jack&kota

I am not banded yet, but I find it very helpful to see the swimsuit photos. The one that was posted so far was great. As I have been so obese for so long with so many failed attempts, it is hard to wrap my head around the idea of being thin. Full clothes shots are great, but we also want to know how losing that much weight affects the skin, and muscle tone and if we will ever like our bodies in a two piece or naked in front of the mirror. I think it could be very helpful to pull expectations in line, keeping in mind everyone is different. This is the same reason I look at those before and after PS pictures. I appreciate posters being cautious about what they post and consider motives of the opening poster because after all this is the internet. I also remember getting married and at that point, looking good for my wedding and my honeymoon were a priority over anything else. Good luck in your journey.

I talked with my surgeon and I have no ax to grind but he also mention the thing about the folds of the balloon of the realize band. He also mentioned a few other things: The low port is nice but there isn't much difference between the stance on the Realize port thus making it more difficult to find the proper placement of the needle for fills(think volcano shape, easy to tell where the lava goes as oppose to a small inset on a box size shape). Because it is so shallow he said that it is hard to know where the bottom is for the fill. He anticipates this will mean more people done under flouro. Also the tube from the band to the port doesn't show up on x-ray whereas the other does (don't know if this is usfull). He showed me the ports and it made sense though I know its hard to communicate what I am saying over the net. Also said J&J insists that it be put in unfilled so when they do there first fill and he extracts the contents( I think they have to or else the pressure of the air wouldn't let the saline go in) first to fill, it gets air in it. Whereas the other gets some primer in it. Also, he showed me how the part of the band around the ballon slides easily. He said he isn't sure if that is a good thing or not. These are his words. Just food for thought. I have decided against the Realize band, but it seemed that either were fine. I am sure some dr are just more comfortable about what they have always done. Good luck with your surgery tomorrow and in making your decision.

Lisa- there is an area called doctors so that you can post the two you are thinking about and get some feedback. Go with your gut too.

The first step is to twofold. Contact your insurance company and have them mail you a copy of their policy of WLS. Also, see if you can find a surgeon in your area who has seminars. They are great to go to to get more information. My insurance company requires that if you have a BMI of 35 you have to have one of the following commorbidities: The obsesity interferes with daily functions to the extent performance is severely curtaled (impending job loss) The obseity causes incapacitating physical trauma as documented by medical history and x rays. Speep Apnea Circulatory insufficiency Documentation of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, etc requiring drug treatment. So the reflux and the pain might help. The catch also for mine is that you must have been at this BMI for 4 of the last 5 years. If you have successful dieting that brought down your BMI, you might not qualify. Every insurance is different though. Good luck.

My surgeon's office shows about 60-70% after 3 years for gastric bypass and around 43% for lap band. With the lap band you can cheat, you have to fo the work.

How long should of a wait can I expect from the beginning tests till surgery? I would really like to have the surgery before the end of June but I think that is unrealistic. I also am a teacher and want to have my time off in summer to get adjusted. I would have started sooner but have been just had my third misscarriage in a year after going through IVF and it was the motivation I needed to do something for myself.

My plan will cover the band after several conditions are met, one being that you have to have weight histories for the last 5 years and have 4 of those years obese. I do not have any comorbidies but my curent BMI is greater than 40. I had surgery 4.5 years ago and really packed on the pounds (201 to 231 in less than 4 months). My question is, last June I was 231 ish which is not quite a BMI of 40. Within the next few months was over 40. Will they get that technical down to the month when we are talking four years? Also, I'm a teacher and actually work out in the summer. If I lose weight (which I would like to in preperation for surgery) and fall below 240 before my end of June consult, will I still qualify?