Enchanted

w00t! Congratulations!!!

Welcome, Cinni. I'm sure you'll be able to make the right decision for you by reading and learning about all of your options. Best wishes..

Welcome, Tiffany. You might want to check with your insurance carrier before you get started. See what they cover and if your doctor is on their approved list (if they have one). Best of luck to you!

Welcome, Harts! I hope you're healing well.

You're still early in the process, Gigim, and it's totally normal to be concerned. In fact, it would worry me more if you were leaping blindly. You're doing the right thing by coming here. Read lots, ask questions, become an informed patient. When you meet with your doc, you'll have all of your questions ready. Also, lots of people here suggest that you look into your coverage before you have your first appointment. Make sure the procedure is covered -- and that your doctor accepts your insurance. Best of luck to you!

Welcome, Teestir.....good luck on your journey!

Christine from Orange County, NY. I'm 41. My husband and I are separated (it's a good thing for both of us). I have an 18 year old son who is in college (wants to be a teacher). I work for a stationery company. Loooove my job. My surgery date is April 30 and I cannot wait! I had a cat, but he peed on everything I love . . . so my semi-ex-husband has custody of him now :thumbup:

Anyone in your situation would be feeling down. Out of control blood glucose levels alone can cause changes in mood. Add a death in your family. Add life changing surgery. You have been through a lot in a very short period of time. My suggestion is that you be patient with yourself. Stick with your doctor's instructions. Treat yourself with compassion. And..hang in there.

Welcome Tigermama....sounds like you're off to a good start.

Hard and persistent coughing is another thing my surgeon says can cause slippage.

I could be wrong, but I don't think it costs money to appeal an insurance company's decision. All of my docs agreed that I should have the lap band and each of them said that if I had trouble with my insurance company (Anthem BC/BS), I should let them know and they would work with me and the carrier. Thankfully, my surgery was quickly approved. I hope you don't give up. Be the squeaky wheel. This is important.

Even though I knew I'd be getting my surgery date, when they asked me when was good, the only thing that came to mind was, "Yesterday!" I also took the first available. Welcome, Maitai!

Welcome Sassy....you're doing the right thing by posting here, reading and becoming an informed patient. Have you been to your physician yet? You also might want to consider going for therapy to talk about the emotional connections that so many of us have with food. Best of luck to you in your search for answers..

Read everything you can get your hands on -- become an informed patient. Get to your PCP to get his/her thoughts based on your health history. Find out about your insurance coverage. Many questions can be answered here. I'd suggest reading the FAQs. However, keep in mind that no one here knows your situation better than you and your health care team. Best of luck to you!

I'm still pre-op, but I have only told the five most supportive people in my life. When I was low carbing and lost around 80 pounds (regained lots of that), people would ask how I was doing it. I was glad to say because I had such success, but some people would then want to debate the pros and cons of a low carb diet. I found myself defending my decisions at a birthday party and at a gathering of friends. At this point, I really do only want support. I have done all of the research, educated myself, consulted with healthcare professionals. I know the risks and know that the benefits outweigh the risks for me. So, for me, it's more a matter of privacy (at work) and not inviting negativity (from well-intentioned?) friends. I also figure I can always tell more people -- but I can't untell someone who ends up being a goofball about it.

I was thinking the same thing, Molly. Disclaimer: I realize that the following is over-simplification and we are not talking about cars here :cry_smile: Remember when power windows were first introduced to automobiles? Many people wanted to stick with the manual windows because the powered versions were notorious for having trouble -- and then they were expensive to repair. And now, I have just aged myself. Shoot.

Welcome, Trudy. Good luck and continued success!

This is exactly what I'm looking for from my surgery. I've never heard it put quite this way, Kat. Thank you. Kat Said: Since being banded I hardly ever experience hunger. Once that urgency of feeding myself was gone, I was able to make much wiser food choices.

I'm guessing that giving up smoking pre-op is required because people who smoke do not heal as well -- and because of the difficulties with recovering from anesthesia. I hope things work out for you, Mema. Sounds like such a stressful time for everyone there.

I've heard that walking helps with the gas (from surgery) pain in the shoulders. Does this seem to be true in most cases? Or more of a ymmv thing?

Welcome, Emmers. Sounds like you're doing great so far!

Perrrrfect! I'll look for them. Thank you so much!

Someone at a support group had all of her testing and approvals done in a month. It took me six months to get everything done. I think some of how long it takes depends on your health, too. If there are major concerns, some of those may need to be under better control before you'll get your clearance. Best of luck to you.

And if it's easier on the surgeon, it's easier on you

I missed the whiny, self-indulgent part of your post, Dita. Here's what I have been doing to get my head in the right place before surgery.... * keeping a food journal...even when I slip * keeping a journal of my feelings...even if I only write a sentence or two, it helps me put things in perspective * reading and posting here * attending local support groups Months ago, I stopped buying new clothes. I also did other things to take care of myself....took care of all of those periodic appointments (dentist, gyno, etc.). I think it's important to figure out what is going to fill you up if (when!) it's not food.