lizrbit

Hey i know something about this one!! woo! i weighed too much when i arrived in houston at my surgeons. I went on liquid diet to get down to 40. My surgeons office handled my insurance. I called a few times and got in on things but mostly i just got in the way. I got a case manager and that helped significantly because she was THE contact person to talk to regarding this case. I was denied twice. It wasnt a big deal, they addressed each issue and reapplied each time. but yeah, alot depends on your insurance. Mine had the same requirements regarding BMI. You dont want to be over. ive seen people approved just under and you wont lose so much from this point that you wont qualify, especially if you have other premorbs. You will need to shrink your liver. (by losing weight) preop to make it easier for your surgeon to see things. They wont have to use so much gas if your liver is loose and able to be moved aside. ok...thats all i know... i hope it wasnt a lot of useless hooey.

nate! its part of the phase i think...what goes out is like what goes in...it should pass as you progress to more solid foods. You might try adding oatmeal to your breakfast if you can, get some fiber in there, or call your dr and ask if you can take metamucile too.

hahaha..right on! you are the first person ive heard about who didnt have gas pain!!!! and i think they did punch you in the stomach for five minutes straight! Welcome to Bandland!

txbecca! It changes!!!! your liquid diet only goes on for so long, your food phases only go on for x amount of time too, before you know it you will be eating wonderful solids just less of them. I was banded by Dr St Laurent in Houston, I went over everything with him regarding "can i have this" or "should i avoid that" and he very patiently went down my entire list and suprisingly i can have much of what i was afraid of not having, and i dont even want some of them. The support group told me "dont drink my calories" during my full liquid phase and i asked dr st laurent about that too. Id added isopure once a day in addition to the high protien advantage shakes because i felt weak...and he said it wasnt a problem. CALL your doctor, and if he isnt available...call mine, or email him. he answers all his own emails too. There should be a nutritionalist in his office to help you out too. Ill be thinking about you FRIDAY!!! good luck! post what happens!!!!

and opinions are like bumholes, everyone has them and they dont smell pretty. I thought this forum, as well as this entire board was for WLS support.

Hey Annie, My husband coaxed me up here in 2003. Ive been 'around' mt katahdin but not actually to it yet. Theres a great book you can get on audiobook (i like to play them at work, while i work, its like having someone read to you) called "a walk in the woods" and its all about the author's hike along the apalachian trail, and quite funny! I Love this place in spring and summer, but i cant get out of here fast enough in the winter. Today was a perfect example. Cold and even snow this morning while i was working out at the gym. GREY ALL DAY EVERY DAY. i find i have no energy and just sorta lay around. Do you work out?

well...personally, i dunno why women would bother paying for surgery to have it done. it grows back after a while anyway. after...a long while...a long long long while...

that is the BEST advise ive ever heard about doing anything. try it for TODAY. if that goes well...try it tomorrow too. right on. im inspired too. going to go wash those dirty dishes now.

Ginger! i did that!!! my big grazing period was just before my first fill. im going in for second fill april 27th. ...but before i really had trouble with excess hunger (head hunger). I wrote my surgeon (who answers his own emails how cool!) and he said to go back to full liquids for a day. I did and it worked for a bit towards keeping me from feeling like i was ravenous. High protien shakes worked for me. the next day i found myself eating better, and more aware of what was going in. also..www.fitday.com helps you keep track if you go off base. BEFORE the band, when i went into 'grazing' mode, id do a deal of metamucle. The Fiber would cause me to feel full. I asked my surgeon if i can still do that, and he said yes, but i havent yet. the liquids for a day worked for me. It reigned in my appetite.

Im going to reveal something about myself i havent revealed to most people. i have a thing about those little birthday cakes they make for one person over in the bakery section of the grocery store. we dont have real bakeries here in northern maine. Just a bakery section in the grocery store. My troubles started here. I quit smoking a few years ago. I was at three packs a day when i quit. as a weekly reward, every THURSDAY i would buy one of those little birthday cakes. They are beautiful, really perfect little works of art and the only reason they are made is to make people happy. specificlly...one person...alone on their birthday...and i couldnt let that go... so i did that for a year or so...and gained a hundred lbs or so.... i havent had one since about six months before being banded. so there it is... im a birthday cake addict. oh n i love coriandar too. i use it in tomatoes with butter, honey and crumbled up cornbread. Yum!

Timetraveler, thank you SO MUCH for that link. Ive never seen that video before!!!! i had NO idea she was WHITE!!! and that she was so STRANGE!!! i LOVE the way she says, "Ack-shion!" hahahahahahahhahahaha....oh my gosh. i had no idea. hey...another song for lap banders... brother started this one...remember "the rubber band man"? (circa 1970's)

Hi Annie! so far so good! ive hit the gym every morning at 850am (after taking all boys to respective schools) then im on. I do thirty minutes (two rounds at 25 rep) on three strength training machines every OTHER day, and cardiovascular (treadmill and bikes) every day. im usually in the shower by 10am straight up, covered in sweat, and feeling pretty good. Im generally tired after a workout. i dunno why. i dont know if its my age this time around or what? but i DO notice an overall improvement in my attitude. I stepped on the scale today and im ONE lb lighter than the day i started. I want to turn and tell someone and i dont know anyone there well enough, so i just smiled and thought, "hope this time!" im not quite sure where baxter state park is. I do know what pre schoolers are and you deserve a medal for trying that one.

faith! lmao... i remember sex. isnt it sort of like knitting? cept with people? other...people?

lmao!!! arent mom's fun? I love changing the words around to songs. theres a line in "2 out of 3 aint bad" by meatloaf that screams "ill never be faithful!!" and when i sing it, my husband thinks its very funny. What about a list of our top ten workout favorites for the time being? knowing we all have different music tastes..might be fun! ten keeps it from being a long list. we can post more later eh? ill start: 1. "All these things that Ive done" by the Killers: i love this band, and i love this song, and i can kick some arse on the machines as well as really test that treadmill with it on my ipod. Sometimes i catch myself singing out loud "ive got soul but im not a soldier!" to my treadmill neighbor. 2. "i saw the light" by todd rundgren. upbeat, reminds me of walking in crested butte as a teenager.Great for a time warp thing when i wish the timer read 15 minutes passed instead of 7 minutes. 3. "why do i keep counting" by the killers. theres a line in there "help me get down, i can make it help me get down" that really sings to that desperate 'pull me the heck out of this mess and ill keep it good this time' part of me. Great for the hard part of the bike ride. 4. "never coming home" by sting. great beat..sings to that part of me that gets ticked off when i think my wieght keeps me from intimacy. great song. 5. "Golden" by Jill Scott. Yes my sister we are living this life like its golden, and today is twice as good as yesterday was. Fantastic for a cooling off period between the treadmill and the bike. 6. "i love the nightlife" by ? disco song...its fun to sing along with. I got to boogy. I want to give it i wanna get some too...lol (its what it says) 7. "The Apartment Song" by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty. Really upbeat and fun to sing along to in your head. Good for the rough part of the workout, keeps ya going. 8. "run like hell", by of course, pink floyd. well..sometimes you gotta run like hell. I cant run, but i can peddle like my arse was on fire. 9. "CANDY"S ROOM" by the boss, Bruce Springsteen. Good for motivation when i have trouble getting my led out. "she says, baby if you wanna be wild, you got a lot to learn. close your eyes let them fire, let them melt, let them burn!" woo yeah! 10. speakin o led..."Fool in the rain" by led zepplin rocks and great for that final stretch when you really push, knowing that a shower awaits! Theres my current ten workout songs. Im sure they will change later. post your top ten workout songs and why you like them!

Name..........................Starting…...…..Current….…..Goal…....To Go Juliegeraci.......................238............. .........236.................228..............8 Lapbandit.......................231............... .......220………….199.............21 Waterlily........................300.............. .........280.................264.............16 Roiansmom....................299.................. .....299.................270.............29 Libra..............................248............ ...........236.................228.............8 JulieNYC.......................212................ .......199.................185.............14 Elisabethsew................. 282.......................274..................264 .............10 PeaCeJ..........................338............... ........333..................318.............15 RidinMyHDDream.........297.......................2 84 .................281...............3 Babygirl1234.................260.................. ......250................240.............10 eecelove70..................228.................. ......228.................200.............28 Josette...........................351............. ...........344.................335.............9 Lizrbit...........................289............. ...........289.................279.............10 Hi guys..i had to get in on this. i find being held accountable HELPS me significantly. I fly back to Houston for second fill April 24th, with the appointment April 27th. I want to be ten lbs lighter. I am going for ten lbs because it seems reasonable. I have LITTLE restriction, and im working out EVERY morning, trying to be more active during the day and keep my calories around 1000 daily. I dropped ten lbs the first month of surgery, and i think i can do at LEAST that again. so...for me, ten lbs by april 24th is my minigoal.

im a big HONEY FAN!!!! Way before the band i used to use splenda a LOT and my husband and boys still do. I gave up white sugar completely whenever possible, and if i can get low sugar or no added sugar i will, but i LOVE honey with my tea and in oatmeal. I use it as a glaze too. I am aware of the calories in honey, thats not the issue, its how its digested, and the other benefits of it that i love, plus the taste is luxuriant! plus i only use a teaspoon per cup o tea, (three a day roughly) and it goes a long way. I play with fitday.com when i notice big changes in my diet to try to keep myself accountable. First time i popped in HONEY it gave me the caloric content of one cup of honey! (dont eat a cup of honey or you are done for the whole day) theres my two cents and tablespoon of honey.

Hi Annie! thanks for replying! I live in Presque Isle Maine, way far north, way far inland. the snows are lowering and crusting! (slow melting). I hate the cold and the snow altogether. I DO know what you mean about Maine though, in June, July and August, its breathtaking, even up here. I did join a formal gym day before yesterday, and i go back tomorrow. So far so good, but my activity around the house is much less than it was in galveston. MOST of my problem is that the house is VERY drafty and cold, and oil very expensive. I have a BUBBLe of bearable warmth provided by my trusty space heater. Its like that for MOST of the day. i cant do skiing cause of ankle and wont do hiking because there is still multiple feet of snow out here. I went to the mall and walked for quite a bit today. I also picked up a book recommended to me, "you, on a diet" and its really interesting. Lots of things in there i didnt know, that i think is good to know! anyway, hope you are doing well. Good to talk to another Mainiac.

ok, im about a month and three weeks post op. today i had: breakfast: earl grey tea, tablespoon honey two packets of Golean Oatmeal, teaspoon real butter lunch: lunchables (the ham and swiss kind) one hour later: special k protien water late lunch: one gordons fish patty ( 100 cal, no carbs, 17 protien!) one can of tomato and rice soup undiluted (love this stuff) Im going to the movies tonight with my boys, and ill have a half a bag of reeces pieces likely. then dinner. which will likely be another gordons fish patty and a half of a cup of peas with butter. Its a heavy day. I just recently got back to Maine from Galveston and things are much different here. I found it very hard not to go back into old habits. I started working out at the gym this morning and it went well. im to go every day to do cardio, every other day do strength. Im hoping it will make a difference. i feel good.

Yesterday i had my first fill or "adjustment". i LOVE my surgeon. He does all of his out of staters himself. I met with his nutritionalist and the whole experience was pleasant, even though the 'finding the port" wasnt so much, it didnt really hurt, it just felt weird and it was fantastic to look in my nutritionalists face and talk about something else while it was going on. They made sure i was able to drink water and felt okay before leaving. They are extremely attentive over there. I feel tighter, and im still on liquids. Im supposed to eat some fish tonight to make sure it goes down before i leave tomorrow. I fly back home in the wee hours tomorrow morning. Im very sad about this, ive had a wonderful stay and its been beautiful here. THeres already a foot n half of snow there, and its supposed to dump two more feet the day i get back. im not looking forward to any of it. I have only lost three lbs in this past month. thats WITH me riding the bike every day for 8 miles, limited intake and that blows my mind. I was told, that after liquids im going to be eating more solid food and to NOT DRINK MY cALORIES!!! no more SOUPS, no more SQUISHIES, im moving onto solids. im nervous about this, but in all fairness, i had female stuff going on that would explain some water retention. I am confident its been more. still..im on my way to normal living with the band. I still think its wild that in a three month span, im banded, filled, and being significantly more active than before. im happier. much much happier than when i got on that plane. i hate to go back. When its that cold, theres NOTHING to do like what ive been doing. eh...we will see right? so. i suppose my next post will be from across the country. My next appointment with Dr St Laurent is April 27th. (six weeks)

man, dont we have a moderator or someone that can delete stuff that is just going to inflame people intentionally? its getting carried away. I subscribe to the site but im getting tired of getting notified every single time someone spams the lines or tries to start fires. its getting old.

hi Lisa! i was banded a little over a month ago, Tomball area, Houston Texas, Fantastic surgeon. i am relatively new, but ive discovered you will find any answers you are looking for on this site. :eek: and..welcome!

LINNY!!!!!! your post made me want to grab a pitchfork and JOIN YOU! I HATE THOSE PEOPLE AT THOSE MOMENTS TOO!!! egads did you hit it RIGHT on the head? I completely concur.

I GOTTA NEW ONE!!!!! it was just a few nights ago. Thought id share. this is fun, you know...posting these takes some of the power out of them doesnt it. it puts them right there in front of you where u can see how tiny it is and move on. so here is my offering de jour: a dear friend invited me out the other night to have dinner with him, his partner and an old friend of theirs. I was overjoyed and hopped at the opp to go out. I dressed up and wore makeup. I felt GREAT and we went to a nice italian restraunt where i tried (unsuccessfully) to eat a cheese manicotti. Both my friend and his partner know about me being banded but the 'old friend' didnt. i think he was trying to be entertaining. anyway...during the dinner, i realized i was having a problem with the pasta, so i excused myself and when i got back, i believe they had told the 'old friend' about the surgery. As i sat down, miserable because id gotten myself stuck, he exclaimed in very loud voice, "So! you want to be THIN???" and explained quietly, that 'well, id like to be able to move like i did when i was young.' and i would have LOVED if it would have stayed here, he went ON with questions that really werent appropriate and it was obvious he was prying and i was trying to be delicate and evasive. I didnt WANT to talk to him. I would up excusing myself and leaving the group for the night but my friend opned my door for me, tried to explain for his friend and none was needed. its cool. just ...ouch. the old friend almost screaming in the crowded restraunt, "so you want to be thin" rings over and over in my head...along with the examination of how much i ate and how i should excercise because obviously i dont...(i ride eight miles a morning and around three in the evening, every day) OUCH! whew... i feel better. thanks for reading.

howdy! i was banded exactly a month ago. got there at seven, was in the car riding home by about noon. I used GasX chewables to help expell gas, and privacy I wanted left completely alone for at least four days. wasnt feeling completely okiedokie for seven, but by day 8 i was able to completely do just about anything. dr gave a perscription liquid pain med, tasted TERRIBLE but i didnt need it that much. pain wasnt too horrible. just felt like i swallowed a football. I had no port pain, no incision pain, i could (and was encouraged) to walk asap and walk as often as i can. i really think that was key to alot...but if you read a lot on here youll see that it really is different for everyone. GOOD LUCK!!!

im only a month post op, but i gurgle all the time. Ive gotten to where i actually kind of find the sensation pleasant, as well as entertaining for everyone!