marjon9

There are those of us who believe that the battle plan against the war on terror that is least likely to succeed is one that puts 150,000 U.S. troops in the middle of Iraq. You may think that putting these troops into Iraq is good plan, and that is your right. But you are simply incorrect to suggest that those of us who do not accept this plan simply want to "throw up our hands" and say "it can't be done." The fact is, all human beings are fundamentally the same. Islamists want dignity and security, just like you. The best way to attain "victory" against terror is to work toward solving the problems that deprive our fellow humans of dignity and security. The actions of the United States are viewed as arrogant and disrespectful by most of the world's population. You can say we are "the worlds' police" if you want to. That is not how the large majority of the "world" views our actions. After 9/11, the world was on our side. If we had taken a different approach, aimed at increasing the dignity and security of all peoples of the world, the world would now be a vastly safer place. I know, this will cause an uproar from conservatives who will feel a need to belittle the "bleeding heart liberals," but the simple unavoidable truth here is, we are all human beings, with the same basic needs. You can demonize all "Islamists" if you need to to justify our military bludgeoning of Iraq. But all of us have families, and a desire for a decent life, just like you. It is impossible to imagine how many fewer terrorists there would be today if we had taken a different approach. When we decided to go the route of brute force, we simply provided the extremists with an endless supply of recruiting material. There are millions of young, unemployed and/or poverty stricken Muslim men out there who can't support their families. Do you really think that you will ever "stamp them out" by making them all hate us to the core of their souls? There will ALWAYS be more! This is what people mean when they say we can't "win" the war on terror. If we can ever "win," it will not be through brute force. And even if you believe we should have taken the path of brute force against those who perpetrated 9/11, how can you possibly justify turning that force on a buffoon like Saddam Hussein? Yes, we've all seen the pictures of the Kurds who were gassed, but dictators around the world have always committed atrocities. We can't oust them all. And the acts of Saddam, as awful as they were, had nothing whatsoever to do with 9/11. There is simply no justification for the Iraq war, even if you believe that we should have turned the full military might of the United States against the terrorists. The Iraq war was about finishing one for daddy. It had nothing whatsoever to do with the war on terror. And, finally, even if you support the war in Iraq, how can you possibly support the arrogance of Rumsfield of sending so few troops that we could not possibly control the anarchy that followed the fall of the dictator. And then the additional arrogance of sticking with that plan, like a dumb stubborn mule, for three years after it was clear it was not working? Yeah, I know, Bush is a Republican, and I know you feel like you need to "support" the Republican president. But, come on, can't you admit any of this? Are you going to stick to the party line to the bitter end, no matter what?

I would say something like this: You've thought about it a lot, and you would like to appoint her as Godparent for your children, since you are certain now to pass to your reward much sooner, now that she has rejected your request to support the lap band surgery.

I'm confused by your question. Are you suggesting that people who support gay rights and freedom of choice on these forums would really not actually vote for people who support these things because, in our heart of hearts, we know that these positions are too extreme? Is that what you are suggesting? That strikes me as so odd. It's like, we are all human beings but I do think we come from different planets. To answer your question, assuming it is serious, I, personally, would always prefer to vote for someone who supports gay rights and the right to choose. I would be extremely reluctant to vote for someone who did not support those things, and would only do so if they would forward some other agenda item that was even more important to me, like ending the Iraq war.

I've been a bit constipated lately. Can I borrow the rest of those biscotti?

The fact is, not everyone is happy with the results. I am happy with mine, most people are. But not "everyone." I would recommend spending some time reading threads in a category called "lap band complications" on this forum. Keep in mind that you will hear some bad news there, and you should not get discouraged. But you should know that some people don't lose weight, some people have bands that need to be removed for one reason or another, a few people have had some relatively serious complications that involve significant hospital time. Most people by far have good results. But not everyone. You should know about these things as you make your decision.

A lot of people are happy with Dr. Ortiz. If you do live in Southern California you'd really have an advantage because you could actually return to him for aftercare. One thing to mention, there is a U.S. doc, Dr. Kirshenbaum, who I used, who does these surgeries fo $9950. See signature below for his web site. Some people say that aftercare is easier in the U.S. if you had surgery by a U.S. doc. I am not advocating one way or another. But at this point in your journey it would not be a bad idea to consider all these things. Whatever doctor you use, you should think before your surgery about what you will do for aftercare. Good luck!

In general I was pretty well prepared because I read this forum a lot before surgery. There is not much that has not been talked about here in terms of pre-op and post-op, and a lot of people have a lot of the same questions. For me there was one small thing which turned out to be not so small. That is, I thought I was being really smart by putting Neosporin on my surgery incisions. It turns out that Neosporin is really bad for that because a surgical incision is a deep cut. Neosporin is great, they say, for keeping surface cuts and abrasions from getting infected. But for a deep cut it just turns the wound into a soupy mess and keeps the cut from healing. I extended my healing time by quite a bit by using Neosporin, and I came pretty close to getting an infection in my port incision because it would not close. So, you now know much more than you ever knew you needed to know about the dangers of Neosporin after surgery. Other people may have other things to mention, but in general I think you will be fine if you read this forum a lot before surgery. Good luck

Doctors are our employees, not our guardians. Get another doctor. If you have a weight situation where you would qualify for a lap band, any doctor who stands in the way is a serious risk to your health.

It's hard to talk about the political views of extreme commentators like Savage and Maher and Coulter and Franken, and avoid the topic of Bush and the domestic and international policies of our government. As you've pointed out in your own posts, one person's "reasoned objective analysis of the facts" is another person's "Bush bashing."

Soy protein powder is another similar option. I find that it tastes better than the whey Proteins. I've heard that the whey proteins have more useable protein that the body can absorb compared to other kinds, but I don't know if that is true. In general, if I blend a whey protein powder with something that has a lot of flavor the taste does not bother me. For example, if I mix a chocolate Protein shake with banana and Peanut Butter ,and then put in a scoop of chocolate or unflavored unjury, I don't taste the protein.

I will do this too when people ask me how I am losing weight. The thing I wanted to avoid is having people know from the beginning. I didn't want people watching me and what I eat, and asking if I've lost anything yet, etc. But if I'm losing weight and people ask me how, I'll tell them.

As I just mentioned on another post, one of the reasons we chose Dr. K is because he is responsive to calls from patients regarding post op issues. I called him a couple times and he got right back to me. If you are having medical questions, call the doc. He expects that people will call, and he is happy to answer questions.

Chula, most people go through a phase of "what have I done to myself." That's pretty normal. As for the pulling pain on your incisions, I think that is pretty normal too. The pain in your chest is probably gas. But if you feel something is not normal, call the doctor. That's one of the main reasons we chose Dr. K. He is responsive to calls about post op problems. I called a couple times with concerns and he got right back to me. Regarding the foods you are eating, it's really important to follow the post op nutrition guidelines. The idea is not to "try" mushies to see if the "go down well." The idea is to just do exactly what the doctor says. And again, the question is not "how long did it take to get past liquids." The idea is, how long does Dr. K say you need to stay on liquids. That's how long it takes. Since you were banded by Dr. K I know you had a consult with the nutritionist, Paula. You should have some materials that tell you what the phases are. If not, contact her and get them. Most people try to rush things a little. I did, and it was not the right thing to do. But eating sweet potatos 4 days post op is really rushing things. That is not a good idea. Your stomach needs to heal. If you put real food in there your stomach needs to move around and work to digest it. That's just what you don't want 4 days post op. You need to let the stomach heal and the band "set" where the doctor stitched it. The reason for drinking liquids is to get some nutrition that you can digest without making your stomach work. That's the whole idea. I would suggest that you contact Dr. K about the problems you are having, and try to get back on the post op nutrition program. What you are going through is normal. Just try to stick with the program and tough it out, you'll be through the hard part very soon.

I'll give you my .02 1. After you get banded and all healed and done with the special liquid and mushie diet can you eat regular foods? I mean I can't live without pizza forever. Yes I realise that I will have to eat healthy and it will be a different way of life but can you eat regular foods? There is something about getting banded that people can't really understand until they have the band. That is, most people find that their food preferences actually change. Many people who loved pizza on longer want to eat it. I'm one of those. The way the band works is that it creates this speed bump in your digestive tract. It allows you to get "full" on much less food, and then have that little bit of food that you ate slowly move on down the road. Since you can only eat a little bit, your body starts to want the things you need. I don't mean that you start thinking you "should" eat more nutritious foods. I'm saying that your body actually starts to prefer and want more nutritous foods. You may very well find that after you are banded you feel about chicken breast and vegetables the same way you feel now about pizza. I'm not saying you will never want pizza or chocolate or cake or whatever. But many people find that they really and truly want less of those things, and more of the good things. I know this is had to believe, but many bandsters will tell you that this happened with them. 2. Do you have to get fills for the rest of the time you have the band on? or is it for a certain amount of time? I agree with what Alexandra said. I can just say that for me, I still have restriction just from having the band put in, and I do not have any fill yet. Some people go a long time with adequate restriction before they get their first fill. I am starting to find that my restriction is not quite enough now. Still good, but not quite enough. I'll probably go get my first fill in the next few weeks. The only other thing I want to add is that being overfilled can be a serious problem. You can get dehydrated. Remember that when you are a bandster. If you get a fill and find that you can't eat anything, or even drink Water, deal with it right away. Usually getting just a small unfill solves the problem completely. 3. Can you do regular exercise, especially like sit ups? Yes, you can exercise. But who would want to? Just kidding. I'm not a lover of exercise, except for walking, which I do quite a bit with my dogs. From what other bandsters say, I know that you can exercise normally after you are healed from the surgery. 4. I know this is depending on the person but do you have so much extra skin that you CAN'T wear a bikini? I know that sounds really shallow, but I have never been able to wear one before. You might want to check out a thread on this forum called "Lower Body Lift Fun." Some people on there show photos of themselves after they lost weight and then had a lower body lift. The result is that they look like slender, fit women without extra skin. This might be something that fits into your life at some point, especially since you are so young right now. 5. How long did it take for you to complete the whole process, getting approved to actually getting the band on? I was a "self-payor." So I did not have to wait much at all. If insurance is going to pay for it then it can be a slow and frustrating process, depending on your insurance coverage. With some people it goes fairly quickly and smoothly. With others it seems to take forever. But again, by "forever" I mean six months or a year. I know this seems like such a long time it would be unbearable. But you know the old saying, in a year you will be a year older anyway, whether you get the band or not. So you may as well get the ball rolling. I cant think of anymore but I think the rest I could probably ask my doctor... I just want to make sure this procedure is for me. As Alexandra said: You will think of more, don't worry. Welcome to LBT and keep asking questions!!

Talapia has a taste sort of like a mild catfish, so any catfish recipe should be good. If you are not overly concerned about the lowest calorie option, I would season the fish with at least salt and pepper and then add some things from there if you want to (cajun seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, etc, etc - but not too much of anything). Then dredge the fish in flour. Melt some butter in a pan and saute the floured and seasoned fish until it has just a little brown color on each side. As with all fish, avoid overcooking at all costs. Finish with some lemon juice or perhaps a dash of vinegar. Eat like that or with a bit of tartar sauce. It's truly grand. A lower calorie way would be to season the fish and bake it until just done. No flour, no butter. This will still be good, but not as good as the above recipe. If you feel really ambitious, find a good recipe on the internet for batter or beer batter, dip the fish in the batter and deep fry in some hot vegetable oil that is heated to about 350 degrees. Cook until medium brown but not overcooked. Serve with lemon wedges or red wine vingegar or malt vinegar or balsamic vinegar, and tartar sauce. Some kind of potato is great with this, of course, and a salad.

When I was a kid I always used to wear out my pants at the inner thigh before anywhere else. Only jeans could hold up to the force of nature sometimes called "my thighs." Boy scouts used to learn how to make fires in the wilderness using my things for an example. It's not so bad now, I'm not sure why. Maybe because I wear looser pants in general. Anyway, I do hope that your thigh theory is correct. I've already stopped inadvertantly steering my car with my stomach (look mom, no hands) so I imagine the thighs are next.

I agree with TOM's post too, except for one point. I actually would describe Rove and Cheney as "comedians."

I agree with this completely. I welcome all ideas into the "marketplace," so to speak. I expect that people I agree with (the commie liberals) will ultimately win out, because in the final analysis I believe that good will win out over evil (just kidding). But I say let's hear from everyone, and let the chips fall where they may. The one thing I can say is, it is nice to have things swinging just a little bit in the "correct" direction for a change. After so many years of Bush, Cheney, Rove, Coulter, Limbaugh, etc., it does look like the pendulum is swinging a bit the other way. It's such a relief, I can't tell you.

I was 340 when I got my band on 1/17. This morning I was 306. Hooray! I can see Twoterville on the horizon now. It looks sort of like the Emerald City, a glistening jewel off in the distance, right under the pink clouds and just between those two high, rocky mountains. And the grass is ALWAYS greener in the Emerald City. "Pay no attention to the man behind the worn out bathrobe"

We are running low on stuff we bought before the recall. Can I now go to Petco and buy food? Or is it still possible there is a problem? Has anyone officially declared that the problem is over going forward? (Not that they should be trusted, but I'm just wondering if any public statements have been made.) Thanks

If you want to shop for it in a store I think you should just head to a health food store and as them for suggestions. I'm not sure where you live but if it is a medium sized town or bigger they should have health food stores. If all else fails they probably have something at pharmacies, and possibly Wal Mart. But I would also consider ordering the unjury on line. It only takes a few days to get there.

As I recall he had a show on TV for a while but got booted off for crossing a line that was so far right you could not see it due to the curvature of the earth. I think Anne Colter mentioned that she was offended by his ultra conservative hate speech.

I order unflavored unjury online. A lot of people use that one. I'm not sure how long you've been banded but ultimately I think the goal is to get most of your Protein from solid food like fish and chicken. You may know all this, but the band is most effective when you put solid things in your stomach. That way you can feel full for longer and avoid feeling hungry all the time like you do when you're on a diet. But anyway, regarding your question, you can boost your protein with the powders. I think Unjury is probably the favorite around here. Google "unjury" and I'm sure you'll find it. Good luck

Let's see, drink prune juice mixed with orange juice, OR, be constipated. * * * * * I'm still thinking.....

Hey, TOM, nicely constructed poll. Sometimes when I try to create a poll I realize later that the options available don't cover some of the most likely responses. But this poll I think you've got the main things covered.