HeatherO

I have never heard of a grant before. However, I think medicare does cover some bariatric options so you might want to check with them. Another option might be to look for any studies going on for banding . . . I am not sure how easy it is to find them but some people have gotten bands this way.

A lot of people believe this can happen but sometimes it is a fallacy. I know when I was looking at insurance coverage originally, I asked my surgeon this question and he said that other than making you better prepared for lifestyle changes and surgery itself, the letter he sends to the insurance company is based on the initial weight of the consult (which put me at a 40 BMI) so loss on the 6 month diet is a bonus that can really help me. If you can check both with the insurance company and your surgeons office, you might find that ending up with a lower BMI may not harm your approval likelihood. If this is the case, I would do everything you can to make the best of losing during the six month time frame instead of staying within 7 pounds. Sometimes lack of loss or even gain is also grounds for a denial after this six month term. The more you know about your insurance criteria for approval or denial, the better prepared you will be to get through this process with an approval and minimal stress.

It is not unusual for your work to request this . . . it happens all of the time. They should have been better prepared, not to mention faster, to get a letter to you. So I would just call them first thing on Monday and say they need to modify the letter they have and maybe even tell her specifically what it needs to say. You wouldn't have any restrictions post surgery other than lifting (and dietary of course but that doesn't affect work).

Congratulationsss!!!!

I am doing pretty good. I just got a complete unfill yesterday due to extreme tightness but I am feeling pretty decent today. Early this last week my husband got to feel the baby for the first time. It was amazing to see the look on his face. He said at first he wasn't sure what he felt . . . but a couple of kicks later there could be no doubt. It was a wonderful experience, definitely the highlight of my pregnancy so far :0)

I am dying for updates. I keep checking the thread again . . . just in case there is news. I hope everything is going well for LJM and i can't wait to here how delivery went.

They have a clinic a couple of times a month nearer to my home. Usually it is not a big deal because it is not that far and I schedule my fills. This was just unusual in that I had an emergency and our weather has been absolutely awful this week . . . I got unfilled on a Thursday but if I would have done it the Tuesday 2 days before it would have been close to home. I just didn't know I was going to close up so tight. I was tight on Tuesday but by Wednesday I was having a terrible time and by Thursday I was miserable. I chose them because I switched doctors, they are professional, I never have to wait at the appointments (20 minutes in and out if I am in a rush), they always return my phone calls and emails quickly and fills are incredibly inexpensive. It is a win-win situation 90% of the time.

I was never given this restriction. I did hear about the gas thing. Now that I have been banded for awhile and am not on strict weight loss mode, I never have a problem. I don't like to drink cold drinks without a straw.

I got one as well. The other thing I noticed is that I didn't get emails from LBT for 2 days, and then I got a flood earlier today around mid-afternoon.

I had it too. It developed after six months or so of being banded. I hadn't had a fill for months and then I just started having regular night-time reflux issues. I tried over the counter meds, doctor prescribed meds, sleeping on more of a wedge to keep my stomach lower than my esophagus, not eating or drinking after 7PM. These options helped a little. However, I did find an immediate perfect cure. A slight unfill made it go away completely. I did not even need to have much removed. It is definitely better to watch your diet a little closer than to not be able to sleep without waking up with acid and Fluid in your mouth throughout the night. Good luck.

Well, even if it is cheap and cheesy advertising . . . the band does work. I would rather see advertisements for the band which is successful for most than the latest over the counter pill remedies that you see constantly. I just wish that it was a requirement that in order to advertise any weight loss anything that there had to be a study done under controlled conditions with full disclosure. Most weight loss options constantly thrown in our faces are not very useful.

I had it the first couple of months, but once my weight loss slowed it was not much of a problem anymore. What I did have seemed to affect more of the upper end with belching/gurgles and not so much the lower end.

Woo hoo . . . come on Joshua, everyone's waiting to meet you :0)

My hubby took the afternoon off work and drove me 4 hours to my doctors for an emergency unfill yesterday. My fill clinic said I could go to the ER if I needed to but it might be best to call first to see if they had any bariatric doctors on call because they may not know what I am talking about. I did call the ER, but the people I spoke with might of understood better if I told them I need the inkydinks removed from my whoozlewhatzit for all the more they understood what the heck I was talking about. My OB called me back and she also said it might be better, and cheaper, just to go to my regular doctor. She said not to worry too much about the baby yet because it is like a parasite . . . it will take everything it needs first and my needs are secondary. A few days of limited intake as long as I am somewhat hydrated should not have an effect . . . but a couple of weeks would be worrisome. I ate last night after the unfill and felt completely normal. Maybe 30 minutes later it felt like the baby was doing backflips, lol. I think I am good to go again. Thanks for your suggestions everyone :0)

Laura, your bump is adorable. At least you have one. I started showing early between 10-12 weeks and just never got much bigger. I am still wearing my pre-pregnancy pants with long underwear underneath to boot. Cool thing is, my husband got to feel the baby move for the first time. The look on his face was priceless. Now he is constantly feeling for it but the baby doesn't move very much around the usual time of day that he would do that, lol. The other cool thing is that I could also see the baby move for the first time this week. My bare belly gets teeny tiny thumps . . . but they are visible. I feel like I could watch it for hours, but the baby is only active in little spurts. Pumpkin bread sounds really great this time of year. I will have to look up a recipe. I haven't had any in such a long time. I have also been drinking hot cocoa lately but I limit it to 2 cups a day at most, usually only 1. It really hits the spot since I am laying off the coffee. I am definitely going to pick up the twilight series. My son, who is a definite non-reader by nature, read the first book and said it was great. Have a great day everyone!!!

My husband took the afternoon off and drove me 4 hours there, for a 5 minute unfill, and 4 hours back. We didn't get home until very late . . . but the roads where better than expected. So as I suspected, I got a full unfill and my problems instantly dissapeared. I can eat again. Funny thing is, as miserable as I was and as happy to get the fill out, as I got back in the car I started feeling depressed and sad about being empty. My band partially filled was still giving restriction, now I know I will have absolutely none. How much can a person possibly gain in 18 weeks if they are trying to keep it reasonable . . . it can't be that much. Nothing reminds you more about how the band is only a "tool" then when it is occasionally unavailable, lol. They said I can come back in June to get another fill. They went against their policy to let me keep a partial fill last time . . . and here I proved them right by coming in for an emergency unfill. I really wish they were more accomodating so that I could keep my fill at a manageable level instead of it being hands off. Well, I should stop complaining about getting unfilled when yesterday morning I would have given a gazillion bucks to have it done, lol. This is just part of the journey.

I could use a little advice from veteran bandsters. I posted on the post-op forum but responses are usually from newbies that don't say anything specific. My problem: I think I need an emergency unfill. I pb'd badly on Sunday and since then I keep pb'ing. The problems is, when I have a bad episode it always seems to have a snowball effect in that I get progressively worse days on. My stomach is sensitive and swells easily. I can get fluids in now but it takes hours for them to go down. I can not have anything thicker than clear liquids today (pb'd slimfast) but I am worried that by tomorrow, perhaps I won't be able to do liquids at all. This has happened to me twice before since I became pregnant but this is the first time that getting to my fill doctor will be so difficult. My fill doctor however is 4 hours each way and the weather has been absolutely terrible. (My typical fills are short because I go to a branch office close to home but it will be at least another week before they have a clinic there). I wanted to go yesterday but the roads were not clear and everything was buried in ice and snow. I am not sure I can drive it in the shape I am in right now, especially the white nuckle winter driving when I am already sick and exhausted. My fill doctor says come in, it is the best option. I may just do that but I am really put off by the drive. Nauseous pregnant women, very sick, uncomfortable and exhausted driving so far - not a pretty picture. Has anyone ever attempted to go to the ER? If so, what was your experience? Do you think I can get an emergency unfill there?

I have been on liquids since then. But unfortunately even thick liquids are being pb'd. Usually liquids get me back on track . . . but maybe not this time. I am getting worse instead of better.

I had to go to the chiropractor on Monday because my upper back was out of alignment all weekend which was making me nauseous. I had a bad pb/vomitting episode on Sunday. Since then I keep pb'ing everything. I am constantly sick. I can get Clear liquids down but just barely. I am miserable and I think I will need an emergency unfill, probably today if I can work out the details. This really sucks.

I left a message for my fill doctor but haven't heard back yet (lunchtime might have something to do with it). I also emailed them about the prospect of going to an ER as well and will see what they say.

I think I need an emergency unfill. I pb'd badly on Saturday and since then I keep pb'ing. The problems is, when I have a bad episode it always seems to have a snowball effect in that I get progressively worse days on. My stomach is sensitive and swells easily. I can get fluids in now but it takes hours for them to go down. I can not have anything thicker than Clear liquids today (pb'd slimfast) but I am worried that by tomorrow, perhaps I won't be able to do liquids at all. This has happened to me twice before since I became pregnant but this is the first time that getting to my fill doctor will be so difficult. My fill doctor however is 4 hours away and the weather has been absolutely terrible. I wanted to go yesterday but the roads were not clear. I am not sure I can drive it in the shape I am in right now. Has anyone ever attempted to go to the ER? If so, what was your experience? Do you think I can get an emergency unfill there?

Now that I think about it, I have been making guacamole almost exclusively with fish lately as well - usually salmon. Since when did guacamole and fish go together? I don't know but it seems like a winning combination. I never make it with tacos, burritos or enchiladas anymore.

I never told a soul at work. They still don't know and it has been a year and I have lost all of my weight. I don't like to share to much personal information with people at work, especially in this area. I just didn't want everyone watching what I lost, or what I was eating, or speculating amongst themselves about why it was or was not a good decision. I am happy I did it this way.

I had it too and tried everything to get rid of it . . . but only one thing worked and it worked completely. A slight unfill made it go away never to return again so far. I haven't had a touch of it since the beginning of September and I take no meds at all to prevent it.

I find I am craving healthy foods that I never craved prior to banding. I want fish, or salad, or a bit of quacamole. My tastes have definitely changed . . . for the better.