mjsafari

My husband and I took quite a bit longer - BUT there were several reasons. We had the psych eval and nutrion eval right away. We saw our PCP and got as much proof of long term weight issues as we could - BUT insurance still required a monitored weight loss program for 6 months. We then changed insurance Jan 1st 07, so we had to wait for all of that paperwork and for our physician to get approved on the new insurance. Once all that was done it only took a week for insurance to approve both us, because we had everything done from the previous insurance. Now we are scheduled in May and June - we had to wait so long for that because of physician schedule at the hospital we have to go to. Nov 05 for seminar, May 07 and June 07 surgery schedule.

http://www.mercola.com/article/aspartame/symptoms.htm http://www.webmd.com/content/article/107/108476.htm

Don't over do the Gatorade - it can push you electrolytes too high. As long as you were healthy before and not exercising strenously while you are on liquids, you shouldn't need Gatorade.

OMG South Park is one of the funniest shows around. They are so dead on most of the time. I love the Mormon one - being from Kansas City it is a running joke that Jesus is returning here to the RLDS church in Independence with the spiral opening at the top of the cathedral. Stan asks - did you know Adam and Eve where from Jackson County Missouri? TOO FUNNY especially because some people think it is true. I had to TIVO that part for my husband just the other day, so he could hear it. Others: Sadam and Devil, Mr. Garrison's sex change - he thinks he is going to get a period, Mr. Garrison's new mode of transportation..., the new one with Cartman taking pictures of Butters and Butters having to go to camp to be saved was pretty funny.

Wheetsin - it was Bumper Stumpers! I love that show, my mom and I watched it all the time. I often wonder though why people get vanity plates that no one else can understand. Isn't the point to make a statement - not much of a statement if it doesn't make any sense. I have to mention a couple of buttons we purchased recently: Picture of Jesus with light around him that says "Look Busy, Jesus is coming" (probably funnier because of my non-belief :-).) Picture of George Bush that says "A village in Texas has lost their Idiot"

Green thanks for the welcome and explanation. BubbleButt thank for info. I don't think the thread turned out anything like the originator thought it would - I wonder if they gave up and started another one?

I have to say I LOVE this thread - it is nice to read things from people that hold the same opinion as me, but it is also nice see sensible Christians having intelligent discussions with Atheist and other beliefs. I have spent all day catching up and laughing out loud at many of them. One question posed intrigued me greatly - did you go directly from being Christian to Atheist or did you claim to Agnostic at some point (paraphrasing)? This got me to thinking - I have been Agnostic since high school always believing that meant I didn't believe in a higher power, but I didn't preach against one and that being Atheist meant you preached against a Higher Power. This is from dictionary.com —Synonyms Atheist, agnostic, infidel, skeptic refer to persons not inclined toward religious belief or a particular form of religious belief. An atheist is one who denies the existence of a deity or of divine beings. An agnostic is one who believes it impossible to know anything about God or about the creation of the universe and refrains from commitment to any religious doctrine. Infidel means an unbeliever, especially a nonbeliever in Islam or Christianity. A skeptic doubts and is critical of all accepted doctrines and creeds. I guess after reading this I better start saying I am Atheist :omg: and Wheetsin you need to change your name - you are obviously not the Token Atheist on this board~!:clap2: I am married to a believer, but it is not an issue for us. We just don't discuss religion very often. He respects my rights not to believe and I respect his to believe. I have allowed my oldest child to make his own choice - he is 14 and Atheist now, after attending several different churches and Christian schools. Our 4 year old will be allowed to make her own decision also. I have never hidden my opinion from them, but I have tried not to unduly influence them. BubbleButt - you are so right about not making an issue. As an old OR nurse myself, I was often called to pray before surgery. That was neither the time or place to discuss my belief, nor was it my patient's business. thank you all for your insightful posts, I don't think I can contribute anymore than has already been said. I am an "Atheist" who believes in the golden rule and the 10 commandments. Man's laws written by man that if followed by everyone would eliminate many if not all issues that cause war and strife. One stereotype that has been broken - us fatties are some how less intelligent than skinny people and that we don't do anything all day but sit around and eat! :clap2: Obviously most people on this thread are well rounded in more ways than one! Missy

Mrs. D - I am sorry to hear about your MRSA For those who wanted to know: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics. These antibiotics include methicillin and other more common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa.html Unfortunately you are on a very long journey. Please don't rush in to another port - as long as there is any trace of MRSA in your system, it will find your open wound. I am a nurse in the US, my hospital company is in the middle of a MRSA compaign in a effort to reduce the spread.

thank you everyone for your welcome messages. It is great to have a place where everyone is positive! Ambrosia - congrats on your recent banding! I hear nothing but wonderful things about Dr. Malley, so I am sure we made the right choice.

thanks BabyGotBack for the quick welcome! Looks like you are well on your way to your goal! I hope mine goes as well.

Courtney - Medicare is for retired - 65 and older or disabled. Medicaid is state aide for the uninsursed, so since you already have insurance you don't qualify. I think what Rottiemania meant was that if the government programs cover the procedure every insurance should. I TOTALLY agree. I am lucky my new insurance (Aetna) approved my husband and I in 2 days with the work we had done for the previous insurance. You are lucky it is covered! If you don't decide to have it this year, be sure to check with your employer about Medical Flexible Spending account. You can set aside money before taxes at the beginning of the year, use it immediately, but pay for it out of each pay period.

Just wanted to introduce myself. I have been checking out the board and really appreciate all the information that everyone is willing to share. My husband and I are both scheduled for bands, paid for by our insurance- :clap2: ! We live the KC area and are being banded by Dr. Malley. We have both struggled with weight our entire life, but I was unwilling to have an open gastric bypass and still had great concerns about the nutritional deficits even after it could be done laparoscopically. The band seems like the perfect solution to help us acheive our goals. We both know the choices we should be making, but need help with portion control. It has already been a long journey for us - over a year since our first seminar, but in the end it will be worth it. I don't have any specific questions right now, just wanted to say HI. I know if I do though someone is out there with an answer! Thanks for all your openness and honesty.

Thanks to everyone for posting on this thread. I am 5' 1" and 325lbs making my BMI 61.5! I am scheduled to be banded on June 14th with Dr. Malley in KC. My husband is scheduled to be banded on May 24th, so we are taking the journey together. I am a nurse, an old OR nurse in fact, so there was no way I was going to have or let my husband have an open procedure. But even when lap bypasses came along, I did not like the nutritional complications that still existed with that procedure. I was so excited to find the LapBand - I truly believe it is the answer for both of us. We both need major help with portion control. Tasha - I would encourage you to speak to your primary care physician as well as a gynecologist. My gynecologist is very supportive of my choice and wrote a very good recommendation to my insurance company. She helped me through 3 miscarriages and eventually a successful pregancy, so she knew more of my issues than my PCP. Even though I don't have outward co-morbidities at this time - it is only a matter of time before they start. If I could have made this choice at 20 I would have! Good Luck to everyone no matter what stage in your journey you are.