[redE2b1lessphatchick]

Hello all. I am a 31 female from Chicago. I have been fighting to get approved for the Lap Band surgery since about July of 2007. My insurance company denied the claim twice. After the first denial I drove to Madison, WI and went infront of a board of the insurance company members to read my appeal letter. They mailed off my denial letter that very same day. Following the appeal process I appealed outside the insurance company to a "neutral" entity. While waiting for the third appeal to do through I was still meeting with the psychologist and because of the importance of this surgery I had disucussed my decision to go forward and obtain a loan. Because the surgeon and hospital where I wanted to get the surgery at was approximately $25,000 I could not afford that even with getting a loan so I investigated another noteable hospital and met with a surgeon from there. That hospital was in the ballpark of $14,500. The week of meeting with the second surgeon and waiting to set up an appointment for a surgery date a received a call from my insurance company informing me that they overturned their decision and APPROVED my surgery. Now I was able to have the surgery at the hospital that I wanted and with the surgeon that I wanted to have complete the surgery. There were several reasons for me wanting the specific hospital and surgeon. I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis when I was 19 and had my entire colon removed when I was 21. All my surgeries were done at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. The Bariatric surgeon knows my colon/rectal surgeon. That was a lengthy description of how I am getting to where I am going but not even a dent in what I have been through, but wanted to give a slight background.

So here I am ... APPROVED. My surgery date is Monday DECEMBER 03, 2007.
I am scheduled for the lap-bad. I am currently around 297. The surgeon that I was going to have complete the surgery stated that I was "too big" for the surgery and did not want to do it. He stated that I needed the gastric bypass. My surgeon informed me that I am right there on the border and that it was going to take a lot of work from me to make the surgery work. It appears that they do have a lot of negative talk and I have to down play it. Is there anyone that has had the lap band and is around the 300 lb mark and is successfull or on their way to being successful? I can not have the gastric bypass surgery and it is not an options because I do not have enough organs left (remember I do not have a colon.)

I have tried to read up on the surgery but where to get more information then from people that have gone and are going through with it. It is obviously not easy to get anything from the advertisments or adds. Now that I am reading some of the post I am getting anxious and nervous. What if he doesn't fill me enough. What if I am eating and my stomach expands? What if I don't know my body? What if? What if? What if? Can someone give me some pointers? Give me a breakdown on what I am going to expect? What if he can not do it laproscopically? Has that happened to anyone? How is the healing both ways? Is the healing really as quickly as they say? Is it easy taking medications after the surgery? I heard I will have to crush them... has anyone had to do that?

Sorry for the novel but it was necessary for me.

Thanks in advance,

redE2b1lessphatchick

[pamatga]

I would recommend reading the thread and sub-forum that the Weight Lose Surgery people have here. I am sure that someone here can answer some of your questions or point you in the right direction.

Good luck with your surgery and being tenacious regarding your health.

[jiffypop]

REDE!!! ... you're making yourself nuts here!!!! breathe. relax. there's plenty of info here and on the internet. all your questions are really good, and very valid, but ya gotta try not to get overwhelmed!!!!

there's a group on the internet of lapbanders who have lost at least 150 pounds - or maybe at least 200 pounds. google for extraordinary bandster [i think that's the group's name] and see what pops up.

and how did they do it??? focus focus focus. attention to how the fills feel, or don't feel. watching what they ate and getting their exercise.

and i'm telling you this because it IS possible to lose a lot of weight with the lapband, and to keep it off, but ya gotta be ready to work the band for everything it's worth. and for those of us who've had the bypass, we gotta work it as well.

but i really wanted to address that 'what if i don't know my body' line. you've really hit the nail on the head. we have to be absolutely aware and in tune with our bodies. i, for one, HATE DOING THIS!!!! but let's face it, ignoring our bodies, not connecting with them, is a major factor in gaining the huge amounts of weight that we've done!!!!

start now. that's right. keep a diary of how your body feels, what it feels like to be hungry, or thirsty, or tired. figure out the way you feel in the morning, what it feels like to feel GREAT, and to feel cranky. it's all part of it.

for my part, exercise has helped, but it wasn't enough for me. i had to get regular massages - and not only for the fact that they feel wonderful. it's been a major factor in getting me in touch with how i feel.

this isn't an overnight process. it''s constant, evolving, changing. a new way to live.

breathe, darlin. you have such tremendous courage and strength. use these traits to help yourself, not to wonder 'what if.'

[jiffypop]

ps - what's the plan to manage your UC?

[redE2b1lessphatchick]

Jiffypop,
Thanks for your reply. Yeah I know I need to breathe. Think worrying is part of my nature. Probably a cause of some of my ulcers I worry because it seems that all that I have been through I still do not know my body and with all that I have been through and my numerous surgeries because of my UC I do not know what it feels like to feel good or "normal." My UC has never been "good," but it is better than when I had my colon. I have pouchitis but after having my pre-op testing it was discovered that my blood level had dropped to 7.4 (SEVERLY anemic) so I had to have a EDG scope done and was informed that everything is find in my stomach and there is no bleeding there. I do worry about the UC but think that maybe the surgery will help the UC because it will limit my food intake (isn't that crazy a morbidly obese woman with UC... you would think I would be a size 2. I should have been so lucky,huh? All those times that I was NPO and could not eat. Barely ever lost any weight ... ) I guess I will have to wait until I am on the table to see if I am able to have the procedure completed laproscopically becaues of off my scar tissue (they do not know how much is there from my other surgeries.) Hopefully they will not have to open my all the way up.

I have not started journaling or doing any of those "things" that I should be doing. I did stop drinking all pop (even though it was always diet pop) and carbonated beverages and stopped all binging but guess it is one thing at a time...

It is the start of another long journey. Guess it scares me too because I have been down this road so many times ... as we all know. I know how much work is involved.

I did log on to Yahoo and tried to look at the group you referenced. I requested to be approved. Thanks for mentioning that to me. Did not know it exsisted. Hope they approved me. I do have so many questions and would love to talk to some people that have "worked the band." I do plan I making this work and need to keep the communication open with positive people that have been down this road. Your accomplishments should be applauded

Thanks again,

RedE2b1lessphatchick