tomorrowsdream

You've heard of the "coat of many colors", well I have the "closet of many sizes". I have just the opposite problem. I have a closet full of jeans starting when I had heart surgery in a 9 and going clear up to a 20. They are just ordinary jeans that haven't gone out of style. I hold a pair up every day and the size 9 I figure would now cover one leg. All this because I took up eating instead of smoking. That wasn't the way I planned it. I just have to get myself organized for the surgery and be patient while my insurance takes it's time deciding to cover it. Love to hear how great you guys are doing.

Your blood glucose is extremely high, but it could also be a mis-reading. I would definitely have it tested again. Jack is always so upbeat about his diabetes, and it is controllable if you take the right steps. Jack is a living example of how to live life to its fullest with diabetes. If you have it, hey you have it, and you have to deal as such. I'm sure the surgery would be a great place to begin after things are under control with the diabetes (if you have it). Things take time. As I go along in my Quest for the surgery I find I have to accomplish more and more. I have a triple aortic aneurysm (small but there). I need another CT scan to make sure it is small enough not to cause any complications. I have to also have that CT scan to rule out anything wrong with the liver itself, but my dr. seems to think it is just a "fatty liver". I was told that when I had my gallbladder out, so I may be fasting longer than some of you (now that will be a tough test). God never gives us more then we can handle. It just seems sometimes like we have to much on our plates (or in our cases too little) but he will guide you through this process. I wish you worlds of happiness, and always know that there is someone here that has had something happen to slow down there progress.

My daughter's glucose is lower than that and she is on insulin. Perhaps Jack can shed some light, although I have 2 children with diabetes. One is 180 and on medication, Diabeta I believe, and the other is 230 and on insulin. Wow, do you suppose the lab could have been wrong and needs to rerun it? I wouldn't worry till Jack chimes in. There isn't much he doesn't know about this disease and how to keep it under control. All the more reason to have the surgery if you haven't had it yet. So glad you caught it when you did.

Tricare is good. They also give you one plastic surgery down the road and my daugher is cramming everyting she can think of into that one surgery. I think all insurance companies should offer it. What a boost it would be for moral.

People who have undergone gastric bypass are usually started out on scrambled eggs because of the protein. For me I would try watered down oatmean as I love it and apple sauce. You've come to the exciting part of your diet. So happy for you.

You may have hypothyroidsm which is one of the leading causes of not being able to diet and stick to it. The thyroid gland is a little thing that plays a big part in your well being. Usually you go grey early, but people are known to lose gobs of hair. Just a little pill you take to put you back on track. Ask your dr. to check your thyroid. You might be surprised.

Going to see a dietician is a good excuse, and will account for weight loss also. If you don't want them to know (and I don't understand banding being so personal) but perhaps it is to many people, then just tell them you need the time to meet with a dietician and their staff and need a couple days. Sounds pretty valid; not lying; and right upfront. You could also tell them you have having sleep apnea tests. There are plenty of things to say without coming up with blatent lies, and don't feel the least bit guilty about it. Good luck

One of the biggest battles people seem to have is with their insurance company. Maybe you will get lucky and get approved right away. If not keep on persevering. Don't get down in the dumps if they give you the runaround at first. We have all been there. My insurance is Medicare and won't cover the band till around the fist of the year from what I've heard. I will be patient till then and then if they still don't cover it, I'm going to go self-pay, which will be my only option. I intend to fight them tooth and nail before I give up though. This isn't plastic surgery, this is a whole new way of life. You came to the right place for support. These guys and gals are awesome and you will meet some great people to help guideyou through everything. I too have to wait to get approved but am getting all my tests done; like the sleep apnea and psych parts. Your very first step is to attend a seminar. Find out where in your city one is being given by a lap band dr. Maybe start with the yellow pages of someone you know or have hears of. That's the first stip to take, and from there on you are fighting your own battle. Always remember your friends here will help you in any way they can, bit is mental or physical encouragement. Great group of people. Best of luck on your journeyI have heard absolutely nothing that would change my mind about getting the band. It is in itself life-changing. Scroll down to the states and you may even find someone from your home state that can share experiences with you or can answer insurance questions.) Best to you, Dee

You don't have to be 100 lbs. overweight if you have other co-mobidity factors. In my case I have life-threatening sleep apnea and hypothroidism to name a few. I also have been on BP medication and cholesterol lowering medications for years. Your dr. can write you a great letter and it carries a lot of weight. Start at the beginning and start getting your tests done, and above also make sure your family dr. is very supportive. Good luck to you.

Your old dog and this old broad have lots in common Vinesqueen, right down to the lipoma. Give him some loving. He sounds like a sweetheart..and you are funny and upbeat beyond description.

Vinequeen's big OLD dog and I suffer from the same afflictions. I bet we both have IBS too. Luv ya Vinequeen. In all seriousness, after reading a lot on this, perhaps IBS isn't that bad of a problem. So many people on the board suffer from constipation that IBS would be somewhat of a relief. It is controllable and you've probably had it for a long long time. I would simply measure it to my dr. and see if he has anything that might help.

I remember you told me about another type of surgery, but I still don't know what it is. I was merely trying to put forth ideas so this didn't happen to this person again. The only other route I could think of was gastric bypass. I know now you have told me about another safer surgery. I should have told them to look into all the options available, but I would rather have a surgery then wake up with a scar and knowing I could never acchieve the banding. I thought personally that maybe the banding dr. wasn't experienced enough to get around this, or perhaps the liver haden't shrunk again. I completely forgot there is another type of surgery out there. Of course they should look into this before gastic bypass or anything. Thanks for jumping in.

I answered you in the other thread. Vinesqueen's old dog and I have them. Geez, she makes me feel good. Must be part of the reason I keep coming back.

Chickern broth $10.00 YIKES. What do you suppose the actual chicken would cost?

I can't believe anyone could be so involved in a forum on lap banding that it is affecting their personal life, unless there were problems in it beforehand. Sad to see someone go from a site that has such interesting and innovative things to say. Good luck to you. Maybe you should think this over and find out the underlying problem, or confront what you think is a problem head-on. A lot of respect can be gained from facing something.

I am researching every aspect of lap banding so asked my dr. today about your post. She said yes, it is not typical for this to happen, but it does. She suggested that worse case scenario they should have been able to go around it. A few questions if I may? Did you do your best to follow a diet and shrink your liver before surgery, because they should have been able to get under it? Another question is did you have a lap band surgeon with loads of experience under his or her belt...say 1000 surgeries with no major complaints. These can be checked out on line. It is imperative you know the surgeon well. Also, a lot of surgeons who are adapt at both lap banding and gastric bypass will have you sign a form before that if they can't band for some reason (one very much like yours) that they are allowed to do gastric bypass. At least you would have had a scar for a reason. It perhaps isn't the surgery you preferred, but I certainly would chose that option as opposed to waking up and having the stitches and pain and no surgery, and no hopes of getting it done in the furture. I would ask a lot of questions of this dr., and I've very curious if you were in the states, if I'm not being too nosy. Good luck to you... What a bummer.

I have a lipoma right above my liver. My dr. has ordered a CT scan to rule out any reason why it would interfere with the banding process. You may want to do the same. It would be horrible to be cut open and not get the band because of something that could be "fixed" at the same time if they have the advance notice and know the exact location and are "positive" it is a small benign tumor. Hang in there. I've spent 3 mo. so far researching and getting ready for this surgery. Be on the safe side and talk to your dr. at length about your concerns.

FLU..the deadly flu, for which I had my shot as soon as it came out. I have been so sick for the last week or so that I saw my dr. today and found out I was down 10 lbs. No way to live, being too sick to eat. I've been living on chicken noodle soup and water, and too sick to be hungry. Now if the rest of my life could be like that (the not being hungry bit) I wouldn't need this surgery would I. I just thought I would interject a touch of humor in your post Jack....because I'm bored and getting better since getting a breathing treatment today. I'm so glad I'm not a smoker anymore, or I bet this could have been much worse. I had to plead to stay out of the hospital because I have my dog at home and no one to watch him on a moment's notice. Anyway...eating soup and happy for the time being. Hope you can all enjoy turkey day!!

I have researched the three closest sites to getting banded in my area (and excluding my area because of their lack of experience). I have talked to Portland; Utah and Seattle. Utah is the closest for me, about a 5-hr drive, very quick by air. My insurance Medicare is covering the gastric bypass at this point and not the lap band as I was originally told. (good thing I found out). Medicare will be covering the banding by Feb 2006. I got this info from all three offices in no direct correlation with each other. OK, should I wait until it is paid for; should I go to Mexico and pay; should I suck up the huge expense and not wait till Feb. From my perspective the waiting won't hurt me, so I'm wondering can I still share with you girls until that time and keep on learning. It would be wonderful to get this paid for, and I'm real leary of Mexico (although I must say the trip sounds great), but lots of health issues to worry about. I have also been really sick with the flu and have lost 15 lbs. in 2 weeks (so you know I have to be sick) and have to gain it back to qualify. I could starve when I'm well, but you and I both know if I lose 100 lbs. I'm going to gain 150 lbs. back. I've done it before. I am the original yo-yo in that respect and it is worse for my health. I'm tempted to cool my jets till the new Medicare rules come out in hopes all are telling me the truth (really pointless for them to lie to me, they are asking me to wait and telling me lap banding will be covered in a few mo.). I merely wondered what the rest of you thought. I can get a mortgage, the house is mine, and pay for the whole thing, or I can wait for Medicare. I know you can't make decisions for me, but please give me advise on what you would do if you knew your insurance was almost going to positively pick this up in about 3 or 4 mo. Thanks for the help. You guys are the best. I mean that sincerely Cindy, Jack, Danistar and all the rest of you who have always been there for me. Jack, if this were you would you have waited the few extra months...just curious? I know this will be a great decision, and you people have made me aware of that, so I have no doubts in that respect. Thanks for your input.

I have a triple A. You might remember that is what killed John Ritter. Not to worry though, mine is only 1 1/2 in. in circumferance and if my blood pressure is kept under control (which is a major reason I need this surgery) it will never grow. Uncontrolled BP is what makes aneurysms grow. I have to tell my surgeon about it beforehand so they don't freak out, but yours is in a strange spot where apparently it would affect the band. Mine is at the base of the aorta, but is called an abdominal aortic aneurysm. They don't fix them unless they are really big. I don't understand if your surgeon didn't know how to fix it; decided it didn't need fixing; or what, but what a bum deal you got not to get your band. Holy Smokes. I'm willing to bet I wake up without a band when they see my innerds too,.

My daughter after 3 years post-op can still not eat mashed potatoes without getting sick, although she can eat baked potato with no problem. You just might be one that needs to say goodbye to them.

The problems with insurance are the "suckiest" part of getting this surgery done. We just have to hang in there and be strong. Either wait for our insurance to cover it, as I'm doing with Medicare, or get up and fight those that have an exclusion. I laugh at the ones that will say OK to gastric bypass but no to the lapband. Do they even realize how dangerous one is as compared to the other. I say if you want this keep on fighting to change what is unfair. It burns me up. I too went through a lot of preparation, but now if Medicare covers it in Jan. I have all of my work behind me. The sleep apnea test which was positive is done and I'll be going on C-pap tomorrow; I'm having my psych eval in Dec. and I have an EKG and electrocardiogram, plus letters from my cardiologist and my dr., plus a dietician's letter. I'm anxious to see what other roadblocks they can throw in my way. The only thing I can say is that if half of these women here had taken NO for an answer none of them would be banded today. The road is long and hard and takes perseverence. Good luck.

My daughter had gastric bypass 3 years ago. I have to say she is a differerent girl. Is she a happier girl? That depends on who you ask. She is thrilled about the weight loss, but not happy about the dumping syndrome or the fact that things run right through her (which they do because of the intestinal involvement). She is certainly an inspiration, but she has changed from carefree and happy to rather quiet. However, she is going to have fat tissue removed with her insurance and perhaps that will make a difference. She CAN'T eat anything that she wants, and the surgery is much much more dangerous than lap banding. She cried for weeks afterwards, and I think part of the fact was there was no turning back. She has told me if lap banding had been available here in the states then she would have chosen it any day over the gastric bypass surgery. That's just one person's opinion. Hope it helps.

I just knew from the sound of your letter that if you could just hang in there, and turn to members here for support, that you would begin to feel better. You will definitely feel great once the weight starts coming off. I was worried about you because we didn't hear back from you. I hear the first few weeks are rough, but you are well on your way to making it girlfriend. I wish you the very best. Give a holler to those who have been banded, and us wannabees that are learning what it's like. There will always be someone here that has experienced something you are going through. It is a big step you took and psychologically you have to go day by day. You are doing so great. We are all very proud of you. Come back and see us often. I'm not banded yet, but expecting to be in about Feb., and learning from the great people here what to expect. They are a great group and very supportive. You aren't in this alone. Some are fighting to get our insurance approved; some are just banded; and some have been banded for a long time and are a great source of info for you. Good luck to you sweetie on your Quest.

My daughter has Tricare and was approved for gastric bypass surgery, but NOT lap banding. She went for it and had the gastric bypass. All I can tell you is they will cover it eventually if you can wait that long. I personally want no part of gastric bypass.