BeckyinTexas

Here's my question.....one of my goals when I first started this fantastic lap band trip was to fit my butt in a pair of jeans again and then FINALLY take a ride on a motorcycle. Now I'm looking for any one that might want to help a girl out making one of my goals come true. I can now fit in those jeans and I'm just hoping to find someone that would be willing to take a chance and I'd promise not to scream in their ear or hold on too tight. So if there's any brave soul out there...I'd love to hear from you.

Thank you all for the support and advice. I'm just about over the shock of being turned down and ready to give them the fight of their lives! I'm going to be such a pest that they'll approve me just to get me out of their hair! I'm definitely going to look into the "obesity law" and see what I can find out about that. Thanks again to all of y'all for always being there when needed. I'm feeling a little more optimistic about this happening eventually than I was Friday. I'm going to make it happen come hail or high water!

What a cute story! Sounds like you were blessed with 2 precious boys. Also, thank you to your husband for what he's doing for all of us and to you and the boys for being so brave while he's gone! God bless you all. It sounds like you're off to a great start so keep up the good work!

Kate.......YEA!!!!!!!! I know how excited you are and I'm so very happy for you. Get ready because you're going to begin your new life and trust me, what a wonderful feeling it is every single day. I'm so happy for you and will keep you in my prayers. Best of luck!!!!!

The dates are perfect for me so Cher.....count me in!!!!!! OMG, I'm so excited already and can't wait to go. I work for Collin County and around 30 of us were fortunate to get the lap band, so I'll let them all know about it as well. We can certainly have a big ole group from North Texas! Well, large in number group cause we're all a whole lot smaller now than when we first started this fantastic journey!

I would LOVE to come!!!!! What are the dates, time, etc. I live in McKinney and as soon as I read this I got so excited that it was going to be so close. I can't wait to hear back from you so I can check at work and make sure I can get off. This would be so great as I've just about worn all my friends and family out with lap band talk. I could actually be with fellow lap banders that would know and appreciate what I'm talking about. Let me know the info and I'm thinking that wild horses couldn't keep me away...well as long as I can get off work.

His name is Dr. Frederick Duffy and he's at Medical City in Dallas. I really was impressed with him and he has several books of before and after photos that really looked great. He was recommended to me by my lap band surgeon, so I knew he'd be a good one.

I'm about the head out for my visit with a plastic surgeon to see about getting a pannicolectomy. Hopefully my insurance will cover most of it and I just hope and pray that everything will go well. I can't even imagine how much better I'd feel not to metion looking better. If all goes well and I get to have my surgery, I'll probably asking a million questions of people that have had it done!

Dr. Jay is great! He's one of the nicest guys I've ever met. So far, I've lost more weight than any of this other patients. I'm a bit competitve, I guess. Well, my close to Dallas would be McKinney. And I'm not sure what stylin is but I'd be up for whichever. It's just something I promised myself that I'd do and man, I really want to. How's your wife doing with her band? I bet she feels the same way as I do about Dr. Jay. Take care and let me know where y'all live.

LilMissBand-Aid...Thank you so much. 19 pounds to hit 100...you'll do that in no time at all. When I first started researching the band, this was the thread that made me know I could do it. I just hope that I can encourage anyone that has as much weight as I did to lose that it can be done. Good luck to you and you'll be a certified member of this fabulous club before you know it.

As of my doctor's visit on Wednesday, I've lost 282 pounds in my 3 years since getting the band that saved my life! Heck, 18 more pounds and I'm gonna proudly start a thread for people that have lost over 200 pounds! Congratulations to everyone!!!!! The lap band is one of the greatest inventions ever as us "biggest losers" all know.

Bill, we're nearly neighbors. I live in McKinney. Good luck on your surgery Wednesday! Trust me, this is the best thing you'll ever do for yourself. Heck, the money it cost you...you'll make that up in less food you have to buy from now on. But then again, the new clothes you'll have to get as you lose, will be expensive but so darn worth it! My starting BMI was 86 and now it's 34. I still need to lose some weight but if I were just taller, I'd be all good! Again, good luck and if you ever have any questions or need some moral support, you know where I am.

Steph, thank you so much for your encouragement. All of y'all to be exact! For some reason when I read this post, I just started crying. It so helps to have people share this with that know exactly how badly I want and need this surgery. I hate looking in the mirror after losing so much weight and being disgusted by what I see. OK, pity party over, I just have to think positive that my insurance will approve me! Take care Steph and continue to feel better every day!

I posted on line yesterday before I left for my doctor's appointment. Now it's just a wait and see game with my insurance company. I wish I had talked with someone about their first trip to see a plastic surgeon so I would have known what would happen when I got there. I was completely shocked when they said I'd have to have some pictures taken. I should have known they would do that but I guess it was just something that I didn't think about. After the initial interview and answering a lot of questions, I was told that as soon as the photo room was available, they'd take me there. That's when the nerves hit! I didn't know what to expect at all. Then the moment of truth came and I was taken to the photo room and told to take all my clothes off and put on a pair of surgery panties. Needless this was nothing more than a small piece of cloth held together with elastic strings. I told the nurse that was helping me that I had always thought my first time to wear a g-string might be under different circumstances. Then the doctor came in and that's when the tears started to flow! He told me this wonderful story about daffodils and what it all meant was to not look back at the past but just look forward to the future. So, there I stood completely naked with tears rolling down my cheeks and have pictures taken. Now those will be sent along with a couple of letters from doctor's stating medical necessity for the surgery to my insurance company. All I could think of was "great, now a bunch more people can look at my horrible body". But if that's what it takes to make part of a dream come true, so be it. I'd be stupid to not know that I couldn't have blown my body up to the size it was and not expect there to be some "party favors" left over. I feel like a balloon that was blown up way too much and then all the air was let out. Not that that isn't a great thing because I feel like a different person, now I just want to be able to look into a full length mirror and not be grossed out by my own reflection. I just wanted to share my first step with anyone that might be taking this journey as well. Like I said, I just wish I had talked with someone so I would have known somewhat to expect. Now I have to just sit and wait to hear from my insurance company and the good Lord willing, I'll be scheduling a pannicolectomy in the near future. Thanks for letting me share all this with y'all cause if there's any one in the whole world that can even somewhat relate to all of this I know it's y'all. As you can see by my novel disguised as a post....I'll keep everyone updated on how this all goes for me.

To keep everyone updated, I just talked with my plastic surgeon's office and they said they didn't even submit my paperwork to the insurance company until April 30th so that really bummed me out. But I still plan on calling my insurance company every other day and just check with them. It sure can't hurt, well I hope it doesn't. I just hope to hear something soon so I can quit worrying about approval or not and switch my worrying over to having the actual surgery! I so want this especially after seeing how great Steph already looks.

Steph - So glad to hear that each day it gets better for you. I remember after my lap band surgery for about 1 week or so I felt so tired to I guess that just goes along with any surgery. Heck, take advantage of afternoon nap time. I love Saturdays so I can take a nap in the afternoon if I want to. Take care and keep up the good work!

Steph....Sounds like you're doing great! I'm so glad. Keep up the great work! Kat, I'm so excited for you and I know you can't wait. Still no word about my insurance but I know it'll come through for me. Steph, continue to take care of yourself and don't overdo.

Steph....I'm so glad to hear that it's much better than you thought it was going to be! You have such a positive attitude, that'll make recovery so much easier. Sorry you had such a horrible little snippet of a nurse. So sad that she acted like you were putting her out and actually making her do what she gets paid to do! I'm just happy for you and I know that all this will be behind you soon and you'll be so thrilled with how you'll be looking. Then you can strut your stuff with the best of them! Nope, nothing from my insurance company yet but I'm gonna call then again tomorrow. I'm gonna start my every other day calling and hope like heck they'll approve me just to get them off their backs. Who the heck is it that does the actual approval by the way? I keep imagining them sitting there looking at my pictures and laughing. I really don't care who it is, I just want it approved! After they get a gander at my pictures, they hopefully will have mercy on me and stamp approved! Get to feeling better soon, Steph. It's so great to know that you're doing well, well, as well as anyone can expect. Just don't overdo! Take care of yourself and heck, sit back and let someone take care of you for a change. I can't wait to park my butt in my son's recliner and make him wait on me after my surgery! Keep us posted and God bless you, Steph!

Good luck and congratulations! My surgeon told me nothing after midnight before my surgery. At 11:55, I downed the last diet Dr. Pepper I'd ever drink. Haven't had carbonated drinks since then and never will. I just hope you have as great of an experience as I've had with my lap band. It gave me back my life! Keep us posted.

Thank God, Steph!!!!!! I'm so proud of you and so very happy for you, too! I just everything goes wonderfully for you and that you're feeling better than brand new really soon! Six pounds? You light weight you! LOL Nananana....I'll lose about 20-25 pounds when they cut my apron strings. :frown: Seriously, I'm so excited for you and I can't wait to hear all the details and you can keep us posted on how wonderful you're already looking. Take good care of yourself and just know this much...you're one of my heroes and I sure hope I'll be able to have the feeling that you're having right now after a successful procedure very soon. God bless you, Steph and feel better soon!

Kat....I'm giving my insurance company another week and then I plan on calling them every other day and checking on it. If being persistent helps with the approval, then I'll be more persistent than I've ever been in my life. I can't believe how badly I want this. Who the heck ever thought going under the knife could be something someone wants this much????? Thanks all of you once again for the fantastic support cause right now, I need it. I'm not kidding when I say this is about all I can think about. I had a dream about it the other night so maybe that was a good omen that my dream will come true and my insurance will give me the thumbs up!

Steph....I'm so excited for you. Not much longer. Wow, it's going to be so great and you'll finally look as good as you feel. Not that you look bad now, don't get me wrong, but girl, that new body will just match the beautiful person you already are!

I got the never to call my insurance company and of course they didn't have a decision yet. I guess I'm just being a bit impatient but I told them I was going to be calling a lot and check on it. Maybe they'll get tired of me being a pain in the butt and just stamp approved on my file and get me out of their hair! I've always heard the squeaky wheel get oiled, well all I can say is....pass me that oil as soon as possible! My coworkers are throwing me a 3 year bandiversary party on Thursday, it's supposed to be a surprise but my sister spilled the beans. They are the ones that have to try and keep me on track waiting for the insurance decision so I guess they thought I needed a party to perk up my spirits. Wouldn't it be awesome if a miracle happened and my insurance company kicked it into high gear and I got my approval and I could share that with everyone at my party that day. I'm blessed to have coworkers that support me so much and equally blessed to have all of y'all cheering me on. You guys rock!!!!!!!!

Kat, I'm so glad that you mentioned the pubic mound cause mine looks more like a pubic mountain!!!!! I didn't have the courage to ask the plastic surgeon about it the day I was there but I was so hoping that something could be done there. You just made me know that there is. You know, people that have never been really heavy wouldn't even have a clue that that is a body part that gets fat, but it does. Man, it's so weird how comfortable I feel talking about and asking questions on here about things I won't even mention to a doctor! This site is probably the most helpful and wonderful site on the Internet! Not to mention the nicest people on the Internet!!!! Steph, I'm sure I'll be talking with you before Thursday but if not.....good luck and hurry back so I can grill you on how it went!

Steph honey, I'm so excited for you!!!!!! Only a few more days and it'll be bye bye tummy and hello gorgeous flat stomach! I just wish I had enough courage to post mine but I'd gross everyone out. My "fat apron" hangs down about mid-thigh on me. You should see me getting dressed and having to tuck and stuff the damn thing into a girdle! But once I get it all stapped in, I have to admit, I look pretty darn good. Man, won't it be great when we never have to look down and see the party favors life gave us for our years of stuffing ourselves into shapes we never thought possible. Good luck and my prayers and best wishes are with you!!!!! You're gonna do great and come out looking like a million dollars cause you already looked like 999,999 dollars!