rondawood63

Welcome! I am just getting ready to go to my final appt with the surgeon before all my pre-op testing. I found the best source for me was to find others who are about a year out from their surgery and talk with them. Our surgeons office hosted a panel of 6 lapband and 3 gastric bypass clients for us to talk to during our lifestyle changes seminar and they were a wealth of information. So go bend the ear of a veteran! Good luck in the process....

I can completely understand! When I was growing up (MY mom was a good cook) and she made sure we had a complete meal on the table. But if we didn't clean our plates, my dad would say, "there are kids straving in Ethopia, you need to eat your dinner". I would retort back and say, well box it up and send it to them.. OF course, I kinda would get in trouble for that remark! Anyway, I learned to clean my plate and have ever since and now I am my BBW self with self esteem issues and all that goes with that. I have decided to turn it all around now for ME! Having surgery the end of June and can't wait!!! Just hang in there and maybe keep slimfast or something like that at your mom's so when you go over, you can grab that and she will feel like she maybe has fulfilled her MOM duty.... Good luck!

I guess I am the opposite or just a big mouth! LOL I told some of those I work with, and some of my family and my friends from church. I guess I told the ones who I knew would be supportive and left the ones out who wouldn't be so much. I just couldn't contain myself and I had to tell someone. So far I have only had one who seems not so happy and that is my mother... You would have to know the history there. Basically, she has always been in competition with me on lots of things and weight being one of them. She has recently lost like 50 lbs on the Biata injection for diabetics. And I believe she is afraid I will loose more than her. Kinda sick in my mind, but who am I to judge... LOL I don't have a significant other in my life or I would have been more apt not to tell everyone else, but feel to be successful I needed support of family and friends around me at this time! Welcome to the site!

Basically, I involved a select few at first when I was going through the process and then I found out 2 others in my office were doing the same thing. So we all kind of opened up about it. Then when I got the call last week that I was approved, EVERYONE knew what was going on. I was so pumped! I did feel bad for one girl though. She applied for the lapband through our insurance and was turned down because her BMI was too low. But she has hereditary HIGH Cholesterol that even medication is having issues in lowering and I think that right there should have been factored in. She was told she needed to gain 30lbs. to even qualify. So she wasn't willing to do that. I felt alittle awkward in telling her my news but she heard me on the phone and came over and congratulated me and then said, she hated me! I knew she was joking though. I would suggest telling your co-workers or at least the ones you are closest too, mine have really been supportive, asking questions and everything. You go girl!

I have my pre-op appt on June 5th with Dr. Edwards, St. John's Hospital in Springfield, MO and then was told my surgery will be either June 20th or June 27th! I am so excited to get this part over with and get on with my new life and the exciting changes I will be going through. Dr. Edwards staff are remarkable people and have made this long process a walk in the park for me! :thumbdown:

I found out late yesterday afternoon that I am approved through my insurance. I am so excited. I got a call this a.m. from surgeon's office and have an appt with him on June 5th (1- to pay up! LOL 2-To set surgery date) and then go to pre-admission for all that stuff as well. I did ask for a Friday surgery date so I can come back to work on Monday. The reason I asked not to meet with the surgeon until the first of June is my son-in-law is coming home from Iraq tomorrow and I don't want to deal with the liquid diet and all that while he is here. Just enjoy the time with him and my daughter and the girls. I can't wait to see how the girls go to him, he has been gone for 7 months now and they have changed so much in his absence. Well, just wanted to let everyone know I am approved... wooo hoooooooooooooooooo!

I found out late yesterday afternoon that I am approved through my insurance. I am so excited. I got a call this a.m. from surgeon's office and have an appt with him on June 5th (1- to pay up! LOL 2-To set surgery date) and then go to pre-admission for all that stuff as well. I did ask for a Friday surgery date so I can come back to work on Monday. The reason I asked not to meet with the surgeon until the first of June is my son-in-law is coming home from Iraq tomorrow and I don't want to deal with the liquid diet and all that while he is here. Just enjoy the time with him and my daughter and the girls. I can't wait to see how the girls go to him, he has been gone for 7 months now and they have changed so much in his absence. Well, just wanted to let everyone know I am approved... wooo hoooooooooooooooooo!

My surgeon's PA just called about 15 mins. ago and told me I was approved through my insurance! I am so excited! Now I meet with the surgeon again to get my surgery date, do my pre-ops, and then start the fun, nasty liquid diet.. But I am so looking forward to it....

Well, I will keep you in my prayers. I hope all ends up fine and you can keep your surgery date!

YOU go girl! I know how you feel. Most of my friends, sister's are not pencil thin, but haven't had any weight issues and if they don't like what it takes to get to the NEW me, then I will be just like you... IN your face, deal with it! Nice to see some sassiness on here! LOL

Mandi and Bonbon,,,, thanks so much for your responses and yes Prayer has gotten me through some really tough times in my life. I have some great, godly sister's from church who we do bible studies together throughout the year and they know my struggles and that has helped. I laugh at some of the younger ones (Like you Mandi Jo, most of them are pencil thin and have not had anything bad happen to them in thier lives yet... ) But they said all the wisdom I am giving them will help them when something big comes into their lives, they can fall back on the advice I and a couple of the other "Older" ladies have given them! Thank you both for sharing your stories with me and keep me updated on your surgeries and how they turn out and any thing else you think I should be aware of! YOU GO GIRLS! Ronda

I am sitting here waiting on the insurance company to approve the surgery so I can start my new life! I am so excited about this procedure. I have had weight issues since I was abused by a family member when I was approx. 10 years old. I guess I decided to hide behind the weight and it would protect me. :rolleyes2: But it started coming on when I was in the 5th grade. Up until then I was thin. In fact, my mom told me that when I was a baby they had to take me to the doctor because I would not eat... WELL not having that problem now!:eek: Anyway, I was active in Jr. High and High school, being a cheerleader all through those years. I was still larger than all the other girls, but had/have a great personality and pretty enough face, that I didn't let my weight become an issue in my life until I was married and having babies. Not being able to blame the pregnancies on my weight gains. Only gained 12 lbs. with first pregnancy and 20 with the second! It really started when ex husband started having affairs that the weight came on and it came on fast, I am one of those ladies that keeps everything inside until she decides to explode! Well it took me 18 years to finally explode and when I did, I lost 120 lbs of my own and his 180 lbs as we divorced. Then I did the rebound thing... I KNOW I KNOW,, stupid and he turned out to be an alcoholic and all the weight I had lost came back on as I saw my life going south again.... Then we divorced and I lost some of the weight after that. No my thyroid is pretty much shot, I am on medication but the doctor told me that with my thyroid issues I would have a lot harder time loosing weight and that is when I decided to try the route of the lap band. I have done alot of research and think this will work for me as it will help me to keep it off. My support system isn't very good with family, my mom is always telling me about these shows she watches on tv about the lapband and all the bad stuff that happens. :mad:(Yes, I told her to stop watching so much tv.!) So I am looking for a different support system and that is where I came across this site. I am hoping to connect with a few people on here to help keep my spirits up and my head up at the same time. Anyone out there interested in supporting one another in this adventure I am game!:blushing::thumbup::biggrin::thumbup::thumbup::tt2:

I am sitting here waiting on the insurance company to approve the surgery so I can start my new life! I am so excited about this procedure. I have had weight issues since I was abused by a family member when I was approx. 10 years old. I guess I decided to hide behind the weight and it would protect me. :thumbdown: But it started coming on when I was in the 5th grade. Up until then I was thin. In fact, my mom told me that when I was a baby they had to take me to the doctor because I would not eat... WELL not having that problem now!:eek: Anyway, I was active in Jr. High and High school, being a cheerleader all through those years. I was still larger than all the other girls, but had/have a great personality and pretty enough face, that I didn't let my weight become an issue in my life until I was married and having babies. Not being able to blame the pregnancies on my weight gains. Only gained 12 lbs. with first pregnancy and 20 with the second! It really started when ex husband started having affairs that the weight came on and it came on fast, I am one of those ladies that keeps everything inside until she decides to explode! Well it took me 18 years to finally explode and when I did, I lost 120 lbs of my own and his 180 lbs as we divorced. Then I did the rebound thing... I KNOW I KNOW,, stupid and he turned out to be an alcoholic and all the weight I had lost came back on as I saw my life going south again.... Then we divorced and I lost some of the weight after that. No my thyroid is pretty much shot, I am on medication but the doctor told me that with my thyroid issues I would have a lot harder time loosing weight and that is when I decided to try the route of the lap band. I have done alot of research and think this will work for me as it will help me to keep it off. My support system isn't very good with family, my mom is always telling me about these shows she watches on tv about the lapband and all the bad stuff that happens. :mad:(Yes, I told her to stop watching so much tv.!) So I am looking for a different support system and that is where I came across this site. I am hoping to connect with a few people on here to help keep my spirits up and my head up at the same time. Anyone out there interested in supporting one another in this adventure I am game!:bored::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Well, my name is Ronda and I have decided to try and have the lapband surgery here in Springfield, MO with Dr. Edwards from St. John's. I went to the seminar in Feb. 08 and started the process. I finished the last requirement with them this last monday and now my paperwork has been submitted to my insurance company and I am just waiting to find out if I am going to be able to go through with the lapband procedure. I am very excited about this process and have really enjoyed everything that Dr. Edwards office requires you to do to be compliant with the changes you have to make in your lifestyle to be successful after surgery. His staff are great to work with also. I will let you all know if I am successful with the insurance company!

Well, my name is Ronda and I have decided to try and have the lapband surgery here in Springfield, MO with Dr. Edwards from St. John's. I went to the seminar in Feb. 08 and started the process. I finished the last requirement with them this last monday and now my paperwork has been submitted to my insurance company and I am just waiting to find out if I am going to be able to go through with the lapband procedure. I am very excited about this process and have really enjoyed everything that Dr. Edwards office requires you to do to be compliant with the changes you have to make in your lifestyle to be successful after surgery. His staff are great to work with also. I will let you all know if I am successful with the insurance company!