Skywalker

Not only that but objective evidence often points to the truth--such as cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels, thyroid levels--and politically correct attitudes (not to be confused with manners) have no place in a Dr's office. That's what the doctor's there for, and let's not beat around the bush--being overweight is bad for us!

Well, starting at around 250 lbs, I could start to see the difference around 25-30 lbs, but not really before then. I looked significantly different at about 190 lbs. Of course, what I lost over the last two years I've gained all back, thus the WLS.

This is a good point. A lot of times, we get so caught up in a hard goal it's hard to digest when we've crossed the finish line. Like finishing a master's degree, when the ceremony is finished and there's no more studying, you might pause and feel, "Now what?" I remember back when I was on weight watchers, and it was actually working for me, I found I enjoyed the structure of WW almost as much as I did the loss. It's not that I still wouldn't enjoy the structure of WW today, it's just that there's no sustainable loss so it's just frustrating. While on this topic, another thing I forgot--when I get to goal, I want to be able to go out and buy a couple things off the rack (including a stunning business suit for interviews) and actually wear them.

I've wondered about this question a bit, so I thought I'd ask it here. When I used to be overweight 20 years ago, diet and exercise brought me down about 70 lbs, and at that point, I couldn't eat what I used to eat--full size pizzas, alfredo sauce, and other rich stuff upset my stomach and no longer appealed to me. I realized after the fact that I had naturally readjusted my stomach size. So I was wondering--does the same happen with LapBand? Since you're being granted an instant minimized appetite, does the stomach below it actually decrease in size over time. Maybe a question for a doctor, but I thought I'd ask....

This is a topic that's been on my mind for a while, and one of the driving factors leading me to WLS. I remember not too many years ago having the "full" life experience--hiking, taking family pictures, going on cruises, etc.--and not having to be ashamed of myself for any of it. Recently, I've withdrawn from most of those things and put my life on hold because of weight. I've already decided that, about a year down the road when my weight loss makes me feel like a human being again and I want to dress up, get out, and walk, I'm taking the family for a trip to Disney World. I plan on having the full experience--rides, souvenirs, and of course, pictures taken to commemorate the event. What, if any, is your big plan for when you reach goal? It could be 5K, cruise, or anything....

I don't blame you about being gun shy about the knee surgeries; those are actually a huge (if necessary) operation on one of the body's largest joints. My husband had a knee problem and lived with it for about 8 years until he was scheduled for a knee surgery with a cadaver tendon (torn meniscus). He was booked with one of the city's leading ortho physicians too--the guy had worked on a whole sports team. Unfortunately, he developed a DVT/blood clot that has stayed present at that knee and bothered him to the present day. I'm not trying to scare you, just sharing our story. But I would recommend, if you pursue knee surgery, asking the Dr. what DVT prophylaxis they offer. Some do, some don't, but since the knee is near major veins I think it's important to keep that in mind when they get in there and mess with them.

You look great, and so sexy now in those form fitting clothes! I bet you actually feel satisfied, and look forward to going shopping, hiking, and other stuff that was problematic before. Again, congratulations. Well done.

I have back pain as well (pain in all four extremities now and a disability rating for it), and was wondering--can you swim? I know that is a great exercise that both takes the compression/insult off of joints for exercise, is safe for elderly, and keeps us cool. If other exercise was too painful, I would try to grab a YMCA membership and do that...

I decided on a goal weight by remembering my most reasonable and comfortable adult weight, which was back when I could wear skinny t shirts, my capris were a little loose, and weight watchers was working. It was twenty lbs heavier than the thinnest adult weight I ever was (around 135), but that's not really reasonable since it was during basic training and such.

Yeah I was watching that one too at the same time you were! My husband, actually, kept saying what a selfish prick Chuck was and how it was good she was leaving him. I thought it was interesting, the meltdown Chuck had when he was served divorce papers--he actually started wailing like a little kid. Oh well, the period of reflection did him good. He really needed to take a hard look at things, start contributing, and grow up.

To elaborate on what Chickie said, also do the research from credible non-biased sources (like PubMed, nih, and WebMD) and see how they stack up to each other. If you're looking for the least up front cost and least invasive, band might be for you. But if you're not good on follow-up, want fewer late complications, and want to lose a little more sleeve or bypass might be for you. Each WLS has it's strengths and weaknesses so everyone should look into them and find a best fit.

Careful. Lower quadrant pain can be appendicitis, as well as a bunch of other things. I don't know what your insurance story is, but post Lap Band (and in this Obamacare climate), I would highly recommend looking into Medicaid or at least a health exchange to cover you. We should never be in a position where we are troubleshooting ourselves and hedging our bets as to whether to go to the ER or not. Go see a Dr. and sort this out as soon as you can. Best of luck. Edit: And if you are low to moderate income, just see about getting the ER fees waived on the basis of income later on when you deal with the billing statement. I've done that, even for the deductible that applied to my insurance. Each hospital has a charity plan like that.

You must have talked to the rare customer service rep who had no idea what they were doing. I would try again and ask specifically for someone who could explain plan benefits. This is their job, and really something they should be able to answer for you. I recently called a health insurance provider, and they were very simply able to tell me what they approved/did not approve. What they could not answer, they transferred to a higher ranking rep in another department and stayed with me on the phone until they got on.

And what's wrong with him offering her different links on both band removal/complication, as well as revision links in case she's interested?

This doesn't seem to be broken down by geographic location, so hopefully someone knows something about Colorado doctors. I was thinking about Dr. Timothy Brown (Canon City, CO), but came across Michael Snyder (Denver, CO: http://denverbariatrics.com/default/our-practice/dr-snyder), and his prices seemed much better while offering the same services. Does anyone know about either one of these guys, or where I should post this question? Thanks

Wow that was so rude of her. I'm with everyone else on this board, talk to the manager. She should be fired/suspended, and you shouldn't have had to justify your purchase or your procedure to her.

Me? Thanks (if so). Sorry to hear about your rude ex-husband, but I guess the good news is--he's your ex-husband! I don't think having fair weather friends or spouses is ever worth it. We should take a moment to remember those who helped us and valued us when we were at our lowest. Those are the ones worth keeping.

This is getting into personal territory. Probably really what planted the seeds for weight loss surgery and made me say, "Enough". I can remember going to visit family in California in 2012, and I think a truckload of guys leaned out of their car and yelled at me that I was fat. I didn't really catch it, but I remember my friends looking at me apologetically. I had also posted a comment on a friends Facebook page, and everyone was giving it a lot of likes. Some street thug gangster guy who had no connection with the discussion joined in and told me how he would normally "holla at b*****s", but he wouldn't bother with someone who looked like me. I tried reporting the post, but it was never removed, so in spite of the popularity of my thread, I took it down out of embarrassment. I went on vacation to Florida in 2011 to see my mom, and she wanted to take me to get a pedicure. The lady who was doing my kept trying to talk to me even though I was trying to relax. It's like she'd insult me a little bit, and then back off. She just wouldn't STFU. She said something about how I looked tired and "Windy" (whatever that means), and when I snapped at her she said never mind and went back to doing her job. Needless to say, I didn't enjoy the pedicure. My mom spent the latter part of the appointment arguing with them about the tip/no tip because they'd given crappy service. Oh and, when I went out to the car with my mom she had a heart to heart with me, offering me monetary incentives if I would just lose weight. I know she was trying to help, and I would have done the same thing with my daughter, but it really drove home the fact that I couldn't run away from myself and really even relax on vacation. Thinking about these rude people still pisses me off, honestly. Just because someone carries extra weight doesn't make them less of a person. And, this type of thing makes me really not want to leave the house and just go get the bariatric surgery tomorrow so I can get past this s***.

So then yeah, you should be able to get away with a sip or two of your significant other's beer if you want the taste Oh, my spouse doesn't really drink that much. I'm the one who is the alcohol aficianado, or whatever. I've recently grown to like the taste of this, and beer is generally friendlier to weight watchers points than wine or margaritas: http://beerpulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Samuel-Adams-Cherry-Wheat-body-label.png But if I have to give it up it's really no big problem.

Just wanted to chime in and say I agree with this statement 100%. I went wine tasting about a month ago, I maybe had 3 glasses of wine over 6 hours. The next day I was up 5 pounds and it took me 3 weeks to get rid of it. That wasn't fun. Statements like these make me think Lap Band lowers your metabolism, at least temporarily. The reason being--for someone my size, we are allowed 39 weight watchers points per day to lose weight. My big problem, of course, was being hungry beyond this number of points. However, each glass of wine is 4 points, so you're just looking at 12 points there. With conservative eating (as the band should provide) it should have been no problem....however, the body is being given much less with the band, so it might end up being a "race with the metabolism" for who is the winner. Oh well, we gotta do what we gotta do. If the standard way isn't working, Lap Band it is.

You guessed right, I'm a female

I had heard the same thing for Medicaid....a six month waiting period of time, in which you would visit a Dr. monthly for obesity related causes and they would write you a "package" justifying sleeve gastrectomy. Oh, the hoops we have to jump through for insurance sometimes....

So does Aetna cover lapband? I was interested because I just did the most basic of checking before deciding to self-pay. I learned: Colorado Health OP covers sleeve and bypass, but not the lapband The same for CO Medicaid (the sleeve and bypass, but not lapband)* VA Health insurance covers nothing--they have no schedule for bariatric surgery in CO *Although, all of these providers did say if emergencies arose from prior conditions, they would cover them. So Aetna is actually open to paying for LB?

How about a mojito? Or margarita? Do those go down alright with the band? I'm beginning to think I'll have to give up beer and soda with the band, which is alright, all things considered. I'll miss it (a little), but nothing I couldn't live without, especially for better health.

Best of luck to you. I had the urge to date once but wasn't really seriously dating; so maybe it was the vibe given off, I don't really know. I've watched my friend struggle with the same thing; he has Asperger's syndrome and comes off as really strange, so the only time I saw him actually relax, laugh, and start getting asked out by women was after he had smoked some MJ for the first time (no joke)....not that I'm advocating that, as the appetite increase could actually work against the lapband.... But maybe if you had a drink and went to a venue that more obviously advertised you were open to dating, such as a bar, a singles group at church, or even a place like eHarmony.com, it might yield some results? I don't really know.