Titslereaux

Oprah. She plays different rolls & takes on different personalities depending on her audience. Friday she sounded like Oprah, today she sounds like Martin Luther King (in her speech supporting Obama.) I'm not voicing a political opinion here, just that I can't trust her because I don't know who the heck she is.

You should do lots of searches around here since there's quite a variety of polls regarding this subject. Good luck with your decision.

By the way, some of you know an awful lot about multiple screen names. You must be moderators, right? Hackers? A few people claim to know me. I don't think LBT is allowed to give out personal information without a subpoena, so how do members know my personal business?

The squeaky wheel gets the oil! Maybe they're busy, but maybe there was a change in employees, lost paperwork, etc. Just give them a call & ask for a status.

Originally Posted by WASaBubbleButt I don't know, I'm getting ALLLL confused again. Now I don't know what I do for a living, I don't know who is posting, I don't know when I'm telling the truth, and now I don't know who I am. Holy crap.... Well at least you finally admit you don't know when you're telling the truth. We have a confession, finally.

Why on Earth is she saying she started a Titslereaux thread?

What? I certainly never even so much as hinted that weirdo has a double identity so why put words in my mouth again? Your pally, Wasabubblebutt, now indicates she started my "Atheist" debate thread and replied to a thread "she started." Why on Earth would anyone want to reply to anything I write (on fresh threads) if all they're after is word wars? I started fresh & walked away but am more than willing to come back & see the next does of bullshit she flings here. You know, keep your friends close but your enemies closer kind of thing.

Okay, I'm going to say it... how many people use way too much butter. I mean w a y too much?

I've seen countless psychics but only a handful that really knew what they were talking about. I guess I'd have to get a reading directly from one of the famous ones to know though.

"Responding to a thread I started and posted in long before your time" Lady, you're not well. You didn't start the post. Is lying a hobby or an illness?

"You just can't blame treating people badly, throwing insults left and right, trashing people non stop" MY GOSH, ARE YOU FOR FUCKING REAL, LADY? Non-stop, you say? I haven't been back to this thread all weekend till someone pointed out that you're still trashing me here, while your other personality continues to follow me around the board replying to another, entirely unrelated, topic I started. You're whacked. And scary. Let it go already. It's like having my own personal stalked. I guess I should be flattered.

Hiatal hernia, perhaps? Gallbladder?

"how accurate could people be 2000 years ago. When they were impressionable and wrote stories about a man who had lived before their own time. When people were not literate and everything was considered a miracle." This hits the nail smack on the head and is exactly my point. A popular game we played indoors on rainy school days was "Relay the Story." The teacher would whisper something into one student's ear, who would whisper it to the next. The last person would go to the front of the class & repeat the story, and we'd peal in laughter at how screwed up it got.

I wish people would stop randomly asking me, "So, are you all ready for Christmas?" Honestly, how the hell am I supposed to answer that question when I can't stand the whole thing? I've tried every type of response from a friendly smile and nod (lie) to telling them flat out that I don't Celebrate. It's like the world knows I want to be left alone so more and more and more people ask (today at the nail salon, the grocery store and a friend.) If I tell them the truth, it turns into a Christmas therapy session of why I should believe. The truth is, I don't believe or disbelieve either way. If Christ is real, the day should be spent in God's country (mountains, streams, oceans) thanking him for all his glory (which is how I spend the day anyway.) If he's not real the day should be a DAY, like 4th of July, Easter or Thanksgiving. Several people have already "hinted" that they got me something, so now I feel obligated to get them something in return (can't help it, overeaters are people pleasers by nature.) I accepted presents for years without giving in return but I can't deplete my Karma Bank that way, and I don't feel good about accepting gifts. I give gifts all year - if I see something that reminds me of a friend, I buy it! Today I found a cute picture frame for graduation and brought it straight to the pizza place where my teenage neighbor works since she graduates soon. Now I'm all vaklempt on what to get who, blah blah. Then the Mother of all holiday potlucks is at my work. The Annual Foodfest starts Monday where the company drew names and issued everyone a day (I'm Tuesday.) On my day, me and 7 others bring food. This goes on for 2 solid weeks in addition to the 12 platters of transfatty appetizers, 11 tins of Cookies, 10 gifts of food, 9 extra sodas, 8 happy hours, 7 cups of eggnog, 6 candy canes, 5 free luncheons, 4 free hams, 3 Awards banquets and one super catered Christmas party... For all the Christmas lovers out there, WHY THE HELL ARE WE OBESE?

However, as far as ESP and other paranormal freaky stuff, too much has happened to me so I can't discount "something else." I don't know what the something is, but I know it's there.

1. Atheists are usually logical and reasonable people, therefore you could refer to them as skeptics. I'm a skeptical realist who overanalyzes things to a fault. I even overanalyze my overanalysis without even trying, which is why the Bible is a bunch of hooey to me. How can a God that is all-forgiving punish the world for the wrongdoings of Adam and Eve a katrillion years ago? I believe the bible was written by an ancient political/governmental society to scare and control society. 2. I don't believe in afterlife, This one throws me because of events in my own life. It's hard to disbelieve when the unexplainable happen right in front of my eyes. That's not to say I believe, just that it's really eerie. 3. I think if you look at life through the eyes of an atheist it's actually much grander. Much more precious, something to cherish and fulfill. Nice spin, I never even thought of that. That said, I can't bring myself to believe in the Big Bang, either because we still don't know if the chicken or egg came first. Evolution from a speck of dust to eventual mankind is just as goofy. How do Atheists believe the world began? Or in the alternative, where the hell do dinosaurs fall in the puzzle?

I went to a seminar and (thought) I was very impressed with all the information on bypass vs. band. There were 2 partner surgeons that each did both surgery, but they leave it up to you to decide what surgery suits you best. The reason I say "thought" is because they left out too many complications. I compared everything they said to all the other research & reading here that I did, and I concluded that the seminar was more of a "sales pitch" than anything else. The 2 surgeons now have TV commercials on primetime and are selling any type of surgery. It was really informative so definitely go, but just keep asking questions till your head falls off starting at the beginning: Who taught them how to place the Band/perform WLS, education, what they did prior, number of surgeries performed, how many deaths from WLS they each have, how many deaths/complications/erosions/slippage/port infections/replacments/after-care/insuance coverage/potential for revision if yours doesn't turn out right... I could go on for days. Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the oil!

Those of you with port infections should get 2nd opinions because a lot of LapBand surgeons believe 100% of infected ports lead to erosion within 18 months.

Night-Eating Syndrome Sorry for the long post, but I have classic Night-Eating Syndrome and waited my whole life for a diagnosis and correct name. I'm cutting & pasting this entire study in case anyone else has the same problem. A relatively new eating disorder, “night-eating syndrome,” characterized by a lack of appetite in the morning & overeating at night with agitation & insomnia has been reported in a new study. “Not only is night-eating syndrome an eating disorder, but one of mood & sleep as well,” said study author Albert Stunkard, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania’s Weight & Eating Disorders Program. “People who fall prey to this syndrome are not simply indulging in a bad habit. They have a real clinical illness, reflected by changes in hormone levels.” The study, by a team from the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center & the UniversityHospital in Tromso, Norway & appearing in today’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, is a combination of two related studies based upon behavioral & neuro-endorcine data. The behavioral study, conducted at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, attempts to define the behavioral characteristics of the syndrome in terms of the timing of caloric consumption during eating episodes, level of mood throughout the waking hours & frequency of night-time awakenings. The neuro-endocrine study, conducted at the UniversityHospital in Tromso, Norway, attempts to characterize the syndrome in terms of circadian profiles (occurring approximately every 24 hours) of plasma melatonin, leptin & cortisol-the hormones linked to sleep & appetite that are found in lower levels in people with night-eating syndrome. Night eating syndrome signs and symptoms * The person has little or no appetite for Breakfast. Delays first meal for several hours after waking up. Is not hungry or is upset about how much was eaten the night before. * Eats more food after dinner than during that meal. * Eats more than half of daily food intake after dinner but before breakfast. May leave the bed to snack at night. * This pattern has persisted for at least two months. * Person feels tense, anxious, upset, or guilty while eating. * NES is thought to be stress related and is often accompanied by depression. Especially at night the person may be moody, tense, anxious, nervous, agitated, etc. * Has trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Wakes frequently and then often eats. * Foods ingested are often carbohydrates: sugary and starch. * Behavior is not like binge eating which is done in relatively short episodes. Night-eating syndrome involves continual eating throughout evening hours. * This eating produces guilt and shame, not enjoyment. Participants in the Penn & Norwegian Studies were monitored for food intake, mood alterations, sleep disturbances & night-time snacking, as well as hormonal fluctuations. “People with this syndrome start out daily with morning anorexia– or not eating anything all morning– & consume fewer than average calories throughout the day. As the day wears on, their mood worsens & they become more & more depressed,” said Stunkard. Then comes the night, when victims raid the refrigerator & cupboards for high-carbohydrate Snacks, sometimes up to four times a night. As anxiety & depression increases throughout the night, so does eating. “This snacking may be a way for these persons to medicate themselves,” speculates Stunkard, “because they eat a lot of carbohydrates, increasing serotonin in the brain which in turn, leads to sleep.” Night-eating syndrome shows distinctive changes in hormones related to sleep, hunger & stress. The nighttime rise in the hormone that accompanies sleep, melatonin, is greatly decreased in night eaters, probably contributing to their sleep disturbances. Similarly, night-eaters fail to show a nighttime rise in the hormone leptin, which suppresses hunger & the stress hormone cortisol is elevated throughout a 24-hour period. Night-eating syndrome is believed to occur in 10% of obese people seeking treatment for their obesity, which means about 10 million people may be affected. It also does occur among people of normal weight, although less frequently. “Night-eating syndrome may represent a special kind of response to stress that afflicts certain vulnerable people,” said Stunkard. Night-eating syndrome appears to differ from bulimia nervosa & binge eating. Instead of very large & infrequent binges, persons with this disorder consume relatively small snacks at night-about 270 calories-but far more frequently. In addition, their sleep is far more disturbed. Stunkard believes that defining night-eating syndrome as a new eating disorder will encourage more research, leading to a far better understanding of the disorder. “We study what we define,” said Stunkard, who is optimistic such research will lead to effective treatments that do not now exist.

My docs are only confusing me more! My OBGYN nearly cried at the thought of a bypass and loved the idea of the Band, while another doctor thought the band was a waste of time since they don't last forever and most people who have them removed convert to a permanent surgery anyway. Then there's another doc who hates any WLS making it really hard to decide!

I have a pre-op list that says to make sure you bring your C-Pap (breathing) machine with you to the hospital since they might not have one or won't have one adjusted to your settings. You might have to sleep flat on your back, which can make breathing difficult.

<p>Whether or not they take you, don't you think you should wait it out? Think of all that coughing with stomach staples and stitches (internal and external)... sounds like a lot of straining. Better be safe?</p>

A gift basket containing 10 or so fabric grocery bags, a variety of food storage containers (Baggies aren't "green"), dried herbs for cooking, tea, etc.

Cortes las venas! (mucho exciting-o) Fotos, por favor?

Lulu, if you came for support, why are you in the lounge? This isn't a LabBand topic.