OnTheWay to Thin

Claritin is a small pill, and should not give you any problems. Not much bigger than a sweetner tablet.

Wow that is awesome, I hope I do as well as you have done. You should go celebrate!

Yikes, I have had their lettuce wraps and they are kind of spicy... I would probably stick with one of the soups... you are still healing and you dont want to push your luck.

Also remember it is common for our bodies to hit weight loss plateaus regardless of the weight loss method. Keep working the program then suddenly one day your weight will start moving again.

do not crush this kind of medication without first checking with a doctor, they are extended release and crushing will make you get too big of a dose all at once. I take Diclofenac and have checked this out.

Very much like cream of wheat or malt o meal.

Wow you are amazing almost 150lbs, I hope to be like you some day soon. I am your age (48) and hope to have my band by June.

Normally muscle cramps and spasms are related to potassium deficiency, try eating bananas and other foods high in potassium to see if this helps.

You need to get all the information you can, what BMI does your insurance require, what BMI are you at now? Do you have any other comorbities, diabetis, other problems from your weight? it is always worth a try, but you should be able to get the medical policy from your insurance and be able to tell from that if you have a shot at coverage. Good luck.

When you finally get under 200 lbs, i.e. in the 100's again, so it is officially celebrated when you hit 199...

Call your doctor, this is nothing to fool around with.

I have not gotten my band yet I am mid process. But should by June, but I agree with the above, you cant never have a treat, no one can do that. This reaction by your sister is the main reason I am not broadcasting that I am getting the band, I dont want the diet police watching my every move. That does not mean I am not 100% dedicated to the weight loss, but unless you go through this I dont think you can fully understand what works and what does not and therefore well meaning outsiders can often hurt more than help. Dont feel guilty and try and let her comments roll off.

Depending on your surgeon you could have a few stitches in the stomach that they actually pull a bit of stomach over the band to help not have slips... so you may have stitches there, I would call the dr that did the sg and ask if there were any used, if so, then go in and get checked, better safe than sorry,

Hey - ask your payroll/benefits office for the group number and phone number of your specific blue shield plan. It varies by state, and the employer benefits vary based on the plan your employer purchased. Even though you are not currently on the blue shield plan, call them, give them the group number and tell them you are considering changing at open enrollment. Then ask them the benefits for WLS and what the coverages are. I have BCBS of Mass and they do cover, but it is different by state. The gastric shield is specificaly excluded on my plan as not being proven yet or somewhat experimental. Hope this helps.

Lapand surgery is not EASY and it is not the easy way out, you will be working at this, just as hard as your sister, you will just be using a different tool. We all have to use what works for us, so dont feel guilty that you need help and tell those you want to tell, but by no means feel obligated to tell other who are coworkers or aquaintances. If you choose not to tell others, if they ask how you are doing it, tell them the truth, hard work, counting calories and not eating much cause that will be the honest truth. People do not have the RIGHT to know your personal information, you have the RIGHT to decide who you wish to trust with your personal information. I have not had my surgery yet, I am in the process... but I have told my husband, brother and 1 friend who is actually going to be doing it about the same time as I am. As time goes on I may feel better about sharing with others but I don't feel obligated to tell anyone about my decision, just as I would not feel I had to tell them if I was having a female procedure that was too personal to share.

Wow, you have had a really hard time. You are naturally off kilter right now, you had a pregnancy which leaves your hormones all out of whack, lost a child and now need surgery. Dont be so hard on yourself, allow yourself the time you need to heal, but turn your weight loss desire into part of the healing process. The gallbladder surgery is not difficult, so dont worry too much about that, but start slow, each day tell yourself you are starting over and going to make good choices. Dont worry about yesterday, it is gone and all it does is tell you where you may have made a bad choice. You had amazing success with your band so tell yourself you just took a small break and now you are back on the success wagon. If you find yourself sad, and tempted, do take a walk, call a friend, do some exercise, or another favorite activity to divert your attention. My thoughts are with you in this difficult time. Hang in there, it will get better each day.

Good Lord, I had to comment. After reading the other womans comments, I DID go back and read all of your posts and she is a bit whacked. You dont deserve to be stuck with a guy who is not faitful, who you cant trust, and who lied to you over and over, no one deserves that. I agree that it is sad that he put you and your family in this situation, but it was 100% his doing and your weight or lack of it (LOL) has absolutely nothing to do with it. He is just a jerk who can't keep his pants zipped.You look fantastic, so enjoy your new found freedom and dont saddle yourself with another jerk. The next guy that gains your trust needs to earn it and be worthy of it. All the best.

A friend and I are both considering Lap Band Surgery. I have a very supportive family and they have all been behind me as I try to make this difficult choice, which I believe is a life saver for me. I have arthritis of the knees and dont want to be crippled so I feel it is vital to my continued happiness. My BMI is about 49 and I want to lose between 120-150 lbs. However, my friend, has a different story and really would like the support of her sister. However her sister has actually been pretty cruel, told her basically that she was too fat to have the lap band, that it would not work for someone of her Size, told her it was a cop out, the easy way out and is just generally very hurtful. Her BMI is around 50 and she would be very very happy with even 100lbs of weight loss. I try to be reassuring, but there is no substitute for the love, support and compassion of your sister, and I cant believe how awful she is being. Any words of wisdom out there to help her deal with her less than supportive sister. Her mother and husband are supportive, but she still needs her sister during this time.

I dont have a date yet, I see the surgeon next week. On the synvisc shots they really do help, once you get past the trauma of the shots that is. I have been having them for 3 years and only twice have they flared up after the shots. A flare up is when there is so much swelling that the nerves get compressed that is what caused me all the issue this time. But as time goes on the knee continues to deteriorate, I will need a full knee replacement eventually but they cannot do that if you weigh over 200lbs, so I am stuck between a rock and hard spot as I am definately over that. So I dont want to be cripple some day so here I am, pretty strong motivation to find a way to lose weight, let me tell you. If you decide to go with the shots I do have some words of advice, have them late in the day when you can go home and put your leg up. If you can have the day after off so that you can ice them and take it easy if you do have swelling. I have had this done 6 times or so and 2 times had issues, the other 4 were pretty ok. However, it relieves the pain and makes walking much easier for several months. You still have to watch what you do and not over do but it is a big help. Let me know how you do and hopefully I will be having sg soon too.

Dont get discouraged, I am 48 and my knees are the reason why I have looked into and will do the lap band. I have arthritis in both, but my right one is especially bad, I now have to have 3 synvisc shots in my knee every 6 mos (1 week apart) or so and the last ones were terrible, could not walk for a couple of days after each one. I am in the process of this too and you actually did remarkably well for time frame, many people have to go through a 6-9 mos process. I would love to know how you do so keep me posted.

Hi I am looking to go with Dr C too, did you have surgery and if so what was your experience with him like?

How funny, I am sure there was a time when you never wanted to see a scale again (at least that is how I have felt). Try to relax and dont worry about weighing all the time. You can get too focused on the scale, so this is a chance for you to just make good choices and see what happens.

Yikes, I think I am glad I dont work in the OR, I would also find that a bit intimidating! Good luck and let us know how you do.

I am happy for you, let us know how you do.