sweetbean70

WHAT A TERRIFIC THREAD! I am being banded on 6-8-09 and would love to be able to add my name to this awesome list within the next 12-18 months. :frown: I want to lose close to 175 pounds and was somewhat concerned when I keep reading statistics that say a lap band patient can realistically expect to lose up to only 60% of their excess weight. Reading this thread is a great way to keep motivated! :thumbup:

Hello! I just wanted to post a "small step victory" I had this morning: I'm being banded on June 8th by Dr. Curry in Cincinnati, OH. On April 14th, I weighed 325lbs and was put on Metformin for insulin resistance by my PCP. Dr. C told me (the next day) that he wanted me to lose 15lbs by my surgeon consult on May 27th. When I weighed myself this morning (5/6), I weighed 304.4lbs. :thumbup: I was soooo pleased w/ myself! On my way to work I remembered that I promised a student I work w/ a breakfast sandwich from McDonalds for reaching a goal. Instead of ordering a combo meal w/ a large OJ for myself, I ordered the student a breakfast sandwich and a yogurt parfait for me. I didn't succumb to the temptation of a sausage/egg/cheese muffin w/ a hashbrown. I ate my yogurt and drank a low-carb SlimFast. I kept reminding myself how great it felt to see those numbers on my scale this morning.

chicken TORTILLA Soup 2 lg cans of chicken broth 2-3 diced chicken breasts 1-2 cans of diced tomatoes w/ green chilis 1 cup finely chopped carrots 1 cup finely chopped celery 1/4 cup finely chopped onion Add all ingredients to the CP and stir. Cook 4-6 hours. Serve garnished with fresh diced tomatoes, cilantro, and crumbled tortilla chips. ENJOY!

Hi! How about the name...June Jubilee? JUBILEE: 1) an occasion for celebration 2) a time of emancipation (how appropriate since we are being freed from obesity)

How about JUBILANT JUNE BUGS for our nickname???

Howdy! I just got a June 8th date for my surgery and I am so excited. :ohmy: I would like to hear from those who have been banded and then went on vacation. I am going to Florida on August 8 for a week. I would love any advice!

Hello! My surgery date is set for June 8, 2009. I am having my surgery done by Dr. Curry at the Journey Lite facility in Cincinnati, OH. :smile: My date works out perfectly for me b/c I am a teacher. My regular school year is over on June 4th and summer school doesn't begin until June 15th. I will have a week to recover and about 2 1/2 months to adjust before regular school starts up again. I almost pulled a dirty trick on my fellow teachers. They are all chipping in $$$ for their own version of "The Biggest Loser." I haven't told anyone I work with that I am having this surgery. I could've really raked in the BIG BUCKS! :biggrin:

YAHOOOOOO! I've got a date for my lap band surgery w/ Dr. Curry of JourneyLite in Cincinnati, OH. I'm going to the seminar in Columbus on May 7, pre-op workup and nutrition class on May 26, surgeon consult and psych eval on May 27, and... (drum roll please) SURGERY ON JUNE 8 :ohmy: The surgeon wants me to lose 15lbs (I've already lost 6lbs) by my May 27th consultation and I have to do a 2 week pre-op high protein/low carb diet prior to surgery. I am soooo psyched! :thumbup:

Thank you all so very much for your words of wisdom! I am so looking forward this time to swimming with the manatees and not being mistaken for one. :thumbup:

CONGRATS! Let's stay in touch. Together, we will be...SUCCESSFUL BANDED SISTERS!!! Are you from the Cincy area? I live in Newark.

Hello! I'm not banded yet, but hope to be by June '09. I am going to the seminar at Mt Carmel West on April 8. Dr. Price has been highly recommended b/c he does the procedure w/ only 1 incision. I am a self-payer b/c my employer didn't elect to have the WLS policy rider added to our benefits. I know from reading all of the threads on this site that there are many in OH that had to pay for their procedure out of their own pockets. I would love to hear from you if you are one of those poorer (but thinner) souls!

Finally...a doctor who listened to ME! I went to a new PCP with a list of concerns and questions about PCOS. She ran a slew of blood tests and urine tests. She put me on Metformin (500mgx2/day) to help me with my insulin resistence. I go back in 3 months for more blood work to check my sugar levels and if my hirsutism isn't any better in 6 months, we are going to talk about meds to address that.

Hi! I am planning on having Dr. Curry @ JourneyLite (Cincinnati, OH) do my lap band procedure in June. I am having to pay for the procedure out of my own pocket and felt that JourneyLite's price, pre-op, and post-op care was the best total package. I will be traveling about 2.5 hours for the surgery. I am soooo pleased that Dr. Curry is opening a satellite office in Columbus, OH for I will be able to get my fills done there instead of having to drive to Cincy once a month. I have been in contact w/ the JourneyLite staff, including Dr. Curry. I ask a question on their website and within 24 hours I have a reply. I am going to the free seminar on May 7th (Columbus) and have my surgeon consult/dietician mtg/psych eval in Cincy on May 27th. I asked if it would be possible for me to have my surgery during the week of June 8th b/c I have that week off between school and summer school. Dr. Curry and his staff are trying their best to accommodate my schedule. :laugh:

Hello! I need to lose 15lbs between now and May 27th. I go to have my pre-op surgeon consult, dietician mtg, and psych eval at JourneyLite in Cincinnati, OH on the 27th and my surgeon wants me to lose this weight. I have done lots of reading about protein powders. During my research, I have read that MYOCEL powder is recommended to shrink my liver and to help me lose weight. I was just wondering if onyone on this site has used MYOCEL.

Finally! People who share my "love" of GRAMMAR BEEFS! Another peeve of mine are public signs that are misspelled. By the way, I had to fill out a questionnaire for a weight loss surgeon and one of the questions was... "How much weight do you want to LOOSE?" I corrected the error when I filled out my questionnaire. I wonder if I will be accepted into that program???

Hello. I am thinking about having Dr. Tace Curry w/ JourneyLite do my surgery. He is located in Cincinnati, but I understand that there are several other JourneyLite locations. The cost for the procedure is $12999 and that includes everything plus 1 year of fills.

Hello! I saw on your post that your surgery was today. I'm very interested in hearing about your experience w/ Dr. Curry and his staff. I live about 45 mins. east of Columbus in Newark. I am going to Dr. Curry's seminar in Columbus on May 7th and have scheduled all of my pre-op meetings/consults for May 14th in Cincy. I have already been to a seminar at Barix, Mt Carmel West, and I am going to a seminar at OSU on April 21st. I am paying for this procedure out of my own pocket. So, even though cost should not be your guiding factor, the procedure costs about $5000-$8000 less w/ Dr. Curry than Mt. Carmel West and OSU. I also like the fact that the total cost of the surgery covers the surgeon, hospital, anesthesia, consults, and post-op fills for 1 year. Looking forward to hearing from you soon and GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR JOURNEY!

Hello. My insurance policy does not cover WLS. It has a specific WLS exclusion stated. I want to know if an exclusion means that the insurance company will never pay for WLS or is there a way to "fight" your insurance company's exclusion policy? Has anyone on here ever been successful in getting an exclusion reversed? If so, HOW?????

Howdy! My name is Kristi and I live in Newark (about 45 minutes east of Columbus). I live w/ my hubby of 12 years, 4 pekingese pups, and 3 cats. My husband and I are both special education teachers. We do not have any children. I have been overweight for as long as I can remember. I was merely overweight during high school b/c I played sports year round. Once I went to college and became less active, the weight really started packing on. When I got married ('96), I weighed 255. Now, 12+ years later, I have ballooned to 325. I have also posted here on the PCOS Bandsters thread. I have been battling w/ PCOS (undiagnosed) since my early teenage years. I finally asked my ob/gyn in 1997 about PCOS after reading an article in Good Housekeeping about it. The dr. told me to use Nair and go on a diet. In 2001, I went to another ob/gyn and asked her about PCOS. She prescribed me a cream and told me that if I lost weight, the "hair problem" wouldn't be so bad. Well, it is now 2009 and I am no longer going to just accept what the dr. says b/c s/he has a medical degree! I am going to a new dr. on April 14 and this time I am loaded w/ info about PCOS. I know which blood tests I need and which meds might need to be prescribed. I WILL NOT LEAVE THAT OFFICE UNTIL I HAVE SOME ANSWERS!!! I have decided on getting a lap band to help me w/ my weight loss. I went to a seminar on April 8 at Mt Carmel West in Columbus. I have filled out my paperwork and will be mailing it back tomorrow. I am also going to attend a seminar at OSU on April 21. I want to get at least 2 perspectives before I commit to a facility/surgeon. I am also going to have to pay for this out of my own pocket. Therefore, I want to compare prices and what each surgery package includes. I am so excited about having this procedure! I am looking forward to chatting w/ E1 from Ohio who has had a bariatric surgery or is on their way to having one.

I just got back from the seminar at Mt Carmel West in Columbus, OH. It lasted over 90 minutes, but it was very informative. There was quite a large group there tonight. I have to fill out and send back a 16 page questionnaire and my insurance info. I should hear from the facility in 2-4 weeks to see if I have been accepted into their bariatric program after they have reviewed my paperwork. If I am accepted, I will then have a 1-1 consult w/ the surgeon (2-4 weeks). If I do not have to have any medical clearances needed, the surgery will be scheduled (4-6 weeks). So if everything goes well, I could have my surgery as early as the middle of June:) I do have to pay a $300 administrative fee and a $200 fee for the nutritionist once I decide to go ahead w/ the program.

Hello. I am just starting on my journey to health. My mother and I are both having the lap band surgery. Her dr. recommended she have the procedure done at Mt Carmel West (Cols., OH). She has Medicare and her costs will be covered 100%. I have UHC, but will probably be denied b/c of an WLS exclusion policy. I am going to go the self-pay route. Has anyone else had lap band surgery in the Columbus, OH area? If so, who was your surgeon and what was the cost? THANKS! :wink:

Hello. I was reading the threads about insurance & financing when I read one bander's thread and it got me to thinking. Her insurance wouldn't cover WLS, but it would cover her hiatal hernia repair. She discussed this w/ her surgeon and he agreed to put a lap band in place while fixing her hernia for a much reduced fee. I have seen other threads posted on here that talk about having hernias repaired while also having the lap band put in place. Many people (including the surgeons) look at the procedure as WLS w/ the hernia repair "tagging along for the ride." What if it was looked upon as a hernia repair w/ WLS incorporated??? It is worth a shot for us self-payers to see if insurance companies do cover hiatal hernia repairs and then ask the surgeon if s/he would be willing to put a band in place at a reduced cost.

OMG!!! This website and thread have been like a Godsend to me. About 12-13 years ago when the term PCOS first came into play, I went to my OB/GYN (1996) for my annual and asked her about it. She told me that the hair on my upper lip could easily be bleached or removed w/ NAIR and that I just need to go on a diet. I was too embarrassed to tell her about the hair on my chin, neck, cheeks, breasts, arms, and belly. Five years later (2001) and a different OB/GYN, I got the same lecture about my weight and she prescribed Vaniqua for me. Again, too embarrassed to mention all the places of have coarse, black hair. In 2006, I went to a seminar for the lap band. After finding out the procedure wasn't covered by my insurance, I thought my options were exhausted. Well, in Feb. '09, I decided to go to a new PCP. My appt. is on April 14. I have been doing quite a bit of research in the internet about PCOS for the past few months and gee... I have 6 of the main symptoms (weight gain, hirsutism, dark skin patches, skin tags, IR, and irregular periods). I am now going to my dr appt. loaded w/ information about PCOS, which blood tests in need, and the names of meds being currently prescribed for PCOS. I am also going to another lap band seminar on Apr. 8. I am going to pay for the surgery out of my own pocket. I am no longer going to just accept what ever a medical professional has to say just because s/he has a degree. I know my body! And thanks to this thread, I don't feel like such a fat, hairy freak any more! :confused:

PURE GENIUS! I never thought about getting my hiatal hernia repaired and just happen to have the surgeon put in a lap band at the same time. I just need to check out my surgical coverage.

Thank you for a most delicious pic of Mr. Stud:)