Alexandra

Kathy, we're neighbors!! Abkin was my doctor too. Have they told you about the monthly meetings at their offices? The next meeting is next Wednesday, the 30th, at 7:00 p.m. I'm definitely going and hope to meet you there!

Ahem? I don't want to guess what you're trying to say. Can you be clearer?

Originally posted by bbrecruiter2000 I think we would all agree though, if someone were able to eat two cups of solid Protein in less than 20 minutes, they would probably need a fill? The band is a restrictive device and although I agree with you that restriction is a subjective topic, there has to guidelines? Who makes those guidelines? I'd agree that if someone were able to eat that much solid food that quickly, they are not experiencing restriction. Whether that's too much for that person or not is a completely different question. Are they trying to lose weight? Is their band filled? What other variables haven't we considered? (And is that person's band even in right??!?) However, during the most successful part of my weight loss journey so far is when I was eating more 8-10 oz of solid protein and veggies. was losing rapidly. ... I know that a very qualified bandster and medical professional once told me that a bandster portion for eggs at a meal was one. I eat two eggs and some turkey and a piece of cheese at lunch, so this would be a pig out according to others who feel that this would be too much. EXACTLY!! Telling a newly banded person that "a bandster portion is one egg" is completely unhelpful. The right way to express instructions on portion control would be as follows: "Many long-time bandsters find that a meal consisting of one egg or even as little as a half-cup of solid food is enough. It may be quite some time before you get to that point, but even before that it's very important that you pay close attention to your body's signals and don't eat more than it takes to feel satisfied. This is important because you can damage your pouch or band placement by frequently eating more than that at one time. Eat very slowly and you'll be surprised at how little it takes to satisfy you." Obviously that's a little harder to say, but there it is.

Most carriers require a documented history of weight loss attempts. They're not saying you should have been keeping notes all along (although if you were doing that, you're WAY ahead of the game). They're saying--reasonably, I think--that we all should try other methods to get our weight under control before resorting to surgery. It's NOT the easy way out that people seem to be concluding it is (not accusing you of that, mind you), and carriers paying for it should be concerned about how people arrive at the decision to have surgery. It's easy to get 6 months of history, I think. If you haven't been to a doctor in years, get to one for a physical. Have them make the diagnosis of morbid obesity in your record (the diagnosis code is 278.01 and that is all-important). Tell him you want to get serious about handling it, and set up a schedule for weekly or bi-weekly visits. Let him hand you a diet and tell him what you plan to do for exercise. Then go for visits, get weighed, talk a moment or two about what you're doing or not doing, and before you know it you'll have 6 months history. The fact that your doctor brought the subject up with you means, very likely, that he has records dating back a ways showing your history, and those will help too. In my case I had two children in the five years preceding my decision, so there were lots of medical records based on that. I wrote a long letter documenting my past attempts at weight control and the results thereof. In the end my fight with Aetna wasn't about my personal medical qualifications but on whether the band was a legitimate medical procedure. Cigna has a history of being band-friendly. They've recently become less WLS-friendly, as have lots of carriers, but if you're a truly qualified candidate and there's no exclusion in your policy they should approve the request.

I don't know anything about cockatiels, but I know my best friend's parrot is enough to make me run screaming from the room. How can anyone stand that NOISE??? I sure hope cockatiels have a different vocabulary. Speaking of Avenue, Lisa, can you help me figure something out? I am so confused about clothing sizes. I've been wearing Avenue clothes mostly, so those are the sizes I use in my sig. I'm wearing size 18/20 tops, 20 jeans, and 18 in the "denim lite" shorts. All of the 22 pants I had are too large now. So recently I went on Avenue's website, and looked at their fit charts. Using my measurements, those charts say I should be fitting comfortably into their size 22/24 on top and 26/28 on the bottom! Now, I can understand making the size numbers lower to flatter customers, but why not have size charts that accurately reflect the size of the clothes?!? Of course people are shaped differently, but I'd think one person's 44 waist is the same as another's. I don't get it. (This probably deserves its own thread in the Lounge, so I'll start one.)

Hi Julie, Welcome! I'm a big fan of upstate NY after going to school in the Finger Lakes region. Congratulations on your great progress, and I hope you'll stick around.

Hi Magnolia, First, as far as staying logged on to the forum, that has something to do with whether your computer uses Cookies and what your security settings are. That's a technical thing I can't really help with, but suffice to say it's on your end. You are staying logged on DURING each session, right? This forum is organized by message "threads" within topic areas. If you want to see the just the recently active threads click on "New Posts" at the top of the home page when you arrive and after you log in. That will show you only those threads that have new posts since you were last here. The ones marked with black dots are the ones in which you have posted. Posting a reply can be done by clicking on any of the "reply" buttons, and of course we always try to stay on topic. Next, about your 1cc fill: Every doctor approaches fills differently. There is no "right" or "normal" amount of Fluid, and in any event the effect of a certain amount varies immensely from person to person. Ask your doctor what he expects the result of this fill to be--did he expect you to be substantially restricted right off the bat, or is he approaching good restriction slowly? Once you have the answer to that question, you can evaluate whether this fill was successful or not. a small turkey buger patty, tomatoe, smashed avocado, pickle and half an ear of corn with no problem Did you eat all this quickly at one sitting? It sounds like a perfectly fine meal and one that I might be able to eat, but only if the burger had no bun and it would take me a while in any event. My point is that's not a whole lot of food and I'm sure it's nowhere near what you would have eaten prebanding. There is another whole thread about alcohol. Is it OK to have a margarita? Well, sure, if you're willing to take in the empty calories and possibly compromise your sense of fullness. Many people report that even one drink is enough to get a buzz and also makes them eat more absentmindedly, which at best means more calories and at worst can mean pain. But it's up to you.

I don't know anything about birth control pills, but I can say that a fill is not a magic instant weight-loss switch. With all three of my fills the restriction and weight loss took its time about showing up--sometimes weeks. So your current plateau may be something you'd be experiencing anyway.

Tina, you never know, your insurance carrier may surprise you. Congratulations on your decision, and best of luck with the red tape!!

Good point, Donali. I can tell you that if this eruption had appeared on one of my children I would have immediately taken her for medical attention. No kidding. I'm amazed your friend ignored something that had been festering for MONTHS!! Men are much more likely to do that, I think, than women. And of course a lot has to do with our access to medical care. I was really glad to be able to talk with a nurse earlier in the week, who gave me straight information on what to look out for. If she hadn't mentioned that infected bites will turn purple, I might not have realized that was something new.

Mary, how scary that must have been! I have a hypoactive thyroid and have never experienced anything like that. Yowza! When I was first diagnosed with hypothyroid I thought the same exact thing you did--wouldn't it be amazing if that was at the root of my obesity? But the only thing that changed once I was on the right meds was that I wasn't as bone-crushingly tired as I had been at the end of each day. In my case, it was probably brought on by pregnancy and childbirth, and wasn't present all my life. It is very common, and unlikely you've never been tested for it before if you've ever sought medical treatment for weight problems. Would have been nice, but nope, it wasn't the magic bullet I'd hoped it would be. Later I found out it runs in my family, and I have an aunt and two cousins who have been taking thyroid meds for years. Who knew? Thanks for offering to pitch in for my copay! I'm fine, you'll see in the other thread.

THE VERDICT IS IN! I'm not dying, and there won't be any little babies to share. (Sorry, Donali. You'll just have to get your pets somewhere else. ) You all were right, of course, and it was a good thing I went because the doctor said it probably would have gotten worse--possibly a lot worse--if I let it go. She gave me an antibiotic and took blood to test for Lyme and whatever else might be lurking. The official diagnosis was "infected insect bite, advancing cellulitis" and I'm to take Augmentin for 10 days. Thanks for all the encouragement, peeps! And I sprang for the $20.

Teresa, I'm another one with active-brain syndrome. Melatonin really helps, but I have to help it along with the right atmosphere. It's such a gentle sleep aid that if I am really wound up or worried about something or reading a taut thriller, I can easily stay awake. (But I like that aspect--it lets me stay in control.) I read every night in bed, and usually about 20 minutes after taking the melatonin I find my eyes closing of their own accord. I open them long enough to turn off the light and put the book down, and I'm out for the night. Having babies in the other room made me very leery of taking anything stronger to sleep, but left to my own devices I went weeks without enough sleep. Melatonin strikes the perfect balance by helping me get to sleep but not affecting my ability to wake up if need be.

Calm down, ladies! The doctor's office doesn't open until 9:00 a.m., and then I don't know when they'll be able to see me. I promise to let you know what the news is. A good thing is that it doesn't hurt as much today, though it's still red, swollen, and clearly still very irritated. But the pain is quite a bit better. Stay tuned!

Darcy, you'll be amazed how fast the time goes. It's sooner than you think!! Try to relax...think of your blood pressure. Stay cool, bandster-to-be!

Down, girl!! Penni is a nice person who means you no harm. She probably even feeds you sometimes, right? Towanda?

Darcy, I'm glad you're amused. I'm totally creeped out! Good thing The Princess Bride is on TV. That always cheers me up.

Yes, mom. I pwomise. Twuly.

Now there's a thought!!

You know, this is exactly what my brother said. I just luurrrve you guys!! Can I go to the doctor in the morning? They have Saturday hours. I promise I'll go, and if they dig out little babies I'll send one to you, ok? Man, how am I going to sleep tonight?? :sick And WHY did I click that link???

Of course, right now I had a quick stabbing pain in the area... Think I've scared myself enough for the moment?

Gee, thanks for the words of comfort, Donali! :D Naturally I'm a little concerned, but can it really take five days for a bad bite of the type your friend had to start causing concern? It's been progressing very slowly, so I figured I was safe from anything serious--going on the possibly false assumption that a serious problem would have manifested itself earlier.

Hi Penni, I don't really think I'm having any systemic symptoms. The last week of the month is always our busiest at work, and the tiredness is most likely related to that. And being in pain always takes a lot out of me. Same with the headache--it's very low-grade, and feels normal. Is it common to not be aware of a spider's bite when it happens? And what kind of spider does this? Remember, I live in suburban New Jersey. It's not like it could have been a tunnel web spider or anything exotic like that. It was under my clothes so this must have been a very small spider!

Don Mills at Inamed is reachable at don.mills@inamed.com. He may not be the specific person to talk to about this, but he'll know who is. I can sympathize with the doctors wanting to be sure someone needs a fill, but a paper questionnaire is NOT the right way to handle it. A conversation over the phone might work, but ideally you'd talk face to face. At my doc's office there is a nurse practitioner who has those conversations with people, no one has to bother the surgeon. And DEFINITELY get your copay back!! Holy Cow, the nerve!!!

I don't owe my skinny friends any apologies. I've been fat for so long that I've completely repressed any tendency to compare myself to them on any physical level. The worst thing I've ever said to a thin friend (and all of mine are thin, it seems) is "you don't understand" when they've tried to give me advice on diet. Donali, it's funny what you say about your friend the alcoholic. Two of my best friends are in that boat, and they are the only people I am completely honest with when it comes to my weight, body issues, whatever. The subject just never comes up with my other friends; they've learned they can't say anything that is helpful and much that might be hurtful. People in (successful) recovery are so accepting of others' personal issues that it feels safe to talk about it with them. Having always been the only fat girl in my social circles, I've always taken the role of the friend where boys are concerned. I don't regret that, actually, and have more male friends than anyone I know as a result. Young women who think of themselves--or who are forced to by society, i.e., who are beautiful and sexy--primarily as objects of attraction often don't get that opportunity. It's possibly the only side effect of obesity that I've not hated with a vengeance my whole life.