leatha_g

So sorry to hear about your aunt, Penni. This has been a tough few weeks for your family. Please have a safe trip and hurry home!

Yup.. Melissa Jensen who is the coordinator for SCOR is on this board some. Perhaps she can supply us with a better link?

First of all Cigna paid for BOTH of my banding surgeries. However, each policy is different, each employer purchases different type of inclusions/exclusions. So just because mine did, does not mean your would too. Honestly, that question is one you'll have to answer for yourself. This is a very personal journey and it all depends on how much you want to lose, what your current health status is and what you're willing to go through/give up to have a surgical tool. I think it's worth appealing, to save your original anatomy, personally. Especially if you can do enough research on the VBG and the band to support statements that the VBG is far more dangerous and the results may not be as good for as long, as the lapband. But it will take determination. Did you locate Alex's appeal letter? She states perfectly why the lapband is a far safer procedure. I wish you luck!

Definitely follow your doctors orders. You could feel your fill immediately, or not. Sometimes, it takes awhile to get restriction. Maybe even up to your 2nd or 3rd fill. You will know when you start eating real food. I would take it slow and try to follow the instructions your doctor gave you. Proteins first, veggies second, anything else IF you still have room. Try not to eat more than 1 cup of food, preferrably 1/2 cup. If you are still hungry, you can eat again later. Just don't over-do it.

I just replied to your other thread...

"The Vertical Banded Gastroplasty (VBG) produces a small gastric pouch that is defined by a stapled partition and empties through a small outlet that is reinforced by a plastic mesh band. The procedure was, for about two decades, the most popular bariatric operation because it was less technically demanding than the malabsorptive operations and produced acceptable weight loss without serious dietary deficits except some rare and still unexplained nutritional neuropathies. Although some surgeons are still doing the operation, its popularity faded as long-term follow-up demonstrated problems. Concerns included erosions and obstructions of the band, less weight loss than the combined procedures, failures of the staple line partitions, and the frequent need for re-operation." There is an appeal letter by one of our moderators, Alexandria on this site that would be almost perfect for this situation. I wish you luck!

Welcome Nana! Don't be too afraid. The band is a wonderful tool, but it's still life ever-after. Some folks have some minor complications, setbacks, etc, but most are able to move through those and do what they set out to do which is re-gain their lives with better health, etc. Good luck to you!

This is the first I've heard of the bean bag. Good idea! But I don't think this is a common thing. I was flat on the hard OR table. Dr. Provost is definitely one of the best I've heard of. He was in on the clinical trials too, wasn't he? I'm so glad all went well and yep, I understand feeling like they run you over with a truck. We never really know what they did to us before we got into that recovery bed....

You might try www.obesitylaw.com They tend to help people with appeals. Also, on this site somewhere, there is an appeal letter from Alexandria that was superb. I agree with you. If one does, the others should, but it seems to be going state by state with BCBS. Good luck to you! Don't give up!

Probably better to have something in the morning, just not immediately before the fill. Continue to drink, for sure. I hope you like your new doc! Let us know how it goes!

Way to go Rica!! That is a real NSV!!!

It is very possible, and very common. Don't ask me why. I think our band goes along with the barometric pressure or something. Truly, it is fickle. You'll see this experience far and wide across all band boards. From one day to the next, no one really knows if they'll feel their restriction or not. I had a fill last week that I am just now starting to notice some real signs from and by next week, who knows?

I think the local Houston/Beaumont folks were discussing just getting together for a day. The weekend thing would be later, like in February. Am I right?

Unless you are eating soft foods, you will probably not feel that 'Thanksgiving' Full that we all had become so accustomed to. With the band it's a much more subtle feeling. Usually your body will give you signs, such as one big hiccup or a bit of shoulder pain, maybe a sudden bout of sneezing or coughing. Michelle says she gets an ice cream headache. These are things you will have to watch for and learn that your body is trying to signal that you are 'done' eating. Most of us will reach a point that ONE more bite will automatically come up. I don't really have that reaction much, but I definitely know that when I have that one big hiccup or a sort of sharp pain in my shoulder or under my left ribcage area that I am 'done'. If you continue to eat past that point, you could be in danger of stretching your pouch, although I would think that would take something like consistently overpacking it. You'll not feel that 'stuffed' feeling in the lower stomach anymore, which was quite a relief to me. If I never lose another pound, I am SO glad that I don't go to bed at night feeling bloated and overstuffed anymore. You'll get the hang of it, just listen to what your body is trying to tell you. The 'full' you'll feel is much farther up, in your esophagus. Good luck!

There are different schools of thought on carbonation. It is said that it could aid in stretching your pouch which you definitely don't want and it also contributes to gas and burping which we already do plenty of. You have 12 Diet Cokes a day? Wowee.. do your feet and ankles swell? I did myself an experiment, before banding and cut out Diet Coke for a certain length of time just to see if my feet and ankles still swelled or not. Sure enough, they did not swell nearly as bad as when I was drinking Diet Coke/Any soda. The sodium content in those things is lethal. Good luck breaking that habit!

I tried the Lean Body brand of protein drink the other day and it was really good! Not many are, but it was actually pretty good tasting and had like 30g of protein in it. I've also bought the Body Tech Whey protein and it's pretty good also. I just mix it with water for breakfast and haul it to work with me.

Good luck Sharon! Please do let us know how it goes for you!

I wonder if some of those nutritional supplements for weight lifters to bulk up would help? Often they have good Vitamin supplements etc. Maybe throw in some fruit for taste? I know the waiting is the hardest part. I really hope everything turns out positive.

:banana :banana woohooo! betty's gotta band, betty's gotta band!!

lol. there are some rather stupid questions on there. those questions really aren't as specific as they sound, but are meant to point to certain disorders. i was told that there are certain questions built in to actually tell whether you have manipulated the outcome of the test with your answers or to keep you from doing so. i guess there is some subliminal things going on there that you don't see. i did find them humorous also and very interesting. what's real interesting is that the last one i took, i also got the results from and it's actually very close to who i really am. i wished i understood more about how they come to the final conclusions based on those silly questions.

This weight loss has definitely got to effect hormones. I had a radical hysterectomy with both ovaries removed in 1996. I wore a hormone patch until 2000 when I developed a DVT. The year following, I had nightmare menopause symptoms - hot flashes, nightsweats, nausea for nearly a whole year. I thought I was gonna die it was so abrupt and severe. It finally leveled off after that first year or so and lately, since I've lost over 60lbs, I have started having those darn hot flashes again out of the blue. I had so hoped I was over that, but apparently there are still hormones somewhere acting up. That 'change of life' baby thing scares me to death.. lol.

You could always check with Dr Veninga who's staff is marvelous!

Disclaimer: I do not drink coffee at all (if it tasted as good as it smells, I would love it - but it don't. lol) But, I thought I'd pass this along. Coffee Tied to Inflammation, Perhaps Heart Disease NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Consuming moderate-to-high amounts of coffee is associated with increased levels of several inflammatory markers, a finding that could help explain previous reports linking the beverage to heart disease. Ongoing, low-level inflammation is thought to be an underlying factor in the development of heart disease. The latest findings, which appear in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (news - web sites), are based on a study of about 3000 subjects with no history of cardiovascular disease. A food-frequency questionnaire was used to assess coffee intake, and blood samples were tested for levels of various compounds that are known to promote, or are a marker of, inflammation. Compared with subjects who did not drink coffee, those who consumed more than about 1 cup of the beverage per day had significantly higher levels of all the inflammatory markers tested, Dr. Demosthenes B. Panagiotakos, from Harokopio University in Athens, and colleagues report. The results held true even after factoring in age, gender, smoking, body weight, physical activity, and other potential confounders, the researchers point out. Although the findings provide a mechanism by which coffee intake could promote heart disease, the authors note that not all previous studies have identified an association between the two. Hence, further studies are needed to confirm the present findings. SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, October 2004.

"Real" what a compliment, when you're talking about people. Real is my favorite kind. :-) Welcome to the group! Feel free to browse all the sections and ask away! There is a great wealth of experience and sharing here! Good luck with your journey!

Welcome home Joanne!! Congrats on your successful surgery and wishing you a speedy recovery!! Keep us posted how it goes!