Wheetsin

If you aren't dehydrated (big bad breath problem), you're probably in ketosis, and having "ketosis breath" (happens when there's an increase in ketones). Mints, gums, etc. will disguise the bad breath in the same way that an air freshener disguises bad smells (e.g. either you temporarily overpower the bad smell with the really strong air freshener, or you get this sick blend of bad smell + flowers). I spend a long time in the "Atkins scene" and this was one of the constants we saw. So what can you do about it? Here were our recurring top 3 solutions: Fresh parsley is an odor neutralizer. It will not mask odors. Chew up fresh parsley very well, then spit it out and see if you notice any difference. Drink more Water. Maybe it won't make a difference, but it probably will. Most bandsters tend to be a bit dehydrated. If your diet will allow it, decrease your ketones (eat more carbs). ETA - be wise with your breath mint solution. Keep in mind that if it's solid, and accidentally goes down, you're probably going to be in pain. I would suggest either the meltaway strips, or the little Gelatin ball-type (can't remember what they're called but they're part of the Ice Breakers line). Or a spray. There are organic sprays you can get that are stronger than anything you'll find at a mega mart, and probably better for you.

Yeah - taking the time to post this here cut into the time that you should have been on the phone with your surgeon. Log off and call.

If your sleeplessness is definitely tied to your thoughts (e.g. as you relax thoughts arise and you can't turn them off, or you fall asleep only to wake up shortly after and be immediately focusing on your thoughts), then consier seeing a psychiatrist. I know, they have such a stigma around them, but -- think of them as psychologists with medical degrees (can write prescriptions). A very dear friend of mine is a psychologist and tried the relaxation route, the OTC sleeping pill route, the prescription sleeping pill route, etc. but found no relief. Finally he went to a psychiatrist with his problem of, "I can't turn my thoughts off." He walked out with a prescription that's not a sleeping pill and not habit-forming (I really can't remember what the Rx was... he told me but this was a while ago and I'm drawing a blank), but he now sleeps well every night.

Metabolisms don't die unless you're dead. If you're alive, and not some weird medical anamoly, your metabolism is doing its job. Your metabolims can adjust to your diet. This is why changing eating habits and doing nothing else very rarely works for complete & sustained healthy weightloss. Here's an excerpt from a previous post I made: When you decrease your caloric intake, your metabolism also decreases. However, your metablosim doesn't decrease because your calories decreased. It decreases because your body begins to break down the lean mass (remember -- muscle tissues are easier to break down than fat)... in essence it starts to eat itself. At the same time your body also has the programming to know this shouldn't be happening, so it slows down your metabloic (and other) processes so that its lean masses are broken down slower. It doesn't want to eat itself, so it's going to slow down the metabolism. Anyway, the body's goal in decreasing the metabolism is not to keep up with however many calories you're eating, the goal is to have to feed off itself as little as possible. Then you get into the irony of -- that fuel that was created by metabolizing your lean mass being converted to sugars by your liver, with the goal of keeping your fat stores in place. Losing weight by metabolizing lean mass is going to produce a really weak, flabby, unhealthy end product. They key is to avoid burning muscle and get the body to burn fat, so ideally you'd target between your BMR and AMR, and not a fixed number like "1,000". That's another misconception. This is why the balance of diet AND exercise is so important and really not negiotable when you're looking for a healthy and sustainable weightloss. Did you arrive at 1200 calories as a person threshold, or was it a generic guideline you went with? You should target a calroic intake betweem your AMR and BMR. If you believe your metabolism has adjusted to a 1200 calorie diet, then it's up to you to make up the difference. Not one bit. Let me throw another question back at you to help put it in perspective. If we were starving ourselves, how would any of us manage to maintain our weight long term? If we were starving, wouldn't we eventually die of starvation/malnutrition? The "full" sensation is triggered where the band is placed. Hence a small amount of food above the band will result in a "full" signal going to the brain. This is why restriction is key. If the food isn't there long enough to register this signal, then you're not going to be satisfied on small amounts of food. (Long story made very short). Hope this helps. :wink2:

With 20/20 hindsight the blessedly short 2 day pre-op diet wasn't hard at all. At the time, what was the hardest was remembering that I was supposed to be on it. I would be at work and think, "Hmm, I should make so and so for dinner.... Doh! No food for me!" The first day I did that easily 10 times.

There will be plenty of time for cheese once you've had your surgery. As you first wean off carbs and other addictive foods (cheese is probably my most favorite food), you'll find that your cravings diminish. For the most part. The carbs do, and most others will get better. I found my cravings changed completely from what they were pre-op. if you're on clear, sugar-free liquids and need something different try sugar-free popsicles. They're nice and sweet, fruity, and being frozen brings a whole new texture to our bored & tired palettes.

I got pregnant just before my 2 year band anniversary - like 2 weeks before. My surgeon advised waiting 1 year. In fact, he required it. The extra time was me wanting to get a few more pounds off, and trying without any luck for pg.

I don't know my loss by month other than a rough guess. I think at 3 mos I was about 50 or 60 lbs down, 6 months about 120 lbs down, and probably 140 at 12 months. I'm currently 2 years post op and about 165 down. As you see, weightloss really slows after month 6. Every higher BMI patient I've spoken with found this to be true. My pre-op BMI was around 56, give or take a point. My current BMI is 33 give or take a point. I've gone from size 32+ to 18, sometimes 20.

Then call and ask them what their definition of "medically necessary" is. Again, this is info they have to give you. It may often include things like a letter from the surgeon, BMI requirements, weight history, etc. BUT if these aren't things they require, submitting them won't do anything toward approval. You need to make them itemize the requirements for you. Insurance battles can be tough, we are our best advocates and cannot afford to take the job lightly.

Mashed potatoes are too thick for liquids. Liquids are liquids, e.g. broths, frozen (popsicles), juices, etc. My surgeon categorized drinkable yogurt as a thick liquid, which was stage 2, along with things like "cream of..." Soups.

A quick google search found: I'm sure you can Google and find more detailed info.

Oh, and family Dr. also told me to insist on a follow-up ultrasound from the OB Wed, and said to call her if they won't do it and she'd order one through the hospital (she had a few miscarriages, and is close to my age... I think her overall empathy level is a bit higher). I called them to see if this had already been scheduled and they were like "We don't know, it depends on whether or not the Dr. thinks it's needed. One might, and the other might not." So I told them to make sure I saw the Dr. who was most likely to think it might. :thumbup:

I talked to my family doc today. She was happy to do the bloodwork. And she sent it for STAT processing, and was going to call me or have the Dr. on call phone as soon as they got results. I know what my number was at the ER, so this will give a good indicator. I'm still having the old bleeding, but she looked closely at all my reports from the ER and said everything else was excellent -- perfect hemaglobin, betas, etc. She said it's a really good sign that there was a heartbeat after the bleeding started, and that there's still not been any bright/new blood. I'm kinda out of my element here but she sounded like she knew what she was talking about. Keeping my fingers crossed, the world needs another heathen!

What are their requirements for approval? "Evidence did not support" and "don't feel it's medically necessary" aren't valid reasons for declining a claim. They can't "feel" anything, feelings has nothing to do with insurance. Either requirements were met or they were not. Would you feel comfortablt typing exactly what your letter says?

All it does is throw us a link to the post with the reporter's comments. It's just a way of giving us a heads-up. (If any of you out there don't know, you report a post by clicking the little "caution" sign that appears below the person's join date, age, posts. It's the third of the four little cons there.) Now - I leave, and you can all get back to topic! report.bmp

First suggestion - find out the reason. If your insurance company didn't include a reason in the declination, then call them and get it. They have to provide it to you. You'll need to know why you were denied in order to know what to do going forward.

Let's see... your surgery was at the end of December, and that puts you right around the "average" 3 month period when people begin to lose hair. Don't worry - except for extreme, extreme cases it's nothing your doing, nor is there really anything you can do for it other than wait for the cycle (all hair is on a 3-part cycle) to pass. Surgery, anesthesia, body trauma, etc. (we've had all 3 with our bands) causes hairloss. Think of it as a reaction to the shock. There isn't a magical cure other than patience... no shampoos you can slather on or supplements you can swallow like candy... other than as a few have found, short haircuts (in dire circumstances - helps hide the thinning and makes for a lot less visual shock). Most people lose hair to varying degrees for... been a while since I ran the numbers but I'm going to say about 6 weeks. When I had my band I lost hair for about 3 months, but only had about 3 weeks of heavy loss. When I had my gallbladder removed (after band surgery) I lost hair for about the same time. Now I can tell that I have hair shifted into the growing cycle because I have 1" hairs sticking out. :thumbup:

Water activities other than swimming. Aquarobics, aquajogging, etc. Water activities are among the best because they take away the impact. If that is too painful, perhaps some hot yoga, but if moving your knee in the water hurts it's probably going to hurt in a hot room just as much.

Carrabas Never been there Outback Steakhouse Don't like it, the one time I've been since banding I had some kind of chicken that came with cornbread stuff. A Chinese Restaurant I suually get hot & sour soup, and/or General chicken depending on how hungry I am. Unless I'm at PF Chang's and then I'll get lettuce wraps. Applebees Don't like Applebee's so I've only been once, had some kind of chicken with mashed potatoes and soup instead of salad. Macaroni Grill I usually get the pasta rustica or whatever it's called Red Robin Veggie burger Ruby Tuesday Don't really go there too much, not sure I've been since surgery Wendy's Baked potato McDonalds Don't eat at McDonald's... no, a few times I've gotten the Fruit n' Yogurt parfait when I was desperate for some food. Chick F La Never heard of it Panera's Soup usually. Once or twice I had some kind of chicken asiago sandwich. Atlanta Bread Company Never heard of it Subway I get tuna salad put into a dish if I'm eating there, or one of the newer sandwiches that are like just part of a 6" in tuna and eat the bread or don't, depending on how the food is doing. Occasionally I get the seafood one. Can you Eat Pizza? NY Style All styles of pizza no problem so far.

I used to try and hold it if someone was in, or would hold it long enough to hit another bathroom (at work we have a few stories so there's always another bathroom to check). I used to PB a lot more than I do now so it's not so much of an issue. My last few have been at home. I just yak regardless of who's there now, and if it's a situation where I'm being conscious of the noises it will make, I will try to flush right as I feel it happening. *shrug* We're desensitized I guess. Most people just think I'm puking and run out anyway.

When you guys see inflammatory posts, even here, please report them to us. Otherwise, it's 100% a matter of whether or not one of us happens on the message.

At Uno's once I'm pretty sure the waitstaff thought I was bulemic. Obviously they don't know much about bulemia. But I ate a few bites, then hhurredly asked our waitress where the restroom was. Someone came in right as I yakked. You'd think they leave, but they didn't. When I came out of the stall, it was our waitress and she was just kind of propped on the wall like she was hanging out. After I got back to the table I overheard her talking to some of the other waitstaff and I couldn't hear a lot, but I did hear "purge". Ah, the little girl knew nothing.

There is no better or worse between the two outside of each person's individual circumstances and lifestyle. Please don't think we're trying to argue which is better/worse. However, this is a BAND board, not a generic WLS board, so a lot of the responses you'll get are likely to be pro-band. I know many people who have had RNY, and it was right for them at the time. Some now regret it, some do not. I can say that the concern he mentioned about needing fills -- I'm surprised he didn't mention the RNY recovery time. Even laparoscopically, this is often about 6 weeks. With the band, it's often within one week. Just looking at it from logical numbers, fill appoinments (in over 2 years I've had a total of 5, one was for an unfill) take about 10 minutes at the most. So that's less than an hour I've dedicated to follow-up. Oh, plus the post-op visit to have my staples removed. Even after 2+ years, that's still a TON of saved time over an additional 5 weeks of recovery. The sweets - that's a very valid point. If you're an ice cream junkie, there's a risk you will not lose weight with the band. Unlike RNY, the band itself does nothing to prevent you from eating crap food. Even people who are overfilled and can only eat a few things often find it's ice cream, Cookies, shakes, etc. that go down the best. If someone isn't able to commit to the lifestyle & behavioral changes that come with needing to be responsible for their eating decisions, then the band may not be the best option. They call the band the "thinking person's WLS" for this reason -- we're still accountable. With some of the other procedures, including RNY, this isn't so much the case. You can expect some degree of hand-out weightloss, even if it comes at the cost of great pain. Best of luck inyour decision. :biggrin:

The best way to find low carb, high Protein foods is to shop the perimeter of your grocery store and avoid all the middle aisles. SPeaking for the average layout, of course. The perimeter of the store is where they keep the meats, dairies, and more "natural" foods. The inner aisles are where they keep the frankenfoods, carby products, etc. One of my favorite carb conscious (and one of my band favorites too) things to eat is turkey pepperoni and cream cheese. Lay the pepperoni on papertowels and microwave until it's cooked crunchy. You'll see it darken, and notice that the grease has stopped coming up. Don't let it cook until it's black tho. At home this is about 3 minutes for 25 pieces. Then blot them dry, removing as much grease as you can. They'll be super crunchy like potato chips. I use them to scoop some "garden vegetable" cream cheese -- very very good. They also make good scoops for cottage cheese. I lived on the induction (super strict) phase of Atkins for over a year, so if you need any more help, just ask away.

Before I can say yes, seek a fill, let me ask... How much do you have left to lose? E.g. if you're close to goal, then you can't necessarily expect to lose much weight, even over the course of a few months. How are you eating? If you aren't losing weight, and are eating crap, then a fill probably isn't the answer. There is a threshold of overfill that the bands can handle. I'm not sure what it is. First, if you're doing everything right, still have significant weight to lose, etc. you should have the current fill level checked. Maybe your last fill took your to 4cc, but you're not there any longer. They can check this during a regular fill appt.