MaybeBanding26

i see a lot of people talk about doing research before getting banded and i wondered what exactly that entails for everyone. i assume each individual has certain things on their "list" that are more important than others... what are some key questions to get answered when picking out your doc?

oooh, thanks for all that info! bt, where are you in the process?

anyone have any updates?? i also have a high BMI and i am just about to start the process of trying to get banded. im 5'10 and last i checked, i was 425....i think my BMI is in the 60s somewhere. i assume i will have to do medifast or Optifast, which im okay with. ive done that before and i bet i will lose a fair bit of weight doing it too.... so, how is everyone doing these days?

oh, ive seen that number...i meant finding a particular surgeon's mortality rate.

thanks bt! is there a way to find out information about how my lap bands theyve done or what the mortality rate is on the internet? or is that face-to-face information gathering?

thanks for all your responses folks! i feel a little better! i see that i will just need to work on mindful eating in preparation for the band.... gawd, i hate throwing up! its been at least a couple years since i last did and i dont want to have vomiting become a daily occurrence in my life!

that one can successfully navigate band land without ever vomiting? just wondering....

i am soon to be a former student. i have been in college and without usable health coverage for about ten years. i saw doctors intermittently, i havent had a PCP in about 13 years. so, now i have a job like a real grown up and im getting benefits and i want to have lap band surgery. i have an aetna hmo in case that matters. my worry comes with all this talk of a 5 year history that is required. where on earth will i get that if i havent seen a doctor in like two years??? ive been obese since childhood, but hospitals arent really that great at keeping records are they? so, what am i supposed to do when my obvious girth isnt enough? granted i havent started the process yet, i havent even decided on a doctor (PCP nor surgeon) but i like to be able to plan, so i figured i would ask now. this forum is super helpful! thanks for reading!

hey all! im hoping to join the ranks of the banded and i have well over 200lbs to lose before i even get to the "overweight" range....i would love to see some before and afters of people who lost that much! i could certainly use the inspiration....this task seems to gargantuan :biggrin: thanks in advance! ps. im sorry if there's already a thread like this here....i must have missed it!

im seeing the term used in a bunch of ways and now im confused! can i maybe get an operational definition please?

hmmm...so, for each of you, is it about making sure you chew thoroughly and take small bites and dont rush it? (thats a skill i will definitely need to learn!) or is it specifically about what you are actually eating? or a combination of the two?

annoying? yes. ironic? absolutely! but i am not surprised...it seems that the prevailing notion is that if you are beyond 330, then you are beyond saving and you might as well go drown your sorrows in some hagen daaz....

thx crzy! :biggrin:

thanks so much, trisha! if i do have to pay out of pocket i will have to wait a few years....just getting out of school means that i dont have much in the way of savings, i dont have a 401k or a house to remortgage and i have like 100k in student loans i have to start paying off at some point....

i did LA weightloss a while back, but i think that agency has closed by now...ive done a lot of things, but im not sure how to get proof.

no biggie...i went to the aetna site and put his name in right after i asked that. :thumbup: so, he does bariatric surgery? there isnt much info on aetna, but he is in network so thats good news!

is he a bariatric surgeon or a PCP?? either way, thanks for the rec! darby isnt far from where i live, i used to work at mercy fitzgerald.

philadelphia

thanks blaze, that sounds a lot like my situation. i dont actually have a pcp right now, and my benefits and coverage dont start until jan 2nd. but ive been browsing through the list on the aetna site. i feel silly, i dont even know how to go about picking one! i guess i'll just close my eyes and point, then meet the person and figure out if i like them or not.

I do believe that i had at least one visit in 2007, nothing in 2008 though. and at that visit i was too heavy for the scale, so there's no recorded weight. is that sufficient?

as soon as i get word that everything has gone through and i have coverage i will do that, thanks! in the meantime though, if someone hasnt really been going to doctors, what are some options for this 2-5 year history thing?