Alexandra

Hummus is a GREAT food for the mushie stage. I practically lived on it. Bread is one of those things that most bandsters just phase out. It's not like suddenly your body won't be able to handle it or anything; it's just a mechanical fact that with so little room in the pouch and stoma, bread products fill us up WAY too fast. You may indeed have a couple of bites of bagel for lunch one day, but when you realize that will become your entire lunch, you will probably decide to eat something else most of the time. I've just decided I prefer eating the entire insides of a sandwich without the bread, rather than only two bites of the sandwich or burger with the bread.

Congratulations!! I'm so proud of your determination and persistence. That's the way to win!! YAY!!! :)

Lynn, in New Jersey there is a regulation that insurance carriers must render decisions within 30 days. I don't know where you are but maybe there's a similar requirement in your state. In my experience, it doesn't take that long. But you can stay on top of it yourself, you know. Once you know your doctor has submitted the request, give it five business days and then call the carrier to be sure it's all been received. Ask if the file is complete, and if they can't give you an answer right then go ahead and ask when their preliminary review will be complete. Tell them you're not looking for a decision on the request, you just want to be sure your doctor's office didn't forget something. There's nothing worse than waiting 30 days and then calling just to be told that, oh yes, there is one document missing and, oh yes, someone should have called the doctor's office by now... :angry Don't let this happen to you! Stay on top of them and you may get your answer sooner. Good luck!!

Wow, Jodie, sounds like you went at them with both barrels!! My fingers are crossed for a great outcome. Please keep us posted!!

That's EXACTLY the point of not letting ourselves get too hungry!! No laughing and pointing fingers here, lady, but I will fasten on your official bandster badge. You get the purple one, with gold fringe. Congratulations, and LET'S BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!!

My heart is breaking for you ladies. Which probably wasn't the point of this thread. My mother was a garden-variety alcoholic. With all the antics, though, she treated my brother and me fairly well. Alcohol addiction doesn't automatically render one sadistic and cruel, thankfully. At worst we were a bit neglected, and my father more than made up for that by being interested, supportive, and unfailingly attentive and affectionate. (Wow, I miss him.) When I think of my "crazy" mother all I can come up with is her unusual fashion sense. She came to watch me play volleyball in high school dressed in her usual outfit: a sweatshirt, Frye boots, overalls, and a leather peace-sign necklace. She cut her own hair, badly. This was in Manhattan in the '70s, mind you, in the private-school milieu that called for designer sportswear. Shall we say she stood out, a little? :rolleyes But she came. I do remember that.

Yep, it's true. the band does nothing to dim your appetite or provide restriction until it's adjusted. There are the rare bandsters who feel restriction from the get-go and don't need a fill for months, but they are RARE. It's much more likely that once the healing is done full hunger will return, and there will be no help from the band until it's adjusted. So yes, you're absolutely normal.

I just meant that some people never need a third fill; the restriction they got from their second fill does them fine for a long time. I'm so sorry you are in a situation that means chronic pain and discomfort for you. It boggles my mind that your doctor doesn't think his placement of the band has anything to do with this. If you have no pouch to speak of, then it seems obvious that food staying in your esophagus is what's causing the problem. Please do seek a second opinion if/when you have the opportunity. In the meantime, I think if I were in your shoes I'd probably be living on liquids. And that is obviously no way to live with the band.

Hi Beth! Welcome to LBT and to the wonderful world of banding! Yes indeed, a "fill" is just a way of referring to the adjustments made to the band as necessary. Sometimes Fluid is added (a "fill") sometimes it's taken out (an "unfill") but either way it's an adjustment. Good luck at Dover General!! The last time I was there I was very impressed with the improvements made. I'm sure you'll have terrific care. And I hope we'll see you at the next support group meeting, on the 27th of this month. By then you'll be feeling your old self again.

Wow, this is VERY good advice. I'm flying to the west coast next month, so I'm glad to see this message. It'll be my first flight since being banded and I wouldn't have thought to pay attention to this. Thanks!!

Mel, I'm so sorry you're up against this. The good news is that you're young, and things have a way of changing over time. Maybe you can look for a different job? Maybe you can take on a part-time job and bank the money toward saving toward banding? Nothing is ever "over" as long as we're willing to keep trying. Look up, look around, look everywhere and things will fall into place. I'm confident that everything will work out the way it's supposed to for you--a delay is not always a bad thing.

No, I'm sorry to say. But if you're no longer working there, perhaps a new job with a different policy will be better for you? When there's an exclusion (in states that allow it) it's VERY hard to fight.

Desertmom, there's no answer to that question. Some people never need a third fill, and others skip right past it to a fourth. Your situation is different enough, too, that I don't think you can make any comparisons to other people's fills that would be helpful. How are you feeling, by the way?

Hi Apple, My doctor takes the approach that there is no point in knowing the exact amount of saline in the band. There are three levels: too much, not enough, and just right. He does record it, of course, and will let me know how much has been added or taken out, but the total amount in my band remains a mystery to me.

Joe, I hope you will take a little more time and think about which procedure YOU think is right for you. Insurance is NO reason to make a healthcare decision, and even your doctor may have other agendas you aren't aware of. But the fact remains that YOU are the one who will have to live with the results of the procedure, good AND bad. So think very carefully before you allow anyone else to decide for you. The rest of your life is a very long time. Also, please know that it is indeed possible to triumph over an insurance company that doesn't want to pay for banding--I got Aetna to pay after a third-pary review. All that said, I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide.

Me too. I remember when Gillian first wrapped her arms around me, she was thrilled.

Hmmm... sounds too good to be true. I'm very skeptical of stuff like this. On the other hand, I swear by melatonin, so who knows?

The best place to start is www.inamed.com for referrals to banding surgeons in her area. Then she can contact the surgeons and her insurance carrier to get more information on the local process. And of course she can always come here for the real scoop!

Like La_Madam, I'm satisfied and I'm nowhere near "goal." It's purely a mental thing, and I truly think being dissatisfied with our appearance is something we can change. That said, it's not easy to stop thinking of ourselves as the fat girl. I don't ever expect to let go of that self-perception no matter how "thin" I get. But that's not the same thing as being dissatisfied with my progress and current state of health.

Hey, don't apologize for not knowing all the ins and outs of your insurance policy. MOST of us don't read that stuff until we need it. As far as the doctor telling you they "accept" your insurance but you have to pay up front, that means they're not in your network. Saying they "accept" a plan is not the same thing as saying they're actually in the network. And this is a VERY important distinction, when it comes to big-ticket procedures like surgery. Be sure you find a surgeon who is a participating physician with the Horizon POS network, and you won't be socked with a big deductible and coinsurance payment. I know there are banding docs in South Jersey, aren't there? If you have trouble finding one, though, 2.5 hours might start looking like less and less distance to travel.

Lisa, why is the surgeon's consultation fee out of pocket? Is the surgeon in your network? If the office visit isn't covered with a copay I'd be concerned that there will be some issue with how the surgery will be covered. What kind of plan do you have, and are you sure the surgeon participates? And the hospital?

Lisa, I can ASSURE you that BCBS of NJ looks very kindly on WLS, including banding. If your surgeon has dealt with them before, he should be able to give you a very good idea of what's going to be involved in getting approved. NO carrier will ever guarantee that something will be covered before the fact. It all depends on the information they receive at the time of the claim. The medical case for bariatric surgery is clear: a BMI of 40 or above, or of 35-39 with two co-morbidities. If you meet that medical definition (and presumably you do, or your surgeon wouldn't be considering you as a patient) Horizon DOES cover bariatric surgery. Horizon doesn't have any fancy qualifying regimens or pre-op hoops you have to jump through. They say if it's medically necessary, it will be covered in accordance with your contract. So all you and your doctor have to show is that it's medically necessary.

There is only one person in my life whose attitude toward me has changed, and I don't know if it's really because of my weight loss or other issues. We only met in 2001, but became good enough friends that I confided in her when I started looking at banding. She was outwardly supportive but I know inside she just felt it shouldn't be necessary. (Of course--SHE is a size 8 and while sure, she works out and watches what she eats, she's NEVER had any weight issue she couldn't whip into submission quickly. :rolleyes ) So we didn't discuss it much and only once or twice has she told me I look good. Over the last year she's become more prickly toward me, and while there may be lots of other reasons I think my weight loss is a contributing factor. It's so easy to feel superior when someone who might otherwise be a professional threat to you has such an obvious liability. She even positioned herself as being something of a mentor to me back in 2002-3, something I now know she did just to suit her own purposes. In any event, while I don't think the end of our rapport is totally due to my weight loss, I do think that had I not lost weight she would still be my "friend." She's accused me of being "high and mighty"--something that NO ONE who knows me would say about me. That tells me we never really were friends, and if she is willing to throw me over for invented reasons there's a lot more going on than I knew about. True friends embrace our new selves, and it's been wonderful to see how sincerely happy for me my close friends are.

We have a well here, so I drink tap water. It's yummy!

This study is WAY outdated. By its very nature, FDA trials involve doctors who are new to the device and may not have managed their patients as well as they do now. I've even heard that fills were done on a schedule for this trial, as opposed to the personalized approach that is so important. Inamed might have newer statistics. Have you tried contacting them?