Alexandra

Flower, the VAST majority of people do not get port or other infections. You only hear about the ones who do but for every one who does there are countless others who do not, and who don't post about NOT getting infections. In my encounters with fellow bandsters at support group meetings the issue of port infection comes up only very rarely. If your doctor is competent and you care for the wound well, I think it's very unlikely you'll get an infection.

I agree with Sue. The only thing Tricare needs to hear now is that the band IS as safe and effective as RNY. Don Mills can probably help you with this; I'm sure there are more recent studies available that can support your contention that the band is safer and as effective for RNY for you. Good luck!!

Oh, Nykee, I'm so sorry you're going through this! Time will help and indeed, so will hot liquids sipped very cautiously. Whatever you do, do NOT try to eat any solid food! You must give your esophagus and stoma time to rest and let the swelling go down. You will not starve, and it WILL get better when you give it some time. I don't understand having someone "test" a fill on solid food. It's so common to have a fill "kick in" hours, days, or weeks later and what's just tight enough on the day of the fill might be too tight later on. Be careful! 24 hours on liquids after a fill seems to be a common prescription. So now you're on your liquids, and you should probably stay on them for several days. Good luck, and let us know how you're doing! I'm thinking of you with crossed fingers.

Unfortunately, no, Judi, there is nothing to be done about incompetence. Just stay on them and make sure all your papers are received. That is really important, because weeks can go by and you'll call for a decision just to find out that one document got, as you say, misrouted. ARGH! I totally feel your pain.

Hi Lu Ann, I don't know about your state but here in NJ there is a requirement that insurance carriers deliver decisions within 30 days. In practice it's actually a lot faster. There's probably a similar time frame at work where you are. In my experience as an insurance broker, I've learned it's not the decision-making that takes time; it's delivering all the paperwork to the right people. Once that's done, I think you have a right to expect an answer within 10 business days and possibly a lot faster. Good luck!!

Congratulations, Krystal! You're right not to let it go to your head, though, since it WILL slow down once you're on solid food. It might even reverse itself a little. But WOW, you are so far ahead of the game right now!

Shawn, sadly there are WLS patients all over the country having the same experience you are with their surgeons' "support" groups. Our experience is so different from that of RNY patients, it boggles my mind that any practice can still think combined support groups make any sense. Talk to your doc's office and see if you can start a separate support group for bandsters only. It only takes two of you to make a group, and surely you can find one other bandster from your practice who wants to talk. Our separate support group started with only two or three people and now we regularly get more than a dozen. Still nothing compared to the 50 or more that come to the RNY groups, but who cares? There's simply nothing to be gained by a bandster at those meetings. If I were you I'd stay away. If your doctor says the meetings are mandatory try to make it clear that RNY meetings do more harm than good for you as a bandster. All you'll see is other people losing weight faster and dealing with totally different physical issues than you are. What on earth would be the point?

Megan, you look fantabulous!! And like you're having a leeetle too much fun in that bathroom.

Beautiful, Penni!

Keri, that's fantastic news that you won an appeal over Aetna!! Can you share what the reasons were that your doctor used to appeal? How many times did you have to appeal? Did you actually get Aetna to reverse its own position? That would be awesome!!

Are you a nursing mom who is getting banded? Or someone who is just wondering about it for the future? IMO, if you're currently nursing and go for banding, you very likely will suffer a drop in milk production as you drop your intake of calories. Whether your nursing relationship could survive that is questionable, I'd think. If you're not yet pregnant then I think you'll be perfectly fine during the nursing phase as well as pregnancy and delivery. Your body will adjust to whatever you're giving it, and while you may want additional nutrients for you, your baby will be just fine. Having your band emptied while pregnant is easily enough done and seems to be common enough practice.

Congratulations, Christina!! Welcome to B-Town!! :D

As at least a half-Scorpio, I have to say that literally nothing on this list applies to me except the part I bolded. I have none of the qualities you listed, or if I do I have them to very small degree. Ironically enough, I've only just had my first friend-stabbed-me-in-the-back experience, and though it was only ten days or so ago I'm already forgetting all about it. Or maybe it actually has happened before, but I don't recall--I guess that's possible. It might be tempting to think of this trait as "sucker" but I'd much prefer to think of it as faithful and loyal. I've never had fights with friends, which is why this recent experience took me by such surprise. So what are Sagittarians like? Guess I'm it, 'cause I'm sure not a Scorpio. Zoe, you hit the nail on the head. Headstrong and OBNOXIOUS is my brother, absolutely!!

Hi Rosemary! I hope all the Abkin/Bertha bandsters will make it a point to attend the support group meeting on the last Wednesday of each month. It's a great chance to just sit and vent and listen to one another and bounce things off the NP and nutritionist who are always there. Come on down!! The next one is the 29th at 7:00 p.m. Nice to meet you all!!

Hi Cherie! I'm a mom and here to tell you that mom-life is MUCH better after losing some of the excess weight. My littlest girl would have run me into a heart attack 100 lbs ago. Now I can (almost) keep up with her! Welcome to LBT and best of luck with your continued pursuit of the band. We're always here to listen and answer if we can!

One of these days I have to have my chart really analyzed. I'm a Scorpio/Sagittarius cusp and don't recognize the traits of either in myself. My mom and older daughter show(ed) obvious signs of their Virgo-ness, and my younger daughter the Taurus is still coming into her own. And my brother fits the Aries profile to a T (though I can't just now remember how it goes--I just remember thinking that he was it). We cusps are very, ahem, complicated. Right, Betty?

Jonathan, wow, this really is a rough time on you indeed. You're a strong person and will be even stronger for having traveled this passage and come through it. Your squids are very lucky! Peace to you and your family and all the best of luck to you in your new life.

If your doctor feels you are a good candidate for banding, then a case can be made on the medical necessity. I heard a doctor say recently that if you look deeply enough into the medical profile of a severely obese person--even a very healthy one--you can find co-morbidities. In addition, there are LOTS of US doctors who will band patients with a BMI of just 35 or more. The insurance companies are the problem, they might not pay for it. But if you're a self-pay you shouldn't have trouble finding the surgeon.

Hi newbies, and welcome to LBT and banded life!! Sounds like you're both doing perfectly normally, and you will feel better each and every day now. The hard part is over! With regard to burping, that's not unusual at this point. Try to consciously limit the amount of air you're taking in when you drink. Lots of people just unconsciously swallow air when they drink and it's a hard habit to break. Post-banding that can definitely increase the burping issues. Your port site is definitely going to hurt the most and the longest of all the surgical incisions. For obvious reasons. You may even feel pulling or shooting pains there for several weeks. All of this is normal, and should continue to fade over time. If it doesn't seem to be getting noticeably better, or if anything gets worse at all, call your doctor! Don't feel sheepish, that's what they're there for. And no, most doctors do not fill the 4cc Inamed bands at time of surgery. It depends on the kind of band you have and the capacity, but the most common procedure is to install the band empty. Once you're completely healed from the surgery, you very likely will feel no restriction at all.

Margo, self-pay patients are unusual enough in this day and age that it's not really surprising they won't have a "list price" for a given surgical procedure. You'll probably end up negotiating it if you're self-pay; some costs like the hospital fees and the band itself are fixed, but the surgeon's fees are flexible. They'll likely want to talk with you a bit more before throwing a price out there, since they'll not want to scare you away but also not undercut themselves out of the gate. It's normal procedure, I'm sure. Try asking for the "range" of costs for self-pay patients. You might get a better response if you try that. Where are you insurance-wise? Do you think you have a good chance?

Oh my god, I just laughed out loud! Priceless, Crystal. Fabulous!! Good thing I wasn't drinking anything. I'm with everyone else in thinking your husband was a little tactless, Madeline's Mom. As time goes on I hope he'll come around and see how hard you're working. My DH was on the fence about the surgery in the first place but he's gotten over that.

Oh man, I miss this stuff. Before my first daughter was born DH and I were very much into Myst and Riven-type games. We LOVED Myst and could never match that first amazing experience with it, though not for lack of trying. Now my game-time is so limited it's never worth even firing one up. DH loves Diablo, though, and I can find him playing that pretty frequently.

Vera, I wish your familiy members the best kind of care and recovery. This is absolutely terrifying for everyone involved. The good news is that the 2 year old wasn't killed by the bus! When I heard the report last night they said she was in critical condition, but the news this morning says she has only a broken leg!! And the other toddler who fell out of a 4th-floor window suffered a broken arm and concussion. Thank goodness for small blessings. We just have to look for them, they're there.

Well that's odd. I have no idea what that might be about. Does it only happen when you're at this site? Maybe it's something one of MSN's automated spiders does when it's here. Yuck.

Congratulations, Paula!! It is absolutely these kinds of NSVs that mean the most. We're getting out and participating in life in ways we couldn't before--sharing experiences with the rest of the world we'd been shut out from in the past. Yay for you!! And that swimmin' hole looks like the best kind of fun. Can I visit next time?