Wheetsin

My periods were normal. I've always had heavy periods, but for short durations, usually about 3 days, sometimes just 1 or 2. Why not go to the doctor and have them give you a pregnancy test if you have any doubt? As for the atypical cycle, how many periods have you had since surgery? If you missed one, are you 0 for 1, or...?

Below in blue.

UHC. I picked them specifically because my research indicated they would be my best bet to have the procedure covered. I was in a lucky spot of having decided to have the surgery right around the same time that I accepted a different job offer, so coming into my benefits selection I had something like 17 new choices, and picked the one I thought would be most band friendly.

Yeah I had to be unfilled once, 4 days after a fill, and said - homey don't play that. So I made him take 2 or 3 months to slowly bring me back up to the point I was at before the fill that proved to be too much. My last fill was probably Feb - March of last year, so about a year ago, and I'm neither too restricted nor wide open.

Isopure sucks. IMO. I tasted some and thought it was OK so pre-op I bought a big cannister of their carb free powder (called perfect carb or something like that). The sample I tried must have been mixed with cheesecake or something else yummy, because this stuff sucked. I choked through it by mixing it with 2% milk and telling myself it was "like a milkshake"... only long enough to find something else.

The Protein mix I tolerate best is Six Star whey protein. In chocolate and vanilla. If they're out of this, my alternate is EAS powder, or the EAS carb advantedge pre-mades in strawberry or French Vanilla (both of which have to be -COLD- or they suck). I'm rarely a purist with my Protein drinks. I will not mix them with Water, I tried gagging through that and it just didn't work for me. I will either mix them with Skim Plus milk or Silk, or sometimes the Skim Plus cut with Light OJ, about 2:1. For chocolate powder I will usually blend in either a scant spoonful of Peanut Butter, or the same of Nutells, or some sugar free Kahlua flavored coffee syrup and ice, or some sugar free Hazlelnut coffee syrup & warm the milk. For vanilla I will put in about 1/5 packet of Butterfinger flavored cocoa mix, or some low sugar/low carb regular cocoa mix, or some sugar free cider mix, or fruit (not too often, I don't like the texture of the tiny seeds). If I do the milk/OJ combo, I will just add ice and sugar (formerly Splenda, but I'm not really buying into the artificial sweetners too much anymore). Outside of protein pwders, for my liquid phase (very short compared to yours), inclusing thick liquids, I would rely on Cream of X Soups (mostly chicken), or golden mushroom, or the brothy variety of southwest chicken with all chunks strained out. Split pea Soup was nice, as was lentil soup. Clam chowder that had been whizzed up to blend in the chunks. Plain old low sodium chicken broth. Drinkable yogurts. Etc.

I hate being the one left scratching my head after the punchline is shared, but the quote doesn't bother me. It's spot on. Good diet usually makes for a healthy body, and the mind (self control) takes care of the rest. Or is it not the quote itself so much as - someone sending a bandster a "motivational" quote that's related to dieting? Sorry I'm daft today.

It was enough for 100 other people.

Kat gave you some good information. Definitely call your insurance provider and ask them for specific qualifications around BMI, comorbidities, etc. IME, it was very easy to go through insurance, and definitely worth it. Even if it had been more of a struggle, my total surgery bill including psych visits was something like $80. So yeah, if you don't have exclusions, it's stupid to not try. I had a morbidly obese BMI, but did not have any comorbidities. Ok, so I have a torn ligament in my knee and could have claimed knee pain, but I didn't (I'm one of those honest types). Cholesterol was good, BP was good, no unfounded aches or pains, no mobility issues, etc. I *assumed* I would have to do a supervised diet or some other tests, but nope. Basically, I filled out my surgeon's paperwork, provided 5 years' worth of medical history (which amounted to 6 visits: 5 annual physicals and one visit not related to weight), and that was it. I expected to have this long drawn-out battle, but 3 weeks later my surgeon's office called me and told me I was approved, and the letter came from my provider the next day.

Well - what are you curious/wondering about? That's the best to ask your surgeon, since that will provide answers to *your* questions. If we tell you what to ask, it just provides answers to *our* questions. Trying to remember back to my consult... I asked about his complication rates, about which bands he used, about port placement, about which band he thought I would get, about his thoughts on band vs other procedures, about his personal preferences, and a few specific questions related to activities I like and their down time, etc.

Sounds like classic acid reflux. Some easy treatments include antiacids, sleeping propped up, not eating or drinking a few hours before bed, etc. But if you're banded, and this is new, do mention it to your surgeon, even just as a better safe than sorry kind of thing. Onset of acid reflux post-op is one of the signs of a slipped band (no, that doesn't mean you have a slipped band, it just means that many people who have slips also had sudden onset acid reflux as a symptom).

It took me between 40 & 50 lbs, if I remember correctly. And then, as Wasa said, it was like I was down a size every other week. Think of your body as a roll of paper towels. Or an onion, your choice. When you peel of the few layers, it doesn't look that much smaller. But when you only have 15 layers left, and peel off ten, it's a huge difference in size. It's a matter of percentage of excess external fat, versus overall body size. If you weigh 300 lbs and lose 10 lbs, you can't even tell. That's because you've lost such a small percentage of your excess weight. Now take someone who weighs 180 and take away 10 lbs, and they might very well be down a size.

I had to take steroids and a muscle relaxer for an attack of sciatica. I learned the art of taking pills without having to taste them. Fill a spoon about halfway with drinkable yogurt, sprinkle on some of the crushed meds, top with yogurt, insert spoon to back of throat, tip and pour. It works most of the time. Pre-op I would dry swallow pills if I didn't have water (unlike some of my friends who willc hew them up), so I had no idea how to take a crushed pill. The first time I tried to take Tylenol post-op I crushed it and stirred it into some applesauce. My, did I feel stupid that day. :mad:

Oneof my favorites & staples. If you want to try the raw bean, mix it in just enough olive oil to lightly coat, sprinkle on a little bit of garlic salt, and roast at around 350 for 10 minutes, stir, continue, stir, etc. until the beans are just starting to go golden.

It's probably 80% surgeon preference, which would include preference for your size & obesity, and 20% patient request. Give or take. On lower BMI patients my surgeon put them closer to the rib cage, but on higher BMI patients, unless they specifically requested otherwise, he put them just to the right of center about 2" down from the bra band. If you take someone who's 350 lbs, that's a much easier area to palpitate & access than a fleshier side or lower abdomen.

Uh... no. I cut a pill the size of a Tylenol into 4 pieces, and had one of my worst PBs on one of the pieces. 1/4 the size of a regular pill. Over a year post-op. "It worked for me" and "You'll be fine" -- totally different statements. It's weird - DH can't stand the taste of the Rapid Blast (that's the name of the adult strength liquid Tylenol), but I don't mind it. I don't crave it, but it doesn't bother me. The chew tabs - no way. And even the adult strength liquid Tylenol PM makes me cringe.

Twice this morning I posted replies, only to end up having posted in the completely wrong part of the forum. What the heck? So I assumed I had been doing something wrong, until it happened a third time. The images below are screenies I grabbed while recreating this. The first picture shows the search results from the username search I did, trying to locate the post after deleting my response. The first thread in the results is the one I had meant to post to. The second picture shows the post tool-tip, showing the RIGHT preview for the RIGHT thread - all looks well at this point. The third picture shows the page it indicates it's loading, which is the RIGHT post. All still looks well. The fourth picture is what actually loads - not only a totally different post, but a post in a totally different forum. The fifth picture shows what appears when I would then go to search to try and find the RIGHT post. Figured I'd post this here rather than board questions to save the ensuing panic. :smile:

I had in the neighborhood of 200 lbs to lose, plus or minus 10 lbs. I weighed 382 for surgery and am currently around 230. I'd like to lose 50 more lbs, docs say between 30 and 70, depending on which I ask. :cool:

I don't follow the Atkins plan because of its extraordinarly high fat intake, I personally don't believe it's healthy. (Neither did my former gallbladder, which first went awry while I was following the induction phase for about 18 months). But I do count my carbs. Most days I stick to around 20 - 50. I don't limit myself, if I want something I have it, but I keep it in the back of my head. You can eliminate anything from your diet, and lose weight. Carbs, fats, sugars, Proteins... you name it. For me, it's about what's sustainable. I could easily lose weight on Atkins. I could never maintain it. That's why I focus mostly on a well-balanced diet, and if I stress over anything, it's calories.

If it were me, I would start with a personal loan. I *think* they generally have lower interest rates and fewer special fees that medical loans. I would do it first because it's a set payment and I could set it up on my bank's auto pay and forget about it. My second choice, before a medical loan, would be to put it on a credit card. And then I would xfer that credit balance to a different card that had set interest xfer specials (e.g. many will offer between 3 - 5 percent until the balance is paid in full when you xfer from a different account). I can't imagine a medical loan - or possibly even a personal loan, depending on loaning factors - having that low of an interest rate.

No restrictions before a fill for me, though I usualle opt not to eat so I can get a more accurate scale reading. The only advice they give is to finish the day with mushy foods when your fill is done.

Yah I freeze all the time too. Used to always be the hot one (uh, perhaps "overheated" one is more accurate). Now, when I'm lounging at home, no matter what I have on, I'm also wearing a super thick bathrobe, and if I'm sitting I have a throw on my legs. I hate lounging in pants - same reason I hate sleeping in something with sleeves -- I feel like if I move, it binds me up. The one exception is knot gauchos. Those are great to lounge in because they feel like you're not wearing anything. But they definitely aren't warm. :cool:

I'm not sure what you're referring to when you say "X company" -- do you mean ANY loan company, or a specific loan company? If I take it to mean any loan company, then you don't know anyone who has had a loan with any company? Search for their names. I'm sure there's a ton of information on them. That's the best way to know about them.

The only place I have found the regular liquid Tylenol (Rapid Blast) is at Wal-Mart. It is kept in the same place as regular Tylenol. I have found the PM version at a local grocery store, but never at Wal-Mart. Tylenol also makes chewable tablets (Go Tabs). I've seen these many places. They work well, but taste awful. You don't need the liquid. If you have a headache, and want it gone, just crush regular Tylenol. It won't taste nice, but will beat the pants off having a headache.

Ayup, they are full of fat, and they too can fall victim to fat loss. I've gone up a cup size. My actual boob size hasn't changed, but there's a lot more of them visible now that my abdomen has reduced, enough so that I needed a larger cup. That DEFINITELY seems to be the exception rather than the rule. (This is the same phenomenon that makes men think their penii are getting larger because they lost weight... hah!)