ladytonya

Right now, we have me, P'Nut, Kathy (the best me) and her sister, and Diva Girl and her DH. If anyone else is coming, let us know! It would probably be best to send me an email since I may not remember to check this board and the other board tonight. I am off to Concord for my initial consult with Dr. Bauman! Yeah!

Ditto what Wavy said! I made straight A's and graduated 8th in my class in high school but I never had to study. Never. Ever. I was taking AP and Honors classes and I still never had to study and I went in to college with 15 hours credit from all my AP exams. Because of this, I did not know how to study and to this day I still do not have a degree. I keep saying that I will finish it some day, but that day hasn't come yet. I really wish I would have been more challenged in high school.

I've never read any of the other boards very often except the one for starting BMIs over 50. I haven't seen any of the nastiness but they were talking about it over there. PhotoNut's account says she is suspended. I hope she wasn't involved in any of that. I need to send her an email to give her some hotels for her trip to Asheville. Anyway, hope to see some of you up this way if that happens! I can't wait until September 14! That's my first appt with Dr. Bauman.

Dr. Bauman is in Concord, right outside of Charlotte. I am going down there because Dr. Bradshaw and his group won't even meet with me at my current weight! I went to my first info session at Mission and was told I was too fat for weight loss surgery. I was devastated! It has taken me over a year to get back in it and realize that I could find a doctor fairly nearby who would operate on me. I'm "only" 440. I have read about people who are 500 and 600 lbs getting banded so I know there's no way 440 is "too fat". I started doing the research and found that most other surgeons don't have such arbitrary guidelines. I chose Dr. Bauman after reading all the positive comments on him both here and on the OH site. Anyway, it's nice to finally have some Western North Carolinians on here! BTW, why do you have to register to attend a meeting? I often don't know until the last minute what's going to happen at work so I might make one last minute. Is that not possible? Just wondering because if you absolutely have to register, I'll probably never get to one! Seems kinda silly to me anyway to have to register for a support group, but then again it is Mission! Go figure! Anyway, I've been rambling on long enough. It's great seeing everyone on here and I can't wait to meet you all sometime!

Hmm, I'm not sure what I'll be up to that weekend yet. I am in Asheville and would love to meet you guys! That will be after my initial consult with Dr. B so it would be nice to meet some bandsters. Let me know if you need any suggestions on places to go. I've lived in Asheville my whole life so there are too many places around here that I haven't eaten. PhotoNut, what are you going to be here for? Are you going to be in Asheville itself or just the surrounding area? A gathering would be great! I too hope we can work something out!

LOL! Well, if the meetings are at 6:00 pm I should be able to make them! I was wondering about the 6am thing. Maybe it was just a typo wherever it was that I saw it. Anyway, when are where are the meetings and are they mostly people who are banded or is it mostly RNY? I might actually attend sometime and see if I like it. I think it would be especially good to have a place to go once I get banded that is local for support. The doc Kathy was talking about in Winston should only be about 2 hours away. That's not bad. Of course, for what you pay there you probably could fly to MX and build up some serious frequent flyer miles in the process! I know some of the docs in MX include at least the first fill with the price of the surgery. You might want to check that out, at least for the first one and then see if you can find someone around here that is reasonable. If not, then you get to go work on your Spanish! Of course, I would be sure to stay down there at least a few days after the fill to make sure you're not too tight. I've read where people have gotten too much and been tight for long periods of time because they couldn't get unfilled locally.

Hi, Allison! I too am an Asheville girl. I am not having surgery here in Asheville because of their arbitrary weight requirements. They will not operate on anyone over 400 lbs. No reason, they just won't do it. Not the band or RNY, so I am just going somewhere else! I asked about future treatment here after having my surgery and was told that as long as I had my records and the surgery was done in the United States that it would not be a problem. She said they have people trying to get help with bands that were installed in Mexico and they have seen too many complications so they won't touch them. But somewhere I heard from someone else that they would fill bands done in MX so you might just want to check. Anyway, I have never been to the local support group meeting but would like to, but doesn't it meet at like 6:00 am? Not gonna see the whites of my eyes at that ridiculous hour of the morning unless there's shopping or a ball game involved! Anyway, this has gotten rather long so I'll shut up now! Nice to have another Ashevillian online! Good luck and keep us updated on what you find out!

Oh, I know exactly what I would have done! I would have probably hauled off and smacked the insensitive slob, then I would have gotten to the car and cried for a while, then I might have actually looked at the card and called the number on it. I have actually had similar things happen, although not quite as brazen. Wow, I guess it takes all kinds!

Just thought I would ask here since I can't find this information anywere. Currently, BCBS of NC will not pay for the lap band because they consider it experimental; however, the policy indicates they last reviewed this in August 2004 and are reviewing it again in August 2006. Anyone out there have any clue when in August this is supposed to be? I keep checking the website and it still says the same thing. I'm hoping they update the site as soon as it is changed, but knowing them they won't. Any "inside" knowledge or just simple suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

I didn't mean it negatively toward anyone! I'm just saying that I would feel guilty myself. Definitely nothing against any working mothers out there because my mom was one. Both me (I think?) and definitely my sister were in daycare from very early on. My sister stayed with an older lady that with the help of her daughter kept a total of 6 children. She would always keep them until they were 3 and she took two at a time. When the kids turned 3, they would move on to other daycare options and she would take in 2 new babies. It was a constant rotation and worked really well. I only hope that I can find that kind of arrangement when I can finally get rid of some of this fat and have a baby of my own. :phanvan Please don't take any offense from the way I worded my post! I definitely didn't mean anything bad, just the wrong choice of words.:embarassed:

I want a baby! :think Gotta get banded so I can lose enough to get rid of this insulin resistence and then maybe I'll start ovulating again. Anyway, ya'll are making me sad and I don't even have one yet! :cry One thing that troubles me about having kids. My hubby and I will never in a million years be able to afford for me to not work. I'll finally have my baby and I'll have to dump her off with a babysitter 5 days a week. I know lots of people do it, it just doesn't seem right. :phanvan Good luck to all of you with kids going off to various stages of school!

I've often wondered about the strict, lengthy liquid diets before and after surgery, specifically the people who have to be on clear liquids for a month after surgery. I don't see how they can heal if they aren't getting proper nutrition. I don't care how many vitamins you take, there is no way you can have proper nutrition on a clear liquid diet with no protein. I'm reading on these boards where there are doctors making people do a full month post-surgery and won't even let them have protein shakes! I would seriously question my surgeon if he had that kind of strict requirement. Of course, I haven't even had my initial consultation yet so I guess I'll find out soon! I have the same doc as Wavy so I'm hoping I have the same requirements! Hey, Wavy, how long was it from your initial consult to the surgery with Dr. B?

One of the NSVs that I can't wait to have will be going to Carowinds and being able to ride what I want to! Of course, there are things I could ride the last time I was there. I rode Rip Roarin' Rapids, the log flume, bumper cars, carousel, and I could ride the Carolina Cyclone if I sat in the front car. There were a few others, but not enough for me. That was the last time I went and that was several years ago. I want to be able to ride Top Gun and the Borg Assimilater! Less than a month till my appointment with Dr. B! I can't wait!

I am a horrible liar so I don't think I could make something up. I would get my story messed up or something. I only actually work with one person, I am a paralegal and i work for an attorney who is a solo practitioner. She already knows that I am looking at the surgery and is very encouraging. She knows someone who had it and even put me in touch with that person. She is awesome! The offiice that we share space with, however, I don't want to tell. I have no reason to tell them I am going to be out. There are three women that work over there and I barely know them. It's really none of their business anyway. If they were to ask, I might say something like minor stomach surgery. That is what the lap band is, after all! It's not a lie even though it's not the whole truth. Of course, when I finally get the surgery, and if I lose weight, I'll be so happy that I'll be shouting it from the mountaintops! I guess right now, before I even know if i can get insurance approval and all that stuff, I just don't know how I will react.

Brenda, you really do need to find another doctor. I went through the same thing. The local doctor won't do anyone over 400. Period. It doesn't matter if you're 4'11" or 7', their blanket policy is they won't operate if you're over 400. I am having to drive a ways to do something, but I have an appointment in September with another doctor. I want this and I will go where I have to go in order to get it. The sad thing is that the local doc will do fills or whatever else I need after I have the surgery as long as I provide my records and it's done by an Inamed accredited surgeon (like I would go to someone who isn't accredited!) and is done in the United States. They will not fill bands that were done in Mexico particularly. The weight requirement is just very arbitrary. I might even drive the 2 hours to my surgeon to get fills just because I don't like the local surgeon's attitude, but that might change once I've done that drive a few times and just need a small fill to get restriction or something. Anyway, don't give up! Find another doctor who will band you! I am 5'9" and weigh ~425 and I have found one. You can, too!

I went to a local info session and my mom and hubby went with me. I went to the session in april, 2005, but have been procrastinating continuing with the whole thing for several reasons. Now that I have an appointment, my mom was like "it's about time!" She was actually looking at it herself, but she thinks she's too old. I told her that I've read about people on here that are in their 60s. She is 59. I don't think her BMI is over 40 but she definitely has many comorbidities so I thinks he could qualify. I'm hoping that maybe after I do it, if I ever get to that point (things are moving so slowly now I sometimes wonder), that she will reconsider. I also with my hubby would consider doing it, but he won't. He's too afraid of going under. If they could do it under general, he'd probably do it! He's hoping that he'll lose weight because of how I will have to eat. He's lost over 100 lbs. before but gained it all back. He knows he can do it whereas I don't. I've never been able to lose more than 30 or 40 lbs. before I hit a plateau and gain it all back. I'm praying this surgery is what I have been looking for! :clap2: Yeah for supportive families!

I really wish I lived closer to you guys, too! I'm stranded up here in Asheville where the only doctor won't operate on me because I am above his arbitrarily chosen maximum weight Anyway, I will be meeting with Dr. B on Sept. 14. Gosh, I really wish I didn't have to wait so long! The support group here in Asheville is mostly bypass patients and I know people who don't like it very much, plus it meets at 6:00 am! :omg: Um, can we say not just not but h e double hockey sticks no! Anyway, I will probably be making the two hour trek to Concord many times after I get started with this whole thing! I hope to eventually meet you all because you seem like such a great group of people! :clap2:

Thank you, Dianne! I live in Asheville, but I'm going to be going to Dr. B in Concord because the doctors in Asheville have a minimum weight requirement to be banded. I have to drive 2 hours to have this operation because of some stupid, arbitrary number that they have chosen to use to week people out of their program. Just doesn't make sense, but I digress. I haven't met with the surgeon yet, but have an appointment in September. I have gathered almost all of my medical records, just have to go pick up my sleep study at lunch today and get my records from the OB that diagnosed me as being insulin resistent. I'm hoping that armed with all this information I can maybe get an earlier appointment. September 14 just seems so far away! I know there is a new surgeon coming in to Dr. B's office, but everyone talks to highly of Bauman that I don't know if I want to use someone else, plus I know Bauman has done a lot of these surgeries and has done them on people with even higher starting BMIs than me. Anyway, I just started hanging around here. Ya'll seem really great and I've learned so much be reading that maybe I'll start actually posting more!

Okay, I just started reading this thread earlier today and wow is it long! It's a great thread, though. It's nice to have a place where you can just chat. Dianne, there is a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship that goes out of Charleston. It's a 7 day cruise to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Key West. That was my third cruise in 4 years and probably the worst one, although all of them have been great! We have been on two Carnival ships, one out of Tampa and one out of Port Canavarel. This Norwegian ship, the Majesty, that goes out of Charleston is one of their older ships and the room was tiny and there was nowhere to put our stuff. I wish Charleston would get a cruise terminal and have more ships come in and out of there, though, because it is a nice city to cruise from. MUCH nicer than Tampa and Port Canavarel!

A lot of insurance companies require a psychological evaluation before they will approve the surgery. My understanding of the reasoning is that they want to be sure you will be "psychologically able" to make this lifestyle change. I don't understand why it's necessary, either. The band will be there. I can eat less or I can be in pain. On the parentals, I had two extremes growing up. My dad thought I was a fat pig who would never amount to anything. Both my mom and dad and most of their families are all overweight as is my sister. My dad's sister has actually had RNY. My dad tried to stop my from eating. My mom, on the other hand, would reward everything with food. Still does even though she doesn't realize it. We can have a conversation on the phone about how I've been doing with food and whether it's good or bad, I'll walk in the front door and she'll immediately offer me something to eat. My birthday = spaghetti. My sister's birthday = the local seafood buffet. If I made good grades in school, dinner at Red Lobster. My rewards have always been food. The best was back when I was on WW in high school and actually lost 50 lbs. When I lost that 50th lb, we shared an enormous hot fudge cake at the local ice cream parlor. Plus all of our family events revolve around food. Family reunions, births, deaths, graduations, weddings, everything. A very large lunch and dinner will be had by all, or not even just lunch and dinner. When there's a death in the family, everyone goes to my great aunt's and we all just eat for two days. Yeah, that psychologist is really going to love getting her hands on me! I don't care. Whatever I have to do to get the band, I will do it. I know this is the right surgery for me and it will work! I will make it work!

Kimkimmie, I am asking the same questions. I know how much I love food, but I also know how much I want to lose all this weight and how much I want to be a mommy! This is still one of the things I'm worried about. I am scared to death of the psych exam because I KNOW I have an unhealthy relationship with food. I'm dreading going to the phsychologist because I'm afraid of the types of questions she will ask and I'm afraid she'll say that I'm not psychologically fit to have the band surgery without some therapy or something. I love food and I know it. One thing I know that I have going for me, however, is a relatively recent change in attitude toward food. I used to just love to eat. It didn't matter what it was, I wasn't picky. I just loved loved loved to eat. Now, not so much. It's not the eating that I love, it's eating good food. If I could eat Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Outback, etc. every night and Melting Pot and good sushi once or twice a month, I would be in heaven! When I have to eat lunch and don't have any money to go out, I am just eating because I know I have to and I am hungry. If it weren't for that, I could take it or leave it. I have no clue what the psychologist is going to do with all of this information, but I know that I really want this surgery and that I know that I can make it work for me!

I finally have an appointment with a surgeon! I could go in to my saga, but I'll save that for another time..... Here's my question: I have an appointment with Dr. Bauman on September 14. I am trying to be sure I have everything I could possibly need and then some. In the e-mail I received from his office, it mentions Weight Management Clinic-Diane Stout, R. N. or Ruth Wadsworth, R. N., Douglas Kelling, MD - Concord Internal & Pulmonary Medicine, Adam Spitz MD - Presbyterian Endocrinology & Osteoporosis Consultants, and NorthEast Psychiatric & Psychological Institute. I am in Asheville, not Concord, and want to try to find local doctors that are the equivalent of these physicians. The psychiatric institute is obvious, but what are the purpose of the other offices listed? If the internal and pulmonary medicine is for a sleep study, been there, done that, and sleep with the cpap machine every night to prove it. I have been a huge pest calling the office and asking questions because of my situation with living over two hours away from them. I am so nervous about this whole thing, but I really want this to happen! Any insight would be greatly appreciated, especially any insight regarding going through this whole thing from someone who didn't necessarily live close to their surgeon. Thanks for any help ya'll can give me! So far from what I've read on here, this sounds like a great board!

Some people would argue that the lap band is better for people with larger BMIs. With RNY, you lose all the weight you're going to lose within the first year. I don't know about you, but I sure don't want to lose over 200 pounds in 1 year. I wouldn't think that would be very healthy. Now spreading it out over several years, the weight loss continues and a steady pace. I'm currently at 442 with a BMI of ~65. My "ideal weight" according to the charts is 156. That would be almost 300 pounds in 1 year. Ain't gonna happen! Of course, some people get the RNY and it works for them. I personally know 1 person who has had the RNY and she wishes she would have gotten a lap band instead. Different strokes for different folks.

Wow! 84 lbs. since February, that's awesome! You go! I'm starting to try to eat better. I have cut back on the sodas. I will gradually phase them out, but I can't quit cold turkey or I get horrible headaches. I am also not eating out as much, especially for lunch. I have been bringing my lunch every day and eating what I bring, which for me is a victory! Baby steps until I am banded, then it'll be on!

Unfortunately, Dr. Bradshaw discriminates against people who weight over 400 lbs. I first went to the info session at Mission and weighed 444. I busted my butt and got down to 424. I had all my paperwork to him and everything, and he wouldn't even meet with me. I was in the man's office and as soon as I weighed in and they saw I was over 400, they wouldn't meet with me. I had lost 20 lbs. in 6 weeks, what more did he want? The remaining 24 lbs. would have probably come off in the pre-op diet anyway, but I was mortified that day. I was stuck at 424 - 427 and would not budge, then the holidays hit and I gained the 20 lbs. back and then some. A few weeks ago, I weighed in at 452 and decided that I would just have to drive however far I had to drive, I just couldn't wait any longer. I called Bradshaw's office back just to be sure that he still had this arbitrary requirement and was told that he still wouldn't meet with me if I wasn't below 400. I verified that he would do fills if I got the surgery somewhere else and brought my records to him (as long as it wasn't out of the country.) So now I have an appointment to meet with Dr. B.