coltonwade

A few suggestions, what kind of protein shakes are you drinking. Sometimes the shakes have too many calaories in them . Also my doc suggests you eat your protein not drink it . Are you exercising ? Also have you tracked what your eating on something like fitday.com ? Perhaps your not getting in ENOUGH calories ? I had that problem at first I was only getting in about 700 calories a day and that can hurt you just as much as eating too much . Like like Diana said it would be helpful to know what your eating. HTH Mindy

Welcome to to Banster Hell ! LOL it will pass soon ! Mindy

Im not trying to be rude but what is the point in getting the band if your going to will power it the whole time ? yes it takes exercise but the band is there to work for you . And if you follow the rules there is a good chance you will not get stuck . I agree with you about not wanting to be agressive with the fills ! I have had to have 2 unfills . So i totally understand that. But getting stuck is not the end of the world, its not a horrible horrible experience in my opinion . But with out fills you are kidding yourself. you said you want, " your band , exersise and will power " to work for you , with out the fills the band wont work for you . WITH Fills will power is not needed as MUCH , yes you do still need some but you do not have to rely on it as much . Also a fill is no big deal , its a small needle prick , its over in less than 2 minutes ! I dont even have numbing meds before hand its not needed. That is just my opinion . Get a fill when its needed , otherwise the band wont work ! . HTH Mindy

Yes they are getting big and new ones open up all the time so keep checking back ! I LOVE THEM. Best money i ever spent LOL Mindy

That is a good point , There are some people who were at the level of restriction I was at last fill who coudl tolerate it . Or can stick to a softer diet, however it was not comfortable for me so i chose to have a slight unfill. NOW if your PBing liquids, or mushies I personally think an unfill is needed. Mindy

My insurance agent who has access to HUNDREDS of insurance companies is looking and as of 5 pm today nothing , no one will do it. Its not as simple as it sounds ! He's still looking though . Mindy

BCBS said no , so did Aetna. Private policies are totally different than group plans, they can deny you for what ever they want to .Group plans except everyone regardless . The private pay companies will not even put a writer in for having the band as an exclusion . TRUST ME I TRIED ! Logic does not come into play for them . I knew this could be an issue , i have heard from others that they found a difficult time getting insured post op . If i have to stay on the risk pool I Do . If it comes to the point where i really cant afford it anymore, i'll have to go get a job JUST for insurance. WE make decent money owning our own company but like i said $1000 a month is a lot for just my insurance and meds. Thanks Mindy

I got life insurance before i got the band thank goodness ! And with that actually it will go DOWN because my weight has gone down and once my sleep apnea is gone it will go down again . Im sorry if it seems like im bitching but $309 is A LOT of money to me when you take into consideration i pay over $500 a month for ONE medication I am one for my migraines to prevent them . Add on the additional $50 for the other migraine med, I cant even get the abortive meds I take for my migraines because they are too expensive . So im paying nearly $1000 a month for just MYSELF for meds/insurance. Im sure some people have it bad but this is something i Cant really afford to do but I do it because i have to . I was shopping around to see if I can find it cheaper. I COULD get insurance now cheaper if i didnt have the band. Which i think is Ridiculous! Mindy

This is the people we use for our commerical stuff but they do everything. They are awesome. They shop around all the companies for us.

A better place for a massage if you have them around you is called Massage Envy . go to Massage Therapy - Deep Tissue Massage - Swedish Massage . You can get a one hour massage for $39 ! there is a membership you can join ( no contracts) its $49 a month for a one hour masssage and every massage after that is $39 . 2 hour massages run around $60 ! They are awesome too . The first massage is $39 Give it a try . I go about twice a month Mindy

I just heard back from one of the insurance companies my agent spoke to , as long as i have the band its a PERMANENT DECLINE ! They will never cover me . They said they will not cover anyone who has had any gastric surgery ! due to "Complications" that may come up . What a CROCK ! Right now i have what is called the Texas High Risk Health Pool Insurance its for people who are " un insurable " I pay $250 a month for just ME , they just sent me a letter stating my rates are going up to $309 a month !! I have heard of others who have had problems with getting it. Im self employed and unless i go back to work i think im doomed to pay an arm and a leg for this insurance. I dont get it . Mindy

My second fill i had was too tight, as was my third. My first will it took me almost a month to go ahead and go in and get the unfill. At first i was not sure if i was too tight, then i realized i was , my doc me go back on liquids to let my stomach heal and try it again . I knew after that i was too tight. I had to go in for an unfill. I was worried i would not be tight enough . He took out half a cc and WOW what a difference it makes! i still had restriction and was eating small portions , I still lost weight. It is scarey but what is more scary is the thought of loosing the band from PBing all the time. The third fill was too tight, (I normally do not know im too tight until about the 3rd day after my fill ) i went in after a week and got half a cc taken out again . This time my doc told me i am sensitive to fills and we are going ot have to go smaller fills from now on . which if fine for me. it sounds like you know your too tight. Throwing up all the time jeopardizes your band , its not healthy . You will feel much better once you get an unfill MIndy

This is such a great idea. I can not wait to see them . This would be a great present for my hubby once im at goal ! and for my self. Cant wait for your pics Mindy

I sent you a PM about another forum that might be able to give you some help on the bill side of this . I am sure there is something you can do , some kind of letter to send along with a copy of the court orders ect i am just not sure what it is . The bill collectors have to follow a court order , if it says you are not responsible, just as they do with divorces. Granted it is not easy to do , and it will probably take some work. Like i said I just do not know the exact way to go about it . But the Forum link i PMed you someone on there WILL be able to tell you exactly how to go about it. Good luck and I Hope your daughter gets better soon . Love MIndy

I do not think its bad to not want a fill. The only thing i would suggest is to try not to drink 2 meals a day . At least my doc suggests not supplementing more than 1 meal a day . He does not want us drinking our Protein . You will get more fullness from eating your protein. But i say if its working for now your fine. You might find more satisfaction though if you eat more protein rather than drinking it . Also I know several people who have had the band for over a yr and have never been stuck and never PB'd . So a fill does not mean complications or issues. HTH Mindy

did you ever figure out what this was ?? Mindy

She said " My lips are swollen and red also inside my mouth are a few small blisters" Also "rarely " does not mean it wont. My son had it so badly he was hospitalized for 4 days , he was so combatant no one bothered to look into his mouth , he had sores all the way down his esophagus. by the time they released him we ALL had it . My best friends family , her DD got it just a few blisters on her lips , her husband got it much worse, lips , mouth , down his throat, Her older daughter just on her lips. Margie , have you gotten it checked out yet ? Mindy

Ghost, This really does seem like one of those situations that more effort either needs to be made during the yr for more interaction or less effort during the holidays. I personally do not see the point in having your holidays so stressful for someone ( although your dad) who a relationship has to be so forced. Also for your husband , I use to try to force a relationship on my husband with his father. I "thought" they needed to be closer. I would call his dad and put him on the phone . Finally i told hubby you need to be closer to your dad , he told me " NO I dont YOU do NOT know what he put us through as kids, ( it was a VERY bad child hood, his father was an alcoholic and drug addict , my husband ended up living on his own at 14) I have no desire to be around him unless ihave to " And when I stopped calling , the calls stopped. He doesn't call now . He doesnt send pics, he has no desire to even be in contact. Sometimes just because we are family does not mean we get along and can be around each other. GOod luck i hope ya'll have a good holiday . Try not to stress so much. Love Mindy

Gas X your shoulder hurts from the Gas pains Mindy

Might be thrush or Hand foot and mouth disease (Not really a disease just a virus ) . But it sounds like you need to be seen . It really sounds more like Hand Foot and mouth . Its VERY contagious so be very careful around others. You need to go in and be seen if that is what it is to verify . Check your hands and feet to see if you have any little blisters on them Sometimes they show up there sometimes they do not . I would get to the doc ! Mindy

If im out and i feel like getting a dessert , normally one of my kids will get one and I will take a bite or 2 off it and thats it. That's IF I have room left after dinner. Typically though dessert has to be "Planned" for , so i save room LOL but If i want something I will just take bites off of some one elses now Mindy

I agree with you 1000% ! I do not get going on a diet after having surgery , for me perosnally , diets do not work because of the restrictions they put on you , lets face its as minimial as they are I have enough restriction placed on me now with the band. I tracked calories right after surgery just to make sure I was eating ENOUGH. I do not count calories, protien , ect. IF I want a piece of cake at a party , christmas, ect I eat it . I do NOT limit myself . I eat what i want . As you can tell from my signature it works for me, Im down almost 60 pds ! I have adjusted my eating habits since surgery , i eat better, eat healthier! HTH Mindy

What is your relationship like with your mom and dad when the holidays are not here ? Do you see them ? do you spend time with them ? Mindy

I have not read all the replies so sorry if something i saw is a repeat. I recently saw a Dr Phill about this and I had to agree with him on this . If attempts with family are not made outside holidays to be cordial with family members why do people constantly try to force that on themselves during the holidays ? His reasoning was if its not important enough to work on all yr long then it does not need to try to be fixed during a few days during the holidays. And I tend to agree. Families are like anyone else, I had to do the same thing with my MIL and my husband . I did not get along with her. So why force the issue ? If she were NOT my MIL would I be around her ? NO she was toxic . FINALLY after 5 yrs my husband got that. Does that make sense ? Mindy