Alexandra

Jodie, I think you should find another primary care doctor as soon as possible. If your BMI is over 40 you should easily be able to find a PCP and a surgeon who will recommend you for surgery. Your age might be a concern, but if there's a real medical case to be made your age shouldn't matter. To be honest, your knee problems might indeed not have much to do with your weight--at your age, a BMI of 41 is probably not enough to do damage to your knees and losing weight might really not make much of a difference. I've had a BMI of 35-45 for most of my life and have never had any knee problems. I'm not saying banding is not for you, but trying to play devil's advocate so you can argue other points. If I were you I'd concentrate more on the fact of morbid obesity and how all by itself it constitutes medical necessity. This is a standard measure in the medical community and your carrier can't simply decide it doesn't agree. (Assuming it doesn't exclude bariatric surgery, that is.)

With a BMI of more than 40 there is no reason to invent comorbidities if you don't have them. The BMI number alone is enough to establish medical necessity for bariatric surgery. The question is whether your carrier excludes bariatric surgery EVEN WHEN medically necessary. If you can find out that it doesn't, you'll be in great shape for approval.

You are lovely, Bandmesoon! Glad you found LBT and brought family with you.

I would so love for someone in my family to be banded too, you're so lucky! Not gonna happen, though. But we're glad you found us and look forward to getting to know you. You're very pretty!

Wow, Jayne, you're making everyone else look bad! But we're happy for you indeed. What sort of exercise are you doing that burns up so many calories? Marathons? Congratulations on your amazing progress and we're glad you found us!

Hi Krystal, welcome to LBT! June 1 is right around the corner and you will indeed be sporting a smaller body for your wedding. Don't buy the dress now, you'll be sorry!

Confession is good for the soul, I've heard. Feel better?

Jodie, what's your BMI? Do you have letters from your primary care physician and a bariatric surgeon? If you have a BMI of 35+ they can't claim that you want bariatric surgery for "cosmetic" reasons. There is a medical standard that says for people with a BMI of 35+ with comorbidities, or who have a BMI of 40+, bariatric surgery is considered medically necessary, period. Do you meet those medical criteria?

So yesterday I'm on the treadmill, cruising along at a brisk 3.8, 3.9 mph, when the music picked up. I made the speed a little higher, about 4.2, and suddenly found myself in a sort of jog! I kep that up for oh, wow, a whole 90 seconds and then I had to go. But I'm eager to try it again! I've never been able to run and have always been scared of what it might do to my knees. But that 90-second experience showed me I could do it, that the treadmill won't break, and that my knees won't give way immediately. It would have been no big achievement for anyone else, but holy cow! I couldn't believe I went more than a few steps at a jogging pace and didn't immediately get winded. You have to start somewhere, my wise friends said. If there are any formerly MO people here who now run for fun, please share the stories of how you started. And when! Is it absurd to think that at this weight I might actually be able to run a little?

Hi Joe! I just met a bandster who is an EMT recently. He was taking about three weeks off but after that expected to go back to work full-force. My doc's instructions about exercise and strenuous work are basically that by the time you'll feel like doing it you'll be healed enough and it won't be a problem. Laying on your side/stomach is just a matter of time and healing. I sleep on my left (port) side all the time and while I can feel it there is no discomfort at all. The only time it might be a problem is if you're laying down on a hard surface, but then you could just shift around a little till it's comfortable. By the time you've lost lots of weight you'll be more concerned about your bones sticking out than your port! The port is not at all obvious under my skin, but I have a ways to go yet. If it ever becomes a problem I know there is a smaller port that can be installed, a "low-profile" port. But that would involve another scar so I'm probably not ever going to go there. Of course it's possible to "eat around" the band. Calories are calories, and if you take in too many you won't lose or may even gain. The band makes it MUCH easier, though, to eat healthfully and in appropriate portions. That's really all there is to it. And IMO, the band is perfect for anyone who wants to lose weight and who isn't in immediate need of results. If the patient is willing to see the pounds come off at a measured pace of 5-10 lbs a month, banding is the answer. Measure that pace of weight loss against the risk of complications with other surgeries, and you'll see why we picked the one we did. Good luck, to both you and your mom!

I haven't stopped nibbling my nails completely, but I definitely noticed that my nails are stronger and harder than at any time since pregnancy. I think it's the high-protein diet. And you might just be less inclined to bite nails that are so strong and resistant!

Hi Jodie, LOTS of people get denied, of course. Many win on appeal, but it all depends on your specific circumstances. In my case, my carrier denied me to the end based on their decision that the band was "experimental." But I was able to go to a third-party review board which overturned the denials and my carrier had to pay for surgery and everything else. So it can be done! What is your carrier's reason for denial? If you don't have an exclusion for WLS just about everything else can be fought. If you want to give more specifics someone here might be able to share pertinent information.

Cathy, I was denied by my carrier for the same reason back in 2002. Now the band has been FDA approved for almost 4 years, it's absurd that they can claim "experimental." Call your state's department of insurance or health (whichever has jurisdiction over health insurers) and ask if you have recourse for third-party review of your insurer's decision. This is a right in my state and I won--my carrier's denial was overturned and they had to pay for my surgery. Don't give up, it can be done! Good luck!!

Did you have any symptoms related to taking too much synthroid? I have my levels tested at least annually--I think it's been done twice in the last year, though, since my PCP did want to keep a closer eye on it as I lose weight. I've been taking .125 for a couple of years now. At the time of diagnosis I weighed 340. My hypothyroid was only diagnosed after my second pregnancy; before that it had always been normal. So maybe it never did have anything to do with my weight, either cause or effect, and so wouldn't react to weight loss.

Hi Janie! Nice to hear you're doing so well. Congratulations on your bandiversary!!

Thanks, Pati-o! A lot of bandsters report reflux when they're too tight, but I'm also seeing long-term bandsters reporting reflux even when we're not feeling too tight. I know the very first time I had it I was already scheduled for a fill because I'd felt a lack of restriction. Do you know if it's possible to perhaps inhale a little Fluid and NOT get aspiration pneumonia? Is it the stomach acid in the fluid or the fluid itself that causes the illness? This is the second time I've had what I thought was an actual illness following close on the heels of an incident of nighttime reflux. Not a coincidence, I'm sure, but what causes the other? The first time I actually did have strep throat, and that's not caused by reflux. And that didn't go away by itself, of course. If people inhaling food while they're eating can cause it, presumably there's no stomach acid in that material. So is it any foreign matter that can cause the illness?

My hypothyroid was also a non-issue, as long as I'd stabilized on a good level of medication. Uncontrolled thyroid issues would probably cause a delay in surgery, but if your meds are good and working for you there shouldn't be any problem. Yvonne, that's interesting that your meds were adjusted with weight loss. My levels have been tested but there doesn't seem to be any reason to change my meds. But maybe I should try again? How often do you have them tested?

Hi Cambron, welcome to LBT!! Thanks for sharing your story and yes, we definitely consider you a success!! :D

I feel MUCH better today, thanks! I slept for about 6 hours during the day yesterday, and then all night long last night. My father used to say that if it's possible to sleep so much that's a clear indication your body is fighting off something. So I'm sure it wasn't just the reflux. Now I'm wondering if being sick perhaps caused or exacerbated the reflux? Everything is connected. I'd really like to know more about aspiration pneumonia. It sure sounds serious, but I wonder if it's possible to have "a touch" of it? Is it something that can happen due to a single episode of reflux and then clear up by itself? If that's the case then it might be what I had. Yet another form of negative reinforcement from the band. I hope this will cure me permanently of thinking I can eat more just because I have no PB reflex now. I honestly think that over time our bodies get used to the increased pressure on the esophagus and the nerves there get numb and stop reacting. But there are still negative effects of overeating or eating too late, and I have to remember that!!

This is another phase that new bandsters always seem to go through! You first have to let your fill settle for a couple of weeks, and if you're still not feeling any restriction after that then certainly talk to your doctor about another one. The band isn't going to help unless it's providing restriction, so that's the first thing to get right.

You recently recounted an experience with aspiration pneumonia. Did that clear up with the treatment? And didn't you get an unfill to help with the reflux? Love an update, bandsister! I'm asking because last night I had a choking bout of reflux--note to self: do NOT eat pizza!!--and this morning I felt like CRAP. Fever, aches and pains, no appetite, and the runs to boot. It hurts a tiny bit to take a deep breath, but really only a little. I'd noticed the aches and pains starting up yesterday afternoon, before the reflux, so I'm wondering if I just had the bad luck to get the flu or something coincidentally. So how are you, and can you tell me if you had any of the same symptoms I'm having? I came home early from work today and slept for almost 4 hours, waking up feeling better but still wonky. Do I need to call a doctor? Thanks!!

Hi Hodegard, If your husband goes directly from one insurance coverage to another with no lapse, nothing can be excluded as a "pre-existing condidion." That's the good news. There's no way to tell whether your new insurer will cover anything related to the band, though, you'd just have to ask them.

Somehow, I don't think so.

That is HILARIOUS!! Thanks for the laugh, I needed it this morning.

Desiree, how old are you? From what I'm hearing, peri-menopause is being blamed for all sorts of hormonal symptoms. Women as young as 35 can experience changes that might be attributable to aging. But I agree, a visit to your GYN is in order if you're worried.