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Idiot, Am I right in thinking, after reading your bandster profile, that you already had a history of pancreatitis before your surgery? In which case I agree that your surgeon should not have allowed you / put pressure on you to have the surgery. However, your initial post only served to scare-monger... as far as I am aware (and I did a lot of research before deciding on the surgery) there is no link between it and pancreatitis. I can see how the surgery could have worsened a pre-existing condition and for that I feel sorry for you, but please think before you act, your individual problems, and I will reiterate, PRE-EXISTING condition, shouldn't have been used to scare others out of doing what is right for THEM. The most common cause of chronic pancreatitis is many years of heavy alcohol use. The chronic form of pancreatitis can be triggered by one acute attack that damages the pancreatic duct. The damaged duct causes the pancreas to become inflamed. Scar tissue develops and the pancreas is slowly destroyed. Other causes of chronic pancreatitis are hereditary disorders of the pancreas cystic fibrosis—the most common inherited disorder leading to chronic pancreatitis hypercalcemia—high levels of calcium in the blood hyperlipidemia or hypertriglyceridemia—high levels of blood fats some medicines certain autoimmune conditions unknown causes I hope you recover and feel better soon. Well done on your weight loss by the way. :thumbup:

it is mainly caused from alcohol,there are no statments to say it is caused from lap band and lets be honest here you can get more wrong with you from yo yo dieting,and being overweight anyway it's a chance you take most people are happy with the band being fat and getting a band,i think there is more chance of getting disease from being overweight ie diabetes would you not agree would you sooner be fat:w00t:

The thread title says it all. I've reached my limit with liquids and have decided to end my doctor prescribed six week post-op diet four days early. If you add my pre-op clear liquid diet to the post-op it makes 43 days that I've been on either clear or full liquids with no caffeine, carbonated sodas, alcohol, etc. I have to assume that I'm fully healed internally now and that no harm will come from making this decision. My first fill is this Wednesday so I'll be back on clear liquids then for two+ days. Will do my best to make smart choices until I reach restriction and of course use this forum for support and guidance. It's beginning to go to my head at this point and is making me kind of batty. I think that if I never see another bowl of broth, cream soup, yogurt, jello or protein drink it will be too soon.

Sorry it took me so long to respond. I do appreciate the positive comments - Immore, still re-reading yours, not sure if I am reading too much into it or not! lol?? The past couple of days have been a little crazy, as expected I guess. Was hoping to have had the referral by today; will call the dr's office on Monday if we don't hear something in that morning. The center does offer family programs so we will participate in those as well. I spent last fall dealing with my uncle who is a severe alcoholic with a colostomy bag and other fun things. My cousins were so burned out and frustrated that they couldn't get him in anywhere. My brother and I stepped in for awhile. It took months - you can't force them to get help and he kept talking his way past doctors and counselors. He even passed an interview with another cousin, who is a nursing placement supervisor. She said that he answered all of her questions. Uh, yes he did but did you bother to check if the answers were actually correct?? They weren't. But it was too late, he had already been released. Finally, after being found by a policeman in a parking lot in below freezing weather at 3am (his truck had been stolen and he had been assaulted) he was close enough to death that a judge finally ordered treatment. He did 90 days, got out, is drinking again, in and out of the hospital. Fortunately, my husband's situation isn't that bad ... yet. I did take part of the day off today. Had lunch with a friend, went to the mall for nails, hair and shopping. Had bbq for dinner : ) It was all great therapy. Now just trying to keep the daughter and dad away from each other at home. Tired of the bickering over stupid stuff. Thank you for the private messages as well. Several shared their own personal stories and I really appreciate it. Nice to know I'm not alone.

Dear Kristy29; I know exactly what you are talking about. My husband was not supportive of me getting the Lap-Band either. We have been arguing back and forth for months about this. I am getting it so I can loose weight and become pregnant. So every time he is mad, he say.."so, we can't have a baby because you can't loose some weight?" Well....yeah, I guess so. So this last time we argued, I told him that he really need to stop or get out! I AM getting this Lap Band! And I AM going to loose this weight and become healthy. I tried to explain to him that me with food is like any other addict. You sit there with a bottle of Vodka and ask an alcoholic to drink it....he probably would. He needs help from people around him to stay away and make better choices. I told him that it is hard for me to stay away from food and desserts when he keeps baking and buying it. Yeah, I know that I have to change all of that, and I know that it is up to me. All I am saying is that it is hard...it is hard being addicted to food and feeling like you are always hungry. After our talk he said "okay, I will be supportive, anything you need"! So, last couple of weeks, he has been eating all of his goodies in the basement, and he doesn't tell me about it. And it is working for me! I just wanted him to understand that it is hard for me, just like it is hard for him to stop smoking!!!!!

Like others have said, it varies with the tightness of your band but I have found that social settings are not as hard as I had imagined they would be. The trickiest bits for me are: 1. Avoiding alcohol (or drinking at all) 2. Avoiding sodium Now the above two things are simply because I am trying to lose aggressively. Foodwise, before my last fill, I could eat almost any food in smaller quantities. The last fill has made that more difficult so fish, moist Proteins and Soups are the staple. Yesterday, I went to lunch with my wife and ordered the healthy chicken breast lunch (Grillsmith). It was a Chicken Breast, a scoop of potatoes and grilled asparagus. I ate half the chicken breast, two asparagus spear tips and half the scoop of potatoes. I took the other half of the chicken breast home and made chicken salad out of it for dinner. Did it feel weird? Yup. But it works and it can be worked through.

Are you going to AlAnon meetings? I have heard from many people that these support groups are very helpful to the families of alcoholics. I am glad your husband is getting the help he needs. I hope things go well and your family heals.

Pnw, I will not offer you advice because each situation like yours is unique and private. My husband is the child of an alcoholic father and at 40 years old he prays each day for his dad to get treatment, but the likelihood of that happening is very small.Your whole family took a huge step towards healing today and from the bottom of my heart I wish you all the best. I hope for his sake and y'alls kids sake that he will recover. God bless.

I can hardly believe how many doctors I have talked to, how many times I have asked for help and how many times I have been ignored. Finally, today, May 19th, 2010 - I got help .... my family got help. After going thru a divorce back in 1991, many of my thought processes changed. For many of you here, maybe now you will understand why I am the way I am. Why I play devil's advocate. Why I am always willing to accept that there are two sides to every story. Why I believe that stories change every time they are told, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. After always being called a perfect couple, many friends and relatives couldn't believe we were getting divorced. Charlie Rich nailed it: No one knows what goes on behind closed doors. The divorce was mutual. It just wasn't working. We are still friends. Back to today. My husband of 17 years is finally being sent to rehab. I finally had someone say that it was him, not me. I never had an issue with weight, depression or stress until after we had been married for a couple of years. I think people are often on their best behavior and at some point, they can't keep up the act any longer. He always said that he didn't have a problem with alcohol; the only problem was my attitude when he was drinking. I could share many family gatherings, vacations, company events and just nights out at restuarants that ended poorly. Most of the time, he didn't even remember the details and never acknowledged any responsibility at all. I was always on pins and needles, never knowing how a night would go. I did not want a second divorce - I really dislike failure. However, I also did not want my children raised in that type of environment. He would be good for a long time, and then there would be several incidents. It was a constant circle. We separated in 2002 for a few months. Fast forward to August 2008. We took a cruise in Alaska with our youngest daughter and my ex's daughter (from his second marriage who is about the same age). At dinner one night, he had too much to drink, got mad about something, got up and left the table. When the girls and I returned to the cabin, he was gone. His dinner clothes were laying on the bed, the balcony door was unlocked. I was awake almost all night - he never came back. By morning, I didn't know if he had continued drinking, gone gambling, taken off with some woman or even jumped overboard. I finally had to go to security and report him missing before we came into port. Being interrogated in a small room by their officers was not fun. After about an hour, he was located on board. He had supposedly been reading and sleeping in an empty lounge all night. After being separated again for almost two years, we just got back together last fall. Again, he has been on his best behavior. Until recently. Over the past 2 months, the episodes began again. After two in the past three weeks, I had enough. He had asked me to go with him to the doctor this morning to help describe some sleep issues he was having (kinda like restless leg but his whole body shaking). When he reminded me about the appointment this morning, I told him that I would still go, but I was going to bring up the alcohol issue. He is also diabetic and I felt the dr should know. I have asked drs before about his drinking and diabetes, and he has always talked his way out of it, making me sound like a bitchy wife. For the first time, a doctor actually listened and asked him directly if he had a problem with alcohol. He didn't answer. She asked him again. He said that according to me, he did. I sat there quietly and held back the tears while she questioned him. Has he ever had a dui? yes. Has he recently driven drunk? yes. She straight out told him that she believed he does have a problem. I thought he was going to cry. He will be evaluated at a recovery center soon and they will recommend treatment. My youngest daughter and I will also go to their family classes. I don't know if the older two kids (24 & 22, from my first marriage) will participate; will cross that bridge later. He was very depressed after the appointment; I called our office and let them know we wouldn't be back. After a nap, he was in much better spirits and seems fine tonite. Maybe he knew he had an issue but didn't want to admit it? This way he can say that "we" made him go and he doesn't have to take responsibility yet? I dunno. Probably like most, he is a nice guy when he isn't drinking, spoils his daughter and me - within reason : ) I am so very thankful that I had this surgery when I did, and that I feel as good as I do. If not, this could have pushed me over the edge. I am going to remove his photos from my album for his privacy at this point. I likely won't be around too much over the next few weeks - I feel like my health is quite stable and my focus needs to be on him for awhile as well as my daughter. I am sure there are those out there who can offer me advice or encouragement - I thank you in advance for that. If you are in my position, don't give up. Eventually someone will listen. If you are the person being told by a friend or loved one that you might have an issue, drop the attitude and get an unbiased opinion. Maybe you do and maybe you don't. One way to find out. In the meantime, I am mentally and physically exhausted but very hopeful. And I thank God for our doctor. She is a young woman with an excellent persona. She is kind and considerate, but also says it like it is ... which is why I was so stinking scared to talk to her about my sleeve surgery! LOL She fully supported that as well. She is very proactive - not the take 2 aspirin and call me in the morning type. I do get an email notice if someone sends a private message, so I will respond. for now ... grazie and ciao! Janet

Well I would give up lots of things, but not my alcohol!!! LOL! I love my glass of wine, and I won't be giving it up anytime soon!

Warning!! Cut and Paste to follow :wink: Looks credible to me. SiCKO' Truth Squad 'SiCKO' Factual Backup SiCKO: There are nearly 50 million Americans without health insurance. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention actually reported that 54.5 million people were uninsured for at least part of the year. Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, 2006. Centers for Disease Control. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/insur200706.pdf The amount of uninsured is rising every year, as premiums continue to skyrocket and wages stagnate. From 2004 to 2005 the number of uninsured rose 1.3 million, and rose up nearly 6 million from 2001-2005. Leighton Ku, "Census Revises Estimates Of The Number Of Uninsured People," Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 5, 2007 http://www.cbpp.org/4-5-07health.htm. With 44.8 uninsured in 2005, in 2007 the number will be much higher. Professors Todd Gilmer and Richard Kronick, in "It's The Premiums, Stupid: Projections Of The Uninsured Through 2013," Health Affairs, 10.1377/hlthaff.w5.143, "project that the number of non-elderly uninsured Americans will grow from forty-five million in 2003 to fifty-six million by 2013." According to these authors, by now the number of non-elderly uninsured by this date clearly would be nearly 50 million. SiCKO: 18,000 Americans will die this year simply because they're uninsured. According to the Institute of Medicine, "lack of health insurance causes roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year in the United States. Although America leads the world in spending on health care, it is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not ensure that all citizens have coverage." Insuring America's Health: Principles and Recommendations, Institute of Medicine, January 2004. http://www.iom.edu/?id=19175 SiCKO: Richard Nixon and John Ehrlichman are heard discussing the concept of a health maintenance organization in Oval Office Recordings. On February 17, 1971, Richard Nixon met with John Ehrlichman to discuss the Vice President's position on health maintenance organizations, as heard in the film. The Miller Center of Public Affairs has this audio recording (conversation number 450-23. "Richard Nixon - Oval Office Recordings," http://millercenter.virginia.edu/scripps/digitalarchive/presidentialrecordings /nixon/oval?PHPSESSID=b813e56b3017d097cd176720bc10fc74 The next day, Nixon called for a "new national health strategy" that had four points for expanding the proliferation of health maintenance organizations, or HMOs. "Special Message to the Congress Proposing a National Health Strategy," February 18th, 1971, http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=3311 The term "health maintenance organization" was coined by Nixon advisor Paul Ellwood. Patricia Bauman, "The Formulation and Evolution of the Health Maintenance Organization Policy, 1970-1973, Social Science & Medicine, vol. 10. 1976. After Congress passed Nixon's HMO Act in 1973, HMOs in America increased nine-fold in just ten years. N. R. Kleinfield, "The King of the HMO Mountain," New York Times, July 31, 1983. SiCKO: The American Medical Association distributed a record featuring Ronald Reagan discussing the evils of socialized medicine. Ronald Reagan's recording was widely available in the 1960s, and was a part of the American Medical Association's "Operation coffee Cup," a coordinated rebuttal to Democrats' push for Medicare. Max Skidmore, "Ronald Reagan and Operation Coffee Cup: A Hidden Episode in American Political History," Journal of American Culture, vol. 12. 1989. SiCKO: $100 million spent to defeat Hillary's health care plan. "Even before debate began in Congress, a powerful coalition had been cobbled together to fight Clintoncare, as opponents labeled it - congressional Republicans, the insurance industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the Business Roundtable, the Christian Coalition, the conservative radio talk show network. Those groups spent between $100 million and $ 300 million to defeat it. And the battle was fought like a presidential campaign - with a TV advertising campaign, a network of field operatives and public relations experts to lobby members of Congress back in their districts." Rob Christensen, "Who killed health care reform? Answer: Everyone," News & Observer, June 19, 1996. "In 1993-94, the Health Insurance Association of America, a trade group, spent about $15 million on advertising to defeat Clinton's proposed overhaul of the nation's health care system." John MacDonald, "Proponents, Opponents Join Battle Over Drug Price Limits," Hartford Courant, June 21, 2000. "'We spent $1.4 million to fight President Clinton's plan,' [Mike Russell of the Christian Coalition] says." Harold Cox, "Business will spearhead Health Reform II ; Old enemies of Clinton's plan in lead," Washington Times, December 27, 1994. "A study by Citizen Action, a consumer group, reports that doctors, hospitals, insurance companies and other providers of medical services made campaign contributions of $ 79 million during the 1993-1994 election cycle. The insurance industry passed out $16 million. The American Medical Association, which objects to cost-control measures, contributed $ 3 million." Froma Harrop, "The big lie about health reform," Rocky Mountain News, August 20, 1995. "According to [Citizens for a Sound Economy] spokesman Brent Bahler, the group has not bought any airtime for commercials but has 'tentative plans' for a grassroots advocacy effort that would include an advertising component. Last year, Bahler said, the CSE spent more than $2 million on print, radio and television advertising to defeat Clinton's health care reform plan." James A. Barnes, "RNC Turns To TV Ads On Budget," National Journal, 5.16.95. SiCKO: The United States is ranked #37 as a health system by the World Health Organization. "The U. S. health system spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product than any other country but ranks 37 out of 191 countries according to its performance, the report finds." "World Health Organization Assesses The World's Health Systems," Press Release, WHO/44, June 21, 2000. http://www.who.int/inf-pr-2000/en/pr2000-44.html SiCKO: Health industry companies accused of wrongdoing in Sicko. Aetna: "Aetna Inc. … settled with the plaintiffs, which include the medical associations of California and Texas. Aetna agreed to pay the plaintiffs $120 million." Milt Freudenheim, "Class-Action Status Is Upheld for Doctors Suing Insurers," New York Times, September 2, 2004. See also, Susan Beck, "HMO Postmortem," American Lawyer, October 10, 2003. Settlement Agreement, http://www.aetna.com/provider/agreement_with_physicians.html Blue Cross/Blue Shield: "Sixty-seven Blue Cross/Blue Shield companies across the nation have paid the United States a total of $117 million to settle government claims that Medicare made primary payments for health care services that should have been paid by the Blue Cross/Blue Shield private insurance companies, the Department of Justice announced today." "Blue Cross/Blue Shield Companies Settle Medicare Claims, Pay United States $117 Million, Agree To Share Information," Department of Justice News Release, October 25, 1995. http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/Pre_96/October95/551.txt.html Cigna: "Cigna Corporation, [has] settled with the plaintiffs, which include the medical associations of California and Texas. … Cigna agreed to pay $85 million." Milt Freudenheim, "Class-Action Status Is Upheld for Doctors Suing Insurers," New York Times, September 2, 2004. "HCA Inc. (formerly known as Columbia/HCA and HCA - The Healthcare Company) has agreed to pay the United States $631 million in civil penalties and damages arising from false claims the government alleged it submitted to Medicare and other federal health programs, the Justice Department announced today. … Previously, on December 14, 2000, HCA subsidiaries pled guilty to substantial criminal conduct and paid more than $840 million in criminal fines, civil restitution and penalties. Combined with today's separate administrative settlement with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), under which HCA will pay an additional $250 million to resolve overpayment claims arising from certain of its cost reporting practices, the government will have recovered $1.7 billion from HCA, by far the largest recovery ever reached by the government in a health care fraud investigation." "Largest Health Care Fraud Case In U.S. History Settled; HCA Investigation Nets Record Total Of $1.7 Billion," Department of Justice News Release, June 26, 2003. http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2003/June/03_civ_386.htm SiCKO: Executive Compensation Michael B McAllister earned $3.33 million in compensation as CEO of Humana. "Forbes 2006 Executive Pay list," April 20, 2006. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/12/AG0Q.html. John W Rowe earned $22.2 million in compensation as CEO of Aetna. Rowe has since left Aetna. "Forbes 2004 Executive Pay list," April 21, 2005. http://www.forbes.com/static/execpay2005/LIRS5NI.html?passListId=12 &passYear=2005&passListType=Person&uniqueId=S5NI&datatype=Person Bill McGuire has stock options worth $1.6 billion at the end of 2005, as CEO of UnitedHealth Group. Robert Simison, "SEC Investigates UnitedHealth Over Stock-Options Practices," Bloomberg News, December 27, 2006; Michael Regan, "Business 2006: Who Won, Who Lost," Associated Press,December 26, 2006. SiCKO: There are four times as many health care lobbyists as there are members of Congress. According to the Center for Responsive Politics (www.opensecrets.org), in 2005 there were 2,084 health care lobbyists registered with the federal government. With 535 members of Congress, that's 3.895 lobbyists per member. SiCKO: Hillary Clinton became the second largest recipient in the Senate of health care industry contributions. "As she runs for re-election to the Senate from New York this year and lays the groundwork for a possible presidential bid in 2008, Mrs. Clinton is receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from doctors, hospitals, drug manufacturers and insurers. Nationwide, she is the No. 2 recipient of donations from the industry, trailing only Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, a member of the Republican leadership." Raymond Hernandez and Robert Pear, "Once an Enemy, Health Industry Warms to Clinton," New York Times, July 12, 2006. SiCKO: Drug industry money to members of Congress, and the president, who led the effort to pass the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. "The health industry gave $14 million total to the eleven elected officials largely credited with negotiating the bill. Pharmaceutical company PACs, employees, and their families gave more than $3 million in campaign contributions to (those) eleven elected officials." Buying A Law: Big Pharma's Big Money and the Bush Medicare Plan, Campaign Money Watch, January 2004. http://www.ourfuture.org/docUploads/donnelly$_1-15-04.pdf SiCKO: The Medicare Part D plan will hand over $800 billion of our tax dollars to the drug and health insurance industry. According to the Congressional Budget Office, for the ten-year period, 2006 through 2016, the projected spending is $848 billion. "The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2008 to 2017," Congressional Budget Office, January 2007. http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/77xx/doc7731/01-24-BudgetOutlook.pdf SiCKO: The elderly could end up paying more for their prescription drugs than they did before under Part D - and a majority of senior citizens could still pay over $2000 a year. "For all patients, Medicare covers 75 percent of the first $2,250 worth of drugs. But after that, coverage drops to zero - and doesn't resume until the patient hits $5,100 in expenses. Then Medicare kicks in again, paying 95 percent of costs. But it's this gap - of almost $3,000 - that many sick and disabled seniors call unaffordable." Medicare's 'Donut Hole,' CBS News, July 26, 2006. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/26/eveningnews/main1839288.shtml "Nearly 7 million seniors and individuals with disabilities who purchased stand-alone prescription drug coverage are now at risk of falling into the 'doughnut hole.' According to a report released today by Senior Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee… nearly 88 percent of new drug plan enrollees, roughly 7 million individuals, are at risk of losing coverage for their medications while they continue to pay monthly premiums to their insurers. The report further details how few individuals have enrolled in plans without doughnut holes, presumably because of the prohibitive cost of such plans." "88% Of New Medicare Drug Program Enrollees At Risk Of Falling Into The 'Doughnut Hole,'" Joint News Release From Representative Charles B. Rangel, Ranking Democrat, Committee On Ways And Means, Representative Pete Stark, Ranking Democrat, Subcommittee On Health, Committee On Ways And Means, Representative Sander M. Levin, Ranking Democrat, Subcommittee On Social Security, Committee On Ways And Means, September 21, 2006. http://www.house.gov/list/press/wm31_democrats/060921_88 _of_new_medicare_drug_program_enrollees_at_risk_of_falling _into_the_doughnut_hole.html "Over the past year, Part D drug prices have increased several times faster than the rate of inflation. Families USA analyzed the prices for 15 of the drugs most frequently prescribed to seniors. We examined prices for each of the plans offered by the largest Part D insurers, which together cover about two-thirds of all Part D beneficiaries. We then compared the lowest available Part D price for each drug in April 2006 with the lowest available price for the same drug in April 2007. The lowest price for every one of the top 15 drugs prescribed to seniors increased, and the median increase was 9.2 percent." Medicare Part D Prices Are Climbing Quickly, FamiliesUSA, April 2007. http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/medicare-part-d-drug-prices.PDF SiCKO: Fourteen Congressional aides went to work for the industry; Billy Tauzin left Congress to become CEO of PhRMA for a $2 million annual salary. See, e.g., The Medicare Drug War: An Army of Nearly 1,000 Lobbyists Pushes a Medicare Law that Puts Drug Company and HMO Profits Ahead of Patients and Taxpayers, Public Citizen Congress Watch, June 2004, http://www.citizen.org/documents/Medicare_Drug_War%20_Report_2004.pdf "Retiring Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., who stepped down earlier this year as chairman of the House committee that regulates the pharmaceutical industry, will become the new president and CEO of the drug industry's top lobbying group…Public Citizen, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, called Tauzin's hiring 'yet another example of how public service is leading to private riches.' Tauzin gets a pay package reportedly worth at least $2 million a year, making him one of the highest-paid lobbyists in Washington." "Tauzin switches sides from drug industry overseer to lobbyist," USA Today, December 15, 2004.. http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/drugs/2004-12- 15-drugs-usat_x.htm SiCKO: Canadians live three years longer than we do. The 2006 United Nations Human Development Report's human development index states the life expectancy in the United States is 77.5, and the life expectancy in Canada is 80.2. Human Development Report 2006, United Nations Development Programme, 2006 at 283. http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/pdfs/report/HDR06-complete.pdf. SiCKO: Tommy Douglas, who pioneered Canada's health care system, was heralded as the nation's singular most important person. "In November 2004, Canadians voted Tommy Douglas the Greatest Canadian of all time following a nationwide contest. Over 1.2 million votes were cast in a frenzy of voting that took place over six weeks as each of 10 advocates made their case for the Top 10 nominees in special feature programs on CBC Television… . From his first foray into public office politics in 1934 to his post-retirement years in the 1970s, Canada's 'father of Medicare' stayed true to his socialist beliefs -- often at the cost of his own political fortune -- and earned himself the respect of millions of Canadians in the process." "The Greatest Canadian," CBC, 2004. http://www.cbc.ca/greatest SiCKO: Canadian "wait times" not nearly as long as some try to allege. According to Statistics Canada, the official government statistical agency, "In 2005, the median waiting time was about 4 weeks for specialist visits, 4 weeks for non-emergency surgery, and 3 weeks for diagnostic tests. Nationally, median waiting times remained stable between 2003 and 2005 - but there were some differences at the provincial level for selected specialized services.… 70 to 80 percent of Canadians find their waiting times acceptable" "Access to health care services in Canada, Waiting times for specialized services (January to December 2005)," Statistics Canada, http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/82-575-XIE/82-575- XIE2006002.htm A recent study of emergency care in Ontario found that overall, "50% of patients triaged as CTAS I [most acute] were seen by a physician within 6 minutes and 86% were seen within 30 minutes of arriving at the [Emergency Department]. In contrast, the 50% of patients triaged as CTAS IV or V who were seen most quickly waited an hour or less, while 1 in 10 waited three hours or more. Understanding Emergency Department Wait Times: How Long Do People Spend in Emergency Departments in Ontario? Canadian Institute for Health Information, January 2007. http://www.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=reports_ wait_times_bulletins_e "Gerard Anderson, a Johns Hopkins health policy professor who has spent his career examining the world's healthcare, said there are delays, but not as many as conservatives state. In Canada, the United Kingdom and France, 'three percent of hospital discharges had delays in treatment,' Anderson told The Miami Herald. 'That's a relatively small number, and they're all elective surgeries, such as hip and knee replacement.' John Dorschner, "'Sicko' film is set to spark debate; Reformers are gearing up for 'Sicko,' the first major movie to examine America's often maligned healthcare system," Miami Herald, June 29, 2007. SiCKO: Drugs in England only cost $10. For much of 2006, the standard charge for a prescription was £6.65. "The cost of an NHS prescription in England is to rise by 15p to £6.65 from the start of April." "Prescription charge to rise 15p," BBC News, March 13 2006. From April 1 2007 to present, the charge is £6.85. "There are many unacceptable inequities and anomalies in the present system. Although around four out of five prescriptions are exempt (see below for list of exempt categories), the price of a prescription (£6.85 from 1 April 2007) often hits those who cannot afford such charges. There are many people with chronic conditions who are not exempt and those on low incomes find it very difficult to pay. This causes a disproportionate levy on a limited section of the population." British Medical Association, "Funding - Prescription Changes," March 2007. http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/FundingPrescriptionCharges SiCKO: After losing 42,000 civilians in eight months during a vicious bombing campaign during World War II, Britain pulled together and instituted a National Health Insurance program in 1948. "The Blitz was September 7, 1940 through May 11 1941. "42,000 civilians are estimated to have died during the campaign, with over 50,000 injured, and around 130,000 houses destroyed." See, "Remembering the Blitz," http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/archive/exhibits/blitz/intro.html; "Living With War; Air Raids," The Discovery Channel, http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/ww2_home/ww2_living_with _war/index.shtml "The NHS was set up in 1948 and is now the largest organisation in Europe. It is recognised as one of the best health services in the world by the World Health Organisation but there need to be improvements to cope with the demands of the 21st century." "About the NHS," NHA website, http://www.nhs.uk/Aboutnhs/howthenhsworks/Pages/ HowtheNHSworks.aspx SiCKO: In a study of older Americans and Brits, the Brits had less of almost every major disease. Even the poorest Brit can expect to live longer than the richest American. "The US population in late middle age is less healthy than the equivalent British population for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, lung disease, and cancer. Within each country, there exists a pronounced negative socioeconomic status (SES) gradient with self-reported disease so that health disparities are largest at the bottom of the education or income variants of the SES hierarchy. This conclusion is generally robust to control for a standard set of behavioral risk factors, including smoking, overweight, obesity, and alcohol drinking, which explain very little of these health differences… Level differences between countries are sufficiently large that individuals in the top of the education and income strata in the United States have comparable rates of diabetes and heart disease as those in the bottom of the income and education strata in England." (See also Table 1 - for example, prevalence of diabetes among high-income Americans is 8.2 per thousand, while it's 7.3 among low-income Brits.) Banks, Marmot et al., "Disease and Disadvantage in the United States and in England," Journal of the American Medical Association, 2006;295:2037-2045. SiCKO: A baby born in El Salvador has a better chance of surviving than a baby born in Detroit. According to the United Nations Statistics Division, Population and Vital Statistics Report, the rate of infant deaths per thousand in El Salvador is 10.5. "Table 3, Live births, deaths, and infant deaths, latest available year, June 15, 2007." http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/serATab3.pdf According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, the rate of infant deaths for Detroit is 15.9 per thousand. "Number of Infant Deaths, Live Births and Infant Death Rates for Selected Cities of Residence, 2005 and 2001 - 2005 Average," Michigan Department of Community Health Web Site, http://www.mdch.state.mi.us/pha/osr/InDxMain/Tab4.asp. SiCKO: Around 65 percent of young Americans can't find Britain on a map. "About 11 percent of young citizens of the U.S. couldn't even locate the U.S. on a map. The Pacific Ocean's location was a mystery to 29 percent; Japan, to 58 percent; France, to 65 percent; and the United Kingdom, to 69 percent." "Survey Reveals Geographic Illiteracy," National Geographic Today, November 20, 2002. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/11/1126_021120_ TVGeoRoperSurvey.html. SiCKO: Companies that no longer offer pensions to new employees. These can be found on a list prepared by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. Pension Change Fact Sheets, http://www.bc.edu/centers/crr/PFFS.shtml In addition, the Pension Rights Center has also compiled a near-comprehensive list. Companies That Have Changed Their Defined Benefit Pension Plans, http://www.pensionrights.org/pubs/facts/company_list.html SiCKO: Like Canadians and Brits, the French live longer than we do. The 2006 United Nations Human Development Report's human development index states the life expectancy in the United States is 77.5, the United Kingdom is 78.5, France is 79.6, and Canada is 80.2. Human Development Report 2006, United Nations Development Programme, 2006 at 283. http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/pdfs/report/HDR06-complete.pdf. SiCKO: The productivity rate per hour in France is higher than in America. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, France has a higher labor productivity (GDP per hour worked) than the United States. "OECD in Figures 2005, 2005/Supplement 1 at 84. http://213.253.134.29/oecd/pdfs/browseit/0105061E.PDF "Britain has yet to catch up with its rivals on productivity. Gordon Brown, the chancellor, has long wished to close Britain's productivity gap with other countries. It is proving a long haul. In 2004, output per hour worked was 19% higher in France, 15% higher in America and 5% higher in Germany than it was in Britain." "Poor show; International comparisons," The Economist, January 21, 2006. SiCKO: French policy on childcare and household assistance for new parents. According to the French-American Foundation comprehensive review of child care, "For non-working parents or parents who work part-time, haltes garderies (drop-in centers) provide part-time, occasional, and drop-in care. Haltes garderies are also subsidized (by municipality and the National Family Allowance Fund), with parents paying a portion of the costs based on a sliding scale (parents pay an average of $1 per hour). … For working parents [there are] licensed family day care providers (assistants maternelles), licensed babysitters at home (social security costs and salaries subsidized by the National Family Allowance Fund)." Peer, Shanny., "The French Early Education System," French-American Foundation, November 13, 2003., www.eoionline.org/ELC/Presentations/Peer4.pdf SiCKO: There is a company in France, SOS Medecins, which will perform doctor house calls at any time. SOS Medecins has an English website, viewable here: http://www.sosmedecins-france.fr/en/smf_en_present.htm. SiCKO: The government initially refused to pay for the health care of 9/11 volunteers, because they were not on the government payroll. It remains difficult for the volunteers to access the $50 million fund that has been appropriated for their care. The Department of Defense and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Recovery From and Response to Terrorist Attacks on the United States Act provided a total of $175 million for workers compensation programs - $125 million to NYS Workers Compensation Review Board, and an additional $50 million to reimburse the NYS Uninsured Employers Fund, including for benefits paid to volunteers. However, there have been major delays in getting money to volunteers. See. e.g. "Statement of Robert E. Robertson, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues," "September 11, Federal Assistance for New York Workers' Compensation Costs," United States Government Accountability Office, (GAO-04-1068T) September 8, 2004. "With strong advocacy from New York's Congressional Delegation and labor leaders, a portion - about $52 million - of the $125 million in federal funding that had been allocated for administering workers compensation claims was re-allocated to provide some funding for medical treatment programs, but it will only meet a fraction of the need. Congress approved the legislation authorizing this funding in late December 2005." Devlin Barrett, "Congress Gives New Life to 9/11 Programs," Newsday, December 22, 2005. A $52 million fund for volunteers was eventually established, but experts agree it's inadequate. The New York Times reported on September 6, 2006 that "Dr. John Howard, who was named the federal 9/11 health coordinator in February, has already said that the $52 million the federal government has appropriated for treatment late last year is inadequate. He said in an interview yesterday that the new study will very likely mean that the gap between funds and the need for them is going to grow." Anthony DePalma, "Illness Persisting in 9/11 Workers, Big Study Finds," New York Times, September 6, 2006. SiCKO: American officials claim that detainees at Guantanamo Bay receive excellent health care. "There is still acute care 24 hours a day, in which surgical procedures, everything, can be performed right there in the detainee camps, but as those wounds healed and as the detainees got further and further away from acute injuries, there has been increasing emphasis on preventative care. Indeed, the immunization rate there is higher than in the United States of America…. Things such as screening for cancer have taken place there. Colonoscopies--a procedure which, as we all know, is used commonly in this country to screen for colon cancer--are performed there on a routine basis. The health personnel-to-detainee ratio is 1 to 4--remarkably high. That is all health personnel who are there. And I guess, as I left this briefing and the opportunity to talk to the doctors and the nurses and the psychologists and the psychiatrists, I left with an impression that health care there is clearly better than they received at home and as good as many people receive in the United States of America." Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN), remarks on Guantanamo Bay, U.S. Senate, September 12, 2006. "They go out, they do sick call on the blocks three times per week, care for them there, if they can… We have diabetes. We have high blood pressure, high cholesterol. Those detainees -- we've created a population health database so that we can track those detainees to make sure we're seeing them frequently, monitoring their labs and their overall health." Statement of Navy Commander Cary Ostergaard. "Hearing Of The House Armed Services Committee Subject: Detainee Operations At Guantanamo Bay," June 29, 2005. "Detainees receive medical, dental, psychiatric, and optometric care at U.S. taxpayers' expense. In 2005, there were 35 teeth cleanings, 91 cavities filled, and 174 pairs of glasses issued." "Ten Facts About Guantanamo," Department of Defense, September 14, 2006. http://www.defenselink.mil/home/dodupdate/For-the-record/documents/ GuantanamoBay_Top10_ATTACHMENT2.doc. SiCKO: Cuba is one of the most generous countries in providing doctors to the third world. "WHO statistics show that the incidence of AIDS in Cuba is the lowest in this hemisphere, and there are now more than 800 Cuban doctors in Haiti alone working to control the AIDS epidemic. President Castro has offered an almost unlimited number to be sent to Africa, to be paid by the Cuban government with only a small stipend from the host countries." "President Carter's Cuba Trip Report By Jimmy Carter," May 21, 2002. http://www.cartercenter.org/news/documents/doc528.html "The close friendship between Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has netted Venezuela a loan of 20,000 Cuban health workers -- including 14,000 doctors, according to the Venezuelan government -- who work in poor barrios and rural outposts for stipends seven times higher on average than their salaries at home. Castro has vowed to send Chavez as many as 10,000 additional medical workers by year's end." "As Cuba Loans Doctors Abroad, Some Patients Object at Home," Boston Globe, August 25, 2005. "President Evo Morales on Friday heeded the wishes of six visiting U.S. senators by acknowledging the positive effects of American aid in his country - but added that Cuban doctors had had a greater impact on Bolivia than their U.S. counterparts… n a Friday interview with Bolivian radio network Fides, Morales said the assistance of Cuban leader Fidel Castro - who has sent Bolivia some 1,700 doctors and paramedics this year alone, setting up free hospitals and eye clinics throughout Bolivia -- outshines the United States' own medical aid." "Morales Says Cuban Doctors top U.S. Medical Aid," Boston Globe, December 29, 2006. SiCKO: In the U.S., health care costs run nearly $7,000 per person. But in Cuba, they spend around $251 per person. United States health spending per capita is $6,697 per person according to Catlin, A, C. Cowan, S. Heffler, et al, "National Health Spending in 2005." Health Affairs 26:1 (2006). As with the number of uninsured, the number continues to increase and is projected to be $7,092 per capita in 2006, $7,498 per capita in 2007 and reaching $12,782 by 2016, according the Department of Health and Human Services Center for Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures, National Health Expenditures Projections 2006-2016, http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/proj2006.pdf The 2006 United Nations Human Development Report says Cuba spends $251 per capita on health care. (Human Development Report 2006, United Nations Development Programme, 2006. http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/statistics/indicators/52.html) SiCKO: In Cuba, access to health care is universal. "Cuban dissatisfaction with their personal lives does not mean they are negative about the revolutionary government's achievements in health care and education. A near unanimous 96 percent of respondents say that health care in Cuba is accessible to everyone. Gallup polls in other Latin American cities have found that on average only 42 percent believe health care is accessible." Gallup/ Consultoría Interdisciplinaria en Desarrollo, "Cubans Show Little Satisfaction with Opportunities and Individual Freedom Rare Independent Survey Finds Large Majorities Are Still Proud of Island's Health Care and Education," January 10, 2007. http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/brlatinamericara/ 300.php?nid=&id=&pnt=300&lb=brla SiCKO: Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate and a longer average lifespan than the United States. The 2006 United Nations Human Development Report's human development index states the life expectancy in the United States is 77.5, and is 77.6 in Cuba. Human Development Report 2006, United Nations Development Programme, 2006 at 283. http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/pdfs/report/HDR06-complete.pdf. According to the United Nations Statistics Division, Population and Vital Statistics Report, the rate of infant deaths per thousand in Cuba is 6.2 per thousand, and in the United States is 6.8. "Table 3, Live births, deaths, and infant deaths, latest available year, June 15, 2007." http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/serATab3.pdf

Jilly, I understand your fears--it's hard, when you don't quite know what to expect. I promise, it's not nearly as bad as you are fearing! I will describe how my doctor does it. Yours may do it a little differently, but the basic technique is the same. I stand up, next to the fluoroscope. (Your doctor may not use fluoroscopy, so you might not be positioned this way.) The doctor locates my port (sometimes I have to pooch my stomach out a little), then swabs the area with an alcohol wipe. The needle is then inserted into the site; it feels just like any other injection--though in skilled hands (and the people who do fills have so much experience), it is not bad at all. My doctor then injects a bit of saline from the syringe into the port. He leaves the needle in place, and lets the syringe, connected to the needle by a tiny bit of tubing, rest against my abdomen. I step sideways so that he can take a look, fluoroscopically, as I take a swallow of barium. Depending on what he sees and how I feel, he sometimes injects a bit more saline, has another look, and so on--until I hit the right level of restriction. He then removes the needle, pops on a band-aid, and that's that! It is all very quick--never more than a handful of minutes from start to finish. He's never had to stick more than once, and it has never been more uncomfortable than the easiest, breeziest vaccination.

I had my first fill last week and it was pretty uneventful. I went in they weighed me, asked me how I was eating, was I getting full between meals and what my portions size was. Then he had me lay back on the table and he kind of poked around to find my port. Then he said you will feel it get cold (he cleaned the area with alcohol) and a little needle stick. I felt the stick (just like a shot) and he kind of moved it around a little and then said all done and pulled the needle out. That felt a little weird because it tugs on the port a little. He put a band-aid on and had me drink some water. The water was to make sure he did not over fill. He said if it feels like it is sitting in the back of your throat it is to tight. He said mushie for 2 days and then solids. I had a hard time because I was still have not mastered small bites and slowing downing so I had a few "stuck" episodes since but have really watched it the last couple of days and am doning great. Don't worry about the fill it is really simple.

My 2cents. It seems people on this board have mentioned that they still smoke cigarettes after surgery, so from that prospective it probably isn't any worse - from the smoke/inhaling side of things. Most people I know have been told to quit smoking for a time period prior to and after surgery to aid in healing. As for adding it to recipes???? Don't use the recipe that the coffee shops use in Amsterdam. Their chocolate cake tastes horrible. LOL Fab - I would agree that alcohol is probably harder on your stomach .... especially after my personal experience last weekend : ( oops! I thought I could drink one entire margarita. Nope. My limit is about half.

I have to say this is one of the most entertaining threads I have read in awhile, most people just ask about alcohol! And then people go nuts answering either way! I don't judge either way, I drink alcohol and I know a lot of people think that is wrong! I wish I had an answer for you!

Nothing cause I eat whatever I want, in moderation of course. . including alcohol 1-2 drinks only though, go straight to my head they do! hehehe. . . before the sleeve, my problem was portion control and not junk food eater. . . when i discussed this with the surgeon, he told me i would be an excellent candidate since this surgery controls portions. . . I eat healthy stuff, cheese, meat, veggies, fruits, tons of water, sugar free desserts if i have any, nuts, seeds, etc. . . but it's portion controlled. . . tonight i was really happy that i actually finished 1 whole hamburger (small one) with a slice of cheese and a pickle. . . then about 2 hours later about 6 chucks of fresh pineapple and a little bit of nuts. . . if i feel like eating ice cream, i have it, but it's sugar free and about 100 calories only. . . so nope, no missing foods here at all and loving it. . .

Really? The following scenario is something that has been endorsed and proposed on these boards: April 18, 2010 Conservatives Want to Go Back to the Golden Age of the 1880s It took the Republican Party sixty years of dedicated effort to make the word “liberal” radioactive in some parts of the United States. In less than half that time they’ve also done a pretty good job of making “Republican” just as disliked, associated as it is with the politics of wretched excess, fetishizing ignorance, bowing to K street lobbyists, and diaper-wearing-toe-tapping-lesbian-bondage sexual hypocrisy. So lately conservatives, and especially the most hard right wing of conservatives, have been on the lookout for other terms they can use rather than the dreaded “R” word when describing themselves. Some of them have jumped on board the Glenn Beck self-promotion tour. Considering that it’s an artificial movement generated around a cheap media persona, declaring yourself a supporter of the Tea Party is a bit like being a proud member of a Monkees Fan Club (and you don’t even get to hear “Last Train to Clarksville”), but hey, it plays better than being a part of the George W. Bush legacy. Other conservatives have jumped in a different direction and declared that they’re really “small government Libertarians.” Only they don’t seem to understand what Libertarian actually means. Take for example this article in which Jacob Hornberger anoints 1880 as the peak of America’s Libertarian golden age. Let’s consider, say, the year 1880. Here was a society in which people were free to keep everything they earned, because there was no income tax. They were also free to decide what to do with their own money—spend it, save it, invest it, donate it, or whatever. People were generally free to engage in occupations and professions without a license or permit. There were few federal economic regulations and regulatory agencies. No Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, welfare, bailouts, or so-called stimulus plans. No IRS. No Departments of Education, Energy, Agriculture, Commerce, and Labor. No EPA and OSHA. No Federal Reserve. No drug laws. Few systems of public schooling. No immigration controls. No federal minimum-wage laws or price controls. A monetary system based on gold and silver coins rather than paper money. No slavery. No CIA. No FBI. No torture or cruel or unusual punishments. No renditions. No overseas military empire. No military-industrial complex. As a libertarian, as far as I’m concerned, that’s a society that is pretty darned golden. Now, doesn't that sound like what some on here would like to go back to? But read on as to what life was REALLY like back then. Ah, the 1880s. I can hear people getting wistful from here. A golden age in which people kept all that they earned. Of course, what they earned in the absence of those debilitating minimum wage laws could be nothing more than worthless tokens from the company store. What they earned from twelve hours of work seven days a week could be actually be a bigger debt to the company that sent you into a mine or factory and made you pay for the wear on your tools, the water you drank, the fuel for your lamp, even the blasting powder you used. Still, a lifetime of debt wasn’t so bad in a golden age without OSHA and its safety laws, since lifetimes could be quite brief. Mining accidents didn’t kill a piddling 29 men, they killed thousands every year. Over 3 miners out of every 1,000 died on the job each year (twice the rate of Great Britain with it’s freedom-robbing concern for safety). But miners were pikers compared to folks on the railroad. Trainmen fell at a rate that made each year of work roughly equal to the risk of being among the troops on D-Day. Now that’s freedom you can feel (well, briefly). It was an age where any construction project worth its salt could measure progress by body count and factory workers were privileged to know that they really were valued far less than the machines they tended. And death wasn’t all that this golden age had to offer! It was an age when American workers could look forward to the liberation of being disabled for life, and know that they wouldn’t be burdened by the crushing burden of worker’s compensation or government aid. Any laborer making it to to retirement would find… well, whatever they had laid aside for themselves, assuming they were paid in actual money and that they were cagey enough to hide it somewhere their employer couldn’t “borrow” it. Meaning that a large percentage got to experience the invigorating freedom of starting a second career as a beggar after decades of crippling repetitive work, breathing toxic fumes, and exposure to corrosive chemicals made them unable to continue to hum hi-ho at their old tasks. Well over half of America’s senior citizens basked in the autumnal liberty of living in poverty. It was a golden age without labor laws in which only 5% of people faced the awful restriction of an 8 hour work day while 3 times that many were blessed with a workday that was 12 hours or longer. Many industries, breweries for example, had a standard workday of 15 hours. And with all the extra freedom of that age, many children were able to experience the blessings of back-breaking labor starting every day by the time they reached the age of 10, with more than a third generating freedom dollars before they turned 15. Of course, that wasn’t hard since thiswas a golden age of few public schools. Except it wasn’t. Public education was common across the country, even in remote communities. Even the tiniest frontier village rarely went long without a school, many states had organized school districts, and in a good number of areas the ratio of teachers to students was actually higher than in our own socialistic era. Perhaps what Hornberger meant to say was that there were few schools available to minorities. In many areas minorities lived with “compulsory ignorance,” as they were not only excluded from public schools, but discouraged (often violently) from seeking education. That accounts for a literacy rate of less than 40% among African-Americans in 1880. As laws changed and more schools became available for all, that rate grew by more than 30% over the next three decades. However, white literacy remained about the same — not surprising since whites were already suffering from those socialistic public schools well before 1880. It truly was a golden age. One in which, thanks to that lack of nasty safety requirements and the troublesome health organizations, the average lifespan was all the way up to 40! An age in which, unfettered by the shackles of regulations on clean water and Hitler-like restrictions on sewage, 50,000 Americans died of cholera. An age in which parents could experience the ultimate freedom endowed by watching 1 child in 5 die in infancy, and 1 out of 3 fail to reach adulthood. Those numbers are for white Americans. Minorities experienced even more of the freedom that comes from burying your children. It truly was a golden age where there were “no immigration controls” as long as, you know, you were white and European. Oh, and wealthy. Otherwise, you were subject to laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act, or regulations that allowed anyone to be denied admission on the basis of poverty. Once you were in, you could love the freedom from Jim Crow laws, and the liberty that came with being denied to right to vote, or the ability to protect yourself from abuse. Of course Hispanic, Black, and Asian-Americans were all stimulated by the freedom that comes from having your home burned, your community ransacked, your wife and daughters raped, your belongings stolen, and your body left to turn as “strange fruit” in trees that sprouted across the country. All without un-American interference by the government. There’s no freedom like the freedom that comes when you aren’t forced to endure a trial by a jury of your peers and can get on with more expedited forms of justice. It was a golden age when the last bands of Native Americans still struggling along under the illusion that they were free, were invited into the real liberty that is life on the reservation. And an age where they got to see the lands their ancestors had occupied for centuries or tens of centuries handed over for destruction. Imagine the liberty you get from seeing your lands taken away, your children beaten for speaking their own language, your religious practices used as an excuse for slaughter, and your entire culture erased. A golden age, free from money-grubbing FEMA, where 400 people could die in a snow storm… then 400 more could die in the next. An age when Florida didn’t need no stinking assistance in picking up the thousands who died in hurricanes and Midwestern states laughed off the hundreds who died in tornadoes — all without warning from a communist government weather bureau. An age where dams could be built without concern for any damn fish living in the water, or any damn people living downstream. An age where you were free to inhale the asbestos that wafted from factories and the mercury fumes that steamed from metal refineries. And free to see the interesting effects such exposures had on your offspring. An age without communist limits on commerce or immoral government tests, where thousands of Americans each year died from tainted food. Where you didn’t need no stinkin’ license to hand out medicines. An age free from the horrors of the FDA where parents could feel good about using a childrens’ cough remedy laced with opium, cocaine, formaldehyde, and wood alcohol. An age when nobody told us how much lead we could have in our water, or how much soot we could have in our air. An age where the injured and elderly had the God-given right to starve. It was a golden age of rights for women in which… oh, wait. Sorry. I forgot for a moment that women don’t count when measuring freedom. Good thing, since in 1880 they couldn’t vote, were excluded from many occupations, faced restrictions on their ownership rights, and were often treated as the property of their husbands. Naturally, their reproductive rights consisted of the right to reproduce — or die trying. Of course, what Hornberger was likely envisioning was the flip side of all this liberty. The freedom of being a rich in a society where those with money enjoyed tremendous advantage. The freedom that factory owners and robber barons enjoyed in treating workers as they wanted, employing private armies to beat or kill those who opposed them, and indulging any whim in the sure knowledge that a large enough bribe could smooth things over. The good news for Jacob is that it’s not too late. It doesn’t require a time machine and a trip to the 1880s to experience all the joys of this golden age he so longs for. You can reach this land of paradise with a couple of flights and a short boat ride. It’s called Somalia. The truth is, there are real Libertarians out there, people who place a very high value on individual rights and who believe this government — like most every government — too often interferes with those rights. Of course, actual Libertarians realize that for individual rights to have any meaning, they require the presence of a body that can ensure those rights. They know that freedom can’t be maintained in an absence of information, and that there must be agencies that create the transparency needed for effective individual action and ensure there are consequences to dishonesty. Real advocates of the free market realize that term has no meaning unless the market is free from coercion and the law is not defined by “might makes right.” They know that individual freedoms are incompatible with a system where corporations are treated as super-citizens (unlike those who supported the recent supreme court ruling on this) and that Libertarianism requires that workers be more valued that abstract entities that live only on paper. The difference between actual Libertarians and Republicans hiding from their tarnished name is quite easy. Actual Libertarians are concerned about the freedom of individuals. Conservatives use Libertarian as a code word meaning “I want to continue to enjoy all the privileges I do now, but I don’t want to share them with you and most of all I don’t want to pay any taxes.”(SO TRUE!!!) Push come to shove, they’re happy to abbreviate that to “Screw freedom. I just don’t want to pay taxes.” alternet But to be fair, those who advocate going back to this, do allow a few crumbs to be tossed in the way of a few safety nets. But just a few, mind you. But more importantly - all the improvements in our lives from this example of life in the 1880's until now have come from the democrats, unions and the creation of the middle class.

This may be "against the grain" here, but I don't miss anything. Why? Because I don't have any "off limits" foods. The only thing that I gave up completely is diet cokes. And I did that months before my surgery. Thankfully, I don't miss them at all. I also never drank alcohol, so... I've chosen to not be on a diet. I've chosen to eat like a normal, healthy person. That means that nothing is completely off limits. Everything is acceptable in moderation. Sure, I have to be careful & concious of what I eat. But if I want pizza, I eat a slice minus the end crust (I usually can't eat a whole slice & I sure can't eat the end crust). I don't eat if often. And honestly, since I've had my VSG I find I have much fewer cravings for the "not so healthy" foods. That's just what works for me. I don't feel deprived. I don't feel like I'm on a diet. I simply feel like a normal healthy person who chooses the healthier options more times than not. But I also never feel guilty, or like I've failed if I choose to have a treat. It's a concious choice I've made, not mindless eating like pre-VSG.

So, I'd like to be one of the 67% who don't need to have their g.b.'s removed post-op. I've been doing a little research on things that seem to protect the g.b. during rapid weight loss, and here's the list I've come up with: Omega 3 fatty acids seem to help. Not sure what I can consume that has these; I don't like sea food and I'm not sure if/when I'm allowed to have nuts. In the solid phase? Fiber: according to my nut., ground flaxseed is a really good choice for fiber for sleevers. Downside, it has a fishy taste. Upside, it apparently has some Omega 3's and Omega 6's! Fruits and vegetables: check, I'll consume as much as my sleeve allows, although learning which ones I can tolerate will be a journey in itself. Ursadiol: well, apparently this is hepatotoxic and insanely expensive, so this is probably out. Low sugar: yeah, I'm going to be avoiding sugar for obvious reasons, so this might help. Alcohol: interestingly, 1-2 drinks a day seems to *protect* the gall bladder. But I can't have any alcohol on my healing sleeve, and besides, 1-2 drinks a day is bad for me in other ways, so... no. Coffee: apparently coffee is good for the gall bladder. Not caffeine, COFFEE. I wonder if I should drink decaf for a while just to get this benefit? Plus, it used to help me to remain regular (BM-wise), so that sounds like a recommendation. Any of the medical types know any other advice? Edit: source is http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/how_can_gallstones_gallbladder_disease_be_prevented_000010_5.htm

My doctor uses fluoroscopy during a fill. I don't see any responses that describe this, so I'll tell you how it goes for me. (It is very simple and quick.) I stand against a wall next to the flouroscopy machine. The doctor locates my port, cleans it with an alcohol swab, and inserts the needle. He injects a small amount of Fluid, then rests the syringe against my abdomen (it hangs from the needle by a small length of tubing). He has me swallow a mouthful of barium, and observes its movement through the band. Then he returns, injects a little more, and we repeat. This continues until I get to the right level of fill. Then, out comes the needle, on goes a bandaid, and it's all done. It's really no biggie at all. H

Canolie - you can call the Allergen toll free number and give them your surgery information - date, surgeon, address and they will mail you the card. You can do it online at their website, but I couldn't figure it out so I called them. Yes the Kaiser program I am doing is very expensive all together including the Optifast food it is about $4300 - it includes all the bloodwork, doctor visits, classes - but if you divide it by the 30 weeks we have to go it is only $143/mo or if you divide it by the total program time 84 weeks it is about $51/wk. I am having to charge the whole thing at this point - you don't pay it all at once. I am considering it as an investment in ME. Thank you for understanding and keeping any negativity to yourself (I know not everyone approves nor do they have to). Tina - I don't know if all beans are sliders, but I do know that refried bean and baked beans are. It is hard not to turn to them if dense protein gets stuck. I pretty much don't go out to eat with people other than my parents or kids. I think it is hard for some people to understand why we can't eat and certainly why we can't drink. I know they don't want us to drink alcohol but it isn't very realistic to think that for the rest of our lives - everything in moderation but I would avoid the carbonation. Of course I don't do food well in moderation. I think I will be doing laundry a couple of more hours - camping is fun, but it put me off schedule for the laundry etc. I am planning on going to the Point West meeting on Saturday.

Tina, I find that the Morningstar Veggie Sausage Patties are still too dense for me at three months out. Regular pork sausage - awful UGH UGH UGH. I'm sorry it got you. I hope you feel better and that your fever goes away. John, I knew you were a Sailor and drink like one too! I haven't tried alcohol yet. I may have a taste of wine when visiting the wine country next month. I've only been to the champagne district several years ago when visiting Paris so it might be fun to try vineyards in the south.

Chrissy - Yes I've had plenty of alcohol, mostly rum these past few weeks. Never really liked beer but I do like my mixed drinks. When I decided to move forward with the Sleeve being able to have some drinks here and there was a small factor. I did clear it with the doc but admit I've had a bit too much this past month being away from home. I’m still trying to figure out what best to mix rum with. Staying away from carbonated and high calorie ingredients like coke, cranberry and the like. I’ve been using crystal light to mix with when I can. Long Island's were my drink of choice but I'll now stick to a weaker drink. Good luck with the case manger appointment!

Hi Ali - Thanks. I've been snacking a bit, SO hard eating out in front of other people, even if they know about my surgery. I tend to eat less in front of them and snack later. Not good but I'm so afraid of sliming / puking while out. I've also been partying (alcohol) quite a bit with my friends. When I get home and weigh-in I wouldn't be surprised if I’ve not lost any weight since I left Cali. We shall see! Good Sunday to all!!!!!

Hi Michelle I wasn't asked to do a pre-op diet (sleeved in Belgium on 5 May) - but for the 3 weeks before I did stay low fat and stopped drinking any alcohol and lost 7lbs. So I am sure you'll be fine! Since the surgery I'm feeling great and am moving slowly onto mushies now although surgeon said I could try soft solids after 10 days but I think they might stick a bit! The major thing I have found is to keep drinking the Water this seems to be beneficial to every aspect of the weight loss. Since surgery I have lost 10lbs - which is great. Also my skin and hair haven't looked so healthy in years! We can all only do the best we can - so just try to stick with it as much as possible and everything will be good. Lyn x