La_madam

Untied Health Care does cover the band..I know this for sure. Whether they cover you with such a low BMI is another story but it is worth a shot. I had a friend who just recently was banded here in CA and had United Health Care but she did have co-morbitities and a higher BMI, Give it a shot, you wont know until you try. Good Luck

Aww Trish, I'm sorry you won't be able to make it to the bash, I was looking forward to meeting you.

Great Idea!!!

What insurance do you have?

Also if you want to donate here is a very easy way to do it, Yahoo has teamed up with the Red Cross to make is easier to get through since the Red Cross phone lines are constantly busy. 100% goes to the Hurricane Katrina fund. They need money more then anything right now to get the supplies that are needed to help these people. We all may not have much to give but we all have more then what they have right now. If each of us just donated 5-10 dollars it will help. Every little bit makes a difference. I have all ready made a donation and am having a fundraiser at my restaraunt over this 3 day weekend for the Red Cross with cash donations. I know all of my customers will help to make this a success. They all know me and know what kind of heart I have. On Tuesday after the Holiday Weekend I will donate all of the money to the Red Cross http://store.yahoo.com/redcross-donate2/

Missy glad you had a good experience and are happy, that's all that matters. Good Attitude to have about your Dr. Dont let others get to you with negativity about your Dr. Congratulations on your new band, here is to a happier healthier new life I wish you lots of success

I googled Dr. Grossbard.didnt see anything bad, in fact all was good..Did not see anything non reputible

I think the same thing!

Jaxson where in TJ did you go and to what Dr.? I'm curious about this one I'm sorry but you sound more like you work for Dr. Joya then an actual patient, if he is that good then why are you here selling him like you are? That is usually a job of a patient co ordinator posing to be a patient. We see it all the time here and on other boards.

But if a fat person asks..will you tell? I work in a very public setting, I own a restaraunt and Iam around people all the time..I have alot of regular customers most of them are overweight.They have watched my progress over the last 16 months When they ask how I lost my weight....I tell and I get very excited when telling.. and by doing so I have sent 5 of my customers to Dr. Ortiz for the surgery.

Where others may not agree with me..I think Ortiz is great! I'm very happy with him and the aftercare I have recieved from him, he has gone beyond my expectations that is for sure..its great to hear U.S docs singing praise for the MX docs and some are finally taking the MX patients on as patients as their own.

she has posted it on every thread..same message over and over again..someone stop her!!! !

Alot of doctors in the U.S are associates of Dr. Ortiz and work with him in helping Ortiz patients get aftercare other then going back to Tj..( he has proctored many U.S. docs) I do not see that as a bad thing. T

Teresa, I'm right there with you girlfriend..I can so relate..I made a vow that after I get home from the bash it is back to basics and bandster rules for me 100%

Babs I dont know you very well but what I do know of you getting to know you last year at the bash, you will get answers to all of this ,you wont stop until you do.. I just know it! Now that makes alot of sense to me, it could very well be what happened.

Alatina with this being said why do you think the bypass would be any different? You still have a pouch and if you are a food addict you have a much easier time of stretching your pouch by overeating with the bypass then the band, the bypass pouch, once it is stretched it will not go back and you will be able to eat more ammounts of food unlike the band we can continue to adjust so we can continue to eat less. In my opinion either bypass or band , they are both tools we still have to do some headwork. I personally have known too many who have had bypass to either have major complications from the bypass or they havegained their wieght back after 1-2 years out due to their pouch being stretched and being able to eat more. I find comfort knowing I can always control the ammounts of food with the band by getting it tightened.

I liked the Atkins Advantage, they were in a can and ready to go, chocolate was yummy

Kelli, cut out the Nutri Grain bar for breakfast, it is loaded with carbs and surgar which can very well be the reason you are hungry all day long. For breakfast I usually have scrambled egg whites with cheese with turkey sausage or turkey bacon, sometimes I make an omelette with all kinds of veggies.with cottage cheese .but never crabs or I'm eating and hungry all day long..try just protein in the morning you will be amazed at the difference in your hunger throughout the day

Yep most likely your port..and it is possible the more weight you lose the more you wil lfeel it..Not a bad thing though

Babs, before I was unfilled I was at 2.5 cc's, two months of being unfilled I went and had had a fill of 1.5 and believe me I have restriction, I found it hard to phathom to be a whole 1 cc les then when I was unfilled and did not think I would get restriction from it but beleive me I have good restriction..any tighter and I would be in trouble. I was told by my doctor it is rare for a patient who was completely unfilled for over a moth to go back to their previous fill level without it being too much restriction When he tried to go to 2 ccs I was completely blocked with nothing going through..he backed off to 1.5 and it is working great and this was in the beginning of July. You may be suprised , it may work for you give it some time. Your did great thinking you had some fill prior to finding out you had none. Hang in there 1 cc may be OK for you right now, you are still healing and all, I would hate to see you be too tight and hamper what your body may need to heal properly.

I agree 100% I only eat protein in the morning..it keeps my hunger at bay all day. If I start my day with any kind of carbs, cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, breads potatoes Im ravished all day and wil lpick and graze Carbs will crave more carbs and so will surgar it is a proven fact!..what do you eat for breakfast Kellie? If you skip breakfast how do you get in 60 grams of protein i na day? Curious?

I had 3 c-sections.. Im sure most of you know as with any surgery there is scar tissue build up. In the tummy area is an area of concern whenever you have surgery. The number one cause of bowel obstruction is from scar tissue build up. Open surgeries produce more scar tissue then laproscopically. I know first hand...I had 3 c sections over the last 17 yrs. I have had my band for one year..In april of this year one year from when I had my band placed, I had complete bowel obstruction. The doctors contribute it to scar tissue build up from my c-sections. My losing weight contributed to my bowel obstruction. My intestines had more room to move freely and get wrapped around my scar tissue. My left side was completely kinked off and my right side was completely wrapped around scar tissue. Bowel obstruction is the worst pain I have EVER EVER experienced.I had to have surgery again to fix it ..luckily it was done laproscopically so less scar tissue I almost died because of it. Luckily my band is fine and still in place. My bowel obstruction was not from my band but from my weight loss due to the band and the scar tissue from previous suregeries in my stomach area.

I live in Orange County and I went to TJ and had Dr. Ortiz..fabulous doctor, you are very close to him. Have you considered going to TJ for surgery? Alot of us here have gone there.

Great site for how to tell if you need a fill Check it out I hope it helps you decide http://lapbandtransformation.com/Adjustments.htm I weigh once a week..no more then that or you become obsessed or discouraged. It is a sure way to sabatoge myslef if I weigh more then once a week. I do not count calories..I just count Protein to make sure I'm getting in 60 grams a day

Yes my doctor has told me chewing gum will produce more gas and he wasn't lying , I used to have the worst gas pains from the gum but never knew why now since I no longer chew gum, my gas pains are minimal