jenncore

Since they don't have weekend hours,I am planning on going in first thing Monday morning. The surgeon's office made the mistake so they're going to have to fix it. Thank you both for responding to me, I appreciate it! Jenn

There are two defining moments for me: 1. I went to an amusement park this summer with my 12 year old son. He wanted me to go on a roller coaster with him. While in line I discovered that I exceeded the weight limit (by alot). 2. My husband and I were getting our photo taking together for our business cards. I couldn't figure out why the photographer was taking so long to take our picture. When he showed us our photos on the computer it was then that I realized he couldn't completely fit me in the picture. Half my of left side is completely cut out. To make matters worse, while developing the photos, the photagrapher and another clerk were laughing at the pictures right in front of me. I get banded on 12/26 and can't wait! Jenn

I started this journey in late August of this year. I went to all of my required appointments, started my 2 week liquid diet, and was scheduled for surgery on 12/26. The only problem was I hadn't received insurance approval yet. Anybody here knows that waiting for insurance approval is torture. The not knowing if my surgery would be covered has been the most difficult part of this whole thing, even more difficult than two weeks of liquids. Well, I just got off the phone with the surgeons office and .......I'm Approved. I actually cried on the phone with the receptionist and then sobbed when I called my husband and twin sister. I am so excited and I can't wait to begin my new life after surgery. My advice for anyone who is still waiting on insurance approval is to hang in there. Don't be afraid to call the surgeon's office or your health insurance co. to check the status. You know the old saying, "The sweaky wheel gets the oil". Jenn

Thanks for the kind words, I'm sooooo ready for this! Jenn

Hi my name is Jenn. I am married and have a 12 year old son. My husband and I own our business and I'm actively involved in my community. I come from a large family of 9 and have a twin sister. I have battled with my weight for most of my adult life and look at my band-date as my second birthday. I am currently on my 2 week liquid diet and have to say this is the most difficult thing I have ever done. My surgeon requires only liquid, no food whatsoever!!! My band-date is 12/26 and I can't wait. I wish you all the best as you move forward in this journey. I'm doing my best hanging on. Oh, I forgot to mention that I live in the Northeast and we are having a major storm here right now. Jenn

I have been seeing a therapist for quite some time due to my horrible childhood. When I decided to have surgery I talked openly about it with her because I knew I was going to need her help understanding my eating disorder. Having a therapist during this has been wonderful. I have a surgery date for 12/26 and I feel like I am so mentally prepared. I also realized that I wasn't going to wake up from surgery and be able to adopt a whole new lifestyle without getting to the route of why I overeat in the first place. Jenn

Hi, It's differant for all of us. I attended my consult at the end of August, had my psych. eval. and health & wellness in Sept. and met with the surgeon in the beginning of Oct. I have a surgery date of Dec. 26th but am still waiting for insurance approval. I am self-employed so I know my insurance covers the band it's just up to them to approve me. Don't get discouraged. Get all of your stuff together i.e letter from pcp, any documentation of weightloss attempts and so on so you'll be ready when the time comes. Good luck! Jenn

My surgery date is Dec. 26th in Salem MA. Now I'm praying for insurance approval. Hopefully I'll find out in a week or so! Jenn

I live in MA. and about 12 years ago we had a huge welfare reform. Years ago, people lived on welfare. The more kids you had , the more money you got. With welfare reform, you have a two year limit after your child is born to either go to school or get a job.You will only receive a slight increase in welfare if you have a second child and then not a dime more if you have more than that. The state will pay for daycare and offer training at little to no cost as long as welfare recipients comply with going to school or getting a job. Welfare was designed to assist people during a difficult time, it's not meant for someone to live on for a lifetime. The system is definately flawed. Sure there are people who receive welfare who really need it, there's also a huge population of people who take advantage of a program they don't need. A quick example of that: A few years ago a very successful woman was collecting welfare payments, foodstamps, and lived in a low income apartment. She lied about her income. Somehow it was discovered that this woman had an income of almost 6 figures and drove a brand new Mercedes. I know that was an extreme case but I was trying to get a point across. I know I have gotten a little off topic here but I always get a little riled about when it comes to welfare. 12 years ago I was a single mother. I worked 60 hours a week until the day i gave birth. I had to go on welfare after my son was born. I stayed on welfare for 6 months and then went back to work. Could I have stayed on it longer, absolutely. But, I was fully capable of getting a job and so I did. I'm all about people in need getting help, I just think there needs to be a better system in place. My biggest pet peeve are the people who feel like the world owes them (I think WASA mentioned that). It's those people who take advantage of the system and ruin it for other people who are really in need. Just my thoughts! Jenn

Only you can decide if it's worth the risk of continuing to smoke. I'm a non-smoker but was addicted to diet coke for years, since I was 16. That might not seem like a big deal but it was an addiction none the less. A few years ago my blood pressure had sky-rocketed off the charts. My doctor told that if I didn't give up caffeine and lose some weight, I would have to go on blood pressure medication and was a major risk at having a heart attack. I left the office and haven't had a diet coke since. I had caffeine withdrawals for a week and miserable migranes but my health was more important. I also lost about 20 pds. My blood pressure is now normal even though my weight is still very high. Is this the same things as giving up smoking? Probably not, but for me it was what I needed to do and the thought of having a heart attack at the age of 33 scared the crap out of me! You have a lot going on in your life right now so I'm sure you're feeling incredibly overwhelmed. Just be aware that you might have a surgeon (like someone else posted) who will run a test right before surgery to check for nicotine. Whatever you do, I wish you the best!!! Jenn

You're progress is amazing and should stay right where it is for all to see. You have worked so hard to get to where you are and should be so proud!!!! The person who made their comment is either jealous or insecure because what you have achieved motivates and inspires so many other people!!!!! Jenn Jenn

First of all, you have to stop beating yourself up about your weight. We have all made attempts and have failed many, many times. You are worthy of the surgery and you have to beleive that. I agree with what the other people have posted here, the lapband is only a tool and you have to be ready to make that commitment. You already have a sense of defeat about you and the last thing you want to do is set yourself up for failure before you even begin. I haven't been banded yet. I'm now waiting for insurance approval. I have read so many of the posts here, the good and the bad, so I could be as informed as possible. After doing that and my own research, I decided to set up some aftercare therapy with a therapist that I have seen in the past. I feel that my food issues will not go away once I am banded and I know that I'm going to have to work through that with a therapist. I know that everyone handles things their own way, but, this is something I know I have to do in order to be successful and healthy. I hope that you will consider talking with someone about your feellings. You deserve to be happy and healthy. You can't let your past keep you from being successful in the future. I wish you the best with this journey! Jenn

I think the requirements for surgery vary depending on where you live. In MA. I was told that in order to be approved for surgery I would have to have a psych. eval., nutrition consult, see a cardiologist, attend 2 support groups, and have an intial consult with the surgeon before my paperwork would be submitted to the insurance co. Fortunately for me, things have move fairly quickly. I started all of this in late August and I am now waiting for insurance approval and a date for surgery. Try to stay positive, it will be worth it in the long run. You can definitely lose 15 pounds in 5 weeks. Think of it this way, 3 pounds a week and it's not so bad. Increase your Water intake and make small changes in your eating and it will happen. Hang in there and good luck with everything!!!! Good Luck! Jenn

I agree with Barb, call your insurance company and ask them if the surgery is covered and why the eval. isn't covered. if you still have to pay, maybe you could set up a payment plan with the Doctor's office. They might be willing to work with you. I am self employed so I chose my insurance company. All of my visits were covered and with my plan I don't have co-pays but I pay almost $300 a month for health insurance. Good luck with everything!!! Jenn

I have to pay a $325 program fee but that includes a 12 week follow program. The follow-up program consists of 12 weeks (3 hours a week) exercise program at their center with a cardiologist available to check vitals, blood pressure, etc.. Nutritional counseling, nutritional handouts, supports groups, and more. It's refundable if I'm not apporved for surgery. I wouldn't be happy if I was paying that money out of pocket and wasn't getting anything in return. Jenn

I have read alot of the posts from people who have been banded in Mexico and I have a question, Where do you have fills done and do you plan ahead for that? I have seen many posts from people who have been banded in Mexico but then have a hard time getting fills at home? I guess i find it suprising that someone wouldn't plan ahead for fills if they know they can't go back to Mexico. I am having my surgery done here but was curious about the after care. I have read mostly good things about the surgeons in Mexico and I understand it's more affordable for someone who is self pay. I hope my post isn't offensive to anyone. I have a sister who wants to get banded but her insurance won't cover it so I am getting as much info. as possible. Jenn

Mandi, Is the area hot to the touch? It looks really sore. If it's hot to the touch, has a funny smell,or you have a fever, go directly to the ER. The worse thing you can do is let something like that go because it could become much worse in a short period of time. I'm not a medical professional but my sister is a nurse so I showed her the picture to get her opinion. Whatever you decide to, I wish you the best and I hope you heal quickly! Jenn

To be on the safe side, I would go to your Doctor first. It seems like almost all of the insurance companies are requiring medically supervised diet. Fortunately for me, I have about 20 months worth. If you're not sure, you can also call your insurance co. and ask what they specifically require. At least you'll be a few months into it when your insurance is changed. Good luck!!!! Jenn

Holy crap Jacqui, you look incredible!!! If I looked like that in a bikini, I'd wear it to the supermarket, post office, bank, and so on. Seriously, you look beautiful and are such an inspiration!!! Jenn

Hi, I went to my first information and support group meeting on August 27th. Since then I have had a psych. eval., nutrition consult, and a consult with the surgeon on Oct. 15th. After that my info. will be submitted to the insurance co. and i was told it can take anywhere from 1 - 4 weeks for approval. It's differant for everyone since insurance companies require differant things. You may want to call your insurance company and find out what criteria you must meet in order to be covered for the surgery. It seems like a lot of insurance companies required 6 months medically supervised weightloss. Good Luck! Jenn

Amy, I LOVE your post. I totally feel the same way about food and as crazy as may sound I feel like I will be going through a "break up" as well when I have surgery. I want to copy your post and keep it in my home office because I feel like I could have written it myself. I know it's serious but it did put a smile on my face because it's so true!!! Thanks for sharing! Jenn Jenn

Hi Morgan, You have come to the right place for help and support. First of all, I'm sorry for Doctor laughed at you and told you that you were too young and just need to lose weight. That infuriates me to no end. Nobody has the right to say that to anyone else. It sounds like you have had a weight problem you whole life, like most of us here. People who have never been overweight tend to find it hard to understand why we are obese. They make assumptions that we're lazy and all we do is eat. That's so far from the truth. If you went into your Doctor's office for any other medical reason do you think he would have laughed in your face. Absolutely not! When I started this journey, the first thing I did was research. I then found a local information/support group for lapbanding. When I called to register I was asked questions about my weight, height, and BMI. The woman sent me some info. in the mail. The information session was great because it walked me through the steps of everything I would have to go through such as consults and so on. Things have moved very quickly for me already. I went to my first meeting on Augsut 24th. Since then I have had my psych. consult, nutrition eval. and my consult with the surgeon is scheduled in two weeks. Find a surgeon in your area, ask if they have a bariatric coordinator. He/She will be able to assist you in what you need to do next. Search this site, you might be able to find someone from your area who can give you more info. I have met someone who lives about 5 minutes from me who has been so helpful. We have actually met and walk together at least once a week. Sorry for rambling, I wish the best! Jenn

Hi, I had my nutrition appointment this past Tuesday. I had to call to set it up myself. They sent me some paper work and part of it was a food journal for three days. They want to know everything you eat from the time you wake up until the time to go to sleep. My appointment was about 2 hours long. I met with 2 differant people and a cardiologist. I was also weighed and my body fat was measured, talk about a reality check and a shock to the system. Anyway it seems like the consults vary from state to state. The place where I will have the surgery has 12 week follow up program where I will receive 2 1/2 hours of weekly exercise and nutritional guidance through their center. It's a great program. If your not sure if you should call to set up an appointment, you can always call the Bariatric coordinator, this would be the person you had your initial consult with. They should be able to tell you what steps to take. Good Luck!

When my husband and I were in the dating stage, we went to Disney World in Florida. We got a little "freaky" on one of the rides. Hey it was dark and there wasn't anybody in any of the cars near us. A few years ago, we read somewhere that there are hidden camera's on the rides. Imagine our surprise!!! Jenn

I live on the east coast, about 1/2 hour north of Boston and I LOVE it. I live 5 minutes from the ocean and about 15 minutes from Salem MA. which is pretty famous for its museums and "witches". I love the change of the seasons, fall being my favorite. As for Country, Ireland would be my first choice. I spent 2 weeks there a few years ago and fell in love with the culture and the country side. The differant color greens are breathe taking and the people are so friendly and happy! Jenn