Kellster

Attention all Bandster Bunnies! We're a little more than a month away from our new birthday month (at least that's how I'm thinking of it)!!! How are you all doing? What are you doing to prepare for the big day? Does anyone have their surgery date yet? I have a couple more appointments in March and I should be applying for ins. approval the first week in April - and darnit I better get a fast approval! My roommate is getting banded on 3/8, and I am so excited for her! It feels like we've been traveling down this road for so long, I can't believe we're finally here!

YAYYY! That's awesome! You're just a few days more than a month away!!

I've learned that every doctor is different, and it's really best to follow what your surgeon requires. Mine wants me to do a two-week liquid diet, 1000 calories/day. I don't get the specifics until my next appointment, but the general idea is that it's pretty similar to the first two weeks after the surgery. That way my body gets used to all liquid AND it vastly decreases the fat in the liver. The only prob is - if I'm keeping it quiet at work, how am I supposed to explain a liquid diet for two weeks?? Maybe I'll tell them it's some kind of master cleanse or something... My lunch buddy will be so bummed (haven't told him about the surgery and I'm not sure when/if I will). But then again, he'll have to get used to eating lots of food without me!

I've heard gallbladder surger is a great excuse if you don't want to say you're goin in for the band. I think it's done laproscopically as well... And they'll never really know!

I'm torn when it comes to this question. The logical side of me agrees with the NHI that sets the bar at a BMI of 35. The human side of me disagrees. I have a BMI of 51 or 52 depending on how tall the Dr thinks I am, and I'm blessed because being overweight is my only health problem. So I sympathize with people who have lower BMIs with no comorbidity that want surgery. But then I go with my roomie to her Dr appt and see a ton of what I consider moderately/manageable overweight people signing up for surgery and I question their motives. If I was 230 lbs I probably would not have the surgery, that's too much risk for me personally. Yet I don't know their stories, so how am I to judge? I think that the limits are there for insurance approval for a reason - the medical necessity of surgery and the risk of surgery are taken into account. However, I do think it's great that people can elect to have the surgery and pay for it on their own if they so wish. We do live in a world that judges based on appearance, I can't deny that. So rock on with your bad self, just be sure to take all the precautions you can - whatever your BMI is.

So my fellow Bandster Bunnies, it seems like April is so far away but really, it's right around the corner! Holy crap! Is it possible that in about two months or so I'm going to have had surgery and start moving toward my healthy body. :confused: Spring is a time of new beginnings and rebirth, and I can't wait to get there. I can't wait for rollercoasters and no more Lane Bryant and hiking in the mountains and going to the beach for FUN!

Ahhhh the endless debate. It's weird because I've told a wide variety of people... and I had sworn it was going to stay in a close circle. Of course my parents and sister know, but I haven't told any of my extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins) even though I'm pretty close with them. I guess it's because I've always been the one really fat person in the family, and want to sneak up on them. Teehee! I'm sure I'll eventually tell them the whole story, and I feel like they would be supportive if I told them now but again, I want to just surprise them. I've told very few people at work, only because I prefer to keep that stuff to myself. I told my boss so he'd know why I was out all the time (for the various appts) and he was VERY supportive... although he has a big mouth so I'm taking his confidentiality with a grain of salt. And I've told one other person at work that I know will keep my trust and is supportive. However, I work with a lot of ladies that are my Mom's age, and I know they would be supportive so I may reveal more once it's all done as well. If they don't know already... My best friends of course know, and it's funny - I tell other friends/acquaintances as I see fit. I don't tell everyone but if I feel "it" with them, I let them know and everyone has been encouraging. The one person that hasn't been as encouraging is a friend I made in the past year or so. I think it's because she hasn't seen my struggle for the past 10+ years of being overweight, up and down with different diets, trying everything and being frustrated. She gave me the same response your colleague did - "Why surgery? Can't you take it off 'naturally'? Just eat less!" Uh huh, if that worked for me I'd be in good shape now. I think you just tell the people that you know will support you, or that you feel it necessary to tell. It's all about you and your personal preference. And as far as I'm concerned - congrats and big thumbs up! :confused:

Rock on! This will be a great way to stay in touch with people who are on the same track. :thumbup:

Well it looks like I'll be an April "Bandster Bunny" too! I just finished month 4 of the 6 month diet and am finally having the tests done and a consultation with my new surgeon. My work has an exclusion for out-of-network surgeons so no go on Dr. Martin :thumbup:. But my new surgeon, Dr. Quilici, looks promising. I can't wait until April!!!!!!!

Sometimes it's good to be really overweight... I'm super morbidly obese so I don't have to worry about dropping below the BMI limit. That's one good thing for the insurance battle. At my consultation the other day, the insurance coordinator for my surgeon told me that my insurance (Aetna PPO) wants to see that I did the 6 mo diet but that it wasn't successful, and she indicated that they might be the kind of insurance that would balk at losing too much weight. However, I'm hoping my diet history which shows 5+ programs where I lost weight and then gained it back would be encouraging for the insurance folks to approve this surgery. Good luck to all! Jump through those fiery hoops and get it paid by insurance!

Hey everyone! It's been awhile since I've been on, just plugging away. Since 2009 finally rolled around now I have my new insurance and have gotten fired up again. I had my consultation with Dr. Martin this morning and I am so excited! I went to his seminar after a good friend highly recommended his practice for bariatric surgery. I totally dig him and have heard some great stories so far. I'm gettin all my tests scheduled ASAP and am going to try to finish everything long before my 6 month diet is done. Just have to Celebrate and say hooray! The light is at the end of the tunnel and I finally see it! And of course, if anyone has been banded by Dr. Martin, I'd love to hear stories/advice. Oh, I'm going for outpatient surgery since I live like 3 miles from the hospital and (thankfully) have few health issues despite being super morbidly obese... :thumbup:

Ha! Talk about something to look forward to after banding! I have pretty vivid/realistic/weird dreams now and sleep like a log - I can't wait until after I'm banded and see if my dreams get weirder! I bet it's from your weight loss helping you sleep better. A deeper sleep with more time in REM is supposed to be better for you - so rejoice in your crazy dreams and write them down - they sure make for good stories! Congrats on your banding!

You will probably have to do some sort of pre-op regimen that your surgeon requires, which may include a supervised dietician program, psych consult, upper GI, etc. PPO is easier in the sense that you don't have to get a referral before you see a specialist like you do with an HMO. But with the PPO you have that higher out-of-pocket deductible. I have Blue Shield HMO right now and have started the process with my PCP even though I'll be switching to Aetna PPO at the new year (not my choice - thanks to my work). It's been a challenge figuring out if Aetna will work with what I'm doing now but I think I will be ok - it's actually finally a good thing that I'm so heavy. My best advice is call your insurance company, ask them all the questions you have, bug the crap out of them, document it all, and really get the info on what you need to do. Every insurance plan is different. Good luck!!!

In my opinion, Lap-Band is better for long-term results, specifically because you can adjust it after the surgery. Bypass is a one-time deal and your digestive tract is forever changed. Bypass works based on the premise that your body will not be absorbing the calories (and essential nutrients). LB works by restricting the size of your stomach - but you can still absorb nutrients and calories naturally. Granted, with LB and any other WLS you have to stick to the guidelines, follow your recommended nutrition intake, and change your lifestyle to be healthier. You can gain the weight back with any surgery you choose if you don't follow the rules. For me, the winning factors that led me to choose LB are: *FAR less invasive/risky procedure - LB has a much lower morbidity rate *Faster recovery - I can be back to work in the next day or two *Maintains the integrity of my natural digestive tract - less risk of malnutrition and pregnancy is not limited *Somewhat slower weight loss = healthier, with hopefully less loose skin *Potentially can be reversed if there are complications in the future *Can be adjusted to make the band tighter or looser (Bypass can not be adjusted and rarely can be reversed - if you "eat through" your Bypass it is hard to go back) I recommend reading up on this website and reading books and finding out everything you can to make your decision. It all comes down to what you want and what is right for you. Good luck!!

Hey my Bandster friends! I'm 28 and have decided that now is the right time for me to get banded. During the symposium I went to they mentioned how much better the band is for people of all ages and it got me curious - At what age did you get banded? Also - would you have done it sooner if you could? Comments and advice are always appreciated!!!

Hey all - I know Aetna is super strict about everything, gotta love ins companies, right? My question is - for the comorbidities, does your doctor have to diagnose and treat you for them? My roomie has Kaiser now and a low BMI and both of us will have Aetna in 2009 and Kaiser, well.... they are shady and basically haven't officially diagnosed her with high BP or pre-diabetes. Does she have a chance at approval if she doesn't have the official diagnosis?

I'm still not banded yet but have started taking Biotin which is supposed to help with skin and hair - hopefully it will help with loose skin and protect my fine hair! I also plan on making sure I get all the Protein and Vitamins I need. I recently went to a symposium by the doctor who will likely be my surgeon and I asked about the loose skin issue. He said that they only thing they have seen that helps with loose skin is exercise. He said that the patients of his that have a good exercise regime including weight lifting have far less loose skin than those who lose weight just by the band restriction alone. Good thing I love the gym!! :cool2:

After going to a different OA meeting that I liked a lot better, I think OA is a good place for me to address the mental/emotional side of how I got to be overweight. My roomie has been going and it has been helping her a lot. While I told the other group that I was planning on getting banded, I think I'll keep it to myself for awhile. It does seem like it is an outside issue, just as the other people don't talk about what exactly their food plan is, I don't necessarily need to talk about my plan specifically until I feel it's right. Now I just need to keep going to the meeting!

Thank you for the info, I feel like I'm on the right path! I have another detailed question for you - my roommate is BMI<40 and will be trying for approval through Aetna. When you proved how long you've been overweight, did it matter how much you were overweight? She's been overweight a while but not necessarily at this BMI (I think she's at 38 or 39 now). She'll be switching to my PCP soon so I'll tell her about the peer-to-peer conversation and hopefully that will help her. *sigh* Gotta love the obstacle course of ins approval!

I definitely feel your frustration with how long it will take! I'm on month 2 of my six-month diet and am getting anxious. Plus my roommate is also getting banded and I might have to wait for her when we set our surgery date, we want to do it on the same day. I'm a good case for insurance approval, I have a BMI of 51 and am healthy besides being insanely overweight. She has a lower BMI and has Kaiser ins right now so faces a few more challenges to get approval. I just want this dang surgery NOW but I think the waiting is good for me so I know I took the time to do the research and am committed no matter what! Just keep on truckin' - we'll get there eventually!!

Congrats on approval! I will have Aetna after the 1st of the year and am trying for approval through them. What did you do to make sure you were approved? Any tips are appreciated, the world of insurance is confusing and frustrating!! TIA!

:rolleyes2: So I went out last night and had a rip-roaring good time, I just love Halloween and dressing up! I was a pirate, which I've been for the past few years (what can I say - it's a fun costume and it fits). And when I was out laughing and dancing and having fun I stopped for a moment and thought - "Whoa!!! This will be my last fat Halloween!!" Of course I shared with my friends and we all celebrated. Next year at this time I will have been banded for about six months and will be rockin along in my new healthy body. Ahhhhhh, I can't wait! No more having to go to a special store or website just to find a costume that fits me. No more figuring out how I can cover my problem spots while still enhancing the good spots. And honestly - I can't wait for all the positive attention! Oh and all of the different costumes that are possible! Anyway - just had to share. Your Halloween stories and experiences are welcome here!

Hi Shoshana! What have you struggled with during your band journey? It's always good to find out what people go through - either positive or negative - and it helps us who haven't been banded yet make a fully informed decision. And best of luck in your continued weight loss!

When will the 2009 monthly support groups be created? My roomie and I are targeting April 2009 and want to get some support but there aren't any 2009 groups yet. Advice anyone?

Waitin on the world to change. And waitin on insurance approval!!! I'm done with two dietician appts on my six month supervised diet as I progress on the road to approval from Aetna PPO. It's frustrating as hell waiting six months but I know it will be worth it. I'm just tired of being this overweight and can already picture myself in a healthier body. I've told some old friends of mine and they asked me if I would change, be more arrogant, be slutty, etc. I said "Well my personality won't change, that's hard to do, but I imagine I will torture the men for a good amount of time." Why not, right? I'm grateful for the support I have from my friends and family and online here. It makes a world of difference!! I'm also frustrated for my roommate who is also on the LB path, but she is a lower BMI and has insurance challenges and just seems to be faced with more obstacles. However, we've committed to doing this together so together we can overcome anything!! "Luckily," I am heavy enough to not have to worry too much about insurance approval, I just need to follow the guidelines and I should be approved no sweat - pun intended. I haven't been on here in a while and just wanted to say HI and let you all know where I'm at. That is, if you're keeping track. This site has been tremendously helpful in my decision to do LB and showing me the good, the bad, the ugly and all the side effects of LB. And I still can't wait!! Planning on having my surgery at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena with Dr. Martin - anyone have any experiences with that?