Francoise65

:confused:Back in August, I began the application process for Lap Banding,.... went to the required seminar, spoke with all my three doctors, all of whom agreed it was a good thing to do........had an appt. with the operating surgeon, who also agreed that I was an exellent candidate for the surgery......until I said I was 65yrs old and would be using Medicare to pay for it all...(turned 66yrs. in Sept.).....then I was informed that Medicare would not even consider me, as I'd be 66 by the time there would be any surgery. I'm heart broken, as I'd put a lot of hopes into losing the weight that has haunted me, most of my adult life. Anyone have a similar experience...?????..and short of going to Mexico to find a doctor charging at least $6,500.,is there anything someone can suggest...????...when I asked the nurse practioner at the hospital, who handled the applications, she informed me they won't even consider it if I was willing to scrape up the funds to pay for it......."never...!!".....has anyone 65yrs. or older found a way to appeal the decision to Medicare...???......please let me know if you've heard anything that might give me some hope again......?????......next week I'm trying acupuncture to relieve the constant pain in by back, despite two spinal surgeries to correct it.....then I could exercise more and perhaps that will help with some weight loss....who knows......I live in the upper northeast area of the US......so anything might help, if it's reachable for me..........

Many thanks for the immediate responses to my many questions..!!!! it means a lot to be gathering all this information.....and to see the wildly different experiences that you've had collectively....it's becoming closer and closer to starting the process since having gotten all this info....I feel that I'll know more of what's going to happen to me..... Thanks again.....

Have read about the "sleep Lab" required for all pre-op considerations, what else do I have to look forward to...??....there is a letter from my Dr. that has to be written, justifying the need for the proceedure.....and what else...???.... question:: I am a lifelong skim milk drinker...is this going to become a problem..?? question:: am I going to be hungrey all the time..??... question:: how about eggs as a source of protein..?? question:: and how do I deal with social alcohol drinking...can I..??..no no..??? question:: how long a period of time between first Dr.'s consultation, and the actual proceedure..??...., as the holidays are approaching....... question:: does the lap band stay on for Life...?? question:: I take a number of meds each day, that are for chronic conditions, does the band effect the potency of the mgs. I take now...??? question:: how does one know when a "fill" is needed..?? question:: I have had two spinal surgeries...does that play anypart in my being considered as an apt candidate..???:party:

While reading a thread in the blog, they said that there are NO breads, pasta or any starchy foods on the post-op nuitrition list... is this for everyone, or was that something special in their diet?????:tt2:

Since you seem to have a lot of experience..... does one always feel the band the whole time..???? when you bend over to pick up something off the floor, do you feel it..???....are you basically always hungrey..???....how strict is the diet after banding...???...does one have a lot of gas..i.e. burping a lot..???...does one vomit much..???...do you have small, but frequent meals durung the day..??? for the moment these are the things popping into my head.....I'm sure there will be more....:smile2:

To "Patiently waiting"...I'm at the same point, and I feel just the way you do. Thank you for verbalizing it for me. My appt. is for Friday, and one of my doctors is all for it, but my primary physician has yet to give me the "go ahead". So, I'm sweating it out 'till then. Good luck to you..!!

I'm at the "considering" stage of lap banding and am a bit anxious. My back is terrible. There have been two spinal surgeries, that have left me still in pain all the time. My hope is that if I can drop 40-50 pounds that will relieve the weight on my back and knees. So now, the next step is to consult my primary care physician for names of surgeons. I came to this site, as the feedback from those who have already gone through it seems really helpful.