DebNH

No truer words have been spoken for me Gwenn. Food is an addiction for me. And the flip side of that addiction is a long slow death. Crap! Deb

No I haven't had my surgery yet. I am in the early stages of this long process...getting my PCP on board, doing the informational meetings and those sort of things. I'm incredibly envious of you though. I'd love to be on the other end of this, in due time though. Deb

Wow, I'm excited for you!!! Good luck I'm sure nervous eating right before surgery is normal. I know I'd be eating, if not for anything else but to say good bye to an old friend. Food... aaah how I love food. It is my drug of choice. GOOD LUCK Deb

Like Dr. Phil always says "You have to teach people how to treat youself." If you allow this toxic behavior around yourself then he will feel it's okay. If he is so insensitive that he doesn't realize that this could potentially be hurtful then he is no "friend" that you need. Life is way to short to allow people to treat you poorly; even if he's just "joking" :eek: How is making fun of someone a joke? funny? I'd dump the loser and find yourself a sweet, open-minded young man who see's you for who you are... a beautiful woman! :sad: Deb

WOW Gwen you hit the nail on the head when you wrote this one. "Do I really want to give up the food?" Food has been such a love for me. I love to shop for it, cook it and I don't even mind cleaning up the mess! Honestly, I have been struggling with this very question. :sad: Deb

I have Aetna POS II also and went on their website and printed out their specific requirements. Then I brought it to my doctors. There was no denying or monkeying around with what was required by everyone :eek: I have the choice II plan and only need to do 3 mos. of a documented diet. But really... use their website, its a great resource. Also...CALL THEM!!! Get the tellers name every time you call so you have someone to contact later or document that you have requested information. Good luck :sad: Deb

Maybe you should take 3-6 more months to really do some soul searching to be 100% sure of your decision. You need to ask yourself if you really are prepared to take on the lap-band way of life. If you are on the fence about this.... hold off. You don't want to go through with it and have regrets, or worse yet, need more surgery. Deb

Hi Grumpy one I'm from NH also I am in the very early stages of getting banded but am so excited for YOU!!! Good luck and please keep us posted. Deb

Hello- I was wondering if anyone had used the bariatric program at Porstmouth Regional Hospital in NH? I'm seriously considering this facility and would really appreciate any information you would like to share, or even your whole experience with their team. Thanks! Deb

Thanks so much Sally. I'm gonna look for that book on Amazon.com and get it. I really do appreciate your help! Deb

This is a great question.... I too am PRE-banded and am looking for the following information. GREAT QUESTION!!! Deb

OMG this made me laugh.... I too have a pantry full of low-carb, low-fat, low-calorie blah blah blah.

This thread has been so helpful. I am in the early stages of the lapband process and learning what to eat is imperative! Thanks so much for all your imput. Deb

Depression is a real thing and often we self medicate by eating. With your eating habits all over the place and lack of consistency you probably really are feeling your depression...in full swing. Also, shedding weight is hard stuff... and the more weight you lose the more you will be confronted with deep emotional triggers. Even Oprah has talked about losing weight and emotional cleansing! I think your feeling some emotional upset and angry at your surgeon. Why did you fire him? Deb

Hello, I have been "lurking" for a while now and finally decided to join in. :cool2: I am in the very early stages of the Lap-Band process. I have not met with a surgeon, but do have two thumbs up from my PCP. Need I say, I have tried every diet under the sun which has brought me to this considerable option; being banded. Oh I'd lose a few pounds (once even 20!) but then I'd fall back upon old bad habits and gain everything back PLUS MORE. :thumbdown: I have come to really like this site and enjoy reading all of your posts.. Thanks for having me! Deb

I agree MacMcdame, send in their specific requests. As a matter of fact you can print out the clinical policy easily by going to their homepage website at Aetna.com Thats what I did, I simply cut & pasted it into a Word doc. and I'm bringing it to my PCP on Tuesday. With the specifics there shouldnt be any question what is expected. :biggrin: It's not playing hardball its just understanding the rules; their rules! Deb

Hi Moe!!! Wow I never expected someone to even know where Barnstead was. This is great :rolleyes2: I am thinking of using Portsmouth Hospital but am also considering some out-of-state options in order to push the process along. Its so nice to know that there are locals going through this process too!

Hello NH Lap-Banders!!! I am also from the Granite State and am looking at using the Portsmouth Hospital for surgery. I think our only other option is Parkland in Nashua or DHMC up in Hanover. At any rate, I unfortunitly missed the March info. seminar and will have to go to the June one...which only makes me wait longer. Ugh. Now that I've made the decision to be banded I want to get this party going! :rolleyes2:

Thanks so much for all the warm welcomes!!! :rolleyes2:

Paige, I agree with your decision. In the end you have got to trust in your doctor and feel confident and comfortable with the office staff. When I had gyn issues and needed surgery, I shopped around to find the right doctor that would not only listen to me but truly understand what I was going through. I'm a big believer in having a working relationship with your healthcare team! :rolleyes2: Deb

Oh shesh, AETNA, I have seriously had run-ins with this insurance company for years. They even denied my husbands claim when he had a heart attack while away on vacation! Now how can they deny that?! Of course we were "out of network" we were "out of country!" :cursing: What I did realize with Aetna and that experience was that if I called every day, got names of everyone I spoke with and stayed on them, they finally approved our hospital bills. It did take some tenacity though! I'm haven't submitted anything to Aetna yet for my Lap-Band, but I'm sure it will be a huuuuge run around. Hang on and remember why your going through this whole thing. It's a gift of life!

I have read that Dr. Gens is very good and am currently in the beginning process of this Lap-Band journey. I've done some estensive research on him and he currently appears to be the best in NH.