ReneBean

Everybody looks sooooo GOOOOOD!! More Pictures, Please. **SIGH** Maybe next year.....

Well, there are lots of gabby Texans... I pass thru NM when I go to AZ to visit my parents - Does that count?? :]

3 days! Are you excited or WHAT?!? I love this site, too. It's a good thing that work has been so slow for the last month or so - or I might get fired for spending all my time on-line! LOL. The word that comes to mind for me is Loving. Folks on this site are generally loving and kind - compassion, thy name is LBT! Love you guys!

Welcome! It may be that the folks that aren't happy were expecting some sort of miracle or magic to occur so the fat would fall off with no effort and no pain - but that is not reality. I hope that we are happy with the surgery - but on the other hand, I can't say that I am truly happy right now - so I guess if I am not happy after the band, I will just be not happy in a more healthy way. Good luck on the insurance. I am waiting for approval on that, too. :]

Ohhh - I flaked! I didn't hear back from my coordinator on who to call - and I didn't have the proper mind-set for wading through the morass of folks at Blue Cross this afternoon. I know I will be in a better frame of mind on Monday. Thank God this week is over. I am ready for a cocktail and my feet on the ottoman. I have the best possible plans for the weekend - NONE. :]

You get that "sorry" screen when there aren't any new posts - but sometimes you get it when your connection times out. I log off, go back in, and click New Posts again.

For the ticker - go to www.tickerfactory.com and build it. There are two sets of instructions at the end that you can copy and paste. One is for HTML - You want to copy and paste the OTHER one into your signature. Save it and then you can preview right there in the User CP spot. Good Luck - and welcome to LBT. :]

Lounging by the pool on a cruise sounds like the PERFECT way to recuperate from surgery, to me. I am jealous! :]

Happy Day, Ira. Ain't love grand? My DH & I celebrated 16 yrs of wedded bliss last month. I wouldn't trade him for all the gold in the universe. Congrats on the downward moving scale, Ira. The workouts will only help that along... Just that much more joy. FRIDAY - my delight, my sanity, my dream come true... Can you tell I am happy about it? Oh Yeah. Haven't had a chance to get with Blue Cross yet - Fridays are always busy for me - but I will be calling them shortly. I will keep you posted. I am sort of waiting for my coordinator to give me a name or a dept to start with - but if I don't hear from her within the next hour or so, I will just dive in. Signing off for lunch. Catch you on the flip side. :]

Hey, I only weigh 15 pounds! And I didn't even have the surgery... LOL!

Sorry Christine, I wasn't trying to tell you not to ask - but sometimes the search function can give you more immediate gratification than waiting for someone to see your thread and answer. I wish I had more info for you - but I don't. I have read multiple theories - including trauma from surgery, fat cells breaking down release stored hormones - throwing everything out of kilter - and the ever present Protein. That's all I know... except that for the most part, people seem to say that it is temporary and it slows and stops eventually. ((((Hugs))))

I guess I just don't give a rat's behind about what anybody thinks... And if they look at me like I should have lost MORE than 25 pounds in one month - I think I will have to ask them how much THEY weigh and how much THEY have lost in the last 31 days... Or, the kinder, gentler version - I will point out that prior to getting the band, I would have lost NOTHING and probably gained. It will give me a chance to school people on the band and the difference between band and RNY. I really believe educating more people about this is the answer. (my little soap box). Sorry you're having a hard time of it Nickie. :/

Yayyyy Alex! So glad you are feeling better and everything is Hunky Dory. :]

Just finishing up a file so I can head for the old Hacienda. The usual. Grinding my teeth until tomorrow when I can call my insurance company (BCBS) and sweetly ask them for the status of review on my pre-approval. Other than that, just hanging out. So, Obviously the Dreadmill didn't kill you... lol. I am gonna have to get one of those things. In the winter, you can walk outdoors here - but in the summer it's just a little bit too scorchy for this former Oregonian to stand exercising... Anything other than walking is pretty much out of the question, at the moment. I, too, am keeping my chins up and thinking happy thoughts about insurance. :]

It's a good thing the doctor is being magnanimous enough not to charge you for your visit - because "give me a hug" certainly does not constitute medical advise. Oh Yeah. Second Opinion - for sure.

Hey guys - At the top this screen and the blue bar in white writing it says "Search". Click on it and type in 'hair loss'. (or anything else you want to research) I have read about trace minerals and some other things that help prevent this - but I can't recall it all right now. Try the search feature and read on. :]

Sounds like your sister wants you to suffer like she did to lose the weight... Or she is just still riding high from her success and thinks that anybody can do it. Try to remember that everyone is different. What worked for her may not work for you - and I am assuming that you have tried numerous plans, as we all have. Sorry your sis won't support you in this - but maybe she will be more supportive after the deed is done. She might just be worried for you. HUGS!

I don't even get to talk to the doc until insurance approves me.... but the Surgery Center of Richardson has it all set up like an assembly line. First, AIGB does the pre-work and submits for insurance and THEN you see the doc and stuff. One of the things they told me was that once the paperwork was submitted - and after a short time for the Ins. company to review, I should get proactive. It might help to put a person with the paper. I know that I will be calling tomorrow to find out who has my file and what the status of my review is.... I figure it can't hurt, so long as I am polite. :]

Ditto - class of '83. Joseph High School, Joseph, Oregon. I figure if I can EVER wear a size 14 again, the whole band process will be a raging success. I have never worn a womens size below that, so it will be a voyage of discovery if I ever get my head wrapped around being smaller than that. :]

All I can say is think happy thoughts... My insurance file has been submitted and it is EVERYTHING that I can do to wait until tomorrow (after they have had my file for one week) to call and start harassing them. Picture a big false teeth-grinding grin **GRIN** :]

Every insurance approval gives me just that much more hope for my own... HOORAY FOR YOU!!!! :]

Small steps: Diet Coke. Diet Coke is available almost everywhere that regular Coke is - and it mixes with Rum just as well. LOL.

And have you appealed BCBS? There is a web-site for help on that: www.obesitylaw.com. It might be worth fighting a little more with the insurance you have, rather than starting over with a new company.

If you have OK restriction - then it doesn't really matter what band you have, does it? If you are only at 5cc's then it would seem you have plenty of room for further fills if needed. I wouldn't worry too much about which band you have - so long as it is doing what it is supposed to be doing. :]

Are you sure it doesn't say EXcluding Morbid Obesity? That is how most policies read. Normal Obesity treatment is not covered - but MORBID OBESITY treatment is.