karmaandkismet

I had an endoscopy and a colonoscopy last year when Flo was visiting. They didn't care. I kept a maxi pad between my legs (with no underwear) and went on with the procedure. It feels a little awkward on the side of being a patient, but it doesn't even phase them. :thumbup:

How many fills did it take some of you to get adequate restriction. I've just started doing my "paper chase" to get the procedure done. I know that the lap band is not a cure-all and that it is a tool, but after a 2 week liquid pre op diet and a 2 week liquid post op diet, I'm wondering how much longer you have to suffer to get to where you can really work with the band as it is intended to work.

My biggest support person is my 14 year old son. He actually went with me to the lap band seminar and was very interested in the process and very supportive of my decision.:eek:

I don't think any of us that choose bariatric surgery are "taking the easy way out.". We're choosing to undergo surgery with general anesthesia (just a risk unto itself. Forget that its for weight loss). We have all battled with obesity for years (we all know that we have to have documentation akin to that of trying to get a mortgage before we can even have the surgery). And even after we have the surgery, there is still plenty of work to be done by us. We have to change our eating habits and our lifestyles. None of these things is by far easy. I thought the comment of people being jealous and not liking losing their fat friends was interesting. I've been making a few changes in anticipation of the changes I will have to adhere to later. I had one friend tell me that I wasn't fun anymore because I didn't drink cokes with her and I didn't want to order pizza with her. I guess I had never realized what an enabler some of my friends are.

I've just started my journey and still have to get consults and psych eval and all that stuff. I told a few of my friends what I was up to, but other than that I have kept the information to myself. I've thought about this over the last few days and it seems a shame that after being ostracized for years about our weight, that when we make a decision of this magnitude to take back our lives and our health that we feel we have to keep it a secret. Overweight people have been judged for years and years. Perhaps if we start sharing our experiences, "coming out of the fat closet" will become more mainstream and more people will look to beat obesity. My nutrition appointment is May 4th and after I get through my first round of consults, I do plan to let people know. I feel like taking back my life is not something I should be ashamed of, but rather celebrated.

Thanks for the words of wisdom. I guess just like its hard for them to understand why we want to do this, its hard for me to understand why he wouldn't want me to. I've given up discussing it with him. I do email him updates as to what paperwork I have, what appointments I have. Of course, he never comments. Its kind of like the pink elephant in the room. But I do have the encouragement and support of my friends and I will look to them if he never decides to get on board with this.:eek:

I went to my seminar the other night and I have made my appointments with my PCP, the nutritionist, and to have my psychology eval. I've also started rounding up medical records they'll need for documentation. And last, but not least, I've called the insurance company. My husband was vehemently opposed to this when I first mentioned it to him. There were a few fights that ended up in me crying hysterically. I pretty much wrote him an email and said that this was something I had to do for myself and it would mean a lot to me for him to be supportive. He seems a little more on board than before, although that seems to be just not talking about it when I tell him I've made certain appointments. He just seems to ingore what I tell him rather than actually arguing with me. Has anybody else gone through this with a spouse who was not supportive and they felt they had to to go through it alone. My kids are very supportive (even though they're teenagers) and the few friends that I've told are supportive.:biggrin:

I just went to a seminar last night. I took my 14 year old son along as my support person. He is indeed very supportive. My husband had gone out of town and he's been against this procedure since I mentioned it to him. I've sent him links to information, studies, statistics. I've had friends who have had the procedure write him to tell them what a difference it has made in their lives. I know this is something I need to do for me, but it sure would be helpful to have his support in this. I'm also nervous about getting all this documentation. I've been at my current PCP for almost 3 years but didn't have a real PCP for many years before then. I did go to one of those clinics that does the diet pills off and on for a couple of years before going to this PCP so I am hoping that I can get some weight documentation from them to cover the years of documented obesity and weight loss attempts and that will be sufficient to get approval. I have a BMI of 41 with hypertension, sleep apnea, depression, and joint issues. I am thinking that should get me approval as long as I can get the rest of the documentation.