Help please, tons of questiosn about what to expect...

[ldswims 0]

Howdy everyone. I just wanted to say hi and see if people can help me out with basic questions.

I am contemplating this procedure and am wondering what to expect. Like info on timelines - how does the process go and what has been your experience?

I am 34 yo, 5'7 and weigh 260. That equates to a BMI of 41. I don't have any other underlying health concerns at the moment, but I want to keep it that way! My father died from Type II Diabetes and hypertension and my mother died from colon cancer. My mother never struggled with her weight but my father did with his. I have enough to be concerned with there that I don't need to be carrying this extra weight like I am. I can generally lose weight easily but I can never keep it off. And when I gain it back, it comes back with more.

So how does this process play out? Does it take months to get in for the surgery? Or can it be pretty fast in development? I have a consult with a surgeon on Oct 22 and go into see my PCP on Oct 6. I will get from her the medical necessity letter next week - I'm pretty sure she will provide that as I meet the criteria AND she's mentioned this in the past. What will the surgeon want from me? Has anyone been required to attend the seminar? Do you recommend it?

Anything you can share with me would be much appreciated, that's for sure. I'm so very full of questions right now and I want to read some REAL experiences, not some sales literature.

Sorry if you've read this on the introduction side, I thought it might get more reads on this line of topics.

Thank you!

Lori

[DianaDickey 3]

I think it depends on alot of things. For instance self pay vs insurance. I think the seminar is a good thing and I'm glad I went. It gave me something to work with to keep me ahead of the game. What I mean by that is I am using insurance and they required proof of a six consecutive month diet within a year of surgery date. They wanted proof of a visit once each year over the past 3 to prove my weight. The forms I received and the seminar gave me a heads up and I started collecting it right then. I will list my timeline for you.

8/4 Seminar

8/18 Consultation

8/24 Psych Eval

9/08 Nutritionist

9/17 Labwork and release from family doctor

9/30 Pre Op Appt today

10/07 Surgery

In between I did alot of running around for insurance, but it is complete finally. Hope that was helpful for you and if you are self pay it may be faster. Take care and good luck.

9/21 P

[ldswims 0]

Thanks so much, Diana!

Seems like everywhere I look I am finding tons of info but until I meet with my surgeon I think I'm going to have tons of questions. I found him through the lap-band website but now have found his clinic's website and that started answering tons of questions in itself. I think I will sign up for the seminar - there is one next week.

I can track down a lot of weigh-in's and even visits with nutritionists over the past ten years but that will entail a friendly harrassment of the VA. This should be fun!

[dragonflylover 0]

Hello,

I suggest going to a seminar. At the seminar you can ask a billion questions... and you have the advantage of other people asking question you may not have thought of. I researched this whole forum.. pics, pre-banding, insurance, surgery day stories.. pretty much everything but complaints. i don't need that extra worry. besides, from what i read, it depends on the surgeon, the person, and how well you go by the rules.. i know i am determined and will do great. by experience, the more research i have done the more i was convinced the lap-band was for me. try not to let everyone else's opinion cloud your judgement.. i'm sure you will have people give you negative stories. it didn't stop me. i just learned not to go around telling people. haha. so basically.. my suggestion is to do as much research as possible. you tube has some animated videos of the procedure..

good luck with your decision.

[ldswims 0]

Thanks dragonflylover,

I have finally started getting some beneficial information. Now I am trying to find personal stories - successful and otherwise.

It's funny, I've told three people that I'm contemplating this. My boss who may or may not be turning into a friend. He was supportive and had some great suggestions and really surprised me. I told my neighbor, a great friend - someone who might possibly consider this for herself - and she judged me. And I told a friend who thinks that if this can help alleviate the pain in my foot from an old Navy injury then it's worth it's weight in gold! And that in itself is a huge part of the reason why I'm now pursuing this.

My husband, who needs to lose weight, too, although not nearly as much as me, is incredibly supportive. And we both think that this can be a tool for him, too, even though I would be the one getting banded. Between the two of us, we are both excited, if you will, at the prospect.

Where I am afraid I'm going to get frustrated in all this is in the waiting! I don't want the excitement to fizzle. That's my fear. But I also don't want to get excited to have them tell me I'm not really a candidate. I can't see why I wouldn't be - need to lose 120 pounds (could be more, in fact), BMI is too high...but what if?

Argh!

I have such skill at driving myself crazy!

Scheduled to attend the seminar next week....

[KartMan 58]

From my experience the extra steps and time are purely a function of what your insurance wants. I was self pay, so the Doc would have been willing to go as fast as I wanted. I would HIGHLY recommend the seminar though, and do as much fact finding as you can. If you haven’t figured it out already, you are going to be making a major change to your body and lifestyle with this, you should go into it with as much knowledge as you can. This tool is great, and can work wonders – but you must understand the caveats of it or you could be setting yourself up for failure. I did a fair amount of research, but some things still caught me off guard – learn as much as you can.

The biggest thing you need to know is it that it doesn’t just work like magic, you have to follow the rules and have self discipline. You said that you have been able to lose weight in the past but couldn’t keep it off… That is a fairly common pattern around here, the good news is it also seems to be one of the things the band helps with. See, Portion Control diets are great. They make you lose weight because it is all about calories in vs. calories out. The problem is that normally it is very hard to maintain portion control over time because you can’t control the hunger. The band can solve that problem for you. If you have good restriction (which may take a few months BTW) you will find that you can only consume small portions and you feel satisfied on that small meal for several hours, presto - portion control without the hunger. That part sounds kinda magical, but it’s not really. It’s just the band doing what it does, restricting what you can put into your pouch. The magic is not with the band at all, it is still with you. You have to take advantage of the hunger control the band gives you and leverage that to follow a new healthy lifestyle.

If you don’t stop eating when you are full, if you graze between meals, if you make high calorie food choices (even with small portions), if you drink calories, you absolutely will fail – no magic there.

I have been pretty successful in a relatively short period (normal weight within about 7 months). What worked for me (in no particular order):

Follow the doctors orders

Drink plenty of Water

Don’t drink during meals

Try to consume 1g Protein for every pound of lean body mass

Regular Exercise

Vitamins

3 meals a day (no grazing)

No sugary drinks

No Snacks

Portion Control

Count calories

Get good restriction

Edited October 1, 2009 by KartMan

[ldswims 0]

Thanks, KartMan!

I think no drinking with meals will take some getting used to on my part. That one just seems weird and counterintuitive and just plain wrong to me. I was always taught - by my Nutritionist mother - ok, she was a Nurse Practicioner with a minor in Nutrition - that we drink to aid in avoiding choking. I keep reading that over and over and I won't contest it. My husband and I both think it actually makes sense when you stop and think about it. But 34 years of habit has got to go - and I always thought that was a GOOD habit. HA!

What things caught you off guard?

And when does weightlifting become ok again? That's going to be a hard one to deal with, if this comes to pass. I love lifting weights and being restricted from that for (from what I've read) at least three months seems, again, counterintuitive. It should not take that long to heal from this, is my presumption - but what do I know, I'm not a doctor or a surgeon...

[KartMan 58]

I thought the drinking during meals would be a problem too, but it was a fairly easy habit to break. Sometimes it actually hurts to drink if the food is still in the pouch, pain is a good incentive. The worst part about not drinking during meals has been that I have to tone down the spice. I like spicy Mexican and Thai food, but without a drink (or rice) the spice has to come down a notch. Be careful with very liquidly Soups on this point as well. If you are going to have them, do it before the main meal. My rule on liquids is that it’s ok to have them right up to food time, none during, and wait 1 hour after.

What caught me off guard?

- The gas pains the first week were very rough. This pain is different for everyone, and can’t really be described. It passed quickly though.

- Just how much you miss chewing while on the liquid diet

- The feeling of restriction. This is another thing that can’t really be described. It’s not really a “good” feeling, but you will enjoy the results of it.

- My first PB, OMG – its not fun, but you won’t die (only feel like it)

- People’s reaction to WLS

- How quickly I burned thru my clothes (by 6 months, even my old “skinny” clothes were too big)

- You can’t turn it off. You know how with other diets, you can cheat? With this you can’t, restriction is always there and if you push it, it will push back – with a vengeance (see the PB comment)

- How much certain things can hurt to eat (like bread and rice)

As for working out, I didn’t do it the first 5 months (was too lazy to start). I started because I found out I was losing muscle along with fat and I didn’t want that. I have been working out the past 2 months now, and I absolutely love it – can’t get enough. If they say 3 months for weight lifting, then go ahead and wait – it will pass quickly. But do other exercise if you can. No reason you can’t walk, run, dance, etc.

A word of caution and support for your hubby. First the caution, a lot of band-spouses gain weight because they get a lot of leftovers we can't eat (not a good thing for someone that is already overweight). The support for him may be a downer for you, guys often do better than women when they embark on diets or WLS. We are lucky in that we don’t have all those hormones, TOM, menopause, other women making snide remarks, our muscles burn more calories, etc. He might want to consider banding as well, just think of the money you guys could save on food. I was 6’ 285lbs, 42 years old when I got it and the weight flew off, not saying he needs it...

[OnTheWay to Thin 0]

It seems like no matter how you go about the process, self pay or insurance there are a number of hoops to jump through. My husband has benefited from me having the procedure as I cook healthier and therefore he has lost a few pounds too. Do the seminar and take your husband with you, it really helped my husband understand the process and be supportive. Good luck.

[Lana24 10]

I think one of the most important things to remember is, this is not effortless. I read some posts that say things like I have been banded for 3 years and have not lost any weight and they don't know why. Well lets see if you eat crap and have an adversion to exercise then no the band will not work for you.

Its not a magic band this requires thought, meal planning, cooking, eating veggies and exercise. If you can commit to those things then yes you will have a great deal of success.

Remember this is a journey, it could take years to get to to your goal but getting there...now thats the journey!

Its all well worth it and I wish you the very best!

[mfl552 0]

I went to a meeting at a hospital, got all the paperwork, and dates for 2 required seminars for the lap band or gastric bypass, in that packet you will get all the info u need, psycolgical evaluation, 6month weight list from your doctor go to doc to get weighed every month 4 6 mos. doctor letter,medical neccesity letter, pre op test, and meeting for the surgery then surgery date then walla !I'ts a long process most insurance want u to do all of these things, plan ahead good luck

[Catherine55 43]

Definitely check out other bandster's blogs -- I found that really helpful when I was starting this process. I'm including a link to mine below (our stats aren't too different -- 11 months ago, I started at 5'6, 230 lbs and 37 years old. I'm now 14 lbs from goal - woo-hoo!). I have a bunch of links to other blogs on my main page -- I bet that you will find some that you like!

Best wishes for your success!

Catherine