mdrai

Hey Tracy... was it you who was testing out the different Isopure flavors? Which ones do you recommend?

Teach -- IMHO, once a week is even better. I know it's hard... but it's soooooooooo worth it to break the "pin all our hopes & happiness on the scale" addiction. + you'll get to see even bigger drops from one weigh-in 'til the next. As I said, just MHO. ((hugs))

Good morning, everyone!~~ Sounds like everyone is at their own levels of good -- BMs & Os galore! :confused: (Hey -- we've got to take our pleasures where we find them!) No surgery date yet. I'm still w-a-i-t-i-n-g. The gal from the surgeon's office e-mailed me on Weds and thanked me for being patient. HA! I e-mailed her today and admitted that I was NOT patient, and would love to hear from her today. We'll see. Tracy -- a week from today you'll be on the other side! Now YOU have been patient! Have a great weekend everyone... here in the East it's actually supposed to be sunny & warm... kinda like, you know -- SPRING is supposed to be! Finally!

Welcome 396! A man of few words yet you made me smile w/your post. Love that you're not too macho to share! :mad: I didn't hear yesterday about a date, so will call on Mon. I can't wait! My in-laws are here for the weekend... so I'm in the kitchen feeding everyone 21/7... lovely. [Ha ha: Edited to say 24/7, but I guess I can use those 3 hrs for sleep, right?] Have a great Saturday, everyone!

A very powerful, honest post. Thank you for sharing that. I think a lot of us DO think that it'll be a snap to lose once we get banded, and that we ignore or at least downplay the emotional issues of what got us this big in the first place. I have been working mentally/emotionally already to figure out the "whys" of what makes me fat. It's difficult, but so worth it. For instance: what will I do instead of EAT when in a stressful situation?? I think about that, and then the next time I'm in that situation, I give one of the alternatives a try and see how it goes. I'm doing all that NOW so it won't be so new/painful after I'm banded. Thank you for sharing your story. Best wishes to you as you take control! :mad:

LOL Gina! That sounds like something my hubby would suggest! Men!

Sara: What to do instead of stress eating is one of my big concerns for once I am banded. What to do? In those situations, food is exactly like a drug... the chewing, the volume, the anesthetic quality as it smooths out the rough edges... exercise is one that many suggest instead... but in the past I have found it unrealistic that I can simply go out for a 15 min walk in the middle of helping kids w/homework/answering the phone/cooking dinner/getting ready to get to an appointment all at the same time! What other ideas does our group of merry banders suggest?? Logging on for a few minutes? Music?

Thank you again everyone! Best wishes to all tomorrow's banders!

Another day, another emotion! :update: After additional documentation of weight-loss attempts going all the way back to 2000, and after clearly & succinctly documenting all "medically supervised weight loss efforts" since last September thru 'til today, and after going to see my pcp at lunchtime & getting additional notes from her... and faxing all this to my insurance co at 1pm... the coordinator just called me to tell me that I am: APPROVED! :clap2: :cheer2: :banana :bounce: As bad as I felt on Tuesday, I feel that happy right now! Thank you, thank you, thank you to each of you who encouraged me and sent my cyberhugs and pm's and kept me in your good thoughts! I don't know what I'd do without this board & all of you in this thread. I've completed all my pre-op testing, so there is still a *slim* chance that I'll be an April bander... altho May or June is probably more likely. Whatever!! Just to know that it will be done has lightened my heart and strengthened my resolve to be a good WLS patient and KEEP to the pre-op plan... now that I know the goal is in sight, I know it will be soooooooooo much easier to "behave" in regards to food. Thank you all again!!!

Fantastic! Congratulations! :confused:

Thanks everyone for your good thoughts... of course I am going to whatever they tell me... but I am still soooooo bummed out. Bleh. I faxed the 4 pages to the coordinator... it all pretty much shows that I've been trying everything, diet & exercise, since 2000. By the time I drove home from faxing it to her, she'd called and said that the reviewer wanted documentation that it was all pcp-supervised! Well, in a way, yes, as she is always telling me to loose weight, but in a way, no, as I did all this stuff on my own, and didn't necessarily check in with her. SO... I left a long message w/the pcp trying to explain it all and to ask her to write a note to them & what to say & oh, do it asap... I'm waiting for her to call me for the fax number, but she gets off at 4:30 today (now) and is off tomorrow... so probably Thurs will be the earliest she'll get back to me........... grrrrrrrrrrr... Here's the bottom line: I'm a fat poster-child for Lap Band and they won't approve me!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where is the sense in this?? Maybe one day I'll look back at all this and laugh?

Thanks for the encouragement... I've spent the last hour going through our Quicken reports printing out everything I can think of... Curves memberships, pool memberships, Low Carb Friends market purchases, Nutrisystem, etc... I have to print it all out and go into town to fax it to her. She said that she has 7 days to give the reviewing doc add'l info w/out it being considered an "appeal"... after that... it's back to basics for 6 months (which I *think* Jan/Feb/March may apply, so it'd just be another 3). OF COURSE I won't give up & will do whatever they tell me... it's just so F!@#ing unfair & illogical. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I am sobbing as I type this... I am DENIED! due to the lack of documentation of a "rigorous" wt loss program of at least 6 mo duration over the past 2 years. :confused: My coordinator is really nice & helpful... I told her straight up that I've done it all and that I'd basically given up on paying for this program or that just to fail again... and that, ironically, the band has been my first glimmer of hope in ages... but now my "lack" of "trying" (I TRY EVERY DAY!) is the cause of my denial. I have 1 appeal available w/in 6 months... so I guess it's off to the pcp for a "rigorous" program. I am soooooooooooooo upset!

I think that overlooking your bandiversary is a good thing -- you must not be obsessing about food/weight any more! You're living a "normal" life w/food & are a "normal" size. That is what we all want! Congratulations!

OMG! I just got this e-mail from my insurance coordinator: Hi Michelle! I just received your information from Dr. Greene's office. It looks as if all of the information is there (which is usually the hardest part). As we speak, I am referring everything over to our physician for review. I should have an answer back sometime today. I will let you know. Thanks Stefanie Ack! Someone somewhere is reviewing my info TODAY!!! It is going to be VERY HARD to concentrate on work!! On a good note... I re- (re-re-re...) started my lc diet AND, even more amazingly, I actually EXERCISED this morning!! I dvr'd a FIT TV workout show and made it through 1/2 hour of it... I'm planning on doing it every morning 'til I can do the whole hour w/out passing out! lol! Ok... back to work... but I am so nervous (my pcp notes aren't really "weight-related" and I'm so worried that the ins. co. will make me do another 4-6 months "supervised" diet -- uh, hello? I've been DIETING MY WHOLE LIFE AND ALL IT'S GOTTEN ME IS TO 317 LBS!) Oddly enough, I'm hoping that my big fat a$$ and horrible BMI and sleep apnea and high cholesterol and borderline diabetes... will actually be a blessing for once and work in my favor to show them that I need this procedure! I am rambling. Can you tell I'm a bundle of nerves??? BBL.

Just checking in! I'm so excited for all of you!!! Everyone seems to be doing well in all the different phases of this journey: pre-op, op, post-op... I'm so thrilled for you guys and am cheering you all on!! I'm in the black hole of insurance approval... I try to just "forget" that someone somewhere is reviewing my request & deciding my fate! I pray that "God's will be done"... and know that whatever the outcome, it is His perfect plan and that I can't control everything (that's a hard one for ME! ). I truly think that "Thy will, not mine, be done" is the most difficult prayer there is! I've decided to wait 2 weeks 'til I start following up on the approval... I think that's reasonable... when we're talking about the rest of my life here!!! Again, YAY to everyone... what a great group!! ((hugs))

Way to go, Tracy! Glad to read that our April 2 banders are doing well! Yay!! I'm in limbo here... waiting to hear if I'm approved by ins... I have no idea if it's even been submitted yet... have a call in to my dr's office to see if I can find out... I think I'll feel better if I have even a rough idea of timing here... I'm thinking now that I won't be an April bander... is there even a May thread?... even if there is, I doubt it's as good as this one!... maybe I'll just stay here anyway... ha ha ha... you'll all be stuck with me!... Question: Should we keep adding to this post or should we start a new one each month?? Is there a point when it's too long?? Just wondering. Ok, I'm babbling here... have a great day, everyone!

Good Luck & Best Wishes to all our April Banders!!! You gals & guys are my trailblazers! I am keeping you in my good thoughts & can't wait to hear your tales over the next days/weeks as one by one we begin the rest of our lives!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes! :bananapartyhat:

Thank you, Panda, for the wonderful idea! Wow -- are you a romantic or what?? Thanks so much again for the help! :bolt:

GGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR... I'm online looking up interesting ideas for dh's & my 20th wedding anniversary coming up on April 4 and I thought "What about a balloon ride" and guess what????? ----- I'M TOO FAT TO GO ON ONE! Max weight 280. Wow. What a wake-up, slap in the face, take a look at yourself moment. (PS -- If anyone has any creative ideas, I'd love to hear them! The actual day is on a Weds, dh has to work (I think), we can't travel anywhere that week or weekend (Easter weekend), $ is a bit of a factor... I really want to be creative, which I usually am, but I'm completely stumped! I was trying to think in "20s"... burn a cd w/the top 20 songs from 1987, put a crisp, new $20 in his wallet, bake him 20 of his fav cookies, give him a 20-min massage, buy tix to 20 soccer games (that's a bit much!)... you get the idea... he's a photographer & I have a sneaking suspicion he's been working on some sort of photo project for me... which is so thoughtful... and I've got nothing! I am in quite a funk right now!)

Great list Denise! Great attitude, too! Focusing on our "whys" and the positive things that will occur after banding is a great idea! How about we each make up a list, adding to what Denise has written?? I'll do a quick start now, then be back later to add more: * be able to fly in an airplane w/out worrying that I'll need to ask for a seatbelt extender or that my fat will flop over into the next seat. * be able to walk through any shop or restaurant without figuring out the widest path to take * be able to sit in a booth at a restaurant * wear stylish clothes -- any item I like I will be able to find in a "normal" size! (I think this is one of my favs, as I am soooooooooo much more stylish thant my current wardrobe displays!!!) * to have all that extra energy & brain power to focus on other, positive things, rather than my fat arse! More, ladies???...

IMHO... Don't change your date. Breathe. Calm down. Try not to think too much (it always makes me crazy!). Focus on the positives and don't go reading so much into every little thing. It'll all be ok. We're here for you. We understand. Think calm thoughts. Be kind to yourself. Shower others with love. Get doing & thinking of others & take the focus off yourself. Get out of the downward spiral of self-absorption/over-analysis. Surround yourself w/beauty & peace. It's all good... You get the idea! Whatever cliche or life truth works for you as far as calming you down & smoothing the rough edges & getting you through the next few weeks in one piece. Best of luck to everyone as we get closer & the excitement of our futures changes into scary reality!!! We can do it! We are strong!

Wow... thanks for all the great info, guys! While I am "kinda/sorta/sometimes/I mean to" following my doc's pre-pre-surgery recommendations, I think that once I get a date -- a glorious, actual, red-letter day DATE -- then I will begin a more committed, zealous low-carb plan to kick-start the losses & let my body know that we are SERIOUS this time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :eek:

It's short-term & you're freaked out about it, so why not give liquids a try? High-protein shakes like Atkins or something, w/a chicken breast thrown in here & there & maybe a salad once a day?? If THAT doesn't do the trick, don't know what would! (Please note that I'd never recommend this for any kind of long-term program, but just to kick start the weight loss in a rapid manner to lessen your worries & get you to surgery.)