SugarFerret

SO glad someone made a post on this! Yes, when I get the surgery, after I'm healed that is -.- I'm going to finally finish my sleeve and start my back piece that I hadn't been able to start since of the um *cough* back fat lol. On my left arm I was also thinking of getting a portrait of Tori Amos and my sugar glider Peaches (yes I know random it's okay! I love it) and the back piece is still in construction, but so far it's a mix between Giger-esque/Kwan Yin/Lilith. I can't wait to have my canvas smoothed out and ready to be painted again :tongue2:

Hey :tongue2: I'm 23, and going to school in Austin, Texas for my bach. in nursing/masters for nurse practitioner. Since I haven't been banded quite yet, still in the ever ending process >.<, I had to take a semester off. >.< It's KILLING ME! I want to go back so bad but since my doctor/insurance is in Nor. California I'm stuck x.X Hopefully I'll be getting banded before my next semester right lol? It's driving me nutty thinking about dealing with the beginnings of having the lapband and then having oodles of courses on top of that -.- I hope they give good pain meds lol. I'm hoping, that along with being tinier and easier to schlep myself around campus, that I'll also have more energy. Although I'll probably have to take extra Vitamins to keep that up -.- Yay B vitamins Good to know I'm not the only one that's in college and jumping around like a ferret still. Lol not that there's anything wrong with any other lifestyle, but I sometimes feel like an outsider lol.

I've been referred to bariatrics I suppose? On the 14th I have orientation and such, then see surgeon after that. I'm in Modesto/Manteca/Stockton area (not by choice lol).

I don't know how that's ferret like but Imma roll with it! I'm super excited because I got a different doctor for NorCal Kaiser and everything seems to be going at lightening speed. On one note, I wanted to say, damn it feels good to say, "Yes I'm overweight, yes I am fat, but I want to make it better." I love saying this to my doctors, for YEARS I've had to deal with my doctors repeatedly telling me "You're really obese, you need to lose weight, blah blah..." as if I didn't already know it, as if I was ignorant of the fact that I was very whale-like and having edema problems with my feetsies for no reason x.X OMG it's so liberating to finally say YES I KNOW!! Now can you help me make get some long term help now??! The new doctor I have couldn't be nicer and was all for the surgery. My husband came and has been the pinnacle of helpfulness, even when his annoying aunt *who btw HAD a gastric bypass 3 years ago* bluntly told me I wasn't 300+ pounds so I need to just get cracking to the gym... >.< the nerve really lol! He abruptly told her, "Ya thank you, we'll get right on it ma'am." Oooo them's fightin' words! She hates being called ma'am since she's the type that believes that is an "old persons" title. :tongue_smilie: thank you husband I'm so glad I found this site, I would have been totally overwhelmed and was feeling quite alone with my thoughts before I came here. So apparently I need to lose 10 percent or so of my body weight to show commitment and then take it from there. Geez things feel like they're going too quickly, but I'm sure there will be other snags/issues along the way. But things are looking positive

Thank you all for your kind words and support It's definitely made me feel much better about things, and to know I'm not alone or the only one who has had these types of problems. I was starting to feel like they were right, and that I really was just being lame :/

So I'm sure this has been a thread already, but since I'm new, please forgive me if this has been said a lot. My family and friends were at first overwhelming supportive of my decision to get the lap-band, but now that I suppose they realize I'm "serious" (not sure why they didn't think I was to begin with), they're starting to act a little apprehensive. The majority of them say, "Well couldn't you just exercise?" or "Isn't this a little extreme? You're not THAT fat." or even better, "I'm sure if you just tried a little harder you could lose the weight." What the heck? Didn't you guys JUST say you supported my decision?? It's a little disconcerting to say the least, and what the...not THAT fat??? Is this to say they think the only people who get this surgery are above 500 pounds? (not to say that's innately bad to anyone who is or was 500 pounds, just throwing out numbers) I've been trying to lose weight for at least 7 damn years! You try harder! >.< It makes me feel odd having to explain my reasons for wanting to get the surgery at least 5 different ways. And to be honest, I'm starting to lose my confidence. It feels like the more non-supportive messages I've been getting, the more lame I feel. For instance, I'm starting to feel like wow I really must be a failure, since they are acting like it's so easy to just lose 120 pounds. I felt secure about my decision, but now I'm having doubts...maybe my reasoning isn't sound enough, but I thought it was. The other bad part is that they themselves don't see them as being so discouraging, they explain it as "trying to help," or "showing both sides of the spectrum." I don't think they realize they just make me feel stupid and lazy, which I know I'm not, but wow it's really starting to get to me.

I'm sorry your husband isn't as supportive as you'd like them to be :/ I know how you feel but in a different way, my husband is supportive because he knows it will make me healthier and happier, but he's sad because he truly likes my figure now and is hesitant about the surgery because he'll miss my curvy figure. That and he worries I might leave him since, he's a bigger too, and he feels that if I'm smaller, I won't be attracted to him anymore. I try to explain I'll still be me and by losing weight I'll be healthier, and not become a different person. And that, of course, I'd still love him and want to be with him. But other than that, now he's my biggest supporter. So hopefully it'll work out for you in the end, kplant or anyone else?

I'm actually doing it in Northern California, I wish I was doing it in Austin. But since one of my insurances is Kaiser in California, I'm forced to go to California. Mostly because if I did the procedure in Austin, I'd have to use Medicare and....to be honest I'd rather use Kaiser lol. I can't imagine how hard it would be to find someone who'd take Medicare for this procedure. :/

Okay the first people I talked to were the Southern Cali Kaiser people, and they were telling me I needed 50 BMI but would put me in the classes anyway since my other problems, I've since had to switch to Northern Cali Kaiser. I don't like Kaiser, I'm sorry if other people like Kaiser, and not everyone there totally sucks, but I've had REALLY bad experiences with that company, totally unrelated to the recent issues. It's fine that other people love Kaiser, that's cool. But I don't, just my opinion. (BTW. Some of the people who work there are fine, just like any group of people, but the people I did deal with were indeed, jacknuts :smile:) Lol and I'm not angry, just discouraged. I've dealt with being overweight for a long time, and to just be told I'm not qualified to complain and try to fix it is kind of....well, not okay. Wouldn't anyone be a little discouraged if someone told them they were fine even though they were not lol? My only concern now is that I won't be able to be there in California enough for them to consider me serious enough, since I live in both Texas and California, and going to school full time in Texas. But that's a totally different problem and not really having to do with this forum. Thank you for helping me feel more validated on this subject, I feel a lot better about this and will be more confident when dealing with the system.

It was a dietician who said this, and it felt like the doctor was just humoring me when I discussed this with her, but on a positive I know that I started the ball rolling. I'm glad I'm not the only who thinks Kaiser is a bunch of jacknuts >.< I'll definately keep at it, I'm glad I have support for this, because honestly, the doctors/inxurance are so discouraging of anything lol. Thank you all for being so positive, I was almost afraid I was going to get negative feedback :X I've been so used to it lately lol >.<

So, I have Kaiser Permanente in Northern California and Southern California, I guess it's the same but just mentioning both because I found out they consider themselves two things for some reason. After being very overweight for at least 6 years and generally overweight for at least 12 years...and doing everything from working out daily to diets to Weight Watchers to voodoo (j/k but almost lol), I decided that the Lap Band is what I wanted to pursue as an option. WELL, Kaiser doesn't seem to like to pay for this procedure. Which is fine, it is a radical decision and wouldn't want anyone to just say, "OKAY fine we'll do it!" without asking any questions. But I kind of feel jerked around. I'm doing this nutrition/diet program, which is all well and good, but the dieticians actually were insinuating that I wasn't "fat" enough to get a lap band >.< I'm 5'5, 258ish pounds, 44.6 BMI....this is off the charts as far as morbidly obese and unhealthy >.< the fact that they'd tell me I had to be "fatter" in order to qualify to get help seemed 1. rude and 2. hurtful and totally invalidating my feelings that I need a little extra help after years of doing it on my own. I've never had an over eating problem and am vegetarian, mostly my problems are eating at the wrong times, such as right before I sleep, and my other health issues, among some of the problems: Multiple Sclerosis, hypertension and constant pain (probably a lot to do with being overweight as well as the MS). It kills me to think that because Kaiser are jerks about their extreme views of what is "fat" that they would just totally invalidate me and make me feel stupid for inquiring about other options. I've looked up before what qualifications make someone eligible for the procedure and heck I think I meet them. Am I wrong to question what this person is saying? That I'm not "fat" enough? Or even worse, that there's nothing wrong with me even though, clearly, by health standards, and by my increasing health problems due to obesity, that I should just not pursue it? I think more than likely they just don't want to pay for it and I have to be more aggressive, but it's a little depressing to think I have to "convince" them I need help.