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Hey Autumnleaf, Where are you in Virginia. We used to live in Quantico. I loved the area. Man I miss Potomac Mills. LOL Great that the insurance is going to pick up majority of the tab. That should be good for your wallet. The people in this forum are very helpful and friendly. You'll find all kinds of advice. Hope the process is fast for you.

My doc requires 2 seminars. I went to one and will attend the 2nd later this month. They can be very informative and if given by your doc then you actually meet him face to face and can ask as many questions as you like. For me it was nice to see that other people were going through the same thing I was just embarking on. We also got to meet some of his current patients and hear their stories. It was very uplifting.

My doctor says he doesn't put people on a preop diet. He wants you to start eating healthier if you haven't been doing so in the past and if you are over 50 BMI he wants you to get to 50 or lower. Right now I'm teetering at 51 so I don't have to lose a whole lot to get to 50. I think my body knows I'm trying to lose that 10 lbs and it's not cooperating. :cursing: I've been trying to change my eating habits gradually for a while now so even if he did put me on one I think I would do fine. Actually I wish he would so atleast I would have something to go on.

I just got back from meeting with the psych guy. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. He basically wanted to see how extensive I had done my research. He wanted to know what would happen during the surgery and what I should expect afterward. He took down some information about my family and wanted to know why I wanted to have WLS. It was kind of like talking to your grandfather. He really put me at ease. Next week I have to see him with my hubby so he can basically make sure I have a great support system at home. I know my hubby is a great supporter of anything that will help me gain a healthier lifestyle. I'm not so worried about that.

For me there was no choice in the matter. It was lap band all the way. I would have done it years ago but my insurance didn't cover it until now. With the lap band I have to re learn how to eat and adopt better ways to take care of myself. With the bypass, IMPO, I wouldn't have to do that.

Man I feel like I could have written that post. You put into words what I've been trying to explain to people why I've made the decision to do this. Good luck on your journey. I know you will succeed.

I'm sitting here in my office and I can't help but think about my upcoming psych eval this afternoon. I can't help but wonder what he'll ask me. What I'll answer. Will he trick me into saying something I don't want to say. Or will he bring up stuff that I've had buried within for years. :thumbup: I know I shouldn't feel this way. His secretary told me what this and my second session will be all about. I know this is just a formality that allows the surgeon and the psych doc to see if I am mentally prepared for what the future will bring once I have this surgery. I called my hubby last night to tell him that I would call him after my appointment but I couldn't get the words out of my mouth. Really it is because I already knew what he was going to say...Don't be nervous. You have nothing to worry about. I tell myself that everyday. I overreact about the littlest things sometimes and he is such a rock. Thank GOD for him. You know we have been married WAY too long when I already know what he'll say to questions and statements I may make to him. :crying:

I'm sitting here in my office and I can't help but think about my upcoming psych eval this afternoon. I can't help but wonder what he'll ask me. What I'll answer. Will he trick me into saying something I don't want to say. Or will he bring up stuff that I've had buried within for years. :tt2: I know I shouldn't feel this way. His secretary told me what this and my second session will be all about. I know this is just a formality that allows the surgeon and the psych doc to see if I am mentally prepared for what the future will bring once I have this surgery. I called my hubby last night to tell him that I would call him after my appointment but I couldn't get the words out of my mouth. Really it is because I already knew what he was going to say...Don't be nervous. You have nothing to worry about. I tell myself that everyday. I overreact about the littlest things sometimes and he is such a rock. Thank GOD for him. You know we have been married WAY too long when I already know what he'll say to questions and statements I may make to him. :thumbup:

The journey can be scary. I must admit I was scared at first. All kinds of things went through my head. But from all that one thing stands out...When i finally decided I would do it I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I was no longer scared but happy that I made a decision that will change my life for the better. I've been overweight through my teenage years and within the last 5 years transferred to morbidly obese. I knew I wanted to change that but I would get so frustrated with diets and how they never worked long term. Even my husband (who I call the fitness guru) has helped me with my diet and expercise but I can never seem to lose and keep it off. All I can tell you is research as much as you can. Find out information from your insurance provider and from the doctor you may choose to do your surgery. That way you can find out what kind of road you are looking at and the doctor can give you all the information you need about the process and what you can expect afterwards. Don't feel scared you are not alone. We, your doctor, your support group are here to lend a hand to help you get through this. I've relied on the people on this board to answer a lot of questions. I mean who better to answer what you feel like afterwards than someone who have actually been through the process themselves.

Hi I'm in SC. I'm in the process now of getting my psych evals knocked out and then I can meet with my doc. You'll get great support here. The people are open and are ready to tell you all about their experiences. So far the process has been easy but I know all this is the hard part it is after surgery when the real journey begins.

For me the decision was easy. Well not easy but it got easy once I said I would do it. My doctor actually brought up having gastric bypass but I knew it wasn't for me. Just recently my insurance provider started covering lap bands. Once I got that bit of information I started bugging my doc to put in a referral for me. I did a search for doctors within my area that are covered and went to my first support group. As far as how fast the process goes...well that depends on the doctor and your insurance. My insurance do not ask for special specifications other than the usual ones. Every thing falls upon the doctor who has steps in place that I must accomplish before I can meet with him and finally set my surgery date. I started in mid May and currently I am just starting my psych evals (tomorrow is my first one). After my 2 psych evals I can then make my first appointment with the surgeon and then I'll have laboratory workups. As long as I do not need any special tests I can make my second appointment with the surgeon and get my surgery date. I'm assuming that I can be banded as early as mid to late July. I'm hoping it goes that way. My advice to you is find a seminar somewhere in your area. You can go to Lapband.com and search for them. Or do a search for a doctor within your area and they can tell you everything they require as far as getting a surgery date. Don't forget to talk to your insurance provider they may have special requests before they approve you for surgery. Sorry this post is so long but I was where you were a month ago and I know what it is like to be excited, nervous, and curious all at the same time.

Congrats on the banding! I hope my surgery goes as well as yours when the time comes. I too am worried about the size of my liver. I'm starting now to make sure I eat right (lots of protein with little to no carbs). So far I'm doing good. You are an inspiration to me. Keep up the good work!

I'm going by how I feel. At one time in my life I got down to a size 9/10. If I can get back to that GREAT! If not I'll love to at least get down to a 12.

I'm also here in beaufort. Maybe we met at the support group. Are you seeing Dr. McDevitt? How was the psych eval? I have my first one on 6/4. I'm kind of nervous.

What are some things you did to shrink your liver prior to surgery? I know I my doc wants me to get to 50 bmi and try to shrink my liver as much as possible but I was wondering what other people did to accomplish this.

Anybody get banded with TriCare as their insurance provider? I'm wondering if TriCare had you go through certain steps before they scheduled the surgery date or is it totally up to the doctor they refer you to. Any info would be appreciated.

Next week I have appointment #1 of the psych eval. I can't say that I'm nervous more curious than anything. I can't help but wonder what kind of questions he will ask me? Will he get deep into my past? Will he have the final say if I can go forward and meet with the doc? My husband is a calm and cool. I told him how he has to attend appointment #2 with me and he's just like "okay". It's good that he's so calm about this because there are times when I'm bouncing off the walls. I'm rambling I guess I just have a lot of thoughts going through my head and really don't know how to express them. From what I've read this can go on after the WLS. I say bring it on! As long as I have this blog I can write about the most mundane things. VIVA LA BLOG! VIVA LA BLOG!

Next week I have appointment #1 of the psych eval. I can't say that I'm nervous more curious than anything. I can't help but wonder what kind of questions he will ask me? Will he get deep into my past? Will he have the final say if I can go forward and meet with the doc? My husband is a calm and cool. I told him how he has to attend appointment #2 with me and he's just like "okay". It's good that he's so calm about this because there are times when I'm bouncing off the walls. I'm rambling I guess I just have a lot of thoughts going through my head and really don't know how to express them. From what I've read this can go on after the WLS. I say bring it on! As long as I have this blog I can write about the most mundane things. VIVA LA BLOG! VIVA LA BLOG! :thumbup:

Obesity contributes to global warming: study By Michael KahnThu May 15, 7:03 PM ET Obesity contributes to global warming, too. Obese and overweight people require more fuel to transport them and the food they eat, and the problem will worsen as the population literally swells in size, a team at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine says. This adds to food shortages and higher energy prices, the school's researchers Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts wrote in the journal Lancet on Friday. "We are all becoming heavier and it is a global responsibility," Edwards said in a telephone interview. "Obesity is a key part of the big picture." At least 400 million adults worldwide are obese. The World Health Organization (WHO) projects by 2015, 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese. In their model, the researchers pegged 40 percent of the global population as obese with a body mass index of near 30. Many nations are fast approaching or have surpassed this level, Edwards said. BMI is a calculation of height to weight, and the normal range is usually considered to be 18 to 25, with more than 25 considered overweight and above 30 obese. The researchers found that obese people require 1,680 daily calories to sustain normal energy and another 1,280 calories to maintain daily activities, 18 percent more than someone with a stable BMI. Because thinner people eat less and are more likely to walk than rely on cars, a slimmer population would lower demand for fuel for transportation and for agriculture, Edwards said. This is also important because 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions stem from agriculture, he added. The next step is quantifying how much a heavier population is contributing to climate change, higher fuel prices and food shortages, he added. "Promotion of a normal distribution of BMI would reduce the global demand for, and thus the price of, food," Edwards and Roberts wrote. (Editing by Stephen Weeks)

My hubby and I use spanking as a form of discipline but only as a last resort. We talk to our children about their behavior and tell them the consequences. If they keep on doing something that we have told them time and time again not to do then that may be the final consequence. Not to say every little thing warrents a spanking. He was spanked as a child and so was I. The only difference between us and child abusers is the fact that we do not do it out of anger. When I am upset about what my child is doing I will go and calm down and explain to them what will happen if they keep doing whatever they were doing. Our kids are now 6 and 4. Our 6 yr old we don't even spank anymore because we no longer have to and our 4 year old only gets them every once in a while. Of course there are those that can go overboard and just beat a child and call it discipline but I strongly believe that you do not have to spank every child. A 2 yr old probably doesn't need an all out "whooping" but a little smack on the hand or a quick swat on the butt may do the trick. What ever the parent is comfortable with and make sure you and your spouse sees eye to eye on this form of discipline. My hubby and I talked about it in length before we decided to have kids. Bottom line to my tangent is know your kids and you'll know what form of discipline is right for them and for you.

Good for you!

Maybe you should speak to your doctor about that one. You don't want it to progress to something worse. I hope you feel better.

Personally I chose the Lap Band because I wanted to be more active in my weight loss journey. When we all make the decision to persue WLS we all do it for different reasons. I really could not stomach, for lack of a better word, the idea of having my stomach cut and floating around in my belly and then also have my intestines rerouted. To others this way may be the best for them and they have no problems with the procedure. To each his own. The lapband will allow me to relearn how to eat and take care of my body. That is what I am trying to do now. I'm trying to stick to a good exercise regime and trying make good food choices. You can talk to as many people as you want and you will get half saying lapbands the best and the other saying bypass is better. When it comes down to it listen to your heart and decide what you can live with. Only you can make this decision and only you have to live with the results. I wish you luck on your decision and I hope that you make the right choice for you.

:thumbup::w00t::tt2::w00t: I'm here I'm here!!!! I thought I was the only one here from Beaufort. I may have met you at the seminar this month.