Alexandra

Great minds think alike! :clap2: Laurend, you and my husband have the same feelings about olives. Once in a while I'll have to buy an assortment just so I'll get some--the really yucky, bitter, slimy ones are my favorites. :eek:

You're getting way too technical for me, RomeDweller. I'll pass along your comment to the site owner and see if he knows what's going on.

I don't know, that sounds like an awfully long time to expect to be in the hospital. Honestly, I've never heard of someone spending more than 2 nights after banding surgery, and even that's rare. Most people do have it now, I think, as outpatient surgery and probably a bit fewer stay overnight one night. Many people have hernias repaired at the same time as banding surgery, too. I wonder why they mentioned such a long stay. Maybe they were thinking of gastric bypass surgery?

So, how's it working? Anyone using the new hide-a-forum feature?

Well, it is Monday. Tomorrow will be better. :biggrin1:

This is exactly what I was going to say. Thanks, Marjon! The only "damage" involved here is that to your habit-forming mechanism. As a short-term or occasional behavior it's absolutely fine. If it's happening all the time at the expense of actual nutrition, well, that's obviously a problem. But I don't think that's what you're describing.

This is exactly what I was going to say. Thanks, Marjon! The only "damage" involved here is that to your habit-forming mechanism. As a short-term or occasional behavior it's absolutely fine. If it's happening all the time at the expense of actual nutrition, well, that's obviously a problem. But I don't think that's what your describing.

My doctor required a physical, which included complete blood work and an EKG, but nothing more for me. I think the results of the blood tests determine what else might be needed for many people. The psych consult is standard for insurance coverage (and many docs require it even if one is self-pay), and a nutritional consult is also very, very common. Other than those things, I think doctors make testing decisions mostly based on the patient's health and history. Well, American doctors, anyway.

Hi K@t! Welcome back! Sounds like you've had an unsettling time of it and I hope things settle down for you once you're back in the States. Good luck with your new doctor, and keep us posted!

Angel, you have nothing to be concerned about. Your ankle is nowhere near your band. Good luck with your surgery and I hope everything goes smoothly!!

Two weeks would have been enough for me, but it's always best to be safe and not put yourself in a risky spot. Three definitely seems prudent. I can't wait to hear that you have a firm date and no more question marks, Lauren! I'm tentatively set for rebanding on July 9th, so we'll be baby bandsters together.

39 lbs in 6 months is GREAT, Lana! Keep that up and you'll be at 80 lbs in a year, which is a terrific rate of loss. You're learning to live and eat with the band, and as you're aware it takes practice and patience. So don't get bummed! Take a deep breath and hang around the food forum for ideas. You're doing wonderfully!!

Mandi, you'd have to talk with your doctor about this. There may be scenarios in which the doctor makes certain guarantees within a time frame (like if there's a surgical error he'd fix it at no charge), but if you're banded for any length of time and have a complication treatment for that would most likely be treated as a separate event. Your insurance carrier can't exclude coverage for emergencies, even if they are the result of an elective procedure (at least, not if they don't want to end up in court). But if they didn't cover the initial surgery they aren't likely to cover fills or non-emergent repairs or revisions (like a flipped port, for example).

Hi BBW, I had my band removed (UNvoluntarily) on April 9th. It was an outpatient procedure and I was home in a few hours. The next day I felt absolutely fine, and after a few days of liquids for healing I felt 100% normal. It was a lot easier than the initial placement surgery. No residual restriction, sad to say, but no other aftereffects of any kind. My doctor said even if there is internal swelling or anything else it all should be resolved in 4-6 weeks. As for your insurance covering it, that's doubtful unless (as Bubble said) there is a medical reason for it to be removed. That's something to discuss with your doctor. There may in fact be a medical reason for your discomfort and unhappiness that you haven't found.

I'm sorry if I confused the issue for you, Somethingelse. My point was only that you shouldn't put too much weight (so to speak) on what the statistics say. My "goal" weight is somewhere between 150 and 180, according to the charts, so when I started I had about 160-190 lbs to lose. 50% of that is 80-95 lbs. I've lost about 120-130, so by all accounts I'm a success. But MY goal going in was only that I would get somewhere below 250, 230 if all my dreams came true. (That was my lowest adult weight, reached for 10 minutes back in 1990 after starving for four months.) I wanted to get healthy, be able to chase after my kids, be able to not worry and obsess about every bite and hate myself for not being able to exert control. If all of that happened and I was unable to get below 260 or a size 20, well, at least I'd no longer be GAINING. And once I discovered how to live with the band, getting to a really normal size turned out to be possible, much to my surprise, and I'm absolutely thrilled with a weight between 210 and 220. Why? Because it's staying there. Someday, maybe, Jachut's exercise high will hit me and I will turn into a fitness fanatic, but for now I'm content. My point is don't throw away the idea just because the statistics are less than miraculous. Look at your relationship with food and see if an internal brake that helps you stop eating is something that will help you. Because that's what the band is, nothing more, nothing less. It flipped things so that instead of constantly trying NOT to eat and beating myself up about every bite, I was able to plan meals and eat small amounts without being hungry. Sure, it's possible to eat around the band and get in more calories than we should, but the band gives us a huge hand in the battle--if we want to take it. I miss my band and hope to get a new one in July. Until then, I'm re-living the dieting life.

COBRA is not an insurance policy, it's just a law that lets you continue your EXISTING coverage if you lose your eligibility through your job. Whatever insurance you have now is exactly what you will have if you continue it under COBRA. The only difference is that you will be paying the premiums. So, who is your insurance carrier?

Hi Somethingelse, welcome to LBT!! Mother's day is bittersweet for those of us without moms, I know. Happy Mother's Day to you, all the same. :hug: A lot of what you've written really rings true for me, too. When I decided to have surgery my two kids were 4 and 1, and they were the reason I did it. Surgery itself seemed like a very minor risk to take considering that every time we were out in the world I ran the risk of not being able to catch a running child. What would happen more often? I comforted myself by remembering how many millions of surgeries are performed every single day, on all sorts of people, successfully. The actual procedure struck me as very simple. As far as finding a surgeon goes, it seems almost more important than experience with banding per se is experience with laparascopic surgery. Yes, surgeons' techniques improve with time, but I would have been comfortable with a very experienced lap surgeon even if he's only done 30 or 40 bands--as long as he's done them recently and is continuing to do them. The surgeon's technique probably improves dramatically between the 1st and 20th bands, but how much can it really improve between the 21st and the 200th? Once he's got it down, he's got it, if he is indeed doing it frequently. What's frequent? At least two per week would be my comfort level (based on nothing, really, just a gut feeling). Banding is a pretty simple procedure, but living the banded life is not, necessarily. To my mind it's crucial to be close to your doctor for followup, consultation, support, and encouragement. If there's any chance of finding someone within easy driving distance, I'd suggest weighing that access as very important in your decision.

In my opinion, statistics and charts are absolutely worthless as predictors of one's own level of success. If YOU feel an appropriate weight for you is 125, say, then 50% of your excess weight would be half of whatever lies between you and 125. If you want to lose more than that, you can and you will.

It was so easy to deal with buffets and food fairs when I had my band. Knowing that one bite too many would result in a really uncomfortable situation gave me the strength to choose tiny amounts of quality foods judiciously. But the other day we went to an international festival at my daughters' school, and OH. MY. GOD. With nothing to stop me, I sampled foods from 17 countries with abandon. I can't wait until I get my new band.

I've found a line of salad dressings that are making me very happy. Walden Farms has a CALORIE-FREE line of dressings, some of which are creamy! Check them out in the refrigerated salad aisle. 0 calories, 0 carbs, 0 everything. The main ingredients are vinegar and water, but whatever else they put in really adds texture and overall yumminess. I love them!

:pound: :pound: Very funny. (Marjon is referencing a now-gone spam thread, deleted as soon as we saw it. It's really NOT an invitation for anyone to post sex movies!!)

Listywood and Mr Soots, I feel for you and am here to tell you that band removal can be a good thing. Here's hoping that your removal surgeries are as quick and easy as mine was, and your healing is immediate. :hug: And for anyone who thinks their insurance won't cover removal because they didn't cover the band: TRY! Your surgeon should classify the removal surgery as medically necessary, and put in a request for expedited precertification. It's not an emergency, that's true, but if removal is needed to preserve your health your insurer should cover at least part of the cost. Even if the initial banding was denied for whatever reason, this is a different procedure and should be considered on its own merits. Good luck!!

Kimmom, I think we all go through that doubtful stage of feeling like we are failures for needing the band. But for me it took hard work--taking a good, HONEST look at myself and my life and admitting I need help. That's all, just HELP. No shame in that, none at all.

Welcome to LBT! :biggrin1:

That gave me chills, Southernwoman! This is exactly what a support group is supposed to do. Yay! Welcome to LBT and I hope you stick around. :biggrin1: