icestorm12132008

So I read your post and your still really to soon for even puree. I was banded two weeks before you and I just started puree per doctors instructions. When you are ready for puree and you want fish I'd sugest the oven popers brand of fish they can be microwaved and then puree'd with some stock. They don't contain any bones and most are stuffed with a vegtable so you are getting more then just fish. The protien shakes do suck but i've found that bariactric advantage is not bad and if you blend it with a Blender Bottle with some skim milk they taste alot better. I'd be honest with your friends about your surgery, stressing your delicate pouch to elude your friends is a bad idea. --icestorm12132008

I would not take that kind of crap from her. I would immediately ask to speak with your surgon about the dietition's rude behavior. Like other posters have said your payments/co-pay's help to make her salary, she is working for you and the sme holds true for your surgon. Talk with your surgon or perhaps the secretary and see if you can't switch, she needs to be reported and repremanded, that is a form of patient misconduct on behaf of the staff member. Let me guess the dietitian is thin and of normal weight? and perhaps does not know anyone who has struggled with obesity personally. It is alot more then just eating to many candybars. If you are female have you had a complete hormonal panel done including your AlC level, and your colesterol and trigliserides? Are you of repoductive age? Do you note anything unusual about hair growth/loss? and changes in your skin ? every female should have thier thyroid checked and if that's ok rule out PCOS, many wommen have pcos and don't even know it it is a complex disorder that silently effects many. I wish you the best of luck and don't put up with this crap. --icestorm12132008

Go to your local bookstore or libary and look for the following title: FIX IT AND FORGET IT LIGHTLY by Phyllis pellman Good She also has a whole series of books for the crock pot Her origonal title fix it and forget it, the book i mentoned above, and fix it and forget it for entertaining. If you have an older crock pot cooking times will take longer, if you have a newer pot they should cook in the time alotted. Also note the size of the cooker if you put about 1/2 of the pot full of food it will take less time to cook so keep an eye on it. Crock pot is also good for tenderizing tough cuts of meat just be sure to add 1 cup of Water to your roast and don't lift the lid. Happy cooking. Icestorm12132008

I'm stumped myself on the puree/mushie stage, I had carefuly steamed some salmon stuffed with spinach and chesse in the microwave, then i choped it up and added some chicken broth and into the processor it went, a small serving of fish blended up to about a custard cup full wich is 1/2 a cup or so. it was not bad but i think fish every night would get borring. I think baby food for fruits and veggies might work well in a pinch or carefuly cook my own and blend then frezze for later i guess. thank god tomarow is payday and i'm excited to start cooking again.

I'm in the same boat as you i'm anxiously awaiting a fill, cuz i can eat now and the hunger is nuts. I go to see my surgon again in january, I was told I can start puree today wich i was very happy about. What i'm not happy about is the hunger is back and it is quite the distraction. You keep on thinking about that next 1/2 cup of something it's insaine. So this must be the bandster hell everyone talks about

I have(for now) BCBS of georgia also Anthem. They are relitively easy to work with. Because georgia has such a problem with obesity. You need your doctor to send a letter of medical necessity outlining any obesity related conditions you allready have or are at high risk for developing. You have to see a psychiatrist to asess you to make sure you are not mentally ill. And you have to have a visit with the nutritionist before surgery because they want you to loose about 10% of your current weight first. That is not a large number. The surgon you use must be within your network listing. and you have to have an ekg done and routine blood work. That is it. I wish you the best

That stinks that your parents will not suport your decission to have a lap band done. If I can ask how old are you? Can you drive yourself to your apointments? Can you take a cab? Or is public transit an option? This is about your health and your decission to make an informed decision on weather or not surgery is the right thing for you. Maybe your mom and dad are mis-informed on what the Lap band Is and is not. I hope that you are of age so that you do not need their consent for surgery. I had my stples out today, and I struggled with my weight since I was 10 years old (i'm now 30). I finally made the decision after much research, and after many failed diet and exercise attempts to have surgery. I chose lap band because it was the least invasive of my options. Finally the weight has a chance to come off and stay off for a change. I had surgery earlier this month and according to my surgon's record i've lost ten pounds. The healing is not to bad and I highly recomend it. Do do you have a friend who would be willing to suport you in this? maybe they could help you get to your apointments if your parents are unwilling? Or is is the distance two hours is an awfuly long ride, can you look up surgons that are closer to home maybe? Please let me know how you are doing. icestorm12132008

what if you bought a bariactric vitamin? they are formulated to litterlally dissolve when fully chewed. You have to take two capsules a day for the multi and about 4 of the calcium chews daily for calcium, however they are garanteed to disolve to comply with your band. And they don't taste to bad either, I usually take a small sip of crystal light with it just to rid the taste from my mouth or I brush my teeth after. Taking the mulit vit. and calcium is essential to your overall hedalth. Hope this helps.

I think what folks who are banded forget after their reach their goals is hello they are still banded and nutrition for us will always be "different". I don't think someone who has never had problems with their weight or had a "sticking/stuck/vomit" incident can relate, because this system does alter the interal anatomy of the digestive system to the point where if we "overtax" our pouch it will talk back in the form of vomit. And not everyone will understand what we put on our plates or they may always be critical of what we are eating. I think we should be their for eachother no mater what because nobody gets it like someone who has struggled with the weight perhaps for their entire lives.

You have every right to be angry and pissed off, these folks don't know their ass from their elbows on this one. Obesity is a complex disorder of the body that is a heck of a lot more then overeating. I just got banded and i'm waiting for my staples to come out after the holiday. I'd say Ignore the crap on face book, because a big part of this journey is a mental one. Their are going to be good and bad days with the lapband just like anyother diet, the difference here is the lap band has helped many to achieve a healthy body weight for the firstime in their lives, after a long struggle to loose the excess weight. I encourage you to come onto the forums here and read the good, bad and the ugally to help you decide on weather this is the right thing for you. I know for me personally it took a long battle of me not loosing the weight and then seeing a family member have the band done and failing misribly at it, then seeing a friend have a band done and she did wonderful with it and she reached her goals. I think it depends on how badly you want to have a healthy body and break free from the hold that food has over all of us to some degree. And the thing here is we can't escape food we need it for survival. I hope that if you are banded that you are having a sucessful journey, and if you have slipped along the way you have the confidence to talk to your surgon or nutritionist about a plan to get you back on track.

My thoughts are with you as I read your post, and shame on him for treating you that way. When you decided to have WLS you took a huge step in sticking up for yourself and putting yourself first for a change. If you spouse will not suport you in your continued jouney to health and happiness then he needs to be told to go. You worked to hard to be put down by a low life slimeball who disrespects your viows by cheating. Confide in a close girlfriend and maybe ask them to "hold your hand" as you find a lawyer, or if lawyers fees are not in your budget your local Legal aid office should be able to help you. I know loosing the weight was a journey and at times hard, but you did it and you should be proud of your accomplishment. The divorce is another journey. (I got divorced at 21, cheating spouse). This process of divorce is probally going to hurt but out of the hurt you will become a smarter, happier, more confident womman. I wish you the best of luck and keep posting if you want to talk. You can also go on to WWW.DIVORCESOURCE.COM. their website has a message board and several articles pertaining to the country's various divorce laws divided by state. There will be better days haead. icestorm12132008

I'm not a fan of birthcontrol at all. I did one round of depovrovera injection back when I was 19 or twenty, and I turned itno such a misrible person on it. I stoped it and did not do any form of bc since then. I also have had menstral irregularites from fibroids in the usterus. I also have PCOS, and fibroids and menstral problems go hand in hand with the weight gain. Have any of you girls that have bad pain with your cycles been scanned for fibroids? they can make you very ill when you get your ycle. I did ont voimit but I did feel nauseus and had bad pain with my period and the bleeding was very heavy wich lead to anemia. My doctor encourages me to use some form of birthcontrol to prevent pregnancy. I feel like laughing omg like pregnancy would ever happen? But with my luck i'd dropp like 1/2 of my desired amount then get pregnant. I have an allergy to latex so rubbers are out of the question for us, so my husband said he would obstain for like a year. what would be our chances of conceoption anyway i think they are pretty slim to none at this point without medical intervention. My surgon says i can be banded and pregnant I just have to use some caution as far as banding is considered i guess.

I don't want to sound like a whinner but.....go see your surgon the surgon does more then just stick you with a band and give you a fill or two. Regular checkups is part of the process, it's like getting your car checked and oil changed every 3 months or s if you drive alot. you want to keep your engine from mucking up so you get regular srvice on it. the band is the same way. My surgon's practice encourange that we get fills every 6 weeks or so to keep us on our way down the scale. They say "the more you see of us the less we will see of you"--Dr. glasgow's practice in norwood. No one can loose this kind of weight on their own(isen't this why we chose surgery?). It is not to late to get an apt with your doctor or a neew doctor if you have moved and get back on track.

insurance can be awful to deal with. Do you have other options such as personal savings? Or taking out a loan? I have one of the most cheap insurance policy's possible thru my husbands' work. THey don't like to pay for anything, yet they will pay for obesity surgery because where the plan is baised from in GA they have a major problem with folks being obesse. Could you possibly pay for a plan out of pocket for the year that you will be needing to see the doctor for surgery and your fills?