BethFromVA

My emotions are all over the place too, but I've gotta tell ya -- I'm more scared of living one more year at this size or bigger than I am about a procedure that sounds, for all intents and purposes, like a breeze. I've already lost my gall bladder due to my weight, and that was worse than natural childbirth times 10.

Hello, brownskin, I am right there with you. I am also seriously thinking about it (though truth be told, I am leaning more towards it than away from it). I too have my consult next week! And by then I should find out how much my insurance pays for it. I'm thinking probably 100% except for my co-pays and/or deductibles.

At this point, I don't know that the issues experienced by the OP were not self-created (i.e. not following instructions exactly, etc.). ALL things need to be considered when reading about people's experiences.

Oh wow, that's harsh! Could it be that when you succeed, it will show him how he has failed? With him having a BMI of 47 himself, what makes YOU weak and HIM not?? Well, I'm glad to hear you are doing what you need to for you. Let the chips fall where they may, regardless of what he threatens. He'll either go through with his threats or he won't, but either way, you'll be a healthier you to handle whatever comes down the pike.

I've heard about this before: We are no longer the fat friend, the fat coworker, the fat family member. It changes our "position" in all of our relationships, and oftentimes people don't know what to do with that, especially when we start looking good and getting attention. It's sad, but it does happen.

There's all sorts of bias. Unless you're a young, thin, pretty/handsome individual, you can about forget it. :tongue:

Hey, Serenity, first of all I'm sorry to hear this. I haven't gotten started yet, but so far I hear my insurance covers this. I go to my doc on Tuesday to begin everything, so we'll see what "coverage" means. Secondly, if your insurance covers this, do NOT give up!! Appeal this! I went to the seminar last night and said out loud that I was alarmed at the amount of money my meds (which I believe are ALL weight-related) cost a month (about $500 to the insurance company) versus this procedure, and the doctor stated that many insurance companies realize they only cover you for a couple years and then policies change, etc. They'd rather put out the cost of meds than something large like this. So, he said, they make many jump through hoops hoping you will give up (for you it is all the outrageous demands, for some it is 6 months of pre-op dieting). Please do not just take their "NO" lying down. Find out how you can appeal and ask for your doctor's help on this. I know I saw something the other day about this very thing -- how to appeal their decision. Let me look through my computer history and see if I can find it for you. Good luck, and PLEASE don't give up on your right!

I like your outlook too, Pink. I'm just looking forward to the day I can look in the mirror again... :tongue:

To be fair, I haven't heard anything BAD about him -- what little I have read. But I just got this hinky feeling last night... like he was not sincere or kinda like I was being sold a bill of goods. Not with the product, mind you, but himself. You really had to clue into it as it wasn't right "out there," if you know what I mean. I got more of a sense of egoitsm than I did a true caring about the patient. Yes, his dad does know about his practices as what I found out came from his dad's receptionist after vocalizing my issues. I told her how I felt about meeting the son and some of the concerns I had, and she said that is why he broke free from dad -- they didn't see eye-to-eye on how to run the practice, and he chose to do this sort of thing instead. That makes me all the more excited to meet the father. What was sadly funny is that the receptionist said that you raise your kids the best you can, but you have no say over what they choose to do when they become adults. She claims she used to work for the son but didn't really fit in there so moved next door to the dad's practice. She says the son relies on people not doing their homework so that he can assure you're financially invested with that outrageous admin fee!

I met Dr. Eric Pinnar last night at his seminar. I have to say I felt a bit... um... off as far as he was concerned. The first ten minutes of the loong seminar (all good info) was spent showing pictures of his kids. Okay, one or two I can understand, but it was THREE YEARS' worth of pics of both his kids. A bit of overkill, but whatever... Anyway, that wasn't where I felt the hink. He just seemed a bit conceited for me. His administrative fee is a JOKE! He is charging $420 for simply processing your paperwork. Thankfully I did my homework; I didn't realize father and son did not work together, and son is not in my plan but dad is. When I brought that up last night, it was glossed over and they made an appointement for me to come in -- WITH my $420, mind you. So... I called today to find out what my out-of-pocket would exactly be. Long story short, I would pay in the neighborhood of $4200 for his service alone, before any co-pays or other costs not covered. :eek: So I start inquiring about the dad and the lady hemmed and hawed (still, I didn't realize he wasn't in the same office as they work out of the same address, just different suites). This woman tried to get me off the subject of dad and then finally admitted he didn't work with son. However, they have this "great payment plan," no interest, yada yada. I asked what makes that so great since dad is IN my program and my cost is far less. Then they said cuz son teaches it. I figured, heck, if father and son both do this, likely sonny boy learned from dad. This woman did all she could to keep me interested in Eric. I said I would call Robert and see what I was looking at there and hung up. Needless to say, I got a warm greeting from Dr. Robert's staff and I will go in on Tuesday for my consult. When I asked about how much I had to come to the office with, they said, "Just your normal co-pay." I asked about an administrative fee, and the woman just laughed and said that was one of the things that split father and son. Son says he takes all insurance, gets you in, charges this hefty non-refundable fee, then once you're in there he tells you whether or not he is in your plan. So... had I not done my homework, I would have been schnookered. I don't like that. That's not looking out for the patient, imo. That's being greedy and sneaky. :tongue: Maybe if he hadn't spent so much time on showing us pics of his kids, I wouldn't have felt so rushed when it came time to ask questions. Staff was a bit impatient and ready to go. :tongue:

I go for a seminar tonight to find out more. For once in my life I am truly considering doing something like this, and so far I like the sounds of this procedure. However, I have this husband... lol... I have gained 140 pounds since I've known him -- double my weight from when we met. I gained 100 of that within the first couple years. I have now been fat for nearly 20 years. My husband LOVES food, but he's not fat. He's maybe gained about 20 pounds since we met, but he's certainly not fat. He can eat massive amounts at one sitting. I, however, just look at food and blow up. Oftentimes he only eats one meal a day which SHOULD make him fat. I have tried dieting before, and he was as supportive as he could be in the beginning. Maybe 6 months or so into a diet, he'd really want to start going out to eat and having stuff that certainly was not on my diet. The problem was, I could do pretty well, but then his constant want of bad foods really got to me and my weakness. I'm certainly not blaming him, but his love of food and wanting me to eat with him would override what he knew I wanted. Does that make sense? Anyway, this type of procedure, should I do it, will really put a change in that relationship... with food, that is. We even have friends who would have us go out with them nearly every night of the week if they could, but it's easier to say no, we're busy, to them. Anybody else have this concern/issue? If so, how did it go or what ended up happening??

If it helps any, I wish I was you -- down 70 pounds. :cool2:

Oh wow, thanks for filling me in y'all! :cool2: Yes, the seminar WAS informative. I got a bit... disgusted... with one woman who, when it was listed what some people may not be able to eat, exclaimed to her friend, "PASTA??" They were the first ones to leave when the seminar was over. Guess they were looking for that magic cure-all which allows us to keep doing what we are doing and lose tons of weight. :laugh: I have set up an appointment to begin the process next week. Well, actually I secured the date. This doctor is not in my network, though his father is. This doctor does these operations exclusively, so that is a plus, but I will talk to one of their office personnel who does the insurance to see what my out-of-pocket would be if I DO use him, not being in my network. Still have not told hubby what I'm contemplating. He's a bit perplexed that I am being so silent. I told him last night I needed to get all MY information together first before I started potentially dealing with HIS negativity and BS...

Hm, I have Anthem Blue Cross. I should find out tomorrow how mine will go. The doc at the seminar tonight thinks it's a 3-month pre-op thing.

I have to ask a dumb newbie question, but I haven't found the answer yet. What is PBing, and what is sliming. I have a guess as to sliming but I can't figure it all out for sure. :smile2: By the way, I went to my seminar tonight, and I have made an appointment with the doc for next Thursday. Still haven't told hubby yet tho. He just asked me a few minutes ago if I was going to tell him what my "meeting" was about (he knows it's health related), but I said not yet. I just don't need any potential negativity clouding my decision right now.

Halloween, look at it this way: How easy could it have been to GAIN 70 pounds in the last 8 months? Pretty easy, no? So don't look at it as you've only lost 70, you've REALLY lost 140.

Wow... I see y'all need some Troll Spray around here.

Thank you, kiz. That's how I feel as well. I'm not talking 20 irritating pounds here... we're talking nearly 20 years of bad health that WILL cash its check with me soon. I call myself a doctor's nightmare because I don't have a lot of the health issues I should... but I certainly don't want to tempt fate. I don't know what I feel: Fear? Guilt? That he'll try to dissuade me when I make my final decision? I've already run it through my head -- when I make a final decision on this, I will tell him that I am telling him about this because I love him and I need his support, not his acceptance or "permission". I feel horrible about myself and it has really changed me for the worse, and I don't like the person I see. I feel worthless and like a failure. I need help that I haven't been able to find within myself before now... so if that means I need help in the form of restriction, then I'm at a point where I can now admit that.

For me it's not so much the junk food. One would think it is, but it isn't. He goes to costco and buys the industrial sized Snacks and usually takes them to work, though some end up at the house. I rarely touch them. My issue is the portion control and eating healthy foods. When we go out to eat, I'm not choosing the chicken, we're going to a restaurant where we love the drunken ribeye... or we do Thai or Indian or Greek or Japanese (and though sushi isn't bad, it's the AMOUNT we do). So for me, it's certainly about portions (which is one of the biggest reasons I'm considering this surgery) and the choices when we eat meals. That, and being good about eating timely. I can drink coffee for Breakfast and then not eat a bite until 12:30 at work. I know that is not healthy. And I'm bad about my Water. I do well when I'm losing -- you couldn't find anybody more dedicated, until... something blows it. I give up. The portions get big again. I dunno... Sad thing is, he USED to be fat as a kid then got thin in college. I was always thin until my mid-20s.

Wow... what insurance?? :thumbup: I hope mine's not like that!! I go for the seminar tomorrow. So far I haven't told anybody. I just told hubby I had a "heath-related thing" to go to and I would explain more once I heard more.

Personally I'd opt for lots of hubby lovin' to keep my mind off hunger. :biggrin::dita::tongue::tongue:

Hi, Pidgekk, and nice to "meet" you. :cool2: I've spent hours now perusing this site. The search feature has been somewhat helpful as I'm sure all my questions have been answered here somewhere... I just hope there is some forgiveness by other members if I can't find them right away. lol I will go to the meeting on Wednesday, and I have set up a meeting with my primary care physician to get some info or any feedback I may need (if he can answer). It is also to start the process (if I like what I hear Wednesday) of getting things started -- deeming it medically necessary, etc. Whatever the very very beginning stages are. My insurance covers the procedure (though I'd like to get a better description of exactly what), and it covers skin removal surgery should it be needed later on. That is one topic I'm trying to find out about but haven't had much luck yet. I use the keywords in the search engine, but I get these humongous posts that are 10+ pages with the knowledge that just because those words are in the post somewhere doesn't mean it addresses what I'm curious about others' experience with excess skin. Anyway... at this stage I'm beyond vain. I used to have dreams of getting my 18-year-old hot bod back. Now I'm more focused on health and quality of life. No matter what, even if I was thin, I wouldn't have that body, and I have grown past that. I think that's a huge step (well, I think it is anyway! lol). Hope to talk to you more. I'm really enjoying the support and care that is shown around here.

All the more reason I feel, for me, the fewer people know I'm considering this, the better. :thumbup:

I am to the point that I am not looking for a quick fix, though I know this surgery CAN be a bit quicker than strict diet and exercise. I just want to be healthy. I will never get back the body I had in high school, and I am okay with that. I forgot to mention I have also lost my gall bladder due to my weight too... :thumbup: As for my mom, she ditched that doc and found another. She's a tough cookie and won't be told what to do. What also helped is a lady where she lives had the surgery this one doc suggested and was in a LOT of pain -- not just in her breasts, but in her back due to the invasive removal of muscle! And after all was said and done, she found the results "just okay." I love this site already, and I just joined last night. I was able to search the doc whose seminar I am going to go to, and so far he has gotten lots of kudos, as have his staff.