Littleroo27

I'm not banded yet, but a lot of people talk about PBing, which is when you swallow something that won't go through the band. It gets covered in a pinkish mucus and then comes back up again. Try taking smaller bites, chewing a LOT, and feeling for your "soft stop" signals. This is what tells you when to stop eating. I've heard people mention pain in the left shoulder, a hiccup/burp combo, and runny nose as being soft stop signals. If you go beyond that, eat too large of bites, or just too fast, you may end up PBing.

You sound like me! I'm 26 and don't own anything and my insurance doesn't cover any weight loss surgeries either I can tell you the steps I've taken - maybe one will work for you. 1) ask your HR department if it is possible to add a rider on to your current insurance policy that will cover the surgery with an increase in premium. 2) e-mail the surgery loan options listed at Dr. Ortiz' website. I was able to get up to $13,000 at a 9.9% fixed interest rate, which is pretty good for someone with no collateral! 3) if you already own a credit card, ask them if it's possible to get approved for a low interest rate / high limit credit card that you can pay off over time. A lot of cards offer 1 year no interest (chase.com), which is awesome if you can pay it off in that amount of time. 4) talk to the bank that you have your mortgage through about adding an additional $10,000 to the existing loan for personal use. Personally, I ended up getting a 2nd job, which I'm supposed to start next week. I'll be a systems analyst by day and a grocery store bagger by night, lol. That way I will have enough extra cash to pay off the loan. I'm split between taking the $10,000 loan and increasing the limit on my visa card, which has a 7.99% interest rate (obviously better then 9.9%!). Through a lot of perserverance, I have decided that ANYTHING is possible, as long as you refuse to give up and are willing to work hard enough to get it. I wish you the best of luck. Perhaps we will get banded around the same time I have yet to pick a date as I want to save up some money first and hopefully lose a few lbs. All the best, Beth, 26 y/o San Diego, CA

This isn't CLOSE, but it's closer. There is a center in Kansas City that would at least be within driving distance (well, okay, a weekend trip maybe!). The Bariatric Center of Kansas City Shawnee Mission, KS 66204

The surgeons at Scripps Clinic in San Diego said that sometimes it seems like they are leaking after the first fill because there may still be some air inside the band. Even though the liquid won't come out on its own, the air can, and it may cause a small amount of fluid to be pushed out as well. Once all the air has been removed (usually after the first fill is done) it shouldn't be a problem any more.

You crush your paxil-CR??? You're lucky you haven't had any problems. You may want to ask your doctor about switching to regular paxil, which would be safe to crush. I am also on Paxil-CR and hope to be able to swallow it, as I don't feel comfortable switching to something else...

This is very much insurance specific. I know that for MY insurance, they have a very specific clause that says they will not cover any weight loss surgeries, any doctor's appointments related to it, or any emergency procedures due to problems from it. But you should call the number on your insurance card and ask them to send you their rules on that in writing.

Do you know if she maybe doesn't drink a lot of water? That can lead to kidney stones.

Hi all. This is my first post on this forum, though I've been stalking for a couple of days now. Like all (most) of you, I am considering Dr. Ortiz for two reasons. First, my insurance is evil and won't cover any weight related surgeries. Second, I read "Lap-Band for Life" and have researched online, only to come to the conclusion that he is one of the best. I do have one benefit in regards to this. I live in San Diego and can actually take the city bus to the airport from my office and get picked up from there to go to the center. Although I do have some questions and stuff, my main reason for writing this is that I would love to meet any of you in SD long enough for a chat either before or after your surgery. I live 5 miles from the airport and work even closer. So if you're going to be in the area and interested in chatting, please let me know. I am pre-op, obviously, but would love to hear about all of your experiences and just absorb all the knowledge that I can. My main question right now is, for anyone out there who got a loan for the surgery, who did you go through and what kind of a rate was provided? I am 26 and don't own anything but a 2000 Ford Taurus, but I have fantastic credit... I just got a second job so that I can pay for the band (or the loan for the band) and would like to get the best deal possible.