you've been with the company, etc. Insurance was not even an option for me. I had to find the money elsewhere because my insurance company flat out denied us with no chance for appeals. I've read here at LBT that some companies will agree to take a second or third look at the recommendations of your doctor(s) (would your cardiac doc consider writing a letter?) and will eventually agree to pay - if you and your doc will keep trying. If you are determined to get the surgery, your doctor will be more determined as well. If you give up too easily, they will too. It takes effort on your doctors part but if you really believe you want it, they won't mind putting out the effort and getting the paperwork done - several times, if necessary. Please don't give up hope. It sounds like you have several hurdles to overcome yet, as far as tests, etc., are concerned. If any insurance company is willing to pay, it looks like yours should. And all of this just takes some time. My doctor doesn't like to see a patient and schedule LB surgery right away. He says we all need a period of time to work on a plan and get used to the idea in our heads. So don't be depressed - be pro-active - figure out what you need to do to get the help you want, and keep poking them until someone says YES!

Rita Ann: That was really sweet of you. Thank you so much. It means a lot to get some encouragement from a fellow bandster! I did a little better today so I hope I can get through the next couple of weeks without too much damage. Congratulations!!!:clap2: Way to go, landing your new job! That sounds like a really great gig to me. I've always liked the atmosphere in my OB/GYN's offices. Best of luck in your new job. After next Monday, keep us posted on how you like it and how it's going!

It is should be noted at this point that the particulars being cited to make points here, are taken from man-made rules or teachings. Very interesting, but not very relevant to the issues except to say that men can be contridictory in their teachings and rule-making.

Hey you guys, I am at the point where I'm getting very nervous that I'm going to gain weight. The post-surgery loss has been so fabulous. I'm definitely not losing at that rate now. I don't want to lose ground on my journey to slimness, by gaining weight before my first fill. But my thoughts of food have returned, and I find myself eating more than I have been eating, and more than I need to be satisfied. I keep forgetting that I can eat again - when I'm hungry. I don't have to eat it ALL right now, like I did before the LB! I keep forgetting to drink the water too. I know that is hindering my feelings of not being hungry. Ok, so back to the water! MOM - that's amazing that you got to see your actual innerds and surgery!! What an inspiration! I sure hope your ovary problem is resolved or will be easily taken care of.

helensmith: You didn't say if your hernia is a hiatal hernia or some other type of hernia in the stomach area. I had a hiatal hernia. When I went to my doc's seminar about LB surgery, they told us there may be some people who are not a candidate for LB surgery. One of the reasons he said that someone might not be a candidate for the LB is having a hiatal hernia. I was so afraid that I would not be able to get the surgery, because I knew I had a HH for years. However, I had the required upper G.I. tests and they discovered that my hiatal hernia was relatively small. When I consulted with my doc (surgeon) later, he said that only large hiatal hernias would make it difficult for a patient to have the Lap Band. He also added, however, that one of his current patients who had a very large hiatal hernia, came in and had the hernia repaired and was waiting one year after that surgery to have the Lap Band surgery. Until you know more about what kind and size of hernia that you have, no one can probably be certain if it will keep you from getting the Lap Band. Unless of course, you have a doctor who doesn't want to do the surgery if there is any kind of hernia, either hiatal or other. My surgeon is an expert in laprascopic hernia repair, so he may be unusual in that regard. I had my hernia repaired at the time of the placement of my Lap Band. The doc said it was not a problem and only took a few minutes. I have not had any complications at all, and in fact, do not have the pain in my chest from the hiatal hernia that I had before the surgery. Good luck and keep us posted on how you're doing!

Carlene: You somehow attributed other posts to me that I did not write. And btw, just because someone isn't calling another person names, doesn't necessarily mean they are being civil. I have not called anyone names at any time at LBT. I have never accused anyone of believing that there is humor surrounding abortion, war, or any other method of killing. I don't know why you've decided I am the one who is posting things you don't agree with and subsequently spent a lot of time rebutting, but I would much prefer that when you direct a criticism to me personally here, that you criticize what I've actually posted instead of what someone else has posted. I also am not sure why you think I was "preaching to the choir" because practically everything you mentioned had not been posted by me. Again, if you disagree with me, please use whatever I have said to make your point - no problem. But what you've done is make it appear that I am the one who has said lots of stuff that I did not. I've been pretty careful about not saying anything inflammatory or insulting. So with all due respect, refrain from using my name when you're trying to tell someone else off.

Carlene: Let me get this straight. You're critisizing me for making a point by paraphrasing something GeezerSue said? No one that I know thinks abortion is humorous. However, when some people totally freak out when others talk about the bad side of the "pro-life" debate, one might definitely call them humorless. Perhaps that term was less objectionable than others that came to mind. We ARE trying to keep this thread civil, aren't we?

I like T.O.M.'s take on it: "Pro-Life means, I want every baby to live until they take their first breath and then they're on their own." It also isn't pro-life when a woman's life is at stake and the "pro-lifers" believe she must be compelled to carry and bear that fertilized egg until it is born, even if it means she could die. And like GeezerSue said, (I'm paraphrasing) pro-lifers have no sense of humor and they think they know what's best for all of us.

Condi ain't never gonna happen, at least not in the top spot. I could maybe see them putting her in as V.P., but I don't think will happen either. A more probable scenario would be for them to ask her, utilizing all the media, with lots of hoopla, and then she would gracefully decline - just like in the case of Colin Powell. She's defnitely one tough bird, but intellectually more like Mike Tyson, with similar reasoning powers, than Ben Franklin. I must say that she's paid her dues working for BuSH tho. One thing I have never been able to understand is why do so many people in this country think she's "brilliant"? She merely does as she's told. Colin Powell could never run on the Republican ticket - even tho he is one - because he wouldn't want to cowtow to the powers that run that machine. I don't think he is greedy enough or corrupt enough. He is a fine figure of a man, but he's a Republican, pure and simple.

P.S. H. Clinton does seem to have some of the Mike Tyson characteristics from time to time. Does that count in her favor?

TOM: I like the wit and wisdom of a Benjamin Franklin, but how about Mohammed Ali instead of Mike Tyson? Kerry did let us down especially toward the end of the race. He didn't have the mean dog temperament needed to go up against those clowns. He began to spout retoric and perspire heavily and that was disappointing. Acceptable for someone like Bush, but not acceptable for a thinker like I thought Kerry was. I don't think Al Gore could win even as Vice President. LOL And is the reason you said we "need a man who..." is because you don't think we need a woman who...? I have mixed emotions about Hillary. I think she would actually do a good job, but I honestly don't think she can get elected. Therefore, I hope your man who has the temperment of Mike Tyson (M. Ali) and diplomacy of Ben Franklin jumps into the fray early enough to get the party support needed to win the nomination. You have someone in mind?

MOM: That was a good way to start this challenge! Thanks.

P.S. I have no clue about Karl Rove. But my guess is your last question is the more applicable one. He doesn't seem to have much use for a successful foreign policy. At least that's what his behavior tells us.

T.O.M. The younger generation doesn't believe that the draft can happen. It's as foreign a concept to them as illegal abortions. Two horrible realities that you and I saw way too much of in the 60s and 70s. They think that they can put a stop to both of those things if they have to. With some other president, perhaps, but with this president, they should know that he can reinstate the draft if he chooses. He has all that partisan Congressional support, and he's already made strong appointments to the Supreme Court in an effort to overturn Roe v. Wade. If BuSH keeps messing with Iran and Korea and China, and others, the draft may become a reality once again. I'm hoping that he doesn't have enough time in office for that to happen. AND, this is a big AND, I'm hoping that someone who believes in diplomacy will be elected our next president. What did you think of John Kerry? Honestly he is the first man to run for President in my lifetime whose heart was where I thought it should be. I was a Clinton supporter, btw. I was almost afraid that Kerry would be assassinated if he were elected. They sure did a number on him, didn't they?