WLSResources/ClothingExch

@@stpatty, did you leave an important piece of info out of your question? Why are you asking human resources to cover your surgery? Does your company handle medical matters on its own rather than providing a med plan from an insurance company? I suppose the other way I can say this is: Is your employer self-insured?

@@northstar9148, I sent you a PM yesterday with the info I mentioned and at the same time asked a BP'er to tell you how to access it from your Samsung. I hope you get both soon.

@@LipstickLady You need to see her rack. How easy it is to be generous with someone else's rack. Babbs, front and center! You heard her. Whip it out.

Huh? Just when things were simmering down. I question whether everyone who claims to have had surgery really has.

Yes, I recall.* Sometimes when the posts are layered like lasagne or mille feuille, a few layers slip off the virtual fork. *The post that is, not the rack.

Regain here with different underpinnings. After a hiatus of about two years, I saw my NP about a month ago, had a small adjustment because my band was showing signs of life. I have a follow-up appt set for Wednesday. If you have not been in yourself for a time, it would be smart. An esophagram is probably the thing so that you know if your band is in proper position with no dilation and all that. As I see it, staying connected is a part of the program when restarting. I also hope to return to support groups.

Cool that you pulled all the sharps and flats together. Yup, another slow news day in the concert hall.

Perfect timing. It seems as though several people have posted about Protein confusion in the last day or three.

Pipcycles, popcycles, rainbows and kitten whiskers. What I want is a frozen popsicle, but sometimes we need only to be understood. 4 grams of carb are nothing. Ask your RD for the desired daily maximum so that you'll feel more confident..

Your saucer? I'm picturing you as a kitten. Some people do well with an egg timer. Put a very small piece of whatever in your mouth -- maybe no larger than your thumbnail -- turn the timer and chew until the sand runs out. Make a game of it. Chew until the food is pulp. Swallow and turn the timer again. This one is your pause before the next bite. I had trouble training myself to slow down and chew well (and still have trouble). What a pleasant surprise again and again to discover that, when I make the effort, I get so much more flavor from each bite.

You might give saladd a try. Small amount into mouth; chew tho-r-o-ughly; swallow; pause. Some people do fine with it, others not. There's only one way to find out. If it doesn't sit well with you, stop and maybe try again in the future. For max nutrients, stay away from empty things like iceberg lettuce which, in my opinion, is nasty-tasting anyway, and romaine and the like. Spinach is good as are many other greens. Look them up.

I'm neither RD nor pro chef, but I won't let that stop me now. Oatmeal fine, but not by the bucketful. I add a few raisins, splenda, cinnamon. Or a few raisins and a few drops of Torani sugar-free gingergbread syrup. Or whatever flavor, with or without raisins. Smoked salmon or other smoked fish. I do eat Wasa and Ryvita crispbread and will spread on a tad of tofuffi and smoked fish. Leftover fresh salmon or any other Protein. Shrimp, crawfish. What do you do with eggs? I'll make an omelet with spinach and lowfat feta seasoned with a dash of oregano (preferably Greek for the Mediterranean flavor), maybe some chopped tomato. I use olive oil for the pan. Remember that eggs are a universal go-with. (I saute the spinach and tomato a bit before pouring in the egg.) A simple version of shakshuka -- which is simple anyway -- if you've got leftover, flavorful (i.e., spicy as you may like) chunky tomato-veg sauce as well as a little time. Shakshuka is a great dinner or weekend brunch, too. Another variation: saute finely chopped onion, pour in the beaten egg and cook with some smoked salmon. Anything that will give you a good dose of protein. It doesn't have to be what Americans generally think of as "breakfast" food.

If I were in your position, I'd ask the doctor who prescribes the triamterene HCTZ his opinion. If he thinks that three weeks is too long not to take it, I'd ask him to speak with the surgeon. Let them work it out so that both feel you'll be safe. I'd make the phone call today, as it may take a while for them to connect.

P.S. Rats! I didn't recognize the topic or see that I responded way back. My first effort apparently was for naught. To have gone through it twice, moreso the second time, really rips it. I'll leave the above post in case someone else comes along in need of sound ideas.

It's not so different here. Insurance companies exist not to spend money, not to spend it. Catch-22. It's sad to think of people sitting through the preparatory programs in turmoil. They'd be so much better off in all ways if they'd focus on their confident and pride about having gotten serious about their health and well-being. Take each step as necessary, whether it makes sense or is fair or not, and don't fret until there really is something to fret about. All that in a perfect world.

As an RN, you're nutrition-intelligent. At times, though, we stray from our own expertise when it comes to ourselves. When a subject becomes personal, it's easy to lose the full picture. It's akin to the cobbler's children going barefoot. Common wisdom in the world of lapband is protein, produce, Fiber -- in that order, but without forgoing any. You may want to switch your meal style or times, e.g., five smaller ones if you're sticking to three "normal" meals. You seem to be passing on produce and fiber, which could be slowing your rate of weight loss. You may need a more balanced intake. There's also the chance that you've fallen prey to a common trap: Unrealistic expectations. The fact that you are losing weight is significant. Don't shortchange yourself on that. The rate at which you lose may just be the way your body works. It may be your choice of non-real food which may metabolize inefficiently. It may be the whim of the planets. What sounds like little to no produce and fiber would play a part. Menstruation... There are many factors and possibilities. I've found that, as long as I eat properly, everything comes together in good time. There is no such thing as "spot reducing," vis à vis your reference to your stomach area. Reducing happens everywhere. You can tone/tighten the area with appropriate strength exercises. It'll get you closer to the visual you may want. One last thought. An appointment with your practice RD can help you make effective changes. Take along a week or two's worth of your food trackers. I've always found that having a complete record is more important for the times that my choices need tweaking or when my rate of loss becomes disappointing. Being able to review everything I've eaten tells me what needs changing.

Do you mean that the cartwheels you've been turning not part of the pitch? They're a mere pre-game warm-up?

It had registered in my head that these six-month class programs may become the usual. My sceptic side prompted me to enter this in the feed this past week: What's with this new thing, a six-month, pre-surgery "class?" Is it going nation-wide? Who requires and conducts it -- the practice? the insurer? Is it out of pocket for the prospective patient, never to be reimbursed? If so, what's the price tag? Whose big, fat chipmunk cheeks is it filling? From what I've gleaned, the class has merits, but the whiff of greed is sulfurous. Or am I way off? Beyond that, "cream of the crop" lacks relevance. It is the individual who loses weight [or not], not the program.

The cash register is clanging.

@@KristenLe @@Inner Surfer Girl @@LPNAshley I certainly believe that you came to think differently about the product or plan or whatever it is: You're a dealer. My own preference is to eschew any sort of shake, anything that remotely is some sort of substitute for real food. I used a shake mix only right after surgery until I was given clearance for food. To rely on shake-type things for sustenance because of eating difficulties, whether related to bariatrics or not, would be sad enough; to choose them over real food, as real people eat, strikes me as daft. Above all I want to live as a sound human.

At the beginning of my band career, I learned that, in some quarters, the band is known as "The Fickle Bittch." It's efficacy can change for no apparent reason at any time. It often takes time to get it adjusted to an optimal level, which still doesn't preclude needing further adjustment at any time. It is also possible (possible, not definite) that you had a little swelling at the band (from your innards having been manhandled) which has since gone down. Because you refer to the 4cc at the time of surgery, I'll say that the amount of saline in a band at any time is irrelevant. The amount that works well for you will be insufficient or too much for someone else who has the same band.

Watch out or the olives will get you. Beware especially of the leetle, insouciant niçoise types with their leetle berets so captivatingly appealing. Oh, oh, I hear Maurice Chevalier singing Thank Heaven for Leetle Girls. Be still, mon coeur.

There's a reason that one hour is recommended. It tends to prevent discomfort from drinking too quickly. The most frequently-recommended solution to discomfort from drinking too quickly that I've ever heard is to drink more slowly. It has worked for me.