barbara465

My surgery was 2 months ago and neither the surgicenter or Spiegel have been paid by UHC. I was preapproved and had to pay Spiegel $2800, which included $300 for out of network fee. This was supposed to be my portion of the out of network. I was then not to have to pay the Surgicenter for their part or for fills the rest of the year. Surgicenter sent UHC a bill for $30,500 and Spiegel $7500. UHC is not paying. What a racket. I'm just sitting back and waiting to see what will happen. Meanwhile I've been to the surgicenter 3 times for fills and unfills and go again on Wednesday. I just tell them I've met my deduction and they don't make me pay a copay.

Glad to hear you are doing better. Even with an unfill the PA recommended 3 days on mushies. I asked them if I could forego the 3 days of liquids and she said yes. I'm going next Wednesday for a slight fill. I'm taking it easy this time around. Good luck to you and take care.

Good for you. Welcome to bandland. You are 3 months ahead of me. Your making great progress.

He uses you because he can. You are the only one that can stop him. He is not "doing" anything to you. You are allowing it. You know what you need to do. Making that final break is hard, but you must for your own health. Tell him NO in words that he can and will understand. Unfortunately, no friendship is possible with him. Not trying to be harsh, uncaring, or mean. Just trying to let you know that you have the power. Use it. Good luck to you.

That's not a rant! That's a celebration. Good for you. Doesn't it feel good? Keep it up.

Christmas Challenge: You give your joined weight J (weight at beginning of challenge), your current weight, C, and your goal weight, G for December 25, 2006. Put it in your signature line and update it every week. Why not update on Thursdays like we do for the water. All those that make their goal, which you set yourself, will be put in a drawing. The name picked will get a prize. My suggestion is that each of us participating purchase a $5 gift card to WalMart or Target and we'll send it to the person in January. Those participating are: tribon, cathgr8, warmingson, lucymann, suefwd, pab, pinkylee, rroswelltx, and barbara465. If there are any others that want to join let me know. All participants must be in by Thursday the 17th to make it fair. Your goal for the challenge should be realistic, but should be one to attain to and not easy. OK, you know what I mean - not I will lose 2 lbs by December 25th. Let's see what we can do to get ourselves out of the doldrums and onto positive approaches. I called for a fill today for next Wednesday. I only want a slight fill so I can better control my volume. I'm doing pretty good on what I'm eating. What will you do this week to make a difference on your journey?

Poodles - I really think you are a little too tight. I don't think you should have to wait until most of the day is over before you can eat. That just sets you up for the evening. I am now convinced that we really do have to eat solid food to lose. I am limiting my protein drink to the morning. It is a fast breakfast and easy on the stomach. For lunch some form of protein and a veggie. Dinner is the same with a little carb thrown in for pleasure. I have been snacking on a few animal crackers or an apple. If I get really hungry I have a few wheat crackers with peanut butter. Haven't been able to go without a snack or two during the day. One thing I am having great success at eating is pork chops. We buy very thin ones and they are tasty, tender, and just right. I usually eat this with a vegetable and a little snack container of applesauce. I make enough to have the next day for lunch. I am doing better on solid foods and think I will try this for a while. I also get my water in early during the day. Anything in the evening is bonus. I find by drinking the water during the day I am less hungry. I haven't even had my crystal light because I want to make sure I get the water in. I do make sure I drink at least 1/2 bottle of water before going to bed. I want to make sure that the pouch is clean to eliminate any reflux issues. I'm not perfect, but this new approach seems to be working better. I still think I'm able to eat too much, so a fill is in order. Hang in there everyone. This is going to take time. However, when we least expect it, the scales will move downward. Let's concentrate on the program, and not so much on the scale.

I would say a $5-10$ tip is sufficient. I'm assuming that transportation is being provided by Doctor's office?

I am beginning to think we all need to throw the scales away. All of us can't be doing the wrong things. I think we lose that first 10-20 lbs from surgery and then we wait and wait and wait. We expect the same quick results and when they don't come, we get depressed. Let's concentrate on doing the right things and forget the scales. We are drinking our water. Now let's concentrate on getting a minimum of 60 grams of protein a day from food. I noticed I'm eating a little more, not drinking a protein drink, and I've started losing. I think we have to eat solid food in order to lose weight. I was eating too much soup and drinking protein drinks. I'm going to try to eat more solid protein.

The responses are so funny that I've forgotten what this thread was about. ..... oh yes, thread killers. Mine has been mentioned, but it bares repeating. I can't stand it when someone talks about their insane behavior, like fast foods all the time, eating bread, popcorn loaded with a tub of butter, pancakes, candy, pasta, etc. etc. Why in the hell did they get this band if they weren't going to try?

I like taking ricota cheese, low fat, healthy choice spaghetti sauce, mozarella cheese and making a lasagna layer without the noodles. I also add spinach and mushrooms on one of the layers. You can use cottage cheese instead of ricota. It fills me up fast.

My scales are moving downward. Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I lost another 1 or 2 lbs. My scales are digital and I get a different reading depending on where on the floor I place it. Its getting frustrating. When I went to the doctor, PCP, on Thursday I had lost the 4 lbs gained from the unfill and 1 more. I think I'm down some more from that. Definitely can eat too much though. Calling for a slight fill for next week. The tightness in my throat has gone away. I definitely think that was stress. I do notice after sleeping for a while that I get a slight feeling like reflux. I need to watch that because I don't want that trouble to start. The water is much easier now. Once I started drinking and realized that I could drink, I wanted it. You really can gulp it down. I was afraid to at first, but now I'm not. Hope everyone is doing well. I haven't gotten much response for the Christmas challenge and/or the christmas exchange. Let me know if you want to participate. I only have about 5 names so far.

Hey everyone, I did pretty good on my trip this weekend. Didn't eat much on Friday and then didn't have dinner until 9:00 PM. I knew then I had to stay up for several hours once we got back to the hotel. Didn't want to go to bed with any food in my stomach. I shared what meals I did have with a friend so it worked out quite well. I even managed to get all my water in, but Saturday it was hard. I drank most of it when I got home. I did all my water last week except for 1 day. I guess I wiped out my smiley faces on Thursday before my week of effort got counted. I think I may be losing, but I definitely need a fill. The one thing I did notice is that stess makes my esphogus feel like I'm stuck. I went to my friend's funeral and I had that tightening. Today after I was able to get back in my routine when overnight friends left, the tightness started to go away. Now I know what stress will do to my band. I'm going to try real hard this week to only eat the amount I think I should, even though I may be hungry. Hope everyone had a great weekend and a good week ahead.

Good morning everyone. Hope all are doing OK. Going to Port Arthur Tx (2 hours away) for funeral of my friend. I won't be on this weekend so everyone be good. First road trip since banding so a little apprehensive. I will be with friends, but most don't know. I've not eaten out with others since banding. I'm packing my water and some protein drinks so I can keep up with my liquids. Have a great weekend!

Randi please go back to liquids. Grab a protein drink to keep up your nutrients. Your stomach needs rest. The antibiotics may be hurting you more than they are doing good. Ask the doctor's office to take you in as an emergency. Tell them you can't go on like this and not over a weekend. You should not have to suffer like this.

Glad you are doing a little better Randi. I know it must be hard, but hang in there. I went to my PCP today. She said the hard spot below my breast is definitely scar tissue from the band around my stomach. Made me feel better. Everything looks good, but will wait for results from blood work. She said my thyroid could be causing the constipation. Umm, that would be interesting. I am off of 2 meds. I was able to get 1 of my meds in liquid so I guess my DH will still be crushing meds each morning. She was also pleased with my weight loss. Of course I'm not, but then I realized it has only been 8 weeks next Monday. If the average is 2 lbs a week, then I'm doing great. Need to put this all in perspective. I have decided I definitely need a slight fill. We are having a dinner party on the 19th for DH birthday so I'm going to wait until the wk of the 21st. My doctor has us on liquids/mushies for 6 days after a fill. I don't want to take a chance that I won't be able to eat anything. I did pretty good on the water challenge this week, except for the weekend. I will try to do better this week. We have a good list for the reunion, but not many for the Christmas exchange or the Christmas challenge. If you want to participate please PM with the details. Friday is the deadline so let me hear from you.

Another Texan here. Good information here, but remember many come here for support. That is, they post when something is wrong or going on. There are lots out there that don't post because nothing is going on with them. The band is working great and they have no issues. There are also some threads that are called sticky (have a thumb tack as an icon). These threads have good basic information in them, including what to get before surgery, etc. Why wait until January. Get a head start now and you will see the new year a slimmer you!! So jealous of those that are doing this younger. However, I've had a good life and never let my largeness define me. Good luck to you and let us know how you are progressing.

That is a heavy load you are carrying. Lisah gave you some excellent advice. Seek help. I know its hard sometimes to ask for it, but you must. Explore all your options. You might be able to get some help to come in and give you a chance to escape for a while. As difficult as the problem is, you must protect your future. Talk to your boss and explain the situation. Don't offer excuses, just an explanation. Sometimes when others know what you are going through, they cut you some slack. Bottom Line: You must take care of yourself. You have to make YOU the priority. It is not being selfish. You can't help your Mom if you are broken down. Remember, the fill will add more stress. Take it nice and easy. Good luck to you. We are praying for you.

Well I can't let this thread go by. After being divorced for 25 years I married 2 years ago August. My DH is very supportive of my decision. He has been such a great help to me. He gets up in the morning, crushes my meds, makes me coffee, and packs my lunch. He cooks our evening meals. He has helped me through some of my band related problems. I can't imagine going through this journey without him or his support. He loved me before the band, after the band, and he will love me when there is less of me.

The only thing you can control is yourself. How you deal with the situation is in your control. Don't let the new management undermine your capabilities as a teacher. Take the new room, make the adjustments, and move on. A support group of disgruntled teachers will not make the situation better. It will just fuel the fire. Accept the changes. If, after time, you realize that you can't accept the changes, apply for a position somewhere else. It might take a while, OK a long while, to remove yourself from the situation, but at least you are taking proactive measures. I understand stress all to well. I lived it and breathed it for years. I still do, but to a much lesser extent. I have come to realize that I can't control everything. I do have a question for you. You mentioned eating a snack on the way home. Were you eating in the car while driving? I've been told not to do those kind of things because that's when we are likely to get in trouble. Knowing that you are under stress may require you to change up your eating habits until you are more in control. I hope this helps and you learn to get the stress under control. Not an easy task I know.

Go to a morgage broker or your lending company to find out what you qualify for in a new home. It is better to know up front if the loaded credit cards are going to cost you in higher interest rates on your mortgage. It will also let you know how much of a house you can get. Most realtors don't want to show houses to unqualified buyers and you can make better deals when you are pre qualified. I agree about decluttering the house. When you are competing with new houses on the market you have to make yours look bigger. It must give the appearance of having plenty of room. Good luck

Randi can you go see a nutrionist. Maybe that would help get you better situated and keep the blood sugar from going up and down? Sometimes the body just won't let go of the weight and then boom it does. For some of us I think it will just take longer. If we are not eating as much as before, and better food choices, at some point the weight has to come off. Right? That's what I keep telling myself. Maybe you need to eat more meals, but smaller. I know they want us to eat 3 meals, but if you can't and the smaller meals work better, go for it. You shouldn't feel miserable all the time. Let us know what the doctor suggests. I think I'm still able to eat too much. I don't eat much during the day, but my evening meal I can eat more. I get all my protein and vegetables in, and still have room for the carbs. I portion it out, but probably still too much. I also want to snack at night. It doesn't take much, but a little something. I've taken to animal crackers or a pudding cup. I've been able to drink the water so that's good. However, I've not been exercising. That's the next thing to add. I also think I will get a fill end of August or early September. I will be traveling the last week in September so I want a good fill, but no troubles while I'm gone. Hope everyone has a good day and those ailing are feeling better.

Finished Christmas shopping for grandchildren over the weekend. It was tax free weekend in Texas so took advantage of that and sales. Lost 2 lbs this week bringing current to 245. Yeah!

You need to stop and go on liquids. Constant throwing up makes your stomach swell, and everything after that goes downhill. My doctor suggests liquids on day of fill and 3 days after, then mushies. Different doctor's have different procedures, but most restrict your food intake to some degree. Most on here will tell you after a flare up to go to liquids. It takes several attempts to get the fills just right or the sweet spot. You may not know right away since some fills take a while to "kick in". How are you leaving the doctor's office without trying to drink Water at least? That should be pretty standard with any fill. If you can't drink a 1/4 or 1/2 of bottle of water, you are too filled. Take water with you if your doctor doesn't provide it and don't leave until you can drink the water. It will save you a trip. I hope this helps. As always, you should do what your doctor says. I just think you are irritated and until you get your stomach settled down, you won't know about your fill.

Oh my gosh so sorry to hear what you went through. I'm scared to ask which doctor, but I'm gonna. This just sounds awful. I'm not sure what you ended up with so when you get a chance please tell us. Did you end up with a lapband or something else? Take care of yourself and get well. We all are praying for you.