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Joy Joy's Journal

A blog by Joy Joy

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well hi ya'll....

wow again I havent been on here for a while! I have been searching for a fill doc in my area very unlucky! Since my new insurance doesnt cover anything for WLS I have to self pay. I ended up going back to my original doc to see if they would cut me a break well they ended up being cheaper than any other fill center/doctor. $150 per fill ! Not bad ive got quoted $250-500 at other places. BUT since its been over a year since I've had a fill I have to see a dietian 2x before I can schedule a fill.

May 12, 2011

0

UGH....

Well I missed my appt today. My BF reset the alarm clock because he knew I didnt have school today. I tried to reschedule for later but they werent having that....so my appt is now 6/6/6 .....oh geez I didnt even realize that is 666 not a good sign right. Oh well we shall see what happens. TTYL

May 17, 2006

1

Surgical and non-surgical treatment of morbid obesity is not a covered benefit?

When I had my LB I was covered 100% medicaid. Since then I have went for over a year w/o any insurance. I currently have new insurance with Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa. I have a Pre-Existing Condition Exclusion Period which ends 10/26/2010 . It also states that "Surgical and non-surgical treatment of morbid obesity is not a covered benefit." Do I have a chance of being covered? Im a little freaked out that I may never be able to have my band check or get filled/unfilled. I spoke with Heidi at Siver Cross Joliet. She is going to check for me to see if the insurance will pay. When I checked they told me no. But like I say "never take a no from someone that cant give you a yes". :biggrin:

April 26, 2010

4

Sugery I've had and want...

My first procedure was done in 2001. I had a breast reduction from 38DDD to 36C. I am now a 38D (I had another son in 2004) so that kind of changed things. I would like to get them fixed to be a little fuller. But over all one of the best decisions I ever made. The second was the LB done in 2006. My scars a very minimal and my port scar is about 4 inches lower than it was when it was first done. When I got down to 160ish my port stuck out like a sore thumb. I also had my teeth done {Vaneers (sp?)} in 2008. Again best decision ever I smile like never before. Better than braces ever did! I would love to have a tummy tuck with lipo. I have two boys that were both 10lb each. I am 5'1 needless to say I was streched everywhich way. My tummy has never recovered. Add the weight loss and its even worse. I have alot of saggy skin I pull up to see what I would look like with out it. So in the mean time I wear a body slimmer just one of the high waisted kind without the leg part. I works but I cant wait to get rid of it!

April 24, 2010

1

Starting over- for those that have fallen off the wagon.

Well I guess I am no longer considered a newbie. Banded 10/2006 and have 3 fills. I have gained 15 of the 40lbs I lost. WOW I never ever thought that would be possible. BUT fellow new bandsters it is. As a food addict I learned how to eat around my band junk food is my vice. As I look back can now see that I am a slow loser. I started at 215 and got down to 160-165. And thats were I got discouraged. I saw everyone else losing and looking great and I was just inching along. I went back into my old way...now I for sure cant eat as much as I used to, believe me I tried and have PB'd more than anyone should. So here I am re-dedicating myself to the band lifestyle. I must say that here is where I find the most support. I dont have a doctor, no support group, in fact I have new insurance and am finding it difficult to get fills covered 1) due to pre-exisiting clause and 2) hard to find a doc who will take someone elses patient. Anywhoo, I will be blogging alot more often..see ya later:thumbup:

April 22, 2010

6

psycho

I met with the psych today. It was great I actually talked and he listened. I dont have many people in my life that let me talk usually I am the one listening to there problems. Anhwoo, I am happy to say that I got the green light from him. So next is the cardio clearance on the 10th.

September 15, 2006

2

PB'd on soup...

alright well it was chicken dumpling from progressive, should have known better. I dont do well with dough'y foods. Boy I made mad dash to the bathroom (I can always tell when it will just pass) but this time it didnt. I have not PB'd in about 4-5 mos. NOW I remember why I dont eat those things! SIde note I will not be eating a work anymore--just protien shakes. Between the gurgles that EVERYONE can hear and the potention PB's I can wait until I get home!

May 24, 2010

0

One more day...

One more day until I meet with the Dr. I am so exicted! And a little nervous. I hope I qualify! Wish me luck!

May 15, 2006

0

on track

Well I feel really good about my new Dr. Dr. Bonomo @ Mercy Hosp in Chicago. They are really on top of things there! I have an appt with him on the 29th to discuss my journey.

August 14, 2006

1

My October band-anniversary challenge

In October I will have been banded for 4 years, and I am going to celebrate by getting to my goal or close as hell to it!:wink2: Current BMI 34/ 180lbs ...eek:crying: Goal BMI 25 or 125 lbs That is 50-55 lbs to loose in 6mos. Im a slow loser. So if anyone has any tips I would love it!:smile2:

April 23, 2010

3

My Journey

7-25-2005 I have been looking into WLS for about 6 months now. I kinda stumbled upon this web site. Very happy I found it. I knew right away this was for me. MIBC Chicago IL DR Horagan: I went to an infosession on July 9th and I have my consultation on Aug 4th. Im getting a little nervous. I have only told my mom, brother,best friend and boyfriend, oh and also my sons daycare provider ( I have known her for 8 years) we both had our breast reduction around the same time. I havent told my Dad and my older brother I know what they are going to say. Just eat less and exercise. this is comming from a skinny man in his 50s and a my brother the muscular personal trainer both who have never had a weight issue in their life! I will deal with them when the time comes I dont need be stressed out any more about this. Anywhoo I am 33 years old mother of two boys (15mos & 8 yrs) also my boyfriends daughter just moved in with us from TX she's 10. I am about 5'1" 195-201 depending on the week. I have about 75-80 lbs to lose. It may not seem like a lot considering my starting weight is most WLS goal weight. But I am short so it shows alot on me. No one is really overweight in my family or my bf family. So I kinda stick out like a sore thumb. My BF is very muscular and fit. He runs and wo everyday. He is very loving but does want me to be fit. ** I am not doing this for him*** I am a self pay. My insurance does have and exclusion regarding WLS. I will be getting a loan from a finance company to pay the 15k. My wake up call was a full length picture of me. I looked twice the size I felt! I'll will have to get that pic up for inspiration. ttyl 7-29-2005 Got on the scale today 210! I gained 10 lbs. I shouldnt be supprised I havent been eating "good" things lately. Probably because i know i am having the band done im splurging a little. I know bad bad bad! Lately i have been having weird dreams related to wls. I dream that all of my skin was hanging off me and my boobs kinda delfated. which they kinda already have ...i had a breast reduction in 2001 i went from a 38ddd to a 36c but i gained weight so now i am a 38d ...highly recommend it to anyone who needs it. anywhoo... I guess some of my fears about the surgery are manifesting in my dreams...anyone else? 8/5/05 I left work early today to take the train downtown for my consult with the doctor @ MIBC. I had to take a cab from the train station because it was to far to walk and I was already late. My appt was a 4pm I go there at about 4:20. traffic was crazy today! When arrived they asked for my packet and told me to wait. I was called in by a very nice lady she took my BP and asked me if I was allergic to anything, then she had me stand on the scale…uggg. I was pleasantly surprised because on my prior post I had gained 10lbs. I weighed in at 201. I know I didn’t loose that much, I figure my scale was off a little at home and Aunt Flo had just visited me. Soooo anyway. I waited in the office until the Dr was ready to see me. Dr Horgan was on vacation so I had to see another Dr. I forget his name but he was nice. We talked for about 30min about why I was there, my lifestyle, past diets etc. He made it very clear that this was not magic and that I should not have any fantasies about the bad doing all the work. I told him I need help and that I know I can succeed with this tool. He agreed and said this will work for you if you work the program, exercise eat right, etc. He says a good weight for me and my height would be 125, that’s what I figured although I cant imagine myself that small I think I was in jr high the last time I weighed that much. I also talked to the nutritionist briefly we went over my diet and exercise. She advised me to practice being a bandster. No pop, eat slow and small bites no drinking before during and after meals….ugh it’s killing me but I know it’s worth it. I didn’t start immediately there is a gourmet popcorn shop around the corner I waited an ½ for 1 pound of popcorn it was worth it although I only ate 1-2 cups the rest was sucked up by my BF. I also passed by some shops on Michigan Ave. I cant wait to go shopping at H&M and forever 21, they have so many cute clothes I can only browse right now but hopefully in a year or so after my visits to the doctor I can treat myself to a new outfit each time!. ***MAJOR CHANGES**** 4-16-06 WOW nine months since I have posted anything. Well so much has changed. I never did get the lap-band with Dr. Horgan. I made a decision to quit my job in Jan 06 to pursure my passion, make-up and skin care. I am in school full time training to be an Esthetician. I will be done in July 06. It is the best decision I have ever made! Now that I am a student I have a medical card. I always heard that you cannot get the band if you have a medical card but I think I have found a doc that will do it. I have a consult with Dr Shayani on May 16 at 8am. I can't wait to hear what he has to say. ( if anyone has any information on using the medical card or Dr Shayani please email me at joyhatchett@comcast.net). IMy BF is getting really excited learning about the surgery, we sat here on the computer for hours looking at all off the before and after pics. He cant wait to work out with me and buy me new clothes. Well... Today was Easter I ate very well but my tummy is paying for it now. The kids had fun finding eggs and eating all the candy they could. 05.02.06 I went to the doctor today for a nail infection....don't ask....anyway they made me get on the scale..as if I was not in enough pain...208....wow I really dont feel this big!!!!! Well my consult is getting close 14 days away..I can't wait I hope it all goes well.

May 2, 2006

1

me small ?

I met with Dr Bonomo he actually said i was small!!! Now im 5'1" 204 that is not small to me but I know how to hide the negative and play up the positives. Even my PCP asked me why I was doing this. I told her this is the best thing for ME only I know my body/mind. Didnt help that my dad found out that I was doing this ...he freaked out on me. telling me that all these surgeries were not good and that I should just modify my lifestyle...sounds familiar huh. jeez

September 10, 2006

1

Lunch and other things that make me gurggle...

Well today im at work eating canned beans with mustard oh boy I hope I dont toot too much but its better than the constant gurgles I seem to be having ALL the time. I swear is sounds like an alien is about to be born! Still after 4 years... Foods that wont go down::smile: Ground beef-or any meat other than fish-sometimes chicken. White castles-not that I need them but I know for sure they will never get past her(my band). some eggs anything super dry leftovers scallops-yum used to love those most veggies make me gurgle and get stuck almost to the point of PB. Things that go down no matter what:blushing: Ice cream WINE lays chips Candy bars ...notice a theme here! New foods or newly indroduced back into my foodie routine....:thumbup: sweet potato fries hummis brussel sprouts WINE Hope all is well with me LB diva's and dudes.:tongue2:

June 24, 2010

5

last minute test

the dr wants me to have a sleep study because I have not been tested for sleep apnea, and they need more blood and pee, not sure why but its probably for a good reason.

October 24, 2006

1

join me on facebook: bandi bikini

Hi ya'll bant believe im at 6 years banded already. I made a new page for all of my LB family. Hope you find me join me on facebook: bandi bikini

July 27, 2011

0

emotional eating

Oh boy today I wanted to eat my feelings away, long day at work, argument with my BF, and to top it off PMS. BUT I didnt do it I stayed strong:thumbup:. My evil co-worker bought me a huge payday candy bar---I swear he is trying to fatten me up for some bizzare reason. Anyway I didnt eat it I gave it away. Im so pleased with myself now im off to have some sting cheese and watch Glee as my lovely son makes cinibons in the oven the smell is making me nuts:sneaky:

April 28, 2010

3

diet doc

I went in today to meet with Shaina the nutrionist @ Mercy, she went over all the pre/post op instructions. It was a little much but I think I got it.gotta practice chewing---ugh.

September 12, 2006

1

Chocolate Cherrios and workouts

:smile:Good morning losers, I have discovered Chocolate Cherrios....these are awesome. I put some in a baggie this morning to eat for breakfast along with my coffee (not together of course) and I am felling pretty good. Not sure yet if they are good for your or not but it did help with my sweet tooth. Also I thought I would post my revised work out schedule for anyone interested... Monday...Spin/Cycle 1hr class Tuesday...Cardio Kickbox 1hr class Wednesday..Spin/Cycle 1hr class Thursday...Strength training/Bootcamp 1hr each Friday...Spin/Cycle 1hr class Saturday/Sunday light swim, walking or bike riding witht he kids :wink2:

April 23, 2010

3

8 winning tips....

I'm one of the old school bandits- 2006!! with that being said I sometimes feel like a newbie. I can remember looking over this website all the time just soaking in all of the information out there. At that time there were not alot of ppl admitting that they were cheating on the band--I was on of them I learned how to eat around my band stop working out and felt miserable. Until recently when I came back to boards I didnt realize how many ppl were doing this-whew what a relief to know your not alone. Today I am 170 and I am proud of that ...but I alone have halted any further progress (my goal of 140). I had been without a fill for 3 years!! I just went back last week and got one! First off I forgot how much I hate that first plung into the port..ouch!! I have the old school port..I didnt even know they use a low profile port! NEAT im getting my port replaced soon I hope! Well the fill didnt go so well I had the dreaded overfill...yikes I had heard about it but never did I think it would be that bad, a sip of water wouldnt stay down, not even my own spit! YUK I went back in the next day and they took out 1.5, I only had 1cc put in! But let me tell you I feel better than ever. No more gurggling when I drink/eat, just nice restriction on the amout of food I am supposed to have! I am super MOTIVATED. I have started ready tips and checked out the success forum and found this so I wanted to share because it spoke to me...If your reading this and it makes sense to you im glad it helped....visit me on facebook under the name bandi bikini *again these are not my tips I got them from the success board on this forum.... Weight-Loss should be easy. I can’t stress this enough, and I know you’re probably sitting there looking at me like I’m off my rocker. I’m serious though. I’m devoting far less effort and energy into losing weight this time around than last time. Sure, this may be due in part to the weight-loss surgery, but not entirely. You see, prior to my recent loss, I was: counting calories, measuring food. I was going out of my way to eat healthfully. I exercised a minimum of an hour a day, six days a week. I worked hard to find the perfect combination of cardio vs. weight training. I paid for a personal trainer. I paid for weight watchers. I obsessed over the scale. I tried Atkins, South Beach, Zone, Master Cleanser, and a zillion other fad diets. And you know what? Those fad diets are HARD because they force you to live dissimilarly than your usual lifestyle. Fad diets are hard work. Let me repeat this: weight loss should be easy. If you’re spending hours and hours a day actively “working on losing weight” then you need to take a step back and re-evaluate how you’re going about your weight loss. This time around I try hard to make good eating choices, but I don’t always get it right. (In the past, I’d be 100% diligent to my plans, but with ZERO success on the scale.) I try to get some exercise in, but I don’t always succeed. The point is, I’m just trying to live well and do the best I can, but I’m not obsessing and going nuts over trying to lose weight, and you shouldn’t either. After all, don’t we have families and careers and more important things that we should be spending the better part of our time on? It’s 80% about the food and 20% about the exercise. When I first started out losing weight, I had all but given up on exercise. I don’t like working out. I don’t like going to the gym. At the start of my current journey, I had given so much blood, sweat, and tears at the gym with ZERO reward that I flat-out burnt myself out. So when this new weight loss journey began, I wasn’t exercising at all. It didn’t matter. I’m no scientist, but just an observation of mine: the more weight you have to lose, the less your weight loss is about the exercise. Instead, focus your attention on getting your eating under control, picking healthy options, eating often (more about that below). As you start to lose weight, you’ll naturally have more energy and will pick up the exercise factor, as it fits into your life. As you inch closer to your goal weight, you should exercise more and more. Exercise is crucial to weight maintenance, but not so much about weight loss. Because I’m so close to my goal weight, I exercise perhaps 3-4 times a week, but I don’t freak out about it if I miss a gym session. Eat small meals, and eat often. I realized about 30 pounds into my weight loss journey that I was no longer eating “meals” at all. Instead, I was grazing. Snacking. All day long. I’d nibble on this, and I’d nibble on that. This is entirely due to the band, and without the gastric band I never would have discovered this important aspect of weight loss. So this is what my prior-to-weight-loss dieting attempts would look like: I’d either skip breakfast or have some oatmeal. For lunch I’d have a 6 inch sub from subway, with vinegar as dressing. For dinner I’d have some steamed veggies and grilled chicken. Period. The end. The food choices were seemingly good, but I was eating too much, and only at two sittings. Your body apparently doesn’t like this. Today, I eat 5-6 times a day, but only 150-200 calories of food at any given sitting. I never eat a “meal” anymore. The great thing about eating small portions of food is that I can pretty much eat whatever I want, and I think the variety is really healthy for my body. I’m less obsessed over eating “diet food” and allow myself to eat “real food” during these mini-meals. (I eat a lot of soup these days, especially at restaurants, because it’s the perfect portion size!) Pay attention to your body, not the USDA. Okay, do a little math now. If I’m only eating 150 calories per meal, 6 times a day…that means I’m eating….900 calories a day? Say what? Are you crazy? No I’m not! So in my quest to lose weight, I scrutinized how many calories a typical woman should be eating, according to the USDA. They say 2,000 for a sedentary female 19 to 30 years old. BMR calculators told me I should eat 1,774 calories. Well, no wonder I wasn’t losing weight! I was either trying to eat “just right” and follow one of those crazy guidelines, or pretty much starving myself trying to save as many calories as humanly possible.Now look. I’m not going to tell you to eat only 900 calories a day. I also don’t think you should listen to the USDA. Instead, listen to your own body. I truly believe that every person has their own calorie setpoint that they like to be at. For me, I think that my weight-stabilizing point is around 1000-1100 calories. To lose about a pound or two a week, I need to target 800-900 calories per day. This is the point that works for me, but it may not work for you. You need to experiment a little bit to figure out what your calorie setpoint is, but the only way you can do that is to pay close attention to your body. Avoid carbs, but don’t eliminate them entirely. I mostly eat whatever I want these days, but there are a few nit-picky little trends that I’ve identified. I don’t know if these really contribute to weight loss or not, but I figure they were worth mentioning. Because of my gastric band, I avoid carbs. They get stuck in my stomach and it’s quite uncomfortable. Consequently, I just avoid eating bread products, pastries, pasta of any kind, French fries, rice, and things like that. That means no pizza!! Boohoo!! My favorite food is forevermore off limits to me! On the other hand, I don’t completely cut out the carbs. My opinion is that if you’re going to eat carbs, take them from real living plants: rice, potatoes, quinoa, etc. Stay away from things that are mixed with man-made products (bread, pasta) and are refined, processed, and look nothing like their main ingredient anymore. Eat real food. Quit feeding yourself “fat-free” and “sugar-free” and “low-calorie” garbage. Look, the stuff is gross and for good reason: it’s not real food. Treat yourself to real food, and yes, please eat foods that are rich in fat. I’m talking about real cheese. Avocados. Almonds. Eggs. Even indulge in real ice cream on rare occasions, and butter, and olive oil. (You know that candy bars and potato chips aren’t “real food,” so let’s not even go there.) Stay away from foods that are processed and refined and look for food that has real flavor. Now, remember that I only eat 150 calories at any given sitting, so 150 calories of butter or cheese is not going to go very far. I might eat some hummus with 1 Tbs of feta cheese on tomato wedges. Or peanut butter on an apple slice. Watch your portion sizes carefully, but ahead and eat the real stuff. Stay away from soda, even diet soda. For that matter, avoid anything with man-made sweeteners, carbonated fizziness (which only helps to EXPAND your stomach), corn syrup, or processed crap. Okay, I’ll have a beer maybe once a week, which I probably shouldn’t, but as a general rule I don’t consume sodas anymore. I used to drink Diet Pepsi like it was going out of style. No more! Drink water, but do so carefully. This is a little trick that my weight loss surgeon taught me. One hour prior to eating, chug a ****-ton of water. Then while you are eating your meal and for one hour following your meal, don’t drink anything. The theory behind this is: (1) the water prior to your meal fills you up, and (2) avoiding water during your meal means that you are not physically flushing the food out of your stomach. Because the food remains in your stomach (3) you end up feeling fuller, for longer. It really does work. Try it sometime.

August 1, 2011

7

2 days

Wow I cant believe its here already. I started researching last year and now on Wednesday I will be banded. I have gone through sooo much to get here, insurance, family, finacial problems, new career, doubts, fears you name it. I started my journey with Dr B on 8/29 I cant believe it is happening.

October 24, 2006

1

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