kaybee

Hallo........I am from Maine and Portsmouth NH Regional Hospital was my choice ! Fantastic program, wonderful surgeons and super follow-up care and fills. I was "fixed" 4/18 by Dr. Gens . Super surgeon, nice and understanding person !

Has anybody found a great Omega 3 that we can actually swallow ? THANKS ....I have been looking for a while and would appreciate any input ! I also take the Bariatric advantage vitamin pill, sublingual b-12, a Biotin tab plus 2 viactive chews for extra calcium, but I need some more Omega 3 in my diet !

I have been commenting to my friends and family how my sweet tooth has all but disappeared and I was a hardcore chocoholic, ice cream monger and any pastries or anything sweet would drive me over the edge if I coudn't eat it ! I had my band placed on 4/18 and honestly, for sweets. have had 1 bite of a cream cheese frosted carrot cake and 1 small soft serve cone ! I do not crave them or really even think about them. I do have 2 Viactive chocolate mint calcium squares each day and that is a great "treat" ! I hopethis non-craving will continue and I feel bad for anybody who continues to crave sweets. I was told that the band was not for sweet-eaters as well, but I took a chance and man, I am GLAD I did !

I just say that I am working very hard with the hospital's weight loss program and I am eating healthier foods and exercising much more.

What is your hubby saying ? Is he scared of you dying from the operation or from not having it done and then you would risk dying from complications from obesity ? I wasn't really understanding the comment he made....... I feel the same as you about having tried all the "diets and tricks" that I could think of and yes, I took off hundreds of pounds over the last 20 years and then put them back on as I could not seem to control the amount of actual HUNGER I felt almost all of the time. I knew I could never lose the weight and KEEP IT OFF at this point, so I opted for the band and had it done 4/18/2006. My life has changed as I am almost 40 lbs. lighter already ( including the pre-surgery loss) and I am not real hungry as I had a fill last week. This is worth much more than a GARAGE, in my opinion, because if you have the procedure done and lose weight you will look and feel better and will most likely extend your lifespan/quality of life. Woudn't he agree that is more important ? I am no expert, but from what I have read, having the surgery closer to home may be best because of the frequency of weigh-ins , fills, etc. I have been back to the surgeon 3 times and going again next week for check-ups and to be sure my fill is ok. How would you do that as often if your surgery is in another country ? Travelling back and forth would be costly and time-consuming.I feel it is important to be fairly close to your surgeon in the event of any complication that may occur too. The hassle with insurance companies can really be a big PAIN IN THE arse, but don't let it discourage you ! Play the game exactly as they ask you too and hopefully, before you know it, you are approved. I had 6 mos. of a dr. supervised "diet" and waited 7 mos. total until I was approved. It was, in the end, worth it. I understand your "honey" being upset with the idea of maybe not having a chance at the garage just yet; especially because he could not possibly understand what it is like to be obese and all that goes with it. He cannot fathom being so out of breath, or not being able to cross his legs, or not being able to say NO to food, or having to watch others engage in activites since he cannot possibly run or play, how it feels to climb just 1 flight of stairs, how it feels to choke and not be able to breath at night, the wheezing, the bad lower back, the aching joints and the damn embarrassment of all who stare, make fun of and are disgusted by the FAT !! Maybe he needs to take a long hard think of how the quality of your entire family's relationship will change for the better with this life-changing surgery. "If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy " !!!!!!!! I wish you the best and tell your honey to read up on this procedure, read up on testimonials and let you live your life to the fullest ! GOOD LUCK !!

Hello and I am so glad somebody else is wondering the smae thing as me ! I just had my first fill 8 days ago, but mine "kicked in" 6 days afterwards. I have lost 5 pounds in this time ! Just after the fill, I knew I was not as hungry, but as the days progressed after, it got better and better. I have 1cc and I am in heaven right now. I have never PB'd and I can eat everything, even steak and bread and corn; albeit a very small amount of the carbs. I do not get raging hunger pains and I do not obsess about food all the time now. So, I don't know why it takes a while to kick in, but my goodness it is soooooooooo worth the wait ! GOOD LUCK to all of you and remember to really kick up the exercise ! That, I believe, is helping me the most !

Thaks so much for making my day ! I was laughing so hard, I had to run to the bathroom.:biggrin1: By the way, I had been drinking a most delicious "frozen vanilla latte" that is sugar free made by BIG TRAIN. I used fat free cream, milk, water, ice and the mix. 120 cal's for a HUGE frosted dreamy beverage. Try it !

CARLACOLLINS, May I ask what you might eat in a day ? Thanks C_O_N_G_R_A_T_U_L_A_T_I_O_N_S on an ENORMOUS weight loss ! I am soooooooooooooo happy for you !!!!!!

Oh, I remember that BLAST FROM THE PAST stage ! I am almost 1 month out and I had the same issue. It only lasted about 3 days for me then cleared up because my nutritionist suggested I may have become lactose intolerant . I switched from 1% milk to the lactose free milk for my shakes and the next day, I began to feel less bloated and took fewer trips to the powder room ! I am back on reg. milk now; it was just temporary . Keep up with the immodium , drink lots of water and maybe try eliminating lactose for a bit. Just a thought. Good luck !

Well, I am 3 weeks banded, I have followed all the rules and have been eating up to 800-900 calories a day. I lost 9 pounds the 1st week after surgery and have not BUDGED in the past 2 weeks. I am eating mushies at this point and have been eating mostly proteins and a few veges. Any ideas if this is normal , or why I can't make the scales move ? I have been walking on the treadmill 5 days 30 mins. at a time too. I want to see some RESULTS ! IMPATIENT !

Oh, I eat most veges. but haven't eaten corn except in soups. I noticed tomato skins are hard for me to chew as much as needed and celery sometimes has those pesky strings that I cannot swallow, but other stuff is fine. I am working on getting enough water, but since I cannot GULP it down now, it is hard to get in @ least 8 glasses a day. Going for 1st fill in 3 days and only 1 cc, so maybe my hunger will dissipate a little. Back to liquids for a day or so probably.

Hi. I was banded 4/18 and Cigna did cover it. (They will end up paying 80 %). Yes, I did have to go the NEW 6 monts of a doctor supervised diet/weigh -in program even though I had been "dieting" off and on for the past 24 years ! It actually had to be 6 mos. consecutive weigh-ins, progress notes, etc. and then I was OK'd within a day after all was submitted. I understand your frustration as I thought that my 24 years of obesity would have counted , but they want to make sure you can really try your best, can prove you can stick to a program for 6 months and whatever you do , play by all their rules. I had to keep reminding myself that the 6 months would be well worth the rest of my life never weighing this amount again. It was difficult, but the time goes by pretty fast and you will have plenty of time to lose the weight the surgeons may require you to drop. I was banded less than a month ago and have dropped 31.5 pounds since February.......so worth the 6 months ? You bet !!!!!

Hi, here I am again ! I went to my nutritionist and she said EAT ! I couldn't believe my ears ......Know what I mean ? I NEVER thought I would EVER hear a doctor or nutritionist tell me to eat MORE..........She said I was below the caloric threshold my body needed and said for me to eat between 1100 and 1200 calories a day. I am now down another 1.5 pounds, my tummy is happier and I admit I feel better with the extra calorie consumption. Guess I have to get out of my mindset that I have to STARVE to lose the pounds. Thanks to all of you for your support and to all of you who have had the surgery in the last few weeks, PATIENCE is the key and don't drive yourself NUTS like I did !!!

HOLY SMOKES, SHACKDOG ! Congratulations on your total weight loss and losing 12 lbs. in the last 5 days ? Remarkable !

Oh, thank you Jachnut and Amourette. Yup, the scales are evil and I should know better than to weigh in each day. Makes sense that I lost water the 1st week since I couldn't care less about eating or drinking that week ! I do feel 100% better than 2 weeks ago and am drinking more normal amounts. Found out some folks actually gain during this time, so I now realize I should't be so RUSHED to lose the pounds.

Hi, I actually live in ME. Can your hubby continue with his old insurance (and pay for it) for any amount of time after he leaves his first job?HMM.Well, hope it all works out for you; HAVE FAITH !

Hi there ! My husband's place of employment offers Cigna insurance so I got out my employee insurance policy to see if this surgery was covered. I was disappointed because at my 1st informational seminar on the lapband, it was mentioned that Cigna doesn't cover this procedure. Well, I read through the entire policy and found absolutely no information as to whether or not bariatric surgery was covered ! As a matter of fact, there was no information regarding obesity and any treatments, but there was a host of coverage for smoking cessation, mental illness and many other afflictions that folks need help with. Well, I then called the company my hubby works for and the human resources dept. knew nothing about this surgery and informed me there would be no coverage. I demanded to see, in person, where it is written that this is not covered. She called back a couple of LONG days later and said that after many phone calls, it MAY be covered. She did send the information home with my hubby so I called Cigna and found out that my husband's place of employment/ company actually did have a "rider policy", (there own written agreement between the company and Cigna) so if I followed everything according to Cigna's standards, I COULD be covered. Do your homework and read carefully through your insurance policy to see if it absolutely will not cover obesity related charges.

Hello, I just got banded 4/18 and yes, my Cigna insurance did pay 1/2 up front and then will pay another 30 % after 2 years if I lose weight ! It was a long 6 months worth of a doctor supervised diet plus many other things I had to do, but worth the wait. Follow exactly what they say to do and be certain to get a copy of any insurance "rider" your husband's company policy holds. I was told, at first, there was NO COVERAGE and I did my homework ! Best wishes !

Hi, my insurance was a real pain in my butt as I had to go through 6 months of Dr. supervised dieting along with the usual stuff the surgeons make you do. I was busy doing the evals., classes and Dr. appointments, but I went through it all to get banded, and that is what I did ! I wrote a letter to stick in with my other paperwork for my insurance Co.to read as I wanted them to know my perspective on the whole issue. I don't know if it helped, but it is worth a shot. Also, I had to make sure I did everythng exactly to their specifications. I have Cigna and normally they do not cover this surgery, but as I dug deeper into our paperwork and called the Human Services Dept. at the company my hubby works at, there was a slight but very important "rider policy" on treatment for obesity ! YEAY ! Whatever it takes, do your homework and hopefully your insurance will cover at least some of the surgery. GOOD LUCK !!!!

Hello ! I live in southern Maine and was banded 2 weeks ago in Portsmouth, NH (Portsmouth Regional Hospital). The staff is wonderful and the program, in my opinion, has been outstanding so far. 2 weeks and 10 pounds down ! I have Dr. Gens form Atlantic Surgical Assoc. also located in Portsmouth, NH. Good luck with your fills and I look forward to my first fill as I AM HUNGRY !!!!