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I am quite grossed-out now. First the fried cranberry sauce, now we're going on about people who can't even find a person not related to them to marry. Or someone of a legal age for marriage. Oh so icky! Geez--even I managed to do that! LOL

Since I started the thread, do I have the power to veto the addition of green's "Newbies have the right to ask what PB and NSV mean" statement? LOL Sorry, green! I think that it should read "Newbies have to right to research information about their new band on Lapbandtalk.com." Get thee to the abbreviations thread! LOL Hee, hee!

I don't have a problem with people immigrating to the U.S. as long as the people coming in follow the laws of our country. It would also be nifty if immigrants could make some attempt to assimilate into our wacky American culture like they used to in the "old days". If I moved to Russia, for example, I wouldn't expect everyone else to feel sorry for me and learn English. I would learn Russian (or whatever dialect is spoken where I am going). But, I digress from the topic at hand. Does anyone know how the "socialized" medical systems in other countries work? Do they really take care of everyone or is that just some noble ideal?

I'm sorry, but fried cranberry sauce?? Ick! Why ruin it's gelatiny goodness with greasy fried batter?

I would rather slit my wrists, be burned at the stake, have bamboo shoots shoved under my fingernails, and be run over by a semi repeatedly than go shopping on Black Friday!!!! What can I say? I'm an on-line shopping kind of girl!

I know just what you mean. I've hardly told anyone I had this done mainly because I don't want their negativity to drag me down! It's my band, so it's my business. Besides, no one can see the darn thing anyway. When people mention I've lost weight, I just say it's due to diet and exercise! I might tell my siblings about it at Christmas this year--I haven't seen them for a year because they don't live nearby. We'll see!

I copied everyone's answers into one list so they are all together again. To add a new reply, copy the whole list and add your new idea to the bottom: 1. I can tie my shoes without losing my breath! 2. My eyes don't shut when I smile! 3. My big hips have less bruises! 4. I can feel my bones! 5. I can see my feet! 6. I can wear an underwire bra! 7. I can run! 8. I can feel my muscles! 9. I can see my cheek bones! 10. I can walk much further without getting tired! 11. I can cross my legs! 12. I look younger ( I got carded twice in one week!) 13. I can shave my legs in the shower! 14. I Have Dimples In My Cheeks.....they Are Coming Thru! I Can See Them! Now, As For The Dimples In My Butt!!! I Hope I Will One Day Never See Them!!! 15. I can get out of the bathtub without 911 on speed dial! 16. I can bend over and..... GET BACK UP! 17. I can shop......anywhere! 18. I have so much energy especially after I excercise! 19. I can bend down without getting out of breath! 20. I'm more flexable during sex! 21. My big bow hips have went down more than 20 inches! 22. Men are turning their heads constantly! 23. My face is so much thinner and prettier! 24. I have collar bones! 25. The fat from my back is disapearing! 26. I feel so good! 27. I'm starting to like what I see more and more! 28. I have a Fricking Rib cage and can feel it! 29. I fit comfortably in an airline seat! 30. I can ride all of the rollercoasters I want! Whee! <!-- google_ad_section_end --><!-- google_ad_section_end --><!-- google_ad_section_end --><!-- google_ad_section_end --><!-- google_ad_section_end --><!-- / message --><!-- sig --><!-- google_ad_section_end --><!-- google_ad_section_end -->

Dry meat (of any kind--particularly pork), sometimes rice (depends how tight I am), and doughy foods don't go down real well for me!

Hi there! I was told that the first few weeks out of surgery were not for losing weight, but for healing, so I avoided the scale. As a result, I don't know from personal experience if gaining weight after surgery is normal or not. However, I think that if you are following your doctor's instructions and sticking to the prescribed diet, you will do just fine. Don't forget that the surgery has wreaked a bit of havoc with your body--you're swollen, sore, and could be retaining water! Don't despair--hang in there and you'll soon see the numbers on the scale start drifting downward!

Hi there! Congratulations on getting banded! I felt like I had been hit by a Mack truck after surgery. The anesthesia made my whole body ache. I could barely pull myself up off of the couch (in retrospect, it was really quite humorous)! After the first week or so, I started to feel more like my old, bouncy self. Hang in there!!! I hope you are up and about real soon!

Hi there! As several other folks said, you don't have any restriction yet, so it can be a "hungry time." All I can offer for advice is that my doctor told me to take in 70-90 grams of Protein daily through liquids for several weeks after surgery (in 3 "meals" per day). I drank Protein shakes and some other liquids that were fortified with protein. I got a box with samples of these liquid Proteins prior to surgery (hot chocolate, fruit punch, tomato Soup, etc.). I was told not to "eat" between meals--that's when I sipped on the plain Water. I was also allowed to have other liquids in addition to water like other folks mentioned (sugar-free popsicles, Crystal Light, and sugar-free pudding). Check with your doctor before changing what you are doing. Remember that you paid them for their services, so they should be there to advise you if you experience any problems--don't be shy about asking questions! Keeping my protein intake up worked out quite well for me and I didn't start getting really, really hungry until close to my first fill 5-6 weeks after surgery. Good luck and let us know if things improve for you!

I thought of a couple of new ones today: Right: Bandsters have the right to NOT order a drink with their meal at a restaurant. Bandsters' First Law of Finances: The cost of being banded is inversely proportional to the amount of money in your savings account.

I want to see a video clip of someone milking a rat! What has Heather Mills been smoking? You'd think with all of the money she stole (I mean "earned" by her marriage to Sir Paul) that she could afford to get professional help for her mental health issues. How many zillions of rats would have to be bred, caged, and imprisoned to produce enough milk to meet the current consumer demand? Don't you think PETA would be all over that operation? Geez!

Chickie--love the new very sparkly signature!

Ewwww!!! :faint:

faithmd--That's a good statement--wouldn't that be enough to "warn" people to stay away if they don't want to debate? Although...doesn't "enter at your own risk" kind of tip everyone off, too?

I hope ya'll realize I'm just playing devil's advocate here...he, he! Wasa raises a good point--what about actual citizens in other countries where health care is free for all? How are people with serious health issues handled? Are there monetary limits to how much treatment is done? Does survival of the fittest come into play? I'm curious because I never get to travel and have no clue about how health care systems work in other countries!

Are you putting me on? It's not nice to toy with a feeble mind like mine!

I just KNEW I could count on you wonderful, hilarious bandsters to get things off to a positively rollicking start! Anyone else want to chime in??

Does anyone think the U.S. will follow suit someday and start refusing to allowing in people who strain our system whether they be illegal immigrants, fatsos like me, etc.? Seems we turn a blind eye here to anyone and everyone who wants to come in--kids are registered at schools in my city daily who don't even have birth certificates. Yet my own kid couldn't attend public school without documentation...hmmm! That's how we wind up with 14-year-olds towering over their fellow Little Leaguers. Of course, I sincerely hope I'm a "svelte model of hot deliciousness" before people start being identified as those who must be eliminated for being too burdensome. Hee, hee! Some more random thoughts of the insane-- Maybe all countries should eliminate old people because they certainly cost a lot more due to all of their health problems. Babies are pretty expensive, too, come to think of it. Kids are sick all the time and seem to get hurt a lot so I say do away with them, too! Evil children! How about people with glasses? People who get chronic sinus infections? Cancer patients? Women giving birth? People with AIDS? Drug addicts? The mentally ill? I guess it depends on what the true purpose of health care is--is there a moral angle to consider? Are there entire segments of people that should be "written off"?

It greatly disturbs me that I find the thought of "pepperoni-scented" farts oddly appealing at the moment! Ack!

Chickie--I get it now--sorry I'm a little "slow" today! :doh: What if all of us "obese" folks get rounded up and we get abandoned on a deserted island or something because no one wants to care for us because we're too expensive? :think

Chickie--Great comment! You crack me up! LOL Babygirl1234--Well stated! Are you a psychic?? You read my mind! losingjusme--I love your response--that's exactly the point! uniqueone and NancyB--I agree with both of you. I'd much rather save myself pain and heartache by listening to the advice of someone who has already experienced being banded. What an invaluable resource! Who in their right mind would seek to mess up on purpose?? Wheetsin--You just rock! Somehow your psychobabbliciousness always hits that little old nail right on the head! :rockon: As for me, I'm an "oldie" I guess because I'm almost a year out from surgery, but I'm not a raging success like some folks who post here. I didn't lose 100 lbs. one week post-op or anything. We all take our own path. I finished a post-graduate degree in a year (which was certifiably nuts I have to say). I started school in August 2006, got banded in December 2006, and finished school in August of 2007. That's a lot of sitting on my butt writing papers, which slowed down my weight loss a bit as you can imagine. My doctor and I set my goal at losing 1/2 the total weight I need to lose by mid-December. I only update my ticker at "official" doctor's office weigh-ins so I actually have about 12.5 more pounds to go at this point. I probably won't quite make it, but I'm okay with that as long as the scale keeps going down. I Celebrate everyone's successes, but I'm cool if my ticker isn't as tremendous as someone else's. I'm just muddling along the best I can! I'm always happy to encourage a "newbie" who is feeling down. That being said, I have less and less patience (surprising in my case, since I've been told I have the patience of Job) with people who insist on doing things that are bad/unhealthy/stupid/dangerous and then write in and ask if it's bad. What do you think? I have a simple formula for keeping "oldies" from becoming "obnoxious, self rightious, and condescending:" 1. Read the threads that will educate you about what you will experience pre-op, during the operation, and post-op like the Pre-op / Post-op Lap-band Surgery Questions & Answers and the Lap-Band Surgery FAQs and References threads. 2. Ask your doctor questions, attend pre-op seminars, and go to support group meetings if possible so you know exactly what you're getting into. 3. If you do what your doctor tells you to do, 9 times out of 10 ,you will lose weight successfully without complications, pain, and I'm pretty sure your band will never sproing out of your abdomen unexpectedly to adorn your newly set-up Christmas tree! :faint: I'm just sayin'...

I meant that a lot of private insurance companies won't pay for weight-loss surgery in the U.S., but they seem all too willing to pay for the complications brought on by being too heavy (arthritis, diabetes, etc.). To me it's a short-sighted view! From the sound of it, I don't know if that couple the article is about were even planning to become NZ citizens. I guess Chrisann was thinking that they could pay for any services they needed while they were working there as non-citizens. Does that make sense? I'm getting sleepy--it's only 7:40--what's the matter with me?? :notagree

Why are all of you evil people posting pictures of delectable fried foods??? My eyes!! My eyes!! LOL