DaddyD

I made chocolate-ricotta pancakes the other day, and they were made of just ricotta, protein powder (EAS Whey chocolate), eggs, baking powder and a little salt. They were surprisingly decent.

Oh, I think that the exhaustion of dealing with obnoxious comments (no matter how well-meaning) is definitely worth considering. I know I'm in an advantageous position, where most of the people (read: family) who would be making such comments live on the other side of the country, so such things would be rare. I also work from home so I don't really have co-workers to deal with every day. That said, "going public" would mean I might find myself frustrated that conversations with local friends would end up feeling like they are always about my weight and what/how I'm eating. I'll have to figure out if that frustration is outweighed (no pun intended) by feeling like I'm doing some good both for myself and by trying to educate others about the band. And of course if for some reason I end up not losing much, or losing a lot and gaining it back, I hate the thought that I'd suddenly become one more anecdote. So... still thinking about it!

I'm thinking at this point that if I don't "go wide," so to speak, it would be mainly out of respect for my wife and her desire to keep her surgery mostly private. I dunno. Not that I'd be discussing her own journey with the band, but I'd definitely want her permission, because her success and knowledge is definitely a big part of why I am such a believer. I guess we'll see!

My insurance is Aetna (through my wife's work) and once they finally got their act together in regards to admitting it was even covered (long story) then they said I needed to send them documented weight history for 2009 and 2010. This was just last week they finally asked, and my surgery date was supposed to be June 7th. Called up a clinic I went to in 2009 and was told it would be 2 weeks before they could send records. I was really crestfallen, because the only other time I'd been to the doctor and been weighed was in 2006. Luckily I was able to get that record sent in really quickly, and thank the Lord they accepted that as fulfilling whatever they needed to know. Had to move the surgery date (to the 21st) so I had time for pre-admission testing at the hospital, but 2 weeks late is WAY better than the "no surgery unless you pay for it yourself" situation I thought I was faced with.

Hi everyone! I'm scheduled to have lap-band surgery on June 21st. I was originally scheduled for next week, but because of some very stupid insurance problems (as in, screw-ups by work insurance reps) it took so long to get approved that we had to move the surgery date. BUT! I am now approved completely, have the date set, arranged for child care for the week (I'm a stay-at-home dad with an almost-3 year-old and 4-month-old boys), started the pre-op diet already but set for a couple of extra weeks to shrink my liver a little more, and pretty much bouncing off the walls. So, so excited about this next phase of my life, particularly how it will allow me to fully enjoy being a dad for much longer.

Thanks!

June 21st here.

I'm scheduled for surgery later this month with Dr. Harrison @ Lehigh Valley Hospital Cedar Crest. He's a colleague of Dr. Boorse. So far I've really liked him in the little we've personally been in contact, and his office people have been amazing in helping me get insurance issues straightened out. He also happens to be my wife's doctor, though he didn't do her surgery. Anyone have experience with him?