Alexandra

Dell, your next step will depend on several things. You should get a denial letter from the carrier specifically outlining your appeal steps. Get your contract and read it carefully. MANY policies say they exclude "treatment for obesity" but go on to say that treatment for MORBID obesity is covered. Do you qualify under that standard? Find out exactly what is excluded and why. Is it all treatment that's excluded? Just surgery? Just this kind of surgery? Why? Once you know the answers to these questions you'll be able to plan your next step. You should also investigate your state's rules about HMO plans and whether you have any right of external appeal. Visit your state's website for that info. Read, read, read! Talk to your employer's human resources person and find out who designed your plan (is it one of the carrier's standard plans? Or did the company pick and choose the features?). You have not lost the battle, you've only just found out that there will be one. But all is not lost!! Let us know what you find out, and we'll be here for you. (Donali, you know me like a book! )

I love the idea of a reference/newbie section with reading material, a different thread for each of the basic areas of knowledge. Your newbie post would be a perfect framework for that, divided up as separate standalone posts. I think those threads should be locked, though, so no messages could be placed on them. Each one could say something like: "For discussion on this topic go to [link to appropriate section]. Read and post to existing threads or start a new one!" Linking to live threads is a good idea. I think it backfires when people bump old threads rather than link to them. Then we see threads that look current but are really months old or more. That's the kind of thing that can give people a false impression, for example, of a "rash" of events when actually there's just old ones being bumped. Donali, what do you think of the idea of a separate "problems" section? Any other revisions needed to the forum arrangement? We've had a request to add Canadian provinces to the local support boards, are there any other things to be done?

THANK GOODNESS!!! :) Sheila, I'm so glad you posted an update--I've been thinking about you. What a wonderful bit of news! Let's hope whatever it is can be easily cleared up, and you'll be back in the game with no worries. Have a great day!!

Penni, you do an astounding amount of traveling! You're a very lucky woman. You're talking about the Walk from Obesity, right? For a second there I thought you were talking about doing the New York Marathon! Thanks for the update. I'm still thinking about whether I want to register for the walk or not. Part of me is a little uncomfortable with the whole fundraising element. But I am SO looking forward to seeing some LBTers in September whether we're walking or not. The hotel Bright mentioned is the Madison Hotel outside of Morristown NJ. It's about 25 miles from NYC but a lovely destination in its own right and very convenient to the train. And the surrounding towns of Morristown, Madison, and Chatham NJ are all very charming and have great restaurants and shopping. I'm going to try to talk DH into a night at the hotel just for a romatic interlude even though I live only about 20 minutes from there.

Michelle, I love what you say about still enjoying food! That's what is so amazing about banding--that we can be smaller and healthier and NOT be starving and always depriving ourselves. It's the miracle of being LESS HUNGRY!! :cool: Congratulations on a wonderful first year, and may even greater success await you!

That first year is full of changes, isn't it? Congratulations on a journey WELL begun, and may only better things await! :cool:

If you've been given the go-ahead to move on to mushy foods, then there's nothing wrong with meatballs and mashed potatoes. The potatoes aren't helping you nutritionally at all, so you want to save them for last. You were only banded a few days ago so you want to take good care and stop if anything feels at all uncomfortable, but otherwise you're doing fine! :cool:

Dell, Trish is absolutely right. It may take your coordinator 30 days just to get her act in gear! Call your carrier and make sure everything is in the right hands and they have everything they need. You don't want to wait 60 days only to be told they're still waiting for a fax or something!

That sounds like you're doing great to me, Gypj! If anything it's light on the calories and protein. Add another protein drink or two and you'll be right on target! What is your concern?

Megan, I'm so sorry! :cool: Whatever the reality, you DON'T deserve the negative drama this man has just brought to your life. You are a strong and beautiful woman, and your man is out there waiting for you.

Oh, Bright, I WISH there were some magic wand I could wave for all of us. The fact is, of course, it is all about taking in fewer calories than we expend. That's how we lose weight in the long term. However, I know it's possible for me to flucuate 5 or more pounds based on one salty meal--all that salt makes me retain Water, and I can retain a LOT of water! :rolleyes Sigh. It's not easy, and it's not magic. You're doing great, though, and these little bumps are just par for the course. Drink a lot of water and stay away from salt for the next few days, and I'll bet those extra pounds will pop back off in no time. :cool:

Lisa, I can edit the poll questions if you want. Let me know. What I like about the public nature of this poll is that we can see how multiple issues can apply to the same person. Even if it's clearly implied otherwise, it could be easy to assume that people can only vote for one option. I really don't know why anyone would balk at saying something negative. This is just a dry factual poll, and honesty serves everyone well. As for the numbers not being accurate? Sure they are: they accurately reflect the experiences of the 23 (at this point) people who have answered the poll. It will continue to be accurate, but only as related to the group who answer.

IMO a separate section for problems would serve no useful purpose. Threads don't "get lost" -- they're always available for anyone who searches. Obviously if other people don't agree new forums can always be added. There's no shortage of threads on problems, that's for sure! As an aside, I think having lots of sticky threads and/or old threads bumped tends to keep new people from posting much. All they have to do is read to get all the info they need--there's no motivation to ask questions or introduce themselves. We'll become a static reference site rather than a discussion/message board. (I'm already unhappy with the large number of sticky threads we have. They just crowd out new stuff. One or two per section should be it, IMO.) I certainly see the attraction of a newbie reference thread. But I don't want to discourage people from asking questions and talking, and I'm worried that a thread or section that purports to "sum it all up," and the frequent bumping up of old threads for new people does exactly that. We should (and do) have an FAQ and that would be wonderful to expand upon. But we can't answer everyone's questions with old discussions--there should always be new ones coming along. JMHO, of course. :cool:

I don't know if my doctors' office will do fills for patients other than their own, but I don't see why not. They welcome other patients to their support groups. However, I imagine they'd only be willing to do Inamed bands, since that's the kind they're expert in. But to be sure, go ahead and give them a call! Can't hurt to ask. See the link in my post above for their website and contact information. :cool:

You know, I think the fact that the poll is public is what makes it valuable. It sort of sums up each voter's experience and opinions in a nutshell--information that could be VERY helpful to newbies. Some of the questions might be edited to include more situations, but overall I think it's a great idea. Sort of a summary of LBT-ers' experience at a glance! Lisa, I have some suggestions if you're at all interested in editing the choices for broader appeal. Let me know.

Hi Estela, I'm not at "goal" weight but have read plenty of messages from people who are. Some of them don't remove any of their fill, others have a slight unfill if they want. There's no one way that people behave when they're at their "goal" -- it's as individual as all the other stages of banding. If my experience to date is any guide for the future, as I continue to lose weight my restriction will decrease. I expect there will come a time when my weight is stable at a level I'm happy with, my intake is correct to keep me there, and I'm not experiencing any negative effects from my band. That's my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! :cool:

Amber, if what you're worried about is strenuous exertion, the answer is: whenever you feel ready. That's it!

Congratulations!! :D

Hey Kathy, I tried that for a while. It was fun but I couldn't keep up so I unsubscribed. But now every single time I clean my sink I think of being a FlyBaby!

Hi Danny, No generalizations we can make will help you much. It all depends on your state, your employer, and a host of other factors. In general, United HC has been pretty good about covering the band, but large carriers change their policies all the time. And as for BC/BS, it's state-specific and what's true in New Jersey or Florida or Nebraska does not have any relevance for you (unless you're in one of those states, of course). You need to explore closer to home. Good luck!!

Jonathan, great post!! You really have summed it all up nicely.

I hope you find what you seek. To be honest, increased sexual activity has not been a side effect of my losing weight. Of course, there are loads of other issues in our lives that can impact our sex drives and every situation is different. I'm just saying don't place all your eggs in the weight-loss basket--sex is a multi-faceted thing.

I can no longer find 3 of my four scars, and the fourth is very small. (I think most doctors make 5 incisions, though.) The smaller ones are more like puncture wounds than incisions. It's amazing how they disappear!

Last November I had an unfill to help with reflux, and a couple of weeks later went in to see the doctor. I asked about getting filled again, and we scheduled the fluoro for Decmber 23rd. He said something to the effect that he hoped it wouldn't ruin my Christmas if he found out he'd have to operate! YIKES! So I know how you feel, a little. And as it turned out there was nothing wrong. I'm sending strong vibes that the same will be the case for you.

Is the only reason you decided on the band over bypass the possibility of lesser hair loss? You really didn't think at all about the other factors of the two surgeries? I'm sure that in your research you also discovered that the speed of weight loss does not compare between the two surgeries. Katerzz is right--look again in three years. I don't have any specific advice to dealing with your jealousy. It's sad when sisters or even friends can't be supportive of one another, whether it's WLS or anything else.