Jim1967

Yea they don't care about BMI unless of course you are under the requirement. I had a BMI of 78 and they denied on the first attempt. They're just real sticklers for proper documentation and I also think they deny with hopes people will just accept the denial and walk away.

Cigna denied me the first time around because they were not satisfied with the documentation my Surgeon and Staff provided them. It was not until I provided exercise logs and food journals that they finally approved me. Don't give up and make sure your Surgeon and his Staff communicate directly with Cigna on your behalf. Good Luck!!

Kicking butt!! Congrats...

Thank you!! Missy you're so sweet :-)

I've been banded for a little over a year now and I can remember when I attended my first seminar in October 2011 there was so many potential band patients. As time went on and I attended support meetings and gastric patients always far out numbered bandsters but there was still a lot of people. So now my Wife has begun her journey and is using the same center I used but a different Doctor. Doctor who was giving the seminar discussed all three option as they now offer the Sleeve along with the band and bypass. As I was taking in all the information it became quite clear that the band has fallen out of favor with the Doctors in the center. They'll still do Bands if that is what the patient wants. At one point the Doctor said "On average our patients lose 30 pounds in year one where the other surgeries have a higher success rate". Needless to say I disputed those numbers and then privately told the Doctor I believe she was being unfair with her assessment and then I questioned her that out of the number she is using how many were due to non-compliance vs actual complications/failures? Her answer was bluntly "That is why I like to push for the Sleeve over band as it requires less attention". Sounds pretty bias to me!! I then said so what you're saying is getting the Sleeve means it is successful regardless of the effort of the patient? And her reply was "Well there will always be guidelines and good choices to be made in order to be successful". .At that point I had enough and it sounded like she was blowing me off. I continue to follow up with my Doctor and I still attend certain support meetings but I can sadly see band patients being a thing of the past. I attend as a patient advocate in what is called a Panel of Experts which is made up of post op patients with at least more than 9 months of experience. I sit on this panel with bypass and sleeve patients. It is designed for preop to ask anything they want to the post ops without any presence from the Center. Basically a patient to patient candid talk. I will tell you the last one I had been to consisted of about 20 people and 2 were potential bandsters. I think I ended up answering 3 or 4 questions while listening to the Sleeve and Gastric speak.

Congratulations and welcome to the band-side. For me I have always thought BMI charts are very unrealistic. For me is about being comfortable in my own skin. I am only 5'6 and to be within a normal BMI range I should weigh about 154lbs. I do not see that ever happening especially with all the loose skin I'll be dragging along as well. Unless I can convince insurance to cover skin work which I doubt. I am shooting for 220 with 200/199 putting me over the moon. Either way in the end I am not going to sweat it though because I am healthier and happier now then I have been a long number of years. As time goes on the number on the scale is less of what I focus on. Too busy enjoying life and exploring my new physical freedoms and limitations.

Keep some of your old clothes as you shrink out of them. It will make a nice pic holding them up next to the new you in the future.

You described me perfectly but I will add that not only was I a binge eater I used to plan it and if I didn't have my binge food in the house I would go out and get it. I was constantly eating in front of the t.v. I would start with cheez-its and soda and then work my way up to ice cream. This was a nightly ritual for a lot of years. I had to do a 6 month insurance required diet in order to get the band and it was really hard at first. I used to go watch tv in bed just to be on another floor away from the food. Just before my surgery I attended a class put on by my weight center called "Hungry Head". It was a real eye opening experience for me. It taught me about triggers and just how bad of a binge eater I was. I am post-op now and I have fully embraced the life change and more importantly head hunger is no more. It is impossible for me to binge now even if I wanted to. Sure I still have ice cream every so often but I have learned moderation with all things. There are times I think about where I am now compared to where I once was and I am amazed at how much I've changed not just physically but mentally. I wish I could bottle it up and share it with others. Believe it or not I found that talking to myself helped a great deal. Identifying your triggers and then do what you must to avoid them until it takes little or no effort to disregard them.

Same here I was told 4 to 6 weeks and at that he wanted to let the steri strips fall off on their own.

Certainly nothing wrong with taking your time and ponder all the options. Just do not let others decide your life for you. As for cold feet it is perfectly normal. I had reservations right up until I got wheeled into OR and my Surgeon asked me if I was ready. I spent about 8 months researching this and spent another 6 thanks to the insurance required supervised diet. Even after all that time I still got nervous going in. In the end though I wouldn't change a thing.

Sorry you've had a bad go of it but it sure sounds to me you are blaming the tool for the shortcomings of your Doctor and his Staff. As for the sweet spot it does exist. Maybe not for you or maybe because of incompetent Doctors you had were just no help in finding it. Telling people not to get the lapband is just plain wrong based on your poor experiences with your Doctor and it sounds to me like you want to blame everything on the band. Your Doctor failed you...not the band. Have you looked for another Doctor? I think the take away from this thread is: Not only is it important to research the various surgical options but it's also wise to research the facility and Surgeon before diving into it. There a plenty who are out to make a buck!

My Wife knows of the site and being pre-op I have invited her to join in a couple of times but she says "no, that is your thing".

Everyone has a different story but sound similar..... I had once lost 174lbs then gained it all back plus another 90+. I went from 393 to 219 then up to 488 all in a 10 year period. Now I'm not sure what your circumstances are and who is telling you what but the way I see it is, you are the one to carry the weight and you are the one to live with the choices you make.

Failure is purely a state of mind. It does not matter if you fell down 5 times as long as you got up 6 times.

I am actually fighting some dehydration right now. My Doc called me on Friday and told me my labs were off. Also I am now taking Iron supplements as that is low. Now I know why I've been tired and cold a lot lately.

If you're new to this process I recommend writing a letter to yourself now as your journey begins and only to be read when you hit your ultimate goal. I wish I had done it. I can only the imagine what the 488lb me would've said. I can remember the darkest times but to be able to read a letter from 18 months ago would be a great reminder of where I've been and where I do not want to go back to. Not only would it give insight to where you've been it will also help you appreciate what you've done and what you've become along the way... I do go back and read my old posts here on LBT and some are quite eye opening... Something to think about....

I believe you mean NSV which means Non Scale Victory. Example: Scale has not moved in weeks but my pants feel so much looser.

Probably 5 out of the 7 days I step on the scale. I do weigh myself far to often but then I look at it this way. If I were to weigh myself only once a week and then on that particular day I do weigh in and the scale happens to be up because of Water weight I would feel a little deflated. At least weighing in every day gives me an idea of water weight fluctuation and it keeps me focused.

Write a letter to your future self only to be read when you hit goal. Put all your thoughts and dreams in a letter and seal it and do not open until goal. Tell yourself the good, the bad and the ugly. I created a thread about this yesterday but thought it might be worth mentioning here.

Seems no matter where I eat out or what I have I am guaranteed to have that scale go up the next morning. It is very frustrating because it seems even a house salad at a Chili's or something will make the scale go up. Damn Water weight kills me at times.

I don't touch it or any beer for both reasons the carbonation and the calories. Same goes for soda. I haven't had a drop since Apr 2012. I was never a big drinker to begin with but I missed having a Guinness on St Patties day this year. I know I could have it but I made my choices and plan to stick to them.

Steak is a tricky one for me as well...