FurEllie

Make your own low cal iced coffee drink Starbucks also has a "20 under 200" list: http://www.starbucks.com/retail/BEV-530_20under200.pdf

Agree with the "You need another fill" posts. And remember, THIS IS ONLY A TOOL. I started putting on a few pounds when I found out how easily I could eat a chocolate bar or ice cream. DON'T BUY THE STUFF!! If it's in your house, you're going to eat it or else we wouldn't be in this situation I just had a hysterectomy and oddly now have ZERO restriction. As soon as I feel like moving around I'm headed straight in for another fill. If I had any control over food then I wouldn't have forked out big $$$ for this. Hang tight - once you get the right amount of restriction you WILL lose the weight!!

OK, faxed everything in. They know about my obesity problem and know I've been working on it for a few years. Plus Dr. Ortiz removed a hiatal hernia which I'm hoping they'll AT LEAST cover. Couple of problems: My form asked for a signature from the provider And a breakdown of the amounts charged I sent it in w/o both but with all my OCC paperwork. Has anyone been required to get a signature and financial breakdown? If so, were you able to get it? BCBSGA covers WLS so I'm hoping to get SOMETHING. And like I said, even though I have an absurd ($5K) deductible, with a new surgery coming up, even something towards my deductible would help.

Thanks I showed it to my doctor and he said that all it meant was my heart rate was higher than normal -101. My BP has always been perfect if not low, so I'm OK there. I'm sure my HR was higher because I was a bit nervous Thanks again!!

I read mine and it says: Interpretation: Sinus tachycardia Minimal voltage criteria for LVH, may be normal variant Cannot rule out Anterior infarct, age undetermined Abnormal ECG Now, I'm going to assume that it couldn't be THAT bad or they wouldn't have continued, but what do others say? I'm dropping a copy of this off at my doctor's tomorrow just to make sure. We have a history of heart problems in my family and even though it's so far been just males, my grandfather, male cousin and uncle on my mother's side all had heart attacks before they were 40. I'm 45 and of course, I'm not going to sleep well tonight, lol.

See if there's a Fills Centers USA around you. I don't know about the other "fillers" but Darlene who works in GA is AWESOME. Plus they have a 72 hour free unfill if you need it. BTW, I had the same experience even going back to the OCC - I was fine for a day or two, then had to fly back for an unfill after another couple of days - I couldn't swallow my own spit And as Dolittle mentioned, Aunt Flo can make me tighter than a virgin on prom night. So far, that's worked to my advantage, but I'm getting a hysterectomy in a few weeks so I'm sure I'm going to need a fill after that, lol. But if you're in danger of getting dehydrated, get back ASAP and then try again after your period is over.

Centrum Silver comes in a chewable. I think they taste fine but I'm not picky about anything I can eat, lol.

Yes, yes, a thousand times YES! Even though I've only lost 30 pounds since March, that's 30 more pounds than I would have lost w/o the surgery. And TBH, at the rate I was going, I probably would have gained 10-20 more by now!

Oddly I did NOT get any breakdown for the cost I'm not sure if I'll need that or not since BCBS will pay whatever they consider "fair" payment for the procedure, if they pay. I'll wait to bother Rene again if I have to

I just got my packet from OCC - WOW! It has step by step instructions on everything they did (in English), my weight, body fat (ugh), EKG, etc. It's EXTREMELY well done. Now to convince BCBS Thanks OCC!

I have to pulverize shrimp to get it down - in fact, it's one of my "good" foods because it takes me so long to eat it that I'm full sooner, lol. Mussels and scallops have gone easily. Fish too. Haven't even tried lobster yet - thanks for reminding me how much I like it and that I need a good lobster meal In the AM, I pretty much can't get anything down w/o something warm. My mornings are my splurge and I drink some very high calorie chai and a piece of french toast or a pancake (microwave). This usually keeps me full most of the day. My TOM has always made me tighter and in the stream of full disclosure, I've pretty much been on in since my last fill. I'm scheduled for a hysterectomy in 3 weeks - it will be interesting to see if feel different and need another fill after having no more periods!

Honestly, I think you're doing FANTASTIC!!! :) From what I've read, chicken is one of the most "iffy" foods. People who can tolerate just about anything may have problems with chicken. That said, everyone is different and what I've been able to get down one day will PB on me the next. Keep doing what you're doing - you're losing weight! That's a good thing. Don't try to match specific stats on how much you should be losing.

I got in touch with Rene yesterday and he's sending me the info Thanks everyone!! Even if I don't get a dime at least I know there was a chance, lol.

I'm sure he was making a joke He seems like a very friendly person to me and certainly not above being funny I finally got around to sending him an email today and he was VERY polite and said he'd get it on its way. YAY! If I can get the band to go towards my deductible, this might mean I don't have to fork out big bucks for my hysterectomy, lol. Thanks again for all of you who told us about this and of course, thanks to OCC!!

Sue, I'm the same height as you and was 206 when I started down this road so I know what you're feeling! I swear extra weight looks heavier on us shorties I also paid cash and went to Dr. Ortiz. I talked with my personal doctor about it and he recommended him based on his experience. There's a thread somewhere here where people are getting their insurance companies to pay for the lapband in Mexico so even some who "self paid" are getting money back Most of my weight was emotional. I went through a very stressful experience about 2.5 years ago and like all good southern women, soothed my pain with food. I wasn't heavy growing up but I'm a stocky short, not a petite short. After my 30s I started not being able to keep weight off as easily but nothing like 206! I realized if I didn't get something done SOON I was going to easily be 306. I had my surgery on March 5 and even though I've been playing the "find the right fill" game and recently went through a week or so of "cheating the band" (ice cream - lots of it. Oy), I'm down 30 pounds from my surgery weight of 200. My SIL asked me the other if I regretted it - not sure where she even got that idea - and I said "ABSOLUTELY NOT!". Best thing I could have done for myself. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner!

I'll add to the "I'm an Unjury" fan list What's great is that they have the flavorless and chicken broth kinds too. I add a heaping tablespoon full of vanilla or chocolate to one of those 100 calorie pudding snack things (do it in a bowl - not enough room in the little cup).

Well that's just entirely too hard for me to have figured out on my own braindead self, lol! Many thanks - will be working on this ASAP!

Oversized clothes are a must. You look silly, but it's SO much easier. I wish I had taken more to read, but I'm a bookworm. I ended up buying 2 more books in the airport

OK, I swear I thought it was here somewhere but I can't find it. Getting close to the end of the year and I need to get my (still fat, but getting less so) butt in gear and get this info from Rene. Does someone have his email address and the exact info I need to ask him for? I also have BCBS. It's an independent policy. Who knows if they'll pay. I was kinda not paying as much attention to this as I should have since I have a very high deductible and the OCC surgery being claimed really wouldn't give me a whole lot back. BUT I just found out I need a hysterectomy, so if I can get the lapband put towards my deductible, the hysterectomy will be a LOT LESS expensive. Again, Rene's email address and EXACTLY what it is BCBS is asking for. Thank you guys SO much for doing all this!!! :) :)

YOU GO GIRL! Seems my first Fill Centers Fill was 1.2, not the 1.4 I thought I had (I have problems with numbers.....). Now I have 1.4 and it seems to be working PERFECTLY. The first few days I was able to more, but then it kicked in. But unlike the overfill, I'm able to get stuff in. I've been living off Trader Joe's soups Yeah, they're high in calories and fat, but 1-2 a day is better than not eating at all.

I'm no doctor, but if you're having problem with gas pains, I'd cut out the OJ - at least for now. I'd also not eat the sandwich. Double up on whatever protein you're putting IN the sandwich. Proteins will stick around in your tummy longer than a carb like bread. Also realize that right now you're not restricted so you won't really feel any less hunger than before. Even when you ARE restricted you'll have times of hunger. Besides the OJ and the bread, sounds like you're doing great, but be sure to check with your doctor for specifics of what/when you should eat and realize that what works for one person might not work for everyone else. I've found there's a lot of trial and error, lol. BTW, I've found that a small handful (10) of almonds helps me during some of the "hunger pang" times.

I don't think it's the same stuff but it could be a variant if it: When I had my ulcer and they were doing an endoscope (?) they put me in like a "twilight" sleep. I KINDA SORTA knew what was going on, but it was like a dream. Afterwards, I was able to walk out of the hospital on my own in about an hour. After going through other anesthesia, I MUCH prefer this as opposed to the awful groggy feeling I've had for up to a day. I don't remember anything during my OCC visit but I know I was waking as they were removing the breathing tube.

Obviously I can only go by what I read and obviously not everyone who has a band is willing to write about it. But yes, I do believe my experiences are normal. I've read about VERY few people who hit the sweet spot on the first fill and keep that fill amount as their sweet spot during their weight loss process. When talking to the Fill Centers USA PA when she did my last fill (which thankfully, seems to have "kicked in" for now), she had just come from a lapband seminar and said that VG bands tend to take more fills to reach the sweet spot as well as many people experiencing more restriction from a day to 2 weeks after a fill.

True to whatever weird form there is in the banding universe, I am feeling MUCH more restriction now than I was. Right now I am at the PERFECT spot. Hopefully this will last for awhile, lol. Starting to put a dent in the 5 (GASP!) pounds I gained back when I lost restriction.

Many of the doctors in Mexico are actually more experienced in the lapband procedure than the majority of the US doctors because it's been approved in Mexico for years longer than it has in the US. My personal doctor (whom I've known since I was a teen so we are friends in addition to him being my doctor) is the one who suggested going to Mexico. He also recommended Dr. Ortiz but I did do my research first. However, if you decide on a US doctor, you might want to look at some of the other lapband message boards. This is Dr. Ortiz's forum so obviously threads/posts/suggestions are going to be more Mexican Dr based and less US based. Best of luck. It DOES work