Shannon28

Hi Lovinmeagain! I wish you all the luck and hope you are able to get your surgery! I am just starting out, I have the seminar to go to in September. And I have no idea if I will have to be on a monitored diet yet. My insurance just goes by what the doctor recommends, which I'm hoping he thinks I qualify. My BMI is 51 and like you I feel like Im falling apart. Im only 27 and can't get around good. My knees literally make a crunching noise when I walk up and down stairs. I have heard the changes you have to go through after surgery aren't easy but well worth it especially for your health. Good luck to you and your journey. Keep us updated!

Im new to this site as well and have already found out a lot of answers that I had questions for. I haven't had surgery yet (just starting out), but I have to go to a mandatory seminar for my first step towards getting approved which is September 8th and Im looking forward to it. I hope to get approved! Good luck to you and I hope you are able to get your surgery as well.

Thank you Bobrocky! Congrats on getting banded, I hope you have a very speedy recovery and have great results! I too did the grapefruit diet, I'd have to say that was the worst diet for me EVER.. not much of a grapefruit fan lol. I also did the diet for heart patients (my dad was a heart patient so I used his diet) and actually lost a little over 30 lbs but gained it all back plus more. Pretty much the only thing Im worried about right now is not getting approved but I understand a lot have the same worry. So I just have to stay positive and trust that if its meant to happen it will.

Hi, my name is Shannon and I'm 27, married, and have two wonderful kids! I haven't had surgery yet but have done a lot of research on this surgery and feel like it is right for me. Monday I am making the call for my first consultation to see if I can get approved. I understand it's somewhat a long process so I'm not expecting to actually get the surgery immediately but I hope to get approved because it's something I have thought about a very long time. I have tried several diets myself with little to no weight loss and it's getting to the point to where its painful for me to just get around. I have been overweight since I was a kid but I am at my highest weight now and have painful joint problems so it's hard to exercise or even to just get the mail. The last time I was weighed I was 319 so that makes my BMI 51. (I'm very open about my weight). I am not looking to get "skinny", I just want to feel healthier and know that I will be here for my children for many many years. I am very lucky to have my husband because he is very supportive as well as the rest of my family. I came across this site a few nights ago when doing research on the surgery and I have to say I have already fell in love. I have found so many answers to the questions I had and I'm looking forward to interacting with others going through the same thing.

I have had joint problems for a little over 5 years but the past 7-8 months have been extremely rough, I avoid steps and hills as much as I can because my knees feel like they are going to give out. I also have back pains. I do have a little urinary incontinence but was told it was likely due to having children. I did not know it could be caused by being overweight but it definitely makes sense, thank you for letting me know because I will definitely bring that up! Thank you for the Welcome, I am really glad I found this forum!

Hi Calsmom! Thank you very much for the welcome! I haven't been to a seminar yet but Im looking forward to it definitely. I know a woman that has had the surgery a little over a year ago and she looks amazing but most importantly she says she feels so much better. I have thought about this surgery for years but I didn't feel ready until now. I even watched a lap band surgery that was performed on Youtube. I don't get easily sick so I wanted to know exactly what was going to happen and what was going to be put in my body( if I am lucky enough to get approved). I also watched a video of a "fill" and it wasn't bad at all and thank goodness I have no problems with needles lol. Luckily my insurance covers most of this surgery (80%) but I am worried about being approved because other than a diabetic diet when I was pregnant there are no other documented supervised diets. I was always told to go on a diet (which I did) but it wasn't supervised. I'm making the call tomorrow to see what all my insurance requires to be approved. I know I meet the BMI requirement and I do have some obesity related issues which are documented. I really hope your insurance will cover your surgery or you will be able to get it somehow because you are definitely right about your health being worth it! I also have young kids, a 3 year old and a 1 year old. It absolutely breaks my heart that I am not able to play with them as much as they need me to. I hope everything turns out great for you as well as everyone else starting this journey!