Alexandra

As I understand Federal COBRA law this is just not the case. Under the law she must have lost coverage due to a loss of eligibility in order for her to continue coverage. Simply being removed from her husband's policy is not considered a qualifying event for COBRA purposes. Divorce, widowhood, or her husband's losing coverage through his job would all be considered qualifying events, but not if he takes her off his plan for no particular reason. As for whether he can take her off his plan outside of an open enrollment period, that may depend on various things, possibly including the company's own rules. I know in NJ, in both small and large employer groups, there's no need for any special reason to remove a dependent from a policy at any time. Different states may have different rules about that, but COBRA law (which governs the continuation rights) is federal.

Here on this site you're unlikely to find any bandsters who've had it longer than 5 or 6 years. And I think there were only two or three people in that boat. Try going to OH or Yahoo Groups and looking for Australian or European bandster groups. You'll have much better luck there with regard to long-term bandsters.

Thanks for sharing your experience, but it just isn't safe to say that it's always the employer calling the shots. With small employer groups (such as, in NJ, those with fewer than 50 employees) the insurance carriers' standard policies may come into play. There may also be state mandates that even large employers are bound by. Insurance regulations vary from state to state so it's ALWAYS a good idea to contact your state department of insurance (or health, whichever has jurisdiction in your state) and find out what your rights are. Don't make any assumptions or draw conclusions based on someone's experience in a different state.

This is actually very common. In my experience, my fills often didn't kick in until two or three weeks later. My theory--and it's just a theory--is that the stomach tissue sort of "thins out" in respose to the increased pressure of a tightened band. Sort like a reflex action. And then over time as the pressure remains, the tissue of the stomach relaxes and returns to its original thickness, thereby increasing the restriction by making the stoma smaller. In any event, it's very common and the reason it's recommended to wait a good couple of weeks between fills.

My marriage is the same as it was before banding, so I didn't vote. All that's happened is that I lost weight--neither of us based our love or the relationship on my size, so it changing has nothing to do with our marriage. I've become more agile, able, free to do things, but the marriage itself has not changed due to my weight loss. Which is exactly what I expected to happen. :biggrin1:

I find the Atkins protein bars to be the best all-around: they have the least sugar, a lot of protein, and a bunch of fiber in each one. They're getting harder and harder to find, though.

This thread is about two beats from being locked. Keep it civil, people. Thanks.

Get something stronger for your acid production than Prilosec OTC--get a prescription for Prevacid or something like that and stay on it for at least two weeks to a month while you stick to liquids and very soft mushy foods. You're not getting the inflammation healed enough between episodes. You are clearly very sensitive to the tightness of the band and it may be that you'll need an acid inhibitor long term. Don't take this lightly, you really have to get it under control.

Green, that was beautifully, beautifully put. Thank you.

:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: I've been banded for 3 1/2 years and sometimes think about how "nice" it would be to just eat thoughtlessly, gorging on something freely until I feel satisfied. As the years go by it gets harder and harder to remember how horrible I felt at 340 lbs, how limited my life was, and how much freedom and ability I've regained by losing all that weight. And there is NO QUESTION that I'd gain it all back and more were I to lose my band. The thought processes are just too ingrained (a little more, two bites of this, a plate of that...) and I'd be back to my whale-self in a few short years. I put in a lot of effort to let the band save my life, and the work that remains to be done is mine. It will never go away and I can never forget. But it's the band that made it possible.

I completely agree with Jack. If you absolutely can't get an unfill, you must do everything you can to soothe the inflammation and let the swelling go down. STICK TO LIQUIDS AND VERY SOFT MUSHIES FOR A WEEK, or more if necessary. Take an antacid, prescription if possible -- one of those one-a-day things like Prevacid that you take for a while (as opposed to Rolaids). Drink aloe vera juice and live on Protein drinks, try to avoid coffee if you can. sleep in an upright position if possible--a comfortable reclining chair is great for this. When I've had bad reflux, sleeping in a recliner is really almost as good as bed...better, in fact, because I was able to SLEEP. If these measures don't improve the situation you really do have to go for an unfill. Aspiration pneumonia is a very real possibility, but so is damage to your esophagus from constant irritation. I once had this go on for a month and when I finally had an unfill the relief was immediate. At the same time I had an endoscopy, and though I had esophagitis everything was fine with my band. So don't worry too much but DO be aware that you have to let your internal system heal up. Good luck!

Clover, only your doctor can help with this situation. An infection can be serious and they MUST find the source. If one antibiotic didn't work there's got to be something else they can try. Don't give up--at the end you could lose your band so make sure you get this taken care of!! Good luck!

Googoo, one of the beautiful things about the band IS that it's removable if for whatever reason it's not working out. You have to do what's right for you, and I hope your insurance company sees that and makes it possible for you to have this corrected. Good luck with your surgery and I hope you return to full health and comfort soon!

This is a terrific assessment of the way the band works--I TOTALLY agree that we have to be quiet and patient and in that way it speaks to us the most effectively. It's the most important lesson I have had to learn, and even almost four years out I still have to remind myself of it regularly.

Please don't hold what a few people say against all the members of this site. We're not resposible for what people say and it's not fair to paint all of us with the same brush. Personally I was very impressed with your plans to help another person out, and the way you want to administer it is, obviously, totally up to you. You owe us absolutely nothing. It's nice to hear the recipient of your largesse is doing well!!

11/11 for me, too. :paranoid

Congratulations on your bandiversary, Sunta! Definitely let us know what's up with your port pain. Here's hoping it's nothing serious. At least now there's 80 lbs less of you to get in the way of treatment!

Neal, I loved someone's sig line that used to say "Starting weight: E" I can SO relate to that! I never broke a scale but I totally broke a chair once. You know those chairs made out of aluminum tubing and wicker that are sort of S shape? There's nothing holding you up except the bent metal in the front. I was sitting on one in a hotel room once when it slowly gave way. Thankfully, I was alone, but it was a bitch getting out of that! I'm still scared of those chairs. :paranoid

This thread is so totally inspiring! I love it. :hug: Thanks to everyone who has posted here. I needed to see a lot of it!!

Congratulations!!!!

Happy Birthday!! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

Born a normal weight, I started gaining quickly and was well over 100 lbs in 2nd grade. Now that I have a 3rd grader of my own (who weighs about 85 lbs), I know how unusually large that was. I was (am) also tall, so I thought I looked "normal" but I was definitely one of the big kids. That's when the diets began, and from there I just kept gaining. In junior high school I was well over 200 lbs and never went back.

Oh my goodness, Serena, thank heavens they were able to diagnose and fix the problem early! What a scary experience!! Here's hoping you recover soon and completely, and are back to 100% very fast. :hug:

What, if anything, is too serious to joke about? Nothing, in itself. Depends on the audience. Joking about anything too close to the listeners' hearts is unacceptable. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained one quality or one ability, what would it be? To be able to have more fun, enjoy life more. To lighten up. Whom, if anyone, do you envy enough to want to trade lives with them? No one, now. If I'm ever reincarnated, I'd like to have a life like Jimmy Buffett. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what woud it be? Take alcohol out of the equation. Period. If there were a public execution on tv, would you watch it? Absolutely, positively not. Would you rather arrive at a party underdressed or overdressed? Underdressed. I'm sort of used to that. What's more important: actual experiences, or the memories that remain from those experiences? The quick answer is the experiences, but without the memories did the experiences really happen? In real conversations, do you tend to talk more or listen more?If you had to chose one, would you rather be blind or deaf? I definitely listen more, but it wasn't always that way. And if I had to choose one, I'd rather be blind... deaf... blind... deaf... hmmmm.... ummmm.... wow. Deaf, I guess.

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