ChanginMyStars

Hello everyone! I joined this site about 4 or 5 months ago, and learned soooo very much from everyone here, and wanted to thank you all for all your help! This site has helped me deside my doctor and reasureance that this is really what I want and that I will be prepared for my journey ahead. That being said...I wanted to share with you my excitement. I finally made it offical! Yesterday I got my surgery date! WOO HOO! I will be have my lap band done on December 10th! I know it is a long ways off but it gives me something to look forward to and I am so very very excited!!!!

cmdtl, Yeah I can see how nobody would buy that ww thing if the person who lost the weight was not known to put forth much effort to loose weight but at the same time my cusin lost a great deal of weigh threw ww and is doing a great job with it. Everything is about personal choices. Now myself, I have always kept my weight issues to myself. If I would diet... I choose not to speak about it because I have heard enough negitve feedback on my size therefore I don't talk about it. It has been my personal experence that people like to judge me before they care to see the reason behind my health issues so I shut down the info train years ago. However, I DO tell people the honest to goodness truth if they ask me and are genuanlly interested in what I have to say. People are going to think what ever they want regardless of what I tell them on my weightloss, so I tell them what I am comfortable telling them and let them make there own decition, cuz lets face it they will any way. So you do whatever feels right to you and don't let anyone change that. Like I said earlier...your live, your choice! Look luck to ya girl!! Wishing you all the best and a succesful jorney!

cmdtl, I can relate. Although my situation is slightly different. I am the one who has opted not to tell anyone unless they need to know. My family (hubby and kids) and my parents, sister and grandmother know is all and that is how I preffer it to be. I would not have this done and not tell my father.... if your step dad and you have any kind of a respectable relationship (and you probably do) than he would want to know about the surgery and would support you, but it is up to you tell him if you wish. This is your life, your surgery and YOUR choice to tell who you wish.

Hi Laura B. I can relate. Not for me personally but I have watched my mother in-law put on the pounds over the last 3-5 yrs. For as long as I've known her she has always been glued to the tube (t.v. but just as bad as the pc) She stays up late, sleeps till 2 or 3 in the afternoon and eats out for every meal, and the rest of her day is glued to her chair. Don't get me wrong.....it is her life and she can do what she wants but she now has high blood pressure and colesteral, is well over 200 lbs. and is now diabetic. Also my sister has had a HUGE infatuation with her pc....to the point that she lost her hubby over it. When something becomes a problem to the point that it affects your health and/or your family, then it is time for intervention!!! If I where you....I would set up a scheual. Limit your time on the pc. I know it is hard but turn the pc OFF and do other things. Go for a walk...shopping... swimming.... see a friend... do house work or take an outdoor sport. I love to take pictures....I go all over town looking for photo opp. Just limit your pc time to an hour or two in the evening for example. Use it as your way of winding down for the night and a reward for beining actived during the day. You can't let the pc control you! You and ONLY YOU have the power to change the way things are going, and since you already know what your problem is then half the battle is won. You admit the problem....now fix it. Please forgive if I have offended you but I hate to see someones life ruled by a peice of equipment.... and sometimes inorder to change things, someone has to just tell you CHANGE! Wishing you luck in our power over the pc!

I agree with maryrose. There are thousands upon thousands of threads in this forum....if you take the time to look around and just read, 9 times out of 10 you will find the awnser to any question you might have. I'm not banded yet either and had some q's about the whole life style changes (cuz lets face it, that is what living with the lapband with be) and instead of posting all the questions I had, I would read. Spending hours on here reading during my free time, just to be sure this is what I wanted and I have found awnsers, both good and bad to the questions I had. Another thing I have learned about this forum is that the people here are VERY honest about their experiances and their opinions and unfortunatly since you didn't give it time, you are probably in for alot of harsh words that you won't want to hear but if you relax and just obserive and take all the info in....I think and hope you will find that this forum is a wonderful source and very helpful. No body can see you over the internet, their for you are judged hear by what you post. I honestly dont think there are cliques here, just some people are more out going than others. So just obserive and take in all the info. That is what I do and I have learned soooo much. I really hope you give this forum another chance.

I agree with everyone here. I have been dealing with my weight for years and when I was your age my dr actually was the one who brought up the lapband. I just didnt have the money to do it then. So for money reasons he put me on anti-depress pills too. Didnt do anything for my appietite. So I have been looking around for surgens and found one in CO that I am going to have do my band. He only cost 10,000, doesnt need a referal from a doc, no pre op diet. Only draw back is he doesnt deal with insureance, however if you can get your insurance to pay out, he just needs it paid for 14 days be for surgery date. So I would just look around for a doc near you who doesn't require a doc referral. Resurch, resurch.....there are ways for you to get what you want.

I have been doing alot of research on the lap band and have decided to have it done in late November, early December but the only thing I havent been able to find much about is the post op meds. Are they just pain killers for after the surgery? Are they long term meds that I will be one for months or maybe years? I would love it if someone would be able to give me some insight as to what the meds are exactly, and if it helps I am having dr. kirstenbaumb in CO do my lap band. Thanks so much for any imput!

BJean, I have done some resurch on the sleeve and to be honest it kinda scares me, however im not sure why. Same with the bypass....I just doesnt feel right for me if you know what I mean. I have been looking into this for quite some time and really do think that this is the way to go. I do so thank you for the advice and suggestions. I have consider them all. Thanks so much again.

I am fat ..... I wasn't always fat. In high school I was really skinny, active and felt amazing. Then one day I passed out. Just out like a light....when I came to, my chest was killing me and I was freezing. Ambulance called and doctors seen, it was discovered that I had a condition called "Vasodepressorsincopy" a.k.a. abnormality in the reagulation of my blood pressure causing my heart to off be and as a result my blood pressure would plumit, my heart would start to pump harder to compincate and it would be lights out. I was 15 when that happened. I was put on a medication for a long periode of time that as a side affect would cause weight gain. (wasn't told about that until 60 pounds or so gained) The aslo took away ALL physical activity for 2 years until docs were sure that was the problem. I couldn't even walk a golf course! Well you put thoes to things together alone with depression and vwalla FAT! Now I have also developed fibromialgya so not only am I fat now but I feel like someone took a baseball bat to every inch of my body. I feel brused everywere but nobody can see the bruses....my joints hurt and my muscles feel like they have been threw the workout of 10 olypians! But no longer! I am having my surgery in October of this year and I WILL lose the weight. It wont fix the FMS...I will have that for the rest of my life but I will lighten the pain by loseing the weight.

SunsetWatcher, Im sure when you posted that question that you where just thrilled to see that you got nothing for the most part but unhelpful chatter about rudeness and name calling. I would have to agree Parrothead Cathy on finding a price to have the band removed by contacting your insurance or doc who put the band in and also with Donnaivna on going to the life after lap-band removal threads. I do know someone who has had their band removed and it cost about the same amout as it did to have it put in. She also paid out of pocket for both surgeries, no insureance was used. Hope this helps more that the debate over the name calling and disscustion of what is or is not considered rude or taken wronge.

I myself am unbanded but will be joining the "banded gang" in October and I can see where the nurse is coming from as far as her green eyes. I would have been jealous of the fact that someone smaller than myself was able to get the band, only because it has been the biggest fight of my life to be able to get the band for myself. HOWEVER, I would have NEVER treated someone who had the band done before me as poorly as she treated you. She had NO right!!! Everyone is different and our needs are different. What you do with your body is your own business. Like some, I am not telling anyone who doesn't need to know about my haveing the band done. Tho I am not telling people because I don't want them to say things like "She only had it done because she wanted to take the easy way out" or "She never tried to lose weight on her own" Anyone who has done their homework on this surgery would know that this is going to be far from easy, it is a complet change in frame of mind and a totally new life long commitment and lifestyle. Plus, what I do to my body is my own business and mine alone. I will do whatever I feel is important for my health and frame of mind. I couldn't agree more with you and your thoughts on her opinion!

I have been looking into getting the lapband done for while and finally found the doctor I want to use, but my insurance has denied any help that has to do with obesity. I was going to be able to pay for the surgery with money I had saved but in March I had kidney stones which totally dried up the money pool. I can't afford to finance through a bank either as I already have a loan out for my car and with three kids (the oldest of which is 5) money is tight enough already. However, I feel that my body needs this surgery in before the onset of diabetis or blood pressure problems become and issure. So what I was wondering is if anyone had any other suggestions on a method of payment and are willing to share their info....I would be truly greatful. Marcy

See thats the thing.....they use to cover this type of thing until 2005 and now they dont. It kinda went the wrong way for me.:grouphug:

Cloteal, My insurance is Midlands Choice (a.k.a. Mid-America Benifits) and they said they no longer cover ANYTHING having to do with obisity...be it surgery or meds or anything and I am havin' a really hard time getting any help or an up to date copy of my policy. The insurance is through my husbands work and even they don't have a recent copy.

Thanks so much for replying. I was afraid that I was probably just out of luck for a while since my money went to other hospital bills, but I thank you both very much for responding. kissy you gave me something to think about. Thanks a million!

Hi there! Just wanted to thank everyone who replyed to me. The info was really helpful and really helped me and my family see that this doc is the one for me. Thanks for everything and I hope to join the banded soon. Marcy

Hi everyone! My name is Marcy. Im from Nebraska and have been on the long journey of trying to find the right Dr. for me. I have stumbled on to Dr. Kirshenbaums web page and have been just thrilled with the info I am getting. The price alone was enough for me to start to dance as I have to fund the surgery myself. I was just wondering what people who have had the surgery done already think of him. I was also wondering about some of the prep steps are before the surgery. I have contacted Dr. K via email and he responded with (what he referred to as) the usual out-of-town information that Natilie usually sends. I was pleases with his politeness and the speed with which he replied to my email, but Im afraid that is all I have been able to find out. My parents and husband have been really supportive of my desition to have the surgery but in looking for the right doctor, I'm afraid they have turned into the FBI. Digging up every little bit of info they can find. Calling family in Denver, the Better Business Burrow...ect. which is wonderful but I have said that this would be the best way to find out what he is like and what all the steps would be, is to ask the people who have been there and have actually gone threw it. So please, if anyone has anything they are willing to share with me I would be forever greatful. Thank you so very much. Marcy