ReneBean

Stop by any time, Cindy. I'm a Texan, too. :]

:] Thanks, Eileen. I am sure I need all the help I can get. How do you interview to work for a guy who is 10+ yrs younger than you without sounding like his mom? *sigh*. I guess I will have to figure something out.

Well, I could sell my body - but I don't think I would make as much money... The first attorney I was talking to - Steve Kalman at BandedLawyer.com - says my appeal is too complicated and I need to take it to a different guy who specializes in appeals... Gary Viscio gviscio1@yahoo.com I have e-mailed him and we will see if 1) he thinks he can help & 2) I can afford to pay him to help. My mom was supposed to have a knee reconstruction yesterday - but she had to re-schedule for next week because they got the wrong knee parts. That's all the news for me, today.

I have been trying to get myself some work... but my interview for the management job got postponed until tomorrow. I have been hanging out with another boss-type guy that I really like. Worst case scenario, I will move up to the 5th floor with him. I will not be getting paid any more - but I will like my boss and have something to do during the day to justify my existence at this company. *sigh* If I were DRIVING to CA, I would just scoop Trish up on my way by - but I will be flying. I will have to yell out the window of the plane as I pass over NM on Sunday... :]

(((hugs))) Nothing is worse than sleep deprivation for making you feel generally crappy. Sorry!! I hope that your tests help pinpoint the problem... But, if you have the problem again - maybe you could cough it up into a zip loc baggie and take it with you to the ENT doc. If it looks like snot, it probably IS runoff from your sinuses... If you took in a sample, maybe they could know for sure. (((Hugs))) I hope you feel better soon and can get some sleep.

Check our Surgery Center of Richardson - they have several docs to choose from and a $15k cash deal if you are self pay. They specialize in LapBand - that's pretty much all they do. Just a little more research and homework for you. Welcome!

Ooooooooo... 4 weeks... I am jealous! I can only afford like 4 DAYS off. Oh well. At this rate, it will be three years before I get to have the dang surgery, anyway. I figure I am going to start selling cupcakes at the flea market on the weekends to earn money... lol. I got my response back from ObesityLaw.com. They want lots more money than BandedLawyer.com - but the benefit is that they are located in and licensed in California - which might come in handy if I have to go all the way to the State Insurance Board. hmmmmmn....I will have to ponder that question just a bit. Well, the job front is still interesting... still no work in my current position. I was supposed to interview for the management job today - but the interviewer had to be out for a funeral - so that has been moved to tomorow. Now I also hear through the ever popular grapevine that another opportunity may be waiting for me on the horizon. It probably won't involve a great deal more money - but it would be a little closer to my comfort zone, and I would really love my boss. The boss for the management job is a big question mark - since I have little or no exposure to him in my present position. I wish I had ever heard ONE good thing about him. The more I do hear, the less I think I want to work closely with him. So, one more day of aimless waiting for me. How's everybody else doing? Eileen - sounds like you and I will have to hook up on a house, sometime. Didn't I tell you I spent my formative years helping my dad remodel houses? I am an artist with plaster & paint and I have even done some electrical. Love that pvc pipe, don't you? But Girl, you have WAY more energy for that sort of stuff than I do. Your house is gorgeous!

Did you eat a lot of Dairy products this week? Some fab chick named Michelle that has lost 100lbs says it's all about the dairy... Believe the 4 lbs. Just because your scale was lying to you for the last four months, doesn't mean it can keep lying forever. Relax and Enjoy!

Wow! Congratulations! I am going to get some fat free yogurt, right now... :]

OMG! It IS the October issue of Better Homes - wow! And look at those loved ones... Such a couple of cuties... What a deal! Your weekends are way more interesting than mine... :]

Easy Rider - OK - I cheated, because I got hitler too - and I didn't like that, so I went back and changed one answer. Apparently - preparing for the worst case scenario means you are paranoid and a megalomaniac killing machine... After I reduced that answer 1 click to neutral/center - I got Gandi. Hmmm. Very interesting.

You aren't a failure, Carrie. You are just a human being. I say, all of the great advice above PLUS Tell the reps what to bring. They are sales reps. It is their job to suck up to YOU. Tell them what you want and I would hazard a guess that they will take the trouble to bring foods you can eat. If they are bringing sandwiches - tell them to bring KFC. A little chicken breast would be far superior to Pasta salad or whatever else they are bringing. Tell them you are bored with donuts and you want omelettes instead... You can't be the ONLY one in your office who is trying to lose weight - there are unbanded folks out there that would be grateful for getting a healthier snack. You can live a normal life while banded. That is the whole point of having a band. It restricts the amount of food and the speed at which you can eat. WHAT you choose to eat is strictly on you. You can do it. You can make better choices. Great Job on the 25 lbs. YOU CAN DO IT. We'll all be here to kick your butt, or hug you, as needed. :]

Can't do much more than give you some ((((hugs))))). Hope you get a breather, soon.

OK Jean - I know EXACTLY how you feel. I have been fighting those feelings for about a month. I just fight them by repeating this great truth: Life's a bitch, and then you die. I have just been jealous as heck and knowing that somehow, someway, I WILL get a band. If I have to storm the insurance office in my Rambo outfit, or put my husband on the Beans Rice and Top Ramen diet, I will find a way. After I saw the Blue Cross of CA guideline that says your bmi has to be over 40 and under 50 for the LapBand, I did shed a few tears - but I Refuse to accept that answer. It's crap and I am not going to stand for it. So, I have my $300 check ready to send off to a lawyer and I will fight the insurance company all the way to the State Insurance board, if I have to. There isn't any way to really deal with the feelings, except to suck it up and deal. If you just assume you will be denied and plan for what happens when you are, then you are a few steps ahead... and if you are NOT denied, then you get a fantastic surprise.... Good Luck.

Well, today was our foray into Sams Club. It's always an adventure to go there. We got the infamous sweetener. As for the wild sex, I don't kiss and tell... lol. Not much excitement other than that. $3.00 is a bonafide win, Ira. Just think, you got the thrill of victory - for free! Geez Eileen. Such energetic pursuits... Like Better Homes and Gardens October issue... We still have no Fall, here. I think the temp did drop down to a high of 90 vs the 100 we were getting last week - but still... Very Summery. Seppi? So, tell us about you. What do you do? How is the whole Band Experience going? Do you like to shop? Are you crafty? Come on - Spill! Lisa, Oh Liiiiiiisa... We have switched threads. Come on over and visit. See y'all tomorrow!

Change it up, John. You do need to allow the muscle groups to heal between workouts. Rotate your workouts so that you work legs one day, abs another, arms the next and then do them again. If I remember correctly, my trainer at the gym said to allow 2 days between workouts. And as the others have said, don't burn out. If it is not at least a little enjoyable, you won't keep going. Good Luck, you hottie! :]

Capital idea, Ira. Go for it. Eileen - I hope you feel better. For me, the cough always gets worse toward the end - so maybe you are getting close. I leave for Cali NEXT sunday - Oct 13th. Alexra - 90 LBS!!!!! I am sooo green with envy.

Arrgh Ye Matey!! Hope you had the best birthday ever!!

Medium? I thought that was only a Pizza thing... Congrats!

Well, if hubby is really dismal as a cook, you could always prepare a few things that re-heat well and freeze them. Then they just have to defrost and re-heat. I reccommend Chili, Soups/Stews - since they are always better the 2nd time around, anyway. :]

Thanks, Mary. I will have to find out whether there is anybody here who will do aftercare behind your doc. If there is, I will be needing a translator!! Just think, Greece could keep those tourist dollars coming in by advertising the cheap weight loss surgery to the world. "Lose a little fat, Get a little history in Greece" :]

Argue away - I love a good arguement.... But I won't fight on this. I will still make my appeal - but I guess I am going to have to have an attorney do it. *Sigh*. It's only money. :

Yep, USA - the land of the EXPENSIVE and home of the fat. So, who is your doc?

Wow - $3500 Euro is only about $4200 US. I figure I could throw another couple thousand on top of that for the airfare and hotel... So, Mary - Who IS your doc? :]

Well, it looks like it IS my BMI that is stopping me. Damn. For anybody else working with Blue Cross of CA - here is the link to their policies: Go to this link and then go to the “View Alphabetically” link, scroll down a bit and “Adjustable Gastric Banding” is listed there. Their new policy is shown here as well as their requirements before they offer coverage. http://medpolicy.bluecrossca.com/