Turler

Wow! It sort of sounds like they are taking advantage of you. I've heard of offices like that. They prey off of the desperate, knowing you'll do anything to get your life back. Such a shame, especially when your insurance will pay for this stuff! Good for you though for finding someplace else to spend your money!

LMAO!! Too funny!

You all are so kind...I am lucky to be here and proud to be part of LBT!

Wow! Well see there, I WAS wrong! I hadn't heard of any surgeons not doing the EGD part. Sorry for giving misinformation. Take care, ~C

Kat: What kind of cancer did you have?

Thank you...it's amazing that cancer has no discrimination. It doesn't matter that we feel just fine. So often people DON"T have any symptoms or worse, you think you've got something as normal as a hemorrhoid and it can turn on you! I'm so glad you were brave enough to get your colonoscopy! So many people, especially young people won't do it. Thank YOU for sharing! I have been unsure about telling my story for lots of reasons, but one is that I don't want to scare anyone. I want to be successful with the Band and heck, who doesn't want to be a poster child for it or the next commercial even, but I am afraid that my story will scare people off!!

HP: You poor thing! What a day! I'm glad everyone is safe and sound. Nothing worse than losing your kid...OMG I would be panicked! ~C

Okay, I have gotten brave today and decided to tell my story here on LBT. I just heart you guys, and it's one way for you all to know how I ended up here. It's kinda long, but here goes if your interested: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/lapband-found-my-cancer-57636/ ~C

Yes, unfortunately this is very common! They want you to hear all the options, and know what is involved before you get to your appointment. This also helps field any questions you may have, they will most likely answer at the seminar. Usually you can make your appointment right away after you've attended. A lot of insurance companies require that you attend these also. Sorry, I know it's frustrating. Good luck! I hope you get to go soon!

Wendy, I agree with you. It's hard to have people watching and judging us as it is (because of our size), but then to have them watching and judging what we eat after surgery is too much for me! I am in a weird situation myself. I am a nurse and I work with the staff that will do my surgery. I can't go to a different hospital due to insurance, so I am stuck with some people knowing where I'd rather have kept it to myself. I think I won't be able to keep it a secret for much longer though. It's hard to hide this liquid diet and I think it'll be even harder to hide the mushies. We'll see. I don't want to be weird about it, but I want my privacy too!

Thanks J...it was time I guess. I'm so ready to get the help I need to lose weight and be healthier. I've got a little extra motivation you could say. ~C

Thank you both. I didn't know if I was ever going to tell this, but I decided it was time. It was so hard to write, and so many things I wanted to say. I feel blessed (strange huh?) TG: You made me cry too! ~C

I want to share my unique journey... I was diagnosed with insulin resistance by my GYN doctor. After several failed diets and workout programs, she suggested I go to the Bariatric clinic to see if they had some other options for me. At first I was so hurt that I was viewed as "big" enough to need Bariatrics. I actually had already met the surgeon as I am a nurse and worked with him regularly. I agreed to see him as a patient. We met in his office where he explained my options: Optifast, RNY and LapBand. I barely qualified at that time for the surgeries and couldn't see myself living on a liquid diet so I sort of nixed the idea all together. I was already familiar with RNY patients and knew that was not an option for me. I had heard of LapBand, but not met any patients yet with one but thought it was worth looking into. I started the 6 month required diet and visits with the nutritionist and all the other ancillary staff necessary to make these things happen. He wanted to go ahead with the initial testing such as labs and an EGD (upper endoscopy). I agreed and scheduled my test a few months later on November 8, 2006. The procedure went off without a hitch. Apparently I needed a hefty dose of sedation medication as I kept trying to push the surgeon out of the way so I could see the monitor!! I returned to work the next day. I felt great, was becoming excited about my decision to get the LapBand. The following day, my surgeon told me we had to repeat the EGD because there was a problem. Problem? What kind of problem? He said, "it appears as though you have cancer". Cancer??? What?? What do you mean? I thought he was looking for H. Pylori like all the other patients!! He said, "the cells came back as Lymphoma and it's very rare and we must do the test again to be sure". I was 35 years old. I didn't hear anything else he may have said to me after that. I simply nodded my head and thanked him for his visit and agreed to see him the next day to repeat the scope. As before, the test was easy. I was in a daze and felt like my head was spinning. The lab confirmed the cells were lymphoma very quickly that day, but decided to forward them on to a medical college and from there they were sent to the Mayo Clinic. I was diagnosed with MALT Lymphoma. It's an unusual form of Lymphoma that rarely affects women and is usually found when a person is in their 60's-70's. It is normally associated with H. Pylori, but I tested negative on three different tests. I was immediately sent to an oncologist that gave me a list of treatment options -radiation, chemo and partial/total gastrectomy! I got a second and a third opinion as the treatment options for this kind of cancer are not agreed upon by all onocologists. I wanted someone who dealt with it often enough to give me the best outcome possible. Ultimately, it was decided that I'd receive chemotherapy but not radiation at this point (I was too young--would wait and see if chemo worked). I was treated for the H. Pylori anyway, just in case it was there and just not showing up on the tests. The doctors said I most likely had it at some point. I was given a port (a "permanent" IV) to receive my chemo once weekly. I started chemo in January of 2007 and finished at the end of March. In the mean time, all of my weight loss efforts stopped. I did not lose any weight with my chemo (I got to have a very specific kind that only attacked my cancer cells, not the rest of my body), and I didn't lose my hair. I was very tired and my hair thinned, but I was able to continue working (barely--I needed to save my FMLA in case I had to change to anothe chemo that would keep me from working). It was brutal and I was so scared. Mostly for my children and my husband. In August of 2007, I asked if we could resume the Quest for the LapBand and after much deliberating amongst my two oncologists, GYN, PCP, Endocrinologist and my Bariatric surgeon they agreed. They all agreed that because my cancer attacked at such a young age and we are finally under control (with caution), that it is in my best interest to lose weight and get healthy. I restarted the entire program with many more doctors on board this time. Since my initial appointment, I'd gained approximately 40 more pounds and was feeling pretty bad about the unfortunate turn of events in my life. I went through all the emotions and fear as you'd expect and to this day not sure that I will ever be the same person that I was before. Cancer changes you forever. I needed to have this surgery. I am definitely never a candidate for the RNY now and the doctors all agreed that this option (Lap Band) would be the most benefical without interfering with any future tests or maintainence chemotherapy. It is unknown whether this particular kind of cancer "could" be related to obesity, but because the band is adjustable, they feel that if my cancer comes back or I need a different treatment, they can work with that. My own school of thought is that had I not been obese, I wouldn't have developed GERD which gave me an ersoion that allowed bacteria in that turned to cancer. Hmmmph. Who knows. I just know that to receive the LapBand is truely a life saving measure for me. I realize that it is the same for so many of you that have other health conditions that could eventually cause death. I just wanted to share my story with you. I just got another EGD 2 weeks ago and this one is the first one to come back without cancer cells!!!! I am so relieved to be going into this surgery "healthy". I am looking forward to a new start in life like so many of you. Had I never been referred to the Bariatric clinic, they might never have found my cancer so early (I had NO symptoms). I see this as a strange kind of blessing that I went through all of this never knowing it would literally save my life. So you see, getting banded is my reconstruction, my new beginning, my GIFT! Just as a breast cancer survivor gets her new breast I get my band on April 10th 2008. ~Carol

I believe it is a requirement for the LapBand surgery. I might be wrong, but I've never heard of any doctor not doing it before they band you. They are looking at the integrity of your esophagus and stomach. They look for a hiatal hernia, GERD and take biopsies of your stomach to check for a bacteria called H. Pylori. They need to know all these things before they band you. If you have the bacteria, they will need to treat it with a very specific course of antibiotics. The course of treatment is usually a few weeks, but then banding can occur after that. Chances are, your surgeon will want this done anyway. Check to see if s/he wants to do it themselves or is it okay for you to go to your GI doc. It's great you are thinking ahead though. Good luck! Looks like all your appointments are all set! :tt1: ~C

Yeah, I had to do the 6 month diet too. Just be careful not to miss ANY of your appointments or they can deny you and require you to start all over. They just want to see how dedicated you are, see if you can lose weight (losing some is fine, but if you get below the required BMI they will deny you) and usually those who don't want it bad enough will give up and drop out of the program. I had to journal all my food, print it out (they turned it in to the insurance company) and go to all the other appointments they have you do too! It's a long journey, but they kept me busy doing all the required stuff so the time went by fast. But like the other poster, I had to wait another 3 months for a surgery date!!! Some other people on this board have gotten approved and done super fast, like within a week or a little more, but each insurance company is different. I am currently on the preop liquid diet and it hasn't been bad at all. I thought it would be, but the Protein shakes keep you feeling full. Hang in there! You can do this!!! Good luck! ~C

TX: Sounds awesome!!!! I'm so glad you had a good time! What a chaotic beginning, but it sounds like that didn't take anything away from the ride. I heart cops! :tt1: I can't wait to see the pictures!! ~C

Cameltoe is a slang term that refers to the outline of the female labia majora when seen through tight, form-fitting clothes.

Hey! I went there last week as one of my 'last meals' and got the spinach dip and it was GROSS! It looked weird...really, really green, like bright green and it was bland. Even the chips sucked. No fair. I wanted yummy stuff. They had to have done something different to their recipe. Thanks for giving me something to complain about...albeit FOOD!! lol

OMG...I LOVE the Patchwork one!! I've only seen it in the little "petite tote" size. Other than that, not too inspired either! Oh well...have a great day everyone! I'm off to drink a protein shake now! Yummy. ~C

April 10th!!!!! WOO HOO!!!! And, I am all about purses chica. I loooove them. There are some I just have a hard time paying the asking price for. Like Vera Bradley...love em, but just can't justify $100 for a cloth purse! Ya know?

Thanks HP! I am ready for the changes. I wanna be like you all...losing weight, looking fine and all that! I am tired of the wait for this, but I am down to the wire now, it's actually going to happen for real! Good for you selling your bike...shows commitment to the new one! :tt1: ~C

I was really hoping we would go back to complaining because I'm on my preop liquid diet and you all suck talkin' about all this food! WAAAH WAAAH!

Hi! There is usually a thread going that compares the different types of bands. I remember seeing pictures of both the Realize and the Lap Band, but I can't seem to find them for you. You can enter a search and look for them. That is a long boring task, but they are in there somewhere! The websites should show pictures of their products. Also, you could try (I hate to even say this, but) You Tube. ~C

HP: Great job on the weight loss! You can do it! ZZ: Wow, it does sound like you got a pretty good fill! I was so worried about being really hungry on this preop part, but I am doing surprisingly well! Keep up the good work on your goal with HP. You both are almost there!! Oh...and that Diva Cup? Heard about those years ago, but they didn't really take off. Something about them not staying in place and "tipping" over....yeah, ewwww. BG: The sun is shining just south of you! Did you get your good weather? ~c

I complained a few posts ago! Jus doin' my part! :tongue: