NWgirl

I met my out of pocket max for the year, so nothing for me. It looks like my surgeon charges $100 per fill, so if I had not satisfied my OOP I would assume it would be 20% of the bill...

Yes, I definitely run into that problem!!! I guess we'll learn to not fill our plates so full sooner or later I have started to use side plates instead of dinner plates, then at least it looks full I would say that if the slow cooker works with the food and you can eat it after chewing properly, then you should be good to go. If you still have problems, I would request a tiny unfill. I can only see not being able to eat healthy foods/meats turning into a slider route or where you end up just drinking shakes... that's no way to live.

Congratulations on your decision! It really is an exciting thing

Failing is only if you decide to give up. The briliance of the band is that you can go again to your Dr and start fills and whatnot. I hope you get your head in the game and don't feel emberrassed about going back to your Dr.

I would totally recommend the probiotic pearls for the bathroom issue. When I don't take them, I have to use milk of magnesia every other day and feel terrible. When I take the pearls, I go regularly and do not feel all constipated. Just ask the pharmacist if the Probiotics would interfere with any other meds first to make sure

Judy : I hope you have figured out your eating problems. My dietician says no more than 30 minutes per meal and to chew a lot. I would think if you are still spending more time than that and having hard time swallowing even when you've chewed everything properly, then you are too tight.

I was banded march 20 and am down a little over 40, including my pre-op. I now have 4cc in my band and do feel restriction at times. I have learned to chew a lot and cannot eat nearly the same quantity as before. I have incorporated some exercise in my routine as well. I do still struggle with head hunger vs real but I usually win. Sometimes my mind doesn't want to think the tiny portions on my plate will fill me up I find if I do things right 80-90% of the time then I keep losing.

I had low ferritin in my pre-op testing and now take an iron chewable. I go in for my 3 month followup bloodwork soon so I'm interested in seeing if it has improved.

its not necessarily that you need to increase calories, but that you need to be aware of the nutritional breakdown in the foods you eat and make choices with that in mind. Most of us eat 800-1200 and get 70g+ protein per day.

the soda thing varies by Dr. Some believe it can expand the pouch, contribute to erosion, and get gas bubbles trapped below band which are hard to burp out. I have soda once or twice a week and I have no problems.

I am unable to post or quote with Mozilla. I am now using IE and it seems to be working.

I also have Anthem and found it in the same place. If you can't seem to find it on the site, do call the customer service number.

The waitress thing really peeves me. I have found now that I just order a glass of water or else they will continue to pester me. It's really kind of ridiculous.

I would recommend calling them next week and asking if you can move your next fill appointment up because you feel no restriction. I would also recommend portioning out your food at this time.

I bought a pair of jeans from old navy and a pair from Lane bryant at my highest weight and still wear them now. Old navy seems to run a little bigger in size vs lane bryant and I notice that they seem to have a lot more stretch as the day goes on. I can start out my day with the old navy pants kind of loose but still on my butt and end the day tugging them up every minute. I'd say you should probably invest in a belt soon

Stop weighing yourself, you will only get more discouraged. I would recommend weighing max once a week for the first month or so.

It does depend on how strict you are with your diet and exercise until you get to restriction. From late February to now, I have lost over 40lbs. In the beginning, I was super strict with calories and the foods I was eating. Now that I have some restriction, I am transitioning from calorie counting to what I would consider "normal." I still keep loose track of the calories I am eating but am relying more on good food choices because my band does limit the amount I can eat.

Hmm, that's interesting. Have you tried to go on your insurance website and search for participating Dr's?

I am usually okay with not drinking unless I am eating an especially dry meal (which does not happen often). I also am able to drink plently of fluids throughout the rest of the day (80oz+) without any problems.

I have wondered about this. Specifically if the force of the coaster throwing you about and into the gaurd rail could possibly hurt the band...

The only other thing you could do is look for a Dr who is either willing to work out payment with you or go to Mexico. So, do you still have insurance and just can't find a Dr who accepts it? If so, I would call all band Dr's within an hour or two of me and try and find one.

I don't like the new layout when you click view new content. Before you could easily decipher when a post was originally started and what section it was in. Now with the combo of change in font and bullet points it's kind of annoying. Maybe I'm being too picky

From looking at my fitbit graph, it looks like I have lost 9.6lb in the last 30 days (04/24-05/24). I am going into my third month post op and am sure the loss will slow sooner rather than later. I figure as long as I lose some every month and head downward, the number isn't particularly important. I also don't want to be so tightened down that I cannot eat for the first 7 hours of my day. I'd like the band to help control my portions (after two fills, it has done so immensely) and not dictate what I eat (to a certain extent, my last fill put cheap, doughy breads out of the food spectrum for me which isn't a big deal) or at what time.

No, I do not think you are approved for surgery. I think the office lady meant that they accept your insurance type. The insurance company rep you spoke with would not have been authorized to approve you, but to tell you exactly the qualifications needed for surgery to be approved. If you are with an H-M-O (where you must receive referrals to see specialists), then you would need to be referred/approved to do the pre-op visits. When the surgeon's office submits the paperwork for pre-approval, you will know. You have to complete all required testing (such as sleep study, blood testing, etc) to find or verify any co-morbidities before you are submitted. They most likely don't even have your beginning weight, as you just attended the seminar.

I like to make a fruit dish with fresh pineapple, sliced strawberries, sliced watermelon, and blueberries. Mix it all together and it is delicious!