andielmt

i had the same thing happen to me. i went for my consult 2 weeks ago and was told that i need to lose 140lbs and that i would only lose 40 with the lapband, he is trying to get me to do the bypass instead saying that there isnt much success with the band. its a hard decision on which one to do, you have to really look at the pros and cons of both, i have been for 1 year now focusing on the band now my friends( one just had bypass 4 months ago) are trying to get me to do the bypass. yes you will lose weight really fast with the bypass but will you be able to keep it off once your appetite comes back? the band is slower but if you look at success stories here on this website some have lost just as much weight. feel free to write to me anytime because i am going through the same dilema. andrea

i just got a letter on friday stating that i need a supervised medical letter stating for 6 months that ive exercised. i did go to the gym for 4 months and had a personal trainer for 3 of those months then i started working out at work 3 times a week and my boss who is a doctor would exercise with me but i dont think that is proof enough for what they want. i am so upset. when i first got into the program last nov. the director told me that i have everything i need for the insurance and that i should be approved now i may not qualify. if i have to wait another 6 months im not sure if ill go through with surgery and i may not have insurance by then anyway. has anyone had this problem? any feedback andrea

i just found out that i need 6 months of documentation of exercise from my physician. when i first got in the program last nov. the director said that i had everything i needed and i would be fine. she never said that i had to have proof of exercise. i did go to the gym for 4 months and worked out at work 3 times a week for 3 months and my boss used to work out with me and she is a doctor but i dont think that this is enough proof. if i have to wait another 6 months i dont know if ill go through with it. im so discouraged. andrea

when was your band put in did you say 2003?

so many people are suggesting that i switch doctors, i dont know what to do? he did email me back with answers to some questions i had. the director of the wls told me that he isnt a negative person and he really cares about his patients but he was pretty focused on talking me out of the band. ive been in this program for almost 1 year and really want to get this done soon, also my husband insurance is going to run out in a month or two so i really dont have time to get another doctor, i did confront the head director on how i thought he was negative and she tried to convince me other wise of course because they are getting money so she going to say the best about him plus hes new to the area. any feedback would be helpful to me thanks andrea

oh my god i feel so much better, my friend today all convinced me to have the bypass. she had it 3 months ago and has lost 55 pounds. i am the type of person if i dont see results soon i get discouraged and sometimes quit but listening to you guys there is hope for the band. ive been so confused lately and said that id rather not have surgery than have the bypass because it scares me. its hard though because my boss who is a doctor wants me 100 % to have the bypass , she thinks that the band is the shortcut and it wont be affective. im suppose to have surgery the end of october so i need to get my head cleared any suggestions? andrea

my surgeon said that he would do the surgery but he did say alot of bad things about it. i dont know if i should just go to him because there isnt anyone else up here or if i should go somewhere else in the state. i am nervous to switch doctors because what if they are the same way? right now i can have the surgery in oct, but if i try someone else who knows when it will happen. i know that i shouldnt rush things, i have been in this program for almost a year now. the head director of the program told me that i shouldnt rely on the surgeon to get support that i need my team and her for support and that he is a good surgeon with no deaths and does a good job. my concern is that if i have the surgery with him how is he going to be towards me everytime i go in for a fill, is he going to be negative? i am so confused on what to do, i am so disappointed and to the point of not even having surgery period. andrea

i found out recently that my doctor wants to use the bigger band, he said that it is better and the fill wraps around the whole stomach where as the reg size only goes around part of the stomach, i am a little nervous to have so many fills, it sound like the smaller one would be better for me. id rather have less fills

thanks for the feedback, there is another doctor here who will do the band but i heard that she is more for the bypass also, i may have to go further away, i just dont want to have to do the program all over somewhere else. ive had so many people tell me to get a new doctor so i should investigate. ill let you know what i decide. andrea

i do tend to go for the bad stuff sometimes, i am trying to work with my counselor and nutritionist so i can make better choices and feel good about them. right now i tend to eat chips (fat free) or low fat ice cream yes i am eating the fat free or low cal but i would like to get out of the habit of eating this way all together, any suggestions on how to eat better and not choose the bad stuff? andrea

thanks for all of the feedback. it really helps, i know that i need to change my eating habits first or nothing else will work, i have come along way from even 6 months ago, i used to eat all day for about 4 days a week, now i might have one day here and there where i have the munchies all day but it doesnt happen very often, also i have been keeping a food diary since january and it helps me realize what i am eating and how often, i now have to bring my diary to my counselor and she is keeping an eye on how i eat and gives me pointers. i think i am on the right track and even went to the gym today to see how much a membership would be, i want to get back into exercise seeming how ive only exercised 4 times in the last 4 months. i want to start up again and get into a routine before surgery. i just need to get my motivaton back and join the gym. i just got so discouraged when i was going 5 times a week for a month and didnt lose a pound. i hope that you guys will keep in touch with me because it means a lot to me and i think it will help with my goals thanks andrea

thanks so much for your feedback. it helps more than you know, i called the head cordinator of the weight loss program and talked to her about my visit she was very helpful and she didnt take any sides, she said that i should go to a few more support groups and she was going to email some lapband patients emails so i could talk to them, i am not going to let this get me down. i still want and need to lose weight so i need to be positive even if other arent andrea

i would love to try another doctor but the other doctor who does the lapband i heard is the same as the one i went to today i heard that she isnt much for the lapband either and prefers to do the bypass. i am scared to go to her because i cant handle another negative doctor. if i go to southern maine to see a doctor i may have to do the program over and i would have to travel alot and its hard for me because i have a child. andrea

sometimes i wonder if i should even have surgery, i do eat bad often. i do good for awhile then i do bad then i do good then bad etc. i wish i could just eat well most of the time. i was 90% convinced that having surgery was for me now after today meeting with the doctor i feel like im going to fail especially if hes not supporting the lap band also i just talked to my husband and he is sick of me taking about surgery he just wants me to do it on my own. now i dont even have his support andrea

thanks cerrin, i dont really have alot of choices as far as doctors but i will do some research maybe i can find someone further away andrea

thanks faithmd ill look at those sites. there is only one other doctor who does the band here and i heard she has the same approach as the surgeon i had today. i heard that she prefers the bypass also. i just dont know if i should stay with my surgeon if hes is so negative about the lapband andrea

i just went to the surgeon today and the same thing happened to me. he was all pro bypass and didnt approve of the band. he said that he would do it but i need to lose 140 pounds and that i wont lose that with the band. i am so discouraged at this point and feel like calling everything off. everyone i work with decided today to agree with the surgeon and have the bypass. my boss thinks that just because im scared of the compications of the bypass that it isnt a good enough reason to have the lapband and she said that i wont have good results. see she is a doctor and she has sent people to have the bypass but has never sent anyone to have the band. andrea

michelle is the only doctor in the area who does the lap band and i want to know if anyone has had her as a doctor and what do you think?

Dr.Lalor used to work at the Cleveland Clinic in Florida and is now at Emmc in Bangor, Maine he's only been here for 2 weeks and i would like to get some info on him before i meet with him next week thanks andrea

alfie i wanted to let you know that i bought whey at walmart about 2 months ago. i got the vanilla kind and it tastes pretty good. it has 23grams of protein per serving and it comes in a 32oz container andrea

i am going to meet with the surgeon on tuesday so im not even sure if hell approve me for surgery but since i found out that i am going to meet with the surgeon i have fallen off of the wagon, ive been eating really bad and have gained 2 pounds. i need to get a grip but its hard. i went 3 months without gaining anything now i feel out of control. i am aware of how this makes me feel and i want to stop because i dont need to gain weight and i know that its not healthy to overeat or eat bad right before surgery and suggestions? andrea

im not going to see michelle after all. i am going to see the new doctor that just started 2 weeks ago his name is dr.lalor i hope that i made the right decision on switching doctors. my boss is a physician and she strongly advised me not to see michelle toder. so well see what happens. i do know that dr.toder has changed her post op diet to soft protein 2 days after surgery.

i have aetna choice pos II also, i was told that i needed proof that ive been overweight for at least 5 years. i hope that i dont need proof of exercise or diet because i stopped going to my nutrionist a year ago and i dont have proof of exercise except working out at work. also i was told that i would have to pay for the fills and that they would be around $100 per fill andrea

i havent met the surgeon yet so i am not on any preop diet but i feel a little disappointed with myself. i went 1 month without any fast food and only had 2 sodas, well i just slipped again, i had mcdonalds last week and i had it again today. i was doing so well and now i am worried that i am headed down a bad path. even though i have slipped i am trying not to eat bad and am trying to be positve about what is ahead for me. any feedback? thanks andrea

thanks for the feedback i really appreciate it. it is hard when people comment on how you look. i am happy for you that your going through with the band. i went to work today and talked to my boss and told her that i am having second thoughts and she was very supportive and said dont you dare you come this far . that helped and she has also ok'd me to take time off for the surgery, she even told me that i could stay with her if i needed help. she said that she hates to see me take to much time off because im the only massage therapists at work but she will support me, i do wish i had more support from my husband, other than that no one else knows that i am doing this so i am pretty much going through this alone. i hope i have the strength and will power to succeed. andrea