Hi I am new to this site and I have been reading postings for the last 2 hours. Most comments are so negative:phanvan . I have my appt. with my doctor next week to go over the procedure. Now I am not sure if I should back out of it. Also I have two questions if anyone can answer for me. I have not seen anyone comment about how their body looks after weight loss, and has it had a negative affect on their experience, and also when you get your band filled does it cost a lot out of pocket or does your insurance pay for that also. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

My insurance payed for the band and 90 days of free after-care. Visits for fills after the 90 days cost a co-pay of $35 on my plan. As for most of the comments being negative, what have you been reading? Most people here would opt to have the surgery again and don't regret their decision to be banded.

Keep the appt. with your MD and ask a lot of questions. Get all your options on all the surgeries available and then do more research. When you're informed, you'll make the best decision for you.

Remember that people are more apt to grumble and post when things aren't going well.

I've lost 65 pounds in about 1 year, I have 35 to go. I've hit a few bumps in the road due to reflux, but nothing serious. I feel I would have come closer to meeting my goal in one year without the reflux problem. But I know I would have never lost this much weight with out the band.

I figure when I'm done losing my lower abdomen will still be a bit saggy and I may or may not have a tummy tuck, I know I can live without it. Although I'll never be bikini ready, I certainly wasn't even willing to put on a swimsuit at 237.

I am confident I will lose all the weight and I have no regrets, I would do it again in a heartbeat. The most important thing you can do if find a excellent surgeon that has GREAT aftercare. The aftercare is more important than you can imagine.

Good luck on your journey.

Susan

Also, about the fills. Everyone's situation is different, find out what your insurance covers. My insurance covers the surgery and aftercare 100%.

My fills are covered for the first year. After that I think they are $200.00. My body deffinitly looks different. It looked better in places when it actually had some fat in it. But those places are covered anyways. But man when I put on clothes do I feel like I look so much better. I can hide all the ugly areas. Like my THIGHS! But I feel so much better that the skin does not bother me so much. I will deffinitly be looking into a boob job next year though. LOL

Oh and I am one of the ones who would deffinitly have this surgery again. I could never have come this far without it. I was also concerned with all the negative at first. But like Happy Bandster said people ar more likely to post when they are upset about something. The only side effect that I have is I cant eat as much as I want now. Man that stinks. LOL

People will always speak out more on the negative. I've also been told to remember that there are many successful bandsters that do not post because they are happily living their normal weight lives. Go ahead with your appointment.

Terry

Thanks all of you for your great comments. I guess I will be sticking to my appt now. I guess I just needed some postive feedback to get me rolling. I am still scared of getting it done, but I can't wait to get to a healthier weight and maybe be able to buy clothes from a "normal" store. I am so thankful that I found this web site and found a great support system. Again thanks again all of you.

My fills are 15.00 after the first 6 months. I am getting the band on the 25th of july so I can not tell you about the skin. I do know that if my tummy looks bad I will get it fixed when I get my boobjob. But right now I am more concerned with my health not my looks. good luck....

Tayvia99,

I think we were all scared, I know I was. I was a wreck at my pre-op appointment, before I even had a chance to tell my surgeon how nervous I was, he told me how normal it was to be scared and put me at ease. He said he'd be concerned if I wasn't scared. This is a big step!!

Good Luck,

Susan

Best said, plastic surgery is up to the individual. Unlike gastric bypass you don't lose as quickly so you do have less lose skin. About fills....if you have insurance they should cover a portion of that. In my case my doctor asks for $50 deposit then they bill the carrier. Because he is out of network I am sure it will cost me a bit more. Good luck.

I think that some people reading these posts might focus more on the negative things being said...I have seen alot more positive on here than the negative...I stressed myself out bad about a week before surgery by doing the same exact thing...But I went thru with it and am about almost a month post op and would do it all again...Try to stay away from the negative posts and concentrate on the positive!! Good luck to you!!

You guys are right. I guess maybe I was looking for more of the negative than the positive. That was the only posts I was really looking at. I think just being so scared it making me feel this way. I also think I was worrying about how much things cost to much. I shouldn't put a price on my health, but that seems to be such a huge scary thing thinking of medical bills. I am going to stick with getting the procedure though. Thanks you guys. Oh also I got another question for someone. How long after your first visit with the doctor did you actually get your procedure, and would it be possible to go to work 3 days after the procedure is done?

I myself was out mowing the front yard on the 2nd day home and the backyard the day after and felt pretty good...Was still a little woozy and couldnt get out for extended shoping trips...I was lucky enough to have it when i was on vacation for a week tho and felt great going back...But everyone heals as a different pace

Hi there,

I also saw a lot of negative before I had the surgery, but I confess that I was looking at the complications threads a lot - just to see what I was potentially letting myself in for:paranoid! When I realized how uneasy it was making me feel just days before committing, I went on all the really positive threads for a while ("over 100 lbs lost", "before and after pictures" etc) and that helped me get beyond some of the nerves. I was still a wreck the night before surgery, which was Tuesday this week, but I'm pretty sure that I made the right decision. And now it's done, so I can only look forward to losing:)!

As far as going back to work after 3 days, personally, I wouldn't. I was still quite sore and uncomfortable (from the stitches and the gas) on day 4, and I can't walk all that fast or long either without feeling uncomfortable on the surface of my stomach (maybe if I were taking some painkillers it would be OK). Today is my 5th day post-op. I think that by days 7-10 post-op, I should really be feeling completely back to my old self again (stitches come out on day 10).

Try reading some of the really encouraging stuff on this website and I'm sure it'll help put your mind at rest.

Good luck.

Deana.