Chris61

I have been reading this thread and its great. Juils I also was born and Raised in Cincinnati and lived in Columbus, Ohio. I have been looking into the band for a while now. My wife and I are going to do this together and we have a doctors apt. in July to do all the test and psy. and after that go to the doctor and then have him submit the paper work. We have United Health Care and looks like it should go allright. I understand the LDR stuff. Iam in St. Louis and travel back and forth each week. Been doing this for awhile now. Chris Preband

Iam not banded yet but I do have gout and is under control. I hope that the band would help to reduce the chances of it happing? Did you happen to eat something that caused it to spike. Chris

My user name is my first name Chris and 61 is the year I was born. I was raised in Cincinnati and now live in Missouri.

I used to Live in Daphne, Al 98-2000)and worked in Mobile. I also lived in Lake Mary, Florida 2000-2003. I loved both places and miss them. Iam now in St. Louis and Indy. Iam looking into getting lapband. Working on my letter from my doctor to the WLS doctor. I you would like to reach me e-mail me here or at VCW61@excite.com Chris in St. Louis Preband

I am looking at going to Dr. Darrin Minkin at Des Peres Hosp. This corrects my post from last night. Chris VCW61@Excite.com

My name is Chris and I live in Florissant and looking into lap band. i have been doing this for a while now. Iam looking at Dr. Marrium (sp). I have the paper and in process of putting a letter fro my doc to him etc. you can e-mail me at vcw61@excite.com Chris

Sharon: Sounds like you are doing things well. I would suggest that you not worry about weighing every day. Are bodies go up and down from day to day. I would say weigh only at the doctor. Take time to make the changes you need. Just a thought. Chris Pre - St. Louis

If you are self pay, I would try and talk to the doctor and also with the clinic to see if you can work out a payment plan. Also I would look at the loan part with 401K. Also keep in mind you will be able to take off on your taxes and might get money back. You will need to read about the medical ded under the IRS and your State. Also keep in mind that if you make $30,000 for example and you take all out say 50,000 then your income has gone up to $80,000 for the year. Thats what hurts a lot of people with having to pay taxes. This would also go with the state tax also. I hope that this has helped you out. Chris Pre Band St. Louis

Thanks Sleepyjean for the clarification. I just want all to know that Iam not trying to find out what you made. I just trying to get an idea of how much you were able to get back because of the medical ded. and if it help to pay off the surgery much faster. Chris

I have seen questions in regards to how much did you pay for the Lap Band and saw that majority of people paid for it out of pocket, but no one has ever talk about what they have gotton back from taxes. How much of a refund were you ablr to get from your Federal and State income taxes with medical ded. of 7.5% of adjusted gross income. Was this enough to cover the cost?

I love Quicken also. I upgarded to 2007. Also Iam looking at geting the medical manager and also home inventory. Take a while to get used to. Hard part for me know is that if I do not have it with me Iam lost. Since everything is in it. Chris Pre-Band VCW61@excite.com

My Name is Chris and Iam Pre-band in St. Louis. I have been on this site for a real long time. Iam 45 and getting all my paper work and letter to take to the lapband doctor. Chris VCW61@excite.com

I just wanted to brighten up everybody's weekend here with this e-mail that I received. Chris Pre-Band St. Louis VCW61@excite.com A new version: NEVER HEARD IT PUT QUITE THIS WAY BEFORE ! ! ! ! ! ! In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives. Then using God's great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Krispy Creme Donuts. And Satan said, "You want chocolate with that?" And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "and as long as you're at it, add some sprinkles." And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled. And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14. So God said, "Try my fresh green salad." And Satan presented Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast. God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in whic! h to coo k them." And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof. God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it "Angel food Cake," and said, "It is good." Satan then created chocolate cake and named it "Devil's Food." God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds. Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds. God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald's and its 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then said, "You want fries with that?" And Man replied, "Yes! And super size them!" And Satan said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest. God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery. Then Satan created HMOs.

I would suggest that you get with your attorney and ask her to see if she can work out a deal to get you lower payments on your bills so that you do not go in the hole anymore than you have to. Also I would talk to here about the future since I think it will be a long drawn out deal and also since houses are not selling how to buy each other out etc. Also I would suggest that you are not at the same bank as was you joint account. Also I would try and set up direct deposit and also bill pay. I would suggest that you take all the bils you have and then 2 or how often you get paid and pay them in half each time. I have been doing this system for a while and it does work. Just hope you do not have a hick-up that might cause a problem. I would becareful with him changing the accounts etc. I do not think they will allow him to do that. Maybe what you should do is have two meters each for the electric, water, gas and then you would only have to pay your part. I would also suggest you talk with your attorney and see about changing the 80/20 deal. I would also go to the bank and/or loan place and see what they might be able to do for you inregards to a house loan in case you get the house etc. You might have enough in there that you could reduce the payments. This is just some ideas for you. Just take it easy over the christmas break and spend time with the kids away from the house and see some friends also. I would try and stay away from him as much as you can. I want to wish you a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Things will get better after the 1st of the year. Chris Pre-Band St. Louis vcw61@excite.com

I hope that things are getting better for you. I was reading an article last week about families. Iam not sure what magazine or paper it was in. They were talking about all the differant types of families and lifestyles they live. I saw one about a divorce family and I thought about you. This couple continued to live in the same house. The wife moved into the basement and set up here place and the husband lived upstairs with the kids. This allowed the family to be together even though the husband and wife were no longer married. This also allowed them to help with expense etc. They also had set up rules and how each could visit the kids etc. This worked out real well from what the article had said. This might be something for you to look at since it sounds like you both love the kids and then your concered with money etc. I have not been through divorce, we have come close to doing it we were able to work things out. It mainly had to deal with money issues. So it hard to give advice here. You have to go with your gut and sometimes think outside the box for help, advice and answers. I hope this will help you out a bit. We are all here praying for you and your familiy. Remeber to take care of yourself first and remind the kids daily how much you love and care for them. Chris in St. Louis:)

Christine W: Have you talked to the people at Depaul Hospital to see if you are coverd? Have you talked to doctor Milkin and try to work out a deal for payment etc. since you are out of network? You never know what they might be willing to do for you. Also there is some financing options. Also take into consideration that you could take it off you taxes in regards to what insurance does not pay for. If you have any questions e-mail me at vcw61@excite.com or on this site. Chris in St. Louis Pre

I was wondering if any has used the DDSSYSTEM? This is a retainer that you use while you are eating. It is desgined to make you eat slower and feel fuller quicker. You get this from a quailfied dentist listed on the website. It cost about 500.00. You can do to DDSSYSTEM.com for more information. If any has used this please let us know how you liked it or did not like it. You can also e-mail me at vcw61@excite.com Thanks Chris in Missouri Pre

I was wondering if any has used the DDSSYSTEM? This is a retainer that you use while you are eating. It is desgined to make you eat slower and feel fuller quicker. You get this from a quailfied dentist listed on the website. It cost about 500.00. You can do to DDSSYSTEM.com for more information. If any has used this please let us know how you liked it or did not like it. You can also e-mail me at vcw61@excite.com Thanks Chris in Missouri Pre

I would call the anesthesiologist and see if he gives special rates etc. for self-pays etc.

You take 7.5% of your adjusted gross income and after that amoutn you can deducated off your taxes. Take a look at medical ded. under the IRS regs. Chris

The hardship is if you had to take all the money out of your account. Then you have to pay a taxes on that. If you get the loan it does effect the hardship part. Also keep in mind that you will get a tax refund if meet the 7.5 % also keep in mind you can use the medical flexspending account at work also for paying also. Chris in St. Louis Pre-Lap Band

Photo Nut you hit the nail on the head in regards to how the Hospitals, Doctors and other medical services looks at the prices. That's why if you are self pay you need to go into all the places and cut your deal just like the insurance companies do. A lot of people are starting to take the cost into there own hands. That might be why some doctors are charging the extra fees so that you can be put on there priorty list for care. There are a lot of doctors that will not except any type of insurance at all. Chris in St. Louis Preband

I do not see why you could not them off your taxes. A lot of people are starting to go to forgien places because surgery is much cheaper there than in the US. Chris in St. Louis

Now that just about everyone has done there 2005 income taxes, we were wondering how well you did in deducting these expenses off your income taxes after your adjusted gross income of 7.5%? :clap2: <O:p</O:p Did anyone use a combination of medical flex spending account and then deducted the rest off your income taxes?<O:p</O:p Did you receive a larger refund than you expect because of the expense and was this able to help in paying off the loan you may have had to have surgery? Chris in St. Louis Preband <O:p</O:p

What place did you have your surgery and how much did insurance reduce the amount by. I can not beleive the band was 12K. Chris in St. Louis