nomadem

Hi gin for me it was only I co-pay (I think)it was considered like a medical appt and not out of pocket. To clarify I have BCBC PPO so I dont know if that makes a difference. Had to fill out a questionnaire then meet with the psychologist. They basically wanted to make sure you are in sound mind to make the decision for surgery and that this is only a tool. I think I waited longer in the waiting room than the time I spend in the appt...maybe tops 15-20mins. The program fee is separate and you can space out payments if you like, I paid 1/2 at a time mls19-I heard the staff call him Dr T, he is sorta handsome no? I guess NO ONE has made it to a support meeting. lol

Sherry I would love to come to the next group! for me in May the first two weekends are open as well as the last two...there are 5 weekends in May. Out is May 17-18

Hi Ariel I too was banded at B/W by Dr Vernon and sometimes go to the Faulkner, like I am this Friday. Has anyone attended the support meetings, I know they are tonight and tomorrow night. Is is true they are mostly newly post ops? I am 5 months out now.

Tigger I think I can relate, right now I have only 1.24 in my 10cc band and that is after an unfill of .24. Now miserable and really tight, I am hoping it is bc of my period bc I will have to ask for another unfill back to 1. I do well with liquids, soft foods and only some solids. I am lucky that I am losing weight and able to keep up my calories but this is getting harder and harder to deal with

CVS chewables actually taste better than Centrum brand chewables. why I dont know

nope its not vomit, I have never spit up a chuck of food just the thick spit. I cant pinpoint what it was that caused this but my guess it was a small tiny bit of carrot. Of course no problems with liquids or mushies.

Just recently had a slight fill after a defill in Feb. Now at 1.24 in a 10cc band. Last two times I've 'thrown up" its been its been hours after I have eaten. It starts with the golfball feeling and that contiunes for a long time. If the feeling doesnt go away after a couple of hours I end up throwing up just saliva. I say "thrown up" bc its not bend over and it comes out type thing...more like wrenching?

re: placement of the band. was his discovered during the revision to by-pass. could they have seen this on x-rays? Did the complications start right away,after you had lost some weight or when you started to re-gain. thanks

if you do a search under complications thread you will see other posts from folks who had flipped port found out my port flipped at my first fill as well when she kept hitting the metal backside. I was the first patient to have this happen in the entire office. I had mine repositioned the following day and only had a local so I was conscience and went back to work that day with in hour. The local lasted thru the afternoon and that night I only took a couple of Tylenols.its been two months and so far so good.

while not advised I posed the same question to my dr...she said that if you MUST take advil type products then take the liquid form (children's type w.lots of water) so the tablets are not sitting in your pouch. She also mentioned that she had to hospitalize a patient who developed a bleeding ulcer from taking high dose ibuprofen for an injury. so there is your warning and please ask your dr first.

that is my worst fear is I will lose my band years down the road. do they know what caused your slip? I think that there is a member on this board from one of the org US clinical trials around 2001

*heart* them so much I cant have them in the house. :smile:

Im so so so sorry I know this difficult Ive been were you are before. The first thing is to breath. food isnt going to make you feel better. Are you waiting by the phone? Can you get outside with a cell and walk around the block?

Hello gin! you are my first Vernon pal glad to meet you. I think you will like her, she is very casual and skilled surgeon.

picked up new schedule, havent been able to get to one yet but there is still hope. I f anyone has any other info can you please share? SUPPORT GROUP INFO: 2008 Schedule, April-December TIME: 6:00PM-7:30PM Brigham: 3rd Tuesdays of the month @ Carrie Hall 2nd Floor (at end of the PIKE) April 15, May 20, June 17, July 15, Aug 19, Sept 16, Oct 21, Nov 18, Dec 16 Faulkner: 2nd Monday of the month @ suite 4420 April 14, May 12, June 9, July 14, Aug 11, Sept 8, Oct 20 (3rd Mon),Nov 10, Dec 8 ~No need to register for the groups pre-ops and significant others welcome to attend

I used fitday for years but just recently switched to daily plate. The food database is so much better and the whole interface/graphs are so much better

have you had a lapse in health care at all??? maybe you should look into parts of HIPPA Preexisting Condition Exclusions The law defines a preexisting condition as one for which medical advice, diagnosis, care, or treatment was recommended or received during the 6-month period prior to an individual’s enrollment date (which is the earlier of the first day of health coverage or the first day of any waiting period for coverage) Group health plans and issuers may not exclude an individual’s preexisting medical condition from coverage for more than 12 months (18 months for late enrollees) after an individual’s enrollment date Under HIPAA, a new employer’s plan must give individuals credit for the length of time they had prior continuous health coverage, without a break in coverage of 63 days or more, thereby reducing or eliminating the 12-month exclusion period (18 months for late enrollees) Fact Sheet - The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

Hi Danny- I too was banded at B & W's hopsital and havent been to a support mtg yet bc I havent been able to be IN Boston by 6pm. I would like to at some point go and see what it all about and meet other folks Some posters here (SherryW) have started a 'local' support mtgs on in Taunton, MA. We had one mtg so far on a Saturday afternoon.

I have BCBC PPO "Blue Care Select" I think its called. I called them first to find out the policy and if they covered it before I even choose a surgeon. They mailed me the section about WLS with a few days. It was good to know ahead of time that it was covered.

this past week Ive had a problem where I have slight pain bc something wont pass thru the band. This lasts for a few hours until finally I have to throw up a pouch full of spit and slime. I both cases a tiny bit of food (once carrots, then a bit hamburger) did come up and I felt relief. Should I have just waited out the pain and avoided 'throwing'?

Hi!!! its so great to see all these new 'faces' in this forum. My name is Mel, from the South Shore banded 11/13/07 at the Brigham by Dr Vernon. Havent attended any support groups at the hospital but I did met SherryW and the gang a few weeks ago. The 22nd works for me SherryW dont know about anyone else :huh2:

update: I did go for an unfill and I do feel a lot better. Eating more and I think I have gained one pound. Now it is time for will power! :crying: Experienced reflux for the first time...I should have known better than to be eating late at night. All I could think of is poor Sherry and what she went thru.

wheetsin isvery wise...my gf lose a lot of hair 4 months after being hospitalized and she DID NOT have WLS or was losing weight. It was just the shock of being sick. It passed and her hair is back to normal

Trissie what were you doing in the first months post surg that helped you lose those the 60lbs vs what you are doing now? do you need a fill?

yeah the Miralax worked too well for me too. I found the supplements at Trader Joes but I think you can find them in just about any vit shoppe.I got the recommendation off of these boards. Do have some gas issues with them. Can you take pills? Have you tried colace? They help me way more than adding fiber