Alexandra

Congratulations!! Best wishes for an uneventful surgery and quick healing. And let me say, as a former editor, that I love your handle!!

If you're eligible for more than one group plan you can choose one or the other, or even be covered under both (though only one can be primary). This situation is unusual though: you have to be working 25 hours or more to be eligible, so if you're just an "officer" at a company you might not meet the requirements. (BTW, I'm a NJ insurance broker so I'm actually speaking from knowledge and experience. Just in case you were wondering.)

That means they generally exclude all WLS procedures, but might conditionally approve them. In other words, it says a whole lot of nothing. What kind of plan is it? Is it a large company or a small group?

Here's the pertinent portion from the Oxford Liberty individual application: Eligibility Requirements 1. Eligibility requirements are determined under the Individual Health Coverage Reform Act of 1992, P.L. 1192, c. 161. 2. You must be a New Jersey resident. 3. You and any family members you wish to cover must not be eligible to be covered under: (a) a group Health Benefits Plan, Group Health Plan, Governmental Plan, or Church Plan; or ( Medicare. (See eligibility requirements in item 5 below) By completing the application and submitting it one is attesting that the above requirements have been met. If that's not true, it could be considered a fraudulent application and the contract rendered null and void. Just a word to the wise.

I was diagnosed hypothyroid about a year before being banded. I take Synthroid and my levels are well-managed. As far as I know, my thyroid issues have had no effect on my band experience, and so far my med levels have not had to be adjusted post-weight-loss (though I'm way overdue for testing, so that might change).

That's just it: people who are eligible for group insurance are NOT eligible for individual coverage in NJ--they don't meet the criteria for insurance. Focus, you were misinformed. I just looked it up and one of the MAIN criteria for being eligible for individual health insurance (in the state of NJ, people, I'm only talking about NJ) is NOT being eligible for group insurance. Sure, you may have slipped through the cracks, but when you applied for individual you should have been asked if you are eligible for group. If you were asked the question about group eligibility, you should have answered yes, and you should have not been permitted to proceed with your individual application. If your individual carrier decides to investigate at some point you might be kicked off the individual plan and have all your claims reversed. Under certain circumstances if you already have an individual plan you might be able to keep it if you join a group policy, but the reverse is never true. Individual coverage is NOT supposed to replace or supplement group coverage under any circumstances. Things like this happen all the time and you may very well not get caught. I'm just letting you know what the laws are in the state of NJ. Is your company a NJ-based company? Are you a NJ resident? If both of those are true, then what your insurance agent told you is not. (Is the agent licensed in NJ?) What individual policy did you buy that didn't ask if you're eligible for group?

If I were you I'd reconsider this. Your individual carrier might decide you committed insurance fraud and ultimately not pay any claims. If you're eligible for group insurance, why aren't you on the group insurance plan?

Hey WKMom, congratulations on getting out of a bad situation! However hard the next few months will be, you've taken a huge step and should be very proud of yourself. Your new life will come togther in time, and this time on YOUR terms. The car accident sucks, but thank goodness no one was hurt. If there is a suit, your loss of control will count in your favor. Good luck with everything, and stay strong!

Guns scare me, to be honest. But I can see the points about law-abiding citizens having them, and can certainly understand the desire to protect one's life and property. But I wish like hell the NRA would back off of objecting to background checks and waiting periods, and realize that a sensible approach to gun ownership does NOT include unfettered access to assault rifles. The fact is that guns are dangerous, much more dangerous than cars in the wrong hands. In children's hands. It absolutely breaks my heart when I hear about an accidental shooting of or by a child caused by the carelessness of a gun-owning parent.

Yes, it's normal!! Congratulations on getting banded, and welcome to LBT. What you're experiencing is just your way of the body ridding itself of the anaesthesia and all the other stuff you were subjected to during surgery. Not to worry. You may very well have diarrhea for a while until you get on to full liquids and mushy foods, but don't worry. You're fine!!

Congratulations!! Good luck with the new job. How exciting!

You can drink as much non-caloric liquid as you want. In fact, it's very important to keep hydrated, as this helps with weight loss. It's liquid CALORIES we're supposed to avoid, not liquid itself. And you should avoid drinking right after meals. So drink up!

Where does one buy this miracle stuff?

Heh. Is there any question? After giving birth twice, banding surgery was a walk in the park. I didn't use any pain relief after I got home. Of course, I needed to drive the next day so I didn't want to risk being fuzzy-headed. But still, I survived.

Congratulations to the new bandsters! The pain is very individual, and comes and leaves on its own time. Many people don't need any pain relief, and just as many take a week to even be able to walk around comfortably. Sounds like you're right in the middle!! Take it very easy. It's very common for people to overdo it on the first or second day they feel better, just because they feel SO much better they want to run around and do jumping jacks. Resist the urge!!

Oh my god, Jill, what a wrenching story! I am SOOO glad your daughter will be OK. I can relate to how you feel, though; you're not alone. When my older dd was 10 weeks old--remember how tiny they are at that age?--I was carrying her down the stairs in my house and slipped on the second stair from the top. As much as you think you'll never let go, instinct to protect myself took over and I actually let go of my baby! She went flying down the entire flight of stairs and landed on the bottom with a crash. In the few seconds that this took, I felt my life end--I was thinking: you have killed your child; motherhood was fun, but now it's over; this will define my life for the rest of my days; this will be my tragedy. So I can very much imagine how you felt watching this horrible thing happen to your daughter. My daughter was just fine; but I was in shock for a week. Please realize this was NOT your fault; it's the universe's way of teaching us that not everything is within our control and we have to appreciate the here and now. Take care of yourself, take care of your daughter, lots of hugs and kisses to her from a mom who knows what it feels like.

Melody, a lot of your symptoms sound very familiar to me; I think I'm dealing with exactly the same thing right now. My approach is going to be an unfill, though, since I really can't function on such poor sleep and nothing I do makes it completely go away. If you're willing to keep fighting, try taking Sudafed or another decongestant. I completely agree with you about drainage not having anywhere to go when we're lying down, and I think that problem is compounded by a lessening of the reflexes in the esophagus after being banded long-term. I'm concerned enough about this possibility that I'm having an upper GI next week when I have the unfill. Spring is definitely the worst time, which tells me it's linked to allergies. I'm taking Claritin daily and Sudafed before bedtime, but if I have anything to eat after 6:00 p.m. I still feel it after I've gone to sleep. sleeping in a recliner helps a lot, but I'm not getting the rest I really need to function well. So the fill comes out. IMO, it's time for me to stop relying or thinking about restriction as a weight-loss aid. Well, not completely, but the amount of restriction I will still have after the unfill PLUS the years of changed behavior SHOULD add up to my being able to maintain my weight loss. I'm telling myself it's time to step up to the plate and not make any excuses anymore. I want to keep my band inside me, and if that means having zero fill then that's what it means. Good luck and I hope it resolves for you. But please do think about an unfill; the constant cycle of reflux and coughing may be doing more damage than you think.

Hear hear!! :nod: :nod: :nod:

I'll be the odd one out and say no, I don't get more attention now than before. I get different attention, yes, but not only from men. People in general are much more willing to meet my gaze, and are less likely to pretend I don't exist. That was a surprising change and one I very much appreciate. But attention from random men has always been of the unpleasant variety, when it comes, and men who are going to ogle strange women don't--in my experience--have very discriminating tastes. I've always gotten a certain amount of that no matter what I look like. And I hate it. Maybe it's me, but I don't feel like my very presence on the street is an invitation to flirt. I don't like being objectified, and I'm actually quite relieved that there hasn't been a marked increase in that sort of activity since I lost weight.

Lots of people have to have sleep studies done before banding. Maybe they found something in your bloodwork or elsewhere that makes them think you have apnea or something. Don't worry--it's just another step on the road to better health. If they do find a problem you'll be that much closer to taking care of every possibility. You don't want any surprises!

Oh my goodness! I'm so glad everything is going to be OK. That is so scary, but don't blame yourself: there is just no possible way to guard against all the things little kids can get into. Just thank your stars that no permanent damage was done, and be sure to tell your children about how dangerous things like that can be! Big hugs to your little one, I hope he's feeling much better soon.

I don't understand why you'd be having a problem with this; it seems to be working for me. What isn't working for me is the automatic login. Is anyone else having problems with that? I come to the site and am greeted as a guest (from any of three computers that I use). But then I click on "Today's Posts" and I'm then logged in and shown the list of threads with new posts. Weird!!

Directly after banding, during the recovery phase, they really are necessary to keep one's nutrition up. But once you're on mushies and then solid food, protein shakes are really just one additional option that many people use for convenience. I know that I find them very helpful as do others, particularly for breakfast when other high-protein sources are not practical.

:whoo: :whoo: :whoo: Congratulations, Jay!!

Two words: Unrealistic expectations. So many people hear the words "weight-loss surgery" and think that's all there is to it--you have surgery, you lose the weight. But the truth is a bit different, and people who are not prepared for the journey aspect are often taken by unpleasant surprise. Banding surgery is just a beginning, and just the very first step on a long journey. I hope your acquaintance can come around and see that she's been given a gift and if she uses it right, she can meet her goals. And I hope her goals change a bit, too.