Alexandra

Congratulations, Penni! Holy cow, what a milestone. Hmm... I'll be 57 when my youngest graduates from high school. Yikes!!

Saul, this is not an uncommon thing you're going through. When our looks change so do many other things. My question to you is this: was your marriage based on looks? If it was, then it's a miracle it lasted this long. So I'm assuming it wasn't. Don't do anything rash. There is definitely a pink cloud that comes along with weight loss, and the whole world looks different, for a while. After a while you realize that though you lost weight, you're still YOU with all that entails. And if you've made immense changes in your life based on a momentary flight of fancy, now you'll have to live with them for good or ill. Give it time. Losing (or gaining) weight is nothing to break up a marriage over. Looks from other people mean only that you look better to them than you did before--it says absolutely nothing about your worth as a person or your value as a husband. Be careful not to confuse the issues. A 22-year relationship is nothing to toss away lightly. Take it slow.

The number of "stickied" threads was getting out of hand, so we have decided on a new policy to govern what gets stuck. To wit: ---------------------------------- Sticky Policy: Only threads about banding that are of truly perennial and general interest will be made sticky. Popular threads with a lot of action will always be near the top of their forums anyway, so we have decided to take a less-is-more approach to sticking threads from here on out. ---------------------------------- Just FYI. :biggrin1:

I understand the compression hose are standard operating procedure, but I wasn't aware of having them. I guess where I was they put them on and take them off all while the patient is knocked out. Can't miss what I didn't know I had!

Teresa, the "need" for plastic surgery is purely subjective. From what I've seen with bandsters, the kind of significant medical problems caused by loose skin that you see in RNY patients just doesn't seem to happen, and so the plastic surgery tends to be cosmetic. If you don't think you need it, you don't! It's entirely a matter of your personal genetics and age, too. I've lost 130 lbs, had two kids, am in my mid-40s and was obese all of my life, but I don't think I "need" plastic surgery. A surgeon might disagree, of course, but I'm happy where I am. You may very likely be too when you get where you're going.

BCBS is not one organization, and I know of several states where Blue Cross/Blue Shield covers the band readily for qualified people whose contracts allow. It's not all BCBS organizations that deny coverage. So, anyone reading this, don't assume that what's true in one state is true in another! Find out what's the case in YOUR state, and take it from there. And good luck!!!

Nope, my DH hasn't lost any weight since I've been banded. He actually has more opportunity to eat MORE since I've been eating less, so he has to take care not to gain weight.

Sashimi is one of the great bandster foods: it's pure protein and very soft. It's the rest of the stuff that comes with sushi that's problematic, especially the seaweed. Rice is just filling, if you eat too much you won't be able to eat anything else. But the seaweed wrap or salad can be very difficult to chew well enough, so proceed with caution! My very worst experience was with a bit of seaweed salad. Never again.

I kicked my Afrin habit years ago after about 10 years of use. It's so liberating when you find you no longer need it! I honestly can't remember how it ended, but there's no question it's self-fulfilling. If you can cold-turkey your way off of it, you likely won't need it anymore. If you have allergies that cause nasal swelling, treat the allergies. Good luck with everything!!

Of course everyone "deserves" the care, no question about it, and I nowhere implied that one person is less worthy of surgery itself than another. I was addressing whether insurance carriers are wrong in making such determinations, and I don't believe they are. They have to, absolutely have to draw the lines somewhere. The simple fact is that unless insurance carriers did this sort of triage and line-setting, they would all collapse immediately under the cost of medical care for people who want it. Believe me, I despise our insurance system more than most people, I'm not defending it. I'm just explaining it. Our absurd system just is not set up to provide healthy people with expensive preventive care. There has to be a diagnostic guideline, and the existence of that guideline invites fraud. It's a horrible system in just about every way, but it's what we've got.

I'm happy to announce that WHEETSIN has agreed to be our latest addition to the moderator ranks. Welcome! :clap2: Kelly is moving on, and we want to thank her for her years of help and support to LBT. It's been a pleasure and I hope you won't be a stranger. Thanks, sweetie--you're the best!! :rockon:

Hi gang, Just a heads-up that I'm going to be away for the weekend starting Friday morning. I'm visiting friends at their beach house in Massachusetts, and though I don't expect to get much rest (my girls are coming with me ), the change of scenery will be nice. This'll be a good way to catch my breath after my recent (professional) roller-coaster ride. So I won't be around until Monday or so. Have a great weekend, everyone! Be good!! :biggrin1:

Vines, your spirit and attitude are so refreshing and inspirational, I wanna hug you. :hug: You are a winner in every way, and today I feel better because of you. Thank you.

Dre, whether there is any way around the exclusion depends on your state's laws. But if you work for a very large company typically they write their own policies with the carrier and it's done very deliberately. Unless you think you can persuade your company to change its policies you are likely out of luck.

Anthony, thanks for coming back and sharing your experience! Congratulations on a successful choice and surgery. I'm so glad you're feeling good! Your link is very instructive, too. Cool!

That doesn't make any sense, Gypj. You were looking for a PCP, right? Not a surgeon? What kind of care are you trying to get? In any event, if you live in Hoboken it'd be easier for you to get to the city than to Montville or Madison. You're MILES away from Morris County!!

I agree with your surgeon, but would have explained it a little differently. Restriction is a result of a combination of factors, not just the amount of Fluid in the band. One of those factors is the thickness of the stomach tissue being compressed inside the band, and this is not a static thing. I think some people's stomach tissue reacts to increased pressure by "thinning out," which actually increases the size of the stoma temporarily. When it returns to its usual thickness, the stoma size decreases and voila! More restriction. It's the reaction time that varies from person to person. My fills always have taken 2-3 weeks to make themselves felt, which when I think about it isn't too surprising. I'm a very slow reactor in general, it seems: it takes medication or anaesthesia longer to work and work itself out, both of my children gestated so long I had to be induced, and I'm always the last one in the family to catch a cold or be cured of one. It just seems like a pattern of biological slow-response, and this late restriction thing falls right into it.

Thanks for the motivation, Michelle! I have a bike I love but it really needs an overhaul and I haven't taken it in. I've had it for years but no one ever explained to me how to shift gears, so I'm sure I've destroyed it. My older DD is hell on wheels with her new big-girl bike, and my little one is hot on her heels. All we have to do is get the parents up and running on good bikes, and the whole family will be on the road!! YAY!!!

Phyllis, I'm so sorry you're having this trouble! Did you have an unfill before or after your endoscopy? I'm only asking because if you're still suffering from reflux it would seem to be the first line of attack. I had a complete unfill about three months ago for similar reasons (reflux, not Barrett's) and it completely resolved the issue. So if that hasn't been done, DO IT! There's no reason to fear an unfill and it beats having the band removed. Good luck!!

Thanks, everyone. In the morning light things look a bit brighter. I mean, it's not like I'm unemployed. Time is on my side and I have the luxury of seeking the right thing on my own time and on my terms. I'm sure this exercise hasn't been in vain, though its purpose may take time to come clear. I really appreciate your words, everyone.

Well, the news is in, and I guess it's not earth-shattering. In its infinite wisdom the organization has decided to go with someone else. I have no idea who, or what her qualifications are, but I'm told it was the usual "difficult decision." Sigh. Thanks again for your counsel and support through this. I'm deeply disappointed, but very motivated now to find out what I'm really supposed to be doing. Insurance sure isn't it.

Lisa's right. For studies like this they include ALL sorts of complications. I know I'd be counted in that 20% too, even though I think I've had a very smooth ride. BTW, I contacted the author of the article and he wrote back, thanking me for bringing the error to his attention. The title is being fixed.

We can e-mail the author to tell him that. He may not have titled the article himself, and it is wildly misleading.

I don't understand your title. "Gastric banding weight loss surgery only helps one-fifth of patients maintain 50% loss" sounds terrible, and that's not what the summary of the article says. Why did you phrase it that way?

I've been takling melatonin, and it works wonders. It lets me go to sleep quickly and stay asleep all night, with absolutely NO hangover the next day. And it comes in chewable tablets! Valerian root is another great product, but the capsules I've seen are a bit large for bandsters. Good luck!