Julia_N

Hi, Connie, welcome. I'm just over the hill from you, in Diamond Bar. I drove through Orange twice a day for 23 years when I worked in Santa Ana. Now I work in Redlands. It's twice as far but takes the same time because there's no traffic. Best of luck for getting a quick approval from your insurance company. I'm waiting for mine, too. :tt1:

That's a fun Web site. I used to get the newsletter when I was on Weight Watchers. Lots of good ideas.

I have mild asthma and cough a lot. Sometimes I start coughing and then :thumbdown: (graphic material ahead) start retching and cough up lots of clear fluid. Anyone else have this? I've had chest x-rays and it's not pneumonia. I'm hoping that maybe my fat is putting pressure on my lungs and that's what's causing it. Your thoughts? Thanks!

Thanks for your reply. :omg_smile: I don't know if I have a hiatal hernia. I guess the doctor will fine out when he opens me up. I haven't been diagnosed with sleep apnea, but my husband tells me my snoring can wake the dead. Sounds like it will go away when the weight goes down.

The Californian will defer to the Texan. I gotta stay out of those fancy fusion food joints! :thumbdown:

Usually they're made with pinto beans, or maybe black beans. I believe the refried refers to the process, not the type of bean. Some places add lard, others don't.

It's so cool to see all the incredible shrinking people on this forum.

Congrats to all you moms-to-be (or repeaters!). I was on Weight Watchers when I got pregnant 16 years ago. I had a high-risk pregnancy (37-year-old first-time mom) and gestational diabetes so I really had to watch what I ate and also had to take a couple of insulin shots a day. I quit WW and followed the diet the doctor gave me, which was similar to the WW plan but had a few more exchanges. It was tough, but when I left the hospital after giving birth, I was down 40 pounds! So it's possible to not gain a lot of weight when you're pregnant, if you're seeing your doctor regularly. May all of your babies be as sweet as mine!

A lot of people automatically dismiss having the band or other WLS as a "shortcut." Many times they really don't know anything about it but just oppose it because it's not natural. My doctor said he was opposed to any type of WLS, but shortly before I saw him to get referred for surgery he attended a seminar at Stanford University that presented lots of new research about the band and now he's all for it. Good luck to you on your surgery. I'm having my first consult with the surgeon on the same day, so who knows how long before I can have my band.

I thought it was pronounced Lawn Guyland. :thumbup:

Yup, sounds like normal menopause symptoms. I was having such bad hot flashes that I thought I'd have to go home ill. Hormone replacement therapy did the trick.

Start saving your money. The surgery is about the price of a new compact car. Maybe by the time you have some money saved up your credit will improve and you won't have to finance the whole thing. Improve your credit by making your payments on time. Even a little slip will put a mark on your credit report. Good luck! :thumbup:

I'm not an expert on this, and it depends on the insurance, but if you had coverage before and your new plan covers it, it's not consider a pre-exisiting condition that's not covered. I went from COBRA coverage to Aetna and Lap-Band is being covered, even though the HMO coverage I had before didn't cover weight loss surgery. Make sure your new insurance covers WLS because not every plan does. Sometimes employers specifically exclude it to save money on the policy. Good luck!

Meh! I'm ready for a woman VP. But not THIS woman VP. I disagree with so many of her beliefs I couldn't support her.

I've found I can't eat the sugar-free candy. Some of the sweetners they use can have a laxative effect. I have no problem with Sweet'n Low or Splenda. Sugar-free Lifesavers made me spend part of a movie in the bathroom.

Imagine how you'll light up the metal detector at the airport! :w00t:

I'm seeing Dr. Krahn at Western Bariatric in San Bernardino. His practice is at St. Bernardine. It's a Center of Excellence, which is what my insurance requires. I had the seminar 8/12 and will have my first consult 9/23. So far, his staff seems to know what it's doing.

When I was on a liquid diet years ago, before the sugar-free syrups were available, I used the flavorings you find in the baking aisle. chocolate, strawberry, cherry, coconut, rum -- lots of flavors available. They add flavor without bulk. Then you'd probably want to add Splenda or some other noncalorie sweetener. Cheers!

I saw my regular doctor last month about starting the lap-band process. He'd recently been to a seminar about it at Stanford U. He said he'd been against WLS before then, but he now realizes what a great tool it can be. He's particularly interested in how medical conditions become fixed by the surgery. Technology is changing and doctors need to keep up!

PS: You don't have to be named Julie or Julia to post in this threat.

Our electric bill has actually gone down. We replaced 12 light bulbs for CFL bulbs and we're using fewer megawatt hours this year than last. It's definitely not from cutting back power use.

My surgeon said he has lost only one patient within one day of surgery, and that was for a bypass. He's lost none getting the lap band. However, at least 7 have died waiting to get the surgery, proving to him that the risk of obesity of stronger than the risk of surgery. Some people just like to be Debbie Downer and always point out the bad side of an issue. I guess they're expecting you to say, "You know, you're right. I'm going to cancel this life-saving surgery and just wait to die from fat."

Thanks for the "walk-through." I'm just starting the process and it's good to hear what I might be in for.

Mallerygro: Whatever someone calls you has no bearing on what you really are. It's just that person's unimaginative description. Like others here have said, you have to get the surgery for yourself, not whether someone else does or doesn't want it. It's your health. Maybe you're not quite ready to make the decision yet. Do as much research as you can. Good luck to you! :tongue_smilie:

I chose the band over the bypass because the surgery is less invasive and recovery time is shorter. I've known a few people who got the bypass and had minor complications that put them in the hospital for several days. I don't have that much time off from work available in addition to the surgery. I've so far just had an initial seminar and have put the insurance wheels in motion. I also like that the procedure is reversible if need be.