SpecialK

Angie, Yes I will pray for your husband's polyp biopsy to come back negative. I had a colonoscopy for the first time earlier this year and they found 2 small polyps and they were okay but they said I have to have a repeat at 1 year instead of going 5 years like alot of people do. Hearing your witness here, makes me glad to know I should get a second one done to stay on top of this. God Bless You!

Hi there to Nurse Niki! I was just at Mt. Carmel today having my cardiac stress test as one of my clearances I have to complete to get my insurance approval for my lap band surgery. Wow - I'd give Melissa Webb a call and talk with her since she is Mt. Carmel's Bariatric program coordinator and see if there is anything she can do to help you along. I hope Mt. Carmel will be supportive. They've recently begun running TV ads on the Mt. Carmel Bariatric program on TV. I have to say a nice Thank You to all the techs in the nuclear Medicine group - they were super nice to me today. I was a little nervous going in and the time when they inject the chemical stuff is a little scary for 5 minutes but they were great at reassuring me and before I knew it, it was over. Keep us posted on your progress with insurance approvals and clearances. Maybe you and I will end up in the same band month group! Kathy

Hey everyone, have you seen the TV ads running this month - I've caught it on Channel 4 NBC several times where its Dr. Choban visiting with a patient and Melissa Webb the bariatric coordinator is there and then Melissa the dietician is also in it. Looks like they are trying to step up the awareness for the program. Maybe we'll get some new friends joining this forum thread.:bounce:

My psych eval test got rescheduled to the 21st because the insurance company hadn't okayed the actual test yet. Don't ya love the insurance process..but on the other hand I am grateful for insurance covering this. The cardiac stress test tomorrow requires no food or drink after midnight and no cafeine for 24 hrs before. I'll be ready for coffee as soon as that test is over...thank heavens they have a Tim Horton's right there at the hospital..ha ha.

I meant to say the web site for the company to inform people about the Realize band specifics is what is under development not the band device itself.

I tried to find a photo or image of what the Realize band looks like and not having any luck. The Reallize website says its still in development. Anybody have a picture they can post?

Dimples, I am so sorry to hear how hard it has been for you. I am not yet banded and I was wondering if your doctor required you to come in and get an MRI or Cat Scan or something to see if the band was in position, the tubing is still connected okay, and what is happening inside? I hope they can work with you medically if things need adjusted. BTW - was wondering how they can tell how much fill is in the band other than to keep track of how much saline they say they've injected, i.e. is it possible the saline is leaking out and they can't tell it?

Dr. Watkins - are you using the new AP bands and are you happy with them?

I finally got scheduled for my cardiac stress test - its actually a chemical test where they inject some medication in to dilate veins and make sure everything is okay and the cardiologist is present while its being monitored. My appt is 8:30 on Dec 14th so say a little prayer for me. Its just the unknown of thinking I don't have any heart issues and now what if they find something... totally paranoid sounding I know. Again today I was just thinking how I had my gallbladder surgery laprascopic and outpatient and somehow my good old heart held up for that with them just doing a simple EKG before hand. So again, it feels like insurance is putting me through a pretty expensive set of cardiac tests here for a simple surgery but its fine. I always prided myself on being a healthy overweight person - never much one to run to doctors unless I was really sick with flu or something that I couldn't get past with over the counter stuff and rest so its weird having so many doctor appointments. Debbie you mentioned taking care of Alzheimer patients at one time. Are you a nurse or aide?

Debbie - I've heard others say that when they lost alot of weight their shoe size changed... now that's just what ya need - an excuse to buy more shoes. Maybe Santa can give you a DSW shoe store gift card!

Thanks for the info about the nutrionist appointment. My psych test is this Thursday... sounds like another example of no big deal either to get through that. I do find myself thinking about the whole process alot - just processing all I have read, thinking through all I hope to accomplish when I lose a significant amount of weight where my knees don't hurt among other things. For both of you who are getting to buy new, smaller outfits and things -- congratulations. That is fabulous. I did have a small scale victory this week - still hanging in there doing Weight Watchers faithfully and logging my eating in an online food journal website. Lost .6 lbs this week so that is about 5 lbs total. If I can finish out the year with saying I lost weight throughout the holidays, that will be a great goal. I'm leaving to go to Arizona for holiday with my family but they know I'm working through the lapband procedure approvals so I don't think I'll be doing any big 'pigging out' episodes with them. The food police will be watching. Just kidding. They know how hard it is to lose weight. So, .6 lbs this week. Yea!

I guess I'd appreciate it if people would respect that not all of us like or use profanity in our daily vocabulary. Other forums I participate in don't allow it but people are still pretty creative at using symbols or substituting for a letter or two to get across the point that they are upset and want to vent. Just my 2 cents worth.

Thanks for letting me know your experience. I was wondering if Aetna made you do the 6 months of nutrition counseling even if your BMI was over 40, and if you had the 5 years of documented medical visits showing you'd been overweight. Thanks.

Look under the USA Local Support Groups, then under Ohio, and you'll find there are groups of Buckeye Bandsters in Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, all over! Congrats. Go Bucks!

Congratulations Juli from Ohio! An Ohio lap band hopeful working through approvals! I have my first nutritionist appointment on December 18th.

I have my first Mt. Carmel nutritionist appointment scheduled now for December 18. I'm still waiting for the cardiologist's office to call back with the stress test appointment after more than a week. They said they have to coordinate it with Mt. Carmel so I'm not sure why they just don't give us the phone # to schedule directly with Mt. Carmel on it rather than use the doctor's office as a middle man. Just another hoop to jump thru I guess. I also had a little extra expense I hadn't thoought I would have. My primary care doctor (PCP) is charging me $50 to pull out my medical chart from a storage facility in order to be able to forward to the surgeon's office the past 5 years history of my weight issues (they check weight and height every appointment) and what they've counseled me over that time about diet and weight. I read from some other Aetna lap band patients that if you've got medically supervised evidence of your BMI for 5 consecutive years, Aetna might approve the surgery without some of the 6 months of nutrition counseling. My PCP has gone totally computerized and sent all the paper charts off site so it costs them to get one back to copy it, send it on to the surgeon, and then send the original chart back out to storage again, thus the $50. Ugh!!! If this $50 saves me 6 months of waiting to get my lap band it will be worth it. With paying $300 administrative fee, then $200 nutritionist fee, and now $50 for PCP records, its adding up for this holiday time of the year. I'm trying to bite the bullet on the money and just remember alot of people don't have insurance to pay any of it, so I'll try to be thankful for that. Anybody want to share their experience working with Mt. Carmel's nutritionist? I'm doing very careful food journal logging using a web site so I have plenty of detail to show her.

I'll try attaching a picture of the band here. AP New Band Type picture.bmp

The new band is called the AP model and it has the saline solution pockets all the way around it and the old band was the VG model and it didn't have a saline pocket area under the buckle. From what I've read, having the saline pockets all the way around is for improved fit around the stomach and the opening that is in the center is more rounded than oval which I wonder if that will help fit food through better? I'm sure they researched the heck out of it at Allergan before releasing a new band given the VB model was really doing well.

My psychologist said the Magellan Health behavioral clearance requirements for bariatric surgery say they have to do the test to have a score of questions and then she interprets it and recommends for the surgery. It isn't bad to get through. I look at having the psychologist as having one more tool in my toolbox to work with after surgery.

Okay, maybe I need another cup of coffee this cold snowy morning.... They didn't say that we couldn't invite guests to the meetings so yes, I think you can go if you haven't been banded there.

Sorry, I forgot to post that the Mt. Carmel Support Meetings start at 6:30 p.m. and we were done by 7:30 pm or so.

Debbie - the talk was real general about healthy eating - you are right, nothing I hadn't heard before but I guess going to a support group at the holiday time is good just to get reminded to stay in control as much as you can. One question they had us work on in small groups was about was making a new holiday tradition not centered around food.. Well, I'm one of those crazy women who love baking and sometimes I'll spend a whole Saturday covered in sugar and flour baking and making fudge for all my family and friends. Not this year... I just don't think I could keep my hands out of them so I'm going to wait until close to the actual holiday, make the fudge I am 'famous' for and give it directly to them and skip all the other baking where its easy to eat 10 'broken' or slightly overbrowned cookies before you know it. Ha Ha! Question for you, can you eat a cookie or a piece of fudge and not have a problem with your band? Like does the sugar make you sick?

Thinner me aka Angie - any news about your surgeon situation with him leaving Barix? Have you met a new surgeon? Good luck! I'm real well acquainted with Heath, OH as my mom lives in Pataskala now and used to be in Reynoldsburg and her favorite store is Elder Beerman's at the Indian Mound Mall in Heath so I'm over there all the time on a weekend. She has a husband with progressing Alzheimers and I drive her and sit with him so she can shop and even get groceries because he has wondered off and out of the stores before when she sat him down at a chair/table like in a store where she could do that in the past. Really scary to see how Alzheimers takes away the quality of life.

They are held at Mt. Carmel West Hospital, Medical Staff Bldg, which is just to the left of the Emergency Room entrance, in the Auditorium on the 1st floor. Here are the dates. There are parking garages close by and everything is well lighted so no issues at all. There was a check in sheet if you wanted credit for attending the meeting but you could also just walk in and sit and listen without signing in if you were just starting to investigate the process of different hospitals weight loss programs. Also, they very kindly had plenty of large chairs to accommodate us who need the extra room that sometimes auditorium seats don't provide so don't letting being uncomfortable keep you away. I was trying to talk myself out of going but I knew it would help if I'd just go. I was glad I went. A few people got up and gave their current weight loss progress and gave food suggestions and tips. There was a mix of GB and lap band patients from what I could tell. If there is a list of Riverside or OSU 2008 weight loss support group meetings maybe someone who knows what those dates and locations are can post them too. (If they are open meetings for others to attend.) Jan 7 - New Years Resolutions Feb 4 - Post Op Patient Panel March 3 Relationship and Sex Therapist Presenter April - ANNUAL STYLE SHOW - will be at Polaris Mall - more details to be announced. These are patients at or nearing goal and the mall stores help put them into new outfits and you get to hear their Before and After stories. May 5 Food is a Nutrition Tool June 2 Vacation Planning July 7 Self Esteem August 4 Ask the Expert (Dr. Patrician Choban, MD) September -- TBD October 6 Reconstructive Surgery (Dr. Bivik Shah, MD) November 3 Holiday Planning December 1 - Patient Panel - The Gift of Weight Loss - Life Changes

I attended the Dec 3 forum on Healthy Eating and they passed out the schedule of 2008 support group meetings. They are held at Mt. Carmel West Hospital, Medical Staff Bldg, which is just to the left of the Emergency Room entrance, in the Auditorium on the 1st floor. Here are the dates. Jan 7 - New Years Resolutions Feb 4 - Post Op Patient Panel March 3 Relationship and Sex Therapist Presenter April - ANNUAL STYLE SHOW - will be at Polaris Mall - more details to be announced. These are patients at or nearing goal and the mall stores help put them into new outfits and you get to hear their Before and After stories. May 5 Food is a Nutrition Tool June 2 Vacation Planning July 7 Self Esteem August 4 Ask the Expert (Dr. Patrician Choban, MD) September -- TBD October 6 Reconstructive Surgery (Dr. Bivik Shah, MD) November 3 Holiday Planning December 1 - Patient Panel - The Gift of Weight Loss - Life Changes