forgve70x7

Wow...so it sure has been a long time since I've been on here. It's hard to believe that 6 months has gone by so fast!! Life has just kept me so busy that Some things had to go for a while. And I'm not even going to attempt to go back and read what I've missed - it would take me FOREVER!! It's been an interesting 6 months. I had my annual EGD at the end of August, and everything was fine until about a month ago. I started getting reflux really bad again, and this last Thursday night (after trying everything I could), I decided to make the dreaded 5 hour trip to Phoenix to go see my doc. I ended up getting a complete unfil and am scheduled for another EGD on February 20th. So until at least then, I will be unfilled which I'm not too happy about. I finally started losing again this fall, and I don't want to put it back on. So...time to get my butt in gear!! :thumbup: We did get a Wii and the Wii fit for Christmas and I LOVE IT!! My hubby has even started working out on it which is good for him. We are still making a lot of life decisions right now, and I'll share some of those later. I've missed you guys, and look forward to reconnecting with you!! ~Nichole

I wanted to post a picture from DH and I at Arches National Park this last week when we were up in Moab, UT. I think I shrunk it enough that it will fit.

Hey guys...just wanted to drop in and say hi. I'm still hanging in there. It's been so nice to actually eat again. Not like I used to, I'm still eating small portions, but I haven't had any reflux since I had the unfil last week. YEAH!! Anyways, I may not be around much in the next couple of months. I'll really do my best to pop in, but I'm a little crazy about graduating in December, so I'm being a little dumb and taking 12 credit hours in 8 weeks. It's going to be a lot, but I know if I can keep myself organized that I can do it. For those of you struggling with how much you have lost, I understand. But, I also have come to realize not losing as much as I could have is my own fault. I haven't always made the right food choices, and I definitely don't exercise like I should. That being said, I'm trying to fit that in more this summer too. I think I'm going to ride my bike outside for a while after class before I start homework. That way I can start with a fresh mind. Well, I gotta jet as I've been on my fricken computer all day trying to get all my assignments and classes put into Outlook. I'll try to post when I can over the next couple of months. :drool: I miss you guys!! ~Nichole

Do you have any summer stuff in 12, 14 or 16? I've been checking thrift shops around here, but there's not much that I like. Good luck with your room, and let me say I completely understand. I can organize other people like it's nobody's business, but I hat organizing myself. I'll do the laundry and even fold it, it just sits for a few days before I put it away. ~Nichole

Janet, it was uneventful, and the fastest I have EVER been in and out of the office. That was a good thing because I left home at 7:30 am, got home at 7:00 pm and then Rodney & I left for Moab, UT at 7:45. That's why I didn't have a chance to get on last night. I was just so hungry after my appointment, that I stopped at Chipotle for a burrito. I'm still eating it today. The Doc wanted to completely unfil me until I have my EGD, but I told him I didn't want that because of how I've been lately, I know I wouldn't have the will power not to over do it. He understood, and took out .75 cc's. So, I'm down to 4.05 now. Which is fine. I may just need to really watch what I eat now for a while, and then when I have my EGD done, we'll see if anything is really wrong. Right now though, I have to stay on the Protonix. I do have to say, I'm jealous of you guys who have a Wii...It sounds like a blast, but we can't get one right now. We are in the final process of adoption and have to save money for when we have a kid in our home. It's exciting and nerve wracking, but it will be worth it in the long run. Anyways, I need to get some stuff done before we go for a hike, so I'll check back with you later. ~Nichole

Phoenix Again... Well, here goes yet another whirlwind trip to Phoenix. I talked to my Dr. on Saturday, and he wants me to come down this week. Most likely they are going to take some of the fill out. He would like to do my annual EGD now, but insurance approval won't come back fast enough, and I don't have someone who can drive in Phoenix going with me. That will just have to wait until July. So, since Friday night (and especially after talking to my Dr), I'm back to liquids only until I can get in to see him. The only problem is that I DON'T KNOW WHEN I CAN GET IN. The office is closed on Monday, and I live a good 4 1/2 hours away from the office. They are scheduled for surgery all morning on Tuesday, and from the sounds of it, he has appointments all afternoon on Tuesday. The sucky thing for me is that Rodney and I were supposed to go to Moab, UT on Tuesday evening for the rest of the week. Rodney has a workshop during the day, but now I don't know if I'll be able to go. So, since the office opens at 8:30 (Pacific Time) on Tuesday, I am going to head down there and leave at 7 (Mountain Time). That way, if they say they can get me in at noon, then I'll already be there. I'm really hoping that I can get in Tuesday so I can make it home to go to Moab. However, if things don't work out how I really hope they will, I will end up spending the night and hopefully getting an appointment on Wednesday. I just hate having so much up in the air, but unfortunately I don't have any other options right now. There is just so much going on, and this was our first vacation with just the two of us for almost a year now. Oh well, I guess that's what I should get used to because that's what it will be like once we have kids. :thumbup:

Mariem, I have Federal BC/BS, and now have to make sure all of my appointments are under DeBarros. I too loved their program, and was sad to see Orris not renew his contract with BCBS last year. That being said, the reason they ask for the 5 year medical history is because of their experience with insurance companies. The more data they have, the better chance you have of being approved. Also, most insurance companies require that much data. I would definitely find a PCP now though and start a relationship with one, because for surgery, you are expected to get PCP approval prior to surgery and it's good to have someone else to go to for things too. I would call those Urgent Care facilities and figure out if they still have the records. My guess is they should have them (even if they are in storage). Mostly they want the records to show your overall health and most importantly your weight. The 5 years is usually what insurance companies want to show you have been over weight for that long and that it hasn't just been in the last year or so that you have gained the weight. I hope this helps, and feel free to message me with other questions you may have!! ~Nichole

Hey everyone...sorry to be MIA for so long, but we have had a CRAZY couple of months. I'm not going to go into detail, but our 2nd exchange student left under very bad circumstances, it was nothing we did, but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with. I've been doing ok, and am finally under 200 lbs now (which I'm ecstatic about). However, I'm having some problems. Here is the post from my blog and I was wondering if any of you have had these problems so long after the last fill... So, I'm waiting for my Dr to call me back. Last week, I called and got a prescription for Protonix again because I was waking up with really bad reflux when I would lay down. It seemed like everytime I laid down, I would start coughing and I would need to get the acid out of my system. The problem is how to get it out of your system. As of right now, I haven't eaten anything since 7:30 last night, and I'm still having problems. When I talked to the nurse last week, she had a feeling I might be too tight. What I don't understand is that this means I have been too tight since December. But, I just started having these problems in the last month or so. Is that right?? I don't know. All I know is that I need to be able to sleep at night, and right now that isn't happening. So, what does this mean?? It may mean a trip to Phoenix and back on Tuesday, which means a super long day for me because we are driving up to Moab that night after Rodney gets off work for a conference. So, who knows what the Dr will say, but I know something isn't right. Maybe he'll have a Dr in Flagstaff or Albuquerque who could do a slight unfil so that I won't have to drive all the way to Phoenix. Anyways, I'll post more later when I know what's going on. ~Nichole

Karri, yeah it is fun, and I wouldn't want to live there at all. We usually go for about 3 nights just about every 18 months and that's just about all we can handle.

Hey everyone. I know it has been a while, but I wanted to get on and post a quick update. I've been doing pretty well, and even though things haven't been the best with my family since October, my DH has said it's been nice to have a lull in my emotions because I'm not on the constant emotional roller coaster. For Spring break, we spent 3 days in Vegas. We had a blast, and I do have to say I was bad and was completely toasted every night. However, I was blessed not to have problems with hangovers, and I managed to lose a pound while we were there. I think I must have walked off all the calories and then some. I do have to say though that I hate traveling in that I can't eat at the good restaurants like I want to. I know it's a good thing, but it's still hard. I attached a couple of pics. One was from the Kahunaville bar in Treasure Island. I think we were there all 3 nights we were there because it was fun. They had dueling piano's one night and a flare competition with the bartenders another night. Then, DH and I had a date night and we dressed up to see Mystere (the Cirque du Soleil show) at Treasure Island. It was awesome, so the 2nd pic is from that night, and I have to say I love that pic because you can actually see my true eye color and not the dark eyes I normally get from the red eye fixer in all the photo programs! Now if I can just get rid of the double chin... :puke: I also finally hit the 60 pound mark. I know the reason I'm not further along is because I haven't been exercising like I need to be. It's getting easier to want to get out now though because it's warming up. I'm also teacher aiding 2 days a week so I'm getting exercise on those days too. I wasn't able to read all the past posts to catch up, but was glad to see posts from Chim & Lynette. For all of you who I missed, belated Birthday wishes are going out to all of you. And Karri (I hope I remembered right), congrats on the upcoming wedding. My hubby loves playing games like World of Warcraft, Civilization, etc. There are nights he'll play until 3 am before he knows what time it is. I'm glad to see you all doing well, and I really need to do better at posting. Talk again soon!! ~Nichole

Ruby, I've been having that problem for a while now. I would just start complaining about it with your docs now so that it can get documented. If they have something, I would also get a prescription (more that insurance has to pay out on). Documentation is the key to getting them to cover it. I've found that baby powder helps me a lot. Since I still want to have kids though, I'm going to wait until I'm done with that before I even look at a tummy tuck!! Sometimes if you happen to get a hernia during your weight loss they can do the tummy tuck at the same time and insurance will pay for it then too That's my little suggestion!! ~Nichole

Since he's a reservist, he is only there for one weekend a month, so yes I would have time to see you guys. :ohmy: No private time is necessary!! :wub: I'll have to see if I can come out with him in March. I think he is supposed to be out there the last weekend. I'll keep you posted and see if we can hook up. It'd be awesome to meet you in person. On another subject... So, about dear AF. I've figured out since I got my fill in December that I feel like a bottomless pit for about 2 days before she comes. Then while she is here, I can hardly eat anything and find myself sliming and PBing more than anything. Has anyone else experienced this? Wednesday I was debating going back down to Phoenix for a slight unfill, but today I was ok. I just wanted to see if anyone else was experiencing this.

Yah, major pun intended!! :thumbup: I know for me, I'm glad I'm doing this now instead of later. It's taken me 11 years to get this degree, and I'm super glad that I'm almost done. I know Math is a pretty sick thing, but I'd so much rather do that than English any day of the week!! Janet, how far away are you from Riverside? My hubby has reserve duty out there and I'm hoping to come out soon for one of his reserve weekends. Before we moved here, I worked for Ameritrade in Omaha. I really got the secretary spread because a lot of my eating I did when I was bored, and for the most part, I was bored for the 6 1/2 years while I worked there.

Sorry for the mix up girls!! :thumbup: Janet, I'm a full time student and will graduate in December with my BS in Elementary Ed and a Content Emphasis in Math.

So, I just had to report some more NSV's to my fellow bandsters!! :thumbup: My weight loss has plateaued again, which I don't understand because I'm not eating much at all!! But oh well, my body is still catching up to the weight loss. So last weekend, we took the high school youth group from our church up to Wolf Creek to go skiing. The last time I went skiing was in Jan of 06, I was 55 pounds heavier and I had problems getting the boots on because my calves were too big. They had to jerry-rig them to get them to fit. So, I was apprehensive going into this, but knew I wanted to ski. Let me tell you, I had a blast, and I'm sure I burned a heck of a lot of calories that day. The boots actually fit, and I could even feel my feet at the end of the day. So, I also decided that it was finally time for me to get some new clothes. I had been waiting until I was out of plus sizes, but just decided I wasn't losing all this weight to look horrible in clothes that were 4 sizes too big. I went to Ross & Kohl's on Wednesday and actually fit into a regular 16. Some stuff is still too tight in my arms and thighs, but I was able to get into most of it. I'll take some pics and post them to my blog sometime for you all to see. I'm actually picking clothes that are cute, and as I lose more, I really want to look cuter and cuter. Ruby, I wanted to chat about your surgery. I had a breast reduction done in Feb 05, and besides the band was one of the best decisions I could have made. I think I was a 42H before surgery, and now am about a 38C. I've been a full C cup since 05, but I've been losing the size in my chest, not in the bust. Are you a cash pay for that or is insurance covering it? I was actually able to get insurance to cover it after I complained to my various docs and they all recommended getting it done. Once I get down to goal, I really want to go back to Ireland and get a picture kissing the Blarney Stone. I have a pic of me doing that before any weight loss, and breast reduction and since you are laying on your back leaning over a ledge, all that fat really sticks out. That's the big thing I'm looking forward to. I have been lurking around here since I last posted, but just haven't posted. I will go back though and find my goals because I think I have met some of them!! I hope you all had a good week, and I'll make sure I'm back on this weekend. ~Nichole

I got this on an email and thought you gals would get a good kick out of it!! I'll be posting my update here soon too. :thumbup: One for the girls Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord my shape to keep. Please no wrinkles, Please no bags And please lift my butt before it sags. Please no age spots, Please no gray And as for my belly, Please take it away. Please keep me healthy, Please keep me young, And thank you Dear Lord, For all that you've done. Five tips for a woman..... 1. It is important that a man helps you around the house and has a job. 2. It is important that a man makes you laugh. 3. It is important to find a man you can count on and doesn't lie to You. 4. It is important that a man loves you and spoils you. 5. It is important that these four men don't know each other. Foot Note: One saggy boob said to the other saggy boob: "If we don't get some support soon, people will think we're nuts."

Ok, so it's been a while and I owe a huge apology to you Janet for not logging on to wish you a Happy Birthday!! I hope you had a great day (even though you couldn't eat). :confused: So, here are my NSV's I've been wanting to share with you all. One is that I have two pairs of size 22 jeans that I can now get off and on without unbuttoning or unzipping them. It makes me laugh when I have people telling me that I need to buy new clothes. I've been waiting to buy new clothes until I'm completely out of plus, and I'm pretty sure I'm getting awful close. My problem with pants and stuff is that I carry most of my weight between my stomach and thighs. :tt1: Oh well, it's all going away slowly but surely. :wink2: I feel like the marshmallow "wo"man when I wear my winter coat, but I absolutely refuse to buy a new one this year. Also, I'm getting excited because I have about 30 pounds to go, and my hubby and I are going to start to take action to have a family. I'm super excited and know with the weight loss that pregnancy is going to so much safer because of this. Well, I'm down to 214 (started at 268) and I thought I'd be under 200 by now, but oh well. It's not happening as fast as I'd like it to be, but it's still moving in the right direction. I've attached a picture montage and the big picture in the middle is of me from tonight. I forgot to take pics for my 6 month, so here's the 7 month. Hopefully it's not too big and if it is, I'm sorry, but I think we are close to the end of a page, so it shouldn't be on for long. The only reason that the Vegas pic is on here is because I have the same sweater on and I can't believe the difference in how it fits and even that's starting to get big and it's only an XL. I shouldn't have been wearing it back then, but I thought it was cute, and think it's even cuter now. :huh2: I really love my band family here and even though I'm not good at posting, I do read all the time and love hearing of your successes and trials because I'm having the same ones!!j Hopefully it won't be as long between posts. ~Nichole

Thanks Janet!! :redface: It truly means more than you know to have someone realize that!! Sorry I haven't been on much. I have been reading a lot on here, just haven't had time to post. Things have been super busy around here. I'll give you all an update soon, I have some NSV's to report!! ~Nichole

So, I had my surgery in July which thankfully was covered by insurance. They also cover my fills, and I'm wondering if anyone out there is having to pay a Surgery Co-Pay for their fills. When the dr's office initially called to get the approvals they were told that my fills would be $30, but when I got my EOB's they said that a fill is considered a surgery. I am planning on appealing this (mostly because it costs me about $300 when I travel for my fills), but was wondering if anyone has had any other problems with this same issue. Looking forward to hearing from you, ~Nichole

PT, I had the basic option so my out of pocket is probably different. it will also depend on your Dr and how much they and the hospital charges. I think my total out of pocket (for surgery and pre-surgical appointments) was around $1700. Most of that ($1000) was for 3 years of support through my Dr's office. One thing you want to ask at your Dr's office though is if they charge different amounts for insurance vs cash pay. I know they told me everything would be around $18,000, but the total submitted to insurance was over $40,000. When I asked about it, they said that they and the hospital give a discount to cash pay. So the total that they submit to insurance though is what your % out of pocket will be which means it may be substantially more. I hope that helps.

Mine are actually done by the Dr's who did my surgery. They are the only ones in their office who do them. It gives them a chance to see how things are going as well. I do like how hands on they are, but this $100 per fill is driving me up a wall.

Apparently it's different for vaccines and stuff like that. I just called them today and apparently the code that is being submitted is a surgical code, but it's the only one my Dr's office has been told to use. Ragdoll, I've been able to get them paid, it's just the co-pay that bothers me. $100 as opposed to the $30 I should be charged for specialty visits. Would you be able to get the code your Dr's office uses for their submissions? I wonder if it's different than the one I'm using. Thanks, Nichole

Kerri, I just had to giggle when I read this because I have the exact same problem!! In fact in the Hawaiian dress that my DH bought me before Christmas, that's the problem spot. As soon as I lose that, I'll be super happy. My DH has been playing with it now (I know, TMI) though like it's a third boob. It drives me up a wall, but he gets a kick out of it. ~Nichole

Yeah I didn't have any problems with the surgery either, it's just the fills now. I have a friend who is a Dr and a lawyer so I am going to have him help me write a letter of appeal. There has got to be some definition of what a surgery is and you can't tell me that sticking a needle into a port constitutes a surgery. So far I've paid for the fill co-pays, but according to BCBS, anytime the skin is broken it's considered a surgery (except for vaccines). So far, I've gone in for 3 fills and one unfill. I'll keep you all posted on what happens with mine. I actually have to call BCBS again for copies of my EOB's because I accidentally threw them out.

Yes I was the one who put it out there, and I only hit half. I would have had at least 5 more days, but I was too tight for a week and didn't eat more than 400 calories a day and didn't drink a lot of water either because even that hurt to go down. But, the good thing was that because of being too tight, I made the Level 3 challenge, and actually exceeded it by 3 pounds. I am happy to because I haven't put any of that weight back on, so I'm doing something right. Now to just get out and exercise. :) Thanks for the motivation!! ~Nichole