Alexandra

You're welcome, Kathy! I don't know what it is, but my brain sometimes holds on to things I've only seen fleetingly. Something about your question just rang a bell in my head, and the name POPPED right in. I don't have any idea why that happens. Glad I could help!

The user is EricBermudez, but you're right in that the post may have been lost in the server crash. I read quickly through his posts but couldn't find the one you are looking for.

Laurend, the answers to your question vary from state to state. Generally speaking, if you get insurance through an employer's group plan, you can't be denied and pre-existing condition exclusions are limited. It's only individual policies that can be denied based on health underwriting, and regulations about that vary considerably depending on where you live. Some states have guarnateed-issue policies that must be available to anyone who's eligible, but they can be expensive. What state are you in? If you ask your question in your state forum here you may hear from someone who knows the answer where you are.

Well, I guess I shouldn't say that...because the unfill DID accomplish what it was supposed to do. It completely eliminated my reflux immediately. Since my saline was removed about six weeks ago I've slept like a baby without even being careful about eating later in the evening. But WHACK! My hunger is back in a way it wasn't the last time I was unfilled. My theory is that back in February, I had reflux and irritation that went on for more than a month before I had the endoscopy and unfill. All of that took time to resolve and it wasn't until several months later that I noticed my significant lack of restriction and hunger pangs returning. I didn't gain any significant weight, but felt I needed a fill and got one in August. I was fine for a few weeks but after overdoing it on jalapeno potato chips AND having a horrible allergy season without meds, reflux returned. Without waiting for it to get worse I called the doctor and scheduled an unfill right away. I guess I figured I'd go back to the way things were just after my last unfill. But NO; now I'm back where I was right before I needed a fill in August. Hungry, able to eat too much, and having trouble moderating my intake the way I should. As of now I've put on only about 5 lbs, but I can see where this is headed. So now I'm thinking about trying to go with a little more Fluid, but less than what I had put in last time. That means maybe .4 ccs. And I promise I'll stay FAR away from the jalapeno potato chips!!

Thank you Jill, for articulating the issue so clearly. I completely agree. I will never understand the ridiculous concept that limiting legal marriage to adults of opposite sex somehow "protects" the institution.

I don't have any wonderful words of wisdom, but wanted to send you a hug. I'm so sorry you're going through this and hope it will be over soon. When I was getting divorced my ex's attorney was similarly nonresponsive; it took my getting ENGAGED to get them off the stick and get everything signed. But we weren't living together and I wasn't suffering because of it. Good luck with everything. Remember to be good to yourself and don't forget to tell your kids you love them, too. This too shall pass and you'll have your freedom. :hug:

I was seriously bumming, because both LBT and my other online hangout were down at the same time. I had to *gasp* actually WORK at work! It was horrible... :faint: :faint:

Well, they can if they "own" the list and it's moderated. No one said Yahoo lists were free speech. Of course, they can't stop someone else from starting a new list. THAT's beyond their control. And so is LBT!! :biggrin1:

Wow, that is interesting. Whoever started the list must have reached some agreement with Inamed. Wonder if any money changed hands?

HI Michkor, I'm another happy Abkin patient. His practice is Advanced Laparoscopic Associates, and with his partner Nicholas Bertha they do both banding and RNY. Come to a pre-op seminar or visit the lapband support group; neither costs anything and will give you loads of great information. Check out their website at advancedlaparoscopicsurgeons.com. See you at a meeting! :biggrin1:

Yay, we're back!! Alex B., the owner, told me that a server went down. They replaced it as soon as they could and all is good now. Whew!!

Ah, yes, but the precise nature of "their Creator" is not specified. Anything in existence was created, that's also self-evident. The nature of the creator is not germane to the rights we, as people, have.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..."

I'm sorry to hear of your loss and am especially sad because it was so unnecessary.

Hey, that's only 4 years! That doesn't seem at all like a big age difference to me. When I was 17 I had a very serious boyfriend who was 22; he actually proposed to me just after I started college but I decided I'd rather stay in school. To me it just wasn't time to actually hitch my life to that of someone else on a permanent basis. That's all the advice I have--make it clear to her that being in love doesn't mean she has to give up on whatever her plans were initially. If the love is meant to be and strong enough, it will last through her final year of school and many years beyond. But not finishing school should NOT be an option. I'm the mother of two daughters and think about this sort of thing a lot. I'm very concerned with teaching them how not to subordinate their own desires/goals/lives to that of a man, no matter how much in love they are. (Edited to add: For what it's worth, my parents really liked my boyfriend. It wasn't until they discovered he'd been coming to visit me at school every weekend that they said anything to me about it. And it was the same time he proposed to me, so I realized their concerns were very well-founded. If they'd said anything to me earlier I'd have brushed it off as parental interference. But then, I wasn't flunking out of school because of him. So I don't know if that's worth anything at all.)

Veggestyle, this is one of the very common questions that gets asked. The surgeon I know best has said the following about erosion: Tissue erosion is a risk inherent with ANY sort of medical implant. It will happen, for reasons no one can accurately predict or explain, in 1-2% of cases. It is NOT an emergent situation, but does require that the band be removed in order for healing to be complete. The incidence of erosion is low, and has nothing to do with throwing up or PBing. Those problems can lead to a slip, which may also require surgery to correct, but erosion doesn't seem to be related in any way to patients' behavior. When erosion happens, it happens slowly and the stomach is actually healing around and behind the eroded area, so leakage of stomach contents is very unlikely. Removal of the band will allow the stomach to heal up completely, and it's possible that the patient will be a candidate for rebanding in the future.

Brilliant.

(I just answered this in another thread, so I'm just copying myself.) When you think about it, the only reason we drink during a meal is to wash the food down. Drinking a lot makes it easier to eat more, even though we may not even realize that's why we're doing it. After banding the same is true, even though it may be in smaller quantities. Drinking during a meal won't hurt you, but it will sabotage your weight loss efforts. And sometimes you will discover that drinking can backfire, since if something is stuck drinking won't help it go through and you'll just urp the liquid right up. So there are two reasons to stick to the no-drinking-while-eating rule, and if neither of them are sufficient for you to change your behavior you may find that you're not losing weight as fast as you'd hoped. But it's not going to damage your band or anything if you drink while you're eating. So think more about why you're hoping to get banded. And then think about whether you're really willing to change your habits to achieve your goals. I'll bet you'll discover you're not as attached to those habits as you think.

Congratulations! You'll appreciate it all the more for the struggle you went through to get it. Good job!!

Do you mean here? Or is this something you see in real life at your surgeon's office? There's no reason to be freaked out about it; it certainly doesn't mean that anything is wrong. Online support just isn't for everyone. Maybe they don't think they need it in addition to the post op visits with their doctors and 3D support groups. All you need to worry about is what works for you. Support is critical, but whether you get it here or elsewhere is entirely a personal decision.

My boss gave me tickets to see it on Broadway last year as a holiday bonus. I'd already memorized the score and was THRILLED to finally see it on stage. It's brilliant! I only wish I'd been able to see Idina Menzel as Elphaba, but it was wonderful nonetheless. I wish they could get Peter Jackson to do the movie.

Hi Terrilen, Sorry you didn't get any responses the first time. Try, try again! What sorts of things do you think need addressing? If you know what you did wrong, you know what NOT to do this time. Being able to isolate your bad behaviors is the first step towards changing them. But you know that. Talk to your doctor honestly and ask him what he tells his brand-new bandsters. Approach it as though you were just banded yourself, and take it one step at a time. Good luck!!

Hi Virginia, I'm also a patient of Dr. Abkin's and started out more than three years ago at 340 lbs. (You might have seen me at a preop meeting; I speak at them frequently.) For my money, the bypass is an absolute LAST RESORT, and I'm thrilled with the results my band has helped me achieve. My goals have always revolved around improved health, nothing more. The risks inherent in RNY seemed too great for me to take, considering my two small children. It makes better medical sense to me to start with the least invasive thing possible if it will help with the problem, and it's helped with the problem in spades. I've lost more than 120 lbs and it's staying off with realistic amounts of effort. Prior to banding this was an impossible dream, but it's real and I live it every day.

Cold cuts and sashimi are my magic items. Cold chicken works too, but is sometimes hard to get down in the first place.

Donna, I don't have any advice but I wanted to wish you all the best with all of this. What a handful! Sounds like you have a lot to think about and I hope everything works out in all the best possible ways for you. Good luck!!