dzeteo

Going through process now and have only told my wife. I won't tell anyone else. Also doing P90x now and will continue a workout after surgery to aid weight loss. I have ran the idea passed a couple of close friends and they have VERY negative thoughts about it. It's really no one else's business except my own. Just too much negativity out there, been dealing with it my entire life--so now I am ready to get rid of this weight without negativity from those around me. Except my wife is jealous, she thinks she is fat, but she is just fine. So she wants to get fatter to qualify for the surgery, silly girl!

Why don't you just start today? Nothing you can do about it, the time is passed. If you were anemic and you didn't take your iron to build up your hemoglobin then that could make you medically suboptimal for surgery. You need to tell the surgeon, they should know.

I think it would be a great idea for you to talk to your doctor about this and maybe get an xray. Loss of height can be incredibly abnormal. Sure, some shrinkage is normal with age, but if your loss was 1.5 inches in a short amount of time then it might be a symptom of something more sinister. Vertebral crush fractures will cause height loss, these can happen if osteoporosis runs in your family or for a number of other reasons. In any case, call your primary care physician and get seen. Don't sit on it.

That is TOO funny. I LOL'd when I envisioned you doing the happy dance.

Thanks everyone. I was reading today that the process at Mayo takes 3-6 months and that the psych eval is probably the longest part of the process. Ins covers, and am hopeful to the things going this week. Maybe a nice Christmas gift to myself, my wife and kids.

Will be meeting my doc this week to get the ball rolling towards surgery. I have various co-morbidities and BMI 51. Insurance will approve surgery if done at a center of excellence. But my question is: How long from beginning to surgery does the process run? I mean, once I ask my doctor about the surgery, what do patients need to do? Is there some kind of waiting period, or trial of diet and exercise? Just curious.

Yes, after re-reading your post, the problem is likely being too tight. The GB removal has nothing to do with the acid reflux, just a coincidence. If it continues you may need to be relaxed, like the office says.

Be sure when talking to doc/nurse that you are not calling it 'bile reflux'. It would be IMPOSSIBLE for the band to cause that. If you call it that they might think you are a little bit off and take you less seriously. You are describing acid reflux, which from what I hear is not all that uncommon of a thing for people who have been banded. Treatment would be an acid controller such as omeprazole, which you could purchase over-the-counter. Be sure you talk to your doctor before starting the regimen, I do not see a problem with it, but then again I am not experienced in treating banded patients.

Am not banded but know the physiology: Fat has an enzyme called 'aromatase'. This enzyme will convert testosterone in your body to ESTROGEN! So, the more fat you have, the more aromatase you have and that means more estrogen than the average lean mean. With weight loss, the testosterone/estrogen balance changes to favor the man hormone. This means all those things we like: increased muscle mass, increased energy, increased sex drive, and a bigger cock. (I'm LOL, I had to say it.) [The penis responds to testosterone, so with a better balance it would gain more tissue in theory.]

'get the balling rolling'= I haven't even considered this treatment before. So will be discussing it for the first time with my endocrinologist. Apparently they give the referral to surgeons, I don't know if I could get it through my PCP, but will try when I go in on Wednesday. Just been really tough lately, guess we've all been through it. Done lots of WW, and had great short-term success. Have been having lots of issues with osteoarthritis and sleep issues with OSA. Have a CPAP btw. I just need more energy and stamina. Feels like I have the will, but have undermined myself along the way numerous times. My guess is that with my BMI so high there won't be many pre-surgical requirements. But I need to call my ins to find out.