whimsy

Thanks Mel! I probably will harass you sooner or later! :biggrin:

I am admitted Coca-Cola/Pepsi junky. Most of my friends know that I'd much rather have an ice cold cola than any kind of dessert. However, I've been able to wean myself off of carbonated drinks slowly but surely. One thing that I absolutely love to drink is decaf iced green tea with splenda. At first, I thought it tasted like fluoride but it has since grown on me and I can't live without it. :thumbup:

From what I've been told and by the research I've done, it is recommended to eliminate caffeine from your diet because it causes you to be hungry and eat more.

Just putting in my 2 cents from my personal experience: I was just approved for surgery with Anthem BCBS (Husband works for Fedex/Kinko's). Apparently they used to have a BMI restriction (wouldn't do the surgery if the BMI was over 49) but it was removed at the end of 2007. I do not know if this was a restriction placed by BCBS or Fedex/Kinkos. My paperwork was submitted right after the holidays so it took them about 2-3 weeks to get back to us. My husband ended up calling pretty much every day to keep track of the progress.

Oh yes, so very ready. I'm doing my best to kick the jitters to the curb! I've been waiting so long for this that I need to get my mind right! You are so right - we CAN do this!

After over a year of trying for insurance approval, I finally have a surgery date of March 3rd. :regular_smile: I am both excited and nervous. I've wanted this for so long but now I find that I'm worrying about all the things that could go wrong. I'm working on snapping out of that frame of mind, of course. Anyone else scheduled for March 3rd? I'd love to have some surgery day or even surgery week buddies to keep me motivated. I have over 100 lbs to lose and I'm just SO ready to get this party started!

I know I'm still fairly new here but I've spent hours upon hours searching the forums for other women with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrom) who have been banded. Since this condition has been known to cause severe weight gain as well make it very difficult to lose the weight, it would be beneficial to those of us who have it to be able to support one another. There seems to be a few threads that are pretty lengthy and I think this special interest group would be quite active. Here are a few threads that I've found : http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/those-who-have-pcos-44999/ http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f84/lapband-pcos-48834/ http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/question-those-pcos-11810/ http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/anyone-ir-pcos-10726/ http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/pcos-who-s-got-18345/ I hope that made sense! Thanks for reading!

I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself since I also have a BMI over 50. I started this journey a little over a year ago by attending a seminar. Shortly after, I had my surgeon consult, my psych eval and my nutritionist visit. The only road block for me was my BMI. My insurance company had a requirement of 49 or less in order to approve the surgery. Well, I tried to lose the weight and just couldn't do it. I have PCOS, which makes it even harder to lose these excess baggage. Fortunately, our insurance company lifted the BMI restriction in November of 2007. Our surgeon submitted our paperwork in December - so hopefully I will hear back any day now. I am looking forward to sharing this journey with all of you. It is wonderful to be able to relate to other people. I have friends who are overweight but their BMIs are no where close to 50. The support and experience offered here is definitely motivating and inspiring!

Although I am still waiting for my insurance approval so I can finally be banded - I've been researching Protein shakes for a long time. I really want to make sure I find some that will taste good and provide me with adequate protein so I can stay on track after surgery. I am leaning towards a vanilla flavor (probably unjury or that other shake mentioned that can be purchased at Wal-Mart) and utilizing Capella Flavor drops. I thought I'd mention them here for those of you who are wanting a little variety with your vanilla shakes. A lot of liquid dieters use them in their shakes and puddings. There are tons of different flavors and you can combine them to create yummy treats. They don't have any fat, calories or sweetners. Link: Flavor Drops - Gourmet coffee and Tea Flavorings, Flavor Your Coffee Anytime, Anywhere! I'm hoping that these drops will be able to take some of the nasty factor out of the shake drinking experience when my time comes.

Congrats! I know what a big deal this is for SLers! It's also GREAT advertising for the designers who are involved. I used to run a club there but I got tired of the griefers. Now I just visit from time to time. What's your name/where is your store so I can stop by? It's always nice to have more friends in SL.

I'm not yet banded but I am trying to be mindful of my eating habits. I do my best not to eat after 7pm - but I get those cravings, too! One of the best suggestions I ever received was to simply drink some broth. I usually do a cup of warm broth by nuking Water until it's warm enough to dissolve the boullion cube. It's savory and usually hits the spot.

I have not yet had WLS but I did want to comment on this - I had emergency surgery to remove my gall bladder back in August. I still have some issues with food going "straight thru". This is usually the greasier foods, though. I was warned about this when I had the surgery. As long as I am mindful of what I eat, it's not so bad. I don't think it'll make a negative impact on your WLS but you could always mention this to your surgeon or nutrionist and let them know what you are experiencing.

I believe I've been on Actos and Met for about 6 months. There's been a marked improvement when it comes to my glucose levels. When testing my sugar, I'm usually in the range of 90-115, which is wonderful for me. I'd been testing at 200ish for such a long time that my PCP almost jumped for joy when they did my first A1C after taking the Actos for 3 months. As far as the PCOS and its symptoms - there's been no real change that I can see. My cycle is still incredibly irregular and my cravings and PMS are insane. I have to admit that I've been apprehensive about Actos since it is a relative of Avandia. I read recently that it "may be less effective than other drugs for diabetes and cause liver damage, weight gain, anemia and heart failure". Fortunately, it has worked for me as far as the blood sugars go...but my weight is still a problem. PS Thank you all for the warm welcome. I really appreciate it!

I absolutely agree with this sentiment. It is inspiring to see other women who have PCOS make great strides in their health after lapband.

I love all these adorable pictures! I just have to share a few of mine. I admit it - we have a zoo at our house 3 cats named after Batman Villains: Harley (Quinn), TJ (The Joker) & Eddie (Edward Nigma aka The Riddler) 2 Chihuahuas named after X-Men: Gambit & Beast. Our little girl Rogue passed away a couple of years ago. And these pictures are of our French Bulldogs...Joey & Chandler. This is Joey: This is Chandler: And here are our boys hamming it up for the camera:

Hello all! I've not been banded as of yet but have already gone through the seminar, consult, psych eval and nutritionist for Dr. Hamn in Plano (I live in Allen). We've submitted our paperwork and now we're waiting to hear what Anthem Blue Cross has to say. They used to have a BMI requirement of 49 or less but removed it in November 2007. Looking forward to getting to know ya'll better.

I thought I'd take a moment to introduce myself as I hope to be spending a lot of time here in the coming months. My name is Andi and I recently celebrated my 34th birthday. I am happily married - we don't have any children at this time, unless you count our 3 cats and 4 dogs. I have been diagnosed with hypertension, sleep apnea, Type II Diabetes and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, so it is our hope that lapband will help me with many of my health issues. We started this process over a year ago when we went to our surgeon's seminar. ( Dr. Stephen Hamn - Plano, Texas) Shortly after, we had our consult and psych eval as well as nutrition counseling. The only thing stopping me was the BMI requirement by our insurance company. My BMI was over 50 and the insurance company would not approve surgery if it was not 49 or less. As of November 2007, they have dropped this requirement - so there shouldn't be anything else that would cause them to say no. I've met all the other requirements. Our surgeon's office submitted the necessary paperwork to our insurance company December 5th and they said it would take a month or so to find out the result. This waiting is just horrible! A bit about me - I'm the proud owner of two french bulldogs named Joey & Chandler. I'm a gamer girl (I met my husband via a MMORPG), I'm intrigued by true crime and the paranormal. I love horror movies. I'm a fan of the Barenaked Ladies, Kevin Smith movies and Chris Rock. Reality TV is a guilty pleasure and I often quote Dr. Phil. I am excited to find an active and supportive community of friendly folks to share this experience with. I can't wait to get to know you and learn from your experiences as well as be inspired by your success.

I just recently found this community and I was so excited and relieved to find others who share my situation. I was diagnosed with PCOS ( and type 2 diabetes) about 5 years ago but my doctor believes I've had it since I was 18. (She's been my doctor since I was 14 years old and I am 34 now.) At one point, I gained 100lbs in a year. It's been a struggle ever since. Both my cardiologist and PCP think that the surgery will help with the PCOS. Besides the problems with weight, I have the hair growth and only recently found a skin tag (ugh!). I had an ovarian cyst that ruptured when I was 18 which put me in the hospital for emergency surgery. Of course, I also have problems with my cycle and conceiving. My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for 5 years with no result. I am on Met and Actos as well as a cocktail of other medications for hypertension and other related conditions. I also have sleep apnea and finally got a CPAP machine...only to not use it as often as I should. Yes, bad girl. I know. = I'm currently waiting for approval from my insurance company, so I can only hope that I will soon be able to join all of you on this incredible journey. I am inspired by your stories and look forward to sharing my own.