hey mass!!! whats up???

hello all i was just doing my daily check in when noticed there haven t been any entries in a few days . what is everyone up to? i look forward to this site for encouragement for my weight loss . i have been denied for surgery through b.i.d.m.c. now my insurance has changed from masshealth to blue cross so i am hoping for better news .i am currently trying weigh****chers at home but this is one of my many trials .i try to watch shows like i lost it and anything to do with weight loss for inspiration .anyone have any more ideas on any progams???? thank you, cindy

just to let you know, if you go to the main message board RNY forum, you will find a lot more frequent posts with much more diversity. I know what you mean though, I too am from Massachusetts and the Ma boards are very infrequent. I usually post to the main message board because they get more responses. Hope everything goes well for you! My surgery is on Aug. 28th, I can't wait!

Why were you denied for WLS trough B.I.M.C. ? I had my surgery with Dr. Randall at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. He also works at Mass General. He is a wonderful sergeon and he has a great before and after care program with support groups that he runs himself with a nutritionist. Good Luck Janet

Hello there, It is nice to see some more locals on here. I usually check this board out, but it is not too often I see someone post close to home. I hail from Rockland. I had my surgery at BIDMC and have BCBS of Georgia and was approved without too much trouble at all. I actually dont care much for reality TV except for Survivor and Hells Kitchen. Hopefully BCBS will be better for you in approval. Later Jim

Hi Cindy, I'm in So. Easton and am curious...what's BIDMC? I'm a type 1 Diabetic and am seeing the Joslin Clinic in Brookline in a few weeks to give me a 2nd opinion. A year ago my PCP had me see a surgeon and I was medically approved but dropped out of the program before I really got started. I wanted to try to lose on my own as the surgery scared the living hell out of me! A year later, I'm now 22 pounds heavier, and ready to see if this is my only answer. I'm not jumping for joy at the prospect of surgery since I don't heal well, but if the Joslin says they'd recommend it, I'll be back in touch with my PCP for another referral to see Dr. Hess at Boston Medical Center. Initially, it was great meeting him and he made me feel hopeful, but having lost a friend 7 years ago after WLS this freaked me out. I tried weigh****chers and didn't lose anything but my money. I did have some success with Body For Life (12 weeks of intense weight lifting and 6 small meals a day) but now the 40 I lost is creeping back on and I'm very unhappy about it. My medicines put weight on, so that's always a factor too! Good luck with the new insurance and the WW eating plan!! I hope you get the answers you're looking for! Marie

Marie, BIDMC = Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Right across the street from the Joslin clinic. Jim

greetings from Peabody i am new to this OH site and usually go to the lap band forum. i go to a suppoprt group in salem, ma. are there other support groups out there. yvonne marie

Hey there back at yah! I just joined this site 'for real' today...I noticed the system shows me joining back in 04' when I was still in the thinking about it, but scared to death' stage! Now I'm on my way with Dr Sandor in Stoneham. He's fantastic, also with Lawrence Mem in Medford, part of Randall's group. I adore him. Incredible bedside manner. No pushing. I hear that BCBS is one of the better plans for quick approval, as long as you meet criteria. I'm type II diabetic (and once was a Joslin girl until I learned all I could/needed to)..I'm on insulin via a pump, which makes life easier, but weight loss very hard. Now I'm in the right place mentally and ready to take it on. My biggest hurdle now is quitting smoking! Sandor told me to quit cold turkey as it has the best results...and of course post-surgical smoking is deadly...so the motivation to not piuck them up is there! I was cleared with the cardiologist (Samenuk at Lawrence--he's GORGEOUS and smart!) and just got mental clearance and have decided I liked the nurse psych so much I'm going to continue therapy with her through the process. I don't have apnea, so didn't need the pulmonologist review. But just 2 months after seeing Dr Sandor for the first time I was taken by ambulance due to a spiked blood pressure that caused my vision to double....talk about motivating factors! Scared the crap out of me. I see Sandor on Wednesday. thought it was Thursday...but after posting here I thought I'd double check...good thing! He's not as hard to get into as Randall, but close to! Ellen Melrose

hello all sorry i haven t posted lately. i am still trying weigh****chers, even though i would have preferred surgery, but sometimes the road goes a different way. so far i have lost 10 lbs since aug 5 . ive been to the meetings but till want to connect with everyone because we all know it is a little easier when we are not alone . i am up to 15 minutes on the treadmill and cannot wait for kids to go back to school . they seem like eating machines compared to what i am cutting down on . (my children are 9,10,11,and 15 yrs. old) and i have included them in my weight loss but now i need some ME time .hope everyones day is a beginning . cindy