RebecaSparkles

Hi Twins! Thanks! I'm 5"2 227 very apple shapped. Thinner arms & legs, no varicose veins ( knock on wood) i've got that going for me. All my friends have the veins in their legs since sophmore year of college. I used to be a championship figure skater until I broke my coccyx in 9th grade & lost the nerve to jump anymore. Then the weight really came back , I was heavy from 1 st grade thru 6th lost it by getting into skating & karate. I've been the fattest or nearly the fattest of all my friends ever since. So ready to be rid of this extra weight. I was going through the process last year but I was accepted into a hoity toity university far away & got married so I felt it was too much on my plate at the time. I don't regret getting married at my before weight though, I know that deep down my hubby loves me at my thickest, I made sure he knew I was an as is purchase and made no promises about losing or gaining after marriage. So, if I do lose the weight then its pure win for him because he gets an upgrade.

Yeah, I'm looking into switching but I had. A " touch " of pnemonia at the beginning of march & wanted to get my health back before switching. I honestly still feel like crap after taking 2 weeks off and having Fluid in my lungs. I kept coughing til I vomited to the point that I lost 8# in one week & was put on anti nausea meds that made me high as a kite! Had to stop taking them bc I couldn't function but then I'd vomit. Thankfully my cough died down & my lungs are mostly dry though I still feel a bit of fluid/ mucus. Glad to hear my weight tomorrow will be the weight on record. I can stop trying not to lose and just be. I suspect the first 10 will come off fairly easily. The second not so much. If diet & exercise worked for me I wouldn't be here. I am worried that I'll resort to a crash diet to get approved & then get approved. But have issues bc i'll have gained it back in the 3-6 months I'll wait for surgery. Anyways. That's a problem for future Rebeca to deal with , i'm going to make puppy snuggles in bed!

I would email your dr a pic of the area and a close up of the hole. They may want you to come in or they may let you get antibiotics via phone. Never know? Or it could be the adipose tissue & dermis?

Yea. My primary care doctor is not happy about my decision to do this at all. She is the least supportive person on my healthcare team. My GYN is behind me full force. My Nut is cold & I don't really like her as shes 95# sopping wet & is very condescending with me. I switched Nut to a different one that I have the class on with tomorrow. Anyways, thank you so much and I reeally rwally appreciate it as kaiser info on the web is mostly just about kaiser california. There's so little info about Kaiser va/md/dc that I thought they waited out all the people who wanted wls. I half suspect the class that I'm going to will be only 1/4 full. Ugh. So frusterating and if it weren't a sin to pay out of pocket when I have coverage I'd just find a way to do it. I guess I'm more worried of complications & the insurance not paying for them if you go out of pocket.

Lol. I'm looking at having this surgery so I'll look hot in my maternity pics. I think pregnant women look so breath takingly beautiful. I don't want the are you pregnant or fat questions that I get now. ( I went through a super girly phase & didnt wear pants for 2 years & as a result I have a very round belly & have a hard time with pants. Can't tolerate belts, I have the family flat backside so my pants just slide right down. ) Anyways, I only have 1 ovary due to some teratomas ( cysts with hair, bone, fat, teeth, brain tissue) sorry if TMI but they sandwiched my poor ovary & cut off its blood supply I had them removed & the dr said they were the size of an iphone!!!! I have pcos also so my fertility chances are slim wo this surgery. I'm still debating my options but leaning towards the sleeve. Just wortied I'll possibly stretch it out. As I'm a big volume eater! Never much for sweets still have halloween candy from 2 years ago!

Lol. I'm looking at having this surgery so I'll look hot in my maternity pics. I think pregnant women look so breath takingly beautiful. I don't want the are you pregnant or fat questions that I get now. ( I went through a super girly phase & didnt wear pants for 2 years & as a result I have a very round belly & have a hard time with pants. Can't tolerate belts, I have the family flat backside so my pants just slide right down. ) Anyways, I only have 1 ovary due to some teratomas ( cysts with hair, bone, fat, teeth, brain tissue) sorry if TMI but they sandwiched my poor ovary & cut off its blood supply I had them removed & the dr said they were the size of an iphone!!!! I have pcos also so my fertility chances are slim wo this surgery. I'm still debating my options but leaning towards the sleeve. Just wortied I'll possibly stretch it out. As I'm a big volume eater! Never much for sweets still have halloween candy from 2 years ago!

*** not medical advice, simply my experience as a since I was 16 bcp user*** I loved my nuvaring. But Ihad a hard time getting it into a great position due to its size. Sometimes it would Turtle head and peak out when I was going about my day. I'd have to sneak off & push it back in. Also. You're not supposed to take it out for sex but I always did. Put it on a paper towel & then rinse with tap Water and re-insert. Be careful where you put it though because I went for a wash cloth one time & in the time I was gone my cat got a hold of it & took off. I didnt find it until I moved out two years later. Had an extra on hand so no biggie but.... Also, I know people will flame me for this but I used to use it like seasonal( I would use one for 3 weeks and then put another without waiting a week & having a period). I had 4 " periods" a year & they usually were like 1-2 days. I never had an unwanted pregnancy but did have hormonsl rollercoasters. Like my boobs would hurt when it was time to swap it. I did go to a mirena that was HELL as my doc recommended wrong. I never had a pregnancy & it hurt beyond all pain I'd ever felt going in & she didn't do it right & it ended up growing inyo the side of my uterus & giving me horrid pains. Ended up having a d & c abortion type proceedure to remove it. Do not recommend if you've not been pregnant. That said a buddy of mine has & loves it. I currently take tri-cycline lo. The lo dose is causing my high bp but I refuse to swap as I need the high bp to qualify for vsg & the only alternative is something called the mini pill which is less effective. I don't want children any time soon. Ultimately, I suggest working with your Ob/Gyn to find a solution thats right for you. You don't have to be married to your bcp. Try the nuva ring for two months see how you feel & if the scale agrees with your choice. If your stalled after two months try something else. Btw- the depo shot & the paraguard are not permanent but can have bad raps so be sure to do your homework before you let someone talk yiu into them.

So sorry for your loss. It really really sucks. Hope you are in high spirits.

When do they weigh you at the first class or the nut? I'm stuck between losing or staying the same right now. I'm having a hard time not losing. Which is actually a problem bc I don't want to not qualify. I'm horrified of paying premiums about 350 a month and almost never using the damn insurance & then going through all these hoops & losing the 10% & then to have them deny me. If I have that happen I will feel very cheated.I know that if lost 10% which for me is 22# that I will be at a bmi too low for wls (37.5) I pay out of pocket for my ins & I think I could cancel at any time. But I was much skinnier when I got kaiser & not on meds for Bp or diagnosed with Pcos. I doubt I'll have an easy time finding a reasonable plan (1000deductable, 30% co-insurance,3-400 a month) with a different carrier such as aetna or united. Anyone out there had any luck with other insurances in virginia? Thanks!

I have pcos & high bp but its ok if I take the pills.

Danni- So you had 6 months of the "weight control" classes + the weight loss surgery classes 1&2 & Nut visits Got approved and now there's a 6 month wait time for a surgical date? Is it bc your surgeon is booked up or is it ok Kaisers end? I thought they used non kaiser surgeons for bariatric services?

Phone ap died mid post!!! Anyways, anyone out there with a just over the 40 or at 40 bmi have Kaiser permanente md/va/dc? The difference between the right bmi of 41.6 & not that is about 4 # for me!!!! That's crazy!!! I got sick & lost 8# in one week. So because I've not yet been weighed for the kaiser weight loss surgery class I've been trying to keep up my " fighting" weight. Any idea if Kaiser va/md/dc still makes you lose 10% of your body weight or any % really bc if I have to I'm worried I'll be denied.

Sent too soon! Anyways i then pointed out that I have been nothing but sympathetic & bend over backwards nice to him & that I was not asking too much of him. That all I wanted was for him to check his baggage at the door and DO something about his problems instead of just bit&@@&& about them to me. Well. It worked! That was three weeks ago & so far so good.

I had a similar situation. My hubby got fired, went on umemployment lost all confidence in himself. It was like The man I married was gone & swaped for a slob who couldn't be botheted to make a frozen pizza for dinner on nights I worked late. He now has a job that pays nice but he loathes. I pretty much put a boot up his ass. I sat him down told him I loved him and that I wanted to stay together but I would not put up with him being unemployed again. His options were to find another job and then give notice & leave or pray to be laid off. That I had had enough of his childish ranting & being miserable around the house & not doing his share. That he needed to man up because He is not who I married and while some change is normal this was breach of contract.

I have not yet had a child. I lost an ovary in 2009 & diagnosed with pcos in 2010. My dr told me that I was running out of time & that I needed to lose weight if I wanted a shot to do it without IVF. Hubby has come around to the possibility/probability of having to adopt. Good news is that because of my work I've had many social workers try to get me to adopt my patients. Special needs kids aren't easy to adopt out especially the older ones. They usually are 90% normal but are missing a leg or arm. For someone like me not a big deal. For regular person 15-20k per leg per year. Kids grow & need new ones every year. I think that getting an older child would solve a lot of my problems with having a child.

I also don't / did not want children. However, I fell in love with a man that wanted. It came to a point of contention and we negotiated for 1 child & 1 additional large dog ( hubby wants & I said no bc we have 2) . I would get pregnant and have a child once. If he wants two he better pray for twins. They will be his responsibility. He will stay home with them and be the primary caregiver. I will of course love them & whatnot but I will not sacrifice my career that I worked so hard on to the point of being 100# overweight for something I don't really want. I am not cold, I am realistic. We have 2 dogs 3 years old. He cannot take care of them if I leave for a week. How can I expect for him to take care of a child? Furthermore I work in a childrens hospital. I play with other peoples children all day & then they go home with someone else. I make prosthetic legs so I get those special moments that make you cry & full of joy at work. I feel that is enough for me when coupled with the dogs & hubby. So. Long to short. Be realistic about what you want and don't hesitate to get it in writing.

I found his phone number but ask if he takes out of towners as his website doesnt say so. And is he taking on new patients? Does he charge any program fees? How much are the fills? Thanks!

I didnt even know uva had a program. Looks like google failed me Did your insurance cover the plication as well or did you pay out of pocket?

The local guys won't give me a solid answer if they'll do my follow up/fills. They said it had to do with their insurance not wanting them to take liability for someone elses work & if I end up in the er they won't know how to help me. Which I think is BS. Its no different than doing fills on a regular lapband patient. And no different than a sleeve patient having leaks if that were to happen. Plus they want $180 for fills on a regular lapband without fluro which others have said was high.

I also use the cheapo ring trick but I just bought a pretty fake & leave the real thing at home until it's goal time. I work at a hospital & wear gloves a lot so I usually wear a fake ring so if I lose it no big deal. I will wear my real ring at special occasions.

I am in northern virginia I live in ashburn near dulles airport. I am lucky to have coverage through Kaiser but not an approval as of yet they want you to go through their program inhouse before a referral to a surgeon. ( insurance bs & them stalling us. They only allow so many seats & only have class every other month to make a waiting list that is unnecessary imho)

Yes. Both say its " investigational" they arent doing it without internal review board approval in a clinical trial setting. Which is paperwork for them so they aren't doing any as of now.

So I attended the seminar for Blue Point Weight loss Group in Northern Virginia. It was as expected: ie the Dr. poo-poo'ed the lap band and made it sound as un-appealing as possible. I grilled him good. However, I'm bumed that they don't offer any plication. I did a lot of PubMed research on it and really wanted band over plication as my treatment plan. I'm leaning towards that being a deal breaker for me. The good news is that Dr.Mehta in New Brunswick NJ does offer it and is within driving distance of my in laws. So, as my insurance does cover bariatric surgery I'm going to see if he'll take it even though I live out of state. I also found out that most insurances don't cover fills. I haven't seen anyone on here comment about that so feedback would be nice. They charge $180 per fill/ unfill. Wish me luck.

So I attended the seminar for Blue Point Weight loss Group in Northern Virginia. It was as expected: ie the Dr. poo-poo'ed the lap band and made it sound as un-appealing as possible. I grilled him good. However, I'm bumed that they don't offer any plication. I did a lot of PubMed research on it and really wanted band over plication as my treatment plan. I'm leaning towards that being a deal breaker for me. The good news is that Dr.Mehta in New Brunswick NJ does offer it and is within driving distance of my in laws. So, as my insurance does cover bariatric surgery I'm going to see if he'll take it even though I live out of state. I also found out that most insurances don't cover fills. I haven't seen anyone on here comment about that so feedback would be nice. They charge $180 per fill/ unfill. Wish me luck.

I really liked going to the meetings. I shopped around leaders until I found someone I liked. It took me 3 ppl b4 I found one that I felt really got me. I liked the support group aspect of it. I was going to stay the same as I bought my wedding dress & had it altered 6 months b4 my wedding as I was away for school & didn't want to worry about gaining or losing & it not fitting. I got discounted prices through my insurance. But WW seems expensive at full price. You may want to consider overeaters anonymous. It's usually free. They also weigh you at the meetings and it can help you with accountability and gives you a local " sponor". My previous boyfriends mom had it & she used to call every meal into her sponsor before she ate it. She brought scales & measuring cups to the restaurant & it really worked for her. She had someone to call & be there for her when she had the late night munchies at 11pm. Not sure if you are looking for accountability, fellowship or mentor or perhaps just meal ideas. They have a ww magazine , cookbook & various other publications that you can buy without joining. There's also the older ww cookbooks on ebay and such that have good ideas and all the nut info for less $$. Or you can try some of the online recipe builders.