minpinmom

hollyncharm, I love you! lol, you rock, 25 . . . oh, i remember when . . . :-)

WooHoo! Congratulations, good luck and let us know how it goes!

That one is Piper, she is 3 1/2. She is my baby. She travels to all the dog shows with me, even if she isn't being shown. My dogs keep me sane!

Congratulations, it only gets better from here. keep up updated.

I have had 4 or 5 fills and only been charged my $12.00 copay. My Dr. just recently requires a Barium swallow before each fill, that is not covered by insurance. So I pay the $12.00 copay + $50.00 fee for the Barium Swallow. If you have a fill without barium, it should only be your 12$ copay. I am Tricare Prime.

The seminar was free, then the Dr.s consult was covered by my insurance, I had a $12.00 copay. I would imagine, they charged my insurance something like that.

Thank you!

When I get worried that I am not losing very much weight, losing too slow, or that I can't see a difference in the mirror, I get dressed in an outfit that I couldn't wear a few months ago. Take a few pictures and compare. It really helps to see them side by side to see a difference. I encourage EVERYONE to take lots of pictures before banding so that you have great pics to compare with. Take pictures every few weeks. It is kinda like a picture journal. Some of these pictures are just 1 good picture of me and a bunch of fat pics. That way I could sit at the computer and just stare at the old ones and compare each one to the new one.

When I get worried that I am not losing very much weight, losing too slow, or that I can't see a difference in the mirror, I get dressed in an outfit that I couldn't wear a few months ago. Take a few pictures and compare. It really helps to see them side by side to see a difference. I encourage EVERYONE to take lots of pictures before banding so that you have great pics to compare with. Take pictures every few weeks. It is kinda like a picture journal. Some of these pictures are just 1 good picture of me and a bunch of fat pics. That way I could sit at the computer and just stare at the old ones and compare each one to the new one.

I actually canceled my fill yesterday - I started getting restriction (out of the blue) last week. So odd. I have never had it, had 4 fills, my last fill 3-4 weeks ago and bam, it started working! So my Dr.s said to reschedule a couple of weeks out July 9th and see how I am doing then. I am so excited it is working. I am definitely not tight - I can still eat anything, just less of it (for Breakfast and lunch at least). Thanks for remembering. You are too sweet!

Go to the one you love. It will be worth it in the long run. A lot of Dr.s push Bypass - they make more money, and they don't have to rely on you to lose weight. They can make you lose weight with bypass. I drive about an hour and 15 minutes (in Houston traffic, sometimes 2-3 hours) to my Dr.s office. Once you have surgery you will only need to go for maintenance. You could even get a fill Dr. close - maybe the one you are not fond of :-)

Thank you guys, you are so sweet!

There is another thread on the acutrainer (I don't think I spelled that right, but it is something close to that). It is the closest that I know of. Good luck with your search, let us know what you choose.

Okay, so today I decided to dye my hair really dark. My mom has given me an incentive to lose weight, when I first got the band, she said when I lost 50lbs, she would take me to my favorite salon, have my hair cut, dyed and styled on one condition. That I go blonde. Who can turn down a 200$ hair change? I know I sure can't. I absolutely love to have my hair done. So, I decided since I still have 23lbs to go, I would go really dark for now, so the contrast is greater. I am including 2 pictures, one where you can see the reddish/purplish color and 1 just because I think it makes me look skinnier! I will admit ahead of time, I took 35 pictures of my hair to get 2 that I felt okay with to post. I have a LOT of time on my hands.

Okay, so today I decided to dye my hair really dark. My mom has given me an incentive to lose weight, when I first got the band, she said when I lost 50lbs, she would take me to my favorite salon, have my hair cut, dyed and styled on one condition. That I go blonde. Who can turn down a 200$ hair change? I know I sure can't. I absolutely love to have my hair done. So, I decided since I still have 23lbs to go, I would go really dark for now, so the contrast is greater. I am including 2 pictures, one where you can see the reddish/purplish color and 1 just because I think it makes me look skinnier! I will admit ahead of time, I took 35 pictures of my hair to get 2 that I felt okay with to post. I have a LOT of time on my hands.

though I am no longer a fan of the Dixie Chicks, I could not resist . . . . . . . Earl's gotta die . . . . thanks for your story.

Thank you! I am pretty excited, I still have it. I canceled my Fill for tomorrow and rescheduled it for July 9th, just in case it doesn't last. I am a little scared because my worst time to eat is supper and in the evening and I have no restriction then, but I have been making myself slow down and eat smaller amounts. Just the fact that I am eating 1/3 for lunch of what I used to has to help!

Don't give up, Dr.s can be jerks, I think most have a God Complex. Just remember, they work for YOU!

What if you write it, provide all the documentation, then take it to your Dr. and see if he will sign it. May just work. I have heard of some Dr.s charging 100 bucks to write a letter for you. Maybe if you do all the work, he will sign it.

If you have money, you can do both. I know a lot of people who have RNY, lose their weight, then when they start gaining it back, they get the lapband. I was too scared of the more invasive procedures. So this was my only choice.

You are so freakin lucky! You are like a calorie burning machine! My hubby is like that, he is not overweight at all, medically retired, so does no exercise, not much activity at all, eats about 3500 calories a day. (an entire pkg of Oreos last night) and never gains an ounce. I eat 1200 calories a day, go to the gym EVERY day and lose less than a lb a week. Stinkin metabolism!

WooHoo, congratulations. I have been thinking of you. I am glad it went well. Heal well for the next couple of months - you have the rest of your life to lose weight! W

I have lost a total of 27lbs. BUT, I workout at the gym every single day and I truly believe that I haven't had much help from the band thus far. I am so excited at the thought that this may work for me! I really was getting discouraged!

Thank you! I love the idea that someone reads my Blog. I will take some pics tonight and try to post tomorrow. Congratulations on your upcoming surgery. What an exciting time! Take lots of before pictures - when you start losing, you can see it so much better in pictures.

Why have it removed? I would have it fixed (by a different surgeon, of course). I hate that you are one of the few that have crazy problems, that bites. Let us know what happens.