SalOdyssey

80 views?? Can anyone help??? Sal

New whey Protein bullets. I hear they taste pretty good. I am going to get my 12 pack this week to see if I like how they taste. I am due to get banded hopefully by late Sept/October. You can get them at GNC. Sal

I just got fitted for a new mask and I am still having problems adjusting. I have had the machine for a year and never found it easy to use. Maybe because the original mask was EXTREMELY uncomfortable. Hopefully I can get used to this new mask. Sal

I would be super pissed off if I were you. Especially of going through the trouble of keeping it quiet. I would definitely seek a lawyers opinion. Never know maybe surgery will be free after suit. I think you have a cause for breach of privacy. Good luck and keep us posted! ! ! Sal

Hello everyone, My name is Sal I am originally from Long Island, Ny I moved to Tampa, Fl in 2003 after spending 22 years in NY. I am 25 years old, and have been on the plus side of the scale most of my life. I was around 325-350 my senior year of high school. I was a defensive tackle for my football team 9th and 10th grade and then I left the program to go work to earn money for college and personal life expenses. I continued after to play roller hockey both for pleasure and in leagues in the area. My father passed of a heart attack on 12/23/98 after then it seems I have put on most of my weight. I feel most of my weight was due to my poor work schedule. I worked usually from 1230 PM til 930-1000 PM and much lunch break was at 230 PM i would then come home and eat dinner. I currently topple the scale at over 650 lbs last time I was weighed for disabililty which was a little over a 1 1/2 ago. I haven't been on a bathroom type scale in I can't tell you how long. I currently have extrememly limited mobility, just walking across the house gets my winded and in pain. Since being on disbility, I have been extremely discouraged. I can not find a doctor within the state of Florida who will preform the surgery. I was declined for financing because I have no colateral (I do not own a home). My right knee is in constant pain there is almost no cartilage left and will need some type of replacement after I lose weight ( doctor I went to refuses to touch in now in the shape I am in.) My left leg is swollen for reason I don't know, but I have been hospitalized 4 times this year for celulitious (sp). I have very consistant back pain and upper body pain. I am mostly confined to the house all day. I sometimes venture out into the world, sometimes I even forget what it looks like because it has been so long since I went out. I should be getting medicare early in the spring and I hear they cover the surgery so my spirits are up. I even wrote to Dr. Phil and Oprah. Dr Phil responded and after the phone interview I never heard anything back. I followed up with them several times and still nothing. Oprah I never heard back from. I dream of the days of being thin again. I look forward to the days of doing activities like everyone else and I even dream of going back to work and join society again. I have went to one seminar for the lap banding and I was impressed. The Dr.s name was Dr Grossbard at Town and Country Hospital. Does anyone know of any other good Dr's in Tampa, Fl they would recommend doing the surgery? Sorry to vent. I am glad I found this site. Hello everyone. Sal

Hi all, I have finally gotten some good news concerning my life and getting the lapband procedure done. Although my good news is minimal it is a big step for me in the right direction. I have known for a few months that my state of Florida has tighter restrictions of getting the lap band done. You have to do 18 months of doctor supervised diets, no if's and's or but's about it. I even confirmed this with Medicare directly along with several area Center's for Bariartic Excellences, all the hosptials have told me the same thing. Well onto my good news. After a lot of calling and explaining the story over and over I have found a doctor who is willing to give me an appointment to get into his office for the initial consultation and go to his seminar to only catch is I have to TRAVEL to my HOME state of NY. I got an appt coming up in Dr. Collin Brathwaites office in Smithtown, NY in October. I am so excited to finally get the ball rolling. The procedure will be done at Saint Catherines Hospital in Smithtown. I have family that I will stay with in Nassau County, NY. At the consult he will give me all the tests that I will have to have done when I return to Florida. After I get all the testing done I have to go back to him to submit to medicare for approval and set a surgery date. Can anyone tell me what type of tests I will need to have done. I have already had a sleep study. What other test will I need. I imagine blood work is one of the things I will have to have done. What else is there. Anyway I figured I would share some good news. Also apparently NY guidelines don't require any strict diet, so I imagine it will only be what the doctor requires. Hope to have more good news when I return from the visit in later October. Wish me luck! ! ! Sal :clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:

Thank you. I am looking forward too it.

If you weren't nervous then I would be. Good luck. Funny you mention the whole peeing thing. I said the same to my girlfriend and brother. LOL Sal

Well another update; I saw my Surgeon Dr. Brathwiate and he said he will most likely operate in late september, october. He is waiting for the new hospital he is in to be certified by Medicare as a Center of Excellence. He said he should get the nod for it this summer as Medicare has already visited with him. All is looking good. He said to continue seeing the specialist he listed for me and to send him any and all reports. I cannot wait! ! ! Sal

I wish you the best. Sal

Good luck too you. Hope everything goes GREAT! ! ! Sal

In a recent update, my cardiologist cleared me for surgery. Sal

I watched and talked to a few different offices. Some doctors are now stitching the band itself into place. This virtually eliminated slippage. I believe the surgeon I am using also stitches it into place. Sal

Well let me update all of you as to where I stand as of today. I saw the Dr. Brathwaite at the end of October and went to his seminar during my visit to NY as well. I followed up with him at Christmas time when I was back in NY and he said to have all my doctors send my stuff to him. I go see him again in June during my next trip to NY and hopefully he will clear me for the rest of the tests I need to have done. Of his checklist for surgery I am about 80-85% done with everything. While in NY in June He wants me to attend 2 of his support group meetings. I am hoping to get some kind of date commitment from him on this trip also. Back when I saw him at Christmas he said late 2008 would be a great possibility. I am hoping to get something done this fall. Personally the sooner the better so I can get my life back on track and slim down. I am SICK of being a big guy. I want to walk the street and people not even recognize it is me. I will update you all again after the June appointment. Wish me luck! ! ! Sal

When I had jock itch a few years ago before I got really heavy the doctor said on days where I feel moist down in the belly fold to use this stuff called Zeasorb. It is a powder that contains a drying agent and the jock itch went away almost instantly because rashes need the moisture to survive and feed off of the powder eliminated the moisture therefore the rash went away. Sal

PLEASE HELP! ! !:help: :help: I recently discovered that the doctor I was going to use when medicare kicked in next month is no longer accepting medicare. He supposedly revoked his privlidges with them because they did not pay. Although that does not sound right to me, now I am left to find a good surgeon who can perform the lap band. Can anyone recommend a doctor in the Tampa Bay, New Tampa area? Please provide me with there address and your reviews of them if you would. Any help would be extremely appreciated. The Dr.'s name is Dr. Grossbard I found this out with a call to his office. Thanks, Sal

Anyone else want to chime in. Please my appointment is Thursday. Thanks, Sal

As I said in an earlier post I have my appointment with a bariatric lap band doctor in New York next week. What tests should I expect him to send me for? ALso what will they ask during the pysch. test? Any help would be great! ! :help::help::help: Sal

Bump Bump....

Dr. Collin Brathwaite in Smithtown. He does the surgery at St. Catherine's Hospital.

Florida rules for lap band surgery suck big a@@, especially if your a Medicare patient. I have already had a sleep study, so I guess that test is out of the way. I just wish my appointment was tomorrow, the wait is killing me, but well worth the wait. Sal

The doctors office just called to confirm my insurance info. I am so happy I could cry. Sal

I Will. Happy New Year! ! Sal :party:

This Is Something I Want To Know. As I Qualify For Medicare In April. Gonna Call Them After The New Year To Find Out More Info. My Specific Question Is Does Medicare On Disability Cover The Lap Band??

Well No Good News On The Essay. I Guess I Have To Wait Till April For Medicare To Kick In. Hope They Don't Screw Me Over Also. One Can Only Pray. I Do Want To Thank The People Running The Essay Contest For The Opportunity To Even Write In. Sal