Sissy907

I would have to gain anywhere from 10-20 lbs.. I thought about weighing myself down with some kind of weights but i dunno how or where I would stuff em to hide them! Unfortunatly we are weighed by the staff so I cant even fake a few pounds. I thought about that as well.. Being military I know I could get the surgery if I went to Walter Reed in DC, Getting my doc to send my stuff might be the only hard part. My PCM is great and thinks I need this too, its the surgeon on base that is such a jerk about me getting the band. As I have said in other posts I get the feeling he just wants to cut on me... pad his resume and all that. But I am gonna try. All I really need is my pcm to send the stuff off anyway I think. Shouldnt have to be the surgeon. I see my PCM on the 8th so hopefully I will know more then. (and weight a little more) Thinking ankle weights and some cute flare leg jeans might just do the trick... How much do those things weigh anyway??

When Dr. Lords office called me to make my appt they also informed me that my insurance doesnt cover this surgery. So I am having to try another route to get the surgery. I am still meeting with Dr. Nye in Pensacola for the information I will need to try going another route... There is simply no way in gods green earth I can afford to self pay. I will let you know how my appt goes with Dr. Nye, what he charges etc.

Is there anyone on the Gulf Coast of Florida been banded? I am curious to see which doctor they used. Has anyone heard of Dr. Michael Caluda? I just received my refferal in the mail, but I do not know of this doctor and this is who they want me to see. I was originaly told Dr. Nye, in Pensacola (Whom I did research and was feeling good about), now I feel uneasy. :cry I did a search on him and found very little. His surgical clinic has a site but theres not a lot there either.. Any thoughts?:mad:

I havent ever done the protein shakes but my husband lives religiously with them.. He said occationally they give him stomache trouble like you discribe. and it also varys with what you mix them with and if you change brands... that is his word not mine.. I am sure everyone on this board who drinks them daily would have better info on that...

*waves* Hi everyone. I live up on the "Emerald Coast" and my in laws are down in Homestead and we go visit them often. Maybe one of those times you will be having a little get together and I can join. I have been waiting a long time for this surgery and I cant wait! I hae my first meeting with Dr. Nye of Pensacola on Monday the 26th. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I hope to be one of the newest members of the March club!

LOL I was gonna say something very close to Wheetsin.. It's not the wang that has gotten longer but the fatty pad around it that has gotten smaller. Same when my son was a baby. He was so chubby and his lil man would "hide" inside that fatty pad if it wasn't first thing in the morning. (your a guy you know what I mean) As he grew up and out grew the chubby baby stage, into the skinny -well skronny for him- his lil man is quite large and the pad is gone! Guys shouldnt feel ashamed to post stuff like this and hide behind the "guys only" title... even girls know about guys.. as mothers, wives, and sisters... (ew! don't go there -My mother was quite ill with cancer, I was the second mom to my brother and sisters) And we are aways happy to pass on a little gem of advice. We are women thats what we do best! right? *giggle*

Hello, I'm new to the site and thought I would introduce myself and ask some questions that I haven't had answered yet with all my "research". My name is Alli, I'm 32, married to the greatest man in the world, I live in the panhandle of Florida, I'm from Alaska. I have four children, four dogs, two cats, a bird, a hamster, and a tank full of fish. I enjoy reading, cooking, playing with my youngest two kids and just hanging out with the older two kids, (my/our animals), traveling, a lil online gaming occationally, and exploring our new home. I haven't been banded yet. I have been overweight for 7 years. I have a hiatal (sp?) hernia, due to my weight, it's stuck open, and I have had the worlds worst heartburn since being pregnant with my third child. -Abnormaly bad, not maternity bad... In October I had had enough of the burning with no relief. I went to my PCM and spoke to him about it. He refered me to a gastroenterologist (my spelling sucks- this is typed in a hurry before we go to the bus stop). Dr. Rasor shoved a scope down my throat to look around and see what might be causeing the problem. He found the hernia. He sent me to the general surgeon.. The surgeon kinda scared me. It was his opinion that my hernia was caused by the weight (which I already knew) and that I can have it fixed one of two ways. 1) I could have a surgery that would pull the stomache down and tighten the muscle that holds the stomache from loosing its contents just by bending over. Or 2) I was obvioulsy a canidate for gastric bypass which would cure both my issues. (being over-weight and the heartburn issue) I am maxed out on my meds for heartburn, so I was obvioulsy going to have to find a solution soon. I am not interested in a gastric bypass, just don't think going in hacking up my guts and rearranging them is good. (I don't like things that can't be "fixed" back if need be.) I was kind of interested when he said I was a canidate for gastric bypass as that meant that I should also be a canidate for the Lap-band which I was interested in. I inquired about the band and was told he didn't do that surgery but would be happy to put in a refferal to a doc in Pensacola who did. But that probably wouldn't fix my heartburn problem. Basicly I felt this surgeon just wanted to get to cuttin on me, he wasn't worried about what I wanted. So while I wait for my refferal to go thru I have been on the internet searching for every site that talks about the lap-band and the befores/afters/surgery/everything. Last night I found this forum and was thrilled because I have finally found something that will answer my peticular questions. I am currently 5' 8", 243 lbs, and have been diagnosed with syndrome x. I have severe migraines, obviously the heartburn/hernia, exaustion, joint pain, and thru researching the net and other doctors sites, I have found a few other symptoms that I think are deffinatly related to the weight. Urinary stress incontinence, and Dysmenorrhea. I am actually waiting for the gyn docs schedule to open up so I can have a hysterectomy because of this. My Grandmother struggled with her weight for as long as I can remember, and my mother has put on a lot of weight since I was a kid and know she is deffinatly eligible for this surgery as well. She is 5'3" and has to weigh at least as much as me, if not more. I am very excited to start this new chapter of my life. I have been thinking about this surgery for at least two years. I don't think anything I have read is so hard that I can't make these few simple changes to accomidate a healthier lifestyle. I do however have some questions that I haven't seen answered in relation to the lap-band, only in the gastric bypass surgery. Can you still have an occational piece of chocolate? Can you still have a glass of wine or a margarita? Is dumping syndrome a problem with this surgery? What is the average time it takes to get to your goal weight? -I have seen that about 6 months out most people seem to be really close to the half-way mark. How close to your goal weight does your actual weight settle at? -I mean I would LOVE to be 145 again, but I just don't think that is realistic.. I figure 155-165 is probably where I will end up. Is excess skin an issue with the lap-band as it is with the gastric bypass? Is there anything I can do to make this surgery happen a little faster? (Get any other needed apointments or labs out of the way, etc.) I dont want to wait 2 months... I tend to get discouraged waiting to long. How hard is it for you to cook for your family and incoporate your new "diet" into that? I am sure there are loads more questions I will come with. but this is a good start. Thank you all in advance.

Nope the insurance company got it wrong. It was Dr. Lord in Pensacola. I have a tentative appointment to see him as well as Dr. Nye also in Pensacola. I will get to choose after all!! Can't wait for a Monday!

Woohoo! I have my first meeting with Dr. Nye Monday Feb 26 in Pensacola!! I am so excited!

My mother is going to be thrilled to see there are others in Anchorage that have done it and to have people in her area to talk to about this... Alli

I am still learning this site and just found this page. I'm not from Florida, I'm from Alaska, but this is home for now. I am trying to get in to have my surgery in Pensacola. I would be interested to hear your experiences and which doctors you saw. I added a post to the intro section if youd like more info on me. I am excited to know there are others in the immediate area I can speak to for support! I live in the Ft. Walton area as well. Alli

This thread/forum/all of you! I love that I have found FRIENDS that have a quirky sense of humor like me! I giggled so hard that my hubby had to come read what I was looking at. Thanks for the GREAT question and even better answers. Good to know. I am glad there are no "real" restrictions. Lord knows I wouldnt be able to wait. Just like after having kids.. I was about a 5 week girl.

I call my hubby "big daddy". He was so much bigger than me when we first married, muscle wise, (6 ft tall, 250lbs) and it's kind of stuck. He has so many names for me.. He used to call me his "pornstar" in reference to the snowboarding clothing line -I loved it. He calls me "princessa" a lot as well. He is from Panama and believes in taking care of me like a princess. We call each other "momma" and "papa" a lot as well, just a carry over from the kids I guess...

James2539 If you were in my shoes they would say you qualify. But I am in different shoes to everyone I met here so far... Thank you SO MUCH Sunshine2. I really needed to hear someone else with similar issues tell me it can work. Now I can keep fighting for my way even tho this doc is certain it isn't for me. This was originaly posted on the lapband disscusion part of the site but I thought I would update you guys here on what is going on... I recieved a call today from the doc/surgeon saying that my refferal was returned to him. Apparently I don't have enough wrong with me. (I wrote a post on the introductions page about all my health issues) But to me this is absolutely rediculous. Why won't someone just look at this and say hey, she is gonna be in big trouble if we don't do something to help now... He rewrote the refferal and is sending it back, and told me if that doesn't work that he would send me for a sleep study to see if I had sleep apnea. I don't think I do. My husband does and I don't snore ANYTHING like him!! (he has woken neighbors before!) He also was very pushy in that he really didn't think the band was for me. He said that it may make my heartburn issues worse or make it not change at all. I feel like he is pushing me to do things his way and not really listening to what I want. I told him the dietary needs/restrictions and the life style changes that were required for that surgery was somethng I really didn't think I would be able to adjust to. Where as with the band, if I desperatly needed to have a bite of chocolate I could, and I wouldn't "pay for it" by puking and crapping my brains out. (And when has anyone with severe "choco-holic syndrome" ever been able to completely give it up? lol) I feel more comfortable with the band in that I can eat the way I need to loose the weight but yet I can have the occational treat when I just can't hold out any longer. I like that this surgery isn't going to do the work for me, I am going to have to EARN it. I, much like a teen, work better if I have to earn something rather than just having someone give it to me. I don't have comorbidities, I am sort of a healthy fat person. I have at the very least 98 pounds to loose. But as far as this doctor is concerned I am to thin! So how do I get a surgery done, that my insurance will pay for, at a bmi of 36.9? Eat more? Gain more weight? My husband would certainly not go for that idea... I don't like to give out to much info on the internet, but my problem is we are military. My options are SO limited it's not even funny. I don't get to choose my doctor. I don't get to appeal. Tough luck, to bad, have a nice day... *cries* *SOBS* *looks for some ice cream* Any ideas? Anyone else military that had to deal with this issue? :help:

I recieved a call today from the doc/surgeon saying that my refferal was returned to him. Apparently I don't have enough wrong with me. (I wrote a post on the introductions page about all my health issues) But to me this is absolutely rediculous. Why won't someone just look at this and say hey, she is gonna be in big trouble if we don't do something to help now... He rewrote the refferal and is sending it back, and told me if that doesn't work that he would send me for a sleep study to see if I had sleep apnea. I don't think I do. My husband does and I don't snore ANYTHING like him!! (he has woken neighbors before!) He also was very pushy in that he really didn't think the band was for me. He said that it may make my heartburn issues worse or make it not change at all. I feel like he is pushing me to do things his way and not really listening to what I want. I told him the dietary needs/restrictions and the life style changes that were required for that surgery was somethng I really didn't think I would be able to adjust to. Where as with the band, if I desperatly needed to have a bite of chocolate I could, and I wouldn't "pay for it" by puking and crapping my brains out. (And when has anyone with severe "choco-holic syndrome" ever been able to completely give it up? lol) I feel more comfortable with the band in that I can eat the way I need to loose the weight but yet I can have the occational treat when I just can't hold out any longer. I like that this surgery isn't going to do the work for me, I am going to have to EARN it. I, much like a teen, work better if I have to earn something rather than just having someone give it to me. I don't have comorbidities, I am sort of a healthy fat person. I have at the very least 98 pounds to loose. But as far as this doctor is concerned I am to thin! So how do I get a surgery done, that my insurance will pay for, at a bmi of 36.9? Eat more? Gain more weight? My husband would certainly not go for that idea... I don't like to give out to much info on the internet, but my problem is we are military. My options are SO limited it's not even funny. I don't get to choose my doctor. I don't get to appeal. Tough luck, to bad, have a nice day... *cries* *SOBS* *looks for some ice cream* Any ideas? Anyone else military that had to deal with this issue? :help:

Do you have little things (NSV) that have occured that make you giggle with joy? I was showering this morning when I came up with some of my own.. I can't wait to: Be able to "fit" into one of those skinny "apartment" showers you find when traveling, at hotels. Not sticking to the shower curtain anymore. Not having to buy giant beach towels just to have that all wapped up feeling after a shower. What are some of your "goal" joys (like me), or some that have already happened to you that you would like to share with us?:clap2:

Unfortunatly, with my "insurance" I don't have a lot of options regarding which doc I see. Or I would be flying somewhere else to do this. I'm kind of at the mercy of "the man" LOL.

This is the hubby and I at my Aunt's lake house this past 4th of July. I am at my worst here. This is before my hubby started his new job and is required to loose weight and work out daily. He looks fantastic. I am miserable and can't wait to look as good.

That is what she told me. 9 grams. It's impposible. I can't do it. Although I have been trying to keep it low. But now that I got rid of the rotten kidney I am healthy! I don't have any of the trouble I had before. I specifically asked the doctors who did my surgery and diagnosed the problems if I needed to NOT do anything, not drink, not have more children... (heck its hard enough on your body to do it with all your parts! Take some away and how good is that for you, right?) They both said no! You've lived a long time sick, now you will be fine, enjoy your good health. (course I was 23-24 then) I did go on to have two really easy pregnancies though. So when I was recently told that I should be limiting my protein I thought, HUH? I try to keep it down but after awhile I CRAVE a steak... Like give it to me or I might freak out if you don't kinda crave. And after I have one I feel fine. I wonder if this lady was off her rocker, and didn't look into my files enough before saying that. I just don't understand how the doctors are advising all of you to keep your protein levels up to prevent all these health issues but I was told to keep mine at nine?? I would be on a clear liquid diet every day! I am calling to make an appt with a nutritionalist today! Something is crazy. Thanks for turning on my light bulb!

I think my heartburn is simply the hernia that is stuck open. I do notice some foods triggering it more than others. pizza and spaggeti sauce are usually the culprits. Tho I am maxed out on my Aciphex... Why does bread do you in? I am worried about the Protein shakes. I have never found one that tastes good. and I have only one kidney and was told recently I needed to keep my protein intake under 9 grams a day, by a nutritionalist. -which I have never been able to do. Do you know how much protein is in everyday things?? that would and is impossible! And I think part of my grumpiness is lack of protein.. I seem to crave it somedays. No more carbonated drinks!? No more Friday Pepsi's? I don't think my family eats that unhealthily. Could we do better? yeah. I don't think it would be to hard to get everyone on a healthier diet as we have the basics down, just need to tighten it up some. But there is very little fried foods in our house. So you think that because I am not heavier that I will have a harder time loosing this weight? Hmm, I hope not.

Yay just got a call from surgeon #1, he put in the refferal yesterday, should be ready in 72 hours from turn in! Hopefully I will get to see "Dr. Nye" in Pensacola sooner than I thought! Thanks Juliegeraci for answering all my questions! A girls gotta have some occational chocolate and a margarita with the girls right? That makes me feel much better about the whole thing, and I was pretty excited to begin with! Here's looking forward to a healthier life and my size 10s I have been hanging on to allllll this time. YAY :clap2: