Marimaru

I'm in California as well. Unfortunately, one of my younger sisters is the only one of us in Colorado, so she's had to bear the brunt of the work (and the consequenses). Hopefully today I can get a hold of a lawyer and find out more details as to the laws there. Thanks guys!

Okay this is long story, but I'll make it as short as possible. My grandfather passed away a couple of months ago, and I'm having trouble finding out if anything was left to my sisters and me. It boils down to my dad and my aunt being untrustworthy people. I obtained a copy of the Will, because it's public record, but the will then refers to a Trust agreement, that is not on file with the courts (CO for reference). I don't actually know if the trust is supposed to be public or not. I wont get into the history of why we don't trust that side of my family, but we were trying to do this without them finding out we were looking. But my sister called up the lawyer who helped my grandfather write the will, and is currently the estate lawyer, and he told my dad she called, and he's obviously not happy. So, if anyone has any experience in this sort of thing, I would greatly appreciate any input! Sarah

I've been following this as well. Thanks for posting this link.

Someone already asked this, but what is your mom so upset about? Maybe we can give you some points to tell her to help alleviate her fears?

I'm an Aries and my hunny is a Taurus. I don't know much about this stuff either I guess... How can you be a 'double____' or a 'half'?

Wow... just... wow... In all honesty, the first thought in my head when I read your post was "what a jacka$$", but I don't know your husband, and he's your husband, so he's probably okay for the most part I really don't know what I would do in a situation like that. I would think that anyone should be proud of you for losing 35 lbs, not matter HOW you did it. And certainly proud of you for realizing that you can't do it on your own, and getting the tools you need to help you! Besides... it's not like this thing is easy. I guess some people don't get it, huh? I'm sure that everyone HERE is definately proud of you!!

I don't think you have to worry about harming your band with burping. Just about all of us do our fair share (and then some) of that.

I had my surgery in Mexico. Surgery in Friday, fly home Monday, work on Tuesday. I have a desk job, so it's way different than shuffling around for classes, which I might have waited a full week for if I was in school.

That's really really cool. I'm looking forward to something similar.

Nobody for me yet either. I'm hoping to change that at some point tho.

Y'all are braver than I am. Motorcycles scare me for the very stories you are talking about. I'm always VERY careful when I drive around motorcycles. Just a habit I formed early I guess. I think maybe people glance to fast and don't register the motorcycles because in their head they are looking for big cars... but the excuse still doesn't fly, people need to PAY ATTENTION!!

I just read my own policy. I have BCBS of CA, and they cover it as well. I didn't have insurance at the time of my banding, but I'm hoping that I can get them to cover a fill in the future if I need it

These stories are all amazing. I too googled that story on Ng and Lake after reading Vines' first post. I hadn't heard of it before. This story isn't mine, but my family's on my dad's side. 10 years ago my dad, my aunt, and 2 of my cousins (all separately and unknown to eachother) saw a robin in their yard, or on the way to wherever they were going at the time. They all took note of their robins, because it seemed interested in them and not afraid of them. I probably don't have all this right (I just heard the story last month), but I know one of my cousins talked to it and said hi, and my dad walked to within 3 or 4 feet of it without it being nervous. They found out that day that my grandmother had died in her sleep the night before. They've all seen the robin (could be the same one or not) multiple times since then, along with some of my other cousins. Last month my cousin Polly saw the robin, and then a 2nd robin. My dad saw 2 robins, and my aunt saw 2 robins. My grandfather had passed away the night before. Robins were always my gramma's favorite bird. They all live in Colorado and I was living in Texas at the time of my grandmother's passing. When I heard this story last month, I really hoped that I hadn't missed something, but had the feeling that if my grandmother had visited me there, she would have made it clear to me that she was there.

www.obesitylapbandsurgery.com

I've never heard of a problem with antibiotics. It's just the pain medications, like aspirin and ibuprofen that we aren't supposed to take as far as I'm aware...

If something like that were to happen, for the most part you are on your own. Sometimes insurance will cover issues like this, but sometimes not. I think you should re-evaluate the idea of your insurance though. If they will cover the bypass, you should be able to get them to overturn the decision on the lap band. If you go to inamed.com, and contact them, they'll send you information that you need to help you with that. Usually if they cover the bypass but not the band, it's because they consider the band "investigational" which just isn't true.

Like was already said, erosion kind of happens, or doesn't. It can be caused by being too tight tho, so watch that. Slippage is more avoidable. The main causes are being WAY too tight, and PBing/vomiting alot. Vomiting alot even if you aren't too tight can also cause trouble. Getting the 24 stomach bug would probably be okay, but if you have the flu for a week and it makes you sick to your stomach, consider getting some saline removed. Another things is 'pouch packing'. This is when you kind of always have something in your pouch. You eat until you are full, wait a little bit, 'top it off' wait a little bit, 'top it off', etc. At least, that's my understanding. It puts alot of pressure on that area. Eating 5 or 6 small meals in a day is not pouch packing. Eating your meals and grazing in between could lead to it, but again, doesn't necessarily mean that you are pouch packing (though grazing is never good ). I hope this helps.

I've only had one person say something like this to me. Her comment was "Isn't that kind of like cheating?" I said to her "Not really, but even if it was, who cares?" The people who are going to say things like this aren't informed, and really don't have any desire to BE informed, so in my opinion, trying to educate them is a waste of time. Obviously this is a blanket statement and there are going to be exceptions, but I think it's true for the most part. One of my friends flipped when I told him I was going to be banded. "I know two people who've died from that, you are going to have all sorts of problems etc" I tried to explain the difference between the band and the bypass and here 10 months later he still doesn't get it. I think that I would tell your group to tell their family that either a) if the way out is easy (even though it's not) WHO CARES because it's A WAY OUT where there wasn't one before that was feasable or If you don't want to be supportive, that's fine, but please just don't say anything. That's what I would do

MX doc, 2 fills in the almost 11 months I've been banded. The first one was 6 weeks out and was 2cc's. The second one was 4 months out, took me to 2.6cc's and I've been fine since.

"Are you having an affair?"?? That's a really funny question to ask someone when you tell them they've lost weight. lol... Congrats! (I think?)

In all honesty, I think that a lot of us work harder than the average person. We know what people think of us, and so we seek to exceed the norm and prove that not only can I do as much work as the average person, but I can do more, and make it better! This isn't true for all bigger people of course, but I think more so than not. I think (based on nothing but opinion) that it's probably a very small percentage of fat people that fit the lazy stereo type. Now don't get me wrong, I'm LAZY when it comes to cleaning my house and working out and things like that, but at work? I kick butt!! (That's also not to say that there aren't average or skinny people out there that don't do the same, but I think you know what i'm getting at.) Anyhow, that just struck me when I read your post, and thought that I'd share.

First of all, good for you for trying to eat well before your get your band. I know alot of people do the whole "last meal" syndrome thing and eat everything in site. I didn't diet before I was banded but I cut out carbonation and things like that, just to be ready. Maybe your low carb diet is TOO low? They say that when a person craves something it's because the body feels it needs it (probably not true for chocolate, but hey). Maybe you had way too few carbs that day and your body wanted them? I would suggest keeping some popsicles in the freezer. I keep the sugar free kind in mine, but even the sugar ones are only like 80 calories, or 15 if you get the otter pops. They are great for sweet cravings, and if you get the individually wrapped ones (not the 2 together) it's easy to have some portion control. I eat SF fudgesicles for chocolate cravings. I also have SF popsicles and SF creamsicles, so I have some variety, but they are 'safe'. I think I would say to you that you need to give yourself something, maybe not daily, but probably weekly, as a treat or you are going to feel deprived, and deprivation is a dangerous thing. If you think you can, maybe get some of those 100calorie packs that are out. They have oreo crisps and mini chips ahoy Cookies. Do you think you could keep those in the house and eat one pack when a craving hit? Then you'd have some real sugar, but it's a relatively safe snack because it's packaged in a serving (as apposed to a big bag of cookies, or 2 poptarts together when they could just do 1). Anyhow, I probably got my point across. You are doing great! Wednesday was Wednesday, and that Wednesday can never come back, so you just gotta move forward, right?

I work for a consulting agency. For this company (so far) I: Do all the books, bills, payroll, HR needs, etc. Web and graphic design print banner designs (they aren't printed yet, but I'm excited) Quality Assurance (make sure websites work) Customer Service/Funding/Collections stuff if needed And whatever else I may have forgotten to mention

My port is directly under my scar, and I can definately feel it. When I was newly post op, my mom felt it and thought it was a little hematoma under there, but it's Mr. Port. I can't tell it's there just by looking in the mirror or anything (accept for the scar of course), but I can feel it with little effort. Your doctor probably knows where he put it, which will help him find it. And I know when I lay down for my fills my doc pushes REALLY hard on it (probably testing position). If they have trouble finding it though, they can always do the fill under flouro.

My port is on my waistline to the left of my belly button. If I were to force myself into pants that were way too tight (like, lay on the bed to zip tight), It'd be uncomfortable, but since I refuse to go through that again (wearing clothes that tight) it doesn't bother me in the slightest. Keep in mind that you are going to have 4 or 5 other incision scars to deal with as well, and the location for those isn't really optional. I have 4 on my upper abdomen. They are all smaller than an inch, but they are still there (and truth be told they are all still darker and more noticable than my port scar). I wouldn't worry about getting the port extra low if I were you. I don't have any advice on if that placement would be an extra bother or not though. The only place that I've really heard people complain about is when it's high enough to actually rub on the ribcage or be in the way of an underwire bra. Good luck.