chubbykins

Hello, I read very carefully through your post and will start with the obvious comment which is that you have to do what is best for YOU. My main concern would be approaching the weight loss this way knowing that you may want to have more children. I too am 37 and a mom but for certain will not be having anymore children so for me that wasn't a concern. I was scared too and kept pushing back my surgery date. I am now on day 5 and it has been so rough. I will be honest but not to scare you but because I want you to have the flip side. I had the surgery at 7:30am and was home by 11:45am. Then by 12:45 I was being rushed by ambulance back to the hospital where I stayed for 4 days. I stood up from the toilet and was so weak and all of a sudden everything turned foggy, then all white. I collapsed and didnt even have enough energy to get up. This happened in front of my children which was horrifiying and my daughter literally saved my life by calling 911. Apparently my blood pressure had sunk to about 50/30 per paramedics. For the next few days I was on a liquid diet in the hospital with a migrane that never left and not even enough energy to walk to the bathroom with an aide. a All the time alone in the hospital really made me have a converstion with myself and ihad to ask myself if I had really tried the best I could. Answer long story short: NO. I am grateful for the surgery and cant wait to continue the journey and see the end result but I know now that if I have the will power to do this then I had it all along without realizing it. My experience is my experience and I am sure is rare but I am asking you to weigh every thing and talk very openly with your husband and your physican. Reconcile EVERYTHING before the surgery so there are no doubt. I had anxiety big time in the hospital and I know that it is because I did not reconcile things for myself. I am here for you as we all are on this site and whatever you decide you will get through it. Let me know if you have any questions along the way.

The doctor's secretary stated that I would need to see a cardiologist, pulmonologist and a psychiatrist for medical clearance and I was fortunate enough to have all my appointments completed this week. If anyone is looking for a psychiatrist, cardiologist or pulmonoligist in the Northern NJ Bergen/Passaic County area, let me know. More than happy to reccomend. Each of them were great and all accept United Healthcare/Americhoice. The cardiologist had me undergo a stress test and echocardiogram. They also did blood work and checked my thyroid levels. The pulmonologist is sending me for a sleep test which wasn't a requirement but I am going to do it in 2 weeks. It will help address my snoring which has increased since my weight gain. As of today I am 268lbs. I also met with a psychiatrist whose main goal was to really determine if I have given real thought to the process of the lapband and if I FULLY understand the changes I need to make in my lifestyle and eating habits. He was very kind and after going over my history and making sure that I knew what I was signing on for with this surgery he did go ahead and aprove me. My recommendation to anyone would be that it should not matter if your insurance requires these steps or not. You should undergo them for your own safety and peace of mind not just for you but your loved ones as well. I think a whole lot about my family especially my kids and how they would be affected if somrthing unforeseen were to happen to me so for that reason alone I am taking all the precautions and making sure that I am clear on all angles. Dr. Vasquez is one of the few that requested these tests not just for his protection but mines as well. I have spoken with some people who had the procedure who said that they had the surgery without even having clearance on their heart, breathing or otherwise. Not good, not good I say. But I am glad things worked out for them. At any rate ...take the extra steps! the life you save may be your own.

The requirements for Americhoice now known as United Healthcare in NJ for lapband is really simple: Acquire pre-authorization from a qualified surgeon in their network See a nutritionist Thats it. I checked with them to see how many visits were required with the nutrionist and they said there are no minimum number of visits so virtually as long as you have met with one AT LEAST ONCE, you are ok. Dr. Vasquez did ask that I see one for at least 6 months during my initial visit, however I wonder if that is because it seems to be the standard amount of time with most insurance companies. I did go to a couple of session with a licensed nutrionist about 9 months ago and found that even though I did make substantial changes to my eating habits, the wait loss was minimal and I really didnt feel any better about myself self esteem wise. Since that was months ago and in speaking with the insurance company who recently underwent changes and they said that no minimum number of visits was necessary i decided to go ahead and move forward with my plans. The pre authorization I expect will be put forth on Monday when I visit Dr. Vasquez. I hope it goes through without a hitch.

Here I am presenting myself to the world for all to see. I'm sure that for those of us on here because we have had, will have or are contemplating having the surgery, you will know just what I mean feel. For others- they can only imagine. -Looking in the mirror and wanting feel sexy but just can't quite figure out how you can be -Wanting to do normal things like go for long walks, stroll on the beach in a swimsuit without the cover up just feeling free and uninhibited -Being able to shop where you want because you have options -Not questioning why you are eating, how much you are eating adn what someone else may think The list can on but it needs to stop. I have to take control of how I feel. Feel about me. Feel about the future. I had thought about having the surgery many times before and now I am going to go for it ! I'm just tire. Tired of it all. So a new me is on the way. Can't wait.