Alexandra

If you have had a band for 5 or more years... where are you, weight-wise, related to your over-all goal? I'd had my band for 3.75 years when it was removed for slippage. I lost 130 lbs which got me closer to a "normal" weight than I'd ever thought possible. It was relatively easy maintaining this loss, and THAT was my goal. So I'd say I reached it, in spades. What complications, if any, have you experienced? I had occasional bouts of reflux and irritation, seemingly kicked off by allergic congestion. I also think my band was too small from the start, leading to chronic irritation in the fourth year. What are the best things about the band? The best thing was the control it gave me over food. The incredibly liberating feeling of having a half a sandwich for lunch and NOT BEING HUNGRY for hours was a complete miracle to me. What are the worst things? The hardest part of the whole thing for me was learning that a half-sandwich really is enough food. Learning how little my body needs to survive and thrive was quite difficult. And without my band, I'm finding it impossible to apply that knowledge because I'm hungry. The band gave me the ability to eat only what I need to live, and lose the compulsion to eat more than that. would you do it again? ABSO-FRICKIN'-LUTELY. I am in the process of jumping through hoops to get a replacement band. Whatever it takes, I'm gonna do.

What the carriers are looking for is evidence of a chronic battle with morbid obesity, and I can't say I blame them. They are trying to avoid people who, for whatever reason, have gained a lot of weight just recently and want the band as a quick fix. This surgery is expensive and there are lots of people who might qualify just based on weight, so there have to be other considerations. When I applied my BMI was well over 40, and I'd had two pregnancies in the previous five years as well. I was worried they'd discount the weights from those periods, so I included whatever evidence and records I had from before the pregnancies that showed my weight. In your case, if you've had co-morbidities that required treatment before your pregnancies, medical notes from that time will support your case.

Hotpink, the hair loss is TEMPORARY. I've experienced some hair loss after both surgeries AND after each time I had a child. It's an excuse to cut your hair short (which makes it much less noticeable) and let it grow back thicker than ever before. I know it's alarming, but it's really not as drastic as it seems in the vast majority of cases. Unfortunately, unless you are really malnourished already, more protein is not likely to help (though that's one of the most popular "remedies.") What does help is time and patience.

Hi Jody. Here are the answers to your questions: 1) No, nothing can be excluded as a pre-existing condition if you are coming from another group plan. HIPAA laws require full coverage if you have continuous coverage without a lapse. That's why COBRA exists--so you can continue coverage from an old job while waiting for your new job's insurance to kick in. 2) In general, non-employer groups that provide insurance only provide bare-bones coverage. It's certainly worth looking into, but they're usually last-resort kinds of things for people with no other source of insurance. 3) Every state has its own rules about medical underwriting and whether carriers can exclude you for prior conditions. Check with your state's bureau of insurance or health to find out what the rules are where you live.

Vanessa, if you're having complications you owe it to your self and your health to have them checked out and taken care of. It is not the worst thing in the world to have one's band removed--and sometimes it is a blessing. Keep it all in perspective; remember, this is about your HEALTH not about getting into a certain size. Let us know how you're doing!!

Thanks everyone! I woke up this morning in a really good mood and had to think about why that was for a few minutes. :scalesno: Crossed fingers definitely appreciated!!

Last night DH and I went out for our anniversary date, leaving the girls--Gillian, almost 9, and Catie, just turned 6--with a familiar babysitter (S). We got home before bedtime, and entered the house to find both girls sitting sheepishly at the kitchen table and S saying "the girls have something to tell you" in a very stern voice. Uh oh. Turns out that after S had told Catie not to play outside because it was about to rain, the girls disappeared upstairs to sulk. Or so S thought. When S went to find them a few minutes later, she couldn't locate them. I can only imagine her mounting panic as she looked around the house, in the front and back yards, and asking our tenant to help search. FINALLY, after about 30 minutes of growing fear, S found the girls bouncing on a neighbor's trampoline where they had gone without so much as a by-your-leave. :angry When she got them home they were extremely contrite (perhaps because they'd never seen S so angry), and came up themselves with the idea of a) writing a thank-you note to the tenant for helping search, and :star: reporting the incident themselves to us when we got home. That was the reason for the assembly in the kitchen. (As it unfolded, though, S did most of the talking because Gillian was in tears--quiet, utterly guilty tears--the whole time, and Catie just looked at her lap.) This is a HUGE infraction, obviously. S didn't even know the trampoline existed, which is our fault, but on the other hand the girls KNOW they aren't allowed to leave the premises without permission. S didn't realize there was an attraction just two houses away where she might think to look for her errant charges, so the episode went on a bit longer than it would have otherwise. Needless to say, we were very, very unhappy about this. The punishments we considered were: 1) Grounding the girls for some period of time. This would mean missing a birthday party and play date scheduled for today, but probably wouldn't have had much other effect going forward. 2) No sleepovers for 2 months. 3) No trampoline for 2 months. We decided on the last because it cuts directly to the quick of their infraction. They had been going over to the neighbor's to play on their tramp on weekends provided 1) they told us where they were going and 2) they asked permission of the neighbors. They might have done 2 last night but they didn't do 1, so this particular privilege is being taken away. Does this punishment seem too lenient? I am moved by the way the girls were honest about it and didn't wait for S to report their infraction, and also moved by Gillian's obvious repentence. She is overall a VERY responsible girl and this is a real departure for her. The trampoline is one of their favorite things to do and they'll really feel its loss. (They're being prohibited from playing not only on this particular trampoline, but ANY trampoline they might come across, and there are a couple at friends' houses.)

Today I did two things that I am going to feel in the morning. Last winter my daughters and I picked up ice skating, which was a HUGE NSV for me and one of the dreams I'd hoped to realize after losing weight. After taking the entire summer and fall off, we started up again today. Well, 45 minutes of that and I was seriously hurting. The love is still there, though, and I didn't fall once! Then this evening I headed to the gym for a nice, quite ride on a bike (after having been with the kids all day, this was my reward). When I got there I met a friend who talked me into checking out the open volleyball which was just starting. Now, I used to play volleyball, pretty seriously, but stopped before my older daughter was born. The last time I played I probably weighed 310 or so, and lord knows I wasn't any good at that weight. So I haven't played, AT ALL, in about 8 or 9 years, and for 10 years before that I wasn't playing with any kind of energy or skill. In spite of feeling completely rusty, I let my friend talk me into it. Ho. Ly. Cow!! It was so much fun, and rather than feeling like I did the last time I played, I felt like I did when I played IN HIGH SCHOOL (when I weighed about what I weigh now). It was SO MUCH FUN and I can't wait to do it again!! I'm on a high right now from this experience, that was both familiar and beloved and also completely new and exciting. But I am going to feel this big time tomorrow. It's a good kind of hurt, of course, and I am stoked!! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

Same thing just happened to me. I assume it has something to do with the server tweaks that Alex B told us would be happening. It'll be cleared up in time.

Brown sugar is no different to your body than white sugar. It's less refined, is all.

Are you sure that's not your port? Many people can feel their ports.

I just discovered a great new product--Crystal Light with caffeine! They are the "singles" packets that you add to bottled water, and there is a version called "Energy" with added caffeine in Wild Strawberry flavor. I love these singles things because Crystal Light and other bottled flavored waters are usually way too sweet for me. This way I can add one packet to a 32-ounce bottle of tap water and it makes the perfect drink for me! What will they think of next?

As I understand the Federal COBRA laws, you can stay on your plan (as long as the plan stays in existence) for up to 18 months at your own expense after you lose eligibility. The plan you continue on will be the same plan you were on as an active member; the group can't change your plan unless they are making overall changes to the entire group's plan. Check with the HR department at Tufts, but I'm 98% sure that's the way it will work in your state as with all the others.

Fingers crossed, I'll be a REbanded newbie on August 13. There, I said it. I've been scared to post in this section for fear of jinxing it. But I'm on board, once again, as an August bandster!! (Even the first time around I was an August bandbaby.) It's a great time to be banded!

Well, what are the things you want to know? How much do YOU know about the surgery and program? For my money, the most important thing when shopping for a banding surgeon is the breadth of the practice. I mean, does he just install as many bands as he can and send people on their merry ways? If that's the case, even a doctor who has done thousands isn't a doctor who is going to help much. I want a doctor with a robust aftercare program, well-run support groups, an individualized protocol for fills. If all that is in place, I'd not worry even if he's only done 50 or so bands (though I realize that's an unlikely combination of features). Think about what you want to know about the procedure and the treatment, and write your questions down. Then listen to his answers, and ask followups. Remember this is a two-way conversation; don't let him do all the talking. I just realized you've probably already had it by now. I'd be interested to hear how it went.

Hi Regina, At the moment LBT is in the process of moving to a new server, and there are all sorts of things that need to be tweaked, I gather. I'm moving this thread to the appropriate section so the owner will see it, and I'm sure he'll fix whatever is broken as soon as possible.

Rachel, I'm so glad you had an unfill! That will allow you the space to take the best possible care of yourself and heal up. Once you DO start to feel better, though, take care to not overeat because you think you "can." Once you do go back on solids, take it very slowly and carefully. Try to remember how lousy these last few weeks were and realize how easily you could be right back in that same place. Take good care!!

Rachel, I found that Prevacid really helped a lot with the pain and discomfort. In my case I really did have a slip, so I absolutely think you should go in for an x-ray to see what's up. But in the meantime sticking strictly to liquids and using an acid blocker should calm things down in a couple of days. Go for the precription. Prevacid makes a chewable which was the only thing I could get down when things were at their worst. OTC stuff never did the trick for me.

There is no real reason to avoid sugar if you don't want to. Noncaloric sweeteners are obviously a staple of many dieters' lives, but only because they want to avoid the extra calories. If that's not an issue for you, then do what works. Banding is not just about cutting as many calories out of our lives as humanly possible, it's about living comfortably on fewer calories than we've been taking in--and thus losing weight. Just as no diet works for everyone, there is no one way to live with the band. Many people find that fresh fruit is too bulky and fibrous to eat when they have good restriction, while others keep their bands looser specifically because they want to be able to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. You find the balance you want and make it work for you. That's how the band works.

I sure hope you're feeling better soon, Rachel. Have you been back to the doctor to have a fluoroscopy exam? You're describing the way I felt when my band had slipped. Ultimately I was able to treat the irritation but the slip was already there and medication did nothing. Please stick to liquids for as long as you can (a week, at LEAST) and try to get back to your doctor soon. It may be more than just irritation. Good luck!! :hug:

Rachel, I've always found it's MUCH easier to give up food entirely than to try to stick to a diet of any kind. If you really make a commitment to stick to STRICTLY liquids even for the next one full day, then you can maybe make it two days and then three. Finding a way to avoid solid food entirely was, for me, a lot easier than trying to eat just a little bit. This is not about dieting for you right now, and not about weight loss. You really need to take drastic steps to preserve the health and integrity of your esophagus. This is WAY more important than losing a few pounds. Please do yourself the immense boon of trying to stick with liquids for a few days at least. And take Prevacid or Nexium if you can get a prescription for it--you really do need to heal before you think once again about eating the bandster way.

Happy birthday, indeed, and GOOD LUCK TOMORROW!!! I'm pulling for you to have a very smooth, uneventful surgery and recovery. Take care!!

I've had the same problem intermittently, and I have no idea what's causing it. In some cases I'm able to navigate to a thread by trying a different avenue (going through the forum/section page, rather than new posts, for example) or by going back later. The owner of the site has been notified, and I'll let you know what I find out.

Rachel, that cycle is going to lead to your band being removed. That's simply the way it is. Eventually you will cause yourself damage--either by making the band slip down further on your stomach, or by causing a hernia or erosion, or by irritating your esophagus so much it leads to a pre-cancerous condition. All three of those situations may eventually require band removal to correct. And if you continue the behavior without correction, you could seriously injure yourself, even permanently. Why go that route? I think we can ALL relate to how hard it is to accept the new "full" feelings, and how difficult it can be to believe that the small amount we can eat is actually the correct amount we should be eating. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. But there is no happy ending if we continue to fight the band, which is exactly what you are doing. You KNOW this is causing you harm. How can we help you get through this? Maybe you can start by telling us, right here in this thread, what made you decide to get the band in the first place? What was your experience that led you to bariatric surgery? Let's go back to the very beginning. Tell us how you heard about the band and what made you think it would help you.

Same as always! There are just new sections for threads relating to a specific banded time frame. If your question or comment is general, post it in the general discussion or support areas. But if you are addressing people who were banded in the same month you were, or want to meet people being banded in the same month, go to the relevant section in the new Monthly Support Groups area.