Tropicana

Thank you so much. That really did help. They did not tell me to do any online paperwork so i will print it out and bring it along with me to the consultation. Is you weight loss scale at the bottom updated? How do you feel about it almost a month out? I also have UHC (Choice version). So you didn't have to go through a psych and nutrition consult? I read on his website that overnight hospital stays are not required. Is this still true?

Can you tell me how your consultation went? Things he requires? (Like documentation of past failed diets? How long from your consultation to your surgery date?

Is that means? Just clarifying. I see alot of "250/218/135"

The waiting?! The patience?! This crap is driving me nuts and I haven't really done anything yet. I have my consultation in two weeks (I had the option to do it in a week but I thought it might be too soon and might need time to rethink this just in case I find something out in 2 weeks that I haven't found in 6 months of research ) and I have spent the last 6 hrs looking up every pre and post op lap band picture currently on the internet. i've spent at least 2 hrs analyzing people's weight loss and trying to figure out Lap band jargon like "PB." *sigh* I'm exhausted from surfing. I can't imagine what will happen after the consultation and the wait for insurance approval. And what about after the surgery? will i be disappointed with the results? What if it doesn't work for me? I know that the ppl who post their pictures are the successful ones. Are there equally or even more ppl that aren't successful? if so, why aren't they? Will it be me? I've failed at everything else. I've also come to the conclusion that I have to tell my mother. She'll kill me if I don't. I think i will tell her once I have a surgery date.

I have a consultation with him in 2 weeks. Just wondering how your weight loss is going?

I didn't say it was going to be more of a struggle. Maybe I should have been more clear. I did research back in my undergrad with obesity and ethnicity so I was just trying to see if any had been done with the lap band but since it is a fairly new procedure i don't think there is much out there. that I could find.

i need a lap band mommy. Someone to hold my hand and direct on the right way to go. How do you startthis. I am under my mother's UHC PPO so i don't need a referral to see a physician (or so she says) as long as he is in our network. So do I just call and make an appointment? I do most of my research on this site and obesityhelpcenter also. people have recommended writing down a list of questions. My problem is that I never think of good questions on the spot and don't really know what to ask.

I am concerned about this also. Does anyone else have a BMI less than 40 with no comorbidities and still got coverage?

Anybody prone to keloids?

I come from a very athletic family. My siblings are all college athletes, while I'm the overweight nerd. Even my father, who has never truly exercised a day in his life and eats crap, but has still managed his weight is giving me advice on how to lose by "eat less, exercise more." What most people don't realize is that overweight people are EXPERTS on nutrition. We've tried EVERYTHING. I've given it honest work. I joined this site and saw ppl losing weight but I decided that cutting myself open should be a method of last resort. So I devoted myself by joining weight watchers and revamping my eating habits and exercise. I will admit that eating more Fiber and nutritious stuff made me feel so much better. My skin cleared up,I had more energy, I felt better. But I was becoming all too consumed and my weight was not changing. Counting and recounting points in my head, grocery shopping took me hours, weighing out food to make sure I was having 4 oz. of chicken instead of 6. Even exercising became a chore. Was this hour of aerobics worth 6 activity points? I got very very busy (I'm a medical student) and just couldn't keep up with it anymore. I lost 10 lbs after being on the program for 8 weeks (7 pounds were lost week 1, after that it was a stand still). The week I went off, I gained 5 pounds. What's the point? I tried cutting my carbs, but I have a job where I am dependent on thinking fast and well on my feet. Eating lots of Protein and reduced carbs isn't good for my brain functioning. So now I'm back at this. There are so many issues that I really have been reflecting about. What if the surgery goes wrong and I am in a worse position than I am today? I'd rather be overweight than disabled. How will I afford it? How will my family react? How will ppl treat me differently as an under 100 lbs. person? Honestly, my sister is the only one I feel comfortable telling. My parents are very big on not lying and I know when someone asks them how I am doing or how I lost so much weight, they will reveal things about me that I don't want out there. If not for people's narrow mindedness I would not be concerned. But I got a pretty soft ego and the first person who doesn't know me or know what I've done and makes a comment that I took the easy way out.....that will make me so sad. I really do believe that this surgery IS the easy way out for me. Some (if not most) of you will argue with me on this point. But that is just my own opinion, I hope I do not offend anybody by saying that. I immensely respect those who can lose weight in less invasive, less dangerous methods. I really wish I could be like them. I don't know. If I ever get the confidence enough to do this, I would not tell a soul other than my sister. Even the people who love you, who would die for you....if they got mad enough at you and blurted it out in the heat of the moment.... Sorry for the long post. Seems as though I'm trying to clear my own head.

I would like to know how much lap band costs? I hear Dr. Barker is the least expensive at around $10,100. Is that including hospital stay and whatever? What are the costs of other surgeons?

Thanks for the info. $16,000 seems like a good deal.

What do they say is bad about it?

I've been "lurking" around this site for about a year now. I post pretty infrequently, since I'm not banded (unaffordable to me). I just want to say that you guys seem to get along so well, are so courteous and supportive to one another. I think it's great! Alot of other sites, little cliques form and there is a lot of harrassment but I don't think I've ever seen that on here. Just a note.

Your doctor may be tactless but isn't he correct in a sense? I thought people with extreme BMIs responded better to gastric bypass than to Lap band. At 450 lb (dependent on your height, of course) it seems as though you be a better candidate for bypass. Maybe if you could lose more weight (get down to 375 perhaps?) lap band would be a safer choice. If I'm wrong, please educate me. Regardless, your doctor should not have upset you enough to make you cry. As with anything else that pertains to your health...get a SECOND opinion.

Sometimes you have to see it from the other person's perspective. I've worked as a waitress before and very overweight people LOVE to eat (duh!) so to see a plate that has been barely touched you figure there's something wrong. When the person replies that nothings wrong, you get paranoid about whether something really is wrong and then you get FURTHER paranoid that the customers dissatisfaction will be reflected in the tip. So don't be offended. Next time just ask for a carryout plate ...you shouldn't be forced into telling ppl about your surgery if you don't want to.

Once you dedicate yourself to making it a priority, it will become one. Do you have time for television? If so, why not by a step from Walmart (cheaper than a treadmill or other machine) and just climb up and down from the step for 30 minutes during a show? It's amazing the amount of exercise you'll get. During your lunch break at work you can take 20 minutes and walk around the perimeter of your building. As soon as your body adjusts to the exercise you can up your routine. Exercise has a whole bunch more benefits than just your waistline. You might even find that it gives you time to seperate from the chaos of the rest of your day.

Oh I see...

Oh just saw it...$10,100. Hmm..hopefully his prices won't increase dramatically between now and October (when i can get the money).

How much was your surgery if I may ask?

I think I'm going to check out Dr. Wade Barker. he seems to be within my affordability range.

Why can't you chew?

...before getting the procedure done? I've done alot of research but don'tknow it all. So I'd like to get input from others who have been through this. What do they forget to tell you or did you not realize you'd expereince post op?

Does anyone know of any DFW lap band surgeons that have financing options for those who won't be covered by insurance and want to self pay?

How much did you surgery cost by the way? I'm trying to get a feel for how much DFW doctors are. I am a graduate student and will be poor for a very long time. My decision is to postpone surgery for 3 more years while I save up some money to at least have half of it. (I am living strictly off financial aid). I'm hoping that after 3 years WLS will be like Lasik where there will be more options and much more inexpensive. Currently I don't have any morbidities (thank God) and I don't have a high enough BMI (34) to qualify for health coverage. I'm going to just do my best to stay my current weight (and maybe even lose it all!) But if by 3 yrs time I don't do that, I'm going to go for the surgery.