Hi...i just got word from the insurance that my surgery was approved. I was excited and shocked at the same time. I honestly didnt think they would approve me and so i was prepaired for the worst! When i got the news i didnt know whether to scream with excitement or cry.? :/

I am 5'3.5 and now 220 lbs. I have battled my weight all my life and i would love a tool to help me take it off and keep it off. I know im not extremely overweight but im sick of being a size 18 and would love to go pull a 12 off the shelf. I dont have any co-morbidities but i do have gerd, pre arthritis, and lower back pain constantly. My only concern with this is that im going to regret the decision im making. Even though this is a reversable procedure, its still pretty perminant and a big decision. Pleas help ease my mind or give any imput or concerns. Id love to hear them all from anyone out there.:tongue2:

Hi...i just got word from the insurance that my surgery was approved. I was excited and shocked at the same time. I honestly didnt think they would approve me and so i was prepaired for the worst! When i got the news i didnt know whether to scream with excitement or cry.? :/

I am 5'3.5 and now 220 lbs. I have battled my weight all my life and i would love a tool to help me take it off and keep it off. I know im not extremely overweight but im sick of being a size 18 and would love to go pull a 12 off the shelf. I dont have any co-morbidities but i do have gerd, pre arthritis, and lower back pain constantly. My only concern with this is that im going to regret the decision im making. Even though this is a reversable procedure, its still pretty perminant and a big decision. Pleas help ease my mind or give any imput or concerns. Id love to hear them all from anyone out there.:tongue2:

hi melisa

u should be happy u insurance is covering for u, i hade to pay out of my own poket, so i desided to go to Mexico because the price here in canada are rediculos . this is not a losing weight solution,,,,,,,,, its a tool to help u loose weight. i was banded in aug 19 i just had my secand fill yesterday in total in m and a bit i lost about 17 lb i feel great if u follow the advise the dr gives u you will lose weight but if u dont like i did u wont lose to much weight so its up to u. u wont regret itu will be happy. fills after can be expensive i payed for my first fill 175$ 50 for my second and the next one will be 150 soand from there on i belive its 150 . after u are banded i will give u a site its called 5 days pouch test and there u can learn lots of stuff

this is the site so go on it and see if its any help to u...take care and please let me know how things are. god bless u

We have all been there. I thought the same thing. I am down 50 pounds, a huge milestone, and would have never been there without the band. I've been on and off every diet imaginable and never lost this much. I wasn't hugely overweight either, but give me another couple of years and I would have been. My self confidence is back and I am now finally starting to take pictures of myself. As long as you are motivated and don't try to sabitage yourself, you are making the right decision.

Melissa, get the surgery. You are obese.

What are you waiting for? Do you want to be super morbidly obese and waddle into the clinic at 400 pounds?

I was roughly the same size as you when I started............now I am wearing size 4 pants........I had to pay 16k for my surgery, and would do it again, even if it meant selling my house and moving into an apartment.

lololol thank you guys! I really needed that. every bit helps me. I love reading what you guys put!

Hi Melissa, I was just like you a couple of days ago...I just got:thumbup: banded on 10/2/08 and I remember thinking in the OR that "what am I doing"..I wanted to run away..but I am glad that I did not. I am 5' 3".5 and weight about 243lbs. Even some of the nurses that were getting me ready for my surgery said, they could not see why I was getting the procedure done, since I did not look that overweight. Unfortunately, I am that overweight and most of my weight is in my legs, ankles, feet, and a little everywhere else..I am also thinking about the future..I have tried every diet imaginable and exercised to the point of exhaustion and eventhough I did lose weight it was never permanent and after a few months it became impossible to stop binge eating and then I would get discourage and would stop exercising and all the hard work would go down the drain...I did that for 20 years...I had had enough. I will remind you that this is surgery, it is painful and uncomfortable:blushing:, it is a very serious decision, but if you have been where I was then go for it...I am already down six pounds. So I would advise you to speak about it with your love ones, especially one that will be able to be with you through the first couple of days after surgery. You are going to need help...pray to Jesus Christ to give you the strength to endure the procedure and the days following...they are not easy, but in the end will be worth it. God Bless you!!...Blanca:thumbup:

I had some second thoughts as well. But now, a little over a month later and down 31 pounds I feel it was the best decision I ever made. My dad was extremely over weight i was year by year getting closer to what he was. I didn't want that for me. So at a BMI of just over 35 and high blood pressure I decided to get the surgery. Several nurses asked me why but I didn't let it bother me. A couple of them I wanted to ask why they haven't gone for surgery but I kept my mouth shut. My doctor said I was the thinest person he ever put the band in but I was also the easiest for him as well. For the past five years I have tried many diets and they all failed. Finally I found something that works. Even if I have some complication in the future and have to have the band adjusted I feel it is all worth it. I feel much better. My confidence is improving. I am able to exercise again. And the best part is, so far I am able to enjoy all the foods i did before, I just cannot eat as much of them. I love my band.

Go for it. Be glad the insurance is paying for it. The first few days after surgery are not the best but once the gas is out it's out and you will feel better. The more you walk the more the gas gets out. By day four or five I was pretty much back to normal. I went back to work eight days after surgery. I'm a teacher and it was the first day of school so I was on my feet a lot. Everything went well. I kept a Water bottle close by and sat down if I needed to.

Melissa.. if you know it's what you need to do, then do it. Don't let anyone else's opinion sway what you know is right for you. I was roughly the same size as you.. I was banded 9/4 and am down 19 pounds! I'm already in some size 14's and was also a size 18/20 when I started. There will be people that act like you aren't 'big enough' to warrant needing surgery, but who is to say at what point you need it? If you struggle, and there is a tool available to help you, why not go for it? That was my philosophy anyways.

I got scared and put off my surgery for a few months and tried one more time to lose the weight on my own.. didn't happen. I was approved for my surgery in May. I called my insurance to find out how long my approval lasted, and they told me six months.. so I took the summer to really think about this.. and then had the surgery on Sept 4th. It's okay to have some doubts, just search your soul and find the answer thats right for YOU-- regardless of what anyone else says.

Yep, you should search within yourself to makesure it's what YOU REALLY want to do for yourself! For real.

I started off at 220 / 5' 2" / Size 18/20 on the way 'again' to a size 22.

As of today, I'm glad to have lost 9 lbs of water-weight while on the pre-op diet.

You are so lucky to get insurance coverage - I didn't. So, I'm taking all I have to pay for it....yep, being healthier is just that serious for me. Having paid many, many $$$ over the last few years for every diet pill / organized diet there is - I don't see why I wouldn't pay for this.

I have sleep apnea and am not planning to sit around to await other co-morbidites that are bound to show up shortly.

No matter what you decide, I wish you the very best of health to go with it!

I was a size 18 when I got the band... and that was too big for me not because of what size I was, but because I was being so unhealthy. Mostly, I did this for my health and that should be the main concern of everyone.

Never hurts to be a sexy bitch, either :-)

congrats on getting approved. I am just beginning the process and with everything they want you to do before approval, it's just daunting. I can understand your fear, though--this isprobably the biggest decision in your life. For me, it's bigger than getting married, buying a house, or having kids--this is somewhat uncharted ground for most people; hence, the skepticism. I say keep cioming to the boards for support and only discuss it with people you know will be supportive. Good luck and congratulaions :tt2:

Melisa,

I am NOT going to tell you to have surgery. That has to be completely up to you.

I WILL tell you that so far, this is one of the best things I've ever done for myself! I'm 6 weeks out and really happy with the way things are going for me. I started the process with my PCP in February and weighing 240lbs at 5'3". I managed to lose a few lbs by the time I got to seminar in March and started the program. Went into surgery at about 210 (came out of surgery at 217 that took 1 1/2 weeks to lose!) and am now just under 200lbs! I'm thrilled!

What I can suggest you do is research. Read books, read this site, participate in threads, ask questions, information groups, classes, etc. KNOW why are doing this, KNOW that this is the surgery for you. Educate yourself and THEN decide if this is what you really want to do. I did all of that and was so calm at the time of surgery that even the nurses were commenting on it. In my heart, I KNEW that this was what I was supposed to do. I'm not saying it's going to be perfect, I hope it is but I know about the complications that can happen and I'm okay with the risks.

Welcome and hope to see you around!

I also wanted to add that I just completed reading a good book on the subject (there are MANY out there). The one I read was from Amazon.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1600940021]Weight Loss Surgery with the Adjustable Gastric Band: Everything You Need to Know Before and After Surgery to Lose Weight Successfully[/ame] [Paperback]

By: Robert Sewell (Author), Linda Rohrbough (Author)

I had some second thoughts as well. But now, a little over a month later and down 31 pounds I feel it was the best decision I ever made. My dad was extremely over weight i was year by year getting closer to what he was. I didn't want that for me. So at a BMI of just over 35 and high blood pressure I decided to get the surgery. Several nurses asked me why but I didn't let it bother me. A couple of them I wanted to ask why they haven't gone for surgery but I kept my mouth shut. My doctor said I was the thinest person he ever put the band in but I was also the easiest for him as well.

Where in PA? I am just BARELY 35 BMI and am 5'4" and weigh 200. I am worried I am too thin!!! :biggrin: