donna12

I have been taking Biotin since day one of surgery 16 months ago and just bought my first bottle of Nioxin Shampoo, pricey, having used it yet, just got it yesterday. I was wanting your take on it? Went to get my hair done today and my stylist said it does not promote new Hair growth just keeps it from falling out and never to stop it once you start. I thought it promoted new hair growth??? Since being banded I am so thin, so thin, I've had to cut my hair off shorter, I hate it. I'd change my picture on here but for some reason it won't let me or maybe Im not doing it right, idk. Any suggestions on the products? I do know the biotin makes it grow longer as far as new growth Im not seeing any.

loved your caption too and so glad you have joined the banded world. The best decision I've ever made. When you get home and you have gas pains if you do, walk walk walk and sip sip sip to stay hydrated. I wish you well and give you virtual hugs tonight.

Missy I didn't mean to sound like I was attacking you, you are like my rock star girl and I love ya! Sorry if I came across that way in the above comments.

Soothing Care is great too, use that. I couldn't find it anywhere so I ordered it from Amazon but then the other day I saw it at Walmart, dang.

here I will lay it out for you folks. I will have a deductible of 2500.00/yr, which I will never meet but I did this year due to a hospital stay in Nashville that was an emergency but am having to pay out of pocket for some of that and also I had a cancer screening colonoscopy done since my brother is battling cancer right now my choice so there again, went towards my ded., and paying towards that also so I met my ded this year but next year I don't foresee any major medical problems. My ins will change come Jan 1 to only 3 visits to my PCP with me paying 40.00 copay and any visits after that I pay 20% out of pocket towards my ded. I asked my lapband surgeon today which I went for a fill and he told me for me he would charge me 75.00 for a fill, I thought whew, I can handle that a month until I get in the green zone, what a blessing. Yes I live on a strict budget, I only get paid alimony as I can't work and live with my mom cause I can't make ends meet on my own. I honestly think that the money I will be saving each month in premium will even itself out with deductibles and fills but we will see. I do get sick a lot and I do see a pych for sleep therapy and other issues. I sure hope my RX stays the same as my meds run me thru the roof right now or shall I say maybe changes and gets better...Anyway nothing I can do about it, it's gona happen whether we like it or not.

As far as keeping your own insurance- yes you can. However, there are very strict stipulations to that. When "day 1" happens and Obamacare is fully active, if you have insurance through an employer you can keep it. You will then be grandfathered in at whatever your current coverage is (though there's no guarantees on premiums). However, if you leave that coverage at any time, you CAN NOT go back to the same plan. If you get married, your spouse would have a different plan than you. If you had a baby, same thing. Essentially you could work with a new employee at the same company and you could have totally different insurance because you were grandfathered in and they were hired after "day 1".

This is what the actual Obamacare bill says, btw.

Missy, I was informed in a letter from Anthem BCBS that they had chosen a different policy for me that would best suit me based on my health due to the new Obamacare that is coming Jan 1 and that I couldn't be grandfathered in because I didn't have this ins in 2010 I got it in 2012 and I'm not employed. I was strictly told what I was getting and had no choice in the matter, however with that said, I was just about to post, my premium is going down from 555.91/mo to 383.00/mo but they will no longer cover bariatric surgery of any kind anymore nor bariatric aftercare so I will lose that and if I ever have to need a revision of any sorts I SOL...Also my copay is 40.00 come Jan and now its 25.00 so to me this is all socialism and it all sucks for me in the end.

I was wondering where you had been my Big Blue Friend and yes I am ready to put my Blue on!!!

Thank you so much for the response. I go tomorrow for a fill, thank God, and he just got back from Vegas from a conference on Banding so maybe he learned something new, we'll see. He took his whole office staff. Thanks again.

I was told I could drink right up to my mealtime but then had to wait an hr after. I read somewhere, where it's necessary to have an empty pouch, no liquid in it, why?

My ins coverage for fills is getting ready to run out come Jan 1 and I'm not in the green zone and right now my dr sees me once a month and I'm 16 months post op. I just can't afford to see him monthly for the next few years to get to that sweet spot. I will be paying out of pocket. How often do you guys go for a fill? thx

Eat your Protein, drinking Protein shakes will never satiny your hunger, IMO.

My typical day is

Breakfast 1 egg &2 egg whites scrambled, 2 oz turkey spam. 184 cal, 22g protein

lunch 1 can tuna & 1 greek yogurt, 200 cal, 30g protein

dinner 4ox chicken breast, 1/2c veggies, 140 cal, 23g protein

snack 1/4c dry roasted peanuts, 160 cal, 6g protein.

Hope this helps.

I have a really hard time eating in the morning, that is anything solid like eggs, with that said, I have found that if I put a piece of cheese in with a scrambled egg it goes down better that is why I choose to do the Protein Shakes plus I wasn't getting enough protein in so I was bumping up my protein by doing the shakes. Thanks for the input and suggestions.

good luck on ur trip...stuck episodes are no fun, I had one tonight and it wasn't pretty and I'm 16 months post op. Girl if I had a waffle I would douse it with Syrup, lol.

thanks guys, I think an email to my nutritionist is in order. BTW, how you prepare the edemame? And yes the turkey was dry and the piece of bread from Longhorn was thick even tho I put butter on it and toasted it. I should have known better. I hate puking, dang puking, I peed my pants, lol.

I dont' know what's wrong with me, guess I need to go back to the basics and start over. I have gained 4 lbs in the last month. Am I eating more, yes, I can't stay satisfied. Now with that said let me back up 5 weeks ago approx., I got stuck severely and made an emergency trip in to the dr and he took 1cc out and whew the food passed. The following week I went in and he put .5cc back in, now I'm due for a visit day after tomorrow. Tonight I tried to eat some leftover turkey, cold, and a piece of Longhorn bread toasted with butter, got stuck big time, I mean big time to the point I lost it all, puked all of it up. Not really sure if I'm taking too big of bites, eating the wrong thing, yes the turkey was dry and yes it was bread. I know when he hears I threw up tonight he will say no to a fill but I'm hungry all the time every 3 hrs, I'm not staying satisfied with 1 cup of food. I don't know what to do.

The short version is this: Existing healthcare can be grandfathered in "as is". So if you have health insurance through your employer that you like, you can keep it exactly as is. However if you leave that plan, you can never go back to it. The reason you cannot go back to it is because under the Obamacare laws, all insurance must adhere to the guidelines set by the government. If a carrier offers more or less coverage- they are fined heavily.

This won't go into effect for a couple years, btw. But, insurance companies are trying to make changes gradually prior to then. Also, insurance costs are going up considerably because of all this, forcing carriers to cut their coverage to recoup the costs on their end.

Well since I don't work and get my ins on my own that counts me out and I could have been grandfathered in had I had this ins prior to 2010 but I didn't get this ins until my ex's ran out and I had to get some on my own which was July 2012 so still leaves me out to be grandfathered in. I was told today by an agent and don't know if they were blowing smoke up my arrrsss or not but they told me that Obamacare was doing away with all, eventually, bariatric surgeries and after care, has anyone heard this? scarry.

For a whole year BEFORE surgery I was losing my hair and it had me so depressed. I've always love my full-volume, crazy, curly hair and I couldn't even accomplish my signature look which was that wild, untamed, but well kept look. Surprisingly, after surgery my hair has stopped falling out, and I have lots of "baby hairs" growing which makes me look funny sometimes. I will have to blame my Protein intake AND my daily Vitamins. I take them religiously. One piece of advice: try not to worry so much about it because that only perpetuates the issue. Instead, go and see your dermatologist. They will probably put you on a 6 month treatment which includes Biotin pills. Also, there are shots that the dermatologist can inject in your scalp to help with this issue. I've been using a sulfate-free Shampoo (expensive) but I have no idea if that's contributing to the re-growth. Best wishes!

my first PCP which was a internal med dr in Nashville suggested a dermatologist for this for me but never did go I thought really? Guess I should have gone,now I look like a bald woman. Injections huh? What kind? I do take Biotin 5000 a day, I do try and remember my chewable vits a day but they upset my stomach, all do, they all give me diarrhea no matter what kind of Vitamins they are. I do try and bump my Protein up as much as I can but after 16 months out still losing hair here. I know you've told me what shampoo before but could you tell me again please, sorry. thanks so much.

I think it is truly bully behavior of your insurance company to opt out of providing ongoing coverage and claiming it is the result of the ACA. They appear to be taking advantage of a loop hole in the ACA, which is very unfortunate for you.

I would begin a letter campaign to Katherine Sebelius and don't stop until you have some help.

thanks so much for this information I will do this! Thanks again.

a double thanks to these words of wisdom. As I read this however I do need a fill...lol, no really I do. I had some taken out 6 weeks ago and not quite up to where I was and I stay hungry. I go in Thurs and am hoping for the half cc to bring me back up 5cc's to where I was comfy and losing. I will take your words to heart and remember them and remember that this is just a tool, we have to help ourselves.

Guy, beats me, all I know is I'm covered now and starting Jan 1 all bariatric services will cease due to Obamacare I got my letter this past Saturday in the mail and I was on the phone with them for over an hr yesterday discussing different plans for myself and all will not cover any bariatric surgeries or aftercare. When I had my surgery last year I had BCBS of Michigan with my ex I was still on his policy and as he had to pay for my ins in our divorce and then a month later it expired and I had to seek it on my own and the only thing I could get that I could afford was Anthem BCBS KY and then half way thru the yr they raised the premium on me.

First of all, it was the insurance company that dropped you, not the ACA. While I understand you are between a rock and a hard spot right now, if Kentucky is participating in the open enrollment of ACA insurers, you should be able to shop the market of new carriers and pick up a policy that a) you can afford and will cover your needs.

If you end up having to pay for your fills out of pocket, negotiate a deal with your surgeon's office.

It is hard to function when you are in a panic. I hope you will be able to get what you need once you have had a chance to calm down.

I'm sorry if you thought I was hostile but I am calm and my ins didn't drop me, it changed, the entire thing changed, not just mine but the company will no longer cover bariatric surgeries or care after Jan 1, 2014 due to Obamacare. I just now checked other companies out there with an agent and he said I was better off staying where I was and paying out of pocket for my bariatric care which I don't know how I'm going to afford. I live on alimony alone and that's for only another 4 yrs thus the reason again I live with my mom. I pray nothing happens to her as I would be homeless. I have to pay $700 in taxes on alimony every 3 months plus my health ins of almost $600/mo, its very hard for me to make ends meet. Its like a dead end road for me.

thanks Sharpie for the input. I will try that. I was doing the shakes because I was not getting enough Protein in, in a day.

regarding disability comment above, thank you for taking the time to comment but have been to atty, can't qualify because here in kentucky you must have a 10 yr working history to fall back on and I haven't worked since 1998 therefore I do not qualify, don't you just love justice. Just not fair, I can't work and feel like I am being punished due to the law. Missy, I have checked on other insurances within Anthem and none cover bariatric, not sure about other ins out there. I was lucky to snag this since at the time I was considered obese and still am at 222 lbs and my BMI most ins don't like to carry you due to that fact and will rate you high. Sigh...

I make too much money according to government in alimony for any assistance yet I can't make ends meet to live alone thus the reason for living with my mom. My ins is Anthem BCBS Ky and I got the notice Saturday.

my ins now cost me almost $600/mo. Last month I was rushed to the ER because I was falling and leaning towards the right side and couldn't stand up and our ER dr was leaning towards a stroke and immediately sent me by ambulance to Nashville for 2 days, those 2 days cost me 22,000.00 and ins didn't cover it because this hospital was non-participating. There is no way in heck I can afford to pay that back, I'm at a loss. Turned out inner ear infection and still ongoing so I see an ENT next week so yes my medical bills are mounting.

What is your insurance now?? If you can't work and your only income is alimony, why are you not on some public assistance such as Medicaid?

I make too much money according to government in alimony for any assistance yet I can't make ends meet to live alone thus the reason for living with my mom. My ins is Anthem BCBS Ky and I got the notice Saturday.

boy will I be glad when Thurs gets here as I see my surgeon for a fill because I have noticed I eat more and more often and yes I have gained 4 lbs in 4 wks. I can't help it, I'm hungry.

Was reading on Lap Band Diva's on Facebook where some were eating for Breakfast a Protein shake and oatmeal, how can that be? Wouldn't that be too many cals? I mean I do a Protein Shake but then 3 hrs later I'm starving. My doc says eat whatever you used to eat just in moderation or what the band will let you eat, hello, if I ate pizza, hamburgers, chips/dip, junk like that I wouldn't have lost.

Thanks to Pres Obama my ins is changing and no longer will cover bariatric anything and I cannot afford fills and I'm nowhere near the green zone yet. I certainly don't know what I'm going to do. I do not work, can't, can't get disability, the only income I have is alimony and with me paying for health ins and other medical bills I barely have enough to live on, that is why I live with my mom since my divorce, thank God I at least have a roof over my head. I'm heartbroken over this news. I'll be in debt up to my eyeballs and then some because I see him every month for a fill.