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No one here seems to have anything good to say about the band. It probably has to do with the number of posters who had bad experiences and are now getting sleeve revisions. I know that I originally was going to get the band but after reading so many posters with issues it changed my mind.

Not bad as long as you count out 10, the portion size, and put the rest away.

I used to get it, get rid of it and then re-injure and get it again. Daily yoga got rid of it for me even with the extra weight. That's a tough one because you really have to just fight through the pain and stretch or it never improves.

I's good to be excited. Just remember that when you go through the seemingly endless amount of tests. It's all good

It's pretty simple. Just write everything you are going to eat in advance and only eat what's on your list. Make sure you use a food scale to weigh everything and so you stick to the correct portions. If it's not on your list you don't eat it.

My SIL who is a teacher had the same thing. I really wish small business could afford those kind of benefits.

I hit my $2,500 deductible about half way into the pre-op tests. On top of that I have to pay 20% of each procedure and $75 per doctor's visit. It can really add up if you don't have a good insurance plan.

That's really outrageous that they will tell the doctor's office but the patient has to wait for a letter to be mailed. The only other thing I would try is to see if a copy of that letter is available online. My insurance company, Oxford/UHC, makes a lot information available online. Try going to your Cigna webpage and see if a copy is in the online mailbox. If that doesn't work, stay calm and speak with your doctor tomorrow. I imagine it's frustrating but it's not time to panic. They probably just lost something and rejected instead of asking for it. Wait and see what the doctor says before you drive yourself crazy. Good luck

Nothing wrong with an upside surprise. Usually it's the other way so enjoy this one.

I also have a desk job and am planning on just 1 week off. Anymore than that and I'm going to have trouble keeping my job.

Great read! I'm both hopeful and jealous. Can't wait until it's me.

Good luck with it. I have 6 months of supervised diet and now 4 1/2 months in I'm getting very antsy. I know that in retrospect it won't seem that long but while you are going through it the time just drags. As you wrote, worse comes to worse you wait the 3 months. It's going to happen even if it's tough to be patient.

Instead of crash diets why not try a local WLS support group? Or, maybe see a nutritionist to get a refresher on the basics. It's amazing how much we can forget when we aren't constantly forced into doing things. The sleeve is just 1 tool. That doesn't mean you don't need to use the others.

Thanks for sharing your story. We don't always want to hear these things but it's very important that we do. I really appreciate you advice about having a strong network of help. That's something that I can do and will make sure I do when my time comes.

I haven't done the DDP program but I've looked at it on the website. It looks pretty good based on what they showed. Lots of pro wrestlers now do yoga because they get beat up so much for a living. Trish Stratus couldn't even straighten up from horrible back issues. A friend got her into yoga as a way of helping her back. She retired from pro wrestling and opened a yoga studio in Toronto. My favorite programs are the ones put out by Rodney Yee but if you like the look of the DDP program you should go for it.

I've been doing yoga daily for over 5 years now. Nothing beats it. Yoga won't firm you up on it's own, it won't give you that 'yoga' body you see on TV. I know that because I've been as high as 284 pounds despite daily yoga. What it will do is make everything else feel better. You can run, bike, swim, climb, lift, surf or anything else you like to do better than you did before and with less pain. It's the best way to prevent injury and recover from all other activities and life in general. in my opinion everyone can benefit from daily yoga.

Exercise can be a job but just like a paying job it's something you have have to do. Hate it but do it anyway. I get up at 5 am 6 days a week to run for 40 minutes on the elliptical. It's a real grind but it's something that I know I have to do if I want to stay alive so I do it.

I was around the same weight when I made the decision. My doctor was against it because I just wasn't big enough until he realized that he had been saying the same thing for 7 years and I still hadn't gotten rid of the excess weight. I am also a diabetic and am looking at weight loss surgery as a way to fight that horrible disease. You may not have any weight related conditions but at that size you are at increased risk of developing them. My advice is do whatever you have to do to get healthy. Follow the guidelines set by your NUT religiously for the next 4 months and see where you are at. If you are not making the progress you should be then start going through all the other tests you need for this surgery. If you are doing well and know you can keep it up then you don't need this.

Been waiting since April when my Cardiologist finally agreed to sign off on this. I still have 2 more medically supervised weight loss visits before they can even submit to the insurance company. I keep reading how fast it goes but I just don't feel that way.

Just be honest and don't sweat it. It's not a job interview. Go in relaxed and you'll be fine.

The pictures are a great idea. Eventually you're going to look at pic 1 and be stunned how different it is from your latest. That's something you can't really do looking in the mirror. My sister-in-law had a gastric bypass a little more than 3 years ago. 3 months after doing it she just didn't look all that different even though she said she lost a lot of weight. Then all of a sudden she started wasting away. Now she's healthy and even though she's put on 10 pounds from her bottom weight she still looks and feels great. Just keep plugging away at it.

Thanks for sharing. It's a big help to hear about longer term results for those of us who a pre-op and trying to figure out what it's going to be like.

That's good enough reason to follow instructions and stay on that pre-op diet. Missing a little solid food is nothing compared with what happens if they do have complications because of an enlarged liver.

You'll soon be able to move better than you ever did with the weight on. Enjoy it. Sounds like lots of fun.

The medical field is full of generalities. They love to gather up tons of data and talk averages and percentages. That doesn't mean you can't keep losing after a year and it also doesn't mean that if you have bad habits you'll keep losing after 6 months. There are lots of people able to lose tremendous amounts of weight without surgery but these bariatric surgeons like to make it sound like it's impossible. It's your body and your health. Don't let someone else stop you from achieving your goals.