Hi everyone, new here to the forum! i have been lurking for awhile and have decided to get started in the process of getting banded. i have been overweight practically my entire life. everyone would always tell me, "well you're tall" or "you're have a bigger build" and i always felt fat. now at 27, i am the most i've ever weighed! i was always an active person, but the weight just kept coming back plus some. now i have three herniated discs and knee problems which make it hard to stay as active as i was once. i have to take meds for my bi-polar disorder for the rest of my life. these meds help but all have weight gain associated with them. my entire immediate family has weight poblems. i feel like this will definitely help me to improve my overal quality of life. i have a 4 year old son who i love and want to be able to keep up with him. ahh and this is tmi, but my weight gain is mostly in the stomach and lower body. i have no chest whatsoever! sucks but it literally all went straight to my butt!

i saw my pcp on friday, and he said he would refer me to a doc at the universit of penn. he wanted to check out my blood work so we're doing that on monday to rule out thyroid problems. if all is clear, he'll refer me so i could get started with that part of the process.

i'm nervous, i know i need to gain some weight to have at least a bmi of 35 for my insurance company to cover it, but i'm so scared to willfully gain weight and then be denied. i cannot self-pay at this time or anytime soon.

thanks for reading, any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated. good luck to everyone in their journey!

just an update - i got results from my bloodwork back and no thyroid problems! my family doc referred me to dr. alan schuricht at pennsylvania hospital. i called and am attending the mandatory information session the end of this month and i have an appointment for a consultation in february! i'm so excited! :thumbup: i hope the approval from my insurance goes this smoothly!

good luck to everyone in their journey to a healthier you!

Congratulations on your decision to get banded. Good luck on your journey.