BJean

After reading something on another thread I'm wondering if someone here can answer my question. Do all sleeve patients go home with a drain?

Uh, does every sleeve patient get a drain?

This would be very helpful information. I too await anything you can share with us on this topic, Doctor. Thanks.

Well being a newbie I am sure this is a really irritating question - like on Lap Band Talk everyone got tired of explaining a "PB" but what is the deal about "sip, sip, sip"? I'm sure you mean Water but what happens if you don't sip? And how often is it recommended that you take sips? Thanks for your help. I'm scheduled for the 26th and getting antsy!

How long were you on Clear liquids, Karen? Or are you still on them? What kind of pain meds are you on? I didn't take anything for pain with the band when I got home and I only stayed in the hospital one night. Everyone says the sleeve is easier but it sounds like it takes longer to recover with the sleeve. I was nearly normal after one week with the sleeve. Good luck you peeps who are headed for Mexicali this week!

I was too afraid to do something permanent and so I got the band. I was absolutely positive that I could make it work. But alas, it was always too loose or too tight and when it was too tight I was in pain all the time. I had an attack of ischemic colitis in the summer of '08 and they removed all the restriction. Six months later I had some fill put back in and couldn't seem to get any restriction after 3 different fills. I had an upper G.I. and it didn't show a hernia or slipped band so I'm not sure what has happened. So I'm getting the sleeve. Everyone I have spoken with or read their posts who've gotten the sleeve, sounds very happy with the results and most of them had similar or worse stories than mine with the band. I think you're fortunate that you're not wasting your time and money on the band. Did you decide on the sleeve because your friends with the band didn't have a lot of success? I was a self-pay with the band and mostly self-pay with the sleeve. I haven't been able to read anywhere here how long the post-op diet lasts. I am sure we'll be on Clear liquids for a while and then heavier liquids and then mushies, etc. But I have no idea if we're talking 1 week, 3 weeks or 2 months. If your doctor is as good as mine, you will have an easy go of it. Everyone says that the sleeve surgery and recovery isn't as bad as with the band. Well my band recovery was a breeze. Some soreness, shoulder pain from the gas they use to see your organs and that's about it. I brought home pain meds from the hospital but didn't take one ever.

tdsfl1, good rant.

Yes, please tell. I've never heard of it before.

I'm curious. I just got my surgery date scheduled for the 26th of April. My doc says he doesn't require his lapband conversion patients to do a pre-surgical diet. I don't understand that since it was so important pre-lapband. Although he only required 7 days of the low-carb/high Protein diet before the lapband whereas some doctors required 3 weeks. Anyone else have a similar situation?

Hi newbie. I'm new here too. I've been here before and read posts but have never posted myself. I have a lapband and am scheduled for removal and revision to the sleeve later this month. I am nervous. It's a big step, but everyone whose posts I've read seem to be very pro sleeve. Is this your first surgery?

If Dubya's daughters had to go to Iraq with a rifle in their hands or sit atop a tank trying to spot snipers, you can bet your bottom dollar that he would not have enjoyed the night of "shock and awe" nearly so much. I really like the idea of every 18 year old American serving their country in the military for a couple of years. No exclusions for anything except handicaps. Everybody would have a physical investment in providing service to their country. It would do a lot for our national defense. It would teach our young people how to take care of themselves and how to stand up for their co-workers. It would give many of them some practical skills that they could use in private business. And very importantly, it would be the great equalizer. No more wealthy kids getting a pass. No more politicians kids (like George W. Bush) just not showing up to serve their country.

People who knowingly take advantage of government funded programs set up for needy people and those who lie to private charitable foundations to get money or free goods or services are fundamentally flawed individuals. Lying for profit is wrong. Whether it's a big corporation that lies to make higher profits or a mother sticking out her hand for welfare or a charitable gift who has lied on the questionnaire; whether it's a couple of years when you are just starting out without many resources taking a welfare check, or getting juicy juice for your kids by lying on a simple little form, or even getting a handicapped sticker when you're just overweight and don't like to walk across a whole parking lot to get in a store... it's wrong. And you'll never convince me that those folks are going to heaven, even if they believe that Jesus is our Savior and believeth in Him. Because there is something fundamentally rotten in their very core. They say all the right words to sound like a decent person, but they are not decent people. They have black hearts and they are going to hell in a handbag. And I've learned over my lifetime that too many of the people who quote the Bible and tell others how they should live are the very people who have serious problems with truth and honesty. They know they're wrong and they jump on the Christianity bandwagon to take away their guilt and to ensure that they are going to heaven in spite of everything. Can't help but think of prison ministries in this discussion.

As for the government workers making more and having better benefits than in the private sector, that is a blanket statement that is not true across the board. I can give you lots of examples of jobs in the private sector pay a whole lot more money and provide bonuses and perks that are absolutely not available for a job requiring the same skills and education in the government.

Elder care and child care businesses are probably the most regulated businesses we have. And for very good reason. Bad people were abusing old folks and children. They were not feeding them properly. Not keeping them clean. Physically hurting them. Not carrying adequate insurance. And other things that are too numerous to mention. Having lots of regulations on those types of businesses is absolutely mandatory. And obviously if those are the businesses you've been in you have reason to complain about all the red tape. But it is necessary and although you seem to think people would be fine without so many regulations on those businesses, the opposite is true. Restaurants can kill people with the improper handling of food so it is important that they have regulations to prevent that. Restaurants must have lots of oversight because people's health is at stake. But many small businesses have virtually no government regulations to speak of. You should think about getting into another line of work if you believe that you're over-regulated by the government. The government oversight to protect the public from bad people with bad business practices is necessary, right and good. With the population of this country and the mindset that anything goes as long as you're making money, we're likely to need more regulations, not less.

patty: "You just don't get how important it is that the government doesn't continue to have more and more control over everything." You just don't get how irrational that is. patty: "But I did recieve WIC when my kids were young, and energy assistance, and I was once on welfare for 2 years or so when I was 19. I was one who took advantage of these programs simply because I could. It was a huge waste of federal funds." Good grief!! No wonder you think everyone who accepts help from government programs is taking advantage and they don't really have a need. You're admitting the kind of person you are and it is very telling indeed. I know you'll back peddle and say I "put words in your mouth" and all that. And you'll say that was before you found Christ and you would never do that today... But you reveal your true self in so many ways. No wonder you can't understand the thought process of someone who is more progressive and left leaning. You think every American is on the take from the government. It must really suck to be you and to harbor so many negative feelings about your government. No wonder you have become such an extremist. No wonder you think what we did to American Indians was fine and that the Indians brought it on themselves. Yeppers you're a Republican all right. Through and through.

A fine example of what corporations will do is the tobacco industry. They created cigarettes that are more addictive than plain tobacco cigarettes would be. They advertized to lure kids into smoking because it looked cool. And the list goes on for them. And they're probably no different than most other corporations. If you think that corporations just provide a product and then wait to see if it is going to be popular and consumed in massive quantities, you're fooling yourself. The lenders that did such creative financing that they were able to lure people into buying homes they really couldn't afford is another example. patty will say that's the person's fault who was suckered into becoming addicted to cigarettes or the one who bought a home that is now in foreclosure. Or the person who signed up for a credit card at one interest rate but then found out that if they happened to miss a payment, not only would they be charged a late fee but the original interest rate would be go up drastically for any outstanding balance. I disagree that customers are responsible for corporate fraud and misleading business practices. I think corporations should be made to adhere to fair trade practices. The government is able to help protect Americans from companies that misrepresent their products and it should regulate them and keep an eye on them if they want to do business in this country.

patty I don't always have time to go to the link. YOU are the one posting the information and it is encumbent upon YOU to cite your sources. Otherwise it appears that YOU are the one writing the article. And in some circles you can get in trouble for that.

You don't think that patty authored that rant, do you?

I would be willing to wager that if there were a contest to see who is more popular, you or Leigha, here at LBT you, patty, would not win.

Am I the only one who is curious about where patty found that post about calorie counts being mandated? I'm going to start posting stuff that my kids write. They have as much credibility. Leigha, have you ever eaten at a Red Robin? We go there for lunch sometimes. I thought I was doing okay with my choices until I saw some of the calorie counts of their meals. They're worse than I could have imagined! I have a feeling you shouldn't eat anything there. And what about Long John Silver? You never hear much about the calories in their foods but do they have anything at all that isn't dripping in grease? I get indigestion just thinking about it. I love the idea of public eateries having to post their nutritional values and calorie counts. I also would dearly love for the health department to post the scores for food handling on every restaurant door. We were shocked at the number of demerits our local Red, Hot & Blue got from the health department.

Leigha, patty has been ignoring every question I ask. And usually all I'm asking for is clarification of something she's posted. I have a feeling she doesn't always read what she's posted and doesn't realize the ambiguity of some of her posts. She's in a pi$$ing contest and all that matters is that she wins for posting the longest stuff. It doesn't have to have any legitimacy or basis in truth, it just has to be long and very right wing.

"If we don't help the least among us, we cease being the great country we are and we become morally bankrupt." says Cleo's But Cleo's you need to take into account that the right wing doesn't think that it matters if they are morally bankrupt. They've been saved. They've accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior. They are not expected to be perfect or even strive for perfection. They are expected to sin - that's why Christ died on the cross. God knew humans couldn't go without sinning or perhaps even being morally bankrupt. So all they have to do is keep on keepin' on so long as they accept Jesus as their savior. By golly, they're going to heaven and afterall, that's what it's all about. Right Alfie? Sorry I couldn't resist. Patty is so hell bent on making assumptions when anyone who doesn't agree with her posts anything. Turn about is fair play. Um kay?

good grief, patty. I'd think you'd be embarrassed to talk about lying by our president. The right wing lies if their lips are moving.

"Assault on capitalism" really? The progressives have a broad "plan" to turn America into a European style socialist system? You can't get very far into the article before you realize it is somebody's conjecture and this somebody is not being even-handed in his rant. It sounds like one of my rants except for the right instead of the left. I'm underwhelmed.

In my post above I was referring to this post: #525 by patty