danaclark2

Not banded yet--but if I lose 52lbs. in one year, I'll be jumping for joy!!! Great job!

Exactly, Kabeerah! I know how you feel. It's like our bodies know the deprivation they are about to face...

Sorry--One piece of PIE vs. a whole one.

Thanks everyone! And, Jack, I can't wait for the day where over-eating is one piece of piece vs. a whole one.

Hi, all! I'm feeling pretty gross right now--I've eaten like a horse--all day long. (I'm not yet banded, by the way.) I'm am hours away from starting my period--and I always have a difficult time controlling my appetite at this time. I'm also feel slightly stressed--I called my bariatric surgeron's office today to see if they had received my PCP's Letter of Medical Necessity (for the Lap Band), and they said that they had not received it yet. So, I called my PCP, and the secretary supposedly relayed the information to my doctor to write the letter (though he knew about this over 1 month ago). I was told at my initial appt. with my bariatric surgeon (On January 10) that they would request the letter from my PCP (for my insurance company). It's been almost two weeks ago. Am I being unreasonable to expect the letter to be written in this short amount of time? I guess I'm just so anxious to get this process started and over with. I feel like such a hog. Oh--then I worry--will the Lap Band work--really work. Will I be able to truly eat less? There's something just so tempting about the gastric bypass--like you know that you'll be relatively thin in 8-12 months. But the gastric bypass is not something I want to do. I don't want to permanently change my insides... Thanks for letting me vent...I just feel so horrible about how much I've eaten, and I'm dreaming of the day that I can have some mechanical self-control. I know it takes more than just that--I know you have to have will-power with the band, too, to make it work. I just want something that will limit the amount I can eat. I feel my stomach is a bottomless pit sometimes... Enough rambling--Have a good night all!

I totally understand. I think the same thing every time I see that commercial. Like a size 10 is a big, fat blubbery size:rolleyes: --phew...if only I were a size 10... We'll get there some day! :thankyou:

PJ-- Oh--I used to live in Crofton--when I was in high school. I actually live in Clarksville now--about one mile from the hospital where Dr. Steely's office is. I have BC/BS of TN (PPO)--my husband is also a state employee (of TN, however). Do you know if insurance will cover the "fills"? Good luck with getting a surgery date. I hope it's soon for you. Let me know what you find out.

Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! So happy for you.

Mary-- You've been through so much! Bless your heart. I pray for you nothing less than a full recovery and steady weightloss!! Congratulations on the 50 lbs. gone! I'll be joining you as a "bander" hopefully sooner than later.

PJ-- I have completed my psychological and EGD. I don't know if my PCP has sent my letter or not. I was told at my initial appt. with Dr. Steely that they would request the letter from my PCP. My PCP knows I am wanting the Lap Band--he is all for it. I have completed the requirements from my insurance company (the six months of a diet, checked by a physcian--in fact, I used the weight loss med., Phentermine, which made me crazy--too much of a stimulant for me--couldn't sleep,etc.). I have my nutrition and education class this Wed. After that, I guess I just wait for a reply. I'm going to call Dr. Steely's office on Wed. (it will have been two weeks from my initial appt. with him) to see if he's received the letter from my doctor (PCP). ***I have no gallbladder--so I didn't have to have that test run, and Dr. Steely didn't require me to do the sleep study because I've had no issues with snoring, etc. So--I, like you, just wait anxiously. I'm so ready to get this weight off. I hope I'm making the right decision by getting the band. I really hope it works. Have you known many people to get the band? Were they successful? ***I am from Crofton, Ky. I graduated from Christian Co. High in 1992. Dana

PJ-- I've mostly heard good things about him. I know a few people who have had the gastric bypass by him. They all spoke highly of him. One friend (who's mother had the gastric bypass at Centennial in Nashville) said that she'd heard he had had several deaths--but this is to be expected with the gastric bypass. I think the national average is a 1% death rate. I had my endoscope last Wed. with Dr. Steely. It went well. Like you said, he seems very nice, experienced, etc. but rushed. His wife, Barbara, did speek with me in her office for about 30 minutes answering my questions. I really only care if he's a good surgeon--his personality really doesn't matter to me. So, you're going for the band? Do you have a surgery date yet? Dana

That's awesome!!! What an inspiration to us "pre-banders"!!!

P.S. How do you get those tickers on your signature. I went to tickerfactory.com and chose a ticker but did not know how to paste it on my signature. Thanks, Dana

Hey, Sherry-- No--I do not have the least bit problem with heartburn, etc. It's just a standard test that everyone has to have before surgery with this particular surgeon--just to make sure, I guess. I don't believe I have any ulcers--I worry that I might have a deformed esophagus because my uterus (as discovered during my first c-section) is strangely shaped--but I'm probably just being overly worried. I'm just so anxious to get these preliminary tests over with. I'm ready to start my life as a "bander."

Just wondering if anyone has used Dr. Steeley in Clarksville, TN? I've heard good and not so good--more good than bad, though. Dana

Oh, thank you all! Just needed a little encouragment. I do think the number one reason I'm really hesitant about the RNY is my children. Statistically, there is just a higher chance of morbid complications from the bypass vs. the Lap Band. And, I also think that, in a way, the band helps to "shrink" your stomach back to a more normal size (after having streched it from years of over-eating)--this, in a way, does seem "natural." I'm really excited about this journey. I have my EGD ??? (where they look at your esophagus (sp?) to see if you have ulcers, malformations, etc. What would cause one to not "pass" the EGD? Thanks to all who replied. Dana

Hi, all! My name is Dana, and I'm so thankful that I stumbled across this website. I'm in the final stages of preparing for the lap band surgery. I never thought I would consider weight loss surgery until I attended a WLS seminar and the surgeron gave the statistic that 98% of obese people will never lose the weight on their own, and if they do, they won't keep it off without surgery--not that it can't be done--it's just not likely. It was like a light bulb went off in my head. This obesity thing--this thorn in my side--is a disease, a disease I've bee struggling with my whole life, from my earliest memories. I have tried and tried and tried on my own, to no avail, and having a thyroid that has failed me doesn't help matters (I'm currently on .112mgs of the generic for synthroid). Many people say that WLS is "not natural," but neither are c-sections, open-heart surgeries, eye-glasses, vaccines, gallbladder removals, biopsies, mammaograms,--I could go on and on...but neither is it "natural" to be 100lbs overweight. Through unusual circumstances I put this weight on, and through unsual circumstances I choose to take it off. I need medical intervention. That being said, I struggle with which surgery to pursue: Lap Band (which I'd much rather have) or gastric bypass (RNY). My insurance will pay for both. My surgeon has left the decision up to me. I want to do the Lap Band, but I'm so afraid of failing. I've read the thread about thyroid problems (and the banders who have had troubles losing weight even with the band--I guess they're called "turtles"). I know that WLS is a tool--not a cure all. I am determined more than ever to make great changes in my life. I do believe I need the extra "push" of WLS in order to be successful. I know the gastric bypass is so much more scary than the Lap Band, but I also know that you're pretty much guaranteed to lose weight witht the bypass. If you follow the rules of the gastric banding and are faithful to exercise and have your TSH normalized (between a 1 and 2), will this work? I don't care if I only lose 30lbs a year--just want to see progress (I have about 120 lbs to lose, by the way). Also, I was wondering about the EROSION thing. How long does it usually take for the erosion to show up? Could you lose a good amount of weight before you have to have the band removed. I'd hate to put all the time, energy, money, and hope into the band, just to have it removed 2 months later.:help: Thanks for all the responses (in advance)!!! I'm so thankful for all of you and for all of the other threads that I spent reading 'til 1:00 in the morn. this morning. You guys are awesome! Dana

Not banded yet, but plan to be soon in Clarksville, TN by Dr. Steeley.