Hi I'm maziemommy-

Anyone else from around here?

Anyone else share the same doc?"Christopher Edwards "

If you are looking for a doc in MO.... I would highly recommend him and his staff!

I would love to hear from any one close to my area.

Happy Val-day To All! Have A Great One! You Are All In My Thoughts!

Hi,

I know it's been a while since I have written on here. Life is a little crazy Working fulltime, Going to school, Getting all my appointments done for the surgery, and Spending time with my fiance. I am on a break at work and thought I would chat you all up. I have finished everything for the surgery except the Behavioral class which I am taking on 02/25/2008. After that I will make an appointment with Dr. Edwards and schedule my surgery!!! YAY :wink_smile:~

Anyways I am going to also be going to Houston with my sisters to be with my mom and dad at MD Anderson, while he has a major surgery. He has had Non-hodgkins lymphoma since I was 5 and I am now 26 yrs old. His body is so worn out from all the years of chemo and radiation (especially on his head) that his head is starting to form these HUGE sores that open up into a big hole in the top of his head. He let it go and the holes kept getting bigger and more of them and I got really mad at him and honest and he finally made a bunch of appointments and found out that the only place that can treat him is MD Anderson (the cancer hospital in Houston). So they are sawing off the back of his skull and using skin from his back to put a flap over the brain while they put antibiotics in his head to get hid of the virus that is cause the holes. He has to have only a flap of skin covering his head for 3 months and then they will surgically put a plastic sheild over his skull to cover it...

SO it's a big long drawn out process and me and my two sisters will be there from the 11th of march to the 14th of march for the surgery where they take a part of his skull off. So life is a little stressful right now.

I don't consider myself christian but if you guys want just send some good thoughts and love his way. I would appreciate it. I will keep you all updated!!

BYE :wink2:~

Hi all:

I've been lurking on your thread for a while now and thought that maybe it was time to introduce myself. Reading all of your posts has really got me motivated and excited about the lap band. I am so thankful I've found this site. It's nice to be able to have someone around that has been there, done that. Personal experience is sometimes just as valuable as medical advice.

I have done all my pre-op appts except the behavioral class, which I am attending on 2-25-08, and the final appt with Dr. Edwards on 2-26. I had the dietary consult this morning, and my mind is still trying to absorb all the info. luckily, my hubby went with me, so I have back-up in case I forget something. I should get my surgery date on the 26th.

I drive a truck for a living and I'm really hoping that that will help me get through the 2 week liquid diet. (no kitchen readily available). Plus, it's always easier to turn down truckstop food than it is to turn down home cooking. I've had to fast before, but never for that long. You all are proof that it can be done though, so I guess I'll live through it.

I look forward to getting to know eveyone and share in the lapband experience.

Til next time,

kathy

Hi,

I know it's been a while since I have written on here. Life is a little crazy Working fulltime, Going to school, Getting all my appointments done for the surgery, and Spending time with my fiance. I am on a break at work and thought I would chat you all up. I have finished everything for the surgery except the Behavioral class which I am taking on 02/25/2008. After that I will make an appointment with Dr. Edwards and schedule my surgery!!! YAY :smile2:~

Anyways I am going to also be going to Houston with my sisters to be with my mom and dad at MD Anderson, while he has a major surgery. He has had Non-hodgkins lymphoma since I was 5 and I am now 26 yrs old. His body is so worn out from all the years of chemo and radiation (especially on his head) that his head is starting to form these HUGE sores that open up into a big hole in the top of his head. He let it go and the holes kept getting bigger and more of them and I got really mad at him and honest and he finally made a bunch of appointments and found out that the only place that can treat him is MD Anderson (the cancer hospital in Houston). So they are sawing off the back of his skull and using skin from his back to put a flap over the brain while they put antibiotics in his head to get hid of the virus that is cause the holes. He has to have only a flap of skin covering his head for 3 months and then they will surgically put a plastic sheild over his skull to cover it...

SO it's a big long drawn out process and me and my two sisters will be there from the 11th of march to the 14th of march for the surgery where they take a part of his skull off. So life is a little stressful right now.

I don't consider myself christian but if you guys want just send some good thoughts and love his way. I would appreciate it. I will keep you all updated!!

BYE ~

I will be keeping good thoughts for "Dad"... and hope all becomes well.

Congrats to you on your journey with getting a band. Please keep us all posted and up to date... on both of you.

Welcome Kathy... looks like you will be at the class at the same time as Hollygurl.

You may both get to meet each other! Good luck and keep us posted.

We will be in the class together. I am hoping I can get the final appointment scheduled with dr. Edwards soon. Mary is waiting for my Psych Eval to get to her and then she has to get it approved by my insurance and then she said we could schedule the appointment with Dr. Edwards. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited. I want to get the surgery NOW! I can't wait to see how my life changes and how much better I feel. Anyways have a good weekend girls. :smile2:~

Thanks for the welcome, Kimberly. I appreciate it. Hollygurl, I look forward to meeting you Monday. I seen Katie today, and she said that there were going to be about 13 of us in the class. Not too big I guess. I have my final appt with Dr. Edwards on Tuesday and I am soooo excited. I am self-pay, so I haven't had to hassle with waiting on the insurance co. to approve. I've heard that can be a real nightmare. The only thing that has held me up is getting home off the road for my appts. I am sorry to hear about your dad and I will be keeping him in my thoughts and prayers. Keep us posted on his progress.

Til next time,

kathy

Thanks !! It shouldn't be that bad with my insurance company. I work for Chase Bank and my insurance is through United Heath Care and I am through Cox. Even though I'm through Cox United Health Care will pay it In Network for me to have the surgery through St. Johns since Cox doesn't do bariatric surgery. They have approved alot of stuff allready. They paid for my first Dr. appointment with Dr. Edwards that was $300 and I only had to pay a co-pay of $30. So far it's been pretty good and there are quite a few people here at Chase that have had Gastric Bypass / or the Lap Band. They will most likely be paying 90% of the cost of the surgery! Anyways I will see you on Monday and hopefully it will be fun ~ Have a good night everyone! See yah.:thumbup:

Hi everyone! There was quite a bit of catching up to do. I haven't been getting my daily emails about new posts so I don't think to check in as often as I used to.

It looks like everyone is doing well...good to see that. I was scheduled for my 4th fill yesterday, but they called and cancelled bc of the weather! It was rescheduled to next Wednesday, though...I guess one more week won't hurt. I also have my 6 month follow up next Thursday. I can't believe it has been 6 months already! I need time to slow down just a bit so I can lose more weight before my 20th reunion this summer! :thumbup:

Mazie - hows mom?

Mazie, I'm from St.Louis but have been to Springfield many times going to & from Branson. Looks like you're doing great, best wishes.JohnC

Thank you John.

Tabitha - great to see you o here again. 37# lost? That's great, how do you feel?

Kimberly(other Kimberly) - how are doing now that you are back to work?

Debbie- what's that BMI looking like this week? Can't wait to see you at the meeting Monday night.

Kathy and Hollygurl- let us know how the meeting/class goes for you.

Great to see everyone, posting regularly! Spring is near!

P.S. Mom is home, and tires easily, but she is doing OK. Thanks for thinking of us/her.

Hello Everyone,

My week follow-up with Dr. Edwards, last Thursday, went good. I have been able to start eating. So far so good. I do not have that much of an appetitie, which is good. I started back walking today. Everyday I feel a little better. My first day back to work last Tuesday was really hard. I was so tired by the end of the day. Everyday at work has gotten easier. My port incision is still very sore. Hollygurl and Kathy I hope you enjoy the behavorial class tomorrow. I enjoyed the class.

I hope everyone has a Great Week!

Kimberly :thumbdown:

Waiting is hard. It's been 1 week since Mary subitted my final paperwork to Aetna. I know it will take more time to get an approval, but I reeeeeealy want an answer now. I even started the liquid diet last Thursday so that when the approval comes in maybe I can get in for the surgery sooner.

Do any of you have Aetna? If so, how long did it take for you to get your approval after the final paperwork was sent in?

Happy Monday!

my sister lives in MO and has United HealthCare Choice Plus and found out today that LB is not covered. This is what the Surgeons office (Rogers, AR)told her. I was wondering if you could share what type of policy you have and see if there are any suggestions you could give us to help her get approved. She works for a small business and could likely get the plan switched if she just knew which one to go with. Any insight or help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi all:

I just got back home my class today. Everything went really well. Had a great group. I guess I was a little disturb by some of the quizes Katie had us take. I always knew I was a little dysfunctional, but to put a number to it, and have a higher number than most was a bit of an eye-opener. Guess I have alot of work to do. It's gonna be a challenge, but a challenge every now and then isn't always a bad thing, right? I have my final consult with Dr. Edwards in the morning. Can hardly wait till I get a date!!! I'll post tomorrow and give an update.

later,

kathy