Florida Pete

So I have submitted all my initial paperwork to the surgeon's office and now waiting for his call to move onto the next step. But what am I to do in the mean time? Well first off my wife and I have already started taking a really good look at the foods we have, how we have been shopping, and changing our focus. We both are borderline diabetic so we went out and got a diabetic cook book to change how we cook. We are looking at what we have in our meals and noticed we are very heavy in the carbs; yeah I know that is no surprise. So now we're taking baby steps to eating better. Next we have to look at our exercise program. Or should I say the lack of. At the beginning of the year we did really good for about 2 months on getting out and going walking 5 days a week. But then the excuses came and we slacked off. Now we need to get back to doing what. Other things I am doing in the mean time is of course coming onto the forums here and giving support to others and learning a lot from many more. I want to be as prepared as I possibly can so I know what to expect.

To be free is totally right. All the surgeons at some point had their very first lapband surgery and have learned from there. My surgeon has been doing bariatric surgeries for approximately 16 years with the last 6 years to include lapband. I prefer to have a well experienced surgeon but as my surgeon has trained others to do the lapband surgery he has gone to assist the other surgeons in their first few surgeries. So I would trust someone with 22 surgeries under their belt.

So I have submitted all my initial paperwork to the surgeon's office and now waiting for his call to move onto the next step. But what am I to do in the mean time? Well first off my wife and I have already started taking a really good look at the foods we have, how we have been shopping, and changing our focus. We both are borderline diabetic so we went out and got a diabetic cook book to change how we cook. We are looking at what we have in our meals and noticed we are very heavy in the carbs; yeah I know that is no surprise. So now we're taking baby steps to eating better. Next we have to look at our exercise program. Or should I say the lack of. At the beginning of the year we did really good for about 2 months on getting out and going walking 5 days a week. But then the excuses came and we slacked off. Now we need to get back to doing what. Other things I am doing in the mean time is of course coming onto the forums here and giving support to others and learning a lot from many more. I want to be as prepared as I possibly can so I know what to expect.

Hi Andrea, I have not had the surgery yet but here is some support that I will like to pass along to you. Just do keep in mind that this surgery is done all over the world every day. Your surgeon is very experienced I am sure and will take very good care of you. Your new life is about to begin and should be very exciting. Take some time to sit down and relax to calm your mind. Listening to some calming music or reading a good book might get your mind off things to help with the anxiety. I wish you the best of surgeries and will pray for a fast and quick recovery for you. -Peter:thumbup:

I've made the decision to move forward with bariatric surgery. Of course I am in the long haul to get the insurance company to approve it but I still want to work on preparing myself for it. So I am trying to watch what I eat and trying to get myself to exercise. What I really am struggling with is portion control. Like last night I had two cheese burgers instead of just one. At breakfast this morning it was two big breakfast sammis instead of one. At lunch it was the chinese buffet and I had 2 large plates of food and 2 large cups of soup. I tell myself I need to do better but then I don't. This is so frustrating.

I will be sending my paperwork in tomorrow to the surgeons office. Just have to get my wife to help me tonight taking some measurements that the surgeon asked for on his forms. I have already called the insurance company and they were not very helpful in giving me much information. All they told me was they needed 3 codes and that the doctors office should be taking care of it. So I'll put in a prayer for you to get your approval quickly and congratulate you on making this decision to moving forward with this.

MamaJava, Don't be discourage hun. I have not been banded yet so I cannot give you any advice on what to do but you already doing the right steps in talking to your doctor and coming here to talk to others. I know this is a very rough and hard process but you will get through it. Believe in yourself and trust in yourself. The weight will come off as you go through the process. Please keep coming here and talk to others. I think everyone has some great suggestions on things you can do. Oh and stay away from the icecream :smile2: The only suggestion I can give.

Thank you for the compliment on supporting Hammer. Really that's what we are all here to do is learn, get support, and give support. :smile2: One thing I did to cut the soda out of my diet was I told my wife that I did not want us to have soda in the house anymore. Thankfully she is very supportive of us both eating better and living better and so we stopped buying soda. Also I don't keep it at work and the soda machine here is two floors down so it's not easy access. So I end up drinking Water all day long. coffee is redily available here but thankfully I really do not like the taste of coffee. LOL :wub: I have lost 20 lbs since January and I really believe it is attributed to two things. First and formost the cutting of soda out of my diet and second the major reduction in eating out. Thanks to the economy on that one :cheers2:

I will have to check with my insurance company too on the starting BMI verse the diet BMI for approval.

I've actually wondered this too. How hard should I work before hand to lose weight since the insurance company will deny people. I totally understand the feeling there. All I can really say is make sure that your medical records do get corrected with your height. Even if it means being nasty and a bit of a "b" about it do it. This is your life and you expect good service. As for how hard to work before hand I think that is really a tricky thing.:smile2:

I am in the same boat with you Maribelle on the teething infant but personally I stay away from caffiene as much as possible anyway. I don't have to say how much of a vice it is cause we all already know it. Here is my advise; your giving yourself a new chance at changing your life to be healthier so why not kick the caffiene habit. Now let me tell you I used to be a very heavy soda drinker. I would easily put down a 12 pack of Pepsi a day. I have never been much of a coffee drinker but the soda was what I got my caffiene from. Along with sugar and all the carbination. I made the decision a few years ago to cut out the caffiene and went to Sprite and then about a year ago I cut out soda all together. Trust me when I quit the caffiene I did have the withdrawls and it was not easy. But like has already been mentioned by others here I would not want to have to deal with the caffiene withdrawl at the same time of recovering from surgery.

I have an aunt who has had the band and she tells me that she is one of the lucky ones in that her first fill is all it took. Granted I have a feeling that it will take me a couple of fills but who knows.

I've made the decision to move forward with bariatric surgery. Of course I am in the long haul to get the insurance company to approve it but I still want to work on preparing myself for it. So I am trying to watch what I eat and trying to get myself to exercise. What I really am struggling with is portion control. Like last night I had two cheese burgers instead of just one. At breakfast this morning it was two big breakfast sammis instead of one. At lunch it was the chinese buffet and I had 2 large plates of food and 2 large cups of soup. I tell myself I need to do better but then I don't. This is so frustrating.

I think many of us would have a lot of the same reasons for why we want to lose the weight. Here is a list of some of my top reason. To feel like a normal person again To be able to shop in regular shopping stores To be able to enjoy running again To be fit as my son gets older To be around a long time for myself and my family To be able to enjoy intemacy with my wife more To be able to fly on airplanes and not ask for the seatbelt extension To feel like I can go in public and not be stared at The list really can go on and on.

Today I filled out the first initial paperwork that the surgeon needs. Took me a little while to fill everything out as accurately as I could. You know my family has talked to me off and on for a few years now about getting the surgery and I had been of the opinion well I can do it on my own if I just put my mind to it. Ha! We all know how that really works. A little over a year ago was the first time that I had a doctor actually suggest bariatric surgery to me. At that time I wasn't ready to admit it. Then about a month ago now I started with a new doctor and one of the first things she talked to me about was my weight and the surgery. I guess it's just been coming to terms with myself in accepting that I have not been able to do what I thought I could and that I need to be real about it. I have a 10 month old baby boy that I want to be around for years. I want to see him grow up and want to be there when he is older. On top of that of course goes more to knowing myself and knowing that I don't feel like a normal person. For years now I have not been able to do the things I really enjoy doing. In my late teens and early twenties I was actually a pretty active person. I would go out camping where I actually would hike into a lake a good 8 to 15 miles from any civilization. I used to love to get up early in the morning and go for a good run. It was great getting out in the early morning air when the sun is coming up and just run. It was also great being able to go to any store and look at clothes. Anything from Wal-Mart to Nordstrom's. Ha! Best I can do now days is Casual Male or the JC Penny Big & Tall catalog. What does this all really tell me? That I am not happy with the way I am and I need to change it. I also have had to admit to myself that I am not healthy with all this weight on me. I do have leaky heart valves, high blood pressure, varicose/venous stasis, high triglyceride, as well as the other typical things like achy joints, chronic fatigue, lower back pain, etc etc. So in finally coming to realize that I need to change everything I realize that I cannot do it completely on my own. So now with the doctors referral to talk a surgeon about bariatric surgery I am looking into the next steps. Here I start looking at the different surgery's and figure out which is really best for me. LapBand or Gastric By-Pass....That is the question. That is the decision to make; Not weather I need bariatric surgery or not.

Today I filled out the first initial paperwork that the surgeon needs. Took me a little while to fill everything out as accurately as I could. You know my family has talked to me off and on for a few years now about getting the surgery and I had been of the opinion well I can do it on my own if I just put my mind to it. Ha! We all know how that really works. A little over a year ago was the first time that I had a doctor actually suggest bariatric surgery to me. At that time I wasn't ready to admit it. Then about a month ago now I started with a new doctor and one of the first things she talked to me about was my weight and the surgery. I guess it's just been coming to terms with myself in accepting that I have not been able to do what I thought I could and that I need to be real about it. I have a 10 month old baby boy that I want to be around for years. I want to see him grow up and want to be there when he is older. On top of that of course goes more to knowing myself and knowing that I don't feel like a normal person. For years now I have not been able to do the things I really enjoy doing. In my late teens and early twenties I was actually a pretty active person. I would go out camping where I actually would hike into a lake a good 8 to 15 miles from any civilization. I used to love to get up early in the morning and go for a good run. It was great getting out in the early morning air when the sun is coming up and just run. It was also great being able to go to any store and look at clothes. Anything from Wal-Mart to Nordstrom's. Ha! Best I can do now days is Casual Male or the JC Penny Big & Tall catalog. What does this all really tell me? That I am not happy with the way I am and I need to change it. I also have had to admit to myself that I am not healthy with all this weight on me. I do have leaky heart valves, high blood pressure, varicose/venous stasis, high triglyceride, as well as the other typical things like achy joints, chronic fatigue, lower back pain, etc etc. So in finally coming to realize that I need to change everything I realize that I cannot do it completely on my own. So now with the doctors referral to talk a surgeon about bariatric surgery I am looking into the next steps. Here I start looking at the different surgery's and figure out which is really best for me. LapBand or Gastric By-Pass....That is the question. That is the decision to make; Not weather I need bariatric surgery or not.

I am excited for you. I went to the free seminar held at Jupiter Medical Center here and learned a lot at the seminar. The surgeon was a very nice guy and really did very well with tell all of us about the different surgeries. He had a client in there also who talked about his experience and they both answered peoples questions. If anything I would say that seminar just help solidify my decision to move forward with this. I hope you go and leave with a sense of accomplishment and look forward to taking the next step towards a better life.:Banane37:

Spoken like someone who works in insurance. :Banane37: No but seriously GLB is right. My wife used to be an agent and it varies from policy to policy on what the co-pays, deductables, and coverages are. For examply I have BCBS Florida Options. With my employer we have a $1500 total deducatable on all medical. Beyond the $1500 is 100% coverage in network. Now with that said it still has to be approved like everyone else who is lucky enough to be covered by insurance.

I am glad to see you not being discouraged from this and are moving forward with this life changing experience. I think you will find it to be rewarding to talk to the second psychologist and I pray for you to get your approval from them. Good luck and keep us up to date!

It is hard to hear that you had been denied but you also stated that the psychologist said "at this time". Really I would go one of two routes with this. Either get the therapy for the 6 months to make sure for yourself that you are depressed over weight and not other issues. Or find another psychologist who will give you the approval. Don't take it to hard just look at it as another stumbling block that you have to get out of the way on your path to a better life. Build upon this and turn it around.

I cannot offer any post-op support Hammer but I know you can do it. Believe in yourself and trust in yourself. Already setting up the appointment to see your doctor is a great step to getting back on track. Brad- This is a great inspiring story to me. I wish you the best of luck and keep up the great work!

Hi Lena, Thanks for the welcome! It is great to see so many people from the Palm Beach County and Martin County area on the forums here. I hear it can be a battle with the insurance companies to get approved. Hopefully I won't have as much of a problem as others have. I don't like weighing myself very often so I don't do it. LOL - But I did weigh myself a couple of weeks ago. I weighed in at 464 lbs. This actually was pretty exciting for me back in January of this year I weighed in at 486 lbs. I am 6'-3" tall so if all the BMI internet calculators are right I am at 58. I am not sure what comorbities are so I cannot comment if I have any but my primary care physician said I should have no troubles getting approved with my insurace. It's been hard to admit that I weigh as much as I do and it's hard for me to know that I need to lose more then double my body weight. I can remember back when I weighed 375 lbs and thought to myself "Yeah I am overweight but I am not 400 lbs and I am active". Then changes came about and I stopped being active and soon I went to the doctor and I was over 400 lbs. The doctors office couldn't weigh me so I stopped even caring what I weighed anymore. I infact didn't want to know anymore. It really wasn't until my wife got pregnant with our son that I started to get serious about it. I found a realtively inexpensive scale that I could get to weigh myself. That's when I found out that I was 486 lbs and was in shock. I couldn't believe that I was almost 500 lbs and had a 3 month old baby boy. I want to be around for myself and for my boy. I started walking and working to eat better. Over the last 8 months I have lost 20 lbs but I just don't feel like it. I was actually surprised the other day when I weighed myself to see that I had. Anyway that's a little bit more about myself. Thanks again for all the welcomes and I look forward to taking steps forward with a better life.

This is me right now so badly. Ever since my pmc referred me to the surgeon for this it has become so real to me and I have been making a lot of bad choices.

Thanks Bella and Catz for the welcomes. I love living in Jupiter. My wife and I live in Abacoa and I work just a short drive to North Palm Beach. With having a 10 month old I don't get out to do fishing much but it is great being here right at the beach. I have looked at all three procedures (by-pass, lap band, sleeve) and in my opinion that lap band is the safest way to go. I really have a problem with the idea of completely cutting out a part of the stomach. You body uses that to pull nutrients and minerals to use. If you no longer have use of that part of the body what truly are the long term effects? I am sure that some can answer that but it's just something I have always had issues with. I very much like that the lap band is an adjustable method and is laperscopic surgery as well.

I have an aunt who had the LB surgery done in Mexico. Hers was just under $10,000. It might be worth it to look into going to Mexico for the surgery if it means saving yourself that much money. ------------------------- Hi Momx5! Thanks for the welcome!