dontgoggilme

yesterday i had an appt with my pcm (i'm tricare prime) asking for referral to go see dr. norwood (wls surgeon). today the referral got approved and dr. norwood's office called and scheduled my consultation! yay! i am going on jan 25 and dr. norwood said i could be banded as early as three weeks from that date. i'm soooo ready and can't wait!!!! :tt1::thumbup:

you look awesome! good work!

i can totally see a difference, too! you're doing great!!!!

but do any of you who already have the band feel like your desire to have sex has diminished? i have a friend who has the band and she lost all desire shortly after the surgery. i've also watched a few youtube vids by banders who say they have lost the desire, too. me and my husband are both worried about this. lol

with all the differences that everyone's pre-op diet seems to have, i am starting to wonder how each doc decides what they think is acceptable and unacceptable for their patients. i mean, i've heard so many different things and it's so frustrating. like one doc saying protein shakes only. another saying anything as long as it's a liquid. others allowing some solids or mushies. some saying no dairy and others saying make sure to have lots of dairy. how the heck do they decide???

i am a military wife and tricare prime. i have an appointment next week to see my pcm and get my referral to go see my surgeon. since i haven't actually gone through the process myself yet, i can't actually speak from experience. but what i can talk about is what a friend of mine (fellow military spouse and tricare prime member) experienced on her Quest to get lapband done. for her, the whole thing took about a month or less. she saw her pcm (the same one i have) and asked for the referral. referral was approved in like three days. she saw the surgeon shortly after that. then she made the appointments for all her pre-op stuff. she had her's done in 08 and at that time this surgeon was not doing any kind of pre-op liquid diet so there was no two week delay there. she was banded in about a month. tricare paid for everything 100%. they even pay for all her post op visits and fills to this day (over one year later). the only thing tricare didn't pay for was the surgeon's $200 program membership fee. so basically she paid $200 for the surgery and everything that goes with it. all in all the process was really easy and smooth for her (insurance process i mean) and i'm hoping it'll be the same for me. especially since i meet the criteria even more so than she did. hopefully that helps out with the questions about how does it differ for getting approved and getting after care here in the states. =)

the nurse at my soon to be surgeon's office told me that their pre op diet is 2 weeks and is liquids only. i won't get to eat lean cuisines and stuff like others have. liquids only and they even said no jello! i'm like what??? lol but i know it will be worth it in the end. =)

i just went to my seminar today, too!!!! a friend of mine (who already has the lapband) came with me to be supportive. the dr was awesome and so was the other staff that was there. i am soooo ready and can't wait for my consultation appointment. =)

i went to the seminar today and have an appointment with my pcm (i'm tricare prime) to get a referral to my lapband doc next week. the doc said that tricare goes fast and i can have the surgery in as little as three weeks from the date of my consultation. i have a friend who had it done using tricare prime as well and hers took about one month from consultation date to band date. i hope all goes well with mine. if it does i could be getting banded next month! yay!

i'm glad someone posted this question because i'm still not sure what i want to tell my kids.they are 10 and 7 and know that it's something that helps you lose weight. i like the idea of telling them the dr is giving me something to help me be healthier. thanks! =)

Hi. I'm new here. Just registered a few minutes ago. I'm 5 foot 3 and weigh about 230 pounds which is said to be extremely obese or morbidly obese or whatever. i'm 28. i have two kids. i've tried losing weight on my own over the years but it's always a slow process and i usually gain most of it back. i'm bigger than i've ever been. even heavier than i was when i was 9 months pregnant. i've noticed over the past few years that i've developed some activity induced asthma which i think has a lot to do with being overweight. i've also noticed that it's getting harder and harder for me to do simple things without difficulty.... things like tying my shoes, bending over, etc. i have a friend who had LAP-BAND® a little over a year ago and she's so happy with it and has lost over 75 pounds. however she still gets sick sometimes. i'm scared of the surgery even though it would not be the first time i've had surgery and i'm scared of having issues after the surgery. my friend had to be on a totally sugar free diet (although she cheats) and i worry about that becuase if i have those artificial sweetners they make me sick to my stomach. even splenda. so i worry i won't be a good candidate since i can't have artificial sweetners. i really want to have the surgery. it would be completely paid for (all but like $300) by my insurance and i recently lost my job so it's not like i'd have to miss work right now or anything. my husband says i'm beautiful the way i am but he will support me if i want to do this. i'm becoming more and more unhappy with my body and self image every day that goes by. i'm just really scared. anyone offer any advice?