Alexandra

That sounds like a great idea! Did you see that in your regular grocery store?

I assume you had a pulmonologist because you were having some lung issues, right? That would be reason enough to accede to his suggestion that testing be done. No question! In total agreement on this point. But it does not follow that all heavy people suffer from the condition. I don't know what "desat" means, but if there's a less extensive way to screen for sleep apnea I'd be all for it for anyone seeking WLS. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't a definitive diagnosis actually require a night at a sleep center? The cost of that must be exhorbitant and it seems like extreme overkill if there are absolutely no symptoms.

Fills are a matter of personal need and want. Once you've lost the amount of weight you want to lose, no additional adjustments should be necessary. The good news is, though, that if you WANT to have your band adjusted--either tighter or looser--you always CAN. In the active weight-loss phase people can experience significant lessening of restriction as they lose weight, because there's less fat in the stomach area as well as everywhere else. As the stomach tissue thins out the restriction may ease, allowing the patient to eat more and slowing the weight loss. So at that time a small tightening might be in order. Most people do need multiple adjustments during the active weight loss phase. But it's entirely personal as to how many adjustments that means, and how long after surgery that goes on.

Congratulations!!! :)

Congratulations, Sandy, you look wonderful!! :)

We can't predict what your insurer will accept, of course. If your doctors' notes show discussion about your weight, possibly that they've given you a diet to follow, talked about exercise and so on, some of that time may indeed count. Sue, I'm not trying to minimize the importance of sleep apnea being correctly diagnosed, but not everyone needs the testing. The woman in the profile you linked to above had clear symptoms prior to surgery: No one ever suggested a sleep apnea test to me, because I had no reason to suspect I had the condition. It doesn't make sense to conduct this expensive testing for every person if there's no evidence of apnea.

Yikes, that's a new one on me, too. I'm so sorry that happened to you!

Barbara, even if I'm reading your weight loss differently and you've only lost a net 10 lbs in the last two months, that's 10 lbs that you DON'T HAVE anymore! That's great progress without a fill and you've got a great jump start now. Your band is not designed to work without an appropriate fill. Most people experience little or no restriction until they have had one or more adjustments. Many people don't lose any weight before their first fill, and some gain. You're ahead of the game and doing great!!

Poodles, every person's pre-op routine is going to be different based on their personal health situation. Doctors have a general list of pre-requisite tests they like to have done, which varies from doctor to doctor, and insurance carriers may also have some requirements. But all of those "general" rules are subject to change based on your particular medical needs. My insurer wanted a diet history and a record of a 6-month physician-supervised attempt at weight control. I had been seeing doctors over the last five years, through two pregnancies and so on, so there were lots of notes from my PCP and my OB-GYN about my weight and our concern about it. By the time I went to get approval for WLS, all those notes added up to way more than 6 months' worth. We can't tell you what will or will not work in your situation. But more information is always better than less, so gather your notes together.

A sensation of .. clenching (I guess) ... isn't uncommon when you're learning to live with your new restriction. It really does make a big difference in the size and timing of the bites you can take, and learning what that threshhold is can be tough! Try a warm drink shortly before eating, and really rest after the first and second bites. Get your esophagus sort of primed so it knows food is coming down. Then take it slow! If you can drink readily and can eat really well-chewed bites, you're not too tight. You're there!!

Point TAKEN!!

I completely agree. This is the way EVERYONE in this amazing country can pledge their allegiance to our flag, and for the republic for which it stands. Inserting words about a deity not everyone believes in just alienates an entire segment of the population. I don't see how anyone could object to taking the Pledge back to its original wording. Say whatever else YOU want when you're reciting it, but the formal wording should be utterly inclusive of ALL Americans. And "under God" just ain't it.

That's how we'd accomplish the first-grade admission, Kathy, yep. If we can get her reading even a little she'd already be way ahead of her kindergarten-age peers. Homeschooling is a little intimidating to think about, especially for a mom who works full-time, but if we make the firm decision to proceed with first-grade admission next year we'll take it on.

Thanks for the feedback, ladies. Part of the problem is that we're trying to think so far ahead. Our district has registration for the fall in March (!) so we're trying to have some idea of where we want to go before we get there. I keep waffling! Catie is still in pre-school and my sense is that she's dominating it utterly. But it's very hard to judge how she'd be in a real classroom setting because there's just none of that going on in this class. And another issue is that my district only has 1/2-day kindergarten, and it seems to me a year of THAT would just be a total waste. So we're thinking about trying to hop over it to start her in 1st grade at age 5. But then I waffle again and think she's better off in the same age group where she can be a chief among Indians. While some kids definitely blossom in that situation, I worry that she may develop a tendency to dominate physically (i.e., be a bully) since even now she's always the "in charge" child. It's so hard to really assess a child's personality at this age because so much changes even from month to month. Most of my impressions are based on her physicality; and while I'm certain that she is NOT academically ready for first grade right now, next year is 12 months away and by then she may very well be. I wish she could have started kindergarten this year, but we would have had to hop that train last March! Where's my crystal ball?

Please help me and my husband out, we're in a quandary and don't know how to proceed. Here's the situation: My younger daughter Catie is extremely tall for her age and precocious in most other ways. She just turned 4 in May and is often mistaken for being her sister's twin (who is 7, in 2nd grade, and tall for HER age). Catie isn't scheduled to start kindergarten until fall of 2006. But she's going to be so physically out of synch with her classmates, and she's already learning to read, so we're considering trying to have her admitted into first grade next year. Being out of step with one's classmates can be challenging for any child. I know, because I was taller and larger than my classmates all during my school years, even though I was young for my grade. I never felt like a full-fledged member of my peer group, and quite frankly it was torture a lot of the time. I can think of a lot of things I might have done differently if I hadn't been dealing with feelings of isolation during my formative years. Which leads me to my question: which is preferable, to be larger and the same age as one's peers? Or to be younger and closer to the same size? If Catie starts 1st grade next year, she'll be waiting behind while her friends are bar or bas mitzvahed, have sweet sixteens, learn to drive, date, and all the other milestones of adolescence. (But if her physical development continues as it's been going, she'll probably hit puberty long before her peers do. And that could be way worse.) Stories from your pasts are welcome. We're really trying to see into a crystal ball here, and it's hard!

Congratulations!!

Hi Jill--congratulations and welcome!! Sounds like you are doing great; just be good to yourself and the healing will continue. Nice to meet you!

Sounds like you should be able to work out a payment plan, maybe, with the doctors or hospital or even both. A percentage downpayment plus a promise of $xx a month thereafter is often acceptable to both parties. Give it a whirl! There's no real reason to seek financing elsewhere if your providers are willing to work with you.

Hi Leslie, I'm sorry you're feeling so lousy. You had two surgeries right on top of one another, you've been through a lot! I hope each day finds you feeling better and stronger. And take it very slow with the eating...before you know it you'll be back in the saddle. Good luck and please let us know how you're doing.

Beechstreet is not an insurance product, it's a network of providers working through many, many different insurance carriers and programs. There's no one answer to "how" they are; they don't set the medical parameters for how conditions are covered. You should call your employer and find out who makes the determination of medical necessity in situations like this. If you work for a large company, it may even be your employer who decides what's covered.

Hey Alexra! Wow, sounds like you've been through the wringer this summer. I hope fall finds you and your family healthy and well. It sounds to me like you're having pre-fill tightening syndrome I just made that up, but I know that every time I schedule a fill I immediately start feeling new restriction, and consider cancelling the appointment. So don't worry, keep the appointment, and wait and see how you're feeling closer to the date.

Again, whether this is true depends on what state you're in. New Jersey has guaranteed access to individual health coverage, and I know that bariatric surgery is a covered item in individual policies if it's medically necessary. So a LOT depends on where you are in the U.S.

Wow, that doesn't sound good. You were only banded a week ago? Maybe it's surgery related, as opposed to band-related. Exercise shouldn't be a problem, but perhaps you tried to do a little too much, too soon. Take it easy, you're still healing!! Please let us know what your docs say. Good luck!!

Outpatient surgery does NOT mean you skip the general anaesthesia. But it's a very short operation and within a few hours you should be able to go home. I had surgery at 8:00 a.m. and was home by 1:00 or so.

I decided a LONG time ago that only 100% cotton is going next to my nether regions. After losing weight I've had to change some things, but not that. So I wear Hanes or Fruit of the Loom hipsters with covered elastic. And though I don't particularly like plain white, that's what I have the most of because even the packages with the wild colors include two or three of plain white. So no Buicks here, and nothing synthetic either.