*susan*

You know, I just don't understand that either. I was self-pay because BC BS of Florida would not cover mine. It seems to me, it will cost them a lot more money in having to cover all the related illnesses/problems that obesity causes than to just cover the surgery itself so we will be healthier and not have all those associated problems. Am I missing something here?

First off, let me say congratulations on your awesome weight loss. Next, what type of boob job are you having? Are you getting a reduction, enlargement, or just having the girls lifted? I think that makes a big difference in the recovery time. About 20 years ago, I had a reduction, and to me that was more painful than my lapband surgery. But, then again that was 20 years ago and I am sure they have come a long way since then. I definitely plan on having the girls perked up once I reach my goal. Good luck!

Betty, Thank you for removing the post as soon as you learned of it. I am not in any way indicating that moderators should spend all of their time on this board and not have an outside life. I apologize if it came off sounding that way. I have major PMS, my PCOS is giving me fits right now and I have a large cyst on my ovary that is hurting me. So, I guess I am a bit crabby today and not coming off very well. I apologize for that. I am just concerned about this board. It has done a great deal for me and I want to continue to see it thrive. I had just finished reading another post in which a moderator from another board commented that she hoped we didn't mind that she posted the same thread on another board, and then included the link to that board. However, when, out of curiosity, I went to that board, she did post the same thread, but did not ask if anyone minded that she had posted it here as well. Basically, I was a bit annoyed because I felt like her posting the link to the board which she is a moderator on was listed purely as an effort to draw more people to their board and away from ours. So, I guess that set me off. I just feel this is a large board with a great deal of activity and we currently only have 3 moderators who take an active interest in the board. I worry about LBT, because, as I have said, I would never have gotten my band if it weren't for all the support I got here while investigating my options. And, everyone here has helped me through every step of my band journey and I love and appreciate everyone for that. Therefore, I want to see this board continue to thrive and grow. Again, I do apologize if I offended you or anyone else. That certainly was not my intention.

Actually, my sole reason for opening the thread was not out of curiosity, it was obvious what would be in it. I opened it for the purpose of reporting it to the moderators. I have to open a thread in order to do that. You need not apologize to me if I were offended. My concern is that we do have several minors that do post on this board. This is not the place for threads such as that. Additionally, I have been a member of LBT for quite a while now. I have observed less presence by moderators in the last month or so now, not just on beautiful, autumn Sundays. I love this board. It has had problems recently and has another board competing with it. I want to see LBT survive, as it is helping me to survive the game of life! Stepping off my soapbox now.

Diana, I think you will be very pleased with the band. I think all of us understand where you are coming from. People seem to be much more sympathetic to those who are trying to quit smoking or drinking. They seem to think that losing weight is just a matter of willpower and don't understand that for us, it is an addiction just like cigarettes are to smokers. It is not easy for us to just stop, especially when just about everyplace you go, every event, etc. has food involved with it. My pcp does not believe in WLS. She flat out told me it was the easy way out and she would not recommend or support it in any way. Of course, she weights about 105 soaking wet and has no idea what it means or how it feels to be obese. She thought the answer to all my problems was Meridia. All it did was make me dizzy, nauseous, lightheaded and incoherent. I finally stopped taking them, and dropped her as my PCP. The lapband is a wonderful tool and it has done wonderful things for me. I am not losing as fast as many people, but since getting my first fill in June, I am losing the recommended 1-2 pounds per week and am thrilled with it. I am sure you will love having the band. Best of luck to you and please keep us posted on your progress.

Hi and welcome to LBT! The other posters have already given you some great advice. Have you checked out the food forum at http://www.lapbandtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9 ? It has great suggestions for each stage of the band.

Hi Angela, I am already banded, but just wanted to welcome you to LBT. Keep an eye out for other November bandsters, I am sure they are out there.

Hi Tanya and welcome to LBT. I hope you post here often with us so we can get to know you. I have to say, it must be a wonderul job that you have. I can't imagine anything more wonderful than helping to deliver a new life into the world. It is great that your trousers are already getting looser. Just remember, right now is a time for healing, not weight loss. Once November gets here and you have that first fill and start feeling restriction, then things will really start happening. I know you will love your band, I love mine and would do it all over again in a heartbeat if I had to.

Hi there and welcome! I am so glad you decided to start posting with us. :biggrin1: Oh my, I so remember the liquid shakes. But, the important thing to remember is the reward, which will be your band. I usually do not promote getting on the scale daily, but during the pre-op stage, I found it was a huge motivator for sticking to the shakes by getting on the scale every two days and seeing the weight literally drop off. It is great that you will have the support of your hubby. Encourage him to check out the board too. There is a wealth of information here that may be helpful to him, especially immediately post-op.

Hi and welcome to LBT! As already mentioned, you will probably be able to find answers to most of your questions here at our wonderful board. When you have a moment, read the stickies at the top of each forum. They are loaded with valuable information that I am sure you will find helpful. There is also a forum specifically related to insurance that I am sure you will also find helpful.

Robin, it is so hard to give up our old habits. I mean, I am fat because I love chips and dip. I love them all day long, every day of the week. Getting the band did not change my love of them. But, it has limited how much I can eat of them in one sitting. First off, you have lost an amazing amout of weight so far. Congratulations for that. I am so glad you found us here. I have found that belonging to and being active with two local support groups and this board makes a world of difference to me. When I miss those meetings, or become a little lax on the board, I seem to lose my motivation. It is amazing what a good support network can do for you. Do you belong to any local support groups? If not, I would suggest that. And, of course, spend lots of time with us here at LBT. We are all here to support one another. I would also suggest looking through the board for various challenges and joining one. I recently joined an exercise challenge and find it very motivating. Good luck to you, I know you can do this. We all can with each others support.

I actually do much better with beef than I do chicken. But, with beef I have the choice of choosing the better cut, which I prefer the filet mignon. It is so tender it practically melts in my mouth and goes down without any problems at all.

Hi Dy, welcome to LBT! I am glad you found us. I personally find the support I gain from this site to be very motivating and it really does help keep me on track. Wow, I think you are doing great to be at 75 pounds down. You must be feeling so much better. It sounds like the weightloss has had a signifcantly positive effect on your health issues, which is wonderful. And, I applaud you for continuing and doing what you have to do to get yourself back on track.

4-3: JenRN - 263/257/238/150 - 25 total 4-3: jenn28 - 282/265/229/165 - 53 total 4-3: Picardy3 - 298/300/257.5/150 - 42.5 total 4-3: tipper - 300/290/259/165 - 41 total 4-4: Sugar1 - 311/289/231/150 - 80 total 4-4: Dak – 255/251/205/150 – 50 total 4-4: Angels - 264/255/235/? - 29 total 4-4: Harpseal Al - 327/295/220 - 34 total 4-5: Boo - 208/203/173/132 - 35 total 4-5: siestaqh - 180+/177/136/110 - 44 total 4-6: Disneynut - 290/287/260/125 - 27 total 4-7: Guysis - 234/185/134 - 49 total 4-10: JulieNYC - 358/267/150 - 91 total 4-11: Vickie1177 - 320/297/267/137 - 53 total 4-11: tellymelly - 240/235/184/135 - 55 total 4-11: Fel0816 - 307/284/265/to get under 200 - 42 total 4-11: dsrjrr - 231/230/210/130 - 21 total 4:11: truckinmama - 262/234/160 - 28 total 4-13: Nursekathy2u - 358/356/335/175 - 23 total 4-13: NJgirl - 248/230/206/140 - 42 total 4-13: Miper70 - 217.5/196/145 - 21.5 total 4-17: Amourette - 22.5 total 4-17: Jeepergurrl - 242/207/140 - 35 total 4-17: MelAnne - 245/207/150 - 38 total 4-18: Danaclark2 - 270/260.5/245/150 - 25 total 4-18: LapBandit - 392/369/347/336/324/308/298/278 - 114 total 4-20: Omamoon - 220/211.5/188/130 - 32 total 4-20: KimInMD - 288/288/236/156 - 52 total 4-21: Yoda - 273/257/222/150 - 51 total 4-21: kristielynn - 310/302/248/150 - 62 total 4-22: alisonb - 286/270/176 - 16 total 4-24: Eficka - 125/117/104/69 - 21 kgs/46.2 lbs. total 4-24: Ceparano - 255/270.5/225/170 - 45 total 4-24: Kat - 289/281/227/165 - 62 total 4-24: hlj25950 - 262/257/225/160 - 37 total 4-25: momof2boys - 270/266/237/145 - 33 total 4-26: Bostongurl - 264/244/200/145 - 64 total 4-27: tinaj - 226/221/210/150 - 15 total 4-27: lookingout - 185/178/165/101 - 20 total 4-27: flowergoddesstn - 214/204/190/130 - 24 total 4-27: Dimples0323 - 284/284/241/145 - 43 total 4-28: Susan4794 - 283/267/245.4/140 - 37.6 total 4-28: bluehill - 333/258/140 - 75 total 4-28: Irish Girl - 225/214/170/135 - 55 total 4-28: MomofSixKids - 240/238/205/150 - 35 total

Goodness, Kat, you are lucky you didn't get hurt in the storm, hail is brutal. Was there no warning the storm was coming, those poor kids. What a way to ruin their parade. You know, I love bowling and haven't done it in years. Now you got me thinking about it. That sounds like a great night out of fun for the family. Our local alley is always advertising a midnight bowling thing with all kinds of special events that occur during it, maybe we will have to take the kids and do that next weekend, thanks for the idea! Julie, I like your NSV, that is cool. I so admire you girl. I have been totally lacking in motivation to exercise this month and your working out with a personal trainer! I need to get off my lazy butt before it starts growing again instead of shrinking. On a good note, I thought I had ate a lot this week and actually lost 2 pounds. I have noticed on the weeks I think I ate too much, I seem to lose more. I guess maybe I am going to have to break down and keep track of my calories on fitday to see exactly how much I should be eating to insure good weight loss. Apparently, there is truth to the idea that if you don't eat enough, it can hinder your weight loss instead of help it. 10/4: 35 minutes on the treadmill 10/6: 35 minutes on the treadmill 10/7: 50 minute walk around the neighborhood<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

Hi Surby, don't get discouraged! Some people take as many as 2-4 fills before they reach optimal restriction, or even feel it at all. Another thing is, which I truly have no understanding of why, but sometimes people get a fill and think it didn't work, but it actually just takes a couple of weeks to kick in. That happened with my first fill. So, I would give it at least two weeks if I were you. Then, if you are still feeling nothing, call your doctor and see how long before he will let you have another one.

Another suggestion is to go to Inameds website at http://www.lapband.com/lapband/portal.do You can find a list of doctors in your area there that do the band. I find it ridiculous that a physician's office would refuse to file insurance, isn't that their job? If you have already checked and your insurance company has said they do cover the procedure, then I would find a physician whose staff does what they are supposed to do and file for you.

Pinky, you are doing great and being well rewarded for it by feeling so much better. Congratulations!

When I pb, afterwards I think about it and realize it is almost always my fault. Most of the time it is a result of my not having followed the bandsters rules, chewing to mush, taking tiny bites and waiting in between bites. As long as I remember to follow those rules I don't have a problem. Most of the time now, when I have a pb it is because I have tried something new and learned the hard way that it does not agree with my band.

That is a wonderful NSV. I love "going shopping" in my own closet, lol. Congratulations.

The hard thing for me was exercising. I just could not motivate myself to do it. Then, one of the other April bandsters started an exercise challenge for the month of September. Our goal was to exercise 15 times during the month for 30 minutes. That was just what I needed. I joined and met the challenge. After doing it for a month, I found I actually now have less energy and feel worse when I don't exercise, so that challenge worked wonderful for me and we are doing it again in October.

I have never had this problem. However, I would suggest that you contact your doctor immediately and tell him/her the symptoms you are experiencing. There is medication available to help with vomiting. It is expensive, but worth it when you realize that vomiting can cause your band to slip.

Hi boomba! Yes, the time between having your surgery and reaching proper restriction can be very frustrating. I know I gained until I reached a proper level. Once you do have restriction, you will love the results. I know my doctor makes us wait at least 4 weeks between fills. Have you tried fitday.com? It is a great free online program that might be useful to you while you are waiting for proper restriction. You can monitor your caloric intake, weight loss, etc. there.

Hi and welcome! Actually, I believe, as you read through posts, you will find that everyone experiences what you are experiencing. The band is not meant to work without a fill. The restriction you felt right after surgery was probably due to swelling. Once the swelling went down, you probably found that you were able to eat pretty much anything again and in larger quantities. Many people do not lose anything, or even gain a bit between the time of the surgery and their first fill. Another thing to remember is that you may or may not reach proper restriction on your first fill. Many require 2-3 to get there. The fill itself is nothing to be nervous about. Most doctors give you a small shot to numb the area and from there on out, you don't feel a thing. Just a suggestion, once you have that first fill and you are released back to regular foods again, be very, very careful. Things you were able to eat prior to that may not work well for you anymore. Remember to take baby size bites (yes, I used baby utensils to get used to doing this), chew your food to mush before swallowing and wait a minute before taking your next bite. You don't want to eat too fast and too much only to discover it is not a food that is compatible with your band and end up having an unpleasant experience as a result. Best of luck to you.

Hi and congratulations on your lapband! Remember, right now is a time for healing. Like swanny said, from here on until you are filled, you may find that you do not lose much. The band is not meant to work without a fill, and very few people are able to obtain good restriction until they have had at least one or two fills. And, many people (myself included ) experience a gain between getting their band and their first fill. But, don't be discouraged. I promise that once you get those fills and reach proper restriction, the weight will start coming off and you will love your band.