Madam Bomb

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum but I've been lurking for about a week now. I've noticed alot of you have researched and browsed the forums for months prior to being banded. Is it too soon for me to feel that I believe the lapband can truly help me? I've seen the commercial on tv several times and ever since I found this forum I have been glued to my computer reading all of your posts. I sat with my husband to watch a movie the other night and stared at the tv but thought about the lapband the entire time. I didn't even know what the movie was about. I can't stop thinking about it and I get excited thinking about it. I've done Atkins, lost and gained back 30lbs. I've done weight watchers, lost and gained back 25lbs. I've been a member of 3 different gyms and I'm currently going to one which I do enjoy going to but it helps me maintain mostly. I am turning 29 on the 21st this month and I am 5'8", 282. With the turning of 2007 this will be my 11th year of being severly overweight. My asthma has gotten worse, spider veins, blood pressure, depression and now im developing foot problems which i think is planta facitis (sp). Anyhow... I really feel like this procedure can provide me with the dicipline I need to restrict my binge eating. I believe through this restriction I can learn what it feels like to eat for necessity and not comfort. I want to enjoy some of my younger years looking better than I have and feeling better that i have. On another note I believe, If I read correctly that my insurance covers alot of this. Please tell me if Im reading this wrong. I have BCBS Federal Employees Health Benefits and live in Wisconsin. My manual says: Gastric restrictive procedures, gastric malabsorptive procedures, and combination restrictive and malabsorptive procedures to treat morbid obesity - a condition in which an individual has a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more, or an individual with a BMI of 35 or more with co-morbidities who has failed conservative treatment; eligible members must be over 18. Benefits are also available for diagnostic studies and a psychological examination performed prior to the procedure to determine if the patient is a candidate for the procedure. I pay: Preferred: 10% of the plan allowance Participating: 25% of the plan allowance Non-participating: 25% of the plan allowance, plus any difference between our allowance and the billed amount.

So I'm walking out of work the other day and this one girl that I've seen several times throughout the building is wearing an "Apple Bottoms" coat. For those of you not familiar, it's a cothing brand. She's tall and very thin, the kind where the legs go right into the butt with no curve just straight up. Im thinking.... Apple Bottom? ha...try Apple Stem. Now don't get me wrong, she is beautiful and thin and thats awesome but what the hell. I don't wear that particular brand but i was still like "come on". Somewhere, someone created this brand to glorify or bring positive attention to us girls with some shape and now it's cool for anyone to wear something that more or less says you have a big ass. Bah! I dont get it.

Exactly. Personally I'm not religious and have always been asked "Wouldnt you rather believe and be wrong rather than not believe and be wrong". And then I ask them... What if life presents us with these options to see if we can be strong enough to have our own beliefs and stand on our own? What if that is the ultimate test? Guess we'll never know....but until then we must respect eachothers beliefs and not indirectly make one seem better than the other. I'll be watching the special, its always interesting to learn about new findings and beliefs.

Wow that is a long journey, I thought at first it would take atleast 5 months to get anywhere so atleast Im not that far off. After years of being overweight whats 6-8 months more ya know? Im curious if my surgeon will require a 10% loss since its something I hear often. Not sure how that will play out because I am borederline BMI qualified. I cant lose more than 19lbs or I will be under 40bmi but if he wants a 10% loss that 28 lbs.

Wow, yeah.... I just called the surgeons office and scheduled a consultation. They said they would call my insurance for me and if there were any exclusions I would get a letter but if all was well I would receive a packet of stuff I needed to have filled out before our consult.

How did you get a surgery date before insurance approval? I just verified the 6 month supervised diet requirement. I have 6 months to work on the rest. I'll have a better idea when I have my consultation and thats over a month away.

Well I called BCBS to verify details on my 6 month supervised diet. There is no frequency requirement so I guess I will talk with my PCP to see if once a month would be fine, not sure if she has her own requirements when it comes to supervising someone on a diet. I have an appt with her tomorrow and I have been running different ways through my head on how im going to bring this up. For some reason I'm really nervous about telling her. I just hope shes supportive...I really like her.

musicalmomma, I was just whining about the 6 month supervised diet I just learned my insurance requires. Looks like we're starting out at the same weight (284?). You've made it through 12 weeks, wow....kudos. Im sitting here wondering how I'm going to tackle the next 6 months and like you keep my BMI where it needs to be for approval. I'm assuming your shorter than me (5'8 because I cant go below 265 or i go below the 40bmi). Anyhow, great job so far and hello from West Allis, WI.

Well I called to schedule a consultation today (April 10th) and learned that my insurance requires a 6 month supervised diet. YUCK...... I'm not sure how that is going to work now. Im 5'8 and weight 284, my BMI is 43 which qualifies me now. If I lose 19 lbs within those 6 months that brings my BMI to 40. If I lose more than that are they going to deny me? Do I eat healthy but throw in the occasional secret sabbataging item to prevent this from happening. Just don't know what to do.

Damn, looks like me and Bill Gates are up there..... Im Sofa King Retarded.

Im getting mixed feedback in regards to how depresssed candidates look to those evlauating them for this procedure. On one hand obesity can cause depression or make it worse and this procedure can help relieve people with depression. Then on the other hand im getting the impression they dont want people with emotional issues getting this done. I'm really scared on which approach to take on this because I do have depression and I have been treated for it for several years now. Alot of my depression does seem to be weight related but not all of it. I'm not sure if my regular doctor is going to play a roll in this evalutation process and expose that information or if she isnt't consulted and I just keep this to myself when I undergo the psych eval. I'm doing this purely because I believe it will help me acheive a happier life , free from a prison inside my own body trapped by food and fat. I dont have voices telling me to do and im not doing it to make anyone else happier, this is for me.

What Dr do you have an appt with and what hospital or center is he with? I found out about the seminar at Elmbrook through the Bariatric Institute of Wisconsin. Im not even considering gastric bypass, that just scares me to death. The lap band appeals to me most because its not permanent. I myself would prefer to try the less drastic of the 2. With the options of fills and unfills it just seems like its more adjustable and flexible to make you more comfortable. With GB its just once and done and thats what you have, there is no tweeking with it. Just my feelings, I understand you may feel differently. Tell me though which doctor you made an appointment with and where he is at. Thanks

I tried to get in but it was full, I had to schedule to attend the one for March 22nd. Please let me know how it goes and keep me posted on your progress. Your the closest person to me locally and progressivly so maybe we can be lap band buddies.

I really do want to be honest about everything and it would make me feel better to do so and have them see I'm of clear thought and focused. It's good to know they can see around that and not just cast you off as a nutcase or something. LouiseR, the lap band can help me lose weight there fore give me a happier life where I dont have to be depressed about having nothing to wear and not feeling good in my clothes. It's so depressing to be tugging on my clothing all day because this part or that part is exposed or my t-shirt snuck up on me, my pants fell below my belly. The other day a co-worker asked if i wanted his belt because he observed me pulling my pants up every other minute. My belly is now pushing my pants below it and i hate that feeling so i pull them up because it feels like it pulls it in a little. SO uncomfortable, so depressing. Now that I could do with out.

Thanks everyone for the warm welcomes, its nice to learn we are simliar in alot of ways. Tracy i was a little worried when you mentioned the evidence of my past weight loss attempts. I did find an old WW weigh in card from 2002 but it only shows 2 months worth of weigh ins. I through alot of that stuff away because it reminded me of my failed attempts. I was going to the Y that same year, I wonder how long they keep contracts on file for. Atkins I did on my own so I dont have proof of that. I belong to a gym now but my husband and I only just signed up in January.

Hello from West Allis/Milwaukee :mad: I'm in the very beginning stages and have just scheduled to attend a seminar at Elmbrook Memorial Hospital. Their program is a combined program with the Bariatric Institute of WI.

Thanks everyone for replying and for your words of encouragement. I have scheduled to attend a seminar on March 22nd. I just missed one on my birthday 2 days from now so I guess I will go stir crazy until then. I spent what felt like hours looking through the entire before and after pictures thread on this forum yesterday and I was smiling ear to ear for all of you. Such beautiful changes, it makes me want that so bad. I have to see my regular doctor in a few days and tell her what I've been considering and I'm kind of nervous about what she'll say. Anyone else have trouble tackling this issue? Did they try to talk you out of it?