Julia_N

It's so cool to see all the incredible shrinking people on this forum.

Congrats to all you moms-to-be (or repeaters!). I was on Weight Watchers when I got pregnant 16 years ago. I had a high-risk pregnancy (37-year-old first-time mom) and gestational diabetes so I really had to watch what I ate and also had to take a couple of insulin shots a day. I quit WW and followed the diet the doctor gave me, which was similar to the WW plan but had a few more exchanges. It was tough, but when I left the hospital after giving birth, I was down 40 pounds! So it's possible to not gain a lot of weight when you're pregnant, if you're seeing your doctor regularly. May all of your babies be as sweet as mine!

A lot of people automatically dismiss having the band or other WLS as a "shortcut." Many times they really don't know anything about it but just oppose it because it's not natural. My doctor said he was opposed to any type of WLS, but shortly before I saw him to get referred for surgery he attended a seminar at Stanford University that presented lots of new research about the band and now he's all for it. Good luck to you on your surgery. I'm having my first consult with the surgeon on the same day, so who knows how long before I can have my band.

Yup, sounds like normal menopause symptoms. I was having such bad hot flashes that I thought I'd have to go home ill. Hormone replacement therapy did the trick.

Start saving your money. The surgery is about the price of a new compact car. Maybe by the time you have some money saved up your credit will improve and you won't have to finance the whole thing. Improve your credit by making your payments on time. Even a little slip will put a mark on your credit report. Good luck! :thumbup:

I'm not an expert on this, and it depends on the insurance, but if you had coverage before and your new plan covers it, it's not consider a pre-exisiting condition that's not covered. I went from COBRA coverage to Aetna and Lap-Band is being covered, even though the HMO coverage I had before didn't cover weight loss surgery. Make sure your new insurance covers WLS because not every plan does. Sometimes employers specifically exclude it to save money on the policy. Good luck!

Meh! I'm ready for a woman VP. But not THIS woman VP. I disagree with so many of her beliefs I couldn't support her.

I've found I can't eat the sugar-free candy. Some of the sweetners they use can have a laxative effect. I have no problem with Sweet'n Low or Splenda. Sugar-free Lifesavers made me spend part of a movie in the bathroom.

Imagine how you'll light up the metal detector at the airport! :w00t:

I'm seeing Dr. Krahn at Western Bariatric in San Bernardino. His practice is at St. Bernardine. It's a Center of Excellence, which is what my insurance requires. I had the seminar 8/12 and will have my first consult 9/23. So far, his staff seems to know what it's doing.

When I was on a liquid diet years ago, before the sugar-free syrups were available, I used the flavorings you find in the baking aisle. chocolate, strawberry, cherry, coconut, rum -- lots of flavors available. They add flavor without bulk. Then you'd probably want to add Splenda or some other noncalorie sweetener. Cheers!

I saw my regular doctor last month about starting the lap-band process. He'd recently been to a seminar about it at Stanford U. He said he'd been against WLS before then, but he now realizes what a great tool it can be. He's particularly interested in how medical conditions become fixed by the surgery. Technology is changing and doctors need to keep up!

PS: You don't have to be named Julie or Julia to post in this threat.

Our electric bill has actually gone down. We replaced 12 light bulbs for CFL bulbs and we're using fewer megawatt hours this year than last. It's definitely not from cutting back power use.

My surgeon said he has lost only one patient within one day of surgery, and that was for a bypass. He's lost none getting the lap band. However, at least 7 have died waiting to get the surgery, proving to him that the risk of obesity of stronger than the risk of surgery. Some people just like to be Debbie Downer and always point out the bad side of an issue. I guess they're expecting you to say, "You know, you're right. I'm going to cancel this life-saving surgery and just wait to die from fat."

Thanks for the "walk-through." I'm just starting the process and it's good to hear what I might be in for.

Mallerygro: Whatever someone calls you has no bearing on what you really are. It's just that person's unimaginative description. Like others here have said, you have to get the surgery for yourself, not whether someone else does or doesn't want it. It's your health. Maybe you're not quite ready to make the decision yet. Do as much research as you can. Good luck to you! :tongue_smilie:

I chose the band over the bypass because the surgery is less invasive and recovery time is shorter. I've known a few people who got the bypass and had minor complications that put them in the hospital for several days. I don't have that much time off from work available in addition to the surgery. I've so far just had an initial seminar and have put the insurance wheels in motion. I also like that the procedure is reversible if need be.

If he's worried about your boobs, he can buy you some new ones! :biggrin:

I'm not an insurance expert, BeTheBudda, but about 5 months ago, I got off COBRA and onto my new company's plan. My understanding is that if you keep the COBRA and move to a group plan, then it's not considered a preexisting condition. The continued insurance coverage is the key. If you had a break in coverage, it's a preexisting condition for the duration of the break. At least that's why my COBRA people told me. Good luck! I also have Aetna and so far it's been pretty good coverage. :Banane37:

I'm a non-recovered book addict. :whatchutalkingabout Actually, maybe recovering since my favorite used bookstore closed and I don't have a cheap source anymore. I've read all but the most recent Stephanie Plum book. She has 14 out, not including a couple that aren't part of the number series. I especially loved the first four. After that, they seemed to lose something for me. I still read them when they come out, but don't love them like I used to. I've been reading a lot of young adult lately, too. I've read the first three Stephanie Meyer books and awaiting my daughter to finish the fourth so I can have it. I've also enjoyed the first two books in the City of Ember series. Also, I had an audiobook of The Book Thief and thoroughly enjoyed it. If anyone's interested in young adult epics, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series is great. I got the audiobooks from the library and they had multiple actors playing the different roles. (I do a lot of audiobooks because I have a 40-mile one-day daily commute. Thank God for libraries!)

I've heard of people losing height by losing weight. Just my luck. I lose a couple of inches in height and then have to lose even MORE weight.

May I ask a related question? Did anyone feel her (or his) hair got thicker because the scalp was stretched over less fat? I assume there must be some fat between the scalp and the skull. I'm hoping the hair above my forehead will look thicker with less head to cover. :thumbup:

Thanks for asking! I went to Allergan's site a second time and sought info and got a second "Dear Julia" letter. I wrote a snail-mail reply to the person who wrote me and haven't heard anything yet. The company's address is in Irvine, which is close to me, but the letter had been sent from somewhere with a ZIP code that begins with a 6, so who knows where the person is based. But that's pretty moot, because I had an appointment with my regular physician and it turns out he just got back from a seminar at Stanford about lap-band surgery and now believes it's one of the best things an obese person can do. And he thinks I'm a perfect candiate. So the insurance wheels are turning and I have an info seminar with my chosen surgeon next week. I want my band yesterday! :biggrin2:

Body noise is so fun! I'm glad I have a private, enclosed work area.:w00t: