Angie68

Hi! My name is Angie and I am a newby. I have a group consult scheduled for Oct. 4th with Dr. Christopher Evanson in Indianapolis, Indiana. I have been so excited about having lap band done! While speaking to the office manager for Dr. Evanson this morning she told me that he normally won't do a Lap Band on someone with a BMI higher then 35. My BMI is 49. I am 5' 4' at 290 lbs and I am 38 yrs old. I was crushed! I am terrified of gastric bypass and not interested in the slightest bit! I asked her why he had this rule. She said it was because people didnt lose as fast with the Lap Band and people with higher BMI's often get frustrated and end up wanting the gastric bypass anyway. I told her one of the things I liked about the Lap was the fact that you don't lose as fast with it. I don't really want to lose 20 pounds a month. I think it will be better for me to lose more gradually. I didnt put it on overnight and I do not expect it to come off overnight. I told her that I really saw no need in going to the consult if Lap was out of the question. She pleaded with me to come and hear him out. She said that he might just listen to me and be pursuaded. He may find that I am the perfect candidate afterall. I am still pretty bummed because I feel like he is going to shut me down. Has anyone on here had this particular Dr do Lap Band with a BMI higher then 35? Just wondering if he can be pursuaded? I told this lady that I was truly shocked to hear this because I have read so many testimonials of people losing up to 200 lbs with Lap Band. I am off to try to get this lump put of my throat!!!

I had forgotten that I posted this. I just wanted to come back and update. I went to the consult in Oct 07 and the office manager was wrong. He didnt want to do lap on anyone with a bmi over 50. Mine was 51 :tongue2: But he was very open minded and heard me out. I told him all my reason's for wanting lap and why I felt I could make it work. He said ok, lets do it! I got my lap band in March 08 and have lost 85 lbs. I thought it was only fair to come back and clear my Drs name. Dr Christopher Evanson is awesome and will hear you out! I have seen him several times and even had to have my gallbladder removed by him. I have nothing but good things to say :cheated:

I am having my lapband on Friday, March 21st. I thought that my kids would be off the following week for Spring Break. I didnt plan it that way because of course I am taking the first thing they offered. It just worked out that it is on Good Friday and my husband is off work. So he wont have to take a day off. I just found out that my kids are not off the following week afterall. They are off the week after that. Will I be able to drive on Monday after my surgery on Friday? I live in the country down a very long lane. I take my Dd to the end of the lane to catch the bus. I am not too concerned about that since I wont be out on the open road. But my son goes to preschool in town and I have to transport him. Will this be a problem? Will I be on strong pain meds? It is just preschool so if he misses it isnt a biggie. I am just curious. I will be asking my doc about this. Just thought some of you could give me an idea.

Trust me, if I am on prescribed pain meds I won't take a chance with my babies. I just didnt know what was normally given 3 days out. If I can just take a tylenol that will be great!

I was really surprised by the poll results on "does you SO know how much you weigh". I was really surprised by the amount of people whose spouse or SO didnt know. I have always guarded my weight like a lion. No one in my personal life knows it. The thoughts of my Dh knowing it literally makes me feel faint and sick. I know that he sees me naked, but I have a major hang up with him hearing the actual number. I just assumed he would find out the day of surgery. I figured since I was there over my obesity, my weight would be the big topic of that day. I just assumed that the number would be rattled off by nurses and the Dr left and right. I have just been trying to prepare myself for my Dh and entire family to finally hear the number. So many people have said that they are many months out from surgery and there Spouse/SO still doesnt know. How in the world did you pull it off?

My Dh has never pushed me to tell him what I weigh at all. But there have been different things that have popped up throughout the years. For instance, when he went to the Dr with me for ultrasounds of our babies. I always asked him to turn around during the weigh in. It isnt that he really needs to know he just thinks its silly that I try to hide it from him. He says he could care less what I weigh. It is my hang up and I cant help it. I dont know why I assumed it would come out on surgery day, but I did. Thanks for the responses. And even if it does come out...I do not plan to weigh that much longer!

My primary insurance excludes any kind of weight loss surgery. I have Medicare as my secondary. I was told by my surgeons office that everything was a go for lap band about 3 weeks ago. She said that I should be hearing from the surgery schedular anyday. I get a call today and now they are wanting to wait and see. They have never had anyone have a primary ins that excludes weight loss surgery and then have Medicare as the secondary. They have a patient that is in the same boat as me who just had surgery. They want to see if Medicare will pay hers before they do mine. They say that Medicare is usually good about paying them but they dont know how it will work in this case and Medicare will not pre approve. Anyone got any experience with this? I am getting nervous. To come this far and not get this done will be terrible

I talked to my surgeons office today. She told me that I have everything in for my lap band and that I should hear from the surgery schedular soon. She said my surgery would probably be sometime in May. Yay! I am beyond excited! I have been trying to cut back and lose a few lbs. Since I started looking into lap band I have gained 7 lbs. I think that I have the mind set that I am going to have surgery so I might as well eat up. I do not want to do this because it will just be all the more that I have to lose. So I am trying to just cut back. If I were to lose about 20 lbs by May would that hurt anything? I know that I am going to lose during the liquid phase before surgery too. I dont want to lose weight and have someoene say that it seems I can lose weight on my own and dont need Lap. I know I can lose weight, I just cant keep it off...I could lose 40 lbs and still have a bmi of 44! What do you all think? Would it be okay if I tried to get a jump start on this weight loss thing?

My husband and I were watching Big Medicine tonight. A lady was wanting a revision surgery done. She had the Mylena band (not sure about spelling) done 10 years ago with little success. She said that she had a lot of vomiting from it. She was now wanting the gastric bypass done. The Drs went on and on about the risk of this band and how they dreaded trying to remove it and do a revision. My husband immediately asks me if that was anything like what I was having done. I said I had never heard of it. I tried to look up some stuff on the internet and cant find anything. Anyone ever heard of this?

Did all of you lose some hair after getting the band? If so, how bad is it? I already have thin hair so I am not looking forward to losing any at all.

A couple of weeks ago I posted that my Docs office manager told me that he wouldnt do Lap Band on someone with a BMI higher then 35. I went for the consultation today and she was wrong. He really doesnt like to do it on anyone with a BMI higher then 50 but has. My BMI is at 49 and he said he thought I would be fine with doing the Lap. So we have started the process and I am so happy I could cry!!!

Nessa I agree with you. I am terribly insecure right now so I cant give my husband any flack if he is too. My husband is quite handsome and a little stocky. He is not fat by any means. We have been married for 15 years and he has never given me any reason to believe he has or would stray. But I still cant help but feel insecure in my 290 lb body! Deep inside me I do worry that he will become attracted to a cute little thing at work. I am terrified of meeting any of his friends at work. I just know when they see me they are shocked that I am his wife. My husband keeps stressing that I better not be doing this surgery for him because he loves me just the way I am. I am doing it for me and my health, that is true. But I am looking forward to feeling compatible and not being ashamed to be seen with him. Even when we go into a restaurant I just know people are thinking, "what is he doing with her?" My husband has really been supportive of me. My first consult is next week and it will take 3 hrs. I told him that I could go alone. He will not have it. It is 2 hrs away and he doesnt want me going alone. He is taking the day off and taking me. We know of 3 women who had gastric bypass that went totally nuts after they lost the weight. They decided that they were just too good for their husbands and went off to look for greener pastures. So it does happen.

Telecia this is where I am having my consult. It is so close to Indianapolis that I was thinking that was where it was. I do think Dr Evanson does some surgeries in Indy so that is why I must have been thinking Indy. I am sorry! Who are you wanting to do your lap band?

I am just going to a group consult on Oct 4th and my husband has started making comments. Most of the time he is very supportive, but every once in a while I get a "you are going to get all skinny and then you wont want me." He keeps asking me if I am doing this for him and if he has made me feel like I need to lose the weight for him. He said that he loves me just the way I am and does not want me to do it for him. Nothing could be further from the truth. He is the one and only person on this earth that doesnt make me feel sloppy fat. I am doing this for me. It is about 30% vanity and 70% about feeling better. I have got to start feeling better. Another man doesnt fit into the equation at all!

I looked up Dr Osborne & Mobley and they do not perform surgeries at a Center of Excellence. That is one of Medicare's requirements to get this paid for. Thanks for the tip tho.

Has anyone on here had their band for more then 3 yrs? And for those of you who have, did you have any complications? I am curious how long term this band holds up. I dont want to have to go in every 2 yrs and have my band readjusted or replaced. Or have something go wrong with the port. My main reason for worrying about this is the fact that I am on Medicare due to being on Social Security disability. There is a very good chance that I might go off of disability if I lose all this weight. I really think that my health may improve enough for that. I am afraid that I wont have Medicare in a few years to pay for any complications. I already have my husbands insurance now and any WLS is excluded.

I dont consider not being at goal yet a complication at all. I think you have done great. I will be happy with your results. I am ok with slow and steady.

Hi! My name is Angie. I just posted a pretty in depth question in the Drs and Hospital forums. I am posting here to see if I can get any uplifting hope! Basically I have a group consult scheduled for Oct 4th with Dr Christopher Evanson in Indianapolis, Indiana. I have Medicare and he is the only Lap Dr that is really close enough for me to see since Medicare requires that I go to a Center Of Excellence. This is a good thing and Dr Evanson has an impeccable reputation. While talking to his office manager this morning she told me that Dr Evanson doesnt normally do lap on someone with a BMI higher then 35. What the heck? I am 5' 4' and weigh 290lbs. My BMI is 49 I told her that I might as well cancel then because I am in no way interested in Bypass! She talked me into coming and hearing him out. She said I might even be able to pursuade him to do it. I do not get this at all. I have read a lot of testimonials from people who have lost 150 to 200 lbs with Lap. When I asked her why he had this rule she said it was because people with higher BMI's usually get frustrated because the weight isnt coming off fast enough and that they often end up wanting the bypass afterall. I am totally ok with losing the weight slowly. I have the rest of my life to lose this weight. As long as the numbers are going down I am happy! I am so depressed over this.... Just needed to vent.

Well he is my best option. I have Medicare so I have to go to a Center of Excellence. I will be driving about 2 hrs to see him. I hate to have to drive any further then that for all my appts and fills. I have decided that I am going to that consult and stand my ground. I am going to make him hear me out. If he wont do it then I will have to look elsewhere

Thanks so much for all the support. I do feel better. I am going to that consult and standing my ground. I am wondering if the office manager wasnt confused. I went on obesity.com and found about 5 people this Dr did Lap band on who had BMI's over 35. One women's BMI was 55! I didnt find anyone recent tho. The last one was in 2006. I am hoping this isnt a new rule of his. It just doesnt make sense to me. I could see if he had some safety concerns. But to say I wont lose fast enough just doesnt cut it with me!