WASaBubbleButt

I am originally from Johnston however, I live in Arizona now. I would love to meet up with those from my home town. Anyone?

Coverage Policy Bariatric surgery is specifically excluded under many CIGNA benefit plans and may be governed by state and/or federal mandates. Please refer to the applicable benefit plan document to determine benefit availability and the terms and conditions of coverage. Unless excluded from the benefit plan, this service is covered when the following medical necessity criteria are met. CIGNA covers bariatric surgery using a covered procedure outlined below as medically necessary when ALL of the following criteria are met: ? The individual is ≥ 18 years of age or has reached full expected skeletal growth AND has evidence of one of the following: ? BMI (Body Mass Index) ≥ 40 for at least the previous 24 months. ? BMI (Body Mass Index) 35?39.9 for at least the previous 24 months with at least one clinically significant comorbidity, including but not limited to, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, or pulmonary hypertension Page 2 of 35 Coverage Policy Number: 0051 ? Active participation within the last two years in one physician-supervised weight-management program for a minimum of six months without significant gaps. The weight-management program must include monthly documentation of ALL of the following components: ? weight ? current dietary program ? physical activity (e.g., exercise program) Programs such as Weight Watchers?, Jenny Craig? and Optifast? are acceptable alternatives if done in conjunction with physician supervision and detailed documentation of participation is available for review. For individuals with long-standing, morbid obesity, participation in a program within the last five years is sufficient if reasonable attendance in the weight-management program over an extended period of time of at least six months can be demonstrated. However, physician-supervised programs consisting exclusively of pharmacological management are not sufficient to meet this requirement. ? Evaluation by a multidisciplinary team within the previous 12 months which includes the following: ? an evaluation by a surgeon qualified to do bariatric surgery recommending surgical treatment ? a separate medical evaluation recommending bariatric surgery ? clearance for surgery by a mental health provider ? a nutritional evaluation by a physician or registered dietician Bariatric Surgery Procedures: When the specific medical necessity criteria noted above for bariatric surgery have been met, CIGNA covers ANY of the following open or laparoscopic bariatric surgery procedures: ? vertical banded gastroplasty ? Roux-en-Y gastric bypass ? laparoscopic adjustable silicone gastric banding (e.g., LAP-BAND?, REALIZE?) ? biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (BPD/DS) for individuals with a BMI (Body Mass Index) > 50 CIGNA covers adjustment of a silicone gastric banding as medically necessary to control the rate of weight loss and/or treat symptoms secondary to gastric restriction following a medically necessary adjustable silicone gastric banding procedure. CIGNA does not cover the following bariatric surgery procedures, because they are considered experimental, investigational or unproven (this list may not be all-inclusive): ? Fobi-Pouch (limiting proximal gastric pouch) ? gastroplasty (stomach stapling) ? intestinal bypass (jejunoileal bypass) ? intragastric balloon ? loop gastric bypass ? mini-gastric bypass ? sleeve gastrectomy (SG) ? Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery? (NOTES?) (e.g., StomaphyX?) Reoperation and Repeat Bariatric Surgery: CIGNA covers surgical reversal (i.e., takedown) of bariatric surgery as medically necessary when the individual develops complications from the original surgery such as stricture or obstruction. CIGNA covers revision of a previous bariatric surgical procedure or conversion to another medically necessary procedure due to inadequate weight loss as medically necessary when ALL of the following are met: Page 3 of 35 Coverage Policy Number: 0051 ? Coverage for bariatric surgery is available under the participant's current health benefit plan. ? There is evidence of full compliance with the previously prescribed postoperative dietary and exercise program. ? Due to a technical failure of the original bariatric surgical procedure (e.g., pouch dilatation) documented on either upper gastrointestinal (UGI) series or esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), the patient has failed to achieve adequate weight loss, which is defined as failure to lose at least 50% of excess body weight or failure to achieve body weight to within 30% of ideal body weight at least two years following the original surgery. ? The requested procedure is a regularly covered bariatric surgery (see above for specific procedures). NOTE: Inadequate weight loss due to individual noncompliance with postoperative nutrition and exercise recommendations is not a medically necessary indication for revision or conversion surgery and is not covered by CIGNA . Cholecystectomy and Liver Biopsy: CIGNA covers cholecystectomy performed at the time of bariatric surgery as medically necessary when the bariatric surgery is determined to be medically necessary and EITHER of the following criteria is met: ? Preoperative or intraoperative evidence of gallstones or biliary sludge. ? Recent history of cholecystitis. CIGNA does not cover either prophylactic cholecystectomy (incidental removal of a nondiseased gallbladder) or routine liver biopsy at the time of bariatric surgery, because each is considered experimental, investigational or unproven.

Wow... where to start? I knew things were out of hand and I knew I couldn't do it on my own. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't get the pounds to go away. We all have a moment where we know we have to do something and my moment was at work. I was working in a hospital and it was a very small hospital. We had a patient that we estimated to be around 800#. She was in ICU and we had to have two beds chained together to hold her. She was quite ill and she was unable to turn herself. On the night shift we did not have enough strong staff to turn her every two hours. We had to call the fire department every two hours and have them come and help us turn her. We had to do a procedure where we had to thread a tube in her groin artery. trying to get to her groin was no easy task. We just didn't have the strength to lift her stomach fat away so ... we called the fire dept again. I'll never forget it, one fireman was on his knees pushing up on her gut fat and another fireman was on the other side holding her gut fat back. The guy on his knees was shaking and sweating trying to hold the massive gut out of the way. There were two police officers watching from the doorway (they come anytime the fire dept is called) and they were gagging and ready to vomit with what they were seeing. That was my moment. I realized that the lady I was looking at was my size at one time, there was a time when she weighed 252 just like me. But she just got bigger, I was getting bigger by the day. Would I be that person one day? I knew I didn't want bypass, I heard of the sleeve but there were no long term studies and I hadn't heard of the band. I think I was preparing myself for bypass and trying to talk myself into it. Then on 11/6/06 I discovered the Lap Band. I spent 18 hours a day researching the band. At that time there wasn't really a great deal of info on the negative side of banding. Today there is a great deal of info and such on the down sides of banding, there wasn't so much 2-3 years ago. I researched everything I could get my hands on, I had a friend in Mexico that is a surgeon help me with my decision. I did nothing but research and read anything related to the band. I knew the rules, I knew I could do it. So one month later on 12/6/06 I was banded in Mexico. I knew four days after surgery I made a mistake. I lost weight not because of the band, I lost weight in spite of the band. I could either eat an entire steak with potatoes, salad, and desert or I couldn't swallow my own spit. I really questioned if my doctor did something wrong as everyone else seemed to be doing well. I thought it was just me. I went to two bariatric surgeons and they both said the band was perfect, the surgeon did a good job. Then I went to a GI doc for an endo and he... well, he had no idea what he was looking at. But I showed the video of the upper endo to a GI surgeon that knows about banding and he said it was fine, perfect as a matter of fact. So it was me. Or so I thought. I tried and struggled for 18 months. Finally at 14-15 months post band I couldn't eat any solids at all. I was on liquids for 4 months. I had my revision from band to sleeve on 6/3/08 and as of today I am 2 days shy of a year of being sleeved. OMG, sleeves are the best thing ever! I can't believe how much I struggled with the band when I could have just had the sleeve to begin with. I've lost 132#. Today, life is just easier. It's so much easier being a thin person than struggling as a fat person. My entire life has changed, my attitude, my outlook, my perceptions of those around me... everything has changed. I have learned so much about myself. I have discovered I *am* capable of doing damn well anything I want in life. If I can lose 132# I can do anything. I went from being a couch slug to a runner while I was losing. I just got back to running a week or two ago and feel great. I couldn't run 1 block before WLS, today I can run several miles a day. Anywhere from 4-8 miles depending on how lazy I am that day. If you feel like you are the only person in the world that can't lose weight, you aren't. It's a hard journey but one well worth the work.

https://www.hnfs.net/bene/benefits/gastric_bypass_surgery.htm Gastric Bypass (Surgery for morbid obesity) Gastric bypass, gastric stapling, gastroplasty, and vertical banded gastroplasty are covered. Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding is covered effective February 1, 2007. (view Hospitalization Costs): The following conditions must be met: * The patient is 100 pounds over the ideal weight for height and bone structure and has one of these associated medical conditions: diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cholecystitis, narcolepsy, Pickwickian syndrome (and other severe respiratory diseases), hypothalamic disorders and severe arthritis of the weight-bearing joints; or * The patient is 200 percent or more of the ideal weight for height and bone structure, regardless of associated medical conditions; and * InterQual? criteria is used during the authorization process to determine if the requested surgery is appropriate and medically necessary. (InterQual? is a widely used product of McKesson Corporation that provides evidence-based clinical decision support for health plans, hospitals, government payors, and various other organizations.) Authorization Requirements TRICARE Prime beneficiaries require prior-authorization for all non-emergency inpatient procedures. The following services are excluded (this list is not exhaustive): * Office visits solely for the treatment of obesity * Non-surgical procedures for treatment of obesity * Biliopancreatic bypass (jejunoileal bypass, Scopinaro procedure) (CPT codes 43645, 43845, 43847 or 43633). * Gastric bubble or balloon * Gastric wrapping/open gastric banding (CPT code 43843) * Unlisted CPT codes 43659 (laparoscopy procedure, stomach); 43999 (open procedure, stomach); and 49329 (laparoscopy procedure, abdomen, peritoneum and omentum).

I'm going to get hammered for writing this but that has never stopped me before. ;o) You know these people that eat pizza and tacos a few days after surgery and they come to the boards asking if they just messed up? You know those people that pat them on the head, tell them it's okay, and to "try" to do better tomorrow? Yeah, I'm not one of those people. I tell them to knock it off, they are risking their health and why? For a lousy taco?? Are they serious? I don't suggest they TRY to do better the next day, I tell them to DO better right now. I think we often times don't give ourselves enough credit. We think we are weak willed and powerless over the world. That simply isn't true. We have been living a life of fat for many years. You tell me the weak willed and powerless can do that, I won't believe you. Being fat in today's society is no easy task. It's really damned hard. Yet we survive it and if we can survive that, we can survive passing up a donut. Let's face it, it is much easier to pass up a donut than it is to have to buy two airlines seats because our butts are too big for one seat. It's much easier to pass up a single donut than it is to face ourselves in the mirror of Lane Giant after realizing we are yet... a bigger size than the last time we were there. We face humiliation and embarrassment every single day just due to our size. I think sometimes we tend to get used to it and forget that humiliation and embarrassment are NOT normal and a part of life. We also pretend it does not hurt as much as it does. I'm not trying to be a skank about this but you know, WLS is our last shot at WL. This is a big deal, we have choices and too many times we are all making the wrong ones. I don't eat a lot of junk because I don't need it. Neither do you. I disagree with those that say anything in moderation is okay. The reason I disagree is that we got fat because we can't do moderation well. With any WLS our caloric intake is cut drastically and we need every calorie for food we actually need and use. The only thing cake, pasta, or crap food will do for your body is make it more plump. This is a lifestyle change and a lifestyle change does not mean eating the same load of crap but just less of it, that means overhauling your diet and eating food that your body needs and does something positive for it. What "value" does Chocolate cake have for your body? So does this mean that you can never have a piece of birthday cake again? Of course not. It means that eating junk on a regular basis serves no value. We don't know what moderation is so we have to go searching for it. Moderation does not mean limiting ourselves to crap food just one time daily or one time weekly, it means more along the lines of on birthdays, special occasions. When we "plan" on eating junk weekly, what does that make our thinking? That means we are *still* planning our lives around food and poor choices. Thin people don't set out to plan on when they will eat a load of crap, they don't even think about it until the birthday party or social meeting is there staring them in the face. Yet we fatties actually plan a date and time to eat bad food. See the difference in thinking between a fat person and a normal size person? The lifestyle change is not planning on WHEN we will have loads of crap food, lifestyle change means actually going out there and living what we claim we want. Life as a normal size person. If you can face the humiliation of being obese in society, can you honestly sit there and tell yourself that passing up junk food is harder than being the fat girl walking into a room where being MO is socially unacceptable? I mean, I think there comes a time when we have to put things in their proper perspective and this is one of those times. Next time you want junk food get real and get honest with yourself. Get a photo of that food item and a photo of a person that is the size you want to be. Which do you want more, do you want the cake more than you want to be thin and healthy? Be verrry honest with yourself. If you prefer the cake over thin then just go for it and stop even trying, be fat if that is what you prefer. But I'll bet you'd rather have thin over a piece of cake when you really get honest with yourself. It's all about perspective and self awareness of what you want out of this life. We have a choice, and it IS a choice. We can be fat or we can be thin. With WLS thin IS within grasp. The thing about us fat folks is that traditional diet and exercise are too hard, we just can't do it. We cannot lose and maintain at a normal size weight. Call it a lack of self control, call it anything you want. I'll cop to it, I'll be one to stand right up there and admit that I can't do it. But with WLS it is still hard but it is the kind of hard WE can do, OUR population. Losing weight with WLS is the kind of hard we can do but without it, nope... we can't do it. It is not a sign of weakness or failure if we need WLS, obesity is a disease. We are merely treating a disease. Sometimes, maybe often times, maybe 20x a day when we are justifying more grazing behaviors and opening the frig to see what unnecessary food is in there, there comes a time when you just have to tell yourself no. We tell our children "no" daily. No, you can't play with razor blades in the middle of a busy street. No, you can't eat rat poison. No, you can't fail to look both ways when crossing a street. No, you can't do drugs. Sometimes we have to tell ourselves no as well. If you are like me, not sure you are, but if you are like me I can't stop at one Frito, or one bite of this or that. For me it is all or none. If I eat white carbs I can't quit, I lose self control. If I stay away from them completely I have no problem. The more I eat the more I crave. I am a person that wanted bread so bad about 3 months after banding I actually broke into the bread crumbs I use for cooking and ate the whole can. Then I started in on dry stuffing mix. It wasn't even something that tasted good (pretty rank - to be honest) but I couldn't stand the carb cravings anymore. That was my moment when I realized when and how I lose self control. So I avoid those situations. You can come over to my house right now and look through my house. You won't find any flour, pasta, bread, Fritos, or other foods that are my triggers. There are no bread crumbs, stuffing mix, cake mixes, cookie mixes... none of it. I don't even keep it in the house. There is not a person that has ever once been in my home that even needs those foods. My husband doesn't need them and he doesn't get them if he is here. Why would your family NEED cakes, cookies, etc? We are not punishing our family members by denying them food habits WE have, it really is okay if you don't load your cupboards full of crap your kids do not need. I think that is another mindset we have to change. I've seen people post on these very boards that they can't pass up the cookies in the cupboard but they can't punish their children by not having cookies in the house. Since when it is a punishment to decline to feed a growing child cookies to the point you can't have a day without them in your home? Exercise... you know, we have physical and emotional reasons for overeating. Those issues we have to overcome and find ways to deal with them. But exercise? Nahhh, we have no excuse. That is just plain lazy behavior. You don't like exercise? Neither do I. But it's like cleaning the toilet. Who does like to do it? We do it because we have to. It's just a responsibility. We are all great at justifying eating too much and not exercising but the reality comes down to sheer lazy behaviors. If you can't run then power walk. If you can't power walk then walk. If you can't walk then do chair exercises. We have the energy to get up and run to the frig 20 times a day yet we can't find the time nor the motivation to do the SAME walking outside and away from food. How does that work? There are people who LOVE exercise, bless their little hearts! It's like a transfer addiction. They go from eating to exercising. They love it. Personally, I think they are sick and twisted human beings. I exercise but I hate it. Never have enjoyed it, not even a little. The person who invented weight resistance cannot possibly be anything but a lover of S&M. They should be shot. But you know what? It really really works. The motivation for me was not busting my butt on a treadmill when I would have much preferred doing my nails. The motivation was that the more I exercised the more weight I lost. THAT was my addiction, losing weight and getting thin. The more you lose the more motivation you get. What if you do this, just for ONE week... one week only. Cut out ALL white carbs. Yep, you'll be climbing the walls, you'll be dealing with head hunger full force. Every single TV commercial for food will be calling your name. You'll cus and swear at me and everyone else that is around you in real time or the boards. Start exercising. Even ten minutes of brisk walking. Work up a sweat, bust your butt. Just 10 minutes. That's nothing, that is the same as a couple of TV commercials. That is about the same amount of time to read a single thread on this forum. Just take 10 simple minutes and go out for a hard walk. Then you are done exercising for the day. Honestly, 10 minutes is NOTHING. We have 144 10 minute blocks in a day, it really is nothing. Then tomorrow do 11 minutes. And yes, time it from the time your walk is a brisk one, not when you start thinking it's time to go outside for your walk. When your pace is up to brisk then start timing. Daily add a single minute to it. Push yourself to do better each day, just a single minute added. So for a week eat what you want, don't count calories, don't count fat grams. Don't worry about calories in the least. Eat what you want but do limit WHITE carbs to 20 a day. I'm just talking for a week. Do the 10 minutes of exercise while adding one minute daily. See what that does for you. You want 20 chicken breasts? Eat them. You want zucchini, yellow squash, any other carbs except fruit? Eat them. Lots of them. Don't even count carbs from veggies. Just count white carbs and limit those drastically to 20gms daily. The idea here is not to get you into ketosis, the idea is to get you eating the right carbs. Have unlimited VEGGIE carbs. You'll poop like a champ too. ;o) I'll bet you that you lose weight. Then as the motivation kicks in and the stomach hunger dies down you will be able to cut those 20 chicken breasts down to 10. Then 5, then 1 daily. Understand what is head hunger and what is true stomach hunger. Just focus on white carbs and minimal exercise. I'll bet you it works. If you can live the life and frustration as a fat person, you can do this. Being fat is MUCH harder than better food choices. Again, it's all perspective. There, that's yer' butt kicking. ;o) Just remember, you CAN do this, you have survived much much harder as a fat person and you have survived a life that is no walk in the park. If you can survive fat life you can easily survive the above plan for the next week. And BTW, this means start the whole plan tomorrow, not on Sunday at the beginning of the week. If you have already eaten a load of carbs today you will be hungry for the rest of the day. It's a blood sugar thing. So start tomorrow and keep remembering, you can do this. Good luck, just remember that you and only you are in total control of what goes in your mouth, make sure it is a good choice.

How many calories do you consume on an average day? We all have different caloric intake based on the day, I'm asking about average calories. Well??? Is it working for you?

Here is the scenario (I understand this is happening in the US but I have not confirmed anything): A private organization gets together and obtains private donations to fund their program. They advertise that they will pay men and women over the age of 18 $300 to voluntarily have themselves sterilized if they are active drug abusers. They do not recruit, they advertise. They do not approach anyone, the drug abusers read the advertisements and go to the program on their own. They must prove they are active drug abusers, they will be paid $300 for submitting to the procedure of being sterilized. They will never be able to have children again. The medical procedure is done by licensed medical providers in a local hospital with all the advantages of modern medicine. The procedure is paid for via private dollars, not tax dollars. Is this morally objectionable or the correct moral decision?

Be honest.... Have you ever done your own fill/unfill? Even in a pinch? Scenario; it's late at night, your fill is too much, you are barfing your guts out, you can't even keep saliva down. You can't reach your doc (maybe he's not returning phone calls, perhaps he's in Mexico, etc.) and you are getting dehydrated. Many ER's don't have docs working that have a clue about a band. What do you do? Or, what have you done? BTW, this is a private poll, nobody will be able to see your response.

Wow... any thoughts on this study? >>Start exercising and you?ll become a round-the-clock, fat-burning machine, right? That?s long been a commonly held belief among exercisers and fitness experts alike. But a new report finds that, sadly, it?s not very likely. The notion that exercise somehow boosts the body?s ability to burn fat for as long as 24 hours after a workout has led to a misperception among the general public that diet doesn?t matter so much as long as one exercises, says Edward Melanson, an exercise physiologist and associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado in Denver. << It gets better, read here: Exercise not likely to rev up your metabolism - Smart Fitness- msnbc.com This is the part I thought was interesting: >>?Bottom line is that we once thought that exercise would burn calories, especially fat calories, for a long period after a bout of exercise,? says exercise physiologist Gerald Endress, fitness director for the Duke University Diet and Fitness Center who was not involved in the research. ?This does not seem to be the case.?<< I never did weight lifting when I was losing, just hard cardio daily. But I admit, this surprises me.

So I have this rule I make myself follow. Each time I go to the grocery store I have to try some new produce item that I have never tried before. Red or green cauliflower, Yucca root (that was gross, and it is quite literally poisonous unless you cook it), chayote (GREAT STUFF!), Tomatillos... Well, today my new find is Lychees, English Cucumbers, and a red Tamarillo. I can figure out what to do with the English Cucs, but what the heck does one do with Lychees and Red Tamarillos? The Lychees look like cool, so ugly they dare you to eat them. ;o) Suggestions? I tried weird bananas once, I had no idea there were so many kinds. That was not a winner. The Yucca root was certainly NOT a winner, but most things I have tried I like. I keep buying eggplant but before I figure out what to do with it, it rots.

Bariatric Surgery Increases Fracture Risk 6/12/09 Mayo Clinic researchers are reporting that persons who undergo bariatric surgery may have a greater chance of experiencing broken bones, especially in their hands and feet. The study is based on a review of nearly 100 surgical cases at Mayo spanning 21 years and presented at the Endocrinology Society Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. "We knew there was a dramatic and extensive bone turnover and loss of bone density after bariatric surgery," says Jackie Clowes, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo rheumatologist and senior author on the study. "But we didn't know what that meant in terms of fractures." The research team worked with Rochester Epidemiology Project records to develop the chart review of 97 of the 292 patients who underwent the bariatric procedure between 1984 and 2004. The findings, adjusted for age and gender factors, showed 21 individuals experienced 31 fractures within an average of seven years after surgery. Fractures were reported in the hip, spine and humerus (upper arm bone), with the majority of fractures in the hands and feet. "We've shown that risk of fractures after this type of weight loss surgery is clinically significant," says Elizabeth Chittilapilly Haglind, M.D., Mayo endocrinologist and lead author, who is presenting today. "More research is needed to confirm our findings and understand the specific risk factors and mechanisms involved." Others on the Mayo team were Kurt Kennel, M.D.; Maria Collazo-Clavell, M.D.; Sara Achenbach; Elizabeth Atkinson; and L. Joseph Melton, M.D. Source: Robert Nellis Mayo Clinic

Coming out of surgery your sleeved stomach is the size of a cigar. If you eat a piece of steak and don't chew well, something bigger than your stomach it can feel stuck. But after your stomach stretches out to a small banana in 4-6 months it's not a problem anymore. There is a learning curve to all WLS types.

I was banded and a year ago revised to a sleeve. I have to say, if I had it all to do over again I would have saved a ton of self pay money by getting the sleeve the first time around. Banding is hard, the restriction issues, sliming, foaming, PBing, slips, erosion, band intolerance, all of it. I was prepared to work hard and do my part, and I did. I was not prepared for the kind of hard the band was, hard as in the stuff I had no control over. I did work hard, I did eat the right things, I did exercise, and I did get to goal but my cost was esophageal damage. I think many feel threatened when we have WLS and someone else with the same procedure type does not do well through no fault of their own. That really isn't reason to assume they are not being honest. If it is the same sticky as I am thinking of it is warning people about being paid to post about doctors and encourage everyone to go to their doctor. This is something else you might want to read: Medical News: ASMBS: Gastric Banding Less Effective than Other Procedures - in Meeting Coverage, ASMBS from MedPage Today It depends on what your GERD is from. Most of us have hiatal hernias caused by obesity. If you have a hiatal hernia that should be repaired when they do your WLS. If your GERD is not from a hiatal hernia a band, sleeve, or DS would make it worse. Bypass is the best option.

Many do not realize how important this Vitamin is. There is an interesting bit of history on Vit D, it's not really a vitamin but a hormone. For more information check it out: Vitamin D Council | Understanding Vitamin D Cholecalciferol If you want to check your own Vit D levels you can do it yourself at home. The Vitamin D Council was formed to educate people on the necessity of watching your D levels: ZRT - ZRT Products It is very simple to do, they send you a kit. You poke your finger and bleed on special paper. Let it air dry, fill out a form, put it all in an addressed envelope provided in the kit and drop it in the mail. In 10-14 days you are able to view the lab results on line and they also send you the results by mail. It should be noted that a strong craving for sweets can potentially be a symptom of Vit D deficiency. Many studies show that obese people are severely lacking in Vit D. As we lose weight it often times becomes worse. Many doctors still go by what used to be thought of as normal blood values of 20-50. This is no longer accurate information. We should shoot for lab values of 50-80. I did this and realized I was severely deficient in Vit D. I started supplementing and deep bone pain is gone as well as my craving for sweets.

You are always welcome to PM or email me. Anytime!!!! Always and forever. I'm not sure of the phrase herniated lap band, are you referring to a slip? Do you have my email address? I'll PM it to you.

But I did share factual information and ASMBS studies. What's the problem? Nurse09 told me my surgery was proven ineffective, that is false information. She wrote that the band is the most effective WLS type on the market today. That was wrong. She wrote one wrong piece of information after another. As a fellow nurse are you suggesting we should just let it go and let people think the wrong information is correct?

If you are not obese anymore they don't have to pay for a revision. If you have WLS benefits then they do have to treat the existing band problem. If you have a lot of swelling right now then a revision may not be possible until the swelling subsides. (

My insurance would have paid for a bulk of it due to the severe band problems I was having but I didn't want to jump through hoops and such and most of all, I wanted my original surgeon so I decided to self pay.

No, we can't stretch out our pouch because we do not have a pouch. Bands and bypass have pouches, sleeves and DS have stomachs. When 60-85% of your stomach is removed there isn't much left to stretch. The elastic portion is removed, what is left is the muscular portion. It does stretch but this is a known factor at the time of surgery. Coming out of surgery your stomach is this size of a cigar, or your finger. Over the next 4-6 months it stretches to the size of a small banana. That's the size we want it. I am 14 months post op and I can't eat anymore than I could at six months. This is going to be true with any restrictive only procedure. There are some people that need malabsorption with their restriction. It's the nature of the beast. Quite frankly, there are not many. It's YOUR stomach just smaller. One can develop a stricture, it happens to less than 1% of the sleeved population and usually happens within weeks post op. It's an easy out patient fix if it were to happen. One can develop a B12 deficiency due to lack of I.F. If that happens SL B12 is the fix. Some people have reflux for a few weeks following surgery, a PPI deals with this quite well. But you wrote the sleeve was proven ineffective. That happens with EVERY surgery type. This is a life long battle we all face daily. My whole point here is that we all have to find the right WLS type for each of us and we need to get that surgery. If people don't know other surgery types exist then they may not be choosing what is right for them. Above all we need to provide solid information so people have an idea of what to research to find what is best for them.

But he's never had restriction. It's easy to have self control with restriction. None of us could do it on self control alone. When he gets restriction he too, will have self control. Could you do it with NO restriction? Of course not, neither can he.

No, I was at goal. 20.8BMI.

You could never hold on to a band and replace it at a later time. Always it requires a new band. Erosion is a risk we all take with this surgery. It isn't the doctor's fault, no reason he should pay for it. It would be like if you took a new antibiotic and you turned out to be allergic to it. It's not the doctor's fault, he had no way of knowing. Lots of things in medicine... you don't know if it will work until you try it. You really can't reband an eroded person, if they eroded once they are very likely to do so again.

No, I am suing YOU because you do not agree with me on absolutely every topic in the world and you know I'm right. ;o) The bickering is over. I'm dealing with this in a better way from now on. A more effective way.

I am finished playing games with you. Now we get to play heavy hitters. You know as well as I do with all your fake accounts and such that the person who has the real case here is Dr. Aceves and I'm turning everything over to him. You go ahead and call your silly attorney. I don't care. You play dirty, I'm playing by the rules. I won't be dealing with you anymore. I'll let someone else take over. You can't even follow the rules of a simple message board. No wonder you write the posts you do.