Hi. I am new here. I saw Dr. Marina Kurian today for my first visit and have a tentative date for LapBand surgery for July 26, 2004. Dr. Kurian seems wonderful; Totally approachable, compassionate, honest, real and, by reputation, one of, if not the best. I am a 48 yr old man, with 2 kids and want to stay around to see them and my grandchildren grow up! I have a BMI of 50.9!! I have about 150 pounds to lose. People who do not have to live with this problem do not understand what it is like. I WANT AND AM READY TO DO THIS, even though I know all about the puree food, blockages, etc. however, it is difficult when people say, "oh just go on a strict diet and exercise, you dont need that surgery, that's dangerous"... They make me feel even worse about myself, pointing out that, yes, I am powerless over my obesity...For those of you who have been banded, WOULD YOU DO IT AGAIN?? I need honest answers. Thank you so much. Phil.

Hi again, I forgot to ask...Do You have to be a CHICK to be part of this group?? I hope not!! Phil

oh good grief.. of COURSE you don't have to be a chick.. we have ROOSTERS as well. and there's also a men's forum, moderated by the wonderful JACK -150!!! he has a great dog named sam [see what's important to me????]

feel free to post anywhere and everywhere you want. ask all the questions you can think of. and if my memory is correct, scarletini - also a lapbander, one who's done GREAT with it - also went to Kurian...

welcome home phil!!!!!

Hiya Phil,
I would have the lapband done again in a nanosecond - and I'm not even that far into the whole process. The surgery itself isn't too bad at all and the results are amazing. I'm not really on a diet, just trying to make decent food choices most of the time. The thing is I eat so much less. I had my first fill and am deciding if I should have more saline added or not. For the first time in a very long time I'm not wondering if I will actually lose weight. I know that the weight will come off and STAY OFF with this wonderful, wonderful tool.

I know exactly how you feel when people give you the "just go on a strict diet" crap. It made me nuts - they have no idea! This is one of the most positive things I've ever done for myself.

Chickadee
p.s. I've read wonderful things about Dr. Kurian

hey Phil..i have 150 lbs to loose too. know just how you feel. Im starting the process of getting a lap band with my insurance. I am trying to get tickets on a jet to and from florida. Im going to need three tickets in coach for me and my husband or two tickets in first class witch i can't afford. I hate going into planes, everyone stares at you and thinks...i hope she doesn't sit next to me!! then you have to beg for a seat belt extender... I wish one smart *** 120lber could spend a day in my shoes. i'm sorry i'm whining Phil. don't feel alone my husband is just like you too. we roosters and hens are all equal on this sight. keep yourself cool tonight is going down to 35 degrees!! :crazy: love Bats

Welcome Phil and Batman

I am very glad to see new lapbanders around here. Hopefully we can all help each other through this. --Pookie

Hi "Guys"; Chickadee, thanks for the positive comments and Batman, you're not whining! I KNOW exactly what you are talking about! Going on a plane is a NIGHTMARE and thank God I get to share a seat with my wife (all 112 pounds of her-the *****- but i LOVE her!! LOL) - we pick-up the middle armrest to make room for me -- but it is humiliating and when they openly hand you the seatbelt extender, it feels like the WHOLE world is watching and looking at me! It reminds me of the funny story of the 17 year old boy who goes in to the pharmacy to buy condoms and the female cashier behind the counter holds them up and screams across the store, Hey, Joe, How much for these Trojans?" You just want to find a hole in the ground and crawl into it!! Even when I go into a restaurant, I (think)(know) everyone is looking at what the "fat guy" is eating....AND my biggest pet peeve, is when people who do not know me or my name, think it is a good idea to refer to me as "Big Man" or "Big Guy"!! They have no idea how insensitive and hurtful that is!! Do I say, "Hey, Crooked Eyes" or "Hey, Man With the Ugly Wife", or Hey, Woman whose daughter has the reputation for the giving best fellatio in town"???? NO, so why do they call me "Big Guy"?
My wife actually spent most of the weekend trying to talk me out of the surgery by saying things like, "we are going to start a strict diet on Monday and I will watch everything you are going to eat"...and delicately trying to make me NOT do the band. She is concerned about the re-operations, etc. From a medical standpoint, there is a high incidence of reoperation, but you know what, without this surgery, I AM GOING TO DIE, so I MUST have it done...this is what (thin) (normal weight) people do not understand. Thank YOU all for understanding where I am coming from...Phil.

waiting for lap bands
 

I know the problems your having with your wife, except my husband and parents..Im 52...kept telling me i needed by-pass surgery. I told them how dangerous it was and all the complications it has.. it didn't seem to compute with any of them. I am a nurse and i think they should outlaw the gastric bypass. that is buchery at it's worst. i have seen it. so far the LB is the safest bet so far. I'm batteling with my insurance company right now so i don't know how long it will take., but i realize i need help and can't do this alone. i just keep getting bigger and bigger and less able to move. I need a new right knee and i'm trying to hold off until i can loose some weight. Don't get down on your wife Phil. see loves you and is just thinking of you. she doesn't understand. no one does unless you weight 100 lbs or more what it is like to live like us. there is a new stomach balloon that is comming out, but that is for people who have less then 100 lbs to loose. there is also a new electronic device, like a pacemaker, that they are having clinical trials for now that sends an electrical charge to your stomach and it always thinks that it is full. maybe things will be easier in the future but right now we have to do what we can. hope you all had a great Memorial day ..God Bless America LoL Bats :crazy:

batman... you are right that the lapband is a much less invasive form of WLS and has fewer side effects, BUT, not everyone qualifies for it. i had no choice but to do the bypass. i tried to get the band, but i was too heavy, too much of a health emergency for me to tolerate the slower weight loss that the lab band has, and the fact that the weight loss has been shown in clinical trials to be smaller and less durable. and yes, the weight loss is definitely related to the person's individual eating behavior, but it was decided that the high risk of regain - no matter what my motivation was - tipped the scales, so to speak, in favor of the bypass.

butchery? and should be outlawed? those are very strong words that advocate getting rid of the best hope that some people have of losing the weight and keeping it off.

there are very few rules - formal or informal - on this forum, but one of the biggest ones is to please respect the decisions that others have made concerning their health. that doesn't mean you cannot express your opinion on any topic, but please do so with the understanding that everyone who has chosen a form of WLS has made the decision after considerable thought and contemplation of the risks and benefits.


NOW... for all of you wonderful lapbanders, this thread is getting LONG... and i'd like to split it... ok??? NOW... how would you like it split? by month? by week?

let me know!!!!!

Hi Jiffypoo,
I say right now is a wonderful time to split this thread. My connection sucks these days (can you believe I live somewhere that no DSL is available?) and it takes forever to load.

As for me, I'm still banding away but haven't been on a scale in a while so I don't know how I'm doing. I'm kind of PMS-y so scales and my mood probably won't be a good match.

Later gators,
Chickadee

lapband
 

I went to a seminar at a place called the WISH Center. I have my first appointment on July 13. I can hardly wait. The appointment will be 4-6 hours long. That is when I will decide wether to do the lap-band or bypass. I am leaning toward the lap-band because it is less invasive. The doctor said, though that you can only expect to lose 50 percent of your total excess weight. Is that true. I have 100 pounds of excess weight and I want to lose all of it.

I don't even know if my insurance will cover it. If not I am desperate and will pay for it myself. They offer financing over an extended period of time at this center. Does anyone know if Humana(ppo) covers the lap-band procedure?

It still seems so far away. It won't be until the middle of November before I can have my surgery. There program is extensive and strict. You have to follow thier diet and excersise program for 8 weeks and meet the goals that they set up for you, or guess what no surgery. I just have to take one day at a time. It is just hard when you are desperate

Thank all of you for being there!

Hey Mac,
I have 100 pounds to lose too and I fully expect to lose it all. It completely depends on your willingness to follow all the rules and work with the band. I have read stories over and over of people losing large amounts of weight with the band. Some of the statistics floating around out there are pretty old and from old FDA trials. They don't include statistics from Europe and Mexico where the band has been around longer. I have found all kinds of misinformation about both LapBand and RNY surgeries out there. I think too many people hear something and just believe it without researching it for themselves and then pass info along as truth, so be careful!

Here's some other sites for you to look at:
http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobe...LapBand/posts/
or LapbandTalk.com forums

I wish the best in your quest for lapband surgery. I am really happy I did it.

Chickadee

Hey All. . . There is no doubt that bypassers lose much more quickly than lapbanders, however, lapbanders (at least the ones I know personally) do very well. My doc, Dr. Kurian, says after the initial 4-6 weeks of pureed food, you can expect to lose 2 lbs per week. I am told and I have seen that that is a very conservative prediction. With exercise, lapbanders lose bigtime weight also.
Dr. Kurian also says that lapbanders can expect to lose 75% of their goal weight, but what you have to realize is that "goal weight" is not a real weight --it is that "chart weight". That is not really our ideal target weight. I am told I have 125-150 pounds to lose. I weigh 365 pounds; I am also told it will take 1 1/2 to 2 years but I will lose that weight. Realize that will bring me "only" to 215 lbs. or so, not the 178 lbs the "chart" says I should be -- that is why the percentages sound off. ****, I haven't been 215-225 since high school, 30 years ago!!!

for many people, the lapband is an excellent choice. there's no doubt about it. one of the problems with the US experience, though, was early reports of more complications than seen in europe. and there were indications that US patients didn't do as well as European patients.

i asked my surgeon about this [he does both surgeries, and was active in one of the 8 centers that participated in the US clinical trials of the lapband that led to FDA approval, along with Kurian].

his response: there's no reason that US patients can't get as good results as the Europeans. he chalked it up to the differences in healthcare systems. in europe, the wait is soooo long for someone to see their surgeon for followups, that patients tended to complain less, and adjusted. in contrast, according to him, the US patients got to see their surgeon within a day or so of the discomfort, and that was recorded as a 'problem.'

and there were also early reports of higher failure rates out of one of the centers: UVA in charlottesville. and of course i asked him about it. his response was that there seemed to be something peculiar going on in virginia. they were having issues there that none of the other 7 centers were seeing. his view was that they were doing the surgery on poorly selected patients and perhaps doing it on patients who were too heavy to get the most benefit from the lap band. he also said that VA was the heaviest state in the country. i've since seen that it's mississippi, but i can't support either statement with real evidence here...

all i know FOR SURE is this: do your research. the best choice of surgery for YOU is the one that gives YOU the best chance of the result that YOU want, along with a lifestyle that YOU can live with.

Yar! I've been trying to post to this for days, but my computer does not like 3fatchicks. :lol:

Phil, Jiff is right, I had surgery by Dr. Kurian, in Feb of 2003. I was 350lbs at the time of surgery and am now down to 220. Dr. K is a wonderful surgeon, IMO one of the best. I have had zero complications, her staff is great, and Dr. K herself is very compassionate and caring, though she definitely can be tough if she thinks you need it.

Jiff, I too thought I was too heavy for the Lap-Band in the beginning, but then I joined a Yahoo! group called ExtraordinaryBandsters...most of those people have lost 200-300lbs with the band! I was amazed. And as far as Bandsters keeping the weight off, it's usually just as simple as getting another adjustment, even 10 years down the road. Of course, we all made our decisions with extensive research and thought, but now that US surgeons are more familiar with the band, the results and long term effects are just as good as the RNY. It's really exciting to have so many options available to us!

I have a question...once the band is in are you forever limited to eating 4 ounces at each meal?. . . I know this may sound self-defeating, but is there ever a time when one can go out to eat in a restaurant, have a couple of drinks and a somewhat "normal" (and I stress the word normal, as opposed to the way I can and have eaten) meal with friends. OR, is it this going to be "the handicapped fat guy who ruins our meals b/c he sits there and does not eat or drink"...I know eating habits are forever going to be different and maybe I associate food way too much with events in my life, but what do you do at Christmas or other holidays? I know you can not pig out, but we do tend to eat a "little more" during those celebratory times. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Phil.

Phil,

Perfectly normal question. No one wants to put a damper on someone's night out, or holiday, etc.

Now, let me tell you about this fickle thing we call a Lap-Band. Some days I can eat "normal" sized portions, some days I can barely get down liquids. Some days everything slides right down, some days even mashed potatoes get stuck. You never know what will happen and what you'll be able to eat. This is my experience, anyway. It can even vary from meal to meal in the same day.

What I do if I know I'm going out, is drink a cup of hot tea or have a brothy type soup as a first course. Doesn't add much in the way of calories, but it seems to relax my stomach a bit, so that things don't get stuck as easily. I still get full quickly, but at least I'm not rushing from the table to throw up. The other thing that happens when you're banded...is that food doesn't matter as much. You won't believe this now, I didn't when post-ops told me that, but you'll believe soon. Instead of thinking about food, you'll be more *there*, able to enjoy the company. Food even tastes better to me now, because I actually take the time to savor it instead of shovel it.

Also, you will have to take very small bites and chew very well. Usually by the time your companions are finishing their dinners, you're finishing yours, you just ate a lot less than everyone else did. I love going out to dinner, and I love it when people order appetizers and such, because then I get to take a little taste of everything. It truly doesn't bother me to eat a quarter of the amount that everyone else did.

Hopefully I made some sense. Keep asking questions!

Alexis: You are so helpful. Thank you....NOT CARE ABOUT FOOD as much??!!?! Wow! That is a day I want to see and hopefully after July 27, I will. When I read your posts and those of other success stories, I only get more encouraged to do this, even though there are the "bony-assed" naysayers in my world. They could never begin to understand what I live with....Again, thank you! Phil.

Scarletini:

I have some questions about the band procedure. First some history: Two years ago, I weighed 318. I was able to take off 120 pounds through diet and exercise, but had difficulty staying there. I have never been 'thin'. I stayed at about 197-200 for four/five months and then the weight began to jump back on me - literally. I felt like I was always hungry, and even on days when I wasn't hungry, I seemed to gain weight anyway.

So since October (I started a horrible job in September - so I was stressed out, too), I have put back on forty pounds. In April, I took a new job, I began walking more and re-joined the gym. My weight is stabilized at 238 for a month now. Which is a good thing.

My question (wow, I finally got to it!-LOL): since I have the propensity for gaining weight very easily and my body just seems to add it on, and I am not anywhere near 'normal' weight for my height, 5'8", would they (PPOs, physician) consider me a candidate for this type of procedure? I would love to not WANT to eat, but to HAVE to eat. It's like my body sometimes just wants to eat everything in sight. I don't binge, I just like good food and sometimes, I like lots of good food. I do stop when I am full, but it seems (when I look at those around me) that it takes much much longer and larger amounts for me to 'feel' satiated.

AT this weight, I am a size 16/18. At 190, I am size 14. I know you're not a surgeon but it seems (from reading your posts) that you have a fabulous fount (sp?) of knowledge about this (and having gone through it certainly helps!!)!

Thanks!
Stababe :sunny:

Hi Stababe :)

First off, congratulations on the weight you've lost already! The hardest thing really is keeping it off.

At 5'8" and 238lbs, your BMI is 36. Most insurance companies (if they approve WLS at all) will approve for a BMI of 40+ or a BMI of 35+ with comorbidities. Do you have diabetes? Sleep apnea? Joint problems? Any other serious health problems due to being overweight? If no, are you able to self-pay for the band? There are a lot of US doctors who offer a self-pay package, or you can go to some of the most experienced band surgeons in Mexico. In Mexico, the surgeries generally run around 10,000 and in the US around 14,000. Since you already have the eating habits and exercise parts down pretty well, the band would most likely be an excellent tool for you to use to get the rest of the weight off and keep it off. That's my opinion from my experience anyway...not a surgeon! :)

That full feeling is what most of us struggle with, I think. I know that pre-op, all I did was think about food, where my next meal was coming from and what it would be. I would plan binges with relish. I needed to feel *stuffed* every minute of the day. Now, for the most part, I'm okay with just being "not hungry". It really is a strange feeling, and I truly never believed I would feel like this before I had surgery.

Good luck to you, keep us posted on your progress!

Phil, July 27 is just around the corner! Are you excited? Have no fear, you're in amazing hands with Dr. K.

Thanks so much Alexis! No comorbidities to speak of, so I guess that won't work. What if I shrunk height-wise---that'd raise the ole BMI! Oh well. I don't have the cash to plunk down on the procedure having just recently gotten divorced (and finally paid off the attorney)--so that isn't an option. I'll keep plugging away the old fashioned way. It was the lack of desire to eat that caught my eye! Now if it could be packaged in some form......!

Great info, again, thanks!

Stababe

Alexis: I am excited as **** and can not wait. I have sucha good feeling about Dr. K; as you know she has a top notch rep, but moreover, a wonderful, caring bedside manner. I feel so comfortable and safe with her. I wish the surgery was tomorrow. I have never looked forward to a medical procedure like I am looking forward to this one -- and I realize this is no walk in the park! In fact, I am even fantsizing about losing "serious poundage". Tonight I was at a barbeque and of course, ate too much, but then, thinking, I looked around and saw normal sized people in their nice shorts and linen shirts, nice shoes, etc. looking so cool. I said, to myself, "Next year, I AM going to look like that". And, I grabbed a diet pepsi and stopped eating. I am picturing myself smaller, which psychologists say is a healthy and good tool to help with the emotional part of this weight loss deal. Again, thank you so much for listening and asking. . . We do not even kow each other personally yet I feel WE are all in this TOGETHER! Phil.
P.S. Stababe - stay with it, BE the thin body, you have and are doing it.

Hey Phil:

Thanks! And good luck - we are all pulling for ya!

Stacey

Quick check in - I had my second fill today. The first time they gave me 1 cc and were able to draw .4 cc out today, which the woman who does the fills told me is perfectly normal. Then they added another 1 cc, which puts me at a fill of 1.4 cc's. These numbers may mean absolutely nothing to lots of you, but in case people were wondering about fill amounts, there they are.

I have lost 34 pounds since April 6, my day of surgery. That's slower than some, faster than others and I feel pretty good about it. I wish I'd bought a body fat scale (do they really work?) because I'd like to know how much muscle I've gained and how much fat I've lost since I've incorporated a lot of lifting into my workouts.

Hopefully this fill gives me wonderful restriction and I keep shrinking away.

Later gators,
Chickadee

chickadeedeedear... you're doing GREAT!!! i'm so proud of you!!! :goodvibes: :grouphug:

Chickadee: You're doing great!! Keep at it! I am in the process of doing the "nutritionist- psychologist-g/i test thing" to get ready for my surgery on July 27. I want the date to be here already!! Keep us posted on your progress!! Pirateboy.

I'm at an interesting point weightloss-wise. I'm shrinking, but I'm still fat and I have absolutely nothing to wear!

I went shopping for a dress to wear to a wedding and ended up with nothing because I hated how everything looked. There may be a little less of me, but my image in the dressing room mirror is still not the prettiest sight in the world. I'm in a clothing dilemma because nothing I own fits. That's the good news - I am so happy to be at this point. The bad news is, I still have to be clothed when I go out into the world and I'm not willing to spend much on clothes that won't fit for very long. I just need to get through the summer. I think I'll try some of the used clothing shops and see if I can luck out. If not, there are always Hefty bags!

I had two wonderful NSV's today. Great timing too, after the fitting room mirror episode! The physical therapist who works out of my gym told me how much smaller I look. She's been gone for a couple of weeks, so she said the difference was really apparent to her. And then, a co-worker didn't believe me when I told her my age. She'd always thought I was 35 or so and not the almost-46-year-old babe-in-training that I am. I'll take those any day of the week!

Later gators,
Chickadee

Chickadee, don't laugh, but look on ebay for your used clothes. You can get some really good ones cheap. You can even buy them it 25 or 30 piece lots if you want to. I am trying to get up the energy to put some of my clothe up for sell, but so far it't been too much work.

Hi everyone.....
 

First off..... a BIG thank you to Barbg, for inviting me to visit with you guys.

I'm no newbie to 3FC, but a newbie to this section.... so I'll introduce myself and bore you for a bit.

My name is Tina and I live in Tennessee. I'm 34 years old and have been overweight about 30 of them. :lol: I've been married almost 17 years to a wonderful man named Ron and I have two boys, Brian... who just turned 16 and Trey, who is 11. I enjoy reading, writing and watching Nascar.

Now..... I'm done with the introduction. :lol:

I've been in horrible shape here lately. My ankles have been swolen for a month and I just can't seem to get them to go down. My Dr. gave me some lasix (water pills) and they help.... but they're still swolen like you wouldn't believe. Some days, it looks like I have elephantitis. :( I am HUGELY out of shape too. I can barely walk around leisurely in Walmart without breaking into a pouring sweat. My bp has been really high too.

My Dr. ran lots of bloodwork, but the only thing he could find was that my cholesterol is too high. It was 252. I suppose I should be thankful that is all he found, but my bp is still pretty high.

So, I guess the main reason I'm here and why Barbg told me to stop by is because I have decided to have lap band surgery. I get so agrivated sometimes when people say it is the easy way out. It is NOT the easy way out.....in truth, it is the hardest decision I have ever had to make.

Am I scared? Of course I am. But I'm more scared to live my life the way I've been living it.... if you can call it that. When I weighed on the doctor's scale last week, it was the first time I ever weighed more than it would register. It only goes up to 355 lbs. so that should tell you something. I weigh more now than I've ever weighed in my life.

And the fact is..... I just don't have faith in myself anymore. I just don't believe that I can do this without some type of help. I actually found a WW booklet the other day from 1992 and my starting weight was 320 lbs. and here it is..... 12 years later and I weigh 35-40 lbs. more now than I did then.

I have tried every weight loss diet known to man. Weight Watchers, FormU3, Richard Simmon's Deal A Meal, various pills..... Fen Fen, Metabolife, chitosol, various other forms of "dieting"....slimfast, dexatrim, calorie counting, Atkins and South Beach. You name it, I've done it. The fact is, I'm 34 years old and my life is passing me by. I watch out the window with misery as dh & the boys leave to go camping, baseball games, movies and everything else my weight won't let me do.

I have thought about WLS off and on.... several times, but I've always let any thought I had about it fall along the wayside because every time I thought about checking into it, I'd read a horror story and it would stop me in my tracks. But you know what? I'm not naive and I know for every bad experience, there are a hundred good ones. You don't hear about all the thousands of people that have had the surgery and are leading happy lives for the first time in their life, you hear about the one that went awry. It's kinda like rottweilers. You don't hear about all the ones that are used as police dogs to help keep the public safe. You don't hear about the ones that visit the sick and elderly or lead the blind. You hear about the one that wasn't trained properly and it hurt someone.

This is the doctor I've chosen to do the surgery. He is absolutely amazing and was one of only 20 doctors chosen to be on the FDA trials for choosing of what type of band to use.

Dr. Ponce

He is the head physician at the Gastric Banding Institute:

Gastric Band Institute

I have researched this long and hard and I actually feel quite fortunate that this doctor is in the next town, only about 20 minutes away. Some people have traveled from all over the United States to have their surgery performed by this doctor.

I am so much more comfortable with lap band surgery vs. gastric because it is far less invasive, not to mention it is completely reversible and there is no cutting of the abdominal wall and ALL my organs stay intact. Worst case scenario..... the band "slips" or erodes and it can be taken out.

I still have TONS to do before this will even come to pass though. My doctor was actually the one who brought it up to me at my last visit with him.

As I'm sitting there on the examining table, telling him about my ankles, back pain, profuse sweating, chest & left arm pain and he's listening and asking me questions back, he asks the one thing that almost made me fall off the examining table..... He said, "Tina, I've seen you three times in the last four years and the lowest weight we've seen you at was 302 lbs. Have you ever thought about WLS?" Now... I KNOW there are no guarantees. I KNOW that he can't promise me anything. But I also know that in the past when I have inquired about certain weight loss pills, he has discouraged me. I know that he can't promise me that everything will be alright, but the fact that he would even suggest it, really got me to thinking.

SO..... I started doing some research. As a matter of a fact, I've become addicted to every website there is on lap band surgery. I've went to a lap band message board that is just for people who've had surgery or are thinking about it and have asked every question and read every topic that I can.

This is not something that I decided overnight. There have been many deciding factors. The largest of which is the actual doctor that would be performing my surgery and the fact that one of my oldest friends just had it done by the same doctor and by a twist of fate did I even hear about it. I've known this lady since I was probably 8 years old but since we switched churches years and years ago, I haven't seen her in a very long time. After I started looking into it, I heard quite by accident that she had it and she has been quite the voice of support and has answered question after question for me.

As I was saying though..... I still have a VERY long way to go. I'm going to visit my PCP next Thursday and inform him of my decision.... so he can write the letter of medical necessity. The bariatric surgeon I've chosen requires you to attend one of his seminars before you schedule an appt for the initial consultation, so I have to wait till July 22nd before I can even do that. Then after the initial consultation, if all goes well..... we have to submit everything to the insurance company and that's when the real struggle begins. :( More than likely, no matter how many health problems I have.... no matter how many years I've tried to lose weight and failed, I will probably get denied and then we'll have to appeal. Probably half or even more have to appeal. :mad: Then..... if all goes well with the insurance company, we go through all the pre-surgery stuff, up until the big day. All in all, I'm quite sure I won't have the surgery till sometime in 2005. It is quite frustrating for me, but I must learn patience... something I don't have a lot of. :lol:

I guess the bottom line is.... I'm tired of living my life this way and I just don't have faith in myself anymore. I just don't think I can try again.... because somewhere in the back of my mind, I know I'll fail again. I know that no matter how well I do, how strong I am.... how MUCH I believe I'm going to do it this time.... there just never is a "this time". "This time"... turns into "next time" and "next time" turns into "tomorrow" and "tomorrow" turns into "Monday" and "Monday" turns into.............. NEVER.

So, before I waste anymore precious time, before I lose another second with my dh and boys, I'm going to fight, with everything I have, because the moment I enter the operation room, I change my life forever. I am not ashamed of any of the choices I have made just as I am not ashamed that I have a problem with food.

I hope you keep me in your thoughts and prayers and I sure would like to come back and visit with you.... I'm sure I have a ton of questions and have already learned a ton just by going back and reading the first thread.

tina.. it's so good to see you here... with that divine NASCAR guy... you're asking all the right questions. you've done ALL your homework... and now it's time for the process.

the REAL lapbanders will be around soon to give you the REAL DEAL [especially the diving miss chickadeedeedear.. ] in the meantime, remember that the emotional eating has to stop in order for any form of WLS to work.. so use this time NOW to take care of this... give yourself a running head start...

i'm so glad to see you here... lapbands DO work. it's not the right choice for everyone, but then again, since when did one size fit all anyway???

and chickadeedeedear... salvation army can help. second hand stores, too. i got a GREAT pair of LL BEAN JEANS for 10 bucks. the best purchase i ever made. they didn't even have elastic in them!!!!

tina.. it's so good to see you here... with that divine NASCAR guy... you're asking all the right questions. you've done ALL your homework... and now it's time for the process.

the REAL lapbanders will be around soon to give you the REAL DEAL [especially the diving miss chickadeedeedear.. ] in the meantime, remember that the emotional eating has to stop in order for any form of WLS to work.. so use this time NOW to take care of this... give yourself a running head start...

i'm so glad to see you here... lapbands DO work. it's not the right choice for everyone, but then again, since when did one size fit all anyway???

and chickadeedeedear... salvation army can help. second hand stores, too. i got a GREAT pair of LL BEAN JEANS for 10 bucks. the best purchase i ever made. they didn't even have elastic in them!!!!

Good morning glories!

Barb - Ebay's a great idea! I sell on ebay for a living, but it never occured to me to look for clothes there. You're so smart!

Phil - Are you still on track for July 27? I hope all your tests are going well and are over soon. I don't know if you have to have the ABG (arterial blood gas) test, but that was the worst one for me. I figured though that if that was the worst thing I had to endure it would be worth it, and I was right!

Jiffypoo - Your LL Bean jeans are exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for. Send them over! I guess I'll be hitting the second hand stores this week. My wardrobe is getting sparse.
Remember a while back when you posted your photo and I was green with envy over your lovely collar bones? I'm starting to get my own. :D How cool is that? Other women dream of having great butts or boobs - I want collar bones!

Tina, Tina, QueenaBeana - Oh no, you're in trouble because I don't even know you yet and I'm giving you nicknames!
You have no idea how much I could identify with the things you wrote in your post. My main reason for having this surgery was because I was tired of watching life pass me by. I wanted to participate, dammit! And, only 3 months out I am!

First off, there is no way that any type of surgery is the easy way out. That statement always yanks my chain. As I'm sure you've read over and over, it's a tool - a tool we have to work with to make work. There's nothing easy about making the decision, fighting with insurance companies, second guessing yourself and recovering from surgery. If someone has a c-section, did they take the easy way out? No, they did what was medically necessary and so did we with our weight loss surgery.

I don't know who your insurance company is, but I was pleased that I was approved on the first go round. I think it helped that I came prepared with a chart I made detailing my weightloss history. I included the diet, amount of time on the diet, pounds lost and pounds regained. I know my surgeon's office sent that in with all their paperwork. Also, before I got to that point, I had to change insurance companies to get this surgery. Fortunately, my husband's work offers a few insurance choices and I was able to change. If you research on ObesityHelp, you can find what companies are the most band friendly, if that's an option for you. Hopefully you'll be approved right away.

I think Jif is right that it would be helpful to start getting a handle on the emotional eating as soon as possible. (Yeah, yeah I know. Easier said than done!) Unfortunately, it's still an issue after surgery and one I'm working on controlling. There have been a couple of times I am frustrated/bored/angry/whatever that I've wanted to turn to food and find that I physically can't. That's both good and bad because you have to deal with the emotion somehow and the tried and true is gone. I have found that exercise helps. Hopefully when the weight starts to come off, that will be an option for you too.

Please come back and post and ask questions or just talk. I am so happy I had my band put on and like to help other people if I can. This little piece of plastic is changing my life!

Chickadee

Thank you SO much jiffypop and Chickadee for all your help! I have Cigna insurance and I am so nervous about the whole thing. I went to Obesityhelp (thank you SO much for that webside Chicky) and looked up a lot of responses to see how they are.... but what I am hearing for the most part is that you are denied the first time and they ask for documented or a physician supervised weight loss program for 4-6 months.

I don't have these things. :( I am basically a scaredy cat when it comes to doctors. I have seen my doctor 3 times in the last 4 years and that's only because I HAD to. Granted.... my weight was never under 300 lbs. and he pointed that out, but I just don't know if that's enough. The first time I saw him was in 2000 and that was because during a physical for a job, blood tests came back showing I had low liver functions and they said I had to show them I had went to the doctor and that everything was ok within the first 20 days of hire. I had a bloodtest taken and it was mentioned at that time that my cholesterol was high and he gave me a paper to follow for a low cholesterol diet which I promptly went home and threw away. The next time I saw him was in 2002, when I had a kidney infection and my weight was not discussed. The last time I saw him was two weeks ago when he mentioned weight loss surgery to me after I complained of hypertension, edema, lower back pain.... etc. I don't have any medical history of a "doctor supervised diet". I didn't keep all my WW journals. I didn't write down all the times I've counted calories.

The only thing I have as far as "physical" proof, I did find a WW stamped booklet (you know... where you WI and then they stamp the date on it) from 1995 and it shows where I went to WW for almost 6 months, but that was nine years ago.

I'm so frustrated and nervous now. I know they are going to want me to have or show some type of proof of a "supervised" diet that I just don't have. :(

P.S. I'm going to my PCP on Thursday to inform him of my decision and to have the letter of medical necessity written. Wish me luck. :crossed:

tina.. don't give up hope!!! that WW book counts. and as long as your doc is on your side with this, START NOW with a doc-supervised weight loss program... it'll take a few months for the approval anyway...

just get started... taking care of yourself. and getting what you need MUST be the highest priority right now. if the insurance company says that you have to have 4-6 months of MD-supervised weight loss, talk with him about how to deal with this... after all, you already have a 2-week head start!!!!

and tina... your face is very sad in this picture. we love you. don't give up!!!

Hey Chick & All: I am still on track for 7/27 for banding. I have already seen the psychologist, am scheduled for nutritionist for 7/8 and the upper G.I. for 7/15. I can NOT Wait!! I will keep you posted.

YOU'RE the best Jiffy and I *promise* I won't give up. ;)

Thanks again for all your help and advise. It really helps to talk to you guys about it and I'll tell you this.... Cigna is in for the fight of their life!! :devil:

Hey Tina QueenaBeana,
I just found a link that I thought might interest you. Apparently Cigna is not the most WLS friendly company, but people are fighting them successfully. Anyway, I thought you might want to check this out.

http://health.*************.com/group...squeakywheels/

I found this on the Obesity Help LapBand message board. Here's the addy in case you haven't found it.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobe...and/posts.html


The Chickster

Thank you so much for the links Chicky.

I checked them both out and joined the yahoo group. I've been thinking about this too and want an idea as to what you guys think.

6 - 8 women that my dh works with have gotten gastric band surgery. THEY chose United Health as their insurer vs. Cigna. I chose Cigna because looking at the two plans side by side, Cigna truly is the best.

However, I have heard wonderful things about United Health and as I said, every single woman that he is aware of that had surgery, has that insurer. Open enrollment is in November. If Cigna gives me too much grief, what do you think about me switching over to United Health? The only thing I'm worried about with them is that here I will be switching over to them the first of November, (possibly) and then within a week or two, they will be getting letters from the surgeon and my PCP that I need to have surgery.

Do you think they would pitch a fit with me only being covered a short amount of time?

I know I'm probably driving you guys crazy, but I'm so worried about how Cigna is going to react. I just want to get all my ducks in a row because if they give me too hard of a time and I don't switch, then I'd have to wait till NEXT November to switch over and I'd HATE to have to do that. Know what I mean?

:(

check with your state insurance department. in joisy, as long as you have continuous coverage, they can't do the pre-existing condition exclusions. but if you're without coverage, they can deny you on the basis that your weight is a pre-existing condition.

otherwise, they should indeed cover the surgery. but please, check with the state to get the low-down on what's legal and what's not.

Heya Tina,
Guess what? I switched from Kaiser to United Health Care for just that reason - because they covered LapBand surgery. I had to wait for the open enrollment (in our case, December) and the insurance to take effect January first. I called the WLS surgeon in December, had an appointment set for mid-January and surgery in April. United didn't say a thing about not being with them very long. I was concerned about that too, but they approved me on the first try. My only complaint is that it took eight weeks to know if I was approved or not and that was complete ****. The ladies on this board showed endless patience with my whining! I called United with the Group Plan number to make sure my surgery would be covered and that there were no exclusions before we switched. I know different employer's plans have different benefits. I suggest you call the 800 number (your DH should be able to get from human resources) and check on bennies, just for your peace of mind.

Oh my, I'm just full of advice aren't I?

The Chick