Mvpo8961

HunnyBun I think you need to sort through your cosmetics and set aside the basic ones that you plan to continue to use. The rest empty into the sink/trashcan. If you were an alcoholic you wouldn't keep full liquor bottles sitting around. If you were stopping smoking you wouldn't keep a carton in the cabinent. Next you need to gather ALL your bills. Make a list of each one, the day it is due on, the amount of the payment and the amount of the total bill. Track all of your spending in a journal for a few weeks to month. Look at where you really spend your money. It is usually the five or ten dollars spent here or there that really take you by surprise. Then sit down and make a BUDGET. I know a lot of folks think that is a dirty word but they really can work in your favor. I keep one made up a year in advance. I raise and lower my utility payments according to the seasons, etc etc etc. My budget is made of two columns per month that coincide with paydays. Then you may consider signing up for online banking. If you have your check directly deposited then the night that it is in your account sit down and pay your bills online. Depending on how deeply in debt you are you may need to seek credit counseling. At the very least prioritize you bills, student loans, housing, groceries, utilities (basic necessities) first, other things for living such as car payment if you must have one to get to work last would be credit card companies. Don't eat out except on a special occassion. If you need to look for FREE stuff to do. Just know that most folks are in the same boat or close to it. They may not look like it or spend like it because people really can hide it well. I think all us have been in the same boat at one time or another. But you can overcome this. Myra

You are in BANDSTER H*LL!!!!!!!!!! That period of time after surgery swelling is gone but before you have good restriction from fills. This too shall pass in time. Enjoy eating what you can now because it will probably change with each fill. M

Hi everyone, I used to drink the minutemaid diet lemonade but it was too acidy (is that a word?). So now I use Wyler's light pink lemonade with 5 calories per 8 ounces. But I did drink a diet coke one day before I realized what I had done and it went down fine for me. Yeah!!!!!!!!!! But I am still sticking to the lemonade. Myra

Hey 3 loves yes I am very serious. I need about 30000 to 40000 US dollars worth of dental work. Long story but I need all teeth extracted, titanium rods (10) and the "snapon" dentures. Bad bad bad teeth. At least all 19 of my original 32 that I have left. My MIL and FIL and SIL were missionairies to Mexico for 19 years. They had all their dental / healthcare done in Mexico. Their next door neighbor was a US trained dentist. Another SIL lives in El Paso and they go over the border for all their dental also. So I am considering definitely. Myra

I am just wondering if anybody has had any dental work done in Mexico? I am considering have some done and would like to hear other folks experience. Myra

Monica I smoked for 20 years and went cold turkey 2 1/2 years ago. I tease my husband when we drive down the road and see someone smoking in their car. I tell him to get close to them and I'll snatch that cig right out their hand. But in reality I have no intentions of going back to the smelly, unhealthy, expensive habit. Good luck on pulling out of your relapse. Myra

lisah25 my local GNC carries it in a RTD but they don't advertise it. They just keep it stocked on their shelves. Myra

Dody glad you lived through the seven days of Carnation Instant Breakfast. I remember you not liking the milk products. M

Michelle thanks for the Mexican Stir Fry tip. I did that last night and my family loved it. Myra

I'm not from your neck of the woods. But I wanted to say welcome to LBT. Congrats on your decision. Myra

Ariel you can do baby foods. At least that's what my surgeon put on his acceptable soft food list. However I bought a minichopper and chopped everything to smithereens to make it soft. Refried Beans is also a good soft food with good Protein. Myra

Yeah Dody you DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome to the losing side of life. Myra

Andrea I think it comes down to which band actually physically fits around the stomach. Some folks are bigger than others (thicker gastic walls). I think another factor is the amount of fat that has to be removed before band placement. My surgeon told me he would not be able to decide which size I needed until he was actually inside looking around. M

Marissa I don't know about your insurance in particular. But all insurances have policy/guidelines for approval or denial. I would think your surgeon's office manager would know more realistically how well approval/denials go for your insurance. The reason I say office manager as they are the one who submits paperwork for the surgeon to the insurance company. If you should be denied you can go through an appeal process. The insurance company notifies you of the reason for denial. You can go from there to put together a packet to counter why you should not be denied. It can be a lengthy process but it is definitely worth pursuing. But don't put your cart before your horse. It will just stress you out. Take things step by step. Myra

DORCAS I don't have any words of wisdom for you but I feel the pain in your words. I pray that you will find the answers that you need soon. Myra

jdjjwoo Protein is extremely important but you also need some calories. The body does need some sugar for energy. Now don't get out the sugar bowl and start eating it. But try some skim milk with carnation instant breakfast. If you use one packet per cup of skim milk it will give you 220 calories and 14 Gms protein per 8 ounces. Myra

It just occurred to me that I knew for sure my swelling was going down when I could do a real good deep burp again. I don't know if everybody loses the deep burping ability when swollen. But I lost it to the ummm other end when I was swollen. Myra

Oh yeah I had the normal post surgery swelling. At one point you could hear the food go through my band like Water circling and gurgling when going down a drain. Now I get a feeling of discomfort in my back between my shoulder blades if I eat to fast, don't chew well enough, eat food that is too hard, etc etc etc. Have you gone back to liquids for 24 -48 hours? If not then you should and work back up to soft stuff. Myra

I had four cc in a VanGuard on July 6th. I probably still had some swelling from the fill and that is why I got stuck. Being only three weeks out from banding you probably still have swelling also. Myra

I did the same thing this past Saturday and today is the first day I have been able to eat without discomfort from the swelling. Myra

C 250 NO CHANGE Maybe next week. M

Sherri the swelling from where your stomach has been manipulated with causes "restriction". It took about 10 to 14 days for mine to go away. That's where you hear folks saying I can eat as much as I did before banding. What is going on? Well, the swelling is gone and you don't have saline in your band to produce restriction yet. I heard it described as Bandster Hell. M

Hi hogue2 I just wanted to say welcome to LBT. Look around and ask questions. There are a lot of smart folks here. Myra

Hi tif60 I didn't have any complications but I wanted to say welcome. Good job on the weight loss. Myra

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-3/qid=1153268684/ref=sr_1_3/602-2693146-0042225?%5Fencoding=UTF8&asin=B00005LA9F This is a kitchenaide 3 cup mini chopper that has made a big difference for me. I never owned a chopper before but I use it two or three times a day now. It makes small enough amts that I don't have to throw food away. My latest was chicken salad from leftover baked chicken. Put an egg white from a boiled egg. Mustard for a little flavor, mayo and some cajun seasoning. I love this mini chopper. Myra