Lose to Win

[b]Updated: Starting over AGAIN![/b]

[i][color=#0000FF]I had my surgery on July 2, 2010. Since I was self-pay, I had a limited follow up time that was covered from my initial surgery payment, so I rushed to get in as many fills as possible. I lost 35-40 pounds rather quickly. I couldn't eat bread or raw vegetables, but I was really eating beyond what I should have been. I had no real plan of action. I started throwing up frequently. I ended up having my band slip and a small hernia was discovered at the top of my stomach. All 6.5 cc's were taken out of my realize band in September 2011. Up to that point, I maintained a 35-40 pound loss without any real effort on my part. Needless to say, I gained back all the weight since I had no new skills and I was free to eat anything I wanted again. Feeling like a total failure, I developed severe heartburn and my health issues (kidneys, blood pressure, sleep apnea, etc.) continued to worsen.............so I considered taking the band out and just giving up. With some encouragement from the lapbandtalk.com forums, I have decided instead to "get started" since I never really have before. I have been put on Nexium which is controlling the reflux. In February, I had my first fill. On Friday, April 27, I had my second fill and currently have 2.5 cc's in my band. This weekend I have been doing liquids to mush. My plan is to go back monthly until I get to this "green zone" ...........but I have no clue how to know when I'm there. Any help/input is appreciated![/color][/i]





I am a single mother of three children (ages 15, 11, and 10). I have been overweight my entire life. (I weighed over 100 pounds at age 6). The first diet I remember was when I was in the fifth grade. My weight has been the focal point of everyday of my life. I have been on so many diets. I have experienced some success, but in Feb. 2010, I weighed in at Weight Watchers at 300.6. I finally reached the point that I swore I would never reach. I have kidney disease, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, and no energy. If I want to live a full life and stay off of dialysis, I have to lose a significant amount of weight. After attending the initial seminar at UVA and reading many books about bariatric procedures, I had hope for my future. Then, I found out that my insurance won't pay for it because the school system where I work doesn't have the rider. After a little research, I found out why! Apparently, in 2004, the Virginia legislature passed a mandatory coverage law for bariatric surgery; however, the law says that an insurance company has to [i][u]offer and make available[/u][/i] the coverage to groups. Anthem offers it at a hefty 7% increase in premiums. It is no secret that public education budgets are in crisis, and a $250,000 annual increase in premiums is far from "available." How frustrating for a person who has paid premiums to Anthem for almost 20 years! I have been able to acquire a loan to pay for the lap band. This has made me very happy since I need this procedure; however, I already work two jobs and this doesn't help! Anyway, I have been doing lots of reading about the LapBand and realize that it isn't the "easy way" out, but it does give me hope for my future. I have an appointment with Dr. Schirmer at UVA on June 10. I very much look forward to get the process "officially" in motion. I welcome any help and am very curious about whether there are any support groups in Virginia for lapband patients. Also, does anyone have experience getting a group started in your area?