jen_1381

It depends on your insurance company requirements; some will want a weight history but it's generally a BMI over 40 or a BMI over 35 with two co-morbidities (the high bp and cholesterol work). My insurance (United) went off the weight at the surgeons office. Unfortunately, I had started my pre-bariatric surgery diet (high protein low cal) and had strep throat so literally had to gain 3 lbs before I weighed in because my BMI dropped below 35.

To answer the question from your title - I don't think having any bariatric surgery can cause an eating disorder. I believe that if there was a disorder there, it was most likely underlying before surgery. I'm speaking a little from personal experience; I don't have an eating disorder but sometimes I think I could easily develop one. Losing weight becomes addicting. You feel great when the scale is sliding down; better than I ever felt after any meal, dessert, drink, etc. During my pre-op psych eval, the therapist told me that the way I tested, I had a tendancy to develop an eating disorder so watch out for it, and if the thoughts arise, seek help. Fast forward 5 months, over 55 lbs lost and throw in an 8 week plateau, and I started talking with a therapist about it last week. Body image is a HUGE deal for most WLS patients. What I see with my eyes is not reality; I still see the fat girl in the mirror. I just see the flaws. So I'm working on a path of self-acceptance, and have changed my weight loss goals accordingly. I used to want to lose until I felt comfortable...which can be dangerous. Now I go by numbers. As for the vomiting piece - you need to get with your surgeon, nutritionist, and maybe a therapist. Eating 300-500 calories a day is not enough for your body to sustain. The vomiting will do major damage in the long run. If just the thought of food makes you want to barf....I would seek out help if I were you. Please let us know how it turns out for you. You've come to the right place for support!

My take on that is that True Results is essentially like a "specialist" and they're referring you back to your PCP if you have any questions or need an explanation of your lab results. I didn't go through True Results, but my WLS program did send a copy to my PCP and she called me to explain some of the levels that were off (higher cholesterol, very low Vit D). Since they aren't your regular physician, they probably don't want to have to follow up with you.

You know your body. If you want to try it longer at this restriction, you're in charge. Just talk openly about it with your surgeon, you're all on the same team I know I'm at the right fill zone so I just go in every month or two to catch up and touch base.

You're totally right Jackie! It's easy, as you make progress, to forget where you started. I will admit, sometimes I read a post of someone cheating on the pre-op diet, or stressing about pre-op testing, and want to say - GEESH PEOPLE!! But then I have to remind myself they're new to this like I once was, and it's a huge step to seek out support. Sometimes people do need that swift virtual kick in the rear, and we're here for that type of support too But I think the whole world would be a better place if everyone could remember where they came from.

I would call your doc. Anti-emetics may not help if it's a flu bug but it's worth a shot.

After almost 9 weeks of a plateau, I'm finally losing again. I got to a place where I just didn't feel good. I went back in to see my nutritionist last week (turns out I wasn't eating enough) and we set a new game plan but I just felt ill eating that much during the day. I was literally eating every 3 hours, when my body was used to going 6+ hours between meals. My stomach always felt full, my bathroom habits were way off, and I just felt sluggish. Sunday, I watched the documentary called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" and it was AMAZING. If you haven't seen it, please watch it. It's about a man who really was fat (over 300 lbs), sick (had an autoimmune disease that he took meds daily for) and nearly dead because of those two reasons. He decided to go on a 60 day juice fast (which 60 days is LONG - he was medically supervised and it was durastic, but he felt he needed it). The changes his body went through over those two months was jaw-dropping. He not only lost almost 100 lbs, he lowered his bp, cholesterol, and reset his body enough that he was able to go off his meds completely. Me, being the skeptic that I was, hit the internet and read all about the pros and cons, do's and don'ts, then thought that where I was at - - feeling ill, weight stuck, nutrition lagging - - I may as well give it a try. I started Monday of this week. I drank juice all day then ate a very light dinner. Also decided it was time to quit coffee again. Sidenote: by juice, I don't mean the store bought that is mostly sugar and juice extract. I bought the fresh produce and a juicer and made the juice by hand using only pure, orgainc vegetables and fruits. I'm also adding in a protein shake to ensure I reach my daily need. Tuesday I woke up with a migraine (thanks to the no coffee), and have to eat with my medication, so had a Greek Yogurt for breakfast and then drank juice the rest of the day. Yesterday, Wednesday, was all juice. In three days, I dropped 7 lbs. Mostly water weight (that I could feel, and really needed to be shed) I'm sure, but the way I FEEL is amazing. I'm sleeping soundly. I have energy all day long. My cravings I was having for coffee, sweets, and salt have completely gone away. I feel like I'm really giving my body what it needs. When my stomach growls now, I know that it's real hunger instead of me just feeling like I want to eat. I know this sounds durastic but I felt it was what I needed. My plan is to continue the juice plan for a few more days, as long as the scale keeps moving down, then slowly reintroduce foods to my system, working up to the original plan of protein, fruits, and veggies. I feel like I'm giving my system the reboot I desperately needed. It's similar to doing the pre-op liquid diet, the accompanying feelings are there the first day or so (hunger, anger, headache, etc). Now that I'm on day 4, I can't believe how great I feel. This program may not be for everyone, and it is, in a way, sidestepping my understanding of well-rounded nutrition, but it was the healthiest way I found to cleanse my system and get a "do-over". Has anyone else tried a juice fast?

Itsjude - did they fill your band partially when it was placed? Feeling like you're in the Green Zone with an empty band is amazing. I have 6.5 cc's and think I'm finally there. Fills for me are completely painless. They're usually quick and easy.

I am so sorry. The same thing happened to me, two days before my surgery United Healhcare came through with a denial. My surgeon called and talked with their Medical Necessity board and was able to get them to reverse the decision. Can your surgeons office go to bat for you? Or, you can file an appeal. It takes time but most people have better luck the second time around. I know how gut-wrenching this is, I was there...on pins and needles until they over-turned their decision. Good luck to you.

You're welcome! Most surgeons have a checklist - certain tests you have to do before surgery. My program required me to see their in-house Endocrinologist. I had to do labs, ekg, psychologist, dietician, physical trainer, and of course the pre-op meeting with the nurse. Most programs will also want a Sleep Study and chest xray (I had mine done recently enough I didn't need to re-do them). I've also heard of programs requiring an endoscopy. But, each program is different. Hope you have a great experience!

Welcome! Nerves are normal. I'll do my best to answer your questions from my experience. Like how long after the seminar can you have the surgery? That depends on your insurance and/or the WLS Program's requirements. From the day I took the seminar to my surgery date was 9 weeks, and that was considered fast since I used insurance. Most programs have requirements of seeing a dietician, psychologist, etc before you can schedule surgery. If you're using insurance, some require a 6 month pre-op supervised diet. Is the painbad? My pain wasn't horrible, but I have a high pain tolerance. Everyone perception of pain is different. I was uncomfortable, and the incisions were sore, but it wasn't dire pain. The gas (air) pain post-op was probably the worst for me (pain in the shoulder/back from retained gas they use during surgery). How long does it take to heal? I didn't feel fantastic until about 2 weeks post-op. I went back to work on post-op day 3. I was tired, felt sluggish, and the liquid diet wasn't my favorite thing in the world, but I made it through fine. How long before you are back to yourself again? Like above, about two weeks. What do I eat? This depends on your surgeon/program. My program called for Clear Liquids 2 days post-op, then two weeks full liquids, two weeks mushies, and two weeks of soft/easy to digest foods. What CAN I eat???? Again, this depends on your doctor and program.

I have UHC. It depends on your plan as to what they cover. They cover, as a general rule, BMI over 35 with two co-morbidities, or BMI over 40. I can't say it was easy with insurance; my doc thought it would be no problem so at my pre-op they scheduled surgery for 10 days later. Two days before surgery, UHC came through with a denial because my doc submitted "hypertension" instead of "uncontrolled hypertension". He had to go to bat for me, calling and getting an immediate review conference with a Medical Necessity rep. Luckily, they overturned their decision and approved it with 5 minutes to spare. One thing that caught my attention that you said in your post - - you don't want to be fat and addicted to food. Just be aware that the band does not stop your cravings, addictions, or the food you put in your mouth. It simply helps you feel more full with less food, and stay full for longer periods of time. It's been a blessing for me, and 5 months out I'm still learning how to work with it, and my changing body, but it is truly a lifesaver.

Pick yourself up and dust yourself off. Bad choice - maybe. Life-altering? No. The best thing is that you recognized it as emotional eating. I was an emotional eater for years before I realized it! Each day brings about new choices. You have plenty of opportunity to "redeem" yourself

It sounds like you've been hit with a lot of "worst case" scenarios. It is true - the average person only loses 50% of their excess weight with lap band. But are you average? Doesn't sound like it to me. I'm not average; I've already lost about 63% and am only 5 months post-op. I had 80 lbs of excess weight, and have lost about 53 lbs so far. The divorce statistics are scary. With the normal rate being over 50%, and (don't quote me exactly on this, I read it online) the divorce rate for post-bariatric surgery patients is 80%. It is a very intimidating number. But why do you love your husband, and why does he love you? Do you only love him because you're overweight? If so, then you may be in trouble. If you love him because he's your best friend, your better half, or your everything, you'll be just fine. Just like with any marriage, when change is happening, communication is key. As for the skin - - this is where I think lap band has the advantage. The weight loss is not rapid in most cases. Slower weight loss helps with the loose skin. I will admit, my stomach is not fantastic to look at...skin isn't hanging but it's not tight. But I earned that!! It's no longer filled with fat cells. It's empty! That's weight lost. I'm proud of my sagging skin Second thoughts are normal, as are third, fourth, and fifth (coming from the girl who was ready to dial up the surgeon 12 hours before surgery and bail). As for foods, there are some that I can't eat. pizza crust is one that will get me stuck on the first bite. Does my body need pizza though? No. The food my body needs for fuel goes down just fine. Can I still sneak a bite of pizza and chew chew chew when I have an enormous craving? Yes. For me, as soon as the weight started coming off, my life transformed from living to eat, to eating to live. I want to be good to my body, and know that my food choices and exercise is the best thing I can do for that. Sorry if it seems like I'm rambling, and these are just my own personal feelings/experiences, but I wish you all of the luck and success in the world.

I take a BP bill, thyroid pill, and biotin every morning and have never had to crush them, or had them get stuck. I drink water all day long - about 100 ounces a day. I've been banded 5 months and have never thrown up. I don't know that many bandsters physically can throw up after surgery; what they refer to as "throwing up" is most likely what we call "PB-ing"...or "productive burping". It's bringing up whatever may be stuck between the band and your throat. But honestly, I've been stuck about 10 times and never had to bring food back up. I just stop what I'm doing, take deep breaths, and ride it out.

Well the stats say on average there is a 50% loss of your excess weight. Surgeons prefer to do the procedure that will give the best results. They hate failure just as much as we do. I myself am 5'8", starting weight of 243 lbs in May. Today, I weighed 189.0 and still have 39 lbs to go until I hit my ultimate goal of 160 lbs. I've lost 54 lbs in 5 months. I've lost over 50% of my excess weight and I'm only 5 months in. So...it all depends on the person.

I nearly cancelled the day before because my portion was $2700. They said the hospital would want it all up front since it was an Elective Surgery. Honestly, I was so scared I was looking for ANY excuse to not have the procedure done The hospital let me make payments, luckily. It's stressful to want something so bad but be limited by $$. Good luck to you on your journey.

Most surgeons are not employed at the hospital; they only have practicing rights there, therefore their services are billed seperately. You may also see different charges from the anesthesiologist since most are not employed by the hospitals either. My surgeons office made me pay upfront $350, and just last week got a check back for $200. I would just give them a call and check the fee.

Thought I would share - HBO has some documentaries 'On Demand' that are fascinating! There are called Challenges, Choices, and Consequences. All about the obesity struggle of America and they are FULL of interesting info!

I'm not graceful enough for Zumba I do the elliptical and jog daily. Every so often I'll do one of the Insanity workouts but last time I did, my port area was super sore for about 5 days after. I really, really love Insanity but it's pretty intense.

I just met with my nutritionist yesterday who 1) strongly encourages exercies - - besides my doctor having my sign a contract before surgery that I would do my best to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week. My normal routine has been to jog every day for a half hour. My nutritionist looked at my food intake and exercise and recommended (since I've been on a plateau for 8 weeks) that I cut my jogging back to 2 days a week, add in the elliptical a day or two, then do an all-over workout the other day (I do the "Insanity" program). She said that our bodies used to certain motions, and that changing up my routine to get off the plateau was necessary. She (or anyone else in their right mind) would never discourage good cardio such as jogging, she just suggested I add in other things. Maybe your PA wasn't thinking clearly. I would get another opinion. Also - are you comfortable not seeing the surgeon? I don't think I would go for that...I know that PA's are well qualified, but I wouldn't feel good not touching base with my surgeon.

Claim them all you want, friend!! You've earned them!!

My best advice is to try things one at a time. Don't take a bite of Protein, then veggies, then fruit/carbs. If something doesn't sit right you may not know which it was. There are a few things that I learned the hard way I can't tolerate anymore. It's kind of a trial-and-error type situation. As tempting as it was to eat so many things (since we can finally eat!!) I stuck to the basics for a while - protein, fruit, and veggies - until I got used to eating real food with the band.