PSJ71

Hi Rose!! Yes, it is great to see people that have lost a good deal of weight. I just can't wait until it's my turn. I noticed on your signature line you had a bad experience at your support group. What happened? I haven't gone to one yet, but I have to.

Wow, Tina! That is amazing!!! I am sooooo looking forward to having this done. I used to like Smirnoff triple black, but haven't had any of that in a long, long time. Does the carbonation bother you at all? This is going to be one of the hard things for me is not having anything carbonated. And not being able to drink anything when eating. I know I will get used to it though. I guess I should try and start making some changes now before I have it done.

Hi Tina, Wow, how gorgeous!! You have come a long way baby!! What's you holdin' in that last picture with the bottle? Heehee. That is really awesome!! I can definitely tell your confidence went up with the weight loss as well. How long has it been since you have been banded? Lookin' fantastic!!

Oh my gosh!! Wow, see stories like yours give so much hope to some of us who want to do this, but are sort of nervous. I am really excited about having it done, because never in my life have I ever had a flat stomach.. Well, I think when I was 4 or 5. But I was too little to enjoy it. But, I just can't wait!! Congrats on your weight loss. that is terrific!!

Hey Schwabie That's GREAT!!!!! Congratulations!! How long has it taken you to lose 95 pounds? Keep up the good work!

Hi Judiboo, Well, I can't say for myself, but I do have 126 pounds to lose WHEN I get banded. However, I can say when I went to my second seminar the other night, there was a girl there who had lost 131 pounds, she was either at her goal or didn't lack much. I missed her story though, because my husband and I got there late and missed the "Meet the Patients" part of the meeting. I have been a little worried myself of getting stuck after losing 60 or 80 pounds, but I know that there will be times when it will seem that the weight has stalled. Those are the times when you have to change up your routine, or in some cases certain things that is eaten. So, I plan on doing a lot of exercise and see where that gets me. The way I see it, even losing 60 to 80 pounds with the band is better than staying the way I am now and risking gaining even more weight on top of what I have to lose now. Good luck to you!

Hi James! It's great to have you and it's even greater than you and your wife are doing this together. I have yet to be banded, but hopefully by the end of the year. I've gone to the seminar and have gotten the info needed from my insurance company that they will cover it, etc. I, too, have been obese all of my life and actually lost a significant amount of weight from May of 2000 to March of 2001, went from 203 down to 158 through my personal trainer's high Protein, low carb diet and rigorous exercise...only to become pregnant in March of 2001 and gaining 50 pounds during the pregnancy, losting 25 after, to gaining to 280 as of February of this year. I joined WW a second time this year and lost down to 266, which I am currently. So, it's bee yoyo city for me all of my life. I wish you the very best and I think you will find this site addictive. Since I Found it back in July, I am pretty much here everyday reading new posts and getting new insight each day!

The lady at the doctor's office called my insurance today and found out I was right. I don't have to follow a 6-month supervised diet. I did find my weight watcher's card for this year just in case. But, I am tickled pink I don't have to prolong it with having to do that. :sad: So, for future reference if anyone else has Blue Shield of CA, they will not have to do a 6-month diet.

Ah ha, see. The lady I talked to with my insurance today told me sort of the same thing. She said maybe your doctor wants the 6-month diet done, and I said I don't think so? Because they said that YOU guys said I had to have a 6-month diet. So, she asked me if she could put me on hold and get clarification through the policy. She came back and said she saw nothing in the policy that requires a 6-month supervised diet. So....hmm.... could be the surgeon then? Well, I don't mind the extensive testing at all. I have often wondered if I have sleep apnea and may be this will shed some light on possible other issues I may have. I already know I have hypothyroidism and hypoglycemia and PCOS. But, there could be other things as well. Thank you for your response!! :omg_smile:

Whooohooo, I called the insurance company and talked to Medical Management and they said there is nothing in the policy that says I have to do a 6-month supervised diet!!!! Yipeeeeee :scared2: I am very, very happy. :omg_smile:

I am sure it's not the doctor. She said it was my insurance. So, I just got up, as I work third shift, I am going to make a quick phone call. Then, if they happen to say no, then I will call the lady and tell her. It could be that she deals with so many different kinds of insurance she may have just gotten confused. I will keep my fingers crossed. I really, really like this doc though. Thank you so much for your response :omg_smile:

Thank you both so much for your replies. I am going to check into it further and make sure. I will call them later on this morning and see if they can tell me. Thank you again,

Hi All, Well, I went to my second seminar tonight with a new doctor and I have to say this new doc is wonderful! I know he's definitely the one I want to do my surgery, if I get to have it. Well, I had contact my insurance company in July to see if they cover everything. Of course they do. I have Blue Shield of CA. They also told me about covering the psych eval, nutritionist everything. However, the lady who handles insurance at this doctor's office told me that I would have to go on a 6-month supervised diet....My insurance never mentioned that and I have been trying to look up information on it and I don't see anything to that effect. I see they want a diet history. I have been heavy my whole life. I have tried many diets. Just this year I started WW in February and stopped in May and had lost 13 pounds. I have pictures of myself as a kid and as an adult showing how heavy I have always been!! I am so frustrated. I really don't want to have to go through this 6-month thing. I'm going to call my insurance myself in the morning and find out if they do require this. I can't find anything in the handbook about it for sure. Anyway, I had to vent and thank you for listening. :thumbup: Paulette

OhGary, Good luck to you!!! I hope everything works out for you and remember....this is a wonderful board and it's always here for you no matter what your decision is. I know I have found it a tremendous help since finding it in July. I wish you the very best!!!

sorry, I kept saying lab band lol Meaning lap band. I do know to type. :biggrin:

OhGary, You would be surprised at how much WW really does help in some ways. I have tried it twice and for some reason, I have problems with staying on diet plans. Had I stayed focused and kept going to the meetings I think I might have managed to stick with it. But, I feel like I need a constant reminder with having the lab band, because for one thing, I HATE to throw up, I'd rather get a beating than to throw up. Secondly, I have actually eaten too much before and had PBing without the band..So needless to say I really feel the lab band will be a good choice for me, because I feel I have a constant reminder NOT to overeat and make bad food choices. But, since you have never dieted, I would highly recommend Weight Watchers. There is A LOT of support there and when you see people who have lost 25 pounds, 50 pounds plus, it really helps when they hand out those little prizes. Try it out and see.

Hey that's a great way to think about it, JB!! Wow!! I really never thought about it like that. My son is a first grader and when I pick him up, I think wow, If I put on this much weight I would hardly be able to walk. But, I never thought about it like that.

Congratulation!!! I am proud for you and I can't wait until I am posting the very same thing! :redface: Going to my second seminar with new doc tonight so hopefully by the end of the year :frown:

Jb, That was the BEST post. You are so right. I KNOW at 37 years old that this weight issue is to much for me. I did lose a significant amount of weight before I had my son only to gain it back plus a whole lot more! I can't wait for the day until I can get my band and start being healthy. I have a 7-year-old whom I adore so much. Even though I am fortunate not to have diabetes, I do have hypoglycemia and PCOS and can tell my joints are suffering a great deal by being this heavy. I am READY for this change. I just had to say that was a very motivating post. Thank you!

Hi Anne, Basically what they look for during a colonoscopy are any types of irregularities in your large intestinal tract, such as polyps, cancer, diverticulosis, ulcers, or if there is any bleeding in there. You are pretty much sedated for the procedure, and I have actually heard the worst part is the preparation you have to do before the procedure, but I am thankful we have such great procedures to detect things these days. However, I have never had to undergo one yet. Hope this helps! :thumbup:

I agree with RestlessMonkey. I want someone who has performed the surgery many times as well and has "seen it all." Yes, there are risks involved with any surgery and any surgeon, but I feel more comfortable going with someone who has the experience.

Thank you so much, Heather. You all are so wonderful. I love this site.

Thank you so much! Bless your heart. It's great to know you have it under control now. I don't feel suicidal, but I just feel sad and irritable and tired most of the time. I do have hypothyroidism and found out just this past February. I was also anemic. So after starting iron and the levothyroxine I started feeling a little better, but I have most of the classic symptoms of it. Wow, amazing what you get used to in some ways. I will answer the questionnaire honestly. I was not going to if it was going to affect having surgery or not. So... this makes me feel so much better.

Marie, Thank you so, so much for the information. I was so scared that it might have an effect on getting the surgery. When I saw some of the questions on there and I saw that I fit A LOT of it, I just didn't know if they go ahead with the surgeries. I just have to have a lap band, because I am just so tired of failing at weight loss attempts and this will be a constant reminder that I can no longer eat the way I have been for most of my life. I'm really excited to get it going. I hope I can have it done before Christmas. We will see how all goes. And thank you so much again for taking the time out to respond and ease my mind.

Hi all, Well, I am going to see another doctor, because something was just telling me something was not right about the doctor I was going to use. Anyway, I have to go this doc's seminar on Tuesday. MOst of the paperwork I will need is on his web site, including the some of the questionnaire for the psych eval. I looked over it and haven't printed it out, but I was alarmed at how much I fell into being depressed. I have wondered about this for a while, but I guess I didn't want to accept it. So, I am afraid if I do this, they will not operate on me if it shows I am depressed. So, if any of you can shed some light, I would be really grateful. I really want to get a lap band really, really badly and would hope this would not hinder it. Thanks bunches!