March Bandsters: MASTER THREAD

[Desdemona 48]

Hi Zeke and Special---Good to see you.

You nailed it! I feel exactly the same way about being a bit complacent with my partial success. I do think that once we find that we are feeling so much better after weight loss and improved eating, sleeping etc that it becomes easier not to finish the journey (to goal). I was first motivated because I felt so darn lousy both physically and emotionally. Then I got a Breast Reduction and felt even better. So it does get harder to keep my eye on the prize when I'm not hurting as badly. But it does feel like something is really changing in my head. It feels like now I want more than to "not hurt" and I want more than to "look and feel significantly better." I want to be all that I can be and I'm getting REVVED UP to reach for the whole enchilada (sos to speak -LOL). But I DO want to also say that looking back on this "rest" -- I DID stick to a very good eating plan for at least 8 mos (although not that much exercise to be honest) and I just plain had the MOTHER OF ALL STALLS! I got discouraged. I lost a ton of weight very quickly and then NOTHING. I DO think that my body just plain wanted/needed to rest and did not want to give up more weight. I don't think everyone's body is like that but I do believe that mine is. However, it has now had its long rest and I just FEEL like something is happening and it's ready to start losing again. I have been losing over the past 2 weeks so I'm psyched!

Edited January 11, 2010 by Desdemona

[SpecialK 22]

I just started using www.mydailyplate.com and I really am liking it. I can track my food, exercise, and it has a good database of foods with all the nutrition info so I can keep an eye on my Protein, carbs, sugar, etc. If you haven't tried it, give it a try. They have a free version where your info can be stored online for 45 days and you can upgrade to keep your info longer but I didn't need that. You can export/download your results into an MS Excel or PDF file to keep for yourself or print it if you want to keep more than 45 days history.

[unshackled 1]

having the time to exercise is so difficult, never enough hours in the day

Lots of stress, so not eating properly and unfortunately it is showing on the scale. Nead a swift kick in the butt to get back in gear

Hi I am Tammy and I stumbled across this thread. I am 2 dayz back on track. cum on we can do it together. will be on this site every noght about his time 9-10p.m. let get our butts back to losing weight

[unshackled 1]

I baked about 50 dozen Cookies between friday and saturday. I sold a few cookie trays and gave some away. Have plenty for famly for christmas day.

yesterday I was busy in the kitchen for about 15 hours I ate 5 Cookies and woke up this morning 2 pounds lighter. I think I want more of them cookies. Actually I think just being so busy burnt off any calories I ate. To say the least I was pleasantly suprised.

My weight is staying between 136 and 140 most days. I was back up to almost 150 right after Thanksgiving. I sort of flip out when it hits 140. I feel I am at a perfect restiction if I just leave the junk food alone.

Merry Christmas to all of you.

wow! that is wonderful! how did you do it. I have only lost about 80lbs. been here for a year. trying to get back on track any tips plz.

[NYSparklegirl 1]

Ive recently had to change my surgery date from Feb 8th to March 15th due to my sleep study results which demonstrated severe sleep apnea and will need at least six weeks of treatment before the pulmonologist will give surgical clearance.

So I hope you all will allow me to join your thread.....I am now olmost finished running from doctor to doctor recieving consults and having exams....this was so exhausting but apparently necessary!!!! I have just one more consult to schedule...Psych! Saved that one for last. lol Figured if im still sane after all the above.. then I must be ready for surgery!

I decided to band for several reasons. They are really all connected as you will understand as you see......before I married I was a size 12 and 145 pds. I lived in NYC, had no car so exercize by walking was natural. After marriage at 32..I began to gain some weight....then became pregnant.

High blood pressure put me on bed rest for 6 months. The weight continued to 190. My husband wasnt really helpful in the healthy food dept so while on bed rest..fast food was really what we lived on. After the baby was born....ten yrs ago....the weight stayed.

The typical stressers of life after having a baby while working full time set in and the weight still didnt come off.

At the same time my husband at the time decided he didnt want to work anymore and wanted to just sit home and do nothing. well, not nothing but which ammounted to nothing but schemes and pyramids....We divorced after 7 yrs.

Three months after we divorced he had a massive heart attack and died after not following doctors orders about taking medications daily which he refused to take/do. (like work) leaving me and my daughter without any support or insurance.

(just a note to all parents..get life insurance...and never put a minor childs name to be a beneficiary to anything ever)!

Since then....the stressors have increased with being a single parent with no support. So another 20 pounds have added since..the divorce and his passing.

I want my life back!! Ive decided in the last year....it was time to begin to get it back and be in control again.

I want my premarriage/ pregnancy/ high blood pressure/cholesterol/ asthma/sleep apnea status!! Now is the time to do it.....

Ive had all first consult....visits with all the doctors and have recieved all the consults needed except for the psych. I am now waiting for all the written reports to come in and the second consult is next week and surgery set for...February 8th.

Im ready to get my life back in control....so this is the first step in getting a healthier me. Im so glad to see so many others here to share their experiences before and after. I hope I can contribute possitively and help others through my experiences. I also hope that I will be able to get help with questions and concerns that I know I will have before, during and after!!!

To all.....good luck, thank you in advance and and looking forward to sharing!!

Jodi

[SpecialK 22]

Hi NYSparklegirl -- you've found the March 2008 Bandsters thread and I looked and didn't see a thread started yet for the March 2010 Bandsters which is exciting for you. Maybe hang out with the January 2010 Bandsters or be the first and start the March 2010 Bandsters thread. You're welcome to look at our thread too but we are all at the 2 year out stage and it will really help you to get help step by step at the time the people are going through the same things you are. This thread was a big help 2 years ago for all of us. We were so excited and it is nice to see that newbie excitement again in you. Best wishes.

[Desdemona 48]

Hi NYSparklegirl--- It's good to see you're excitement.

I agree with Special. The thing that is very powerful about doing these threads is when you can see that everyone (or at least most) of the people on the thread seem to be going through the same thing. There are certain "themes" to each part of the band journey and when you can see that others around you are going through exactly what you are going through - you don't feel alone. It's fun because you almost feel like your in with a bunch of kids who are all excited on a trip. It can be helpful for you to peak at other sites so long as you don't worry too much when you see people expressing frustration. But what will be the most fun and help is establishing a March 1010 thread. Ours began a few months BEFORE we were banded. You can do that and attract a group that is preparing like you are and help each other get through. As your March thread picks up over the next several months -- you'll have a blast! Also --don't forget that as you start it -- the early people will be able to think up a cool nickname for their group. Also remember --to look at the Mentoring Links on the home page. There are some good ones. I suggests Indigo. Best!!!

[SpecialK 22]

Well I will tell you I think it is true that the stress I was under at work was impacting me more than I wanted to admit. I feel much more in control of my eating, much less tempted to look for easy things to eat.

I have started checking into what insurance coverage I have for plastic surgery. Aetna will cover panniculectomy but not abdominoplasty, will Not cover arms or thighs at all, and will cover breast reduction if you meet different "medically necessary" criteria which I think I do.

It looks like they have some similar hoops you have to jump through on the breast reduction/lift situation including pain documented for at least One Year. I guess that could mean I have to get it on the record with my doctor now. So I am going to take the plunge and see about making my appointment. I'm pretty scared about this and don't know the cost range for out of pocket costs for that procedure. So many of the other folks who posted on the Plastics and Cosmetic thread were going for breast lift/augmentation with implants and I want to go the other way, down in size!

I am going to ask at the appointment what the cost difference is between panniculectomy and abdominoplasty as I definitely have a skin/fat roll above my waist as well as the pannus issue. I will also ask what the cost of doing both arms is, brachioplasty, as I have major bat wings of skin and I am self conscious about that. It would be 100% out of my own pocket.

Okay, wish me luck. Others have gotten over the embarrassment of the initial consult and I suppose I will too.

[Desdemona 48]

I think it's true that we don't realize how much stress we feel until after we are out from under it. When we are in the moment we just have to get up and keep going so we try our best not to feel the pain. But the good news, Special, is that we seem to be in a better --more hopeful---place.

I WAS in control but in the last wk or so --- I fell off the wagon. Now I seem to be back on it. I had some dental surgery and I think it started with 1 day of ice-cream. Then it still hurt so I kept it up with cool soft, fatty foods. My jaw still hurts. I don't feel like chewing and I want something to soothe it. But I have been good with food today.

I have only had B reduction. United Health care paid it because I have spinal degenerative disc disease. The pain and bra strap marks were there. I asked the MD how much it would be if the ins didn't pay. He said about 5K if out of pocket. He also told me that that was about standard but the hospital also will negotiate the price. If you are thinking of PS and hope for ins coverage--I think it would be good to do it ASAP because I think the ins companies will start cutting or denying as many health care benefits as they can. I'm even wondering how long it will be before they start refusing to do WLS. They are getting very worried about their profits.

I'm very amazed and pleased to find that Grandma's genes are with me! I started at 100lbs overweight at 57 yrs. I have been overweight many years but my skin is blessedly tight. I do still have hanging fat on my upper arms but far less than there was. It looks like my arms will be livable if I reach goal. I told my plastic surg, that I'd like to do something with my face and neck when I reach goal. He said he could do a little but he doesn't think it will take much. I'll have to pay for that and I don't think it will be cheap.

[SpecialK 22]

Hi Desdemona. I did get busy and called for an appt for B reduction. The first consult appt is now for Feb 15. They said they would send me a packet of what all insurance requires. I have a feeling this is going to be something where I have to document repeated visits to a doctor saying I am still experiencing neck, chest or shoulder pain and have tried the supportive undergarment route to no avail. I am going to the first consult though just to see what they officially say they think is possible. I chose a woman plastic surgeon as my first consult that my best friend who is an RN recommended. She has seen many post op patients at the hospital she works and done alot of wound care on people and she said she thinks the most highly of this surgeon above all others she has seen so that gave me the confidence to give it a try. My hospital I had my WLS at, has a doctor who does lots of PS also but I thought I'd try to get over my fears of embarrassment with a woman surgeon consult first.

Well, I logged a small gain this a.m. on the scale and not sure exactly why but I'm not going to let it get me down. Just keep exercising and making the best food choices. I think I will call for a small fill adjustment in February because I think I am able to eat more at a sitting than I should.

[Desdemona 48]

Special---you don't necessarily need a lot of time documenting --particularly if you have any type of condition that can be assessed now. In my case, I never went to an MD regarding breast pain. I had discussed it once before w/my primary care but I don't even think that was in the notes. What I DID have was a hx of pain --in joints. I was sent for an MRI and X-rays several yrs ago that showed that the pain was associated with degenerative disc disease in my neck --- C 4-6. It's fairly common as people get older and especially true for women with oversized breasts and then it is worse for women who have been overweight. The cost of spine surg is very high and of course we (and more importantly - your ins co) does NOT want the condition to get worse because they don't want to pay for that. Recent research does show that Breast Reduction does significantly help that situation. Studies are also showing that there is a lower risk or death from B cancer with B reductions. So -- if you have pain in your neck, upper arms, or upper back, I urge you to complain about it to your primary care and have the area x-rayed. If you have degeneration -- you have a good case. If you have any bra strap marks on your shoulders that is also evidence and they will take a picture of it. If you have posture problems that should be noted. A reduction will also make it easier for you to exercise and get around. It really will. So I also did state that my breast did make it harder, (more uncomfortable) to exercise. I'm only 5 ft tall so even though I have always had larger and heavier breast and they were quite dense I actually didn't have a lot taken off. I had less than 300gs removed from each breast. Normally that is too little for ins co. but most companies do take your height into consideration. It used to be that they wouldn't pay for it unless it was at least 300. Studies show that short women can have large breast but 300gs can be too much to remove. Now -- because of the studies that show improvement of the spine for smaller women who have less than 300g removed -- they will still pay for it. IOnce I lost weight - they were hanging. I honestly believe that I gained weight, in part, because I was always so self-conscious so I also talk with my PS about that and he wrote it down.. Most people end up losing more weight after they get the reduction because they get more active and because they feel so much better that they are motivated. That is what has happened to me. I look younger. I feel younger. I'm motivated to be everything I can be. Stay in touch and let me know how it's coming along for you.

You will want to see whoever makes it comfortable for you. I would have seen a women too but a man was the best local 1 available for my ins plan. If you do end up seeing a man about this --- remember that they look at them all day long. They just aren't very thrilled to see my breast. Knowing that helped me.

I'm on day 4 of my new dieting program and it's coming along well. I do not weigh in at home. I weight for the MD because if I start at home -- I weight in about 20 times a day and start driving myself crazy. I just go by my clothes and I know that if I do what I'm suppose to do then I lose weight and I feel better than if I eat carbs.

Edited January 23, 2010 by Desdemona

[Desdemona 48]

HELLO?????!!! Do we have any March 08 Shamrocks out there lurking? Come on in and join us!

[lynnt1215 1]

Still here lurking around!!! busy as ever, work, moving..never enough time to get everything done. And my eating habits have been terrible. once I get settled I will get back on track and hopefully lose those last 20 # I have been struggling with

[nycm00 0]

Hey, I'm lurking about out here too. Sorry I have not been posting.

My husband left yesterday for a job in Afghanistan. Much of this month has been preparing for his departure and being sick. I've been sick, he's been sick, the kids werw all sick....it's been yucky and now I'm sick again!

My husband will be gone for 6 months. Then he gets 2 weeks off then back for another 6 months. He's going to be translating for the US military in Afghanistan. The scene at the airport yesterday was sad...sad...sad. The kids are just so sad.

Anyway....as far as eating goes...I'm not hungry at all, so I've been losing, but no excersize....at all. Just can't.

Hope to feel better soon and get moving.

Special K....glad to hear you were able to get off your project team. I was in a job situatioin like that once and it destroyed my confidence. Took me a year to get back to my old self. So, cudos to you for getting out of there. Good luck with the BR consult. I hope to look into PS when DH returns next winter...hopefully by then I'll be at goal.

Des...glad to hear you are back on track...hope to join you soon.

Lynn...nice to see your post. I was wondering how you were doing.

Christine

[Desdemona 48]

Hi Lynn---But I really have been admiring the way you have always hung in there ever since we got banded. I think you have just been doing great. I know you have had your share of "trials and tribulations" on this journey but you just keep plugging away. I pretty much keep up with what you're up to and I'm always motivated by you. Really! That's the truth.

Christine--sorry to hear you're husband's going to be away. A member of my family spent 2 years there in the early Peace Corps Days (mid 1960s) in a mobile unit vaccinating against small pox. Does your husband speak Farsi? She is still very close to the all female group of vaccinators she served with there.

I have gone through the same thing (being away from the board and not being that good about food) but I'm pleased to say that I really didn't gain much either. I do think it helped a lot that I finally found some stability to the crazy situation I was in for about 2 yrs. That does help us to calm down and think about our goals. I finally got so scared and disappointed in myself enough to come back and link up with people. I"m really psyched.

Thanks for coming back.

Edited January 24, 2010 by Desdemona