Wheetsin

Hello all, My parents recently switched from their civilian policy to TriCare Standard, in hopes that LB would be covered... it abolsutely was not covered with their civvy policy. I gave them the codes to call with and they were told it's not covered due to "experimental" rating. They kind of don't know what they're doing, they're lost when it comes to the online world, so I read through every post I could find around Tricare, MTFs, etc. And then tried to summarize the information to them. I have a question though. What's "PCM"? I get that MTF = military treatment facility, but saw a lot of reference to a "PCM" as a key factor in getting approval, and I have no idea what that is. And when I relayed the info to them, they didn't have any idea either. My parents had been on a civvy policy for about 12 years, and only used their military hospital for prescriptions. Is PCM like a PCP? How would they "get" a PCM?

Jacqui, between our hair problems and food weaknesses, we're like really weird twins. I've never cared much for junk food. To date, if I "cheat" on something, it's chocolate chip cookies... which I didn't like before surgery. But I really don't consider it cheating. If I want something, I have it, no big deal, and trust my band to keep it in reason (except with cookies or cheesecake, I never feel any restriction with those). I never have liked chocoolate, but for some reason I usually crave & enjoy chocolate chip cookies... but hand me a bar of chocolate and - no thanks! If I've made a decision to go have something and really enjoy it, it is most likely to be a really good cookie (Mrs. Fields comes to mind), or a really good piece of real key lime pie, not the "green pudding flavored like gross limey plastic" pie. Bonefish Grill has my favorite to date.

Yowzer. Saying that "someone kept a country stable", and saying they're "fine human beings" and "I support them" are completely, completely different statements.

There's a LOT more to it than just being soft. Honestly, IMO how much you swallow at a time and chewing habits are most of it. It doesn't matter if something is a hard food, if you chew it right it doesn't stay hard for long. (Umm, that sounds weird!) Soft foods are what give me the most trouble. Bananas, applesauce, eggs - ouch. Chicken breast - no problem.

Eggs hurt me. The only way I can do them w/o pain is over hard. And they have to be "real" eggs. The processed eggs that you get in some restaurants or cafeterias -- uh uh, Sticksville!

Here is my (lack of) insight... http://www.lapbandtalk.com/pregnancy-and-weight-t32324.html?t=32324&highlight=pregnant

I'm not in your area, but have you tried asking your PCP or even local band surgeons for references to gynecologists? There's no such thing as too fat for an embolism. Unfortunately they can happen to any one at any time. I have a friend who is overweight and has fibroids and endometriosis. I know she is tking medication for it, but I don't know any other specifics. I'm going to guess she's on the heavier side of 300 lbs. Have you had a uterine ultrasound? If they've told you that you need a hysterectomy, but cannot have it, ask them about something called "hysteroscopic submucous resection" or "endometrial resection and ablation". I know this is an accepted treatment for fibroids, though not if they're in the uterine wall (which yours could be with the amount of bleeding you're having). Anyway, if it hasn't yet been discussed, do ask about it. They're both done... pretty much laparoscopically, and if you could survive laparoscopic surgery 100 lbs ago... maybe your chances of finding a willing practitioner will be better. Hysterectomies aren't laprascopic - so maybe that's the deciding factor... Best of luck!

It took me a few days to get into bed. I lived in a recliner that DH brought up from his home theater room for a few days. He put it in line with the TV, and a tv tray next to it with my laptop, phone, the remotes, etc. (I was home alone after surgery day - I wouldn't let DH stay home with me). My surgery was a Wednesday and it wasn't until Friday or Saturday that I got into a bed. It took a long time, trying to get situated without moving my abdomen. I seem to remember a lot of scooting with the arms and pushing with the feet. Plus I'm a side sleeper, so lots of waking up at night as I tried to roll over. A few things I found that helped - pillow overdose. So that I was never really laying, but always kind of propped up. And I found that wedging the corner of a pillow under my stomach made it possible to lay on my side. If you don't have one, pick up one of the body pillows. They made sleeping life so much easier. I also found that walking was much, MUCH easier if I supported my stomach. I had a hangy stomach, and my port incision (close to centered on my chest, an inch or two below my bra line) was KILLING me when I tried to walk. I literally staggered along hunched over like an old woman. Until I put my arm under my stomach, and held the weight from it. This took the pressure off the incision area and the difference was like night and day.

Lots of questions here. First - DH and I too are wanting to have a baby. That was one of my biggest motivators for finally getting the band (after "thinking about it" for 5 years). I can't say what's right for you, but the balance between wanting to have a baby, and wanting to lose more weight, is one I think about daily. As of right now we are not trying, nor are we trying not to. We're just doing our thing, and we're OK if it happens and OK if it doesn't. I had my annual physical in February and asked my PCP about pregnancy. Specifically I asked her if my weight in and of itself was a reaon to not get pregnant. So in other words, if I wanted to be healthy during pregnancy, and not have to worry about being in a category of greatly imcreased risk, did I need to lose more weight first. She told me no, not at all, and that if I wanted to get pregnant she felt my loss had been enough to negate most of the complications that can arise. The only thing she wanted me to do was get ona prenantal ASAP and bump up my Folic Acid, but she says that's for everyone who has advanced warning. I also have age factoring in. I was 31 in February. DH and I did not want kids in the beginning. Then about 3 years ago we changed our minds, but weren't in a hurry. We still aren't in a hurry, but we're aware of the fact that we're getting older, and that as age goes up so do risks. Before I got banded (at over 380 lbs) I told myself I would start trying at 250. I've been there for a while, and I'm still not trying because I do want to continue losing. But at some point enough has to be enough, if we don't (which we don't) want age to become a factor. As for having to be unfilled, this probably varies by surgeon. My surgeon indicates that if you're able to get in enough calories, there's no reason to be unfilled. I know other surgeons unfull preventatively against morning sickness (vomitting > slip >surgery while pregnant). What I personally would probably request would be a partial unfill -- enough that I could eat normal portions, but not so much that I could overeat. That's pretty much where I'm at now... I get full on normal portions, but I can eat more if I want to. I'm getting a fill Wed, but I'm going to have him check my fill level and record it, because I think this would be a good place to be. Hmm..sorry for the novel, I just have lots of thoughts and unknowns around this topic.

I haven't had children yet but I wasn't overweight until... right around the time I got married. If your insurance doesn't pay, you won't need approval from a primary care physician. Normally that's an insurance requirement (HMO). Even then it isn't always needed. I have a PPO and all I had to do was go to a surgeon and have them deem me qualified. I opted to go through my PCP so I could get a letter of support (also wan't needed), just to help strengthen my chances since I didn't have any comorbidities.

I can't vote because it isn't a yes or no situation for me. I have no problems eating the healthier foods, although some of them hurt me (eegs are one). At the same time, there are junk foods that hurt me also. So it isn't a "junk vs healthy" situation for me. Generally speaking I can eat a chicken breast more easily than a piece of pizza.

I don't know of any grant programs. There are many fniancing/loan/payment options around. Someone here was advertising something they used to get their band, where you solicit a loan from people versus a bank (so credit becomes not so much of an issue)... but I couldn't tell you anything about it. Search around and you might be able to find it. I remember it was a female user, and that the name of this company was everywhere. She maybe even changed her user name to it, come to think.

Not that I know of, but check with a medical prof to be sure. I've had bloodcots (superficial) and my mother has been hospitalized more than once with DVT. In both of our cases, we probably would have welcomed some numbness because blood clots *hurt*. Even my little superficial ones - the whole area was red, and an angry red over the area of the actual clot. Seriously, you could see exactly where the clot was, just by looking at the skin, and you could feel heat radiating like a sunburn. And I swear, a gently breeze blowing across my skin hurt, let alone anything touching it. My mother with her DVT - I can remember her literally crawling on her hands and knees from the car into the house because the pain was too great to stand or walk. So I personally wouldn't associate numbness with a clot, but I'm not a doctor so that means squat.

I think there's a big difference between supporting the war, and supporting the troops. I want to see our troops home, back with their families and friends. What's more supportive than that? Saying, "Let's make them stay over there and keep risking their lives!"? No - I support the troops. I don't have to be for the war to do that. *Edited - accidentally submitted too soon What do you see happening that indicates that we (the country, not LBT) don't support the troops?

I rarely go. When I do go, it's because there are a few girls there I enjoy hanging out with, and we're doing something either before or after the meeting. The support group meeting is just our excuse to go have margaritas and talk about life.

When it's an employer exclusion, it's because they don't want to pay the extra in premiums that WLS tacks on. When it's a provider exclusion, it's because insurance companies need to see a return on their investment, even if it's just breaking even. It takes a lot of time and saved prescriptions, etc. to see that. Now consider that they aren't just looking at it from the individual perspective, e.g. "we saw a return on John", they're looking at it from the group persective, and maybe even regional. The bottom line is that most insurance companies aren't seeing a return for their outlay. I second the submission. That way you can know for sure why it was exlcuded. If it's a provider exclusion you'll have more room to dance for an appeal. If it's an employer exclusion, there's virtually nothing you can do, short of begging your HR department to add it to the policy... which probably isn't going to happen. But don't give up. Is there any creative financing that would work for you? Can your mom or other family loan you the money? Can you afford an installment loan for it? It really is soo worth it... Hang in there. This too shall pass.

I always thought the 2nd amendment was formed to protect the right of states and the integrity of milita, not to give individuals weapon rights. Without ratification it reads, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

This is actually a "common" (using that term lightly to mean of all the people I know who have had surgeries, I've heard this more than a hanful of times) effect after abdominal surgeries: abdominoplasties, hysterectoies, gall bladder surgery, bypass, banding... In fact, plastic surgeons will often list thigh or buttock numbness as a "what to expect after surgery" indicator. It's usually attributed to either "bumped" nerves, new nerve pressure (e.g. black sleeping if you don't usually), stretched nerves (or cut, if they were near the incision site), etc. The guideline is that feeling shoud return any time from a few weeks post-op to 18 months, and that if feeling has not returned after the 18 months, then it probably isn't going to. I've never met a surgeon who actually *cared* about this, though. My mom went through this after her hysterectomy, and I was surprised but the overwhelming attitude was, "A little numbness is no big deal, we only worry if it's something bad".

I dated a guy from Croatia when I was a freshman in college, does that count? Welcome, and don't worry about your English, it's fine.

If you're trying to maintain a low carb diet, eat something good but not high in carbs. If you're craving ice cream, have some whipped cream instead. Blend whipped cream with cream cheese and freeze it in little patties - very good. You can add extracts (mint, lemon, etc) or cocoa powder + splenda for some additional flavor. Lowcarb diets for women are notoriuos for their long stalls/plateaus, especiall around weeks 3, and then around month 6.

I think it would help you to remind yourself that "weight" and "fat" aren't the same thing. Your weight is your hair, skin, and everything wrapped up inside of it. This includes fat, but is not an accurate representation of the amount of fat on your body. No joke - I can vary as much as 15 lbs in the same day. If you have sudden weight gain, large or small, 99.99999% of the time the answer is Water. People just don't gain fat pounds overnight, especially not banded people. But they freak out when they see the difference in the scale numbers, and assume they're now 4 pounds FATTER instead of jsut being 4 pounds HEAVIER. Big difference. So to answer your question about your weight gain - it's probably water. It's probably not fat. And your body can't sustain constant weightloss. It needs to readjust to what's going on (insert long explanation about glycogen stores and metabolism here). If you're setting yourself up to see or epxpecting a scale change every day, you're going to have lots of disappointment. You've alreaydy talked about the scale addiction. scales really are the WORST way of tracking fat loss. BTW, this is exactly what kills so many diets. People deprive themselves, and feel deprived, and then see no or negative changes on the scale and say, "Well F it, if I'm giving all this up and gaining weight anyway, then I'm just going to eat what I want!" -- and do just that, when a little more patience and persistence would have shown that the body was just adjusting and the loss was queued.

Holy cow guys, I had nothing like that. SItting still I felt nothing, standing/sitting/couching/etc. hurt but maybe like a 4. Let's put it this way - it didn't hurt enough to keep me from doing it. 2 days post-op I went to Target and walked around because I was tired of just sitting there, and 3 days post-op DH and I went out of town to visit family. I used Lortab for the first 2 or 3 days, then went to liuid Tylenol. I probably didn't need the pain relivers at all, but my motto was, "I'd rather not need it, but have it working then need it and have to wait for it to kick in." Don't tell me women really do have the better pain tolerance... :heh: :heh:

There's nothing wrong with mentioning other sites, AFAIK. I'm just not sure what the other site is, because there are many other sites. I just spent all of about 20 seconeds on Google and found over 30 other boards out there, all of which - I'm sure - have equal value to their members. I know that a lot of people here also use www.obesityhelp.com (I used to, but to me it's very hard to navigate so I rarely visit any longer).

If you don't like sticking the stickers, you can always apply them to magnet. Back in college we had to have university parking stickers, but they changed every semester. So you could either go with the "layered stair" look of sticker after sticker (I attended for 7 years and was NOT interested in doing that!), or spend lots of time peeling after finals. I started sticking mine onto pieces of acrylic that I could trim to the sticker size, and then just propping the acrlyic up against my back window, in the seam where the back dash meets the window. That worked like a CHARM!

I'm thinking this HAS to be something with computer settings. I say that because I can access LBT from my PC and from my laptop, which reside on the same network behind the same IP. On my computer, regardless of how many times I login, I get the screen for users who are not logged in. Until I click on a thread, and then all of a sudden I'm logged in. I have the "remember me" option selected, and I know I'm cookied on that computer. When I get on my laptop, my login sticks from the get-go. With the travel I do, I've probably hit LBT from 4 or 5 different computers and countless IPs/firewalls, etc. But my PC is the only one that does this.