Shrinking Violets -- April 07 Bandsters

[TerriDoodle 6]

Could ya'll just stop posting for about a day, please? I just can't get caught up and I refuse to skip over anything!! Work is so busy! So just can it for a while, k??

I do want to say one thing: :love: CONGRATS TRACY!!! :love:

[Teachlady 3]

Good afternoon, Violets..

Well, I went to the aerobics class this morning and I was able to do most of it. That with Curves and the stationary bike at the gym will certainly do me for exercising this winter! Just finished my lunch and watiing for DH to get ready so we can head to the gym. Today is my first day where I can do what I want, when I want and it feels great.

Laura.. I can't believe you're going to have to pay all that extra money when it isn't your fault!!! What the heck kind of warranty is THAT?? grrrrrrrrrrrrrr

TracyinKS... hey there married lady!! Congrats to you. Now you can relax and plan a very special time in March.

Janie!! WOOO HOOOOOO!!! How awesome that you're able to say.. I LOST 100#!!!!!! You GO GIRL!!!

Smyly...I go for my 3rd fill next Monday and boy,do I need it. I feel hungry in between meals and that hasn't happened since I've been banded. Course we skipped a fill last month because of our upcoming cruise. We sure are ready now, though.

Kat... you didn't check in last night.. How is your Dad????

Well, off to the gym for some time on the stationary bike. Everyone have a great afternoon and remember. WWJD??!! (Did I mention how much I love my Bracelet? ? It never leaves my wrist except for shower and pool time)

[Teachlady 3]

Could ya'll just stop posting for about a day, please? I just can't get caught up and I refuse to skip over anything!! Work is so busy! So just can it for a while, k??

I do want to say one thing: :love: CONGRATS TRACY!!! :love:

And did you guys stop posting when I was in Alaska?? Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo... so guess what??? Type message, send. Type message, send. Type mess... well you get the idea.

[mdrai 3]

Janie!! 101!!! FANTASTIC!!! CELEBRATE!!!

:wow2::cheer2:

Laura... It's not YOUR fault that the port was bad!! I'd do everything I could to get THEM (either manufacturer or surgeon) to pay for it!!

[TracyinKS 7]

Jane: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 100 lbs! YOU ROCK!

Smly: I have had 4 fills and am definately at FULL restriction.... I have nearly 4cc's in my 4cc band........ I can only eat 1/2 to 1 cup depending on the liquid content of the food.< /p>

Judy: you are so funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Terry: WE MISSED YOU LAST WEEK!

Haydee: Feeling better yet?

Jenn: How about you????? You need some sunshine or a date!

Laura: after this revision is over with...... you need to get a new doc..... just looking from the outside in... HE SUCKS!

Michelle: How is the dingdong scale today? LOL

TracyK: In my current house.......... the bathroom was HORRID....

I know the EXACT color of GREEN you are talking about! My bathtub, the sink, the toilet.................. GREEN........ and the tile on the walls were yellow and blue.................. the upper portion of the walls were painted hunter green to try and force the blue in the tiles to look green!

We ended up redoing the bath............ it was such an eyesore!

Kat: waiting for a check in

Denise: hows nannatobe today?............ (your a nanna to be)

Ms_Jen: you've been aweful quiet lately.... you must be busy!

Pam: :eyebrows:

OK.. gotta get back to work.......... If I missed anyone it wasn't on purpose

[Daisalana 33]

Tracy- Yeah, well after I found out I have a leak, I don't resent him for not filling me enough anymore. And if Allergen is out of ports (god, I don't get that?!).. that's not his fault either.

BUT.. to you and Michelle.. my mom even said "You self-paid, he has plenty of money, why doesn't HE pay the hospital". I haven't told her about the port cost now.

This IS leaving a bad taste in my mouth. And my parents are paying for the revision surgery. Which, indebts me MORE to them. I didn't tell ya'll about this weekend.

Saturday, I'm in bed, in pajamas, 10pm.. watching a movie (I was depressed that day, still in my funk).. Dad calls, said his a/c is out, they're playing poker, told me to go to wal-mart get them some fans. I'm just stunned.. so.. I said uh ok, hung up and sat there a minute. First off, I have HIGH ANXIETY going to stores. I will NOT go alone. Even for myself. DH had plans in his video game that night (Everquest, stupid hate that game), every sat night unless I give him advance notice, he has plans. So.. I try to beg him to go with me. He can't. So I'm panicy. I start to cry.. so I toughen up, called my mom.. and said nicely "You'll go with me right?". She says..and I quote "We've been doing an aweful lot for you lately, this is the least you can do".. so I just said "Wow.. that's nice" and hung up on her. And so you know-they DO know I have a problem going to stores. Then stopped taking their calls. Then cried some more as I had to put a bra on, get dressed, go to wal-mart (HIGH ANXIETY), get them fans, blah blah.

So here I am, picturing this new surgery bill going up and up, and me becoming a slave to my parents for even longer. Sigh sigh sigh.

I really am torn. I don't have the personality to say "Look, this isn't my fault, YOU pay for it", nicely or not. I don't know what to do. I think about the revision, and wonder if I should go to another doctor for revision.. but this doctor put it in, he knows my body heh.. I dunno, god my brain is so jumbled right now.. you would not want to be me right now! My last 'free fill' is october, but I wonder with all this mess, if they will at least give me more free fills.. maybe that's what I should ask for. But again, I don't know how to go about saying they owe me anything. I wish my psychiatrist visit were sooner, I really need someone to give me something for my anxiety. I've been having back tension (and pain), and Migraines out the wazoo. I have to take double sleeping pills and Migraine meds at night just to sleep. The other night it was so bad, I took my hair down and was massaging my scalp and almost vomiting from the pain when I passed out.. woke up the next day and I had made my hair a big mess.. more hair is falling out too, and I wonder if it's stress related as well.

Thank you for listening to me rant, I have to get it out sometimes

So

[Daisalana 33]

Due to my brain blowing up, I decided to call the nurse I talk to down there. She said they did have some bands at the hospital, so they're going to take the port out of one of those to give me.

She said Allergen since they have the market cornered on the band, they're not willing to negotiate price or warranty blahty blah.. she said both doctors have been trying since yesterday to get them to come down on price.

But.. I did ask, due to the cost now, and the fact all my 'free fills' didn't work out, can I get more.. she said definately. So honestly, that's $100 a visit (cost from the other doctor I found, my doctor is $150) and I'll ride that out for a while hopefully.

She said they have an opening Friday, if that works for me. I said it'd be perfect.. so she is calling the hospital to find out if they have a room that day. Fingers crossed ladies!!!!!!!!

Friday I could be fixed, and this will all be a distant memory, yea? heh.

[Daisalana 33]

Well.. Friday is a go. 6am for pre-op, surgery at 8am.

And she forgot anesthesia cost. !@#@#$^&$%@#!

She said she begged them to let me not have to pay it up front, because they couldn't do same day yadda yadda, I'd have to make 2 trips down.

So they are going to go ahead and bill me afterward for anesthesia time used. For the band, it was $500, but she said since this is going to be less time it will be cheaper.

Whatever.

So now we're up to $2,596 at most.

I'm going to insist on free fills for at least 2 years!

Called the hotel we stayed at last week to reserve a room, I asked the rate and she said "you have government rate on your account' and she never gave me an actual number. Last time I stayed, the doctor called in the room and paid for it. So I dunno what that means, it was $60 last time. Hopefully it's not anymore. We're going up Thursday night, getting the room, surgery Fri. Morning.. I said "And I will be able to go home the same day, right?" she said 'barring any complications'.

Really, I don't know how I would have complications.. if I did fine in the normal surgery, revising the port surgery should be a piece of cake, right? Tell me right!!

[Daisalana 33]

Where is everyone??

I'm on a roll, I went to Allergan's/Inamed website and left a "Product Complaint", about the money I've forked out, and how they aren't standing by their product and making me pay even more money and it's their fault..

[Teachlady 3]

Laura.. you GO GIRL!! Sounds like you're taking control and that's great. Just get through Friday and yes, this will all be a bad memory and you'll be back in business and ready to tackle the weight once again! You CAN do this. Look what you've done so far!!! Keep hanging in there!! We're all here for you..

[mdrai 3]

I'm here, Laura!!!

That IS a lot of info & stress & stuff going on... I think it'd make my brain blow up, too!! I wish I... or another Violet... were close enough to you to help you out... go to WM for fans w/you or drive w/you to your docs or whatever... sometimes these cyberhugs that I send just don't seem like enough!! But that's the best I can do...

The worst thing that anyone can say when you make any request is "no". What's so bad about that?? You're no worse off than you were before you asked. And if they say "no" to one request, then you can ask it a different way or ask a different question. It's great that you asked about the free fill extension & deferring payment! Remember that you're in the right when making the requests... it's just good business sense & customer service for them to accomodate as best they can BECAUSE THIS IS ALL THEIR FAULT! If I were you, I'd keep on trying to get lower/no cost on as much of this as possible + possible payment plan for as much of it as you can, again, as this is a major unplanned expense that is NOT YOUR FAULT! Maybe that way you can pay it yourself a little @ a time & not have that hanging over your head w/your parents.

Yes, if you did great w/the original surgery, then this should be a "protein bullet shot" for you (just can't use the "cake" expression any more!!).

You go, girl! (I feel so "Oprah" when I say that... lol!)

[Daisalana 33]

Thanks for all the encouraging words, I need as much as I can get right now!!!

Just a quick follow up, I just got off the phone with Allergan/Inamed (That was a quick response!). He asked me in detail what's going on, and I explained how my doctors called and were denied, he said they likely talked to a sales rep, who won't take you very far. So, he said he's opened up a file for me, and he's going to contact my doctor and send them a packet (to send THEM the defective port), and they will look into it. He said there are no warranties, but if it's defective or from 'wear', they will replace it for free. He said they would credit whoever purchased it, and they would credit me. He also apologized, and said even if it's not a defective issue, he will push hard for me to get it replaced for free.. and he asked my weight progression and stuff like that for the file. I'm a little excited.. Hopefully, my doctor will be diligent in following up with them to get this taken care of. The guy there gave me his number and extension so I can keep in touch with them.

[Teachlady 3]

There ya go, Laura. If you make the noise, they will do their best to make you happy. They certainly don't want a disgruntled consumer on their hands. Especially one with LOTS of friends on line who could spread the word if they don't follow through for you! RIGHT, VIOLET SISTAHS???

[TracyinKS 7]

WOW you go LAURA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Squeaky wheels and all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yay!!!!.. you have revision surgery in a few days!

Make sure you give the doctors office the guys name and make sure they know YOU WILL BE FOLLOWING UP! (so that they don't put it to the back burner) SQUEAK!SQUEAK!

It is storming here ..... totally black outside....... spoooooooky

I'm making chicken on the george foreman tonight........

I've been bouncing all week from 220.6 to 224... another week in the 20's.............

I did buy a cute blouse in size large (on clearance) .... today it went over my boobs...... NSV for this blouse is still a couple weeks out or more....

OH... and did I tell everyone that I have my moms original wedding dress from when she married my dad (1968) it was hand made for her... I'm going to try it on tonight and see how far I've come.. (the first time it wouldnt go over my hips.............

[Daisalana 33]

My sister's thing is getting worse.. She's at the hospital right now, the kidney problems.

It's called Leptospirosis. There was an article in the paper that the humane society in town has had to put several dogs down due to this illness (and like I told you guys, my sister's puppy had it).

It's a 6 week test, so my sister has a while to find out if that's what it is, meanwhile her symptoms are getting worse, she's lost 30lbs in 2 weeks she can't eat, she's throwing up all the time and stuff like that. Back to the doctor today since she can't keep the medicine down that is suppose to fix it. Next stage is meningitus (sp), then liver failure..

So my mom is really stressing over that right now (I didn't realize this was going on, thought she was getting better). Mom was almost in tears, and I said.. well maybe it's NOT that.. even though it sounds like it is, maybe she's just got a flu or something.