Alexandra

I'm so sorry, but this is no doubt the best way to get the infection under control and eradicated for good. Don't take chances with your long-term health! There's always time for another approach to weight loss in the future. Good luck with your surgery! Please let us know how it goes. Thinking of you... :hug:

Quoting myself. Nobody knows mine?

From a play turned into a classic movie: "The Bible is a book. It's a good book. But it's not the only book."

:rockon: Wise words, sir.

Congratulations! I'm another Abkin/Bertha patient and it's nice to meet you!! Take care of yourself, heal up, and hang out here for questions and support. Welcome to LBT!!! :high5: :whoo: :rockon:

Hi Celeste!! It's great to hear you're doing well. I think of you often! :hug:

Hi Snowhard, If you're coming on to your group's medical plan, in most states you can't be excluded because of your health condition. I know that's the case in NY, at least. Is the company you're coming on to a large company (i.e., is it self-funded)? If it's a huge corporation that covers itself, it is responsible for making all the coverage decisions. If they want you, you're in.

Oooh, oooh!! I know, I know!! :clap2:

Hi Tracy, welcome to LBT! Congratulations on youre great weight loss!! How are you doing with the band, 3 years out? Do you have any reflux or esophageal problems? Great to have more long-termers here!!

My Dh handed me a handful of change the other day, which turned out to be four of the new dollar coins and one quarter. It really took me a minute, but on inspection I could tell which was which easily enough. I like the new coins! But I completely agree that we won't ever fully adopt dollar coins until they just stop making paper bills.

I'm a heterosexual liberal atheist, and I know I couldn't do what's pictured if my life depended on it!

berry, heartburn is more a function of stomach acid than anything else, and if you are producing too much acid you may need medication to deal with it. Some people over-produce even when there's no food in the stomach to trigger it. Check with your doctor, but I'd think that a Zantac before bed would be fine post-banding.

Oh my, what a piece of hooey!! Anyone who gets one of these e-mails abd buys into it should really be ashamed of themselves, on so many levels. This sort of thing really makes me wonder about the future of our society.

Wow, MzAngel, what a difficult situation! From where I sit surgery would seem to be the right move. You don't want to jeopardize your baby's development, and surgery on pregnant women is done all the time. I know someone who recently had gall bladder surgery in her 7th month of pregnancy, and all went well. She's healthy, home, and the baby is doing just wonderfully. Good luck and please keep us posted!

This is going nowhere. Locked.

Hi Dawg! Well said, and I completely agree. Thanks!!

That is not going to matter. If the last doctor note you had was back in 2000 it would be an issue, but you're totally good. You've got more medical backup than many people do!

Just wanted to highlight the above, because it bears repeating. :clap2:

IMO the Electric Slide is the devil's spawn. :girl_hug: There is just something about it that makes me want to run screaming from the room! The Macarena and other line dances don't thrill me; I don't dance to them but I stand on the side looking faintly amused. You're absolutely right about the wedding horror stories. For mine it was the rain, which came down in torrents after sunset. But as with all things, there was a silver lining. It ended the party at a decent time--we'd been out there since 3:00 p.m. and it was 10:00 or so when everyone left. And of course the partying continued at the hotel for those of us who were so inclined. I hope by the time my daughters get married this silly notion of who pays for the wedding will have changed. We certainly aren't going to mortgage our retirement for a big party or two! And while I have no qualms about sticking to my guns about that, it'd sure be nice not to alienate the grooms' families or the kids in the process.

Ahhh, wedding stories. They are legion. I flew to Bermuda to be a bridesmaid in one of those she-just-wants-the-ring weddings. I hate to say that because she is and was one of my very best friends, but even she recognizes that she married the wrong guy for all the wrong reasons. They had two kids but it was over in five or six years. She married a second wrong guy (this lady has issues), but at least this time it was at the J of P. That one ended in four. :rolleyes I understand the drive to have it all one's own way, because it's really the very rare chance in a lifetime to have it all be about YOU. It's special, you know it, everyone else knows it, and it can be a wonderful experience. My first wedding was all about the guy--he wouldn't budge on the details and gave me no string. (I shoulda known then, huh?) So the second time I wanted it to be wonderful, but of course that doesn't mean it has to be expensive or over-the-top. Make the bride and groom pay for it themselves, and that'll keep the costs down! :girl_hug: We got married on my grandmother's front porch with the audience on the lawn; had a rented dance floor under a tent in the yard; had my husband's deli "cater" the pre-ceremony noshes; I gave the DJ a list of what I DIDN'T want to hear (the Electric Slide, anyone?) but gave him permission to surprise us; and I gave my husband a giant chocolate-chip cookie as the groom's cake. Even with more than 100 guests it was low-key, elegant, and relatively inexpensive. We spent way more on the honeymoon than we did on the wedding.

Sherri Jo, please dial back the vitriol a little. Rants & Raves is an off-topic debate area, and it's par for the course when someone starts a thread to get debate back at them. There is nothing personal about it. To correct any misimpressions: No, the moderators can't read PMs (or are you talking about Alex the owner? I'm sure he could if he were so inclined, but I assure you, he's not). And no, I never send PMs "warning" people about anything. What exactly did you mean by that?

It's not Horizon but the AMA that sets the standards for medically qualified. If your BMI hovers around 40 you should be considered qualified even without comorbidities, but your list of conditions will serve to confirm your eligibility. I'm quite confident you would be considered medically qualified. You will also have to show that you've been morbidly obese for at least 5 years and have tried other means to control it. Exactly how that information is presented may vary from carrier to carrier, and I'm not certain how Horizon requests it. But be prepared with it because it will have to be shown at some point. If all those points are in order you would be considered medically qualified for bariatric surgery (assuming you pass the psych exam), and if Horizon gives you any push back on that score you have grounds for appeal.

Can't wait for your "I'M APPROVED" post, Laurend!! :clap2: :clap2: Jack, my eyes, my EYES!!

NJ state law requires a response from the carrier within 30 days, though it usually goes much faster. Of course that's 30 days from the date they receive a complete file, and that's the hard part. The good news is that Horizon is very band-friendly. If you're medically qualified, you'll be approved. :biggrin1:

Listen, peeps: Just because a thread is in the R&R section doesn't give everyone carte blanche to insult one another. Please keep it civil--debate the IDEA, not the PERSON. I am not addressing any ONE individual here, so no one jump down my throat. This is a general advisement to everyone. Thanks. :confused: