pennreporter

Three Cats, didn't mean to discourage you at all. But if it means taking a month, do your research, maybe go to a support group which I'm sure they're in your area, if for nothing else but to make an informed decision. I'm at 70-80 lbs but my daughter has done it already. So I really have great support and a great source of knowlege because she really did a lost research before doing hers. There's a book by Mohammed Ali's daughter who has had the band. I think it's called Fighting Weight. It's a pretty informative book, written by her with her surgeons. I have no doubts about this being the right thing for me, but that's not to say I'm not nervous, but mainly just about the first few weeks after surgery, after that I have no fears. any questions that you have you, no doubt, can find them here. My hospital had a support group for bariatric patients. Unfortunately, it was mostly bypass patients, which have different issues to deal with but not one of them regretted going through their procedure. You'll know when and if it's right for you and when you're ready to commit to the life change. But with my daughter, we still go out and eat, went to Olive Garden for Mother's Day, but only ordered and appetizer and an entree, and brought enough back home for another meal. She's a cheap date these dates. lol. So good luck on making your decision!! Trisha

thanks Susan. 60 lbs in less than a year is wonderful. My daughter's loss was 80 in 14 months. So it all sounds like a healthy pace. I can hardly wait. When I first got my surgery date, I was like eating everything I could. That has now worn off. Now I'm looking forward to starting the liquid diet because i know that's my real countdown to THE day. My daughter and I were going to do the band at the same time, but she has struggled her whole life with weight issues antd I really wanted it to be her time and for her to enjoy the support and attention she has gotten. She so deserved to enjoy her weight loss and it has been life-changing for her, nothing short of a transformation physically and mentally. And at least now I have the knowledge she has from having gone through it. Very glad to see an over 50 group on here!! Trisha

Thank you so much for your response, Doctor, although I don't know that it has alleviated any of my nervousness for her. I will convey all of this to her, so that at least she has questions to ask. I know that she would have conveyed the fact that she lives in NYC. So let me ask you another question...she's paying 27k for all three procedures in Houston. She had several consultations in Houston and they were all within that ballpark. Would that be that much difference than if she got her surgery in NYC? Her best friend lives in Houston, so she does travel there somewhat frequently but it sounds like she may not be aware of the follow-up that she will need. Thank you again so much Trisha

I'm being "Realized" June 1! My surgeon is just now switching over to the Realize...so much so, he hasn't attended the Realize training seminar that's required by the FDA when physicians/hospitals begin to use a new product. So as a result the chief of surgery for the bariatric department will be also in the operating room. Nothing like feeling like a guinea pig...lol. But it's an excellent hospital and the do hundreds of bypasses, just not as many bands. But I have to trust my doctor when he says that placing a band is relatively easy as compared to doing the bypasses. So assuming I don't come out with the band around my neck instead of my stomach (which could keep me from eating also), then all will be good...lol:thumbup: Trisha in da Poconos

I haven't had mine yet (June 1), but my daughter has. She flew to Houston on Sunday night, went to the doctor's little video-thing, had surgery on Tuesday, flew back to NYC on Friday and worked Saturday. But I will say it's something you have to really want to do because it is a life-changing relationship with food. But if all you're worried about is the first week, well, in my way of thinking ...what's one week versus the rest of your life. But I've had 7 months to prepare because of the program my ins. co. requires and 15 months of watching/listening to my daughter's post-op progress. So if it's moving all too fast for you, then that's a decision you have to make. Maybe you haven't gotten all the answers to all the questions you might have. Good luck on your decision. by the way, whereabouts are you in PA? Trisha

Nah, not so interested in the boy-toy...lol...that is unless he's also a carpenter/plumber/electrician...then any age would be fine. lol I have no doubt that my weight loss will not be the same as my daughter's but, like I said, different goals. From some of the complications that I read about on here, as long as mine are as minimal as hers have been, I will also be happy and I think she's been on the aggressive side with her fills, but she had a plan/goal and has stuck to it pretty good...although I'm sure the boy-toy has helped her :tt2: It also helps having someone close that's also had it. I have someone a phone call away to ask. But I think being single may also help in the sense I don't have to cook food for anyone else. The dogs don't count. Although starting next week when I start liquid pre-op, they are so not getting roasted chicken with their dog food for awhile. :biggrin: thanks all and a very happy mother's day to all trisha

Hello, Dayna. I'm also from PA, the Poconos. Congrats on your surgery date. I'm scheduled for June 1. So one more week before i start liquid diet. Good luck Trisha

I'm not banded yet (June 1), but my daughter is. She clearly doesn't go every month. She's at about 14 months. After the initial fill, she's had maybe three fills. One was too tight and she had to go back in after a few days and have some taken out. But she's been at this level for about six months. For her, it's just as needed, but never has it been monthly. She's getting close to goal, so then she will loosen it somewhat but not all the way. good luck Trisha

June Jewels? Jewel: a person or thing that is treasured, esteemed, or indispensable Juneberries Jumping Junipers Trisha

So sorry also, but I'm sooo not surprised. I'm kind of in a remote area and I have no doubt that the group leader at my local WW group would be the same way. But the good thing about WW is you don't have to go to a meeting group just to follow and count points. There are so many programs out there these days that will do the same thing. I had a program for my Palm that tracked points and now on the iphone there's numerous. But you can get that reaction from many non-WW people. I haven't been banded yet (June 1), but my daughter has, but I've stopped telling some people I know because of their reaction. Even my previous primary care phy's reaction was "just count calories." DUH!! Silly me for not ever having tried that approach. So not to worry. Some of my greatest successes have been on WW, and also my biggest weight gains after I stopped following WW. Trisha

Dr. Schulman, my daughter who is almost 18 months post-lapband surgery, is having her first PS (lower body lift, breast reduction, fat injections in butt) next month. She lives in NYC but is going to Dr. LoMonaco down in Houston (Big Medicine TV doc). She's planning on being there until right after her 10-day checkup with the doctor. But she's allowed three weeks before she goes back to work. She's a haircolorist in the city and is on her feet all day. I know she's going to try to go back on a reduced scheduled at first. What is the realisitc time before someone goes back to work? She uses her arms a lot, so will this be an issue for the breast reduction? I noticed on your website it says that there are dains inserted (which she didn't mention to me). How long do the drains stay in? The doctor is also sending her home with a morphone pump. How many days of meds will she get from the pump? i appreciate any answers you provide. I can't accompany her down to Texas as I'm having my band surgery two days before she leaves. I wish she was doing it in NYC, but I think the cost is considerably less down south and banks aren't doing many medical loans these days. (plus one of her clients works on the set of Big Medicine and I think she was hoping to maybe have an "in" for the show but I don't think it got picked up again, which wouldn't have made it free but greatly discounted.) Also...hate to rattle on..other than a physician's CV and reading their own site about their accomplishments, are there any watchdog websites to really check on your prospective physican? I'm somewhat nervous with her going to a "TV doc," although his credentials look great. Trisha

I second everything the previous poster wrote. The first place is your insurance company. My insurance is an HMO with its own hospitals/doctors. So they had their own bariatric department, and my only choice was to go through their program. But when you go through what your ins. co does/does not cover it should be very specific. If not, call them and request what their requirements are as far as BMI/comorbidities. Mine was at least a 40 BMI for I think a five year period and history of failed weight loss. If between 35-40 you had to have other medical issues. But my primary doctor was wonderful. I had one previous to him that when I mentioned it, he pooh-poohed the idea and gave me the whole watching-your-calorie speech. My program was also a six-month program, which actually is more like 8 months. So I would start your process now because assuming you would meet ins. co's requirements, sometimes it takes time to get into doctors, etc. I would be very specific when asking ins. co if they cover surgery for your age, because if they don't, that may be your deciding point. Some doctors, if they know your plan won't cover it, won't even start you on the journey. But I will give you this bit of info. My daughter had hers done Feb 08. She's 37. She struggled from the age of 5 with weight issues. If your family is supportive of you doing this, it's wonderful. In hindsight, had this procedure been around when she was 17-18, I would have consented in a heart beat. It has been life changing for her and I know first-hand the heartache that teenagers go through with the weight because I've lived through it with her. Best of luck and please keep us updated on how it goes with your insurance company. Trisha in da Poconos

I initially was kind of in the same boat. 39 BMI, had high blood pressure, high choles., thyroid, arthritis, you name it. But my insurance required under a 40 BMI, that you had to have either diabetes or sleep apnea, which I knew I didn't have diabetes but wasn't sure about the apnea. My primary care dr. was fabulous and very supportive, sent me for a sleep study and, lo and behold, had sleep apnea. Now everyone around wasn't surprised. Guess I was the only one not disturbed by snoring...lol. But still had to jump through all the hoops for the six-month program. And even gained weight to make sure I still fell within the weight guidelines because I knew that part of six-month plan was to lose 10 percent and had to be careful not to drop below the required weight. My daughter was also refused for having no comorbidities. She flew from NYC to Houston to Dr. Spivak who is one of the original 14-member team that introduced lap-band to the US...pretty much as long as you're a 35 BMI, he will do it. I would think it wouldn't matter as far as complications after the fact as to whether insurance will cover. it's then a medical problem and they should still cover, but there are plenty of attorneys out there that do nothing but litigate insurance company denials. So I wouldn't worry about that. Dr. Spivak in Houston last year was 13,500 but my daughter did all of her follow-up/fills in NYC. Good luck Trisha

My doctor/program required also to lose 10 percent of your total body weight in order to get the final approval. It's a total of six months to go through the whole program before they "approve" you to go through to insurance approval and the surgeon. I drug my heels until my sixth-month appt. I had lost a few but had myself convinced that they really didn't mean it...lol. Well, they did. Go for 6th appt when I should have been given my green light. She sent me home with a month to lose the additional 9-12 lbs. That was my wake-up call. I hate going to the gym. So I bought a stationary bike. Rode it twice a day for 20 minutes at a pretty decent speed. Kept my calorie intake to 1,000 but the biking was burning off 300-400 of that. I was back at the doctor's in two weeks. Plus the day before I got hold of some of my daughter's Water pills, but like another poster wrote there are foods that will have the same effect. So it can be done, but if your program requires you to lose weight don't take the chance I did of believing they're not really serious. My daughter's doctor did not require the 2-week liquid diet and didn't require the weight lost beforehand, but she also paid cash for her surgery. some of this is driven by insurance companies. Good luck. You can do it. Trisha

I haven't been banded yet...(June 1), but my daughter has, Feb 2008. I'm going to try to follow in her footsteps on the numbers. She absolutely never ever gets on the scale. For her it's not about the numbers, it's all about how her clothes fit. The only time she knows how much she's lost is when she goes to the doctor. She started at 265-275 approx and a size 20-22. She just recently went to doc and she weighs 180 (she's 5-10), but she's wearing a size 10, close to an 8 (having plastic surgery in three weeks). So don't get hung up on the numbers. Are you seeing in difference in your body and how your clothes fit? And we all probably also know that eating the same things every day and not varying calories and variety is not always the best. My daughter eats a wide variety of foods (no steak), just very little of anything. So throw the scale away or put it in the garage away from where you can check very often. Good luck. I'm a horrible weight checker and my scale is going in my storage shed as soon as I have the surgery. Trisha

That's good to hear. And i agree, I'm kind of getting double my money's worth with having two surgeons, esp with one being the chief of surgery for the bariatric department. Glad to hear you've been happy with yours. Wish me well for the two week pre-op liquid diet. Good think I like Protein drinks. My plan is to keep myself as busy as I can so I don't think about it much. :glare: Trisha

I'm in the Poconos and having band done at Geisinger. Since they primarily do bypass, would love to find other banders having their surgeries at Danville, PA Trisha

I'm from Tobyhanna, PA (Poconos). Surgery is June 1 at Geisinger in Danville. Their protocol is the six-month plan, but that's just to get you to the approval stage. At six-month appt. they send all to insurance co and surgeon. So it's actually more like 7-8 month program. If I were rich..lol...I would have headed on down to Houston to my daughter's surgeon and had it done months ago. But since I'm not....lol Good luck. Trisha

Welcome. I just found this site also. Am also on another one that's more local to my area but it's mostly bypass people, not banders. My surgery date is June 1. My daughter had her February 08 and you couldn't find a happier person. She's lost about 85 pounds and real close to goal. She's having plastic surgery next month. I can't speak from my experience because I haven't done it yet. But even with my daughter and the people she knows who are banded, it's different for everyone. Lisa (my daughter) has her band I think on the tighter side (her option), and there are clearly things she doesn't eat. But the biggest biggest thing for her is being extremely careful about eating late at night, but again this may go to her band being tight. If she eats too late at night and hasn't given enough time for food to digest, she had a very hard time sleeping. It's also gotten better since she got a script for mild antacid. she doesn't eat breat, pizza, certain shell fish, and almost no red meat like steak...ground beef, yes, and no dry chicken breast. But she went from 265 to about 180 right now (she's 5-10), size 22-24 to a size 8-10 even at 180 lbs and acquired a new boy-toy. So it's all good. There's a great book out there by Mohammed Ali's daughter who is banded. It's Fighting Weight by Khaliah Ali. Great informative reading. Good luck...the loser's bench will feel good!!! Trisha

June 1, 2009, surgery date, Realize Band, in Danville, Pennsylvania. Good luck to all...we will soon be on the loser's bench!!!! Trisha in da Poconos

I did. I was 15 lbs shy of being within my ins. co's requirements. My primary care doctor even told me to put rolls of quarters in my pockets if I had to. He was very supportive. What is really bizarre though is that once I met the weight requirements, they then required me to lose 10 percent of my total body weight as part of their six-month schedule of visits/testing protocol. So then I ended up almost where i started...go figure. And then on my sixth-month appointment when I had lost my ten percent, the doctor told me to be sure not to gain or lose any before I met with surgeon...craziness. Surgery is June 1. So it was all worth it. Although in hindsight, if I had to do it all over again, I would have just taken the cash and went to Houston where it's cheaper and the surgery is done much much more down there than here in my area. Trisha in da Poconos

Hello all. New to this site. I'm from N.E. Pennsylvania, the Poconos. I'm scheduled for surgery June 1 and I'm 57, which OF COURSE my doc had to point out to me...(like I didn't know it)...that my success might not be the same as my daughter's success. But then I guess it depends on how you define "success." My success is not having a new boy-toy like my daughter. lol. Mine will be not having knees and joints ache going up the steps and not having to live with my CPAP machine. So I'm real easy to please these days... Glad to see there is an over-50 group on here. Trisha in da Poconos

My daughter is having hers done June 4. Unfortunately I'm having my band done June 1 and can't fly down right away with her. I think I'm more nervous than she is. With your doctor that's doing the surgery is he board certified in plastic surgery? Is he your only option? I'm not sure if board certification is something that's done in other countries but that's a big deal here in the states. My daughter's doctor is the doctor that is on the TV show "Big Medicine". In fact she was hoping if the show got picked up for another season, one of her clients is involved with the show and she was hoping she could get hers done for the show and save some money. She's having the lower body lift and breast reduction. There must be some way to check on your doctor, search for referrals. At least your doctor is a specialist already. I get nervous when you hear about dentists doing breast implants..(which we had that here in my town). Just ask as many questions as you can think of. Good luck. Trisha

I'm having surgery June 1 with the Realize band. I feel somewhat of a guinea pig with my surgeon. The hospital that my insurance requires me to go to, they're not real big on banding. They do mostly bypass. They're switching over to the Realize band. My surgeon who has not, by FDA requirements, attend the training seminar that he is required to attend before he can do it by himself. He's done the other band. So the chief surgeon who has done the training session will be assisting. So I'm getting two surgeons. My surgeon has only done 20 bands, chief surgeon over a hundred. My daughter has had the other band with no problems. So I'm excited about having surgery, but somewhat nervous about doctor, although Geisinger Hospital in Danville, PA is an excellent hospital and my surgeon was very patient and didn't get his feelings bruised when I asked a gazillion questions about his not having done many of these procedures. he's done hundreds of the by-pass. But reading the posts on here has helped explain the differences between the brands. Thanks so much. Trisha

Mine is June 1. So I understand. My daughter had her's Feb 2008. She's lost 85 pounds, down to a size 8 and is going June 2 for her plastic surgery (lower body lift). The worst part directly after for her was the gas. My surgeon has said he has a procedure where sucks some of the gas back out so it's not so bad. But for my daughter it was only a day and a half. She had her surgery on Tuesday in Houston, flew back to NYC on Friday and worked Saturday. She's kept her fill pretty tight and has only had a few "incidents" that kind of freaked her out but it was more not being aware of what was happening. She now takes a mild acid reflux med which has helped a lot. But a size 8 she is and a new boy-toy and she's a happy little camper these days....lol. So good luck!!