txbldhnds

Hi Candice, First of all: CONGRATULATIONS! My goodness, that is great news! Could you (or anyone else) share how your were able to get insurance to pay for the arms, TT, and breasts? I have heard about the "apron" being covered because of rashes. What is the best way to try to convince them about the other things? Good luck with your surgeries. Your transformation will be complete. Won't that be great? Colleen banded 7/2005 Dr. Spivak (or Saint Dr. Spivak in my opinion!) -78 lbs!

I feel really stupid asking this, but I have been hurting pretty badly for about 4 hours. My upper abdomen is distended and hard. It feels like severe gas pains, but nothing is moving. I sure don't want to go the the ER and be told I have gas, but I am in some serious hurt. Any idea of what's going on or any advice? Colleen

Hi! I'm in La Porte, just down the road! I have had my band for a little over a year. Dr. Spivak (or St. Spivak as I think of him) did the honors. He is wonderful and his staff are great. I'm a slow loser. I have lost 70 lbs with another 70 to go. The band is not a magic bullet. I found that out when Girl Scout Cookies arrived last year! I have a terrible sweet tooth and that has been my undoing several times. Also, whatever it is that caused you to be overweight might still be in your life. You will need to deal with that. That being said, I am still so happy that I had the surgery! It was caused me to more mindful of my eating and enables me to get a good start on this weight loss. My port is located just under my sternum. It can be easily felt with your fingers. It feels like it's about 2" across. It reminds me of the squeaker in a toy. You know how you can feel around for the squeaker in order to squeak it? It kind of seems like that, except that you can only touch one side of it (that, and I haven't squeaked so far!). I don't know about what happens post weight loss. My sister had the surgery and it and at her goal weight. She is thinking of just having it unfilled, but leaving it there. I would love to get together with some other folks in the area. It would be a great support. Colleen

I am a teacher of kids with visual impairments. Anyone else notice how many of us are helpers/nurturers? Even Teresita! If that isn't a service worker, I don't know what is! Colleen

Hey, it's me again! I just thought of a couple of other things: Call the psychiatrist again. Tell them it is an emergency. They will probably ask if you are having suicidal thoughts. Tell them yes. They will see you or refer you to someone immediately. Once you get in there, you can say what you have to say, but the thing is to get in. I think you have heard from enough people who can vouch for the fact that this is not going to fix itself. Do what you need to do to take care of you. If you don't, who will take care of yours kids? They need their mom to be well and happy. Moms are used to putting their needs after everyone else's. You are the priority right now. You get to go to the head of the line. I have heard people make an analogy that is a good one. When you are taking off in an airplane, the flight attendant comes on and gives the safety instructions. They tell you that if the oxygen masks come down and you are with a child, for you to put your mask on first and then the child. You won't be able to help your child if you lose consciousness. You have a lot of people here pulling for you and you can do this. I know it is hard and that there is still a lot of stigma associated with having emotional problems, but that is other people's ignorance. This doesn't have to be a "for the rest of your life" thing either. You may just need some help getting your panic attacks under control. Let us know how you are doing later on! Hang in there! Colleen

Thank you for the encouragement, especially from a fellow Texan! I do appreciate any help on how to stop sabotaging myself. It seems that the more I try to ignore the "hunger", the worse it gets, and I get into a cycle of giving in to it "just for now" or "this one last time", then into disappointment and putting myself down for giving in, and on and on. I guess that whatever it is that led me to be overweight in the first place (take your pick of reasons) isn't gone and until I come to some sort of way to cope with that, I will continue to have problems. It does help to hear that I am not alone in the struggle. Many thanks again. Colleen

Well, I hate to be the buzz kill of the group, but I am not doing well. I had my surgery July 20 and have only lost 40 lbs. and almost all of that was in the first 6 months. I am so disappointed and am dreading school starting (I am a teacher). Everyone knows about my surgery & I am going to show up with no change. I am going in for my last free fill on my anniversary--hope that helps, altho I know that "head hunger" and a sweet tooth that won't quit are my downfall. Congratulations to the rest of you! Colleen

I hope that by now you have gotten in touch with someone who can give you some help with your emotions. You need to take care of yourself. Sounds like you are going through an especially rough spot and you may need some meds to help smooth things out for you. I am a teacher of kids with special needs and almost all parents who have kids with special needs are spread pretty thin. No matter what disability your child has, there are lots of organizations or govt programs that offer respite services to parents, especially with your family income being reduced due to your dh's schooling. Check with your school district or your state's department that is over disabilities. And twins, too??? I can't help you there! It's no wonder you are cratering! Please feel free to private message me if I can help you with any special ed issues. Maybe I can give you some ideas or some places to start looking for help. Good luck! Colleen

Hi, Kryssa and All, I have been reluctant to post and had even quit visiting the site because I would feel so down while reading about everyone else's successes. I remember being one of those people and I can't believe that less than a year out and my expectations have been so shattered. It's my fault, not the band's. I guess that all the reasons that I overate in the first place are still there and until I resolve those or learn to cope with them in a dfferent way, I will continue to have problems. I have an appt with my Dr., not the usual person who does the fills on 7/20 (my anniversary and end of free fills). I'm anticipating a sermon of all the things I already know. But I am going to ask him to close this puppy up as much as possible! The last fill I had at the beginning of the month felt like they reduced the amt in the band. Kryssa, when you say that your posting is discouraging to other members, I don't think that is true. Now if you were posting to one of the thread where everyone is just getting their band or doing great, maybe so. then again, it doesn't hurt for people to know that this is not the Holy Grail of weight loss. You are posting on a thread for slow losers, so I don't think you are discouraging anyone. Colleen

My insurance would not pay. I went through all the appeals and was rejected repeatedly. It took me 3 years to come up with the money. While I was still waiting & saving, my sister "fudged" and her insurance paid for every penny of her surgery. It pisses me off! Not that her insurance paid. But that she cheated and it paid. That ain't right.

Nope. I had all of the co-morbidities. They will pay for my high blood pressure, my sleep apnea, my back and knee problems, my depression, but not WLS! I, too, have United Health Care. Not all policies are the same. My employer bought an insurance package that has an exclusion on any weight loss treatments (meds, too). I had to pay for the surgery myself.

I haven't posted in a long time. I have been so disappointed in myself and am dreading the approaching 1 year anniversary of my surgery and I have only lost about 40 lbs. I have a 2.8 restriction on a 4.0 band. I feel almost no restriction. Of course, I have figured out how to "trick" the band and shoot myself in the foot. The compulsion to eat, especially sweets, is overwhelming. The very first thing I think of when I wake up is "what can I eat?" I suffer from bipolar disorder and eating is a huge issue for me and a huge symptom of the depressive episodes. nevertheless, I am overwhelmed with self-loathing and disappointment. I remember how well the band was working at first, how the weight was coming off, how people were always commenting on how good I was looking. I also remember paying $15,000 cash for the surgery because my insurance wouldn't cover it. I am so disappointed in myself.

$15,500 hard earned dollars! No insurance! So far, the best $$ I've ever spent. Colleen