swallow study thursday

[shellyj 5]

well i am getting my swallow study done thursday but it comes with a hefty pricetag of 600-800 smackers. then if nothing is wrong and i need another fill another 150.

i ended up starting a 'diet' because i want to see the scale MOVE! i have 3.8 cc in a 4cc band and the band is not stopping my food i can feel it pass through the band. (if that makes sense)

since bc bs has an a specific exclusion for wls looks like i am going to have to buy secondary coverage. my boss could care less he was like 'eh maybe you could appeal it' well eh maybe he's an asshole.

sorry for the frustration in my post but there is no telling how much ins will cost a morbidly obese person.

[sassaay 1]

Shelly, I really feel for you and everything you are going through right now. I am so scared of ending up in the same position. My company has gone through so many changes in our benefits coverage; I often wonder what might be coming next. Since I have been approved, I now worry about what might come after surgery next year when the company looks at more ways to cut expenses.

Regarding secondary insurance, it looks like that is your only option and I sure hope it works for you. My sister-in-law is self-employed and just trying to get approved for coverage has been a challenge due to pre-existing conditions like back aches and her son's have ADHD... when she finally did find coverage it cost her about $700.00 per month for a family of 5 and she still ends up paying through the nose for co-pays and prescriptions. It is a rip-off. I think our country really needs to do something about the health care industry... but don't get me started.

I hope all works out for you. Let us know how your swallow study goes.

[shellyj 5]

hey anne thanks,

if you have someone in HR i would ask them if when researching new ins they make sure it doesnt have an exclusion for wls.

i hope i dont have have to pay to much.

michelle

[shellyj 5]

SOOOOO i had my swallow study yesterday and i was told my band is fine. it has not slipped and my pouch is not streched.

so what gives??? my dr's PA (physicains assistant) told me just stop eating at a half cup. well hello if i could do that i wouldnt have gotten to 350 lbs. i told her why dont we do lunch one day so you can see me eat!!!! i asked her what will happen when i get another fill and am at 4.0 cc ther is no adjusting left?? she said we'll cross that bridge....yada yada i had an appointment i thought she would address my questions!

i personnally think the band may be to low on my stoma where the tissue is thinner. i am going to have my dr call me after he has had a chance to review the x rays so he can answer my questions.

I AM NOT BAND BASHING HERE. I LOVE MY BAND. WITHOUT IT I WOULD HAVE GAINED BACK ALL MY WEIGHT PLUS SOME. IT JUST DOENST SEEM TO BE WORKING FOR ME AS DESCRIBED.

everytime i have lost with the band it has been from dieting and exercise. i DID lose 10 lbs this past month but that is from starting the Atkins diet. if i dont diet i just stay the same. i hear alot of bandsters saying "why would you have gotten the band if you were gonna diet?"

here is an idea of what i eat since starting atkins: yesterdays meals

25 oz Water before i eat

breakfast~ 2 eggs scrambled with cheese, 2 sausage links

25 oz Water

lunch~ 2 cups salad or 1 chicken breast with 1/2 cup veggies

25 oz water

dinner~ medium new york strip with 1/2 cup veggies

tea with splenda!

does that seem like to much??? does it seem the band is doing what it is supposed to for me?

i eat all my food within 30 minutes. do not drink with meals.

michelle

[Vera 7]

Michelle

Sounds just like my diet.

10 lbs in a month is not bad, 120 a year... Diet and excersize seems the way to go with me tooooo

I'v been at a stand still for 2 weeks, I'm starting to notice a pattern with my cycles.

Good to hear your band has not slipped and all is fine.

Hang in there.

[donali 57]

Hi Michelle -

No, that doesn't sound like too much food to me, but then again, you are losing 10 pounds a month when you eat like that, so that is not the problem.

Are you hungry on that amount of food? Do you feel like you need to eat more than that? I didn't run the calories, but have you looked on fitday to see what your basal metabolism is compared to the number of calories you're consuming?

Telling you to stop eating after 1/2 cup of food is not helpful. 1/2 cup tells you nothing about nutrients, calories, quality, etc. Besides, VOLUME doesn't matter - what matters is what's contained in that volume. Eating 4 cups of lettuce is no where near the same thing as eating 4 cups of full fat ice cream - we all know that.

I would stop worrying about how much you're eating, and focus more on how you are feeling with the size of your meals (hunger-wise) and the resulting (or non-resulting) weightloss. I would also evaluate how the number of calories you ingest stack up to your basal metabolism requirements.

When you are NOT "dieting" is what you really need to look at, since that seems to be the problem. What kinds of things do you eat when you're not doing Atkins? What's your calorie level like? Do you get in enough Protein and Water?

You should be able to eat moderately a wide variety of things and still lose weight without going hungry between meals.

Please give us some more information about your regular eating habits when you're not dieting. Obviously what you're doing on Atkins does not need troubleshooting.

[shellyj 5]

well when i am not dieting i eat EVERYTHING (my boyfriend is a chef to)

here are some examples:

main dishes- hotwings (made on the grill), grilled chicken, grilled steak, veggie lasagna, eggplant parmesean, hamburger with fries, chicken baked grilled sometimes fried, grilled pork tenderlion, grilled salmon, veggie pizza, chicken with veggies and Pasta in cream sauce, falafel, baked veggie sub, salmon with cream sauce, turkey

side dishes:

Broccoli slaw, salad, steamed veggies, sauteed veggies, wild rice, mashed taters with feta yum, green Beans, roasted red potaotes, couscous,

appatizer type foods:

spinach dip, hummus, garlic bread, quiches, crab rangoon's,

breakfast: omlets, fried taters, scrambled eggs, kashi Cereal, banana pancakes,

thats all i think of right now. most of the time it would be a grilled meat, veggies and a starch. the more complex meals are something i would have on the weekend. through the week Breakfast was kashi, lunch is the night before leftovers.

the problem is i have to stop myself from eating. i thought the band would do that? the food i would normally eat are relativley healthy but combined with the carbs when i eat them i just do not lose. BUT I DONT GAIN which is great. its not so much that i feel like i need to eat more than that i just dont know if the band is working correctly? i could physically eat more i am just saying STOP! when i eat i can FEEL the food slide through where the band is. it is my lower stoma that i feed. the food doesnt get stopped by the band more like paused.

my main worry is that at 3.8 cc i have hardly room for adjusting left. i will be getting a fill to 3.9 sometime in the next two weeks. but as i lose if i need tightened back up then what?

[donali 57]

Hi Michelle -

I have never heard of anyone running out of room for a fill. Unless you were given a band that is too big (again, unlikely), you shouldn't worry about running out of room.

You didn't give amounts on the things that you listed, but I know that I cannot eat more than 3 or 4 fries (if that many) before I feel stuck. The more Fluid you have in your band, the less it will take to really feel a difference. 3.9 may end up being too much for you.

Are you feeling any restriction at all? You are not supposed to have to do it all on your own. Does your doc measure the amount of Fluid taken out of your band? (Mine doesn't) It would be reassuring to know for sure that there really is 3.8ccs in your band.

You may want to double-check on the size of the band that was installed (bigger ones will take more fill), and see if they can measure the amount of fluid that comes out.

Believe me, I am not the one who says "STOP!!!!" when I am eating - it is all the band.

Also, I would ask if they can close you off completely at your fill, so:

1) you know what it feels like

2) you can be reassured that there really is a point where your band would be absolutely too tight.

Good luck, sweetie, and keep us posted!

[shellyj 5]

hey donali

the amounts are about a cup - cup and a half

my PA does measure the Fluid in the band before they fill since i passed 3.0 cc's. i do have the 4.0 cc band

i do have more restriction than before and sometimes when i take to big of a bite it hurts as it goes down (passes through the band) but thats the problem it goes down it doesnt stop and sit on top of the band.

i am glad to hear you say the band stops you from eating more because it doesnt for me and i thought i was going CRAZY!!!!! i will prepare my list of questions for the dr and will be calling him monday!!!!! (he is out of town)

[kellymoos 4]

Hey Shelly!! I don't understand the food going through the band right after you swallow it either. I have a thread called food getting stuck that I was questioning where the food actually gets stuck. When you swallow you can feel it getting stuck and then sloooowly going through the band.....my thing is IT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE GOING THROUGH THE BAND WHEN YOU FIRST SWALLOW IT!!! So why is it? I would like to go under fluro and take a bite of real food and not the barium to see how solids do and not just liquid.....Well, if you ever get an answer pass it to me...in the meantime, Take Care:confused: :confused:

[shellyj 5]

hey kelly

i will be asking the DR this IF he calls me back tonight!

michelle