GreenChrysalis

Congratulations! Just a few days before mine! :biggrin1:

Hey riverratgranny1, you could try Fill Centers USA. They have offices in Roswell and Moultrie. I think that they are $299 to set up and $155 per fill with fluoro. I have not been there (I don't get banded until 2/14) but I had some difficulty finding a doctor around metro Atlanta that would do fills for Mexican patients. It's part of why I chose a U.S. surgeon in the end.

TARA5937, thanks for the PM. So, in the past two weeks I decided I did not want to go to Mexico. I couldn't find an aftercare doctor willing to see me (other than Fill Centers USA, which I am so-so on right now). I hunted around some more to find someone in the U.S. that was not too much more than my Mexican doc but had everything else I needed/wanted in place...and landed on Dr. Kirshenbaum in CO. I know that this was most definitely the right decision because I feel much more at ease about the surgery (although naturally I'm nervous regardless). My surgery is scheduled for 2/14 and I have a phone consult on 1/2. Now I just have to get my financing in order, which isn't fun at all. I can't take personal calls at work really so I have to use my lunch hour and call on my way home from work. The interest rates are not impressive for the most part, but that's what I have to do. I just have to go with the best one and hope for the best. My pre-op diet is now going to be low-carb and I plan to start it 2 weeks before surgery, maybe a little sooner. I'm worried about not losing enough pre-op weight. I think it will be easier than the previous pre-op diet I was going to have (2 Protein shakes + 1 Lean Cuisine per day). I hope all of my fellow February 08 bandsters are doing well!

Hi Dee, I thought I could tell my Mom but I have learned that she does repeat what I say to other people, so...for now, it's just my husband and a few friends. So you took FML when you had the surgery? Did your recovery take that long? I am going to likely need some kind of note from Dr. K's office for my husband, because he's a teacher and one of the days we'll be gone is right before a workday. If there isn't a medical need then his pay is docked for that day. But I'm hoping that they can write something that doesn't detail exactly what I'm having done.

Yep. They can be as low as 9.9% but my credit rating isn't good enough to get that rate. But it's more unsecured debt, so I guess that makes sense. My plan doesn't cover it either although the company as a whole does cover it on some plans -- my husband works for the state so they obviously opted to exclude it. When it's a written exclusion it seems fruitless to fight it, unless you can get your employer to change their minds. I don't see us being able to change what the state government covers, so I didn't even pursue that.

I tried to get my lowest-interest rate credit card to raise my limit and they wouldn't. Of course, my highest-interest rate one will gladly raise it. We have more debt than you by far. I definitely feel guilty about adding to it, especially as I was looking to consolidate it recently. The lowest interest rate I have been quoted on a medical loan is 14.99% fixed (and that was for $7.5k). I did just hear from MyMedicalSolutions that I'm "pre-approved" so I'll have to call them and see what they can offer me. This sucks. I know that self-paying means that it'll happen faster and I don't have to jump through the hoops, but insurance should pay for this, period.

Well, I'm not actually a librarian -- I'm an assistant. But I have always wanted to work in a library, and part of why I took this job was to see if I wanted to get my Master's in Library Science (which is required to be a librarian). Luckily if I decide to do it, I can do it for free since I work for the university system. Or I might do something else. But I took have had a life-long love of books -- it's like they're my friends. I've always been very introverted and preferred to sit and read over almost anything else. I always knew I'd do something related to books; I also edit and write.

Ugh, I don't blame you a bit for that. That's how I feel with my family -- judged all of the time. My dad goes off and on this diet called the Rotation Diet and when he's on it, he talks all of the time about how great it is and how well it works. He crows about every pound lost. But then he goes off it and eats junk, at which time I really want to remind him that his diet must not be working that great after all. But I don't, because unlike all of them, I am sensitive to weight. He even used to poke me in my stomach (even after I was an adult) and only stopped after I blew up at him one day. I can't maintain either, I have lost weight before but always gained it back plus some, so I too am at my highest weight ever. Good point, I could just take the vacation time and not tell anybody. It is nobody's business, as you say. But I won't have that much time built up yet as I'm still fairly new in my job. I probably will only be able to take 4 days off. I'm not too worried about being able to go back to work as I sit 95% of the time (I work in a library, so I do have to pull books and periodicals from the stacks). And I can just say I'm on a diet if anybody does ask. I do get asked to go to lunch a lot, so if I want to socialize I'll just have to find something that will work for me. Exactly! It is a tool, period. Not a quick fix or an easy way to lose weight. For those of us who have tried for years on our own and failed, we need this tool. The sad thing is, I have read of some people who have the band and still expect the pounds to melt off, even before their first fill.

It continues to feel more "real" -- I have my consultations with Dr. K and Dr. Pierce scheduled. I'm looking at flights, although I have to wait until after Christmas to buy the tickets. But I'm still working on financing. SurgeryLoans got back to me with two offers, neither of which were that great. I may take one of them, which won't cover all of the surgery but will cover 80% it. The other one would cover about 90% of it, but the interest rate was just horrid. MyMedical Financing denied me individually, but I just reapplied with my husband as a co-signer. I'm also looking to see if I can get a home equity line of credit, but I'm not very positive about that since we haven't been in our home very long. If all else fails, I know I can raise the limit on one of my credit cards, but the interest rate on it isn't currently that great either. I wish it weren't necessary to finance it, but that's the only way. It makes me feel guilty because I already have a fair amount of debt, but I tell myself that I can get it all paid off eventually...and that I'll save money in the long run on food, and if I lose weight then I won't be at risk for all of those things like diabetes and high cholesterol, which cost more than money...right? Help me out here. This is all me putting it on myself, by the way, my husband is entirely supportive and understanding.

What a sweet story! Obviously you're meant to be together. My DH and I have been together since we were teenagers also (married for 12 and a half years now). Isn't it grand to have found your soulmate at such a young age? Unrelated, I'm a "Georgia girl" too, born and raised here. I live in west Georgia now, where are you if you don't mind sharing?

Good luck Mickers -- I am scheduled for the 14th. I too am unsure about telling my family. I wouldn't say that my husband is "excited" but I do think he will have to eat less/eat differently because I'm the cook. My pre-op diet is also low-carb. I'm supposed to start it 7-14 days before surgery but I may start it sooner because I think it's going to be very difficult. I'll just have to keep thinking of the fact that the surgery will be simpler with a smaller liver. Hopefully that'll get me though. Plus, I am a potato and bread junkie and I'll need to change that anyway, so why not start early?

That is a very cool gift and very unique. I don't think I got anything very unique, although I am giving my 20-year-old brother tickets to the opera. I think it's kind of unusual for a guy his age to be into opera at all, but he's pretty unusual in general.

Hey Lori. I have been thinking about this as well. I have told a few close friends who are understanding, and of course I have my husband as my primary supporter. But I am still not sure if I want to tell my family. I don't think that they would be as understanding & supportive; I have never felt very supported by them in my struggle to lose weight. I think they would consider getting banded "cheating" and want to know why I can't just "eat less, exercise more" as if I haven't been trying to do that for most of my life. But at the same time, when I start to lose weight, I will probably get questions. The last time I lost a significant amount of weight (30 pounds) they asked me a ton of questions about how I did it (that damn WW Point counting!). And I won't be eating the same -- I may not be able to eat some foods at all, so surely that'll be obvious. Will I be able to just change the subject, lie or make something up? I have no idea. I do not plan to tell anyone at work at all. If I have to say why I need to take those days off, I'll say surgery. I'll keep it as generic as possible. I have heard of people saying that they were getting a hernia repaired or something else done laparascopically. I don't want to lie, but I also don't see why everyone needs to know my personal business. Of course I'll run into some of the same eating issues at lunch and company functions, but I'll have to think of ways to deal with them ahead of time. Would your family & friends be supportive of you? I think I'm also concerned because I've heard stories of people who told a lot of family and friends, then had to deal with questions about why they weren't losing weight quickly (since some people get into their heads that this surgery will be an immediate fix).

Thank you! When I was in CO this past May I didn't get to do much sightseeing -- it was raining and I was there for a wedding and didn't give myself any extra days. So I hope that we can get some in this time; of course, in February it's likely to be snowing.

Thanks so much. I am glad that there's a Dr. K support group in place!

Thank you, Mal. I got 2/14 which is close enough. I'm glad to know that others struggled with this decision. But at the same time, it shouldn't be something that you decide quickly -- it's life changing. I feel like finally, finally I'm ready and I have the right surgeon.

Thank you! I have my consultation with Dr. K on 1/2 and have my surgery scheduled for 2/14. I feel so much calmer and less tense about the whole thing, aside from the typical nerves anybody would feel about having surgery. I had to leave a message with the patient coordinator for the Mexican doctor, so I also sent her an e-mail. I apologized for any inconvenience and thanked her for all of her assistance, but just said that a surgeon in the U.S. was a better fit for me.

I posted on the second Dr. K thread, but this one seems to see more action, so I thought I'd do a little post here too. In brief...I'm 30, been fat my entire life and found out about lapband about two and a half years ago. I did the research and it sounded like the right tool for me (I've been on countless diets & exercise programs). I discovered my insurance wouldn't cover WLS at all, so I am self pay. I had a date scheduled with a surgeon in Mexico, then chickened out. A few months ago I decided, after realizing that I'd reached an all-time high weight of 302 pounds (I'm 5'10") it was time to revisit lapband again. I again scheduled with the same surgeon in Mexico, only to get cold feet about aftercare. But the surgeons in my state are out of reach costwise. If I could at least find a US surgeon with a good reputation that's affordable, then I'd feel comfortable. Then I found a recommendation for Dr. K. After researching him, as well as finding out that the cost is only a bit higher than the surgeon in Mexico, I knew it was the right decision. Coincidentally I have two friends who live in Colorado and I was just out there visiting them in May. I love it. It seemed like a sign. So, here I am. I am looking for a surgery date the week of February 11, but I don't have it scheduled yet because my husband needs to make sure he can get the days off. But I've already talked to Natalee and I'm excited! It seems like you have a nice group going here and I look forward to reading about all of your experiences.

I am glad that there is this "new" thread -- I tried to read most of the other Dr. K thread but it got pretty overwhelming! To make an extremely long story short, I have been researching & thinking about lapband for over two years. I scheduled surgery once in Mexico then canceled it. I rescheduled it recently for 2/15 but I am chickening out again. I just don't feel comfortable going to Mexico, despite all of the positive things I have read/heard about this surgeon. I am too worried about aftercare and potential complications. As you can probably figure out, I am self pay because my husband's employer excludes coverage for WLS. So I started trying to find a U.S. surgeon that was both highly recommended and affordable. That's how I ended up contacting Dr. K's office today. Natalie called me less than 15 mins after I sent the e-mail and went over the basics with me. I have to finalize my surgery date with my husband as he'll be coming with me, but I'm hoping it'll be the week of February 11. We live in Georgia and I have not found a surgeon locally who is the same or less than Dr. K and has the testimonials to back him. So here I am! Coincidentally I was just in Colorado last May to visit a friend and loved it. I look forward to visiting again. Since my husband is with me this time, maybe I can start trying to talk him into moving west... I'm NOT looking forward to calling my Mexican surgeon's office to cancel again...but if you're not sure, you're not sure. I got much further this time than last time, had sent all of my paperwork and everything. Sigh. I am sure about lapband but I just know I'll feel more comfortable with Dr. K. I know my husband will be too; he was always supportive but I know that going to Mexico made him nervous. Almost forgot...my BMI is 43. I have no co-morbidities yet thank goodness -- just really starting to feel the effects of being obese (shortness of breath, knee pain, etc).

I haven't tried many Protein shakes yet. I did get some samples of unjury but I haven't tried them -- I got one of each flavor and an unflavored one. It seems like people either love Unjury or don't care for it at all. I was also told that for the pre-op diet I can use Slimfast, which I've had before and don't mind too much. But I worry that there isn't enough protein in them to keep me from gettin hungry (which used to happen when I took them before). I'd love to stay in touch since as you point out our surgery dates are so close.

This is the one approved by the FDA just a few months ago, correct? Called the Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band outside of the US? I was on the phone with Don Mills of Allergan earlier today and he was telling me about this band -- he called it the "Ethicon band" but I think Ethicon is a division of Johnson & Johnson. I hope that you find that sweet spot soon...and this is a good reminder to me to make sure I know what kind of band I get!

Viridescence Scheduled for surgery 2/14/08 Dr. Gerald Kirshenbaum

According to this U.S. State Department site and this Department of Homeland Security site, passports will be required for land-based travel to Mexico in summer 2008 -- an actual date hasn't been determined yet. As of January 31, you will just have to present your ID (driver's license) and a birth or naturalization certificate.

This is just my take on it, but I think you need to be sure that this is right for YOU. It's not your son or your husband who has to live with it, it's your body and therefore it's your decision. Of course it would be great if they were supportive of you,but I don't think you should cancel solely because they aren't 100% on board with it. You should cancel if you're not sure that it's what you want to do. But if you feel confident that you've done the research and this is the best way for you to get healthy, then you should go for it. Life is too short. Explain what I just said to them -- this is what you think you need to do and that you would appreciate their support, even if they don't agree with it. Best of luck!

I already posted in the thread for Feb '08 surgeries but need to introduce myself as well. This may be long, so bear with me. I am 30 years old and at my highest weight ever, which is 302 lbs. I am 5'10" so I am sure some people would be shocked if I told them what I weighed, but I need to lose a person. I have been on diets since I was 8 years old, off and on. I have done everything from Atkins to Weight Watchers. I would always lose some (the most I lost was 30 lbs) then gain it back when I stopped counting fat grams, calories, carbs, et cetera. In high school I was maybe 25-30 pounds overweight but fairly active. After I got married I really started packing on the weight as it was easier to go along with my husband's eating habits, which aren't good at all. He was diagnosed with type II diabetes and high cholesterol last year and lost about 35 pounds, but gained half of it back because he eats what he wants. A little over two years ago I learned of the lapband. Having done research on gastric bypass I was pretty sure that it wasn't for me, but this sounded promising. I did a lot of research on it and decided to explore. Of course, my insurance carried an exclusion for any kind of WLS. Meanwhile of course my weight continued to climb and finally I decided a few weeks ago that enough is enough, I need to take charge of my health. I do not have any co-morbidities yet, but I do have back pain, knee pain, get out of breath easily, have no energy, et cetera. This is no way to live and it's only going to get worse. I can't go to Six Flags anymore because I know I won't fit on the rides. The last time we were there when I weighed around 260 I couldn't fit on one of them. The humiliation of having to get off and watch my husband ride by himself (I told him to go ahead) was just the worst feeling. I'm also to the point where I sometimes have to ask to sit at a table in restaurants (as opposed to a booth, which I prefer) because the booths are too tight and uncomfortable. I feel the stares from my family at gatherings. It is difficult to eat around them because I feel like they are watching every bite I put into my mouth. Nobody in my family is obese and I feel like they think I am less of a person. It's embarrassing to even ponder talking about it with them, especially since my father talks about how huge and fat he is at 20-30 pounds overweight. I am thinking of not telling most of my family about the surgery at all. <br I don't have kids yet but would like to, and there's no way I want to be pregnant at this size. I want to be a healthy mom! So, there's no time like the present and I am very excited about getting the surgery. I got over the part about financing it; I am going to think of it like a car payment or something else that is just plain necessary, period. My husband is supportive, luckily. Maybe my new eating habits will influence him, but I can't change him, I can only change me. I know I eat out of stress and emotion so I am working on those issues also. Although I had planned surgery in Mexico, ultimately I decided that it was better to stay in the U.S., even though since I'm self pay I have to travel out of state. I love reading everybody's posts and learning about them.