Tangerine4

This is my introduction although I've been lurking here for quite some time. I am a SAHM to 4 boys ages 13, 11, 8 and 3. I've always been heavy but was never obese until my 20's. Right now my BMI is 41 and I've obviously chosen the lapband as my tool of choice. I have to go this Monday, March 3rd for my last nutrition weigh in, March 10th is my ultrasound, March 11th is my psych eval and then within the following two weeks I will be able to meet with my surgeon to set a date and get my approval from Cigna, hopefully. My surgeon is Dr. Thaddeus Trus and I love him so far, my surgery will take place at Highland Hospital which is a Bariatric Center of Excellence, so hopefully all will go well. I absolutely love these boards they are a true lifesaver, I can't imagine having to go through this or any other procedure without having this sort of access to others who have gone through the same thing. I think we often take for granted this wonderful world that is at our fingertips. Anyway thanks to everyone who posts their stories. Right now I am having a difficult time losing weight for my weigh in, trying not to drink liquids with my meals and giving up my beloved diet coke as i've been told after banding all carbonated beverages are off limits forever:( Great meeting you and if anyone has Dr. Trus please let me know, he is originally from Baltimore and just moved here to Rochester, NY.

Gilta, they told me that at Highland too, about the 6 -8 weeks. I met with Mr. Trus on March 22nd and he scheduled my surgery for April 28th and the only reason I had to wait that long was because he gave me a week to make up my mind and I ended up switching to RNY. I just found out yesterday that I got approval from my insurance and now I go April 16th for my pre-op labwork. I am very excited. Everyone at Highland has been great so far. Good luck with everything.

Thanks for the support everyone. Barbie, I would love to talk to your mom, you can give her email to my account. If that doesn't work just send it to Luna585@gmail.com and I'll get it there. Amy, I was tested and I have sleep apnea. I went to the Strong Sleep Center and now I have to go back and be fitted for my machine. I guess a lot of the surgeons want you to have your machine for after the surgery. I only have moderate apnea though,not severe. The doctor said he was 85% sure that it would go away with my weight loss, but he was having reservations on the other 15% just because I also have a really bad deviated septum and that might be another reason for my apnea but I won't know until I lose weight. I'll be keeping in touch, I'm still waiting for insurance approval.

Well, I've actually been afraid to post my decision becuase I think I'm going to go the RNY route. No offense to anyone on this site, but I just think it is the best way for me. My husband even said that he knows me so well and just knowing that it is reversible is sounding more like I am "trying it out" not making a lifetime committment and he is right. Everyone has their own reasons for their surgery and i hope no one boots me off here yet, I still haven't set anything in stone and still think that we all struggle with our food issues and that you all offer a lot even to someone who isn't having any surgery. Just the insights and support here are so genuine. Thanks.

i went and saw my surgeon today to schedule my surgery date and i asked my docs opinion and he gave it to me. He said I was the perfect candidate for the RNY gastric bypass. i am just soooo confused I don't know what to do and feel like I need to make a decision and have no one to really talk to. Anyone have this situation?

Barbie It went well relatively speaking, but the doctor mentioned that he felt that gastric bypass RNY would be a better option for me, and that left me feeling very confused. Now I am researching the heck out of that and trying to get feedback here also. I feel like I did when I was pregnant for my first son and did all the research and reading on lamaze and labor and then find out I need a c-section. UGHH. I don't know what to do. And the farther I delve into this even the lapband is starting to scare me now because of the unknown long term effects of having a foreign object wrapped around your stomach. I am only 5' 1" so these 225 lbs are a lot on my frame. I can't go on like this for much longer. Any feedback would be great.

I know this is a band board, and right now I am still on the side of the band and that is why I am presenting my questions here where I am getting feedback from actual bandsters. In most of my reading I am finding that they are saying that the long term effects of the band are not known and that when you do need reoperation, it is usually from the band to a bypass and that it is a tricky thing to do because of the condition of the stomach. Please help me out with that one. I am hearing that the band after 5-7 years will need reoperation. I know too that many of the complications of bypass have been associated with the comorbidities that were present before surgery, I was wonderin if the nurse might address that one? You guys are all very informative and have helped me out so much. I will keep you posted and would still like to receive comments as I am very open minded. oh, my doc never said anything about there no longer being a dumping syndrome so I will have to ask about that. I thought the dumping was the whole point of making sure that you didn't eat sugar. Also I did want to add that I have been though both nutritional and emotional counseling and i am ready to commit to a healthy eating style and wol but I just am trying to find the best tool to help me do that. I also plan on attending support meetings at Park Ridge no matter what WLS I choose.

I saw my doctor yesterday and his pre-op diet is a low fat diet for two weeks. He said that they used to do opti-fast for two weeks but it was too hard for the patients and by day 3 they were calling asking if they could eat something and he feels this very low fat diet works just as well.

Actually you did write a lot but it was all worth reading. You make many valid points. Just so you know I am 5' 1" so I do have at least 100 lbs that could be lost to get me to what is considered my "ideal" weight. But I would feel great at 145, i've been there before. I also do not have the $$ to be getting anything nipped and tucked and I know my stomach will never be bikini worthy because I had 4 c-sections and all of my boys were OVER 10 pounds. Again, a very valid point. As far as my surgeon goes, he is very familiar and does many, many band operations. He was even involved in a study for the swedish band and the new band that they recently came out with. He was also telling me that someone is working on a band that will automatically adjust itself so that you will no longer need fills. He's not sure what that technology will entail but that it will be a huge step for the band. I guess I have some more thinking to do, my surgery is scheduled for April 28th but I have to make a decision so they can submit to my insurance. Good luck with your surgery.

I do understand this is a pro-band board and that is why I've been on here so much myself, because for the past 7 months I thought my mind was made up. I guess what I meant was that I didn't want the thread to just bash RNY, but to reinforce why I had originally went with the band. Truthfully I am very afraid of the RNY and the permanent aspect of it, but I am also scared that I won't lose weight with the band and that I will just end up with bypass in the long run. I just don't want to regret either decision. It is also weighing heavily with me that my doc said that if he were in this position with his own wife he would recommend the RNY over the lap. I hate choices. Thanks everyone.

Actually he did explain his reasoning. He said that although the band is a great tool, it isn't perfected yet. These are not his exact words, but he said that they are coming out with more plyable bands so that there isn't as much risk of stomach errosion but that was a small concern of his. Also he knows that I am a sweet eater, a BIG sweet eater and that was a concern of his. Also I have only two comorbidities which are sleep apnea and GERD, so he said that because I don't have any high risk issues that I shouldn't have a problem with the surgery/recovery. I recovered extremely quickly with my 4 c-sections. He also knows that I have four children and have a fairly busy lifestyle and said that the fills can get tricky and in some cases can be time consuming. i do not want this to be an argument over whether the band is BETTER or WORSE then the RNY, I know there is some great tensions between the two but overall it's all WLS in the end. He really did take into consideration me as a patient. He would not recommend one or the other when we first met in September, he told me it was up to me to research both and give him my decision. i asked for his opinion becuase I was still on the fence. And lastly, he made it a point to let me know that he would respect my decision with whatever I choose and of course give me the best Standard of Care that he would give all his patients. I did my research on this surgeon an am going to a Center of Excellence, I just wish I could make a decision.

hnladue - thanks for asking, I'm doing pretty well, i'm just really nervous that the insurance won't come through; that's what I keep dreaming about. I go in on Monday up to the hospital for my ultrasound and then i go up to the 4th floor to meet with Dr. Trus to schedule my surgery. Which means nothing until I find out from my insurance. I'm just frustrated right now because there is nothing I can do now except wait. I'll have to ask if my doc requires an upper GI.

I thought you were getting your surgery on February 27th?

I was told that if you are diagnosed with sleep apnea that you have to start treatment before you have surgery for gastric bypass, I was wondering if anyone knows if that rule holds true for lapband also? Thanks for your help!

I went to the Sleep Center at Strong Hospital, it's not actually at the hospital but they are part of Strong Hospital of Rochester, NY

It's weird because my insurance company kept telling me that they needed me to be precertified for my surgery before they could tell me anything, and the surgeon said he couldn't precertify me until I completed all of the necessary requirements. But it's funny, my doctor's office seems very confident about the whole thing. l expressed my concerns about the lack of comorbidities and they said, oh we'll make it work, we'll find something. And they also told me not to worry about the required 6 months physician approved diet too. I really hope that one doesn't come back to bite me in the butt. My doctor has been "seeing" me for my weight issues for over 7 years and she said that if they even try to get me to add another 6 months of weighing in and blood pressure that she would "handle it" for me. She was extremely upset with this rule that the insurance companies have for this type of thing. She said we might as well just take our own weight and blood pressure, it's all to get a co-pay. I know I am so ready for this surgery because right now my biggest fear will be that I get denied by Cigna.

I had my psych visit yesterday and I think it went well. As I was leaving she said "I'll get this together ASAP and fax it over to your Doctor so we can get it off to the insurance to get you approved." Not that I read into that! Anyway I schedule the surgery Monday the 17th, I am so nervous that my insurance is going to deny me. My only comorbidities are sleep apnea and GERD. I know I will be feeling the ill effects of this weight once I turn 40 and now I am 37, how hard is it to appeal? I live in Rochester NY and have CIGNA

I'm getting nervous hearing negative things about Highland and am very glad that I only have to stay over one night. When I had my son I was supposed to stay for 5 and demanded an early discharge after 3. I was hoping things had changed. Has anyone here actually had their lap band procedure done at Highland? or their fills?

Lisa, i tried to leave a comment on your blog but couldn't. It was very helpful though. Good luck to you.

I am going to be seeing the surgeon on March the 18th to schedule my surgery, but I don't understand how I can schedule the date when I haven't been officially approved by my insurance yet. Anyone else in Upstate have CIGNA? I did end up having sleep apnea so that should help my case seeing as I have no other comorbidities. That was something I was worried about. Keep us posted on your surgery.

Has anyone heard of this new and improved lap band or know if anyone is currently using it? I just saw the commercial for it today and googled it. Just wondering if anyone who is going to be banded in the near future has asked their surgeon about it. Thanks.

Gilta, and other Rochestarians, I just finished my last nutritional appointment today. My surgery will take place at Highland, but my surgeon is Dr. Thaddeus Trus, he is from Baltimore but recently moved here as part of the Bariatric team. I am hoping that I will be banded sometime in April. Please keep in touch as we are all kind of getting banded around the same time in the same area and we can be of great support to one another. I have Cigna, what insurances do you all have?

I have to go in for my last nutritional visit on Monday and I have to either maintain or be below what my weight was at my last visit and I can't seem to budge the scale. Now I have my period and it's even harder. What can I do? I only have 3 days left to lose 3 lbs. Now if I go and I'm over my previous weight they will make me wait another 30 days for an appointment and that's another 30 days for me to gain more weight. This whole process is very frustrating. When a drunk goes into rehab they don't tell them to stop drinking first before they'll let them in. Help me lose the 3 lbs FAST.

hey everyone, I weighed in today at 225!!! That's a 3 lb loss. i was approved by nutrition and now I just have my sleep study tomorrow evening, and next monday is my ultrasound and tues. is my psych. Now I Just hope my insurance doesnt' screw anything up! That hollywood diet really wasn't bad, i sipped the juice all day and only made one trip to the bathroom other than the million trips to pee. i also drank about 80 ozs of smartwater. Love that stuff!

FinallyFree, thanks for asking I guess I am doing okay. Right now I am doing the 48 hour Hollywood Diet, fasting and drinking the juice. I just want my appointment to be over. Last weigh in I was 228 lbs so I need to be under that. At the moment I am 229 but keep fluctuating between that and 230. I am hoping that their scales are under what mine is because that is what happened last time. I was weighing in at home around 230 and I weighed in there at 228. I have to keep reminding myself that I am only hungry in my head, not my stomach because that is true. My husband did a 48 hour fast/cleansing once and said "oh it's not bad at all" well he didn't have to make breakfsat, lunch and dinner for 4 children while he was trying not to eat. It's 6pm right now in NY and my appt is at 10 am tomorrow, I'll let everyone know how I did.