hungry4help

Jenna: just checking to see how your dealings with Oxford have gone. Any luck? Have they stated what your out of pocket expenses will be? What's the cost of your surgery? Anyone else out there, please feel free to chime in. I had my first consult earlier this week and the plastic surgeon suggested a full lower body lift. Total fees will be in the neighborhood of $17k; i live in Manhattan and his office is on Park Ave. Yikes. Will need to see a dermatologist to verify rashes etc, a medical photographer to document the sorry state of my skin, and get letters from my primary care physician and bariatric surgeon. All seems doable and I'm hoping to have the procedure done in late November.

if any of you who have oxford freedom, i thought this link might be of interest. looks like they will cover an abdominoplasty. https://www.oxhp.com/secure/policy/abdominoplasty_1008.html

glad to hear it went well. please keep us posted. have they calculated what your out of pocket expenses will be?

Hi Jenna... just checking to see how your consult went. I hope it was all good news.

That's great, Jenna. Good luck with your appointment. Would love to hear how it goes. BTW: am sure you've already seen this, but thought it might be useful to anyone else out there who has Oxford Freedom. https://www.oxhp.com/secure/policy/abdominoplasty_1008.html

Did Oxford approve your procedure? I've got Oxford Freedom too and getting approved for my band took just a couple of weeks. Since then, I've checked and it looks like they cover abdominoplasty pretty readily. Am curious to know what your experience has been. Thanks in advance for sharing your story.

Hi all... Can anyone recommend a plastic surgeon in Manhattan? After nearly 2 years and plenty of hard work, I'm down a little more than 100 pounds and thinking it's time to consider an abdominoplasty and perhaps an inner thigh lift. For better or worse, there are plenty of plastic surgeons to choose from in New York City. The problem: which one to choose. I'm aware of local surgeons like Dr. Schulman who specialize in treating weight loss patients. But I do think it's important to consult with multiple doctors and compare their techniques and patients' outcomes. If you've had a procedure done and have a recommendation, please let me know. Thanks in advance for your help.

hubba hubba! you look great juli. once an inspiration, always an inspiration. thanks for posting the pic. now you've got me thinking about my own tummy tuck plans

after having your port replaced, how long did it take you to get back to working out? 2 weeks? 3? a month? since being banded, i've become something of gym rat and play tennis 3x a week. i'm hoping not to be sidelined for too long. what was your experience like?

hey there... i'm from nyc. you?

yup, i definitely ache after a lot of ab work. recently it's been so bad that i sometimes can't even sleep on that side. i talked to my trainer and to my surgeon about it. doc says it could be that the work i've done is pulling on a stitch or somesuch. also, as i've lost weight and can definitely feel the "lump" where my port is and where the scar tissue has formed around it. argh. i've been toying around with the idea of a tummy tuck and i guess i can resolve the issue then my retrofitting a lower profile port. as for ab work, i keep doing it. tho i do limit really strenuous sessions to 2x a week.

trial, might help to be your own advocate with your doctor and push for more substantial fills. for awhile, my doc was only filling .2ccs at a time. that was way too little for me and i lobbied hard for more. it's really helped me. as you know, relying solely on the band is a dangerous thing. keep working out, eat everything in moderation and work out some more. but even when you're doing everything right, you're going to hit a plateau at some point. i'm on one now and have another fill skedded for today. i'm crossing my fingers and hoping i can finally break the 200 mark before the spring. good luck

congrats, froggy! i've been testing the dating waters too, but so far no major sparks. still, i guess it's good to get out there. i'm on a couple of different dating sites and have told all my friends (mostly married lesbians with kids) that they need to pimp me out. hey, it's hard out there for a dyke. :-) i've always been a pretty confident person, but the band/weight loss has really boosted things. i'm about 40-50 pounds from where i'd ultimately like to be, but i'm healthier and more active than i have been since i was in college. in fact my college sweetheart just facebooked me and commented that i now look like i did when we were in college. i blushed in front of my laptop. heh. and here's a random nsv, i bought a sweater, jeans and a shirt from the gap. yeah, baby... straight off the rack. (okay off the men's rack, but still!) it's been a long ass time since i shopped anywhere other than lane bryant or on the plus sized section of eddie bauer and landsend. i think i'm going to sneak into banana republic next week.... ahh, optimism. hope everyone is well... ps, any going to the lapband convention in nyc? if so, would love to meet up with some of the lgbt contingent.

juli, congrats on the decision to have plastic surgery! i'm sure it can't have been an easy call. as i continue to lose weight, it's an option i'm considering too. i've been seeing a trainer for nearly a year now and have been doing more and more plyometrics. um, loose belly skin and jumping up and down... well, need i say more? at first i tried masking the slapping sound with a cough or a grunt. now, i just giggle and tell my trainer that she's making me slap happy. oy. anyways... i hope you continue to share your plastics process on this or another thread. you're one of my favorite posters on lbt! good luck everyone. here's to a healthier 2009.

my level of restriction seems to be a moving target. i started feeling restriction around 7, but each month i've had to have a top off to maintain that feeling. my usual routine: first two-three weeks are tight-ish, then by week 4 the feeling subsides. as of last week, i'm up to 9.2. anyone have a similar experience?

if you've got limited mobility and not moved much at all, try jogging in place while you watch tv even if it's just during commercials. also, see your doc about a fill. don't be ashamed to go back. all of us slip up and it's important to use all the resources you have. you can get back on track.

hi all... like many of you i didn't feel restriction after my initial fills. it take awhile and sometimes you may not feel restricted until 2- weeks after a fill. sux, i know. also, it's doubtful that you'll feel restricted when the you're only on liquids/mushies. you're surgeon and dietitian can explain in more detail, but remember to follow band rules: well chewed solid Proteins, veggies and carbs. don't drink for at least an hour after eating. you're going to need food to, for lack of a better word, plug up your pouch. it's only when your pouch is full that you'll feel sated and therefore restricted. from what i can tell from all of your previous posts, many of you seem to be at the beginning of your fill stages. patience, dear friends. you'll hit your sweet spot. just remember band rules and communicate with your surgeon and aftercare team. good luck everyone.

hi all... anyone attending the east cost conference? if there are enough of us, maybe we can have an off site get together. i'm already in nyc so it's a no brainer for me. if there are enough of us, i'd be willing to hose a get together at my apartment in manhattan. raise your hand if you're going to attend the conf and willing to meet up for a band friendly cocktail party.

i've lost count of my fills too. i'm now up to about 8.2 ccs in a 14cc band. i'm going in for another fill this thursday and planning to ask for .5 or .75 more. haven't felt much restriction in a couple of weeks. let me just say, that made thanksgiving a bit problematic. luckily there's a gym in my apt bldg and i worked out for about 90 minutes that day. still, i'm sure i ate more calories than i burned. i'm trying not to stress out about it too much. i know i'm not always going to make the best choices, but i'm smarter than i used to be and i'm in this for the long haul. a day's indulgence isn't the end of the world. still, i've got to make sure the day was an anomaly and not the norm.

hi bubz... and welcome to the site. i'm an occasional poster, but have a frequent reader here. i was banded back in march and have found a lot of great info and support here. i'm sure you will too. welcome again.

not sure if you need a fill if you're already having a hard time eating throughout the day. the time table of my appetite is similar to yours. tight in the mornings, eases up at lunch and by 8p, i can pretty much eat anything (and in quantity!). i've experimented by slightly upping my portions for a 7ish pm dinner. i try to eat something that will sit in my pouch for a couple of hours, eg beef or chicken. following band rules re: drinking is important at night, at least for me. if'm super hungry and can't stand it anymore, i'll have a yogurt or some strawberries as a late night snack. and, if i really get the munchies around midnight, i just try lots of Water. what i've realized about my sensation about hunger is that i've often confused hunger with thirst -- especially late at night. anyways, my 2 cents. good luck.

my primary care phys prescriped clotrimazole and betamethasone dipropionate cream. it's a mouthful, i know! stuff works well and isn't very messy. also, i've been told that having been prescribed anti-fungals helps your case when it comes time to ask your insurance carrier to cover a TT/pani. best of luck.

oxford was so easy to deal with when i first got my lapband. all told, the approval process took a little over two weeks. i know, i was definitely fortunate. now i'm hoping to tempt the fates again and hoping oxford pos will cover a tt/pani. like many here, i'm had a recurring rash and a ongoing back pain from the skin now hanging off my midsection. ugh. i've obviously got more lbs to lose, but i'd like to line things up so that the next step in the process will be a little easier to deal with. anyone here dealt with oxford for ps? what was your ps approval process like? what did information/proof of medical necessity did you have to provide them? thanks in advance for your help and the info.

i had been losing and gaining the same 3-4 pounds for the last month, but i hoped on the scale today and it registered 218. here's to hoping i finally broke through that plateau. i had been hoping to be in onderland by the end of the year, but i don't think that will happen. i'm just trying to let that go and remind myself that i'm healthier than i have been since my teens. the weight will come off when it comes off. in the meantime, i've got to make the choice to eat well and exercise often. but as we all know, that's easier said than done.

juli... just a shout out to you and your ticker. damn, girl. you're seriously working that band. i'm thoroughly impressed and inspired.