Alexandra

The first day of our last month of out-of-control obesity is tomorrow. :clap2: :bounce: :clap2: :bounce: :clap2: :bounce: :clap2: :bounce: :clap2: I feel like I'm starting all over again. Four months without my band and I've gained a solid 30 lbs. The journey begins again. Here we come, the August Bandsters!!!

Many people are going to gasp at your comment that it's not uncommon to need a revision or replacement after 7 years, Delooka. But I know what you're saying. For my money, another laparascopic surgery to get a new band and a clean bill of health is a small price to pay, especially if it's being covered by insurance (which my band replacement is). Seriously, even if I had known back then that another surgery would be required four years down the line I STILL would have chosen the band over bypass. These are minor complications, easily dealt with, compared to the risk of major long-term complications with something as drastic as a gastric bypass.

Wow, thank you so much for coming here and sharing your anniversary with us. It's great to hear from someone with such long-term experience!!

Tomorrow is your band day, and I just want to wish everyone the best of luck for smooth, totally uneventful procedures. See you on the flip side! :whoo::whoo:

Another August 13er here!! Have y'all seen the August '07 section in the Monthly Support Groups? Go HERE to check out the August crowd.

Still at it, happy to say. Now I'm up to 30 laps in 30 minutes and that's where I'm going to stay for the time being. Surgery is in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS and then I won't be able to get back in the pool until after Labor Day, so this is a mark I'll be interested to see if I can hit again after that. It's still boring, but 30 minutes is no time at all and before I know it I'm done. And it feels great the next day.

I had something like this a while ago. It took about two weeks to clear up, but there was nothing to be done about it in the meantime. Wear sunglasses. Congratulations on your banding! :biggrin1:

If you're taking medications for your hypothyroid, there's no reason you won't be as successful as anyone else with the band. Until the levels are under control, though, you probably won't be cleared for surgery, so if you're not on meds now you should talk to your doctor about treatment.

Well, no one knows for sure how they will recover until they get there. I drove the next day, with no painkillers, and was OK. Just take things slowly and don't count on running and jumping for a few days. Stairs are no problem, driving is no problem (as long as you're not on drugs), and within a few days you should be fine for most activities. I'm having surgery on a Monday and am planning to be back at work on Thursday. Maybe I'll regret it, but hanging around the house while work piles up at the office is MUCH less appealing.

First and most important: There is no "general" rule because it's the STATES who regulate insurance, and every state has its own rules. The ONLY things that are the same nationally are those items that fall under Federal regulation (HIPAA). Under HIPAA, you can't be socked with a pre-existing condition exclusion if you have had continuous insurance and are going from a group plan to a group plan. Unfortunately, if you are buying individual coverage in a state that allows for medical underwriting, you can indeed be denied completely, or have certain conditions excluded for a time or even permanently. This all depends on where you live. The band, or any WLS, can absolutely have an impact on your future insurability, but to what extent will vary depending on where you live. To get the details for your state, go to your state's website and search for "individual health coverage" for the terms and regulations in force.

I'm really hopeful that I can keep this up, at least a couple of times a week. It's great!

I would ask for clarification on that statement, Jennifer. Does not having the rider mean it's covered? Or not covered? That depends on what the standard contract says and what the rider itself says. (A "rider" is just an addition to the contract. It can either add benefits or take them away, depending on what it says.) So ask in plain language what your benefit is for the treatment of morbid obesity. Find out what your rights are in your state with regard to health-carrier decisions--can you appeal? Don't give up based on what one person at your insurer said. They might or might not know precisely what they're talking about.

Hi Rae, That is pretty much the way it worked for me, I'm sorry to say. After my first total unfill, I could only tolerate a much smaller amount of Fluid, and then only for a while until the reflux came back. Ultimately, I was diagnosed with a slip--whether that was the cause of the reflux of a symptom of being too tight I don't know. But the end result was that my band was removed. If I had it to do over, I think I'd have tried to stick it out with no fill whatsoever knowing that any fluid at all would give me reflux again. An empty band is better than NO band. (And I know how lucky I am to be getting a new band next month.) Good luck, and be very careful not to overstress! Are you on medications at all? They can really help with irritation and pain, but if you're actually refluxing material up into your esophagus when lying down, something is mechanically not right.

Hang on, mom! It's tough but this is very good practice for when it REALLY matters (the postop period). I know you'll get through this. Definitely post away--that's what LBT is here for!!

That is a good question. The band is so new in the U.S. that there really isn't much advertising for it at all, yet. What brought me to it was a google search on weight-loss surgery and I saw mention of this new thing called the band. When I investigated, the whole thing just made so much SENSE to me that I never looked back. I found my doctor on a list of physicians who had been involved in the FDA trials, and the fact that he was 15 minutes from here AND in my insurance network completely sealed the deal. At no point was there any advertising involved. Now that I've seen some ads, and my doctor's office has a website, I'm interested in how banding can be presented as something OTHER than a get-thin-quick scheme. Because that's what all weight-loss advertising has always sounded like, to me.

That would all depend, to me, on how it was presented. Because here YOU are sharing your experience we accept it as truth and have great respect (are even in awe) of your achievement. If your photo was plastered on an ad with just the before & after photos, with no indication of how long the transformation took and how hard you had to work to make it happen, then yeah, I'd likely just keep walking. Your results AREN'T typical, and as such, they don't actually speak to ME. When I was considering taking this drastic step, I wanted to hear about the typical results, because that's much more realistic for me. It's inexcusable that you are accused of lying, I'm so sorry that happens! Chickie, you are a shining example of what's possible, and we can all be totally inspired by your achievement. That's what I'm wondering myself, and why I started the thread. To ME, the most effective before-and-afters are those that include a reasonable time frame for the transformation, and those where the "after" photos are not stick-skinny. If I were a band doctor, I think I would look for someone in my "typical" results group to use as a poster child. I'd want to send the message that some large percentage of my patients actually DO achieve XX% of EWL in XX months. And so, your expectation of doing as well or better can be very good. (Maybe that's why I'm not in the marketing field, eh. :eek: )

Hi "Loser" -- I completely understand where you are coming from. When my band came out back in April, as soon as I was allowed to go back on regular food (about two days out) I immediately gained 10 lbs. It's almost like I woke up one morning and there it was. In the next 2 months I gained another 20 lbs, and got seriously scared. I've managed to halt the process now by staying farther away from breads and pastas, which were something I had missed and so I sort of had a field day with them when I could. Exercise is also absolutely key; I've recently started swimming and it really seems to be helping. My weight has been stable now for about a month, but I have no illusions about being able to maintain that long-term. I'm not at a "normal" weight like you though; if I really were "thin" I don't know if I'd be willing to undergo a more drastic surgical procedure. Getting a new band is a no-brainer for me--though I didn't have erosion so my decision was easier. I wish you all the luck in the world with whatever you decide.

I don't know who that is. Alex the site owner procured that photo, and I think it's probably a stock picture from some public domain source. As far as I know it's not a bandster.

Congratulations, indeed!! What a wonderful success (and love!) story. :biggrin1:

If you're going directly from one insurance plan to another with no lapse in coverage, there will not be a pre-existing condition exclusion. Are you going to a new job that will be covering you? If so, it's possible the plan design and details are determined by the company you'll be working for, not the carrier (so it's no good to ask if, for example, "Aetna" covers something). Whether your port repair would be covered depends on a whole lot of other things, but a pre-existing condition exclusion would NOT apply if you had no gap in coverage. In general, though, the insurer you know (especially if it's GOOD insurance) is better than the one you don't. If you already know it could be covered anytime through October, I'd recommend getting it taken care of sooner rather than waiting.

I don't agree with alimony at all, except in very rare cases. No adult should be completely unable to support him- or herself, and it's unfair to expect an ex-spouse to pay for an able-bodied person who could be working. That said, yes, I agree that IF a new marriage were to be considered grounds for termination of alimony (which, again, should only be very rare cases), THEN a domestic partnership should be weighted the same way. But I don't think it should. The whole idea behind alimony that ends when a recipient gets married is completely absurd. It reeks of outdated notion that women are the property of their husbands. Alimony should only be given for a limited period, while the recipient undertakes education or job training, and then only in the instances where a spouse put his or her career aside while married for the sake of the family. Someone receiving alimony on those terms should continue to be entitled to it whether remarried (or partnered) or not. It's not the NEW spouse's responsibility to pay for financial and career decisions made in the first marriage.

I'm sure no one here remembers, but last year I was up for a job -- a job I used to have as executive director of a nonprofit, for 15 years, before resigning at the end of 1999 because of family needs. In 2006 the woman who replaced me was retiring, so I thought long and hard about picking up the reins again. Ultimately I decided to apply, because it was MY job, my identity, for so long and ever since I left there I've felt professionally adrift (in a new career as an insurance broker, who wouldn't?). I loved that job and with changes in my life it would be very possible to take it up again. But in 2006 they passed me over and hired someone else. I heard through the grapevine that it was between me and that one other candidate, so I was #2. Now, just a few days ago that person was FIRED for cause--she was utterly incompetent and has cost the organization time and money it can't afford to lose. (As the bookkeeper for the organization, I am still involved enough to have inside knowledge of the details.) So an entire wasted year later, the job is open again. A different president is at the helm, and I am still interested. I've sent him a formal letter and my resume. And I've let him know in no uncertain terms that my personal circumstances have changed since I resigned in 1999, and I would be in it for the long haul. Today I heard they are advertising for candidates. AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!! Maybe I am not so interested in working for this group. (Although it still looks better than being an insurance broker.) And maybe they can't afford me, which is a distinct possibility. But I don't understand why they wouldn't want to start a conversation about hiring me right off, since I was their #2 choice last year!! :mmph:

Hee hee! I have it and liked it, I guess, too. But for me, going from no makeup at all to this was too much of a hassle. It's all I can do to put moisturizer on my face in the morning. But I do like Everyday Minerals, which is what I bought. As far as makeup goes, this powder stuff is the most comfortable thing I've ever tried.

I don't understand either. If your surgeon and the facility are both in the network, that means they have a contract with the insurer. They are not supposed to be billing you or asking for money up front. Something is wrong here, someone is not telling you the truth. What's going on?

Good luck, theatreprincess!! Here's hoping you have a quick and uneventful surgery and recovery. You're on your way!!