Wheetsin

Wow, good to hear! I'm in Kansas City, and Dr. Hoehn is doing my surgery next Wednesday. I've never met anyone he has banded, but I know several he has RNYed and they all recommended him VERY highly. I agree that it is a comprehensive program, much more so than most I read about.

:wave: I'm significantly over 300 with a BMI over 50. Ok, so I'm an amazon too, but that's no excuse. I was told by my PCP that I was "the best candidate she had ever seen". My surgeon, who performs both procedures, never once brought up RNY during any of my meetings with him. I posted a smiliar question on another board after seeing a lot of people with "only" 80 or so lbs to lose. I got an overwhelming response of 50+ BMI'ers with lap. It really made me feel better about my decision. If RNY were my only option, I wouldn't be having WLS. Oh, edit to add - my surgery is WEDNESDAY of next week.

People throwing their cigarette butts out of their car window bends my nose a little out of shape. I think that anyone caught doing that should have to go find the butt and eat it off the ground, banded or not. And the root of that isn't emotional at all, it stems from getting a flaming orange cherry in my eye while going down the interstate. :mad:

I'm using Dr. Hoehn in KC, about 2.5 - 3 hours from St. Louis. No idea what he charges or if they finance. Their website is http://www.kcbariatric.com and Dr. Hoehn (1 of 2 lap surgeons there) came VERY highly recommended to me, and has excellent reviews on OH.

Quoting myself from another thread:

What point were you trying to prove?

I'm not a fan of people trying to "beat the system" - or "cheat" their way to band approval, and I really don't understand how people who make those suggestions can be in a position to later on tell someone they're immoral or ethically impaired - or to the gest, but it doesn't matter. It is what it is. I've seen people here criticized, more so recently than before, for voicing unpopular opinions, which, justly enough, is also the primary reason I've seen people here give for avoiding other boards. I just don't jive with intolerance or hypocrisy. I don't really buy into "your post count/banded status/whatever determines how much of an opinion you can voice." I don't agree that you have to personally experience something before you can give advice on it... nor would I say that "educated" information should be pulled from one's buttocks. I don't understand why there's such a proclaimed abadonment of the board, but it doesn't bother me that there is. People will do what they want, for their own reasons. If it works for someone to avoid 10% of something they dislike by abandoning 90% of what they do, or whatever percentage the breakdown may be, then so be it. If that's how they cope - let them cope. So really, I'm contributing nothing.

Hi, I am not banded yet, but will be next week - also in KS. Where and with whom were you banded?

I'm not sure what posts you're referring to - or what kind af advice you're referring to... I personally haven't read a lot of "super-guru" noob posts, but I'm not here that much either, so maybe I just miss it. I am not banded, and I give advice all the time, if it's something I know about. I never stopped to consider whether I'm qualified to give advice based on banded status, post count, or join date. *shrug* In my short time here I've seen a lot of "I'm leaving", that has yet to happen -- just as I've seen a lot of "I'm done with this thread", followed by continued posting. IMO and IME (DH and I own/admin 3 messageboards), when people really want to bow out, they will with minimal to-do... perhaps a quick good-bye to "friends", usually done privately. Rarely do people make big to-do posts about leaving if they truly plan to do it. (In a really really loose way, it's like suicide... the ones who stand on the roof tops or bidges waiting for someone to talk them out of it never planned to go through with it... it's the ones who slip out silently who mean it). I've seen and participated with a LOT of boards, and I can't think of any that have a Lounge, yet maintain - as their primary focus - whatever the topic of the board is. That is human nature, and you'll have a heck of a time beating it. I have my opinions on why people leave, at best educated guesses... I guess I'll have to hang out to see if I'm right.

Oh, I do have peppermint tea, for me it has always worked well for tummy issues. As for gas - I'm always pretty much on my own there. For entertainment - I'll have schoolwork, which equates to about 15 hours of reading each week. Ok, so it's not really entertainment, but it's a way to pass the time. I've already started Tivo'ing shows... and I did pick up a few leisure books, too. Plus I will have company. The squishy pillow is a good reminder. I have a few of those squishy ones that are full of tiny beads... I have some just for the head, and I have two that are body length... I also bought one of those ugly "sit up" pillows... I don't really know what you call them, but they prop you up in bed and have arms. Thanks for the tips & reminders.

I spent the last week in FL for work. My company has a twin operation in Tampa. Out of my week there came a possible (optional) promotion that would require relocation to FL. DH and I spent a lot of time talking with people there about what it's *really* like to live there, but would appreciate more input. We were introduced to the pros & cons, esp. the pests, but had limited time to find out what it's really like. I'm also curious what the IT job market is there, and what major companies with IT are present, as that's DH's area of profession. Also curious about neighborhoods. We picked up some real estate magazines and talked with some people at my work... so I know that some common areas for the commute are Valrico, Plant City, and Lakeland. We would prefer to be a litle inland from the coast, new construction, decent sized houses (3 pref 4 bed, 2.5+ bath, ~2000sqft). We've found lots of nice houses, but *no* information on the community names or specs. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! BTW - a potential move would likely be several months away, but I will be back for another work visit in May and we may try to talk with some realtors then, if DH can find the time to come along. Would welcome all opinions, advice, etc.

BOB doesn't have to be a secret. Have your husband control BOB.

Do be nice. One of the most valuable things any message board can offer to its community is a place of diverse opinions, beliefs and practices. It's ok to disagree, but I agree that it's absolutely not OK to flame. I've seen a lot more... what's the word -- insulting, perhaps... definitely passive agression, and a little "ganging up on" -- going on here when someone posts an unpopular opinion (though, no surprise, I won't say that about the band-related topics) than on most of the other boards I use. However, admittedly, this is the only WLS board I spend any time on, and there's bound to be something inherent to the population & its diversity (most other boards I use are local community boards, where most of us know eachother IRL). As for people insulting others in their siggy, I've missed that. As for on-topic conversations -- nice in theory, but unlikely to happen. Message boards generally hold true to IRL conversations, and if you follow and IRL conversation, what you start talking about is *rarely* what your conversation ends with. Ah wel, I'm not teaching anyone anything they don't already know.

My husband *insists* on having the toilet paper come off the roll from underneath instead of over the top. Like it matters. And half the time he leaves it the back of his toilet and doesn't even put it on the roll, but if I clean & refill his holder, I don't pay attention -- but he'll go changee it if it's wrong.

Ok, on the subject of music... I have to tell the story. DH and I were married in Vegas - Red Rock Canyon. It was a wedding we decided on quickly and didn't have a lot of time to prepare for, or give would-be attendees notice of. Since his parents are 6000 miles away, our wedding party consisted of me, him, my parents, our limo driver, our JOP, and the photographer. To try and make-up for this, we postponed our reception until we got back home. DH is a major audiophile, so I left music selection for the event to him. My only guideline was, "Nothing stupid." The music was actually ok, but timing being perfect as it tends to be, right as I was walking up in front of everyone to help my husband cut our cake, Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells," better known as the eerie theme from The Exorcist. My family is largely Catholic, believers in possession, and scared sh!tless by that movie. The looks on the crowd's faces were absolutely priceless. See, DH is from Europe, and much more deeply into synth music than cheesy American movies. As such, he had never seen the movie, but was a huge fan of the song... which he associated with warm weather, green hills, and fun times. He thought it would be the *perfect* song to Celebrate the start of our lives together. I guess in some ways, he was spot on.

My family is from Athens & Crete. We're probably cousins. Opa!

Hi Theodore. What part of Greece are you from?

Nykee - you can always find out where you are and navigate at the top. General terminology: "Board" = the entire site, lapbandtalk.com. "Forum" = a designated area or "room" on the board. When you first login, forums are what you see listed (e.g. General Lap-Band Discussion and Lap-Band Talk Lounge) are both forums on the lapbandtalk board. "Thread" = a specific conversation topic within a forum. Threads are also referred to as posts, but technically posts are the individual responses within the thread. I wrote a pretty thorough "how to use this place" guide for a friend who wanted to join here but was clueless as to what to do... screenshots telling her what's what and what it does. Would that be helpful?

I agree with Dawg. The 'net is as secure as you want to make it. Just assume you have an audience of millions when you do something, and all will be fine. You cannot do anything private. Be careful which message boards you use - and be selective about which you trust and what you do there. Most are fine. Several work under unknown premises. If someone who knows how really wants to find out more about you, there's not much you'll be able to do to stop it. Someone posting a pic for example - under the right circumstances, I could go down a trail that would tell me their home number, address, employer... Completely legal. BUT - don't be paranoid about it. In the big scheme of things, none of us are anything special. Like any other media, just be smart about what you share. OT - that's a bit of a complaint I tubled around with the OH staff. They ask you your first & last name, never indicating that will become your user name (or at least they didn't when I signed up). I kept waiting for the place to specify a username and it never came... then *poof* there I was.

Ok speaking of guys you walk by and their pants... There was a guy who worked with us once. He was OK looking, but thought he was pretty hot. If you went in his office to talk to him, he'd pull a chair around by you, spread his legs real wide, slouch, and put his hands behind his head and expect you to have a regular conversation like this. But here's the bad part. When guys do this, you can't help but look... down there. You don't want to, but you can't help it... it's like a car accident. You try not to look, and really don't want to, but you succumb to forces greater than yourself. And there you are. A meat gazer.

Ahha hahahahah *rofl* ahah ahahahhh hahha hahahhahhhh ahhhahaha *rofl* *rofl* ahahahh hahahahh hahhhha hahahahahhahhaha *rofl* ahahhha hahhh hahahahahahhahahahah *gasp for air* ahahahahahahahahah ahahah *ouch it hurts* ahahaha hahahahah *rofl* ahah ahahahhh hahha hahahhahhhh ahhhahaha *rofl* *rofl* ahahahh hahahahh hahhhha hahahahahhahhaha *rofl* ahahhha hahhh hahahahahahhahahahah I was ok with the swinging in circles, but the "helicopta" kills me! What is it with guys and their weenies? Do they think that whirling at us is going to have a hypnotic effect? Do they think we're mesmermized by their flapping phalus? Look into my eyes... I mean... 'eye'...

Aside from "general", you will need to ask your surgeon. I've talked with several others getting banded around the same time as me, and all our surgeons are using different medications, even different procedures. Again, probably depends on your surgeon. Mine does, but what they give will probably vary. Pick up your phone & give your surgeon a ring, they will have all these answers for you (and, more importantly, they'll be the right answers for your specific procedure/surgeon)!

As for your options - do you have coverage through a national provider, or the hospital locally? I know where my parents live, their hospital has its own coverage, and hospital employees do not have other choices provided. Local state employees have the same coverage... so if that hospital doesn't offer it (and they do not offer WLS), then employees can't have it. Would financing be an option? There are places that will finance procedures. Some hospitals will also let you make payment arrangements with them directly.

I have UHC Midwest EPO. Here's an extreme high-level of my coverage: Deductible Deductible Individual: None Family: None Out-of-pocket Maximum Individual: None Family: None Office visits Plan pays 100% for PCP or specialist after $20 copay Hospital stay Plan pays 100% for inpatient and outpatient stays. $250 copayment per inpatient admission Surgery in a hospital Plan pays 100% Prescription drugs You must use a pharmacy in the Medco network. Generic: Plan pays 100% after the $10 copay Brand-name: Plan pays 100% after the $20 preferred, $40 non-preferred copay. Your copay is for a 31 day supply at a local drugstore. Two copayments per 90-day supply through mail-order for maintenance medications Lifetime maximum None

What UHC plan do you have? Mine is covered at 100%, but if I have to stay overnight there's a $250 inpatient deductible (who cares?!)