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Melissa, Thanks for the site! I just became a member! Cheers, Rachel

Does anyone have experience with Sentara Norfolk General? I am just starting the process crossing my fingers that FED BCBS will pay for it!

Now that i read mine tat is what it says. Just a question do they weigh you with or without your clothes on??

You go girl! :thumbup:

Thank you everyone for your responses, I am feel so much validity in all of your responses pertaining to my situation. I have no issue with living a structured lifestyle, I actually prefer routine, I feel uneasy when I have to break routine. So I think I will do well with either procedure. I do think that my partner is feeling like this is just another WL attempt but I also think maybe she is a bit jealous, she herself is overweight and I think she is a bit scared at the fact that i may actually be able to lose the weight and afraid that may leave her behind, she has never said this outright but I sense it. Also, I agree that their can be failure at anything you do. I really think what it comes down to is learning as much as you can about the band and make it work for you. Like I said before this is not an easy fix. I understand that. I am willing to put in the time and effort to make it work for me forever! I am trying to absorb all of the information I can before I start the process so I can make an educated choice as well as ask some tough questions once I start going to support groups and seminars at the Baritric Center that I will be banded at. I can't be more excited about this change, no one is going to pee in my corn flakes! LOL. Thank you all again for keeping me motivated on my journey to a healthier life!

I'm 5'-4" and my goal is 150. I think it is a do-able goal and not too small. I may change the goal later on down the road depending on how much muscle I want to maintain.

I am not banded yet, went to my first WL Seminar on 5/12 and decided to go with the Lap-band rather than Gastric Bypass. I informed my partner of the decision and she hasn't really said a whole lot about it since. I try to spark conversation, because I am super-excited about getting control of my weight and starting a new lifestyle. She honestly hasn't been very interested when I talk about it. Out of the blue today she calls me kinda hysterically telling me one of her clients (she is a hairstylist), had the lap-band procedure over a year ago and only lost 30 lbs and has basically given up. The woman apparently now wishes she had gone the other route. She also doesn't want to invest in a personal trainer because apparently she has spent way too much on weight loss. (These are in my g/f's words...) So the first thing I ask is what is her fill at? Is she still exercising? At what point did she give up and what was her weight loss at that point? Well, apparently the woman had already left the salon. But my g/f just sits there blank. She of course has no idea what I am talking about. Had she been interested in my previous attempts at conversation starters with her, she would have known what I was speaking of. She simply ends our conversation with "I think you should consider the Bypass because I don't want you to be disappointed like this woman." It seems to me that this woman had no will power to make the tool that she had been given work for her. I really think a lot of folks think that they will get this miracle band and everything will melt away.... My g/f also said the woman can eat anything she wants without feeling full...blah blah blah..she also said that the doctor's office "lies" to you tells you it is reversible and it isn't. I laughed at that one. (I of course know that this is untrue, my surgeon addressed this question in my WL Seminar) Seems to me she just stopped getting filled and gave up.. I have seen too many success stories to let this one woman's experience (which I am only getting the edited part of the story I am sure) influence my decision. My question is is their anyone out there that has given it an honest go and just has regretted their decision and wanted the bypass instead? I know that the initial weight loss rates are low with the band, but aren't we supposed to end up even keel with the bypass folks 5 years down the road or so?

I guess what I am concerned with is do they require your BMI to be OVER 40, ie 41. Because I told Sentara at my seminar that I was 233 (which was the last time I weighed myself) AND that is a BMI of 40 but they told me that my weight was not enough unless I had two co-morbidites. I actually went home and weighed myself with clothes on and I was 241 that night. When I called to schedule my 1st consult I revised my weight with them. They said that was better, a BMI of 41. Well now, I have weighed myself nude and I am 238, BMI 40 again. So, I am litterally trying to gain lbs to make sure I am over BMI of 40 when I go in there on JUNE 1 for my first consult. blah..I am so frustrated...

Does anyone have any experience with Sentara Norfolk General and FED BCBS of VA? I am right at a BMI of 40 with no known co-morbidities.

That's crazy that your doctor okay-ed the enchilada! At least you know better now thought! Thanks for sharing your experience!

Congrats on your weight loss! That is so great to hear. I am also glad that you are feeling restriction. I read so many forum posts about people not feeling restriction, it scares me a bit! I am really hoping that I can be approved, congrats again to you!:thumbup:

Sunshine, I am just beginning the lap-band approval process...I did not know as most people don't about all the complications that can occur with the lap band. The one thing that is attractive to me about the lap band is that it can be removed. I am honestly at the point where if I don't do this now, I may continue to put it off, and let' face it we aren't getting any younger...I just turned 33 and am close to the heaviest that I have ever been. Somethings gotta give, I think that I can be successful with the band, and although I am a bit nervous about the unknown that lies ahead with the band, I am confident that I will be successful and ultimately happy (unless of course I have some ungodly complication(s). I wish the sleeve was covered though, I would heavily consider it over the band. Good luck with your banding and congrats!

OMG! I can't believe that you braved that so soon after surgery! I am determined to stick to Clear Liquids (once I get surgery) until the DOC tells me different. Why go through the trouble of being banded and then eating fatty foods like that? (I think you would have been better off if you had prepared it yourself with some *healthier* choices as substitutes...) Glad you learned a valuable lesson! Good Luck to you in your journey!

I hope that I get a barium swallow...I would rather them catch a leak before I leave than to die certainly! Who cares what it tastes like, it's your life at stake here, better to be safe than sorry!

At my First Weight Loss Seminar (5/12/10), my surgeon spoke very highly of this procedure. He said it was a happy medium between the two methods that exist. He also said that by next year he thinks about 90% of insurance companies should be paying for this surgery. This is due to the success rate and small rate of complications. I am excited about it, but really want the lap-band..maybe this will be a replacement once I get the weight off with the lap-band. The only part that disturbs me about the procedure is that they do remove a portion of your stomach, so it is irreversible. Other than that, it seems very promising. Good Luck to you whatever your choice may be!

I misunderstood you, and I completely agree with you. I don't think she was ready for the surgery at all. The sad thing is she gained about 30lbs just to have the surgery and cannot lose it. I feel bad for her, but i really think she needs to focus on herself before she goes and gets a life-changing surgery. Her mother had great success with the gastric bypass and I think she wanted to achieve the same happiness that her mother has. I think she mos def has other issues to conquer before she tackles the weight issue right now. Again, sorry for the misunderstanding! :laugh:

Tyler, This may be so, but I have read several accounts of people diagnosed with BPD that are on meds that were okayed for the surgery. I really think what it comes down to is person as a whole, not just one reason specifically. Rachel :laugh:

Amy, Thank you for the clarification on PB, I think I wanted the graphic detail to help me wrap my head around it, most people tend to answer politely, which doesn't really help me understand. So thanks. Also, thank you for the relationship answer. I do have to admit, I am happy that both my mother and my g/f want to lose their weight, mos def. I am also happy because, it will make it easier for me to make food choices when I have other people supporting me and striving to live healthy as well. My mother and I have always been up and down in weight. We have both tried numberous diets, this is just the first time it seems that we are doing it in tandem. Besides, a little healthy competition never hurt anyone. My g/f on the other hand seems to jump on the band wagon at times. I am concerned about her because she will try for a little while and then use her job as a hairstylist as an excuse that she doesn't have the time to follow a diet. When we first met, I ate very healthy, but I let her bad habits become mine and 30 lbs later I am pretty ticked at the results it gave me. I am a busy person and I am constantly running, with school (BS in Engineering) and working full-time. But once I hit thirty I made a concious decision to start eating healthier because both of my parents suffer from heart disease. I needed to make a change. I guess what it all boils down to is that I fell off of the wagon this past year and I am ready for this change. I am also ready to help my loved ones make a change if they choose to so as well. Thanks again for your response!

BCG, First of all congrats on be banded! I wish you well on your journey! Also, thanks for the insight, I was trying to concentrate on my chewing today at lunch and noticed that I probably inhale my food (as I assume most people do these days). So I am trying to imagine what food getting stuck would feel like, I have "bitten off more than I can chew" at times and had that awful feeling of it travelling slowly down my esophagus. But then I drink water and it seems to slip right on through. I imagine it must feel like that did, only worse. Thanks again for sharing your experience!

I actually had a friend that was turned down for gastric bypass surgery about 2 years ago. After further talking to her I found out that it probably had a lot to do with her 1) smoking 2) drinking and 3) not being medicated for an adequate amount of time for her recent bi-polar diagnosis. She was on a time crunch because she was about to be booted off of her father's insurance and wanted to rush the surgery. I think if she had been sober from smoking and drinking for about 6 months and on a steady regiment of medication for her bi-polar disorder she would have been okayed for surgery.

Thank you everyone for your input, my 1st consult is coming up, hopefully my surgeon will shed some more light on this subject then!

Betsy, have you been restricted on abdominal exercises? I have read on this forum that a lhandful of people stay aways from sit-ups and crunches due to being afraid of the port coming unattached or tangled. I even read that someone had their port attached more to their side so as to allow for abdominal exercises.

I told my mother and my partner about my desire to get lap-band surgery about 2 weeks ago. I have been talking about it off and on now for about a year. So when I went to my first seminar and ultimately decided that this is what I wanted to do, they were happy for me. In the week or so that has followed, my mother and girlfriend have started to make comments about me becoming "skinny" and them having to do something about their own weight (both are easily 50+ lbs overweight). While I am happy about their decisions to make an effort to lose weight, I am a bit perturbed about them focusing on their own efforts. This is mainly because it seems their motivation may be out of jealousy that my insurance covers the surgery, rather than them actually realizing that they have food issues. I am not meaning to be selfish here, and by all means I want them both to live healthier lives, but I wish they both would stop with this skinny mentality, because that is not what I see myself as in 1-2 years post-surgery, I see myself healthy, at 150lbs which is still "considered" overweight for my height, and by no means "skinny". I am just wondering has anyone had any similar issues with family/partners? And has your siginificant weight loss caused stress in any of your relationships? Has it every caused fights and/or break-ups due to jealousy or self-esteem issues? One last question totally on the other end of the spectrum, I have been reading a lot about this getting "stuck" and "PB" phenomenon. Can someone explain to me exaclty what this is? Is it similar to the pain felt during severe heartburn/reflux or worse? Is this caused by lack of chewing food properly? Also, can you really not sip on a beverage while you eat to aid in it going down? Rachel

Having energy, feeling healthy and looking it! Wearing a small T-shirt...finding jeans that I fit that I actually like...

One of my concerns after being banded and losing the weight is will I need cosmetic surgery? I am mainly concerned with my breasts, which are abnormally large when I am small or large. I am currently 238 lbs, and wear a size 42 DD. I am hoping to get down to a large C once I lose the weight, but I am anticitpating needing a breast lift, does anyone know if BCBS Federal will cover this? Also, has anyone had to get a breast lift after their goal weight has been met?