rstroud100

Is there a place on this site for spouses of banders to discuss stuff? My wife is getting all the prerequisites completed to have surgery later this year. I would be curious to here what other spouses (husband or wives) are doing to support their mate before/during/after they get banded. What positive/negative affects has the band had on their relationships? I would get value from this... Anyone else?

Pizza is a problem for my wife. It is one of the few foods she cannot tolerate since being banded.

I've always been the 'big guy' in the room. Would like to get noticed for more than just my size. Some people like to put the word 'Big' in front of my name when they talk to me. I have been fat since my pre-teen years. Would be nice to be on the other side of that equation for a change. Just being considered 'normal size' would be great!!!

My wife got banded in December. I have been with her and supported her from day one. Not having support at home could lead to all sorts of problems. I think you just have to be in the corner of the one you love no matter what...

We have CIGNA and my wife had to do the following: 6 month supervised diet provide 2 year attempted diet info Psych Eval sleep Apnea Test Cardio Testing & Clearance leg scans I think for clots full spectrum blood work attend seminars After the surgery group submitted all the data to Cigna it took around a month for approval. I am probably missing something but this is what I remember. She was banded in December 2008.

I don't see why this eating plan could not be used by anyone. It is quite similar to structured diets you would get from a nutritionist where you eat meat, veggies and good carbs. The key is to watch calorie intake and portion sizes plus most people don't drink nearly enough water each day. GOOD LUCK!!!

The surgery group gave my wife one of these cards during her first follow-up visit. We have not went anywhere so far to try and use it since my wife has only been banded for a couple weeks. I think it is a really great idea that the surgery center provides this type of thing.

I went through the seminars and the 6 month supervised diet process but just cannot convince myself to undergo surgery. I am giving traditional diet and exercise another shot. This choice is very personal and no one can decide what you want to do to your body except yourself. Do the research and make the decision that you are comfortable with for you. Now my wife is a different story... she was banded a couple weeks ago and seems to be doing great so far. I accepted her choice to do what she needed to do for herself. She seems to have accepted my decision also. Her being banded has helped my weightloss by changing both of our eating habits so even though I am not banded I feel that I am getting a benefit from it. Fighting obesity is one of the great challenges in our lives that unfortunately cannot be cured by any specific 'magic bullet'. We can only dream of such a thing... Good Luck.

Hello, I am in the waiting room at Lexington Medical in Lexington SC waiting on my wife's surgery to be completed. She went in a little while ago and I sure hope this works out great for her. I love her more than life and can't think about something happening to her. We are headed on this new road starting today. Wish us luck...

I met my wife on www.cupid.com in 2004 and we were married June 2005. It has been great!!!

I am concerned about my wife having this surgery too but with that being said I started doing lots of research on my own. Sounds like the biggest issue is anesthesia complications which are a part of every surgery. My wife has never been really ill or had any other surgeries so we are hoping this goes well. She is finishing up her 6 month supervised process this month and has done tons of testing to meet the insurance requirements in hope of a late November or early December band date. I too support her decision to get this done.

My gut tells me that I could never vote for Obama. I don't feel that he can be trusted. I am a conservative and support McCain.

Businesses like this are not usually going to cater to such a small percentage of patrons like banders. And as you stated they like most don't offer anything healthy on the kid's menu. I feel that these options gear our kids up for making lifelong bad food choices. Hence adding to the obesity epidemic that we face now. You will do much better to stay with menu choices but you will have to pay no matter how much of it you eat.

Hello, My wife is finishing up her 6 month period in October and we will be submitting her paperwork to CIGNA also. She wants to get this surgery done before the end of this year since we have almost met our out of pocket max for 2008. I would definitely be hounding them if you don't get an answer soon. Let us know how this plays out. GOOD LUCK...

My wife has been having similar issues with her Dad and sisters. They are against her having the surgery. Only you know what is right for you!!! Maybe once they see some positive results then they will start to support the process. Best of Luck...

I am adjusting my diet around my wife's requirements since she is in the process to get banded. I have not made the banding decision myself but I will do whatever I can to help her succeed. The process has got me focused on dieting and exercise so I am benefiting from this also. I think that your spouse has to be considerate of your needs and should adjust accordingly. Good Luck...

The formula to calculate your BMI is: English BMI FormulaBMI = ( Weight in Pounds / ( Height in inches ) x ( Height in inches ) ) x 703 Metric BMI FormulaBMI = ( Weight in Kilograms / ( Height in Meters ) x ( Height in Meters ) ) For your info...

Thanks for the info. I just ordered this book and a High Protein cookbook from Amazon.com for my wife. She is a couple months away from satisfying the insurance obstacles before she can be banded. I hope she finds this book helpful.

Hello, My wife is using Dr. Antonetti in West Columbia SC also. This is one of the certified lap band clinics and a rough estimate of cost was around $14000. Our insurance covers the process so my wife is 4 months into the 6 month eval period. This is one of only 3 facilities in SC that Cigna will cover.

I had this done and the isotope does stay in your system for a few days but I have never heard of there being an issue with personal contact. It was a single injection that allows the scanners to take good pictures of your heart. It was no big deal for me...

A good spanking never hurt anyone!!! But when a parent disciplines a child they should NEVER lose control!!! Discipline and child abuse are two completely different things.

If someone truly loves you; they would never cross this line!!! For me this would be a deal breaker... I wish you the best in your decisions. Only you know what is right for you.

For the insurance to cover my wife's surgery the timeline is: 6 months of supervised diet counseling Psych Evaluation Meeting with dietician Meet with surgeon Cardio assessment sleep Study Once all this data is accumulated and verified by the physician a package will be submitted to the insurance company. After approval the surgery could be scheduled as early as one month later depending on any additional requirements by the doctor. This process appears to be different with every insurance company and surgery center. For your info...

Just know that I support your decision and commend you for deciding to make this change. It takes a lot of courage to step out of the comfort zone of our family and old habits. I will be here by your side all the way no matter what!!! Just being with you through this process is changing my own perceptions about food and exercise. We will both benefit tremendously from this journey!!! I am so proud of you...

Hello. My wife has decided that this surgery is the answer for her. She goes for her psych consult and first meeting with the surgeons next week. I will be there by her side during this journey. I will support her decision and do whatever I can to make this a success. I do all the cooking so I will have to change our food to accommodate this process. My wife doing this will help me diet even though I am not getting banded at this time. I also am overweight but I cannot convince myself to get the band right now. I feel that I can lose my weight through traditional diet and exercise. In all honesty; I want to see how well it works for her first. Initi9ally my wife was a little angry that I was not as excited as she was about getting this done. I think she is coming around and realizing that this is a very personal decision to have surgery. How are other husbands and wives handling this?