HolliJ

My office mate was originally going to go to the seminar with me and said she wanted to get the surgery. The day of the seminar, she said she wasn't feeling well and didn't want to go. Plus she said she couldn't afford the portion that insurance wouldn't cover. Today she's talking about how her daughter-in-law got the gastric bybass and how she almost died. She gained all the weight back. And someone who worked here that got the lapband gained all the weight back and said it was the worst decision she ever made to get it because of all the money she lost, etc etc... It's like, "Seriously? Why are you saying this shit to me?"

It comes pretty damn close, though.

Aw, you're so cute/sweet, lol. Can't answer any of your questions, though, since I haven't had the surgery yet. Hope the surgery goes well for the wife! :thumbup:

If it were me and I had the choice (both being covered or both being self-pay), I'd choose the sleeve. Unfortunately the band is covered by insurance and the sleeve is not. I can't afford the self-pay, so I'm going with the band. I'm sure it will work great for me. If something goes wrong in the future and it has to be removed, I might end up getting the sleeve.

I got 30% off mine (discount for having a Kohl's Charge Card), then an additional 15% (employee discount, work there part-time). So I did pretty good. I think it was supposed to come with the recipe book, but mine wasn't in there.

Oh, sweet, good deal. I was wondering how that worked. I think I'm going to call my surgeon's office tomorrow and ask them if it's ok for me to get a head start on the weight loss, pre-banding.

I don't think everyone has to get surgery to remove excess skin after weight loss. I believe it has to do with your age, the condition of your skin, etc... It's personalized. Some people's skin shrinks right back, some people have loads of excess skin. It's hard to determine whether one specific person will experience excess skin or not.

That wasn't the point. It's not about their old habits and willpower. It was about the people that make threads asking why the band isn't working for them. Then people ask what they're eating & if they're exercising, which they never respond to. That just makes it seem as if they're not doing what they're supposed to (which is ok). My point is about the question being asked in the first place and the non-responsive follow-up. If they are, in fact, not following the band rules... why would they ask the question in the first place? Seems to me if someone is doing everything they're supposed to and really wants to know why it's not working, they'd respond. Otherwise it appears as though they're avoiding the tough questions which will expose the truth. I understand we all struggle and people struggle even after the band. I'm not disputing that. When I get the band, I'm sure I'll experience the same thing. I recognize that and wouldn't argue that. I would completely support someone who was having a hard time losing weight. I'm sure we've all experienced people who didn't understand or support us and we all know how hard that is. (This may or may not apply to the thread starter, since they didn't really ask "Why is it not working for me?". It was more of a general statement)

Well, I work full-time, work part-time (second job), and go to school part time... and I STILL can't self-pay.

I always find these threads interesting. Someone complains about not having any weight loss and asks for advice. Then the other posters ask what they've been eating and if they've been exercising, etc... But then I rarely see the thread starter post in the thread again. That kind of makes it obvious why no weight loss is happening.

My surgeon doesn't do the gastric bypass - just the lap band and the gastric sleeve. He's not a fan of the gastric bypass. I wish I could get the gastric sleeve, but my insurance company doesn't cover it and I can't afford to self-pay.

I hear ya! It's absolutely horrible to stand the wait before the paperwork is submitted (and after, I'm sure). We should be submitting mine in early July. Ugh!

My pre-op is on the 9th of July! I want to start losing weight, pre-surgery, but I'm not sure what the official weight is that is sent to my insurance company. I'm guessing the first consult I had with my surgeon?

I was wondering the same thing when I initially looked into the lapband and would like to know the answer. Luckily my insurance company isn't requiring the 6-month diet, so I didn't have to look that far into it. It seems like if you lose weight, that would take your BMI down and you can't have the surgery. Most of us would absolutely absolutely gain it back. And if you don't lose weight and keep your BMI the same, you're just wasting 6 months. I just don't understand why the insurance company requires this. It's stupid, IMO.

That's awesome!! I'm so jealous! Ok, so I haven't actually submitted the insurance paperwork yet, but I'm thinking it won't happen as fast as that.

Hope everything is going well!! My surgeon is aiming towards the end of July for mine, although it really depends on the insurance company and how long they take. Unfortunately, I can't even submit the paperwork until I meet with my endocrinologist on the 30th (he wanted to meet with me before he gives me a note).

I just try to think about all the other things I do in life that COULD kill me. Walking outside, driving your car, eating, etc... Something could go wrong at any second. But you can't worry about everything that may potentially end your life; you'll go crazy! Plus, if I die while I'm on the table, I won't really care at that point. :sad:

I don't even have a surgery date yet, but I've already bought the Magic Bullet. It's sitting in the box, unopened, waiting for me. :wink:

I know you're supposed to start walking 2 days or so after the surgery. Does anyone think that helps the recovery process?

I haven't had the surgery yet, so maybe I get that memo later. :thumbdown:

Sounds like a bunch of greedy assholes to me!

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Mine did, too, lmao!! When I told her about the lapband, that was her impression. I had no idea she was thinking that. She just told me yesterday that she watched a medical show and realized it's under the skin! DUH, lol! I was wondering why her expression was like :thumbdown: when I told her about it in the first place.

Also, their self-pay is like... $12,000 or something. Riverside Surgical and Weight Loss Center