Betsyjane

Welcome Nana! I was self pay too. They told me that no bariatric surgery was covered because the employer didn't choose to buy that coverage. It's probably packaged along with other "optionals", I would guess. I was told to do all sorts of things for the shoulder pain, but I tell you, it was a lot easier to just medicate it. I walked, did a heating pad, but mostly just ate chewable Tylenol. GasX didn't help me at all. Tylenol did. It's a sharp pain but you live through it. Small price to pay for a life of losing weight. Spivak is great. The operation itself for me was amazingly quick. My husband and I went in, and Dr. S had arranged for a bandster with Lupus to be there to talk with me. I have Lupus. It was a nice touch. Then knocked out, fast surgery, and woke up sick to my stomach for a short while. Drank Water to make sure it went down, and then home to rest. I dozed much of the afternoon, and then steadily got better. Gas pains lasted about 3 days, progressively better. I had no restriction until my 3rd fill though, so it took awhile to be able to live like a bandster.....

I think it's different with the Surgicenter. Their number is 713-796-9666.

OK. so that probably means that Spivak's fee is set and the Surgicenter is the one who dropped the price. Of my $15000, I think $5000 was spivak's and the rest was the surgicenter. I'd call the surgicenter and ask. It couldn't hurt.

Can you tell I get ADD this time of night. I never used to be so unfocused before I got Lupus. Can't consolidate my thoughts to one post. This is true...There's a sign on my fence that says "They used to think I was ADD, but... Hey look. A chicken."

Maybe a walk around The Commons or old Humble...... I'd like to walk around Summerwood sometime too.

Sensitive to fills.... Doctor Understatement. If you ever feel like going for a walk on the trails in Kingwood or anywhere else and want company, call me! Or come over in grubby shoes and walk around the ranch with me. I'm not sure it's good exercise because I go slowly on uneven ground, but it's something. We can go wander and pet the mini horses. sure, it's across the lake, but just on a visit, you probably won't catch anything......

I so want my substitute to be exercise. I know it won't be alcoholism. In the 60s I know what it would have been, but that was then and this is now. Stealing doesn't sound appealing....maybe compulsive shopping on ebay...... :-)

I guess I'm remembering Dr. Spivak saying that on average banded people lose half of their excess weight. I want to beat the average, so I guess now is when the harder work comes in. Whatever problems I have to tackle, the effect right now is that I can eat exactly the right amount at each meal, feel full, and then have an urge to snack within 2 hours. A BIG urge. So I figure it has to be habit that I have to tackle. I get the fullness feeling during a meal, right on schedule, and it's strong. Does that sound like it must be a habit problem?

OK. Apart from how you felt :-) What do you think about his advice? Just curious.....

I just joined OA in order to work on the behaviors and thinking stuff. I'm not going to tell them I'm banded. That's not the stuff I want to work on with them. Also joining a Tai Chi class next week for more exercise and for peace.

Yes, it is hard. I don't envy others for being thin though. I figure everybody has their cross to bear. Mine just happens to be visible. Everybody has to live life and get sick, rejected, embarrassed, ill, grieve...you name it. I figure I can have empathy for their pain because I have my own. Besides, if I am trying so hard to spend my energy on me instead of on bitterness. Not trying to be preachy---just trying to remind myself to take the high road when I can. It's too easy for me to be sad or angry about it...and then eat about it. Right now, I just don't want a fill. I want to work on me. I rankly think I HAVE enough of a fill....... But I'll keep it in mind if I keep screwing up on the other stuff......

I live on a ranch and I see animals engaged in mostly heterosexual behavior, but also very naturally in homosexual behavior. Seems like the drive to procreate will keep heterosexuality dominant, but not exclusive. Sex and relationships among all us animals has to do with a lot more than procreation. And when it does, it should be honored.

I've hit a plateau. I don't think it's about needing a fill. I think some of my old behaviors and thoughts have snuck back in and I need to fine tune things. I think my next weight loss will be when I have tweeked things...more gym time (scheduled), fewer artificial sweeteners that cause me to binge, going back to basics and making sure to eat slowly, etc., and not snacking..... I've been food seeking, and I truly don't want a fill until I shape up! I know it is said that age has something to do with it, but I don't want to use that as an excuse, so I'm blowing that off... Any other November babies hitting a wall at the moment?

I guess I feel like the time is right for me and OA. I'm at pretty much of a plateau and behaving badly. I think my next weight loss will be from fine tuning and getting really serious about everything....food, exercise, behavior, thoughts..... and if I struggle and get nowhere with that, I guess I need a fill, but I really don't think I do.

I just needed to behave and think differently, and the meeting brought me back to earth. I slowed down and did the right things "just for today". My fill doesn't work as well as it used to, but I'm falling into old patterns that I need to change before I'll know if I need a fill. I really don't think I do. I think I need to address my thinking and behavior. I didn't tell the OA people about the band, and I won't. I don't want to be seen as different. I still don't know if I'll commit to working the steps. I'm committing to 6 meetings. But I do know that step one should be easy... I certainly admit I am powerless over food and need a power greater than just little old me to help out with it! I think I'm trying to get that blend...exercise, friends, support, work on issues...the whole thing. OA is going to be the somber part of it all, I think. Yes, I did feel full, but I also had to consciously tell myself it was true and push away. I also ate slumped down so I'd feel full faster....Don't know if that's an admirable strategy..... and this afternoon when I even think a single thought about food, I grab Water. I really want to fine tune a lot of this stuff....... I think I've also come to terms about the diet versus portion control stuff too. I think at home, I'm on a food plan/diet/fairly strict thing. Eating out, it's whatever I'd like to have, but portion control.

So...the after effects of OA are exactly what we've talked about in the past. I feel accountable. I woke up and wrote out my food plan. Didn't feel too restricted so I had some Eggbeaters, slowly. Set aside all concerns about food until noon. Had 5 bites of roasted chicken and 2 bites of vegetables, slowly. Set it aside. Have had 3 large glasses of Water today. And am saying to myself "one day at a time". The timing is good becasue some of my old stupid eating patterns were re-emerging and I needed to nip them in the bud. On a weird note, I had no idea I look like I looked in the photos. I think I'll need to take photos at various times so I'll know......

I paid $15000 last November. I would guess he's dropping his rate bacause there's more competition around, and the price will stay down...but what I'd do if I were you, is the call his office and tell them you're afraid about the price, just like you said it here. Se eif they can assure you that your price is set. If they won't then ask them if they can set the price if you give them a small deposit now. My guess is that they will work with you.

I'm especially tickled about the stevia. I like it and use it. Something in me says I need to get away from everything sweet, but this will be my interim stage.....

I'm too restricted to eat food in the morning. I also can't do protein shakes because sugar and artificial sweeteners make me binge on sweets. Any suggestions for a morning drink with protein?

Thanks to you both! That;'s exactly the info I needed. some lap band Drs say no powdered drinks, but mine doesn't, luckily....

I didn't have restriction until my third fill, but there are some odd things going on here. first, having that big a fill to begin with is very unusual. so is eating dry toast. so is eating pizza or any hard food one day after a fill. You might ask him to compare your fluoroscope pics from each fill and see if your pouch is dilated. Seems like getting so much fill so quickly could cause food and drink to sit too long in the pouch before going through and stretching it a bit. I would think toast and pizza after a fill could do the same. The result of dilation is that you'll feel like you can eat anything. The answer for me was 3 days of liquids only so the pouch could rest...and for some people, a slight unfill is done too to rest the pouch. Might be worth asking him to look at pouch size on the fuoro.

I didn't. Call the center. I'll bet that's a mistake.

Tai Chi: http://www.wangsmartialarts.com/Html/taichi.htm

OK. I went to OA at Atascocita Methodist on Pinehurst at 7PM. I just going to report it without sugar coating...You decide.... There were 6 of us. 2 of us were new. Everybody else had been going for decades and they were all fat. I know for sure I am a compulsive overeater and that it is very similar to alcoholism for me. I also know I reacted to this meeting like a lot of alcoholics do to AA. It was sooo slow. It was sooo methodical in its structure. The rules allow for testimonies but virtually no dialog between people. The readings were repetitive. I vascillated between antsy and sleepy. I also found that the structure was soothing. It didn't allow me to gloss over anything for myself... or talk too fast....or get wound up...or be entertaining... or glib. There's no place to hide. And it feels safe. You are to read the literature, work the steps on your own, use the tools (phone calls, getting a sponsor, writing, developing a food plan, etc), do it in your own time frame, and then the function of the meeting itself is to put some overall structure to the process, I think... I know I need it, probably as a philosophy for my life too. I just wonder if I want to devote the time to it now. They say to NOT make a commitment and just go to 6 meetings and then decide. I think I'll do that. Everything that anyone said rang true to me. And it's a big commitment.

Unless I talk myself out of it in the next 10 minutes, I'm going to OA tonight. I'll report back. I'll sign up for Tai Chi M/W sometime this week. Do we HAVE to wear the outfit???????? I did it in shorts in Hong Kong... I hope you join us, Lana. Barbara-Sorry to hear about Dick. Please tell him he'll be in my thoughts.