PSJ71

Hi Cherri! How exciting!!! I am betting you are not able to sleep a wink. I know I will be the same way. I wish you a smooth surgery and quick healing!! Come back in a few days and post your surgery day story! Would love to read it!! ) Bless you and take care :sad: Paulette

Thank you so much! :sad:)

It sure will and I am looking forward to seeing your progress!! :thumbup:) Good luck to you!!

Hi all! I will start by saying I came into the world at 5 pounds 5 ounces. Sadly, at around age 7, I started to gain weight and have been pretty much overweight my entire life and from teenage years on, mostly weighing in the 200s. In 2000, I decided to get on a health kick and quit smoking (and still successful with that), I obtained a personal trainer and started hitting the gym! I started at 203 and by October of 2000, I was at 165 pounds. Then, I met my husband, got pregnant in March of 2001, and gained over 50 pounds during the pregnancy. Twenty-five of that came off after and then I gained that back plus a whole lot more. My highest weight EVER has been 280 pounds, and I am 5 feet 2 inches. Now, I am at 258 pounds. So, since my first doc visit, I have lost 18 pounds, as I weighed 275 then. I am now 37, almost 38 on July 1. We have a 7-year-old son and have been wanting to have another baby. AFter I had him my body just went crazy. My menstrual cycles went crazy and then I was also diagnosed with PCOS. Sooooo, one reason for the band is we want to try for another baby maybe in the next year. This just made sense to me. I think that kind of wraps up my obesity history and I am so looking forward to sharing in this fantastic journey we are all on together. I have decided to document my journey on Youtube, and if anyone is interested in that, my user name is PSJ71. take care!! Paulette

Mine was submitted on June 11th and I got my approval on the 17th. My insurance is Aetna PPO.

Hi there!! Good luck to you!!! Are you self-pay or will you be using insurance? I think if you are self-pay it tends to go quicker, because insurance usually have certain requirements, as mine I had to have a letter from my physician, and I had to follow a 3-month supervised diet and have a psych evaluation. From the time I started with Dr. appointments, testing, etc. I started all that in November and just was now approved for surgery on the 17th, given a surgery date today.

That would be awesome!! Yes! I just accepted :thumbup:)

Heck! I never look!! LOL No, I will definitely go and start doing posts there. I will see you there!! ) And yes, it would be fantastic to have someone to go through this with. What is your preop diet like? I haven't gone to my preop nutrition class yet, which is scheduled for Tuesday, along with my preop doc visit. I have a gist of what my diet is going to be and mainly liquid!! Will we make it? LOL :thumbup:

Thank you so very much, Jenny :thumbup:)

Thank YOU So much for that wonderful post!! I am about to be banded and I truly needed this!! :thumbup:) HUGS, Paulette

Yes! I do feel so good!!! :thumbup:) My doctor's office called this morning and they set me up for July 7th!!! I start my preop diet on the 27th!! Next Saturday!! Yipes!!! But, I am so ready!! My birthday is July 1! So, this is like a birthday present!! I 'm so excited. I can't wait to see how things go for you!! )

Congratulations on your band!! I am set up for July 7th!! I know how you feel. I have thought bout the very same things. I think everyone in this forum has! One thing I do know from here is this is such a wonderful group of people here! It's nice to have a place to go where everyone knows exactly what each other is going through. I will be glad to be banded to share my experience as well. Good luck, hon! I know you will do great!!

Marquia, Congratulations on your weight loss thus far. You have definitely made the best decision of your life. I haven't been banded yet, but I feel liberated in knowing I will finally be in control of something that seemed so hopeless for me. Bless you and good luck!

Oh goodness!! I am excited for you too!! I was approved today as well! Yayyyyyy US!!! :wink:) Just awesome huh!!

I just had to come share my wonderful information with all of you!! My doctor submitted to my insurance on the 11th. I have aetna PPO and pre-cert got it yesterday. I call about 25 minutes ago and was shocked to hear that they authorized it!! I am approved!!! I almost started crying!!! I am soooooooooo happy!! I will finally be joining all of you on the loser's bench soon!! Thanks for reading!! :w00t:) :blushing:

Thank you, Linda. I am so excited I just cant' stand it!! lol

Should be working, I had heard that sometimes it is a quick turnaround, but I was totally shocked mine was this quick. :blushing:)

Iris, that is sooo cool!! My birthday is on July 1. I will be thinking of you on July 2nd. :blushing:)

Oh My, Monday, the 18th?! No wonder you have a rainbow of emotions going on! :rolleyes2:) First off, congratulations on making the decision to do something for yourself to make yourself healthier! I can only imagine how I will feel once I get scheduled and get close to my surgery! I just finished my 3-month supervised diet and waiting for them to submit to my insurance. I wish I had some great, magical advice to give you, but I don't, as I am not near banding yet. All I can say is I am excited for you and wish you the very best with your band. :thumbup:) Take Care, Paulette

HI and welcome!! I am in Oklahoma as well! Norman area ) It's good to have you!

Hi Missy, I have been following a 3-month supervised diet; however, because some of my appointments had to be changed my appointments sort of jumped around, so technically the diet portion of my plan I followed 2 months' worth; last month and this month. I started the exercise part on February 24th, the diet part March 4, so far I have lost 15 pounds. Anyway, basically, all the insurance company wants to see is that you are compliant by keeping track of your exercise and keeping logs of what you are eating and making good choices and staying on track with exercise. I was afraid of that as well, but since my BMI was in the high 40s, then by the time next month when all is said and done, I won't be below it, but even if you are, they should still approve you. I hope this helps and good luck to you )

Meschultz, That is FANTASTIC on your weight loss. Gosh I just can't wait until I get mine!! :cool2:) Great job!!! lO)

Hi Savannah's Mommy, I wondered if you had ever had your thyroid checked? Sometimes that makes weight loss difficult. I have an underactive thyroid and if I stray just a smidge off of a diet I gain at the drop of a hat. I have been following a 3-month supervised diet and found that when I followed the "fill your plate" guidelines I was satisfied with normal portion sizes as well as staying full longer. Anyway, what I wanted to say is what some of the other posters have said. "He is not your family." You have to live with whatever choice YOU make. You are not living for HIM. You are living for yourself. I am a religious person as well, but I would NEVER tell someone or make someone feel bad because they needed to have a certain surgery to help their health. He really sounds wacky. I just cannot get my mind around the fact that he is a weight loss doctor and making his living off obese people, only to chastise someone in his office for wanting or needing the same things. I think you need to keep in mind that once again, this is your ultimate decision and whatever decision you make is the one YOU have to be happy about. So what if he doesn't approve. You will be on your way to feeling better about yourself and in overall health. What's he going to do...Fire you? I think not. Don't worry so much on what he is going to say....they are only words. You are the one in the end who decides if you will let the words hurt you. Life is short and you live only once so you might as well try and be happy AND healthy. Good luck to you hun.

First off, I have been heavy all my life and yes, diet and exercise does make the weight come off, but you still have to watch what you eat and exercise even with the band. So, it really surprises me that, he, being a WLS himself would judge anyone. Especially since this is how he is making his money. I don't have the band yet, but it's looking like sometime in June. But, I think it's entirely up to you on telling him or not. If you aren't comfortable with telling them, then I would just say something like I have decided to take your advice and diet and exercise. It won't be lying, because you will be watching what you eat and you will be exercising. If you do tell him, then I wouldn't let him make you feel bad for it. For some of us, it takes a little reminder (in my case the band) to help keep us on track. Good luck to you :cool2:

Editoria, That is so fantastic that you are supportive of your daughter. It's so important for us to have someone to be there through the journey. My mom was initially the one who brought up lap band surgery several years ago to me by telling me that my aunt and cousin had it. But, I thought I could do it on my own. If that had been the case, I would have done it a long time ago. I just wish my mom was with me now that I am going to be having it done. I lost my mom in August and I miss her so much. She would have been happy. It warms my heart to know there are other people who have a special relationship with their moms as I did with mine. :smile2: Take care,