Cherylita

WOW! So sorry you had to go through that. Thanks for sharing because these are good things to know about and be aware of. I am scheduled to be banded on 12/31. But I had a question. you said the sour stomach and diarrhea was caused from what again? If you weren't able to eat what was souring your tummy? This way I know different things that may happen with the band. thanks, Cheryl

Well, after all this time of waiting, I am finally scheduled! The longest part was trying to get my weight history from the last 5yrs. Fortunately I was never a sickly person but then that means that I don't have history from anything within the last 5yrs either...well, except for 2007 and this year. So, I had to write a letter to my insurance company instead. Luckily I was blessed with a little bit of writing skills. I had been 2nd guessing my decision because I kept thinking..ya know if it's just eating small portions and exercise, well, hell I can do that on my own! I don't need this surgery-LapBand is the easy way out. So this mentality took over in about June-when I stopped my pre-lapband work ups-So I tried it. I watched what I ate and exercised a little. It was going great for about ohhhhh...3days. Then I decided I don't need to diet, I am fine being me! Then my husband asked me to go to the waterpark with him. I made up some lame excuse about not feeling well and he went with his family and without me. I stayed home and cried. What have I let myself become? I didn't go out anymore. We hadn't been on a date in forever. I am so paranoid that people are watching me wondering how much I weigh or what I am going to eat. My hubby thinks I am beautiful but I look at myself and all I see is my double chins, big arms and huge stomach. My hubby and I sat down and talked about it all. My weight, my health, our relationship and our future. After he has seen me struggle through the ups and downs of dieting he finally said that he wants me to be with him for a long time and to do that, I need to be healthy. My OB/GYN also said she wouldn't even talk to us about having kids because I am too overweight. This time when I considered surgery, I looked at this with a different mindset and realized this is NOT the 'easy' way out. I had tried to lose weight on my own and I am good for a couple of days and at most a couple of weeks, but I needed help. I needed something that would make me learn to eat properly and watch my portion sizes. I needed a guide. So, I decided to proceed with the process. Alot of it fell into place and moved right along and alot of factors played into my decision to go ahead with the surgery. When I had to write the letter, I prayed. I believe in prayer and that God answers prayer. Some people choose to believe different things, but I believe in God. The day I mailed off the letter I told God it is all in his hands. I asked that he would help me accept the response, whatever it was. A few weeks later I received the authorization and am scheduled for Surgery on Dec 31st. New Year, New Me! I know this was God's helping hand. I know that this is going to help me to control that which I am not strong enough to. I have read about being 'stuck' and pbing, erosion, slippage, people who the band didn't work for or who didn't work with the band. I have read it all and then some. But if I let myself keep believing that I can change on my own, I am just fooling myself and ruining my future. I am 35 and weigh 365lbs all because I keep telling myself...I can change whenever I want. If I could...don't you think I would have by now? Maybe there are those people out there who can lose the weight on their own and keep it off, but I am not one of those people. I need help and this is how I am going to get it. I have read about people being scared of death during surgery or because of surgery. I am no different. But I would rather die trying to help myself than to die because I never tried. Well thats my story for now. I will let ya know how surgery went. If you are reading this and thinking about the band. Make sure you weigh all your options, be ready to work hard on your lifestyle change and have a good support system (family, friends, spouse, anyone you chose). This isn't just another diet you can give up on if you want -this is surgery, expensive and invasive-you've already done the yo-yo dieting or you wouldn't be here reading blogs and researching lapband. Just be confident in your decision and trust yourself. Good luck on your journey Cheryl

Well, after all this time of waiting, I am finally scheduled! The longest part was trying to get my weight history from the last 5yrs. Fortunately I was never a sickly person but then that means that I don't have history from anything within the last 5yrs either...well, except for 2007 and this year. So, I had to write a letter to my insurance company instead. Luckily I was blessed with a little bit of writing skills. I had been 2nd guessing my decision because I kept thinking..ya know if it's just eating small portions and exercise, well, hell I can do that on my own! I don't need this surgery-LapBand is the easy way out. So this mentality took over in about June-when I stopped my pre-lapband work ups-So I tried it. I watched what I ate and exercised a little. It was going great for about ohhhhh...3days. Then I decided I don't need to diet, I am fine being me! Then my husband asked me to go to the waterpark with him. I made up some lame excuse about not feeling well and he went with his family and without me. I stayed home and cried. What have I let myself become? I didn't go out anymore. We hadn't been on a date in forever. I am so paranoid that people are watching me wondering how much I weigh or what I am going to eat. My hubby thinks I am beautiful but I look at myself and all I see is my double chins, big arms and huge stomach. My hubby and I sat down and talked about it all. My weight, my health, our relationship and our future. After he has seen me struggle through the ups and downs of dieting he finally said that he wants me to be with him for a long time and to do that, I need to be healthy. My OB/GYN also said she wouldn't even talk to us about having kids because I am too overweight. This time when I considered surgery, I looked at this with a different mindset and realized this is NOT the 'easy' way out. I had tried to lose weight on my own and I am good for a couple of days and at most a couple of weeks, but I needed help. I needed something that would make me learn to eat properly and watch my portion sizes. I needed a guide. So, I decided to proceed with the process. Alot of it fell into place and moved right along and alot of factors played into my decision to go ahead with the surgery. When I had to write the letter, I prayed. I believe in prayer and that God answers prayer. Some people choose to believe different things, but I believe in God. The day I mailed off the letter I told God it is all in his hands. I asked that he would help me accept the response, whatever it was. A few weeks later I received the authorization and am scheduled for Surgery on Dec 31st. New Year, New Me! I know this was God's helping hand. I know that this is going to help me to control that which I am not strong enough to. I have read about being 'stuck' and pbing, erosion, slippage, people who the band didn't work for or who didn't work with the band. I have read it all and then some. But if I let myself keep believing that I can change on my own, I am just fooling myself and ruining my future. I am 35 and weigh 365lbs all because I keep telling myself...I can change whenever I want. If I could...don't you think I would have by now? Maybe there are those people out there who can lose the weight on their own and keep it off, but I am not one of those people. I need help and this is how I am going to get it. I have read about people being scared of death during surgery or because of surgery. I am no different. But I would rather die trying to help myself than to die because I never tried. Well thats my story for now. I will let ya know how surgery went. If you are reading this and thinking about the band. Make sure you weigh all your options, be ready to work hard on your lifestyle change and have a good support system (family, friends, spouse, anyone you chose). This isn't just another diet you can give up on if you want -this is surgery, expensive and invasive-you've already done the yo-yo dieting or you wouldn't be here reading blogs and researching lapband. Just be confident in your decision and trust yourself. Good luck on your journey Cheryl

Girl I can relate to sleeping on flimsy cots. We went to a Girl Scout campout and the cots they had were old OLD military cots with springs. I barely sat down and it sank in so far my knees where at my chest! Needless to say, I decided to put the 2inch mattress on the floor and bunked there for the night. I thank God that he helped me with my decision to get the lapband. My surgery is in about 2 1/2 wks and I am getting nervous that all the sudden my insurance company is gonna say...oh nevermind we made a mistake you can't have the surgery. I have to keep thinking positively and thinking about how great it's gonna be being healthy and able to get out and live!! So it's all about staying strong and keeping the faith. Good luck you will do GREAT!! Cheryl

YEA!! :thumbup:Mine is on the 31st as well. But luckily I don't have to start the preop Atkins diet until 2wks prior. I asked if I should start now, but was told no start the 17th. I know things are going to be great for you! Good Luck Cheryl

Hi Deb, I'm Cheryl and have been going through the approval process since May. It shouldn't have taken that long, but I chickened out and stopped everything. When I decided to get back into it was about September. Had it not been for my lack of 5 yr medical history it would have moved faster. All of that history is to let you know that sometimes this process is slow, but if you stick to it you will achieve your goals. My surgery was finally approved and I am scheduled for New Year's Eve! I last year I weighed 406lbs. I tried everything and even subway like Jared--didn't work--lol..also was on a medically supervised diet and lost about 23lbs in about a month. I couldn't afford it after that so I just kept trying to monitor my portions and all in all I lost about 36lbs. So it took me a year to lose 36lbs. So I know something about struggling. So thats some of my background. If u have any questions or just want someone to talk to, I'm here. cheryl

shout? That was pretty great! I would be shouting too!! I would love to read the article as well! WAY TO GO!!!

No maybe about it! You are a fighter girl!! You're doing great!

What if all these things are just inside your head? What if you are going to do better than you said? You live for sugar, but it's time to live for you, Easier said than done, yeah, I know that's true. But nothing in life worth having is ever easy to get, So just keep fighting, reaching for that goal, don't give up just yet. You are worth fighting for so put on the gloves and get ready to fight because you will defeat this cookie monster and win this battle for life! okay so I know I am no poet, but I think you get the gist, so now I am ending this bad rhyming and all I am saying is DON'T QUIT! Your friend, Cheryl

Hi Diamondette, I am also in the process of getting banded. I have had everything except the sleep study, psych and nut visits but they are going to be next wed. From what I have gathered, the sleep study is just as Michele said. The NP (nurse practitioner) told me if a person has a neck measuring larger than 20inches (I think) they are concerned with the how the anesthesia will affect them. Also, as far as the pre-surgery diet..I don't know what the specific foods are but it is done to help shrink your liver so it is easier to work around it in surgery. Capsules...again, this is just info I have gathered...I am pretty sure you can no longer have pills, capsules or large "horse" pills. You would need to speak w/ur Dr about liquid, crushable or dissolvable meds. Even stuff like aspirin and tylenol would need to be the liquid kind, if you need them. Anywho, I have learned alot on this board and the obesityhelp.com boards. Hope this helped and Good Luck on your journey Cheryl

OMG! I thought I was going to die!!:biggrin: They started by taking my blood pressure then hooking up the electrodes. The nurse asked me to get on the treadmill and told me that every 3 minutes the speed would increase and the incline would raise. The first 3mins were good. I was walking and breathing. Then the first incline change and speed increase I was doing ok, no chest pains or anything..just muscles that hadn't been used in a while getting all heated up. I was okay. My target heartrate was 158. I would walk and glance at the heart rate monitor. I was struggling and asked to rest. The nurse told me if I stop thats the end of the test. I looked at the monitor and it said 130. I told her-breathing or panting heavily- No don't wanna stop...at this point it was will and the thought of my family and healthier me pushing me to finish!! Then came the last round...Increase the incline and speed up to practically running...I tried as hard as I could but couldn't do it. I had to ask to stop..so we cooled down and stopped. I stepped off the treadmill and sat down. Disappointed, I asked what my final # was...the nurse answered 165. 165?! I did it!! I passed their target goal!!! I felt so good about this and pushing myself not to stop at 130 like I wanted. Now I just have to see if the Dr clears me. I felt okay but who knows what the ECG showed. So now it's just a waiting game. I still have the sleep study and nutrition and psych eval but they are scheduled for July 2.

Good for you that you didn't get that cookie!! SCORE ONE FOR YOU!! I know you can do it! As for me and my progress, well my Dr says I have an ulcer so I am trying to heal it before I go back to True Results. From what I read, that is one of the reasons they won't do it! But I am not giving up! My Dr is good and she gave me a Prevpac which is supposed to get rid of the bacteria that causes it. So I am hopeful and praying that it is gone by the end of the antibiotics! Thanks for the support. I am glad ur following my progress this way I don't slip up too much! haha! But as of right now, all my tests are good and I am just waiting to see what happens with the ulcer. Damn the stress!! lol.. Say no the the Cookie Monster even though he is all blue and cute and stuff! hehe Cherylita

Heya Debbie! I see the cookie monster is calling you. You know it likes to do that. Tempt you, make you believe you can't do without it. But guess what? You can. Please I am not some skinny girl talking about "oh just exercise and watch ur calories" I am 361lbs so I know about food calling me. But sometimes you have to step up and take responsibility for the addiction. What is it they say..the first step is admitting you have a problem? Well you have done that. Now to find out how to deal with it. Find yourself a therapist or nutrionist who will work with you to overcome your addiction. Know that just like any other addiction..when the "high" is gone, you are still left with the problem that originally caused you to turn to your "cookie". Sure it may sound funny, but for the longest time, my comfort food was Little Debbie pinwheels (I think they are called). Chocolatey cake rolled with creme and covered in chocolate. I would make sure to have 2 boxes each time I went grocery shopping. I would even hide them when family or friends came over because I didn't want to share with anyone. I was like Golem from Lord of The Rings..."My Precious" LOL! but I am serious! So what happened? One day I decided this isn't right! Why do I let food tell me what to do? I would sit at work thinking about what I was going to eat that evening. It made me happy, excited even. As if I were going to some cool place or do something special. But no, all I was going to do was go home and eat. It's hard to turn food away. It's a fight I lose alot. But I do win small battles. Remember when I said I weighed 361? Well almost a year ago, I weight 408. Sure it isn't super fast weightloss but hey, it's 10% of the 50-60% I need to lose. So it's a start. I am hoping that learning to curb my appetite will help me should I be approved for the band. I have my fears just like you...Will I fail, Will I be one of those that want the band out now?! But my greater fear is will I be here in a couple of years if I go on living in this size body.... BTW, Every now and then I do have a cookie. But it's only 1 or 2 a month! Remember it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. Hope this helps. Cheryl

Hey y'all, I just got my blood work back yesterday and it appears I have slight anemia and an ulcer :confused_smile: . So I am not sure if I will still be able to have the Lap Band. I read somewhere that an ulcer was a contra-indication and it couldn't be done. Does anyone know anything about this? oh my Dr prescribed me a prevpac which is supposed to treat it and I don't have the surgery scheduled yet. Just thought I'd ask... Cheryl

Yea!! I am so glad to see you actively pursuing this! You are doing great and I hope you get approved!! That's what it takes chica, push, push, push and eventually it will all fall your way. Great Job and so happy to hear this!! Cheryl

Thank y'all for your responses. I am hoping for the best. I took some more tests yesterday to determine if I will just need iron or if it is the ulcer bleeding causing the anemia. Damn the good Mexican food!! LOL!! But I am keeping positive and keeping up with my appointments I will know more on my next appt in 2 wks. Thanks again!! Cheryl :smile:

Right Tina! That's exactly how I felt! I am crossing my fingers on your final approval. I am sending good wishes your way! Let us know what happens. To Be Free- you said it! I totally agree!

Heya Tina, This is what my PCP told me when I brought up the EXACT same points you made. She said, "Cheryl, if you could do that yourself, would you be this size?" ...'nuff said! She kinda hit me with reality. If I COULD do it, I would be doing it, not thinking about it. Here I was going back and forth because I was scared and trying to rationalize me not getting the surgery. But eventually I had to stop and think about it..My answer to her question...Heck no I wouldn't be this size!! but that's just me. I am looking forward to the band helping me do something I couldn't on my own...live life healthier. Hope this helps a little. Cheryl

Hiya Debbie! Pacificare..hmmm, I haven't heard much in the line of their covering LapBand so I am not sure. There is an insurance forum here that may offer some info. I thought about self pay too. It is expensive but their are some places that offer a credit card type of assistance to cover the procedure I think it is carecredit.com or something like that. My credit...ahhh not so great so I am depending on my insurance lol. Girl good luck with the cookies because they do call out! lol! I can't believe I haven't had an Oreo in forever!! mmmm Oreos...ok back to the subject! haha... Do you have to stick with the group you are talking to now for the surgery? Maybe you can call your insurance and ask them for a list of Bariatric Surgeons or see if they have anything in their website...?? I'll see if I can find anything about Pacificare for ya. I love to surf the net for stuff! I have to have 5yrs of history, but have never heard of 20yrs! I am sure something will work out!! Cheryl

Your welcome Debbie. Glad we are able to help. I have found alot of support here in these forums. Today why don't you try to start cutting something down to "practice" for the band. When I went for my consult, the Nurse Practitioner told me I couldn't have soda-diet or not! I laughed and said..."uh yeah give up soda? not me!" But the next day I told myself if I am going to do this, I need to do it right. That was May 20. As of today, I have not had one soda! I drink green tea, white tea, water and flavored water. So think of something you foresee yourself having a hard time giving up. Now try to decrease your intake of that for a week and see how it goes. Mine was sodas and I tried for a week and I was okay so I went for the next and the next..etc...lol! As far as insurance, I am going through United Healthcare. Who are you going through? But don't give up girl! Thats the easy part of making any decision-giving up! You can do it!! Cheryl

:thumbup:Thanks Ladies! I appreciate your comments. Congrats Diva!! I bet you are nervous and excited!! I hope to be approved soon.

I am in the process of getting all my tests done and getting the info submitted to the insurance co. I have read several posts and it seems that alot of people are going through their dr or a specific surgeon. Has anyone gone through TR? I am in Bastrop/Austin but any info/opinions on TR would be interesting.

Before you read this I don't mean to offend anyone:redface:. This is kind of a reference point for me because there will be many times during my process where I start to doubt why I did this:confused:. I want to be able to read this and go..."oh yeah dork thats why! Now get back to the bandster way of life:scared2:!!" Right now I am in the beginning stages. I don't have a surgery date yet and the information that follows is based on observation and personal opinion (notice I didn't say experience lol)....here goes...... So I have been gathering information from several different sites lately. I read blogs and comments and information from different folks. Everyone sounds so positive but as you read into their journey, they start to get negative. Whether they are at the start of the journey or a bandster. What I can't figure out is where the courage went. Each of us has made a very important decision. Whether it is paid for out of pocket or by insurance, we still made the decision. You evaluated your life and determined that you are worth more than a piece of cake or pizza. You are worth more than the doubt that you are starting to feel. Remember how courageous you were when you started this? Remember that feeling of elation when you woke up knowing that you are in control of yourself? I wake up everyday thanking God for blessing me and my family/friends with another day on this earth. I now have added thank you for the courage to go through with this change in my life. COURAGE COURAGE COURAGE I read about folks who are sabbotaging themselves subconsciously. I say that because they say..."I know I am doing wrong, I know I shouldn't eat this"...but they eat it anyway. I read in another forum where someone was a few wks out and was eating buttered toast and macaroni salad and ate all day long. They also found a way to cheat around the "no carbonation" thing...just let the soda get flat. In my opinion if I go through all the crap of getting approved-the numerous Drs appointments, the xrays, the EKGs, the bloodwork, the sleep study/s. If I go through all that then am I am going to be harder on myself than I need to?? Damn right!! I am lazy and I don't wanna do all this, but I am making myself because laziness got me here! Laziness is a lover that catered to my every whim, did whatever I wanted and accepted me unconditionally! Laziness is a lover I need to let go! I weigh 361lbs right now! I don't go swimming, I won't dance when we go out (even though I love dancing), I now have anxiety, my vision has changed, my knees hurt, we are having a hard time conceiving..endless list. So am I going to eat macaroni or soda or butter laden noodles? I certainly hope not! I am not going to test my limits to see what I can get away with eating before I vomit:eek:! Gross why would I want to do that?! I have started to work on my future life style so I can get used to it(in a sense). I cut out sodas, I cut out sugars from sweets, I am working on cutting out sugars from breads and pastas. I cut out cooking with oils and have started to chew my food to a mush (my tongue and jaws are sore lol) But I have to make an honest effort! I have to lose this weight or I lose everything. You can't have life if you are dead. Cold hard fact. Remain fat and die fat. Geesh! I even get emabarrased thinking..if I died right now God help the pall bearers!!...funny but heartbreaking because even in death I fight the fat. One day, Cherylita, you will look back on this and say...really? that was me? Thats how I used to think? I hope this didn't offend anyone...if anyone actually reads my ramblings but I need this out there because I know I will need a good kick in the butt at one point! Thanks for letting me ramble. Cherylita:w00t:

Hi Serenity, I have had similar thoughts too. I wondered what's the point, what if I die, what if I give up like I always do and this is just a waste of time....I talked to my PCP about my health in general. I talked to my OB/GYN about my conception problems. I talked to my husband about ways to make us healthier. I talked to my mom about this surgery and the good and bad points...Do you see where I am going with this? You ultimately will make this decision for yourself, but discussing this with friends and family may help encourage you. But first I had to get my mindset right. I had to give up the negative thinking and think positively. It took a while, but I had to think...This will make my life better. I will be able to go running. I will be able to do more things with my husband. I will be able to go swimming and not worry who is watching me. But most of all I will be able to look at that woman in the mirror and know that "she" is there because I cared enough about myself to make a change. Again, this is all up to you and you may decide that you don't want either type of WLS but whatever you do. Make sure it is the best decision for you. Hope this made some sort of sense. Cheryl

OMG! I thought I was going to die!!:cool: They started by taking my blood pressure then hooking up the electrodes. The nurse asked me to get on the treadmill and told me that every 3 minutes the speed would increase and the incline would raise. The first 3mins were good. I was walking and breathing. Then the first incline change and speed increase I was doing ok, no chest pains or anything..just muscles that hadn't been used in a while getting all heated up. I was okay. My target heartrate was 158. I would walk and glance at the heart rate monitor. I was struggling and asked to rest. The nurse told me if I stop thats the end of the test. I looked at the monitor and it said 130. I told her-breathing or panting heavily- No don't wanna stop...at this point it was will and the thought of my family and healthier me pushing me to finish!! Then came the last round...Increase the incline and speed up to practically running...I tried as hard as I could but couldn't do it. I had to ask to stop..so we cooled down and stopped. I stepped off the treadmill and sat down. Disappointed, I asked what my final # was...the nurse answered 165. 165?! I did it!! I passed their target goal!!! I felt so good about this and pushing myself not to stop at 130 like I wanted. Now I just have to see if the Dr clears me. I felt okay but who knows what the ECG showed. So now it's just a waiting game. I still have the sleep study and nutrition and psych eval but they are scheduled for July 2.