Wheetsin

Oooh, Jack, like a shock band instead of a shock collar...

To often. I'm a bad girl. :guess But I'm SO close to hitting a number that is such a tremedous personal goal for me, I kind of can't help it. The last two weeks have transormed me into a scale addict. :paranoid

And sometimes anything that suggests a breath of fresh air can look like a savior, regardless of whether or not that's the case or intention. Have a really crabby professor for a semester, then have a level-headed one come in. Students will look upon the new professor like a savior. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the professor, because the students react the way they do.

I have UHC and they covered me no questions asked. And that's with no comorbidities. And I know it's something the generally cover, so I'm assuming the exclusion is on behalf of your employer? If you don't already have it, ask your plan administrator to send you a copy of your "SPD" (summary plan description). This will detail your benefits and rights under your plan. If you have it, share with us what it says related to "surgical treatment for morbid obesity", or whatever verbiage it includes to cover "gastric banding" (don't try to find "lap-band", just look for "gastric banding" or "adjustable gastric banding"). The good news is that if your plan covers it, and your employer does not exclude it, you should be able to get coverage provided you meet whatever the criteria are. Bad news is that if it's an employer exclusion, there's not a whole lot to be done, generally.

We're all hovering over this thread waiting for pictures, much like seagulls hover for a scrap of that bread they've been coveting. Can you tell we're jealous? :heh: :heh: I have a wish list for you. if you're honoring requests. I want you to pay attention to how it feels when they remove your drains. I know beyond any sliver of hope that unless I want to live my days out as a clone for the saggy baggy elephant, I'm going to need work. Major work. I'm way too far from goal to give it any serious thought, and not even considering it (except for maybe my arms...hmmm...) until after I have my 1.3 children, but drain removal is something I'm already apprehensive about. Heck, it's just about the only thing I'm apprehensive about. And much like the prospect of an IV & PBs kept me from the band for 5 years, I could see the prospect of drain removal keeping me from my "don't look all melty anymore" body.

None of us are really qualified to answer that. It's really a uqestion to pose to your surgeon. I know that according to information my surgeon gave me, and what was told to me in my education session, a single aspirin can cause noteworthy damage. So the best I can say is that according to the information my surgeon provided, and what the coordinator told me, yes - taking aspirin even just once can cause problems. * edited to remove "serious" because that's really neither here nor there, and I'm certainly not qualified to say "this is a serious problem, but that is not". It varies way too much.

No, I did not already know that. Or I wouldn't have questioned your use of it. To me, "somehow" is what you use when you don't know how something happened. Hostility was certainly not my intention, and in review, I don't identify that anything that, to me, would give this impression. But to each their own. Since you're new it would not make sense to assume you're familiar with the personalities of those who post to RnR, but I'm sure most here, even those who most fervently disagree with me, would not use "hostile" to describe me or my interactions. And as for being threatened/offended by you discussing your faith - nope. Many have discussed their faith before you, and many will after. They come, they go. Not everyone shares their opinion in as condescending of a manner as you, but hey - there have certainly been worse. And not everyone shares their story in response to an alleged question that, in reality, was never asked. So it's perhaps a little confusing at most. I've never been offended by confusion. Best of luck to you on your band journey.

Good catch, gonnabethin. I missed the "Tylenol" in the first line, in lieu of "Help, I took asprin!" in the title. Devana, which did you take?

Because whereas dieters may count calories of fat grams, many of us have to count our Protein grams. If we don't, and don't get sufficient intake, our bodies will begin to metabolize our muscle. So the bandster rule is that protein comes first. And that's pretty much the same motto as Atkins, SB, or any other carb restrictive diet. In addition, most of the foods that are avoided or very limited with low carb diets (processed flour products) are hit or miss with the band, and generally considered to be problem foods, in terms of their ability to clear the stoma. And as for refined sugars, in moderation, always. Atkins allows some. SB allows some. For bansters, some. I always figure - if I'm only going to eat a cup or two of food today, how much of that do I want to be junk, and how much do I want to be nutritious? I eat carbs, but I try to make them healthy carbs. E.g. Beans and grains (love Wasa with some hummus spread on) versus candy and fillers. IMO it's not the carbs, it's the type of carbs that get you.

I keep a list at my desk. I have to, because there are some things that contain "no-nos" that I would never think of. You're most welcome, glad it could help.

had surgery on a Wednesday. After 20ish minutes in recovery I was asking to go home. Was released a little over 3 hours after my surgery began. Got home, sore - but only when getting up, sitting down, coughing, sneezing -- anything that pulled on my port incision. When rested I felt no pain at all, but took my pain meds anyway... figured it's better to have them and not need them, than need them and have to wait for them to kick in. Slept in a recliner that night and the next, and made it slowly into my own bed Friday morning. Felt restless and "cooped up" so I went to the store and walked around Friday. Was a passenger on a road trip to visit my parents Saturday, rsted Sunday, back to work (worked from home) Monday. All very easy. I had no gas pains at all, no complications... basically, none of what I expected to go through. For me, life with the band ids kind of like, "So when does this get hard?" And yeah, it gets hard when I plateau, and when something gets stuck, but it's nothing like what I thought it would be like. I love my band, and even when I'm at my worst, I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's hard to know what to share on a general basis, but please feel free to ask specifics arouns anything.

Just found this on a surgeon's post-op care site. Thought I'd share because it mentions some things that I don't think a lot of people (not exclusing myelf from that!0 would even think about:

It's all so weird. I've never had a soft stop. BUT, if I'm stuck, and I hiccup followed closely by a burp, it means ALL CLEAR.

Aspirin are one of the medications on most no-no lists. Some medications, including aspirin, can cause ulcerations in the pouch. The restriction causes the medication to "sit there" and - well - long story short, it's erosive to the skin. Now - I'm not saying that's what happened, not at all. But I would definitely suggest you call your surgeon. While you have him on the phone, suggest that he create a list of medications that should be avoided due to their erosive abilities. They should have given you that information before your surgery. :cry

I haven't slipped, but here's what has been described to me: Sudden loss of restriction Sudden, overwhelming restriction Onset of heartburn Onset of acid reflux "Odd" sensation when eating Pain when eating, other than "normal" band pain Excessive gurgling

I've had my band going on 11 months and honestly, except for when I was too tight, have never felt that the band was controlling my portion sizes. It helps me feel full fast, but if I wanted to eat beyond that point of fullness, I could. I attribute this to my "moderate" restriction, and believe that when I get "good" restriction, this will not be the case. I went from "moderate" to "too much" restriction in one fill, and now need to go back for the fine tuning that will get me to my sweet spot. I would suspect the same could be true for you, and that you're not adequately filled. WHen properly restricted, based on my experiences so far, I'd expect that it's as painful to eat too much as it is to get something stuck. And I know from observing banded friends that too much down means something has to come up.

Definitely sounds like you're too tight. I know the idea of an unfill isn't the most appealing, but trust me - it's better than losing your band. I had to get an unfill last week. Long story short I closed up to the point htat my saliva couldn't pass, and about every 4 - 6 minutes had to go PB ropey saliva or "foam" (think thick shampoo lather). They told me that most people won't go in for the unfill, and some people endure what I was going through for months. They actually praised me for coming in. Point being - don't risk it. Being too tight is one of the biggest suspects in slips. We got our bands because they're adjustable, so take advantage of that. Get the unfill. When you're ready, just get some put back in. So so much better than the alternative.

Mine was a joint meeting with prospective RNY patients. Most of the people there were looking into RNY. It started with the staff introducing themselves - surgeon, nurses, coordinators, psycholgoist, dietician, etc. Most of it was a presentation by the surgeon about the procedure, exactly what's done, statistics, etc. Then Q&A. Then he brought in former partients (owith both procedures) to talk about what it's like. Then more Q&A. Just an information dump, really, but good chance to get a feel for your surgeon.

I *think* it's seven years before any credit marks are removed from your records, regardless of how you've paid since the mark was made. Hmm... was it a medical loan? Or was it a general loan?

"Somehow" = you questioned, rather condescendingly, whether or not I "really meant" that I was an atheist. Why act like you have no idea how it happened?

I think the avg wait between surgery & fill is 7 weeks. I did the math once, but I don't remember exactly what it was. This is pure luck, but I lost my appetite the day before surgery and it has yet to come back. Some people aren't so lucky and really struggle to control their eating between surgery and restriction, not just surgery and first fill. Chances are not great that you will achieve restriction after your first fill... unless you have an aggressive surgeon.

Well, since this is a lap-band board, it's pretty safe to assume that most of the opinions will be for the lap-band.

I didn't ask, nor did I indicate interest in knowing. Yet you told me. And I'm a total stranger. My father is a wise man, and he frequently told me "It's not what you say, it's how you say it." I believe that applies here. Comments like "Have you?? [done your homework]" are not exactly what I'd call "accepting". After you mentioned being in a ministry, I didn't ask - You're a christian - really? Have you done your homework?? Yet when you see my title, you ask if I "really mean that". I never questioned your faith nor the intelligence behind your faith. You did mine. Yet you're the one here who's accepting?

TOM, I have not read that book but I have heard and read about it (afterall, I live in the NE buckle of the bible belt), and I have read about him. I've tried but there are some books I just can't even force myself through, like Left Behind and Lord of the Rings. Following Warren's rationale - correct me if I'm wrong - god created atheists to be atheists. They must serve some purpose in present state. Maybe just practice fodder for all the determined converters out there, who knows. We were pre-determined to be this way, and it has been our fate since before Pangea broke apart. Am I accurate? By Warren's rationale, one thing god did to alleviate his boredom was create millions upon millions of pre-arranged marriages. Even though he doesn't (I don't believe) state it that way. And therefore "love" is nothing other than a planted signal that this is the person we are supposed to be with. Like a homing beacon. Kind of takes the romance out of it, eh? Lots of people like to think of "love" as a magical event, and not the radar beeping that you've found your target. Love and attraction as we think of it ceases, and necessarily have to be a product of god's determination, because if your DNA chain was determined LONG ago, then so were your parents -- and even the exact moment of your conception. So perhaps ED is a way of saying "you're done", in which case Viagra will really piss it off. :heh:

Sugar alcohols can also give some people really bad stomach pains, and funky poo.