cunner

I have done a 1/2 marathon, several sprint triathlons and just last month did my 1st half ironman 70.3 I also have lots of trouble eating in the morning. I tend to stick with coffee (ice or hot dependiong upon weather). I will also "try" a banana eaten slowly or a couple of spoonfuls of Peanut Butter also slowly. On your training runs I would highly suggest experimenting with energy gels and chews. HammerGel, GU, shot blocks, gatorade chews etc.. Any real running store or bike shop will have a big nutrition section. It is very important to experiment before race day as each person is differnet in how they react with them digestion wise. Flavor is important as well. Some are good and some are gross! On race day dont worry about low calories. You need calories for a 1/2 marathon. I personally never found the carbo loading thing to benefit which is good cause that isnt good anytime of day for me. For 5-10K I dont think any special nutrition is needed on race day. The most important thing to remember is experiment before the race and NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY. You only run your "first" 1/2 marathon once so remember to have fun!!

I signed up for the forum 3 years ago. It took until today that I finally got the courage to add a picture to my profile. I was afraid of being seen and "outed" I guess. My success story is that I have reached a point that I have realized there is nothing to be concerned about. If someone I know recognizes me all the better. Maybe they will approach me and we can discuss what great life choice I feel I have made for myself and I could encourage other who might choose this path to do the same. For so many years I would avoid getting in pictures over the holidays. I regret now that it is hard to find many pictures with me and my daughters during Christmas over the years. This year I was getting in as many as I could while my girls are still young (8 and 10) to make up for lost time. Looking forward to a happy and healthy 2013 and wish everyone else here the same!!

Way to go!! You look great. Keep up the good work

This is funny that I just saw this topic. I finally got the courage up to add an avatar to my profile just a few minutes ago. When picking out a picture I noticed that my port shows in several of them. The avatar is small so its hard to see but in the original it is quite apparent. I was wearing a thin tight shirt on a rainy day so it was stuck to my skin and made it show more but mine does show on occasion depending upon what I wear. I have never gotten any comments about it though.

Congratulations on the one year. I just passed my 2 year date from banding. I couldn't be happier with my choice. I am so happy you are doping well. Keep up the good work in the new year !!

I was banded 12/28/2010. I used to ride a road bike a bit 20 years ago in college. I decided that I liked it then so I would try again. I bought my TREK 2.1 in March last year. In May I did a metric century for the Diabetes TourDCure. I was a wiped out after but recovered quickly. I ran a half marathon the following weekend. I bet once you start taking off weight the joint pain will ease up considerably. I know mine sure did. I used to have terrible knees but after going from 255 to 175 I found that the knees were much less of an issues. It then came down to building endurance and getting my lungs in shape. After lungs I found the greatest challenge in endurance races is nutrition. I haven't figured that out yet myself. If you have the ambition and goals pre-banding I think you are well on your way to better health. A century is a goal that you can definitely obtain with some training. Two years ago I would walk 1.5 miles for a workout. I am now training for the Timberman Half Marathon in August. Best of luck with your Century Goal. Keep us updated with your progress.

That is awesome. I bought my road bike last March and love riding it. The best thing you can do for yourself is find an activity that you will enjoy. That is the only way to really stick with it.

Sojourner, I am sure many insurance companies can be difficult. The shortsightedness that they practice is a sad fact. There are a great deal of posts specific to Aetna and WLS in this forum. Of course I am probably biased as that is what I focus on. In my case I have the most comprehensive (and expensive) plan offered through my company. Still I had issues. Mandy. I went back to view my saved messages from Walter Lindstrom. The 1st one through the approval message: April 17, 2010: Thank you for contacting us about your LAP-BAND insurance denial. From the information you provided on our website form, it appears you may qualify for Allergan's LAP-BAND appeals/advocacy program.......(it goes on after this) October 29, 2010 (to my surgeons office) : Kelley and I wanted to let you know we were successful in our appeal of his denial with Aetna and we appreciate the opportunity to assist your patient obtaining life-saving treatment...... It seems like forever when you are living through it but don't give up. I had so many emails between this time from Kelley keeping me updated and reassuring me that it was going as planned. I know you would/will like her. It was impossible not to.

Brandy (and Mandy), This is such a common topic with Aetna. I Soooo hate their policies!!! They have to be the worst insurance company when it comes to WLS. I see from you post that you have found the Lindstrom Advocacy group. Do yourself a favor and call them right away. When I spoke with them they asked me to send all of my information and then Kelley took over from there. She handled all communication and Appeals with Aetna. It cost me exactly $0 for everything she did. Two years ago this week I got my 4th denial letter from Aetna. When Kelley called me to explain that this was part of the process and it is just what we wanted I believed her. She was right! In less than a month I get a phone call saying that my appeal was overturned in the final external independent review process. I had been banded for 21 months now and I am below my goal weight. I have posted a link to one of my earlier posts with a followup. Do a search for "Aetna" and you will see how difficult they can be. Please do yourself a favor and stick with it. I have no idea if Aetna will ever change but there are ways to beat them. Good Luck !!! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/108409-2nd-denial-so-disappointed/page__hl__aetna#entry1528023

Mandy, My story is very much like yours. Here is a post i made almost 2 years ago now. Please stay with it. Kelley and Walter Lindstrom are so helpful. I am 21 months post surgery now and slightly below my goal weight. Search for my posts to see my frustrations while going through the approval process. I picked this one as it made me very happy Posted August 4, 2011 - 3:10 PM Congratulations to everyone that was approved. I have Aetna and was denied. the denial was upheld in the first and second level appeal by Aetna. It was so stressful. The final appeal is an independent external review process. This is where the decision goes out to an independent doctor not associated with the insurance company who will decide based upon the information provided if the patient meets the standards published by NIH and other medical groups. Mine did and the decision by Aetna was overturned. The entire process took almost 10 months and was SO stressful. All of my appeals were done with the help of http://www.obesitylaw.com It cost me nothing and Kelley is the BEST !! She called me 2 days before I was going to Disney to tell me the good news. She even offered to give me passes to Disneyland that they use to take out the employees in the office each year. Unfortunately I was going to Disney World in FL so I couldn't use the passes. She was so nice I decided I would tell everyone who was having issues with approval about them. They provide an awesome service to people who could really use help. I believe her husband Walter had both Gastric bypass and a Lapband revision later on. Good Luck to anyone having to deal with Aetna. 1st Lap band seminar: 12/14/2009 Highest weight: 253 Pre-op diet starting weight: 247 Banded: 12/28/2010 : 236 1st fill: 2/8/11 (4.5cc) 2nd fill: 3/15/11 (7cc total) 3rd fill: 4/25/11 (8cc total) 4th fill: 9/30/11 (8.5cc total) 18 months post-op: 175

Please do your own research on Zetia (Ezetrol). There was a good bit of controversy on the drug trials and the efficacy of this medication. I was on it for a short time when it was first released along with a statin medication. My endocrinologist took me off it and said he no longer prescribed it for patients. It may be good for you but I would strongly advocate doing your own research and discussing further with your Doctor if you feel so inclined.

1) BodyGlide 2) synthetic clothing (polyester). AVOID Cotton !! 3) compression shirt/shorts Band aids can help too as others mentioned but Bodyglide and polyester will take care of chafed bleeding nipples.

Hi everfeels9, Your situation sounds remarkably like mine. I gave up beer when I got banded and went to wine then vodka etc.. like you. It got to be a self sustaining cycle and I finally realized I was no longer in control of it. I finally reached out for help and surprisingly it was more difficult that I thought it would be. I seemed to think that making one phone call to a doctor,mental health center/detox would be all that was needed and all would be fixed. For me it required persistence, self realization and discovery and talking honestly about my problem and loss of control. There are some medications that can help make things a bit easier (naltrexone/vivtrol) but there is no magic pill that does it for you as I have no doubt you are aware. I was down about 55 pounds and feeling much better weight wise but much worse in other ways at my 1 year anniversary of being banded. With the help of nurses at the surgical weight loss dept were I went for followups as well as doctors and counselors I was referred to I will be 8 months sober as of next week. I have also lost an additional 25-30 pounds since then and have reached a normal weight for the first time in almost 18 years. I highly recommend talking honestly to your Dr./Nurse who you do you band followup appointments with. They have invested time and work in helping you to this point and if they are as committed to your success and holistic well being as they are where I was banded they will hopefully work with you to help with this issue. Cross Addiction should be nothing new to them and with honesty and a commitment to your own success you may be able to work together with them to lose the alcohol and get back on track to weight loss success. Best of Luck and send me a PM if you would like to discuss further.