circa

I've been looking at all these before and after pictures....and I think what scares me the most is taking that before picture and looking at it. I know my view is distorted - I know what I looked like before all this happened - and it wasn't all that long ago. I know I don't look like that any longer and I know I carry my weight different from everyone else....and I know what I looked like 50 lbs ago - kinda... I SO do not want to look at that before picture. I'm afraid I'll literally get sick to my stomach. I've avoided mirrors as much as possible - I don't do pictures since I'm always the one with the camera. Its going to be a difficult thing. Probably the hardest thing of all - seeing the reality for what it really is.

I've been looking at all these before and after pictures....and I think what scares me the most is taking that before picture and looking at it. I know my view is distorted - I know what I looked like before all this happened - and it wasn't all that long ago. I know I don't look like that any longer and I know I carry my weight different from everyone else....and I know what I looked like 50 lbs ago - kinda... I SO do not want to look at that before picture. I'm afraid I'll literally get sick to my stomach. I've avoided mirrors as much as possible - I don't do pictures since I'm always the one with the camera. Its going to be a difficult thing. Probably the hardest thing of all - seeing the reality for what it really is.

you're the one I have been looking for. you say it like it is. You bust your ass and don't apologize for it. I just needed to know that it can be done and done like this. Thanks and keep it up.

Hey folks - I was around about a year ago, battling with my insurance company, etc. Since then, I have moved and many things have occurred. Bottom line is, I'm working on the journey again. This time, however, I will succeed. I have seriously gone downhill health-wise, unfortunately. I've found a new PCP that is amazing. She listens to ME. I was so afraid of not being able to find a doctor that was comparable to my last one. I really like her. Anyway, she's already started the process for getting my insurance approval. Then I get referred to the surgeon. I'm excited. I'm looking forward to restarting my life.

I just realized that there are a TON of people that know I'm being banded! There's my PCP, her nurse, the receptionist at her office, my specialist, my IV tech, the 3 nurses in that office, The surgeon, his assistants, the guy at the insurance company I talked to yesterday (along with some sort of approval committee, I'm sure), The anestetician, the surgical staff at the hospital, admitting, an orderly or two, a floor nurse or two, my husband, all of you, etc. So if this many people know about me, then this many people must know about you! Its not that you aren't telling anyone - its that you're not telling EVERYONE.

I found it appropriate for all of us.

I found it appropriate for all of us.

No offense, but your doctor is on crack. The last thing a hypo needs for stabilization is carbs. That is such an old school of thought and exactly what has made diabetics fat for so long. Protein, protein, protein! Carbs will certainly give you the immediate rise, but then you crash again. Your foods intake and your body mass and composition are still changing - you haven't "settled" yet. Keep up the protein - if you want to have something before you work out, half a Protein shake is a grand idea.

oh my gosh. That is something that is unfathomable. No one would ever expect that complication. I hope for you that once all is said and done that you have smooth sailing and don't have a care in the world - you deserve it after the ordeal you're faced with. My sister always says that if god brings you to it, he'll bring you through it -so keep your faith strong!

gosh its almost like he's trying to get you to cheat on him - because its what he KNOWS. Its what women have always done to him - its a familiar pain to him. It sounds like he does need some counseling but YOU DO TOO! If for nothing else, how to deal with the insecurity you're being presented with. There's nothing wrong with getting an unbiased opinion - therapy is a wonderful thing. We all need it - some of us just get it from other places than a guy/gal with a framed diploma on a wall I plan to start very soon myself. Not because I think I NEED it, but because I WANT to have that security.

I'm finding that this is based on the policy you have. You'd have to contact your surgeon to find out what code they use for fills and then call bcbsm to find out with that code.

I'm having an internal struggle as to which surgery I should have. I have a lot of weight to lose - almost 200 lbs. Most of which was gained in the last 2 years. I know I need to discuss this with the surgeon, but I'm still on the fence myself. I like the idea of the band as being a tool instead of actually changing my anatomy. But then with say the sleeve or the rny, the weightloss is faster. But its not all about how fast you lose - I know that. I keep thinking to myself that I can lose that much with the band. But then I think - then why can't I do it without the band? I've not been in this situation for a lifetime or even a great portion of my life so its difficult for me to comprehend. Sure, I've struggled with my weight my whole life, but up til I got sick in 2006, I always won those battles. Sure, I was a little overweight but I was healthy and happy. And now I'm far from healthy and I can't even see happy from where I'm at. Its not just that I'm sad. I'm ANGRY. I had started my training to run a half marathon. Yeah - i was in great shape! Then one day....The world toppled down on me. Combining not lifting weights, not running every day with making poor food choices and being depressed because I couldn't do what I wanted, then add in the IV treatments and the steroids, which caused more depression which caused more poor food choices and more eating - yeah I can see how I got here. I know I would have gained a lot of weight even without the poor food choices, but I just added insult to my own injury. I take full responsibility for Jack in the Box for dinner and breakfast nearly every day for quite a while. OH - and you bet that's a large fry with that. Diet coke, of course to drink. Or Iced tea - unsweetened! I'm on a diet, afterall! I kick myself every day for making a bad situation worse. There's no telling what point I would be at if i had made better food choices. I know it wouldn't be at the 200 lb overweight mark. But maybe just 100 lbs. 100 lbs is doable! I can deal with that. But TWO HUNDRED?! What the hell did I do to myself? And all because I was sad that I couldn't run. Yeah. That makes sense. Now, I'm so far beyond being able to control this that I now have to have a device put in my stomach OR have 3/4 of my stomach removed in order to even be healthy. Uhm WHAT?! I guess I'm an overachiever. I did in 2 years what it takes some to do in a lifetime! But. I'm addressing it now. I'm doing what I need to do to get healthy. It wasn't all that long ago. I don't need the pictures to remember what it was like to be a size 8/10. I remember how it felt. I remember that I could sit in any chair, climb a ladder, run stairs in 4 inch heels and put my feet behind my head *lol* it wasn't that long ago! So yeah - there's a bit of speed factor going on in my mind. But there's also a lot of "I don't wanna go through this again" going on too. But I know my lifestyle. I know what I want to do in the future and that tells me that its going to be the band or sleeve. Then I have to think about longevity - which again, is probably band. But can I just control it and do the sleeve? I just don't know that I want to alter my anatomy. But then again, if it was my foot that was killing me, I'd have that cut off.... So many thoughts. I know - meeting with the surgeon will really help. Buuuuut....the more I can work through in my mind first, the better. *ramble*ramble*ramble*ramble*

I'm having an internal struggle as to which surgery I should have. I have a lot of weight to lose - almost 200 lbs. Most of which was gained in the last 2 years. I know I need to discuss this with the surgeon, but I'm still on the fence myself. I like the idea of the band as being a tool instead of actually changing my anatomy. But then with say the sleeve or the rny, the weightloss is faster. But its not all about how fast you lose - I know that. I keep thinking to myself that I can lose that much with the band. But then I think - then why can't I do it without the band? I've not been in this situation for a lifetime or even a great portion of my life so its difficult for me to comprehend. Sure, I've struggled with my weight my whole life, but up til I got sick in 2006, I always won those battles. Sure, I was a little overweight but I was healthy and happy. And now I'm far from healthy and I can't even see happy from where I'm at. Its not just that I'm sad. I'm ANGRY. I had started my training to run a half marathon. Yeah - i was in great shape! Then one day....The world toppled down on me. Combining not lifting weights, not running every day with making poor food choices and being depressed because I couldn't do what I wanted, then add in the IV treatments and the steroids, which caused more depression which caused more poor food choices and more eating - yeah I can see how I got here. I know I would have gained a lot of weight even without the poor food choices, but I just added insult to my own injury. I take full responsibility for Jack in the Box for dinner and breakfast nearly every day for quite a while. OH - and you bet that's a large fry with that. Diet coke, of course to drink. Or Iced tea - unsweetened! I'm on a diet, afterall! I kick myself every day for making a bad situation worse. There's no telling what point I would be at if i had made better food choices. I know it wouldn't be at the 200 lb overweight mark. But maybe just 100 lbs. 100 lbs is doable! I can deal with that. But TWO HUNDRED?! What the hell did I do to myself? And all because I was sad that I couldn't run. Yeah. That makes sense. Now, I'm so far beyond being able to control this that I now have to have a device put in my stomach OR have 3/4 of my stomach removed in order to even be healthy. Uhm WHAT?! I guess I'm an overachiever. I did in 2 years what it takes some to do in a lifetime! But. I'm addressing it now. I'm doing what I need to do to get healthy. It wasn't all that long ago. I don't need the pictures to remember what it was like to be a size 8/10. I remember how it felt. I remember that I could sit in any chair, climb a ladder, run stairs in 4 inch heels and put my feet behind my head *lol* it wasn't that long ago! So yeah - there's a bit of speed factor going on in my mind. But there's also a lot of "I don't wanna go through this again" going on too. But I know my lifestyle. I know what I want to do in the future and that tells me that its going to be the band or sleeve. Then I have to think about longevity - which again, is probably band. But can I just control it and do the sleeve? I just don't know that I want to alter my anatomy. But then again, if it was my foot that was killing me, I'd have that cut off.... So many thoughts. I know - meeting with the surgeon will really help. Buuuuut....the more I can work through in my mind first, the better. *ramble*ramble*ramble*ramble*

quitting smoking is so important for so many reasons. First, just your overall health. I've been off the stuff for over 2 years now and I will _never_ go back. *yaychantix* One of the biggest complications that smoking adds to is blood clots. The CO2 in your blood from smoking lowers your hemaglobin levels and causes poor circulation which can lead to blood clots, especially in someone who is overweight/obese and sedentary after surgery. Couple this with the lung issues that can cause pneumonia after surgery - it just doesn't make sense to continue. I know how hard it can be to stop smoking - I did it several times in my life. Luckily, I did it for the final time because I never want to go through it again. I can say it was the easiest this last time. I've not had a serious craving for a cigarette since 2 days after I had my last one. Bottom line, its important to quit smoking, not just for this surgery but for your health as a whole. And thinking you can fool the doc by just smoking a little won't get you anywhere but in deep Water with him - even if you lie about it because then he'll either just know you're lying or assume that something is even more seriously wrong with you and your surgery date will not happen.

congrats! I got that call yesterday too! :scared2:

Thanks for your encouraging words. I fought with the insurance company so hard to get the surgery done before. There was nothing I could do to get it approved. I did give up. I'm trying again - different insurance company this time. It took exactly 10 days for my approval to come through. I'm nervous and excited

congrats on your victories! Every time I read about someone's steps forward, it really tells me that this is the right thing to do!

I'm SO hoping that's the response I get.

because i like to be a pain in the ass, I called the insurance company - my visit to the surgeon for a consult has been APPROVED. :scared2: I'm going to call them and talk to them regarding it

because i like to be a pain in the ass, I called the insurance company - my visit to the surgeon for a consult has been APPROVED. :smile2: I'm going to call them and talk to them regarding it :tongue2:

It really stinks that this happened. With any surgery, there are risks. Any time you're anesthetized, you run the risk of not waking up -whether you're getting your tonsils removed or having lap band surgery. They are required to tell you all of the risks. I think maybe there was a lack of pre-op prep for you - getting you ready for what to expect. There's a difference between being ready for the surgery and not being prepared to have the crap scared out of you because you're lying there ready to go "under the knife" and someone starts spouting off (as they're supposed to) about the risks involved, including DEATH. I can't believe that they didn't prepare you for that conversation - that is HORRIBLE. I can tell you though, its the same conversation that they have with anyone entering an OR.

So BOTH of my insurance carriers will pay for the lap band surgery. I have plenty of funds in my healthcare account to cover any incidentals and fills, if need be. The only thing I'm missing is a surgery date! The local surgical group is scheduling surgeries for in the FALL. That's like 6 months away! Is this common? I'm thinking of going to another surgical center that could get me in faster - I just need to make sure I can go see a local doctor for followup care - fills, etc.

Grand Rapids is the next closest city at about 2.5-3 hours away. I'm already looking into it