Riane226

good luck! ill be praying!!:party:

I haven't been banded yet, but I wanted to say that from dieting in the past i can relate 100%. And it feels horrible to think that youve come so far, and still dont feel any better. Thus is why i gained all the weight i lost back + some. But i was told once that it takes much longer for your head to catch up with the "new" you. Meaning, that even though you can step on the scale and physically see you have lost weight, your mental picture of yourself still hasnt caught up. Hopefully in time it will. I never got far enough to say if it does or not. But congrats to eveyone who has lost the weight! :frown: I hope to be there one day too! Youre all a great inspiration to me.

Good Luck. You should be already banded, hope it went well! I wish you an easy and speedy recovery!!

Hey everyone! Thanks for reading. I have posted on here once before about Dr Slotman (that I was considering him for my LB surgery). Well no one at all had heard of him, so I called my insurance to see who else was covered. Dr Balsama is covered, and I have heard great things about him. I am just in the very beginning stages of preparing to get a LB. I have done lots of research, and feel very confident that this is for me. My question is... Can anyone who has had Dr Balsama as their surgeon tell me all the good, bad, and ugly about their expierence with him? I feel like I have read every post on this whole site (I really haven't), and lately I have been reading about a lot of complications not with him, but with the LB surgery, which has scared me a little. So just for my piece of mind, Id like to know everyones expierences with Dr Balsama. Thanks so much!! Im very excited to hear the feedback. :cursing:

I just found out that my insurance does work with Dr Balsama. Do you know the Hosp that he uses? The Insurance comp told me Stratford, and Cherry Hill (Lourdes). Thanks so much!!

I have NJ Medicaid BC/BS HMO. I was wondering is anyone has any suggestions on surgeons. I am considering Dr Slotman in Cherry Hill. He is part of the Lourdes Medical Associates. But i havent seen him mentioned on this site at all! I have seen Dr Abkin/Dr Bertha and Dr Balsama mentioned a lot. Any suggestions...? Riane

Hi!! Im so glad I found this thread! I am also from SJ. Pittsgrove (my property is on both Salem and Cumberland Counties!) I have not been banded yet, however I hope that the posibility is in the near future. I have been researching Drs that my insurance covers, and I am considering Dr. Gus Slotman from Cherry Hill NJ. He is part of the Lourdes Medical Associates. I was wondering if anyone else has heard of him? (:rolleyes2: or ) I actually Googled him to see what I could find, and I found nothing but positive reviews. I have BC/BS NJ Health Insurance, and I was wondering if anyone else had that and could tell me how difficult it was to get approved. I called them, and they told me it was covered, but I needed a letter of Medical Necessity from my Doc. So if anyone has any suggestions for me, that would be BEAUTIFUL, as i kinda feel overwhelmed. Choosing to get surgery is kinda a big deal.

hyegirl, can you explain to me what the gi testing is? And can you tell me if the abdominal ultrasound is looking for a fatty liver or what? Just wondering, I have been researching but nothings like talking to someone who has been though it! :teeth_smile:) Thanks for your time and your reply!

Thanks so much for your reply! It means a lot. How long is the process before the surgery? I know there are like psych consults and such... Like from the time your insurance accepts you? Is it a long wait because the surgeon is busy, or because there are many things that need to be done and addressed before hand? How is the liquid diet going for you? Is it as difficult as it sounds? I can only assume you feel hungry all the time.. Good luck and God bless on your journey! I hope to be there too one day (sooner than later)!! <3Riane

Hello Everyone!! :teeth_smile: My name is Riane, and I am 23 years old. I am from southern NJ. I currently weigh 226lbs and am 5'3". Which makes my BMI 40.0 (morbid obesity). I have been battling my weight as long as i can remember. I have done, Atkins, Weight Watchers, Michael Thurman's Extreme Body Makeover, Grapefruit Diet, Cabbage Soup Diet, you name it.. as well as I have been perscribed Phentermine (a diet pill, that made me grind my teeth constantly and have a VERY rapid HR. 116 resting). I lost weight on Phentermine but felt the side effects were too risky. When i went off of the Phentermine I gained the weight back. I was told 2 years ago i was a good canidate for Gastric Bypass. When I looked up the proceedure i felt it was too risky. I have since then met someone who had Lap Band done. She looks fantastic, and feels even better. She said she would recommend it to anyone. I think this may be key for me. I am only interested in losing like 91-106lbs. Do you think this could be the key for me? Oh yeah- I called my insurance company, they cover it. If I get it, it would be in Cherry Hill NJ-Dr. Gus J. Slotman. I look forward to your response! Thanks for taking the time to read my shortened life story!