Sissy907

Has anyone had any experience with this doctor? When I spoke to my Doctor he said he was going to send me to see Dr. Nye in Penascola (whom I researched and was feeling quite comfortable with) but my refferal came in the mail today and it tells me to call Dr. Caluda. I don't know much about him and can't find much on him when I do a seach. I did find a site for his surgical clinic but that gives little information as well. :phanvan

Thingirl- Since I am a military wife I will tell you how I had to do it.. I first saw my family doc and asked him to send a referal to the surgeons office. Then I saw the surgeons and they said I had to get a buncha tests to see if I qualified because its not just about your weight when your sitting at the cut off. I had to go back to my family doctor to get these tests (I dont really know why they couldnt make the requests but whatever. Just ask your family doc to requests these tests in advance so it will cover all the bases before you see the surgeons) I had to be tested for diabetes, sleep apnea, my thyroid. Some require you to see a nutritionist, get a pshych eval, and go to a kind of seminar with info about the band (some do all of these last few things in one sitting- generally not the guys on base though) So if you can manage to get all those in before you see the surgeon you will be ahead of the game. Then you will speak to the surgeon and decide if this is the thing for you and he will tell you to go home and wait they will contact you with a surgery date.. Thats the hardest part, waiting. It shouldnt be to long though maybe a month tops -if you go thru the military - civilian docs may differ timewise. -Now I was trying to get the lapband this time last year and it wasnt aproved thru tricare and they didnt do them at this base at the time. I did see a civillian doc as well, but of course the procedure wasnt approved at the time. I did end up deciding to have a hernia fixed in the meantime waiting for the band to appear at this base (one of the docs said maybe by the end of the year) My heartburn was so terrible it was causing my esophugus to change and the doc was kinda scared to wait any longer... I have not had the band surgery as of yet, but I have had a hiatal hernia repair and the surgery is very similar with exception that I have no band. I can speak to the recovery tho. They did the surgery laproscopicly as they will with the band.. not to bad really I have tiny scars from it and they really didnt hurt to much the one to the far left gave me a little issue longer than the others, I think because it was close to the bottom of my ribs and I manage to poke it more than the others. I was sore, but not terribly. I didnt feel much like drinking any of the fluids they gave me, they were really begging me and upping my iv fluids. I had to explain that I was just queasy and didnt wanna take the chance on throwing up. A major no-no for any stomach surgery. They gave me a bit more nausea meds and I was good to go. I had done enough research on the band that I knew to only sip sip sip- the swelling was the same as I have my stomach wrapped around itself to act as a sort of natural band- there is actually quite a diffenece in the way I eat now than before the surgery. So I was fine after that. The pain meds they gave me kept me quite comfortable, almost more than I needed. They gave me liquid pain meds to take home, because there are no pills or anything solid for 6 weeks. I rested for a day in the hospital and then one day at home or so and only got up and walked around the house a bit.. by day three I started pushing myself a little more and walked the kids to the bus stop (its only at the end of my street), It wasnt to bad but I had to nap when I got home. after that recovery was a breeze. I just made myself walk a little farther than I did the last time until I was back to normal. I had the gas in my shoulders (and collarbone and chest) as many talk about mine felt like rice crispies under my skin, if you push it pops and feels nasty (those gasX strips REALLY help).. they doctor said not to push because it would cause bruising but, I just had to occationally! it was so yuck! lol but it really wasnt to bad of an experience over all... Hopefully my "natural band" will help me loose weight in the same way as the band (tho it is not adjustable) I have lost 30 lbs since oct just by changing my diet-because I HAD to to adjust to my new stomach and trying to be a bit more active. I only started back to the gym a few weeks ago as time has finally allowed it. We will see. if I dont start seeing some decent results I am going to go in and see about the band again I am having a 10 year renewal of vows with my husband (we didnt have a wedding the first time) next summer and there is NO WAY I am gonna be in a dress and be this heavy... Good luck to you I would be happy to answer any more of your questions (I know I gave you more than you asked for here). I am stationed at Eglin AFB, FL... (my hubby just left ft lewis yesterday for iraq- small world huh?) Take care and all the best, Alli

Just for those of you who dont know.. Some bases offer this surgery, the key is are you within a "2 hour" travel window... Last year this time Tricare south didnt not offer to pay for lapbands as they were concidered experiemental, and no base within the area would do the surgery.. but finally, Eglin AFB in florida is offering the surgery... I dont know if Tricare has changed their mind as well, but it is deffinatly available on base now. Hope this helps some of you.. If you need the current number to the surgery clinic at Eglin I would be happy to get it for you... Alli

First -WOW this place has changed!! I can barely find my way around!! Second -FINALLY, FINALLY Eglin AFB is doing the lapband surgery!! After all the blood sweat and tears last year this time, they are doing the surgery! So all you military dependants who have been waiting for a chance at this surgery, nows your time!! Hooray!

I am very sorry I haven't been in to chat and visit with everyone. Unfortunately the lapband and weight loss has been the furthest from my mind as of late. My most favorite aunt has been suffering for a long time with cancer, they recently told her there was nothing more they could do for her, that she had 10 days to 10 weeks, go home drink martinis and enjoy the rest of your life. She did. And she left us Wednesday. I have been an emotional roller coaster since. I want to feel good about this. Finally she isnt suffering, there is no pain in eating and drinking, no pain in her body. But we (her entire extended family) were just not ready to let her go. I started the first day with Cookies, but soon started feeling like I needed to DO something. So I drained all 5000 gallons of my pool and leveled the ground beneth it properly, in the 102 degree (heat index) heat. The more the sweat poured off me the better I felt. Unfortunatly this hasnt made a dent in my weight but right now I just dont care. As long as I am moving and working I am ok. If I stop and be still I loose it. If I am alone, I loose it. And she would be very upset with me for that. So I work my butt off so I don't think about it. This has been my life lately. I will be back soon, I just need some time to get over this. All my best!

I love jewelry.. I dont get it very often for the same reason as others, with four kids, who has the money? I have fakes and wouldnt mind more if they were in a quality setting. Unfortunatly everything I stick in my ears has to be gold or I get terribly red and inflamed. My wedding band is small princess cut dimonds channel/step set consisting of 7 dimonds. My new-er wedding ring is 3 carats of 23 stones. My husband is from Panama and altho is he very American the way he was brought up he is still very "latin" when it comes to his wife and buying her jewelry. It has to be real, and has to make some kind of statement and it cant be look at what my cheap husband bought me... When we got married he offered me two rings, one was this channel set band and the oportunity to go with him to Germany, or a two to three carat stone and I would have to wait for him to come back some 18 months later. I chose the smaller ring because, really, why would I get married just to watch him leave? He promised some day he would get me the big ring which wasnt a big deal to me anyway. But last year we were out at a jewelry store purchasing a ring for his mother and I found this "jaw breaker" as my friends call it, and fell in love. He hated it because it was to many stones, he wanted one. But while he was in Iraq he said honey if you really want that ring you can go get it, because all that matters is what you like not what I like. So I went and picked up my ring. And of course now he likes it just fine, because everyone who sees it says WOW he must really love you! In reality if every single one of these diamonds were white topaz or Moissanite I would be just as happy. As long as it was a quality stone in a quality setting. I have loads of fake jewelry and I also have loads of real jewelry, most of which I dont really have occaction to wear. Some of my rings are just to small, my grandmothers pearls and bue topaz clip are to tight to go around my neck anymore (its a choker)... But I wear her costume jewelry whenever I get the chance... I will have nice pieces to pass on to my two daughters when its time, even though our 16 yr old has a few pieces of semi precious stones already. So anyone in the mood to go get me a nice Moisanite piece just email me and I will send you my mailing address LOL!

I am having a lot of trouble getting my refferal to where it belongs and I just really need to vent... My Gen. Surgeon here sent in the refferal for me to go to Walter Reed a month ago. I have yet to hear anything about it so I call up to the Gen surgery clinic there and they say I am not in the system so they cant tell if it was sent or not.. So I call back to the refferal office here and they tell me that it wasnt in the right place so they are resubmitting it. I wait a few more days and I call back up to Walter Reed and guess what... they still havent recieved it, she reccomends I speak to someone in outpatient records, who says if I dont come up there to their office with my ID in hand she cant put me in the system, to which I reply well Im in florida its not like I can hop in my car and slide on over! So I speak to the refferal office here again and they reccomend I speak to someone in refferal management there, which I do and, not surprising, he hasnt seen it yet either. So I call back to refferal management here and ask them to please RE-send the refferal attention to this man, on his direct fax line, and he is going to call me when it gets there, if I dont hear from him in an hour-ish I am going up to the hospital to pick up the refferal and sending it to him myself cause why the hell should I have to do so much leg work if this is specifically what these two offices are for??? I cant even tell you how much stupid time has been wasted with everyone playing pass the buck with this damn refferal. Why dont these people realize that yeah we are military dependants but we have feelings and needs too! JERKS! I am so steaming mad right now I am seeing sparks. I am so sick to death of getting the run around from the military hospital system and there be no damn recourse for us. There isnt a damn soul I can complain to that will give a flying green bean about this... :angry I better stop before I burst something important.... Someone please tell me that they have had this much run around in the civilan world too. At least I wont feel like its the norm only in the military world. /cry /end rant

ohhh interesting! They are in a bed but have a 2x4 wooden surround (to keep the grass out) I will have to look into that.. I noticed today the top of the other tomato plant was completely keeled over... I dunno if something ate it or if one of the neighborhood kids whacked it.. I am starting to feel like this garden is pointless

I havent had this issue before and I am stressing! 1) We have bunnies I didnt know about.. how do I keep them out without putting up a fence?? 2) Something is leaving little holes in my cherry tomatoes! Any ideas?

I've never worked for LB, but when I was much younger I worked in retail and not only did you have to give the customer the posted price on things (even if they were "mislabeled" or not clear in the advertising) its the LAW! There is recourse to them behaving this way. I would start a huge letter writing campain! If they say all bottoms it means ALL bottoms. and some customers could getaway with "underwear are on my bottom so I guess they are bottoms too!" And we would have to give it to them. Once a visibly pregnant woman with a HUGE chip on her shoulder came to my register with loads of clearance items and even tho I SAW her go to the full price section of the department where this one item was hanging she said it came off the clearance rack, I ever so politly explained that I appologze I was quite busy that day and hadnt had a chance to go remove clothing that didnt belong in the clearance section that another customer had left there, but that it was regular price, just hung in the wrong area. She flipped. She wanted my manager.. I called and called and of course couldnt get one over. I explained that I could not change the price of the item without a managers permisson... Finally after about 10 calls to the operator a manager called me and I explained the situation and she told me to go ahead and give it to her at the .97 cent clearance price.. mind you this was a full priced (17 dollar) pair of shorts!! I did and then later that night I got written up because that lady called back and made a complaint about me not helping her well enough, and not giving her the correct price!!! I was so mad I quit on the spot, and I have never worked retail again... I saw write the meanest most scathing letter you can muster.. and make them stop those realllly shitty practices! even post it on here and let everyone else help you make sure its REALLY good and nasty. Scream discrimination and the like... someone somewhere is just as heavy as us and will sympathize with you, and they will help make a difference! Alli

I agree the new haircut is quite becoming on her sweet little face. And just for future reference.. her hair was a bit to short for long layers, but the stylist did screw that up.. if you cant do it you be honest and say so... :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

I am in Florida and they (TieCare) doesnt pay for them for Prime or Standard. They do have doctors in the AF and Army that do them, the trick is to find them. I know for certain they do them at Walter Reed as that is where my refferal was sent. You may have to pay your way (or catch a hop -dunno if you can hop the whole way with these kind of medical orders- I havent found out yet) but really paying for a ticket is WAY less than being self pay for the band.... I am up to my neck in this situation right, if you need someone to talk to or bounce ideas off of I am always here! Alli

I know you are not to eat and drink at the same time while you have the band, but I am curious, if one is having a PB, and you have the "stuck" feeling, wouldnt it make sense to take a very small sip of water to help the "stuck" item go down? Can someone clarify this for me?

It's not a yellow triangle in the upper right anymore. Now it is a white and red triangle in the lower left! Thanks Alex for fighting spam for all of us! :girl_hug: Alli

Thank you Carlene! I'm all teary eyed! I miss my Nana and Papa so much, and stories like this always make me think of them. They were 76 and 74 when they passed. Its been 10 years since Papa died and about 6 since Nana passed. I miss thier stories so much! :think Thank you for reminding me how spry and thoughtful our "older" folks are! Alli

One more thought.. in the area where we have our state forums located.. (or where ever) could we add one for the military? (Maybe near the top since most wont think to look for something like that?) It would just be nice to have someplace to go talk to other people in the military with similar doctor/insurance issues! Thanks again! Alli

I agree I would pay to get rid of the ads. Maybe we could do a stagard (sp?) system. Free you get all the ads and less features, 5-10 bucks a month you get all the features and no ads (ie, Chat, Journals, Photo albums, total access to all the new goodies). Personaly I think anyone running a website of this magnatude should be compensated. You know its not a few minutes a day blogging to take care of this site!! I would like to see a "newbie" where you can go to get all the FAQ, abreviations, just getting started, light insurance info, "requirements" for the procedures, I think the video I saw on the two different surgeries at OR-live.com really helped me make up my mind on the procedure I wanted (GB or Band), more stuff like that. Kinda help them along with the research part of it, and maybe a newbie question area we can go in to help those questions that get asked over and over so they dont gum up the rest of the forum. I would also like to see more options added in the profile sections. Can we have our own personal photo album? A favorites button for threads you are following, maybe a more user friendly buddy list? Most deffinatly agree to the smaller signature lines. Can we make more room for the "extras" in the profile as well? Thank you for Lapbandtalk.com it truely was my lightbulb moment when I found it! Please keep up the phenominal work! Alli :clap2:

<p>Hi everyone! I too am a military wife stationed at Hurlburt/Eglin having the exact same issues with getting the lapband. I also have a surgeon (on base) that is very pro GB but very down on the band. After finally getting all my test results back and finding out I do qualify with a lower bmi I asked him yesterday to send my information to Walter Reed. He is but he wont put his seal of approval on it as I also have severe reflux with a hiatal hernia. (which I think will be much better once fixed and the weight is gone) But whatever all doctors are different and I want to talk to the guys up at Walter Reed to see if they will do this surgery for me. I think my surgeon was kind of stunned that I knew that they do the band up at WR. I dont think he expected me to have done so much digging. I dont think he fully understands me when I say I have done my homework and researched these surgeries, even watching some live. Maybe he has heard it to many times and some really dont. I did, and I could throw statistics back a him and quote studies and he seeme to change his tune and said he would be happy to send my consult in today. I am keeping my fingers crossed the guys at Walter Reed are in the mood for some surgery soon!</p> <p> </p> <p>I wonder if we as a group couldnt find as many lap-bandies in the military as we can and approach our respective TriCare offices and demand that these surgeries/fills be covered. Give them our own statistics based on our cases. Yeah loosing the weight is slower in the begining, but for those of us that want to work hard for what we get, this is the road for us and we should be allowed to choose what we want done to our bodies instead of being forced into letting them pad thier resumes with chopping our guts up. Thoughts?</p>

<p>I cant stand the stuff but Rubarb is really easy to grow. Just plop it in the ground and it will go crazy year after year. I am from Alaska (but currently in Florida) and in several of our homes in alaska thru out the years we have had a rubarb plant in our backyards. My husband and I dont eat it nor did anyone else we knew so he just mowed it over with the lawnmower when it got out of control (a couple to three times a year) and it would come back just as beautiful as before. If it grows like that in Alaska you should have no issues with it where you are.</p> <p> </p> <p>I planted my garden a few weeks ago. We have crookneck squash, cucumbers, zucchinni, watermelon, pumpkins, green peppers, and tomatoes. I also started several kinds of herbs this year as well. There is a lone rosemary "bush" in my yard and it smells so good whenever you brush into it I was inspired to grow more herbs. The last tenants left it and it surived the "winter" here so I wanted him to have buddies. My oldest daughter insisted on strawberries which we put in a large strawberry pot and they have gone crazy, as well as all the flowers I added to the yard. The previous tenants landscaped the heck out of the yard but its all green.. I am a color and lower type girl. I added TONS of lilies, callas, daliahs, mexican heather, columbine, dasies, loads of seeds sprinkled everywhere.. I cant get enough of my flowers! I also have some sweetpeas in a plastic bag sprouting in my kitchen.. I think I will go plant later today. Share pictures when it all starts to bloom everyone!!</p> <p> </p> <p>Alli</p>

I signed in and poked around got the message "Hey Sissy907 you haven't posted in awhile, why don't you say hi or answer some questions!!" So here I am. Frustrated and angry. Still no band. I had a sleep study a few nights ago so I should hear about the results of that in a week or so. That is really my last shot at getting the band without having to gain more weight. And on that note, do you know in all this time TRYING to gain weight, eating whatever I want and how much I want (acctually trying to stuff myself to over full) and drinking 3-4 ensure plus shakes a day I havent gained any weight? This makes no sense to me, and is frustrating. Just 10-20 lbs would do it and I would be on my way to health! So since I have had little luck gaining, and I honestly dont think I have any trouble with sleep apnea, I am fearing it will be a cold day in hell until I get my band. On an upside I am applying for a new job at a vet clinic here, I would really enjoy time out of the house, without thinking about my weight and other issues. Maybe they offer health insurance that will pay for this... Who knows. So hi everyone! Sorry I am not feeling more positive about all of this. Hope everyone is having a lovely spring and enjoys a great time with their family for Easter!!

ty Kat! Ya know I hadn't even bought the ankle weights yet! lol I was gonna do it this weekend! I am so excited. Waiting for the Doc to call me back to get a consult in Walter Reed. Keep your fingers crossed for me ya'll!

The gaining weight is OVER! I just got a call back from my Doctors Nurse and she said the sleep study confirmed I have sleep apnea.. I am kinda shocked cause I never knew! So I have made the calls and appointment necissary to get my records to Walter Reed so I can get this process started. I cant wait to be on the "band"wagon too! I am so excited to be healthy SOON!

Finally got the results back from my sleep study, and surprisingly, I do have sleep apnea. And ever so kindly (without my request) the solution that the doc put on my results specifically said "needs to participate in a structured weight loss program"!!!! When the nurse called me back she was so excited and said this would be all I need to have the band done. Now I have to have the doctor/surgeon send my records to Walter Reed to have them approve me for surgery! Hopefully I can get this all over with before summer! Wish me luck! Alli

That is what my favorite aunt was told today about how long she has left to live. She has been fighting cancer in different parts of her body off and on for years. None of us expected this. I am completely crushed. This aunt took care of me and my siblings while my mother went through breast cancer and chemo. She has always included my family in all the holiday parties she threw. She was like a second mother to me. My head is pounding, my heart breaking. I feel numb. I took pain medication for a migraine (diagnosed with them as a teen- Im no wimp) and ten minutes later I found out the news about my aunt. I don't think the medication is working and its been hours... I was feeling rather helpless and -depressed? almost about yesterdays horrible events, and now this, I just dont know at this point how much more yuck I can take. I need a vacation, or some encouragement or something... Someone, say something wise and give me some strength here. I could really use it right now. :think (this isnt the first death in my family for me, just the most heart breaking for me)..

Autumn, Thank you for responding. I to am sorry for your losses. Thank you for your kind words and thank you for finding a word that fits how I feel. I certainly couldnt last night. I felt so small and so lost. I feel hopeless. I am on auto pilot. Sometimes when I wish I could cry and let it out, there are no tears. I dont know if I cried them all out or if I am just so stunned by it all that I just cant. This isnt my first death. There have been several. But this aunt took care of us when my mother was battling breast cancer and always made us feel like we were part of her family instead of just our aunt. I sure wish I could spend time with her right now. Unfortunatly I moved to florida last summer as my husband is in the air force, and my family is in alaska. We did spend loads of time with them before we left though. She was, I think, trying to make sure we all had good memories with her before she goes. She made sure to have her usual 4th of July party, and the Thanksgiving and Christmas parties for everyone. She made sure all her kids and wives knew how to make the dishes she always makes for the parties so when she is gone they are to still have these parties.. She is preparing, and has been for awhile. I guess I am just being selfish. But I love her.