sleepyjean

You don't like flintstones Vitamins? BLASPHEMY!!! :eek:

My God, that sounds frustrating! So sorry you have to go through all that.

Didn't Janet Jackson wear that on the cover of one of her albums?

I was in a similar situation. I was mid-application process when my company changed health insurance and I had to start all over again. Like you, I hadn't seen a PCP in over 10 years. Basically, I picked a PCP and scheduled a consult (not a physical. I found that it's a lot quicker to get in for a consult than a physical and you'll need to have a physical shortly before the surgery anyway, so you might as well wait.) Anyway, I went in for my consult armed to the teeth with all my research and a scrapbook that had photos showing the extreme fluctutations in my weight, photos of all my diet books, workout videos, and exercise equipment, photos of all the diet pills and diet foods in my fridge. I also had a list from the surgeon's office of all the tests I needed referrals for. Basically, I went in expecting to fight. Turns out I didn't have to. My new doc is awesome and very very helpful. If you walk in there like you know what you're doing, I think the doctor is more likely to help you.

I can relate. My soon-to-be surgeon has an outstanding reputation, but the people in his office could use some work. Yesterday, I took off work early and drove all the way over there, only to discover that they'd given me the wrong appointment time. I had to reschedule, but they don't have any availability until the end of the month. Besides that, when I called to schedule a consult with the surgeon, I was told to be there at 8:15 for my 9 am appointment. At no time did they mention that it was a GROUP consult and we'd have to wait for everyone to get there before we started. The consult didn't start until almost ten and lasted over an hour. After sitting there for two hours, watching other people come in behind me and get handed paperwork to fill out, I finally went up to the desk and asked if I needed to complete any forms. The lady was all "oops! sorry!" That would've been acceptable if I hadn't arrive a full hour before anyone else and if I hadn't been sitting right in front of her the whole time.

Who else took this stuff? Did you have any luck? I had it with and without ephedra. The ones with ephedra were huge, tasted really bad, and gave me the tremors. I remember driving all over the place looking for them because they'd been pulled off the shelves at GNC. The ones without ephedra did nothing. I gave them both up because at the time I was dead broke and at 6 pills a day and $40 a bottle, it really added up. Plus neither of them worked. What's the consensus on Anna Nicole Smith? She has an absolutely rockin' bod. It seems like she lost the weight very quickly, but she doesn't look like she had GB.

How long were you out of work because of the tummy tuck? Is it a long time? I think I'm going to need one, but I can't get a month off work for elective surgery.

I like Lucy. Or Betsy. Betsy would be cute.

ooooh, how cute is she? adorable!

Thanks guys, I think I just needed to let off some steam. The scheduler guy apologized and is going to try to squeeze me in earlier if he can. I hope they don't spring any other requirements on me! The silver lining in all this is I found out that the surgeons get together every friday to review everyone's file and decide who is really an appropriate candidate. That's a good thing to know. Otherwise, I would've hounded them every day of the week after my evals were complete. Now I know I only need to hound them on Mondays - haha! Melissa - how awful for you. Of all the bad luck. I'm glad it worked out though. I'm pretty sure my surgeon isn't going anywhere, but if he does, I will not hesitate to TP his house. Mature? no. Satisfying? Oh yes.

I was scheduled to get all of my evaluations done this week - nutritionist and dietician today and upper GI and abdominal ultrasound on Friday. I was anticipating getting everything to blue cross for evaluation next week and maybe even have a surgery date before the end of Feb. Woohoo! Unfortunately, when I got to the place today I discovered that the surgeon's office had given me the WRONG TIME for my appointment. This would be fine if it wasn't the first time they've screwed up my schedule, and if I hadn't called last week to confirm and never got a call back. GRRRRR. Now the nutritionist isn't available for three weeks. I know three weeks is nothing in the grand scheme of things, but I was so excited that after waiting months and months, I was almost done. I. Am. So. Mad. :angry

Fat or thin, I'm pretty much going to hate anyone who coordinates her clothes and home decor to the project du jour

Congratulations

Everything I read about the band includes the usual disclaimer "the band is just a tool...blah blah blah...don't expect it to change you or make everything in your life better." I know the band is just a tool and I'm still going to have to work my fanny off. But I DO expect it to change me. How could it not? I'm curious - for those who have been banded, do you feel that you have changed inside?

A guy I work with just came around with his daughter's Girl Scout cookie order form. I have never been so glad that I'm getting banded. No more inhaling Cookies by the boxful. Those thin mints are like crack.

I agree. It's like when Always started making pads for plus size women: Bigger panties --> bigger pad Bigger stomach --> bigger band I'd be interested to know if obese people have a much bigger stomach than the non-obese (obese-less? obesity-free? sans obesity? whatever you want to call it.)

That right there is exactly why I'm getting banded.

That's terrific! I never thought of losing neck weight

Same here. If you're talking about the vertical band, I read that the highest risk is that you'll pop the staples and wind up with your stomach the original size.

I read that as "I got my first Pd." I was thinking that's too much information

What is your time frame? I'm going to be banded by Dr. Khalili at Cedars-Sinai, but I'm still working my way through all the appointments I have to go through. I'm hoping for a date in the next 30 days or so. If you're going to be banded after me, I can let you know how it goes at Cedars.

I know I'm being incredibly judgemental about this, but WHY are you with that guy? I'm not saying that he has to believe the surgery is a great thing, but it sounds like he puts you down about your weight and your attempts to do something about it. If he's going to be in your life, you're going to need his support and it doesn't sound like he's giving it. The fact that you are thinking about doing LB without telling your fiance is a huge red flag. For one thing, he'll find out sooner or later and will his reaction be any better then? And for another, you deserve someone who is going to go to the hospital with you and hold your hand and tell you everything's going to be ok, not someone who is going to be negative and make you feel worse. A lot of people experience depression for a little while after getting banded, the last thing you need is someone close to you making you feel bad. I'm sure you're already hard enough on yourself. I know I'm making a big leap and you should ignore me if I'm completely off track. Maybe he'll change his mind afterward. Maybe he just jokes around that you complain too much, and he's just teasing. It doesn't seem that way from your message though. I can't help thinking that this is the one person who is supposed to love you best in the whole entire world. You shouldn't have to hide *anything* from him (except for birthday and xmas gifts!). WLS can make a make a good relationship stronger. It can also make a troubled relationship worse. In either case, I hope you have the surgery before you marry that guy. This is a major, life-changing event for you. Best to find out how he's going to handle that before you make a lifelong committment. Sorry, I didn't mean to lecture. It's just that I've known quite a few people who married the wrong person and paid for it later. (In most cases after they've had kids together.) Could be I'm projecting all that on you.

I'm curious to know what other people are doing. How often do you weigh yourself? Do you measure yourself? Do you go by the fit of your clothes? In the past, when I've lost weight, I've weighed myself on a weekly basis. I think when I get banded, I'm going to try to check my progress no more often than once a month - I'll weigh myself, take my measurements, and take a progress photo once a month. I'm hopeful it will help keep me from obessessing. All you bandsters, how are you keeping track?

I think it's all about perspective. We think that lady shouldn't complain about being a size ten. But somewhere out there, someone is reading this message board and saying we shouldn't complain about being a size 20 or 24 - because at least we can still buy clothes at Lane Bryant and don't have to special order, right? I believe that we are all fighting the same demons, whether we have 100 pounds to lose or 300 pounds to lose. And I think for someone who has been skinny her whole life, gaining 20 pounds must seem like the end of the world because that 20 pounds really makes a difference. That's a couple of sizes. Me? I gain 20 pounds, I'm still wearing the same clothes. Best not to compare. There is always someone who is better off than you are and someone who is worse off.

Maybe I've been living in a bubble, but I didn't realize how pissed off some people get if they hear someone has had WLS. I was doing some searching on Star Jones and Randy Jackson and Al whatshisface and couldn't believe how many nasty comments I came across. I mean, I know there are people who say it's the "easy way out" but why does that make people mad? It's almost a "you cheated, that's not fair" kind of thing. It's such a weird reaction to have. I mean, some people are born with tall genes while others never grow over 5 ft - that's not fair. Some people are born blondes and others brunettes - that's not fair. Some people are born looking like Charlize Theron, but most of us weren't - that's not fair. What does WLS have to do with being fair? Even if it actually was the easy way out? The attitude seems to be "lose weight the old fashioned way or stay fat and suffer." Why is that?