Skinny_Jill

I had surgery on a Tuesday and was back at work on Monday. Talk to your surgeon and ask him why you need 2 weeks. Ask him if he will let you go back after a week if you are up for it. Maybe you can have surgery on a Friday and that will give you 10 days off including the weekend. You should be good to go by then.

This is what I found on U.S. Dept of Labor under "What is Family and Medical Leave Act?" (a) The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA or Act) allows ``eligible'' employees of a covered employer to take job-protected, unpaid leave, or to substitute appropriate paid leave if the employee has earned or accrued it, for up to a total of 12 workweeks in any 12 months because of the birth of a child and to care for the newborn child, because of the placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care, because the employee is needed to care for a family member (child, spouse, or parent) with a serious health condition, or because the employee's own serious health condition makes the employee unable to perform the functions of his or her job (see Sec. 825.306(:wink_smile:(4)). In certain cases, this leave may be taken on an intermittent basis rather than all at once, or the employee may work a part-time schedule. I was curious about something else because my sister had a similar issue a while back. I hope this helps. Link to this particular page: 29CFR825.825.100 - What is the Family and Medical Leave Act?

That does stink but unfortunately that is common practice. :wink_smile: I know this sucks but I can tell you that it is worth it. Talk to your boss about the time off at Christmas and maybe you can work something out. The company I work for also follows that policy but most supervisors will let them use additional vacation time since it was really used for medical reasons. I hope they will work with you. U.S. Department of Labor website: U.S. Department of Labor: Compliance Assistance: Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Congratulations Cindy! You look amazing! You are one heck of a success story already. Keep it up! :wink_smile:

Name............Start.............Current...............Goal... ...........To Go Lizzie_07.........233...............233.....................220 ..........13 Osangriared.....252...............252.....................232 ..........20 Skinny_Jill.......180...............178.....................168....... .....10 Sades.............197...............197.....................185....... .....12 kandiceb..........187...............178.....................175....... ....03 shortgal............183..............181....................175....... .....6 TxArcher..........328..............328......................308....... ....20 Peaches11........217..............217.....................199......... .18 Momto1plus1.....223..............220.6...............210.............1 0.4 zippykat...........173..............173.....................160....... ...13 Trixie...............219.5...........217.....................199...... ....18 Shalee04..........196..............196.....................185........ ..11 wnt2lose..........219..............219.....................209........ .10 plump_princess....215.............213.....................199........1 4 Mariegabrieleee....250............250......................239........ 11 Foofy..............239.5............237.5...................230....... .7.5 Shalee04..........196..............195......................185....... .10

When I had surgery in November it was $12,900 and that included unlimited fills for the 1st year and there were no others options at that time. He added the second plan recently. I've had 3 fills so far and I know I am close to needing another. I believe that fills are $150. Some people need very few fills and some need a lot. I know someone that was also banded in November and I think she has had 8 fills. It really varies from person to person. I would probably go with the $12,400 plan. I would definitely verify how much fills are and ask what happens if the fill is too tight and you have to come back in within a week for an unfill. Will they charge you again? That could really add up. Sometimes Dr. S will agree to add a second year of fills if you lose 50% of your excess weight in the first year. You may want to ask about that.

Congrats Kat! Your new life starts tomorrow.

I am so sick of people asking me what I can and can't eat. I know they mean well but really. My mother is probably the worst and she is super supportive but I keep telling her not to worry about it and just cook what she wants to cook and I will eat what I can. She cooks healthy all the time so I don't have to worry about calories and I've told her that there is very little that I can't eat. Someone at work came in my office and saw me eating a Hormel Kid's Spaghetti & Mini meatballs and asks me if I can even eat that much food. I told her I could probably eat 2 of them. I know she is really curious because she has been to the seminar and wants the surgery. I know they mean well and I just needed to vent a little. What questions about Lap Band are tired of hearing?

Hi Kendra, I'm glad you finally got to meet the MDA doc. I'm sorry you have to wait but at least you know you are in great hands. Enjoy your time with your mother this week. My boots are still stompin'! Love, Jill

I am 39 and man does this bring back memories. I remember changing the channel for my dad. No call waiting was a pain. We used to make emergency break throughs when we had a crisis, you know like I heard jimmy likes susie. I remember sitting by my boom box all day waiting to record songs. Let's not forget mix tapes for that someone special. For me cable TV was all about MTV back when it was all videos all day, at least until midnight when it went off the air. I remember playing outside with my friends instead of sitting in front of the computer IM'ing them. If they weren't home when you called there was no anwering machine so they missed out on the fun. I remember when we got our first microwave when I was 10 and that thing was huge and still worked until we gave it away 6 years ago. I still have the first VCR we bought but of course I don't use it.

Dr. Spivak performed my surgery and I can't say enough good things about him. He and his staff are wonderful. They are very supportive and answer all of my questions. When I call the office with questions they are always answered the same day. Good luck!

Dr. Spivak performed my surgery and he was great. His staff is wonderful as well. It is very easy to get in for fills with Dr. Spivak. I was also self-pay. I highly recommend Dr. Spivak. bandmd.com Other Houston surgeons to check out: Dr. Garth Davis Dr. Robert Davis Dr. Wilkenfeld Dr. Ponce DeLeon Dr. St. Laurent

I see my mother and sister every weekend and while we are eating I usually have 1 moment where I've taken to big of a bite or something and get that little warning signal so I stop eating for a few minutes and they always stare at me and finally ask "Does it hurt?" or "It's not going down very well, is it?"

Even though you are able to eat the chicken you should not do this. You must give your body time to heal. Get some Protein drinks and that will help. It is much too soon for solid food. Follow your doctors orders or you could hurt the band. It takes time for it heal and the stitches around the band take. You do not want to risk slipping your band. This could be dangerous and you could lose your band. The post-diet is not to speed up weight loss but to help your body heal. Review the list on the liquid diet and try more than just chicken broth and Water.

Salads Chicken salad - Canned chicken, light mayo, relish, boiled egg and anything else you like in it. Lean Cuisines Deli meat Canned chili soup Left overs Sandwiches if you can handle the bread Lettuce wraps - same as a sandwich but with out the bread Boiled eggs Egg salad Taco salad - Cook taco meat and bring to work and heat up and put in a salad and top with salsa. I like this idea, I think I will do that.

My doctor will give fills 2 weeks apart. I've had 3 fills in a little over 4 months and those 3 fills were all about 2 weeks apart. The 1st fill was 5 weeks after surgery. I haven't needed one since and I am happy.

I always eat more than 4 oz of food. It normally takes me 30 minutes to eat. I eat slow and listen to the warning signs my gives me to determine when I should stop eating. My doc wants us to listen to our bodies instead of eating a set amount of food. Some people need more than 4 oz and for some 4 oz will be the right amount. I'm not saying your doc is wrong but just pointing out that some bandsters do eat more than 4 oz so taking longer to eat is very possible. There are also times when my band is really tight that I have to take a bite and wait several minutes before I take another. It really takes a while to eat when you are waiting a minute or 2 between very small bites.

Congrats to both of you on your upcoming surgeries. I live in Sugar Land and Dr. Spivak performed my surgery. I love my band.

She is trying to find reasons to make her feel better about not being able to get it. I did the same thing after fighting with insurance for a year. I told myself and my family that the band would be difficult anyway so I would just do it without it and it would be better. HA I soon realized that I was full of it and fought with insurance for another year before I bit the bullet and got a loan. It is the best money I've ever spent. I work with someone that is having the same problems with Aetna that I did and insurance won't cover it and she can't afford the loan. I feel bad for her and I hope she won't start knocking the band now. I don't think she will because I am her boss. :biggrin2:

That was my biggest fear because I was a super fast eater before the band. I tried eating slower before I was banded and I just couldn't do it but I have no problems now. The band will let you know when you are eating too fast. I am now a very slow eater. Occasionally I will eat too fast but I get a pain under my left shoulder and I wait a few minutes before I continue and slow it down. If you don't listen to your body you will more than likely get stuck and possibly PB. You will learn.

Definitely follow your doctor's instructions. I'm sure you didn't do any damage but go back to liquids. Is yogurt on your liquid list because it was on mine and it filled me up the first few days after surgery. If you are going to go off the plan call your doctor and tell them you are struggling and see what they suggest. Every doctor had different post-op diets. I was only on liquids for 2 days and then on to soft foods. YOU CAN DO THIS!

I still drink beer occassionally. I didn't drink it for the 1st month or so. Right after a fill I can't drink it because it does hurt. After the swelling goes down I can drink it. I don't drink it as often as I used to but I still get to enjoy it. I don't chug it though.

I would love to look more like Jillian but I know that is not realistic. I would like to be a size 8 and toned. Everytime I've lost weight in the past I can never get below a size 14 so size 12 is going to be thrilling. I know I will still have my cellulite but I am hoping this intense exercise I am doing right now will help firm me up so I don't have a lot of loose skin.

I've had the same thoughts but you can't help whom you are attracted to. The reason I haven't dated since gaining all this weight is if I don't want to date someone that is Morbidly Obese then why would they want to date me. I know it sounds awful but it is the truth. I don't want a skinny man either. I want someone with meat on the bones but not too much. I'm not saying I wouldn't date someone that is very overweight but the chances of something developing are slim if there isn't some type of connection.

My port is an inch below my bra line in the middle.