mylynn1377

I have Medicaid in Missouri. My requirements were that I have a BMI over 40 or 35 with co-morbid conditions such as asthma, sleep apnea, diabetes, high blood pressure etc. My primary referred me to bariatrics and I already had a history of obesity with her practice for almost 5 years. Granted I don't need all that but it helps. I just had my consult today and found out the place I am going through is still finalizing contracts with the *** group that I am under for MOHealthNet. That is the only thing that I am waiting on as my bariatric surgery place requires no nutrition or psychiatric evals because my BMI is at 60. As soon as the approval goes in on the insurance I get to schedule my labs and EKG. Once the results are sent to the surgeons and the anesthesiologist I get to schedule my surgery. I'm really hoping it goes fast so that I can get going on this...I'm soooo ready now and patience is not a virtue I was given!

My enzymes are always slightly elevated, but never that high. I would definitely go ahead with follow-up and consult your primary doctor on that, especially if there is a family history of this. I know mine is high because I have very mild fatty liver disease, which mine is because I had gone so long with high cholesterol and gallbladder disease that they fat started depositing in my liver. Another check box in the yes I want lap band surgery pro list!

So I've been super stoked about my consultation appointment tomorrow. I get a call from the clinic and they were talking about how my insurance wouldn't cover a fill. I had to patiently explain to the lady that I don't even have a band yet. So she fixes the mess up in the computer and then lets me know that they don't have all their contracts in place yet with my insurance. So it will cover my initial consult but nothing further until they get the rest of the contracts in place, which will be a few weeks. In the meantime I'm asking her if the nutritionist and the psychiatrist that they use is a part of the group or if they are independent, hoping that maybe my insurance will cover those appointments and I can keep the momentum going until they get their contract issues worked out. I have no patience, I know this. And when I finally make up my mind to do something I expect it to be done right this minute. My Mother always said that if I could put my single mindedness to good use then I would have had this weight issue taken care of years ago. Well that's what I'm doing now and the powers that be are not cooperating with me!

That is awesome progress. I have my consultation tomorrow and I am soooo stoked to get this going. I am finally in such a good place emotionally that I want that to translate to physically, get this weight off, and find that girl that I used to know! She's starting to come out a bit and look around.

I know that I switched my addiction from nicotine when I quit smoking to brownies. Most people laugh at that but really don't understand that I would sit down and eat half a pan at a time. I needed something to replace the serotonin and I didn't want anti depressants because while they helped with my postpartum depression, they made me feel like a zombie. So now I have switched to these addictions, and along with my thyroid crapping out, I gained about 80 lbs or so over the last 5 years. So now I am working on my food issues before my surgery hoping that once I get banded it will be a bit easier for me to handle. And I really hope that I don't switch my addition from brownies to something else, unless it's exercise..lol.

My thyroid blanked out on me while I was pregnant and we didn't catch it until 2 years later. I remember the end of the day feeling bone-crushingly tired. My levels have been played with and my old doctor (insert bad words here) would never listen to me. My new doctor is the best, she is young and willing to listen and help me however she can. She got my levels up to high end of normal, and she told me that she really wants me to pursue lap band because it will be hard for me to loose it on my own. She whipped up my referral right quick as soon as I said I think that's the way I should go. So far no one has said anything to me about my hypo being a problem as far as WLS is concerned. The main concern is scar tissue from 2 c-sections and a gallbladder removal and the fact that my BMI is so high that any surgery is a risk.

More than likely it is your serotonin levels. The anti-depressant took care of that for you and now your body is adjusting to the lack by replacing medication with food. That was how I gained 100 pounds over the last 5 years, I quit smoking and quit taking my anti-depressants and so I turned to chocolate as a substitute, mostly brownies. Still can't have them in my house because I will sit down and eat half a pan in one sitting. I had to learn to cope with situations first without nicotine or medication and now I have to learn to cope without chocolate, and I think this one is harder. So technically it is in your head lol, because your brain is messing with you. One thing that's been working for me is a grazing on bell pepper strips. I haven't been banded yet so I'm not sure how well they would jive with your restriction, but they sure help me a lot. I'm using them in place of chips too and the crunch is mucho satisfying.

"Not all people who have enjoyed an average sized life are rude, superficial, and ignorant....but I think that most all people who have struggled with weight have learned lesson in empathy, and compassion which the average sized world cannot even begin to comprehend" I agree WebDoll. When I think about the cute Jr High me with long blond hair and 115 lbs, I had already experienced being overweight a time or two and I could never be mean like the mean girls who had never been fat. Right now I'm on this journey because I'm going to die if I don't, simple as that. I will not live long enough to see my 5 or 3 year old graduate from high school if I don't do something now. I'm doing this because I am the only mom my nephew has left, his mom died in a car wreck in 03, and I don't want him to have to go through that again. I'm doing this because I am marrying the most wonderful man who loves me big or small, and since I have known him since high school, he has met both versions of me. I am also doing this because I will graduate from college with my B.S. in Elementary Education in the next year and I know that no one will hire me at this weight, and more than likely a small child will make a remark about my weight. I know it isn't fair and that they should judge me on what I'm capable of doing, not what they believe I can't do, but that isn't how the world works. We live in a judgmental society and if I want career success and health and longevity then I have to do something now!

I come from a family of tall people with high metabolism. No one in my immediate family was fat. My brother and I had a period or two in childhood where during the summer we gained a bit because we had to stay in during the day while my Mom was at work. I gained a bit as soon as puberty hit but I ran and rode my bike so much that I turned it to muscle. Then we moved from Kansas City, KS to rural Missouri and I had nothing to do. No one to play with, talk to, or hang out with. I weighted 115 when we moved here in March but by May, at the end of 6th grade I was up to 135 simply because I was sedentary. We moved again to a resort area where I began walking 2 miles a day and swimming all summer so the weight came off. My mom is a from scratch cooker so we never had junk in our house. I didn't drink soda or have candy bars. I kept my weight down to no more than 20 pounds overweight for a long time. 8th grade got me. I ran afoul of a mean girl who seemed to have it out for me and when her and the other girls started rumors about me the weight followed. It was a defense mechanism because if I was fat the boys wouldn't like me and the girls would. But I maintained between 135-155 for the rest of high school and put on muscle so that I could just beat up the mean girl, which shut her up. There was depression, bouts with no food in the house because we had no money (which still causes me a little panic). I moved to a larger town and discovered my obsession with fast food and soda, which I hadn't had access to for years. I met my ex-husband who loved McDonalds as much as me and hated to cook as much as me. I would loose and gain depending on what was going on in my life. During bad periods of my marriage I gained a lot. I lost 30 pounds right after we split up and kept it off for a long time. I had my oldest son and lost weight like crazy after he was born. I wish I would have kept at it. Because when I got pregnant with my youngest son I gained 50 pounds. Then I thought I would quit smoking, while dealing with extra weight, single motherhood, and postpartum depression. And then my thyroid gave out. So here I am going from 250 in 2007 to 330 in 2012, and psyched about lap band because I am tired of being fat.

Hi all, Well I guess I should introduce myself. This is mylynn and I am 35, 5ft 2in and I weigh a whopping 330 lbs. My doctor, who is the loveliest person, looked at me and said "What do you want to do?, you're not getting any younger and you're staring down the barrel at a whole host of complications pretty soon. So I said, "What about lap band?" and here I am. I remember after having my oldest son, I weighed around 266 and only gained 7 lbs during pregnancy. I had a very healthy 8 lbs baby and due to his colic, I lost a bunch of weight after he was born. I felt good and if I had only known then what was coming I would have worked a lot harder to get more weight off. Before my son's 1st birthday I learned I was pregnant again with my 2nd son. That combined with some emotional problems saw me gain 50 lbs during the pregnancy. I had gallbladder surgery the next year. All these surgeries (2 c-sections and the gallbladder surgery), post partum depression, quitting smoking, and a birth control implant that messed up my system..I gained a lot. Then they found out that my thyroid wasn't working and it's been a struggle since to get it under control. My new doctor that I love, she has been in the trenches with me willing to try anything to get my system level. We finally succeded but now I'm faced with all this excess weight and I can't get it off. I have tried diets, fad diets, going to the gym, not eating. Nothing is working. It is so frustrating to me that just 5 short years ago I could have tweaked my diet a bit and dropped pounds like crazy and now nothing I do works at all. So I am on this journey now. I am getting married in October to a wonderful man who has known me since I wasn't overweight, some 20 years ago. And while I don't have a specific goal yet as far as weight loss for the wedding, I would just like to feel better and get my me back. That girl that never lacked confidence and was fearless, yeah I haven't seen her for a while. I think she's hiding under all this weight! Oh and I have my consultation on Thurday the 24th of May...I'm so excited!

Banded Plication Banded Plication is a combination of two procedures: the gastric band and a new investigational procedure called gastric plication, or plication. During plication, the stomach is folded in on itself and stitched in place. This greatly reduces the stomach’s volume . In addition, a gastric band – most commonly the Lap Band – is placed around the upper part of the stomach. The band compliments the effects of the plication by also significantly reducing the amount of food eaten, as well as feelings of hunger. How it Works Weight loss with the gastric band is generally slower than with other procedures like the sleeve or gastric bypass. However, since the band is adjustable, patients have ongoing follow-up and “fills” (adjustments). Other than the benefit of a personalized process of finding the optimal tightness of each patient’s band, the adjustable nature of the band means that patients who relapse and begin to gain weight back, can often be helped back on track by further adjusting the band. No other weight loss procedure has this benefit. The banded plication was created with the idea of combining the advantage of the rapid early weight loss seen with plication, and the ability to further sustain weight loss for a longer period of time with the adjustable gastric band. The Procedure Banded Plication is a procedure that is performed laparoscopically, meaning it’s minimally invasive. Generally the surgery involves five or six small incisions in the abdomen. Using a tiny video camera and instruments through these small incisions, the surgeon performs the procedure with no cutting, stapling, or removal of the stomach or intestines during the Gastric Plication. Additionally, Plication is potentially reversible. This is different from the Sleeve Gastrectomy, in which part of the stomach is removed, making it irreversible. After Surgery After undergoing a banded Plication, patients usually stay in the hospital for 1-2 days. Patients are usually asked to stay on a liquid diet for several weeks after surgery, and then transitioned to solid foods under the guidance of the surgeon and dietician. Your surgeon and support staff will advise you on what type of post-surgery eating and lifestyle habits you should follow, in order to most benefit for your procedure. Weight Loss Trends Although there is significant data about the weight loss that occurs with a gastric band, the banded plication is a new and experimental procedure, so there is very little data available yet. Additionally, even plication performed on its own is a new procedure, and considered investigational because of the current lack of data in terms of safety or efficacy. Short-term clinical studies on the plication have reported that patients lose between 40% to 70% of their excess body weight during the year following the surgery. Additionally, many co-morbidities improve or resolve after weight loss surgery. However, clinical trials comparing either plication or banded plication to standard bariatric procedures are not available yet. Who Qualifies Since Plication is investigational, it is usually performed only in research studies (ASMBS gastric plication statement). Different surgeons and institutions will have different criteria for patients they would accept into these studies, however these requirements would typically be similar to criteria for other bariatric procedures, such as the NIH criteria for bariatric surgery, and the FDA criteria for the Lap-Band. Cost The cost of Banded Plication varies from practice to practice, and is generally expected to be more than the Lap-Band alone, but less than a more complex procedure like the gastric bypass. Because plication is an investigational procedure, and therefore the combined banded plication is investigational, it is not usually covered by insurance. Potential Complications All surgeries have risk of complications. Potential complications of Banded Plication include infection, bleeding, injury to other organs, and a leak from the suture line used to fold the stomach. A good surgeon will inform you about the risks associated with the various weight loss surgery procedures. It’s important to make sure you understand both the benefits and risks of any procedure you consider. http://doctorsofweightloss.com/banded-plication

What about liquid vitamins? I know that I found a bunch of different ones online and thought about taking thoses. I hate swallowing pills as it is, makes me nauseous. I should take some kind of vitamin because I have no gallbladder but I just truly loathe medication. I'm not a giant fan of the gummy or chewable but they are better than nothing. I found http://www.puritan.com/liquid-vitamins-106/biorganic-life-complete-liquid-nutrition-with-acai-noni-pomegranate-019835 which seems interesting, I just have to make sure that it doesn't interfere with any other medications that I take.