allygator

Most psychological test have built in questions to detect malingering (faking good OR bad) so the best thing to do is just to answer the questions as honestly as possible. Honestly if I am noe psychologically ready i don;t think I want to get the band..I don't want to invest all that money and go through surgery to fail, or be miserable.

hmmm sounds familiar!! I think that if we could do this on our own we would have a long time ago and there would be no need for bariatric surgery. Yes we have to do most of the work but there is a reason the band exists...it helps, it is a tool just like any other that can make that work a little more productive. I seem to be on an "last meal" mentality too and I haven't even had my first consult. Makes me wonder if I am mentally ready for it but truth be told it seems to be a very common phenomenon from what I have read on here and on other blogs. Food is such a big part of my life I think there is going to be a mourning period for me. BTW have you looked into Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome?? Sounds like your doc gave you a watered down explanation for the infertility that affects so many obese women., and there is more to it than just the "lady parts" it affects insulin levels too which makes it easier to gain and harder to lose.

I have to admit this is probably my biggest fear!!! I have Dr records of being put on Phentermine by my PCP, and records where my endocrinologist had me on metformin and diet for insulin resistance, so I am hoping that is gonna be good enough!!!! I am so impatient I would do this tomorrow, but all these repsonses from folks who have had to do it are really encouraging. Since I know the band isn't some magic pill I should be prepared to make some lifestyle changes BEFORE if I have to. I just don't wanna wait!!

If you are under 25 you can get back on your parent's policy with the new health care laws that were passed. I would look into it if that is the case.

OK so mega embarrassing but a few months ago...my bed frame broke. It is a beautiful dark stained sleigh bed that my Father made for us and it is currently propped up with about 5 danielle steele novels. That combined with another failed attempt at losing weight this fall convinced me it was time to get this surgery. And yesterday I was trying to get on a par of boots to take my little girl outside to play in the snow and it was so hard to lace them up!!! SO yeah, it is LONG overdue, but not I'm ready.

OMG huge (pun intended) Harry potter fan..planning on making the pilgrimage this summer. If that doesn't motivate me nothing will!!!!

Awesome news! Good Luck with the pre-op!

Peace Queen I am right there with you!!! I need to keep my BMI up over 40, just barely there right now so that is part of it but I have been eating lots of the "bad stuff" that will be off limits at least for awhile with the liquid diets and all. On a positive note I haven't had any sodas AT ALL since 01.02 so I am pretty proud of that small accomplishment (which is HUGE for me, I was a 2 liter a day of diet Mt. Dew girl). Have my consult in the 24th so hopefully after I have a weigh in at the surgeons I can get started without worrying about the ins approval for a lower BMI.

I did quite a bit of research on the LAP band already, but after seeing this thread did some research in peer reviewed medical journals (I am a grad student so I am very used to doing research and sorting out what is valid and what is a sales pitch). What I found was that older research showed a higher risk, like 30% of complications but when I looked at newer research, post 2001 or so, the risk was down to 10% of having erosion and having to have second surgeries. Even things like "pouch stretching" and slippage were due to user error and could be dealt with in most cases without surgery, and at 5 years out the average weight loss was 30% of excess weight, which matches what my surgeon and any other information I have looked at says. There are risks with any surgery and certainly lap band can have complications but these seem to have become much less prevalent over the last 5 years with new techniques and more experienced surgeons. I am going for it!!! I need the tools the band can give me and I know 100% that I have to do the work, but I have tried and failed so many times. My hunger controls me now, and I want it to be the other way around. I feel the band can help me learn to do that.

So the surgeon finally called me back with my consult appointment. I go on 01/24 at 9 AM and I am really excited!! What should I expect on this first visit?? Any questions you wished you had asked the first time?

Oh yeah. Fridge, framed copy on my desk, perhaps tattooed on my ample stomach.....

I am still in the early stages of pre-surgery process..haven't had my first appt yet! But I ma trying to get off soda already. For me it is Dt. Mt. Dew (I know..redneck) But it is just SO bad for you, banded or not. I am officially at 36 hours no pop. Not giving up my coffee though....Once cup a day then water or a little juice for the rest of the day. Last time losing weight on my own I drank very little maybe 1 20 oz per day, so I know it makes a difference.

I have just recently started this whole process and am waiting formy first appointment and ins approval. I am anxious to get started on my new me in the new year, but my BMI is only barely over 40. Ethically I am having a hard time with not starting, as well as being anxious to see some results, but I know if I lose just a few pouds I will probably not be approved by my insurance!!!! I feel like a hipocrite but after so many years of trying I know I need the help of the Lap-Band. Could this mean that I am mentally ready for this lab band journey lol???? Anyone else in the same predicament?

OK this is not good for weight loss for obvious reasons and I am not sure if it is OK with the post op diet but I had a nurse tell me to take a teaspoon of sugar and put it under my tounge and let it dissolve. I get horrible hiccups alot (not banded yet) and this has never failed me yet!!

Thanks Dave, makes total sense!!

OK so sorry if this is an asinine question but other than the obvious effect of having a smaller stomach and getting full much faster, can you actually feel the thing? either inside or from the outside?? I have heard people say it is tighter at certain times of the day and at different elevations and stuff....is this referring simply to the feeling of fullness??

I'm a counseling student...not an expert by ANY means...but those types of questions are looking for stuff like personality disorders, schizophrenia, everything down to simple depression and anxiety. SO they try to cover the gamut of all psychiatric disorders to make sure you are stable enough to deal with the surgery and major changes it brings.

Victoria I contacted the surgeon directly too. I have learned over the years that I have to be my own advocate and if you don't ask they usually wont tell..at least with my PCP!! I was starting to think I had done the whole thing backwardds but the surgical group had me fill out a ton of paperwork and said they will contact my insurance. I was thinking maybe I should go ahead and make an appt with my PCP just to have that conversation in case I need a referral but I think I'll wait until I hear from the surgeon. If ins covers it it will pay 90% after the 500 deductible, which I have in a health care spending account, so I am thinking Ill end up paying another 500 or so out of pocket...which I DONT have but I am willing to find a way to make it happen. I am lucky I have such good coverage for now. I will be changing jobs in a year and who knows what kind of coverage I will have then, possible none since I will be interning for awhile, so I decided to take the plunge after "thinking about it" for about a year now.

Good luck Victoria!!! PCOS is a nightmare for me anyway..I can take just about everything but the hair, that's when I freak out!!!! Just haven't been able to get weight off no matter what, and even though I never thoght I would actually have surgery to lose weight, but as I near 300 and have more and more symptoms and aches and pains like someone twice my age I know I have to do this!!

PCOS=Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It is a lovely disorder that is named after a symptom instead of what is actually is, which is basically a hormone imbalance. Essentially, when PCOS-ers eat our bodies make MUCH more insulin than a normal persons would, causing 1. more hunger 2. more fat storage. All this insulin and fat causes an excess of testosterone which opposed to popular theory does NOT drive up the libido but causes things like facial hair, acne, more weight around the middle, skin tags (basically moles) and..hence the name...a failure to ovulate fully which can cause small cysts on the ovaries. I don't have TOM for months at a time then will spot for like 3 weeks unless on some kind of birth control. I currently have an IUD which has triggered a weight gain of about 50 lbs in the last 2 years, not that I was thin before!!!. It is treated with birth control pills for period regulaiton and some diabetes medications, usually metformin, but the only "cure" is weightloss, which because of the insulin stuff is VERY hard...I can restrict eating and workout like a crazy person and lose half of what others around me are. sorry may be TMI but I love to educate women about it because there are so many out there with it, this is an incredibly common syndrome, who don't know anything about it until they start trying to conceive. I was lucky enough to have a surprise baby back in 2004, but many struggle with infertility their entire lives.

Hello All! My name is Allison and I live in N.E. Tennessee. I have been thinking about and considering weight loss surgery for a few years, and finally took the plunge and contacted a surgeon to talk about Lap Band. I sent in my patient info yesterday, and they are verifying my insurance (Empire BCBS) to check for coverage. Fingers Crossed!! I am getting largely positive responses from my friends and family about the decision to explore WLS, and feel greatly encouraged by the things I am reading here. I have PCOS and have all the lovely symptoms that go with it along with being morbidly obese. I am going through some major life changes, new career, entering middle age, and am READY to make this change as well.