Elisabethsew

JULY 4th CHALLENGE!!! Name..........................Starting…...…..Current….…..Goal…....To Go losingjusme.....................317.25............. ...317.25.............295..........22.25 tann................................257............ .........257..................232..........25 juliegeraci.......................232............ .........232..................220..........12 Josette........................ ...340........... .........340................ ..315..........25 Inner_me........................306.....................306...................280..........26 Elisabethsew...................276.....................276...................250..........26

Chickie, congratulations on your FANTASTIC weight loss. Your before and after pictures are amazing.

MRSA usually responds well to Vancomycin. Because I had several other medical problems, I chose to have my surgery in the states. As an RN I can tell you that MRSA is NOT uncommon in the U.S. I hope your husband makes a full recovery. Do you have any details to share?

I suspect Deslexi is nothing more than a person trying to "stir the pot" and create problems. She/he is likely still lurking on the forum with a different name. The very nature of a forum means that a person WILL get a variety of responses from many people with similar AND differing OPINIONS.

Most insurance companies want the 6 month medically supervised diet to show that you CAN'T lose weight via diet and exercise. If you're losing weight, that's good for your health but a BMI of less than 40 will usually mean insurance not covering the band.

Most insurance require that you have a BMI of 40 or greater or a BMI of greater than 35 with 2 comorbidities such as diabetes and sleep apnea. Call your insurance company to see if you qualify.

The pictures are worth a thousand words and you look wonderful, Lapbandit. Congratulations to all the losers who just happen to be the most deserving winners. On a personal note, my sister is doing better. They drained an abscess today from her abdomen and she's expected to be able to come home on Sunday. Who says Friday the 13th is unlucky?

Julie NYC... congratualtions on making your challenge goal! You're melting away. I hope you're having a smooth recovery from the surgery. I just caught up on the posts for the past few days and everyone is doing well. I've been spending all my time (since last Friday) in the hospital taking care of my sister who has diverticulitis... not pleasant. Keep up the good work everyone!

Increased burping/gas is expected with the band. Gurgling could be a sign of being overfilled or it could be normal. Since you're seeing the surgeon on Monday, make sure you discuss this with him/her. If there is no heartburn or regurgitation of food, it's not considered a problem.

HIPPA laws protect your rights to privacy. What concerns me is how does your boss know you're going to the MD once a month? Many companies have policies that allow a manager to write up an employee for excessive time lost from work. You can check in your personnel policy manual or with Human Resources.

I am an RN and I teach other RNs to access port-a-caths, mediports, chemoports, etc. That said, I would not self-treat myself with fills and unfills and think it's dangerous for ANYONE to endulge in this practice.

Since your band has barely any fill, let's hope that the surgeon is able to repair it. You're already a success story and inspiration. Good luck on Monday!

Julie NYC, I'm glad to hear that your recovery is going well. You're a true success story and I bet you'll look fabulous once the swelling goes down. Keep us updated on your recovery.

JulieNYC, I think you recently had surgery. How are you feeling?

I'm still fighting a plateau but sticking to about 1300 calories a day. Sooner or later, the scale will budge. It's frustrating waiting for it to move. You ladies are all doing wonderfully.

I'm stuck at a plateau... very frustrating. I got a small fill (that's all they will allow after 8 cc's) on Monday and hope that helps. I'm one of those people who don't feel the fill for about 2 weeks. I won't make my goal but I'll try to come close.

She's had a very long history of abusing prescription drugs. Anyone else who took that combination would need to get to an ER STAT. It's a shame she didn't get therapy WITH the medications... a VERY strong sleeping med, anti-anxiety, anti-depressants, human growth hormone, etc. Again... very sad but the real sorrow if for her daughter.

I don't think the cause of death came as a surprise and she was on a VERY dangerous combination of drugs. I would guess she saw several MDs to get those drugs. If one MD prescribed them all he/she should lose the ability to practice medicine. It's sad.

Tilapia is a non-fishy fish that is firmer than flounder and delicious. I place a filet in an egg wash and then dredge it in some italian flavored panko breadcrumbs. I place the filets on a foil lined pan that I spray with olive oil PAM and bake it at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes and then flip it over and bake another 2 minutes.

I think that's a wise decision. You've got to be able to keep hard proteins down and you don't want to damage your esophagus or band.

Welcome! I would LOVE to move off Long Island, NY to a warmer place where it's less crowded and hectic and where you're not taxed to death. My job and family keep me here but I won't retire here. Good luck with the MD approving you for the band.

You've come too far to give up and go back to unhealthy ways. Make an appointment to see the surgeon (not the PA), get whatever tests he/she orders and take it from there. Remember, you already ARE a success.

Demyelination is caused by an auto immune response in the body. Basically, this means that the body begins to harm itself. A certain degree of demyelination is part of the aging process so the treatment is going to depend on how the neurologist interprets your tests. It is quite unusual to be diagnosed with MS in your 60's but not unheard of. My advice would be to wait until you hear what the neurologist has to say. There are many variables and many possibilities such as normal pressure hydrocephalis and viruses. I am attaching a link to some current research that is being done in this area. I'll keep my fingers crossed that your news is good. http://today.uci.edu/news/release_detail.asp?key=538

THAT is a billing error. Contact your insurance company.

You're problem might be that your potassium was a little low or it could mean something else. The first place to begin is with your MD who will do an EKG. You might also want to see a cardiologist to have a stress test (evaluates left heart function) and an echocardiogram (evaluates heart valves). Based on those findings, you might be asked to wear a 24 hours holter monitor or even something called a 30 day event monitor. The right side of the heart is best evaluated with a heart MRI (special machine). Electrophysiologic Studies (EPS) are done in a lab and map the electrical conduction of your heart. Your heart is a muscle that is regulated by the electrical system. If your EPS cardiologist finds an electric problem, it can be ablated (killed) using either heat or cold. Please know that MANY people experience what you descibe and their hearts are fine. I bet you're in that group. :-)