ParrotheadCathy

Yes. That situation is co-insurance. Your coverage through BCBS is your primary coverage. Assuming both policies cover banding, it would work this way: First, BCBS would pay whatever amounts they cover. Then United would cover some amount of the portion not covered by BCBS,

Take a deep breath...it will be okay! I'll do the best I can to help out. 1. Juicy juice is just juice, no sugar added. 2. Post-op liquids. You will need a Protein shake probably three times a day to get your protein in. EAS or Atkins make good ready-to-drink shakes but there are literally hundreds of shake powders on the market and it will make you crazy trying to pick one. Other post-op liquids willl include sugar free popsicles, sugar free Jello, crystal light (get a couple of flavors) and Water generally. Dehydration is sneaky and you can feel bad and not realize you're dehydrated. 3. Broths. Yes, you can buy beef, chicken and vegetable broth in cans but don't. Buy a whole chicken. Put it in a pot big enough that you can cover it with water. Add some carrots, an onion quartered (don't even bother peeling), and come celery, a bay leaf, a little salt and pepper. Simmer until the chicken is fall off the bone done. Strain off all the solids and you will have some wonderful tasty chicken stock. Do the same thing with the cheapest cut beef you can find. 4. French onion Soup out of the can (and don't add any melted cheese or croutons) is good too. Did your doc have a nutritionist in his office that you met with at all? Don't be afraid to call and ask for further suggestions, etc. from the nutritionist. AND, I'm sure other people here will have some suggestions to add to mine.

Hey, Minime! It is pretty easy to get flamed on here...just for stating an opinion. But you were spot on this time...and with not just an opinion. I think most of us were told by our docs that actually vomiting was really, really bad. And whenever I see the words vomit and PB in the same sentence I fear that it is one more person who wasn't told what you and I were told. SO, I got flamed. Par for the course. You just have to shake your head and say to yourself "no offense taken".

Well, I think I would schedule an appointment for about a month from now because at the rate you say you're losing, you should be "there" then (CONGRATULATIONS!!!) and ask them what to do next....a slight unfill? different eating, such as a snack every day? They are the experts.

I've had no xrays, fluroscope, barium swallow or anything else since my surgery.

I had read a couple of reviews that included comments from fitness experts that said that Wii Fit is for the most part a light workout while EAS Sports Active is a moderate workout. I'm thinking I may treat myself to a Wii and the EAS package when I get my tax refund so I'll be looking for you to comment again on how this is going for you!!!

Some of that could be water retention, especially if you've eaten a lot of meals that you didn't prepare. Even if the calories were pretty much in line, other people (like restaurants) use more salt than you would at home. It happened to me...when I gained 6 pounds but lost it in three days after going back to strictly home prepared meals, it reminded me that I often add no salt when I cook but that's not true of others.

Sorry if you felt I was not helpful. It's just that a large percentage of the people on here to not realize that PBing is not vomiting. And, yeah, I did answer your question: "Vomiting is bad. Period." The spasms that force the contents out of your stomach are pretty intense and can cause band slippage. Even if, like my doc, your doc is one of those who stitches some of the stomach around the band to anchor it, it is possible to pull all that loose. So, I'll say it again "Vomiting is bad. Period." "The problem with the internet is that the eyebrows are missing." -- Frank Zappa

Btreeger, you can eat around ANY weight loss surgery. With the band, you can only eat a certain amount of food at one time, BUT you can certainly eat way too much of "slider" foods -- ice cream, candy and stuff like that. You can eat as much as a full meal in between meals. Oh, yeah, you can sooooo slip. You can revert to higher fat meals, more carbs. And that addes up very quickly. Willowcat, I'm down 78 pounds with 56 to go, so about in the same place as you and I've been feeling the same thing lately. I've done so well, yada yada yada. I think the holidays have contributed to it. I've been to parties where people who haven't seen me in ages went on and on about how good I look, etc. and it's easy to fall victim to the praise. But the holidays are OVER now. I'm not going to be tempted to eat bad stuff that seemed to be everywhere for the last 6 weeks and I'm going back to what I was eating when I first went back to real food. I have old food journals and I'm just going to repeat. I haven't walked much lately either .... Here in Atlanta, we are within about 2" of the wettest year we've ever had and are likely to surpass that record with rain predicted for Wednesday and Thursday. I read that Wii Fit is actually considered a mild workout by fitness experts and that EAS Sports Active is much more of a workout so I think I may invest in a Wii and the EAS Sports Active when I get my tax refund and in the meantime, will push to get out and put in my miles. Maybe we can support each other on this? Feel free to email me at parr0thd51@aol.com

First let me clear up a misconception: PBing is not the same thing as vomiting. Vomiting empties the entire contents of your stomach/pouch and can lead to slippage if your doc didn't stitch the band down to anchor it. Vomiting brings up stomach acid/bile. Vomiting is bad. Period. PBing is gagging up a stuck bite of food that is actually sitting in your esophagus and not able to pass into your pouch. This is usually the result of eating too fast/not chewing well enough.taking bites that are too big. Getting stuck is the same thing but it just doesn't gag back up. PBing isn't fun but the times I've done it, I was actually relieved to get the stuck bite up and out because it was causing me physical pain. It's still not the best thing because the fact that it's happening is a clear sign you aren't eating properly and need to focus on improving that.

I had an unfill back in September .... just .2cc .... and I went from getting stuck/PBing at least once every meal to being able to eat comfortably. So be specific with the doc. Ask for a very small unfill of say .2cc or so and take something with you to EAT rather than just swallow some water. Waterl first; if it goes down pretty well, then try something like a little cheese. Then, and only, then would I consider either more of an unfill or leaving happy.

I'm with Bea! You're not too tight. You just need to address the mucous. Read my post a couple of posts before yours. Some things that increase mucous production (besides being sick) include orange juice and dairy products -- my father was an opera singer (and the choir director at church) and he refused both of those things for several days before he had to sing for that reason. I thought he was a little nutsy, ya know? But I tried it and realized that it did make a difference. The mucous I had was thinner in consistency. Mucinex is good if it's a temporary thing. If you have regular mucous problems, ask your primary care physician for a prescription.

I had FOUR parties in EIGHT days. I was good, don't get me wrong. I didn't eat plates full of food. But I got on the scale on Sunday, after the last party, and I was up 9 pounds. Now, I KNOW I didn't eat 32,000 extra calories in 8 days so the culprit had to be sodium for the most part. I didn't prepare all that food, and I'm sure that others (including restaurants) use more sodium than I do. So for me, I've lost 7.5 of the 9 as of this morning just from eating at home, controlling the sodium and drinking extra Water. Getting the temptations out of the way is crucial. I made some Cookies two nights ago and they didn't all fit in the cookie jars so there was a tupperware container with the remainder sitting on the kitchen counter. Last night, I was busy and without thinking, opened that container and had a cookie in my hand and a bite in my mouth before I really was 100% aware of what I was doing. Mindless eating. So, tell them thank you but no thank you, or toss them when nobody is looking.

Your body has made the adjustment to your new eating habits. And, unfortunately, I've discovered that over time even though you THINK you're doing pretty good, a few extra calories start creeping in and you don't realize it. For me it was stuff like I was eating a can of Soup for lunch every day....calories controlled by the fact it was pre-packaged. Then I started making my own Soups, which meant I was sort of eyeballing my servings......you get the picture. Happens with all sorts of things you eat every day. So try these things: 1. Add another day of exercise 2. Don't do the same exercise every time. 3. JOURNAL every bite you put in your mouth. And remember, nobody's going to see that but you so be brutally honest. If you ate 3 M&Ms, write them down. 4. When you are looking for a snack, analyze how you are feeling (bored, angry, whatever) and see if you can adjust your attitude/mental position to help avoid snacking. 5. As a side effect of journaling, you will be measuring your foods. Get back to the EXACT eating plant that was working for you in the very beginning.

I have never smoked so I can't commiserate BUT I have plenty of friends who have quit. Several of them were like you...the over the counter aids weren't helping. Please consider talking to your primary care physician because there are some prescriptions out that that do help.

You've got to fuel the furnace. Change your eating plan a bit. Plan your meal so that first and foremost, you get at least 20 grams of Protein in each meal. After you eat your protein, have a serving of vegetable and a serving of a whole gram carb. If you get hungry in less than 4 hours (and you likely will), eat a snack of PROTEIN....a boiled egg, an ounce of low fat cheese, a little deli sliced turkey. And EAT your protein, rather than drink Protein shakes. The chewing part of "real" food is part of the satiety thing. Make sure you drink your 64 oz. of Water every day, too....getting dehydrated will make you feel draggy too. Once you can go 4 hours without feeling starved, you're "THERE".

A couple of pieces of advice. I live in Atlanta, GA LOTS of traffic and I have a 84 mile round trip commute each day. 1. Always have your cellphone with you and charged. 2. If your cellphone doesn't have a camera in it get a new phone. 3. If you're in an accident ALWAYS call 911 before you even get out of your car. 4. When you get out of your car, go to the back of the other car (if he's at fault or not) and take a picture of his license tag. 5. If any other drivers stopped, ask if they actually saw the accident and if so, would they stay to talk to the police with you. 6. If the other driver is belligerant, do not engage in an argument with him because it will only escalate. 7. Compose yourself and think through exactly what happened so that you can tell the police when they arrive. If you do all this, you've done everything you can do to have the facts for the police. I was in an accident where the other driver didn't realize I took a couple of pictures of the accident and one that had his license tag in it. He moved his car and then told the officer a pack of lies about the accident which made me the at-fault party. When the officer talked to me, I whipped out my cellphone, brought up the pictures and the jerk got the ticket, not me. I was in another accident with a 19 year old girl who drove away from the scene of the accident, finally stopped, told me the accident was my fault, hopped in her car and drove away. I managed a picture of her tag when I was following her. The police found her from the tag, found out she'd never had any sort of a learner's permit or drivers license in her life, and that her mother had given her the car keys so she could go shopping. Here in Georgia, driving without being licensed is an arrestable offense and that girl went to jail -- and she is prevented from getting a license for several years. After traffic court, the mother was very angry at me! Her daughter wasn't going to be able to go to University of Georgia because she can't have a drivers license. I just shook my head and said "not my fault, m'aam" and walked away.

And, Tex, I totally ignored your last comment. Sorry. You only had surgery 2 weeks ago. You are not completely healed. Post-op swelling contributes to a premature feeling of fullness that will cease to happen soon enough. Then Bandster Hell will set in and you will be wishing it was like this again.

Actually, you AREN'T surviving on 500 calories a day. You have a lovely fat reserve and hopefully some of that is being called into play and being burned to help support you.

I feel your pain on this!! I had FOUR parties in 8 days. Got on the scale reluctantly come Monday morning...only to find I was up 9 pounds. Now I know I didn't eat more than 31,500 extra calories in 8 days so it had to be at least partly related to the contents of the food. You know what I mean...more salt, etc. So I've been really strict eating, and drinking extra Water this week, and as of this morning (I couldn't stand not to weigh and just check), I am down 5 pounds. 5 pounds in 2 days? Yeah there was a lot of water, LOL. For me the worst of the holidays are over. No more parties. Family dinner on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day but my daughter doesn't put on a crazy huge dinner on Christmas Eve and I'm cooking Christmas Day so there are some limits in place on things like salt. I know the rest of that 9 pounds will go away as quickly as they came but once the whole holiday thing is over, I know things will return to normal and I will be back to losing actual fat. Good Luck to you!!

Well, you don't even have to mix with Water. Try Silk Soy Milk (the vanilla flavor is quite good and I imagine that it would add a nice flavor mix to a chocolate shake. Another option is Lactaid brand milk. It has been treated to break down the lactose. I thought the soy milk would be gross -- you know how you get something in your head, right? Well, I was in the grocery store and they were giving free samples all over the store that day. Most of that stuff doesn't appeal to me but when I saw the lady handing out little cups of Silk I thought "what the heck" and I tried it. I was surprised at how good it was. Soy milk has a lot of Protein, just like cow's milk, so it would be a good substitute.

Gas-x? Beano? Let me pose a question. Are your shakes based on milk -- do you mix a powder with milk or as an RTD is there milk as an ingredient? If so, were you a milk drinker BEFORE now? The answer may be lactose intolerance. If you are using a powder, try mixing with Lactaid milk, soy milk such as Silk or take Lactaid tablets and see if that makes a difference. Gas is a common sign of lactose intolerance. And, the older we get the less tolerant of lactose we become.

My doc offers it, but the way I figure it one way or the other I feel one needle stick, so I just get the fill.

More than one person here has posted that they have encountered difficulties in getting a doctor to accept a patient from another surgeon's care. Not sure why.