happygirl65

My nutritionist described it as the consistency you would feed a baby when you first start feeding them anything other than milk....you can mash it with a fork, but you have to really be pureed kind of ....like really mashed,...smashed bananas, apple sauce, malto meal, mashed potatoes, overly steamed veggies etc.

Well, it's easy to see how passionate people are about their struggle. It's only fair, this is a very personal struggle. One we all share or we wouldn't be here. It seems to me that someone trying to reach out for support should certainly get it, and I hope you do. You deserve that. We all do. Self pay sucks, and so does some insurance (I still have to pay $5k myself even with it) and I will be sorely dissapointed if this doesn't work for me. It seems your intention in writing this post was just to say..."HEY...don't rocket through this people, really try to see both sides because it ISN'T magic and it doesn't work for everyone". That shows a level of care and respect that is awesome. I thank you for that most sincerely. I have considered that it is an expensive gamble...but I have probably spent at least that much over the last 10 years trying everything else I could get my hands on and am tired of the cycle. The other surgery options don't appeal to my for my own personal reasons so...it's this for me and I hope for the best. But I will consider your words. It would be tremendously helpful to those who are undecided to know the good the bad and the ugly because that is reality. There are people who can't tolerate the band...it would be nice to hear all of the reasons why it doesn't work for particular individuals as a heads up ...in general... it's sad that it has to turn into a flame war sometimes and hurt feelings and judgements. It also seemed that you may perhaps want some advice before giving up completely on the band...if it weren't for the apparent war that seems to be declared for someone daring to say they don't like their band.... People do get defensive on both sides. Sorry that has happened to you. I appreciate your intentions. Perhaps you can make personal connections with people that don't seem to get rubbed the wrong way and go through private messages, or pop into your local support group and make a personal appearance with people who are also sharing your struggle. In any case I wish you all the best and hope you find your life long solution soon. We all deserve peace and happiness.

Well, I have not been banded yet but am moved by your situation. I have read a LOT about people having struggle with fills. The thing is though that you just have to get the right amount. Not too much, not too little. It is also possible that some of the fills you have had "missed" the port while they were trying to fill. Apparently that can happen a lot. Sometimes it helps to have them remove all of the Fluid, measuring it in the syringe, just to make sure how much you really have in there. Also the material the "balloon" is made out of can absorb a small amount of the fluid, and some can remain in the line to the port....so all of that may not actually be in the band and therefore has not quite been enough for you this far. I would hang in there and keep working with the doc you have. Tell him you are not ready to think about another surgery option at this point because in all reality until you found him you really werent under any consistant care at all. Couple that with all the stress of moving and daily life ...suffice it to say you have waited such a terribly long time but it sounds like you are finally making some progress and will finally have to go through that leanring curve in finding what makes you uncomfortable, eating slower, and finding what you can and can't do with your new level of restriction. Don't be afraid to have a very small amount removed if you are continuing to be uncomfortable. Too much fill can be just as bad for weight loss as not enough fill. I wish you the best of luck and hope you find the green zone in the very near future.

I had to pay $100 for my consultation, another $1200 for a program fee, $1000 surgery access fee, $2600 deductible....ouch.....$4900 for me and that is with BCBS of AZ

The 25th for me! As far as surgery jitters go...you just have to realize that this is something that is completely out of your control. Let go. You have to put faith in your surgeon to do a good job and bring you through it just like he/she has hundreds or perhaps thousands of times before. You will be fine. General ansethesia is simple...you go to sleep then you wake up and it's all over. People have been having surgeries for many many years. I myself ave been under GA 4 times. Each and everytime I am nervouse, but they have you count backwards or sometimes try to say the alphabet backwards...I ususally get to X and it's all over....next thing I wake up to is the nurse in recovery putting a warm blanket on me....COZY! See you all on the other side!

Actually starving yourself to the point of malnourishment is very different than learning to eat an appropriate serving of food. That is what the lapband does. The reason it works is because it basically tricks our brain into thinking we have eaten more than we have so we are satisfied with less. Right now, as obese people, we are at the mercy of our appetite and in our attempts to diet and deprive ourselves we get ravenously hungry....while some of us may call this "starving" we actually are not..it just feels that way because of the signals going to our brain calling for more food. Here is some real information written by a real lap band surgeon that is easy to understand. http://drsimpson.net/07_surgery_stories%20(SS)/7_SS_02/lapband/lap-band.htm

I have not been banded yet but have gone through the insurance hoops recently...waiting to hear from them on approval right now. The number one thing I can say is keep track of everything! Journal your progress....write down your previous diet histories if you can remember them, get medical records for the last 5 years gathered. Since you have 6 months on the weight watchers diet you have some time so you don't have to stress but the main thing is to be organized and have everything you need. Call your insurance company ( I know...scary pain in the butt) and ask what all of their requirements are and what proof is required etc. Some want to see weekly progress notes from a doctor...some just want a basic list from you of the diets you have been on...it varies greatly by insurance company. Make sure you have a weekly weigh in or weigh in at regular intervals at your doc's office...you don't really have to have an appointment to come in and weigh and have the nurse add it to your chart. I have heard of that one little detail messing people up big time! Most of all stay positive, make a list of the reasons why you are doing this and refer to it often. Good luck! Wishing you every happiness!

I can not believe some of the questions in here have a thing to do with how I feel about my body, surgery, or even my mental state. It seems completely rediculous actually. A lot of the questions were repeated in multiple ways, probably to see how consistant you are in your answers but questions about religion, and beliefs about political issues....what the heck? I really honestly dont see how I feel about gays in the military or abortion, or interracial marriage or inter faith marriage can tell them anything about my mental readiness for this surgery or even my overal mental health....it seems really stupid. The questions that clearly help define whether a person is depressed or wants to hurt themselves I can totally see but the other stuff just confuses me. So I am annoyed but completed the test honestly anyway. Now I am prepared to go next Wednesday and have it all evaluated and talk to the doc. I am glad actually because I really want to ask him what is up with these questions! I am excited for the nutrition class and hope to be submitted for approval next week. It is exciting. I am looking forward to this inspite of all the hoops for the insurance company.

Oh crud...this is kind of freakin me out since my surgery is in Phx and I live in Flagstaff...that is a difference of over 5800 feet in elevation I guess it may take more fine tuning than usual to find my sweet spot then....I am really worrying about it popping like my ears...wonder if that's even possible. More questions for the doc for sure.

I don't know for sure if there are, but you might check your local hospital...they have a support group in Flagstaff at my local hospital that is free and welcomes any WLS patient.

I wish everyone a happy and safe new year! I am hoping to be banded at the end of January. It is very exciting. To see more on my blog visit: http://toritattles.blogspot.com/

OMG...I had not considered the elevation factor. I am getting banded in Phx and live in Flagstaff ...that is an elevation difference of about 5800 feet oh crap...I guess I had better talk to my surgeon about that one!

Mine is http://toritattles.blogspot.com/

I think I will get banded on Jan 25th! I am so excited. Looking forward to the final word from insurance.

Definitely. A few years ago I lost 40 pounds and it made a HUGE difference in the bedroom...weight came back, lebido slaked off too. I think the mental aspect of feeling GOOD about yourself is the key. You start losing, he starts noticing, suddenly you can't keep your hands off each other.

Right on! I am with ya! Ready to get this life change going.

I have no idea but good luck!

It is called the OMNI Personality Inventory test and I guess a lot of insurance companies require it, mine happens to be one of them. My surgeons office says that the purpose of the psych eval is to introduce us to the idea that there will be some mental aspects to major weight loss that will need to be addressed and to introduce us to a person who can help with that. (besides the insurance requirement) it also helps determine if you have any undiagnosed or untreated depression which a lot of obese people do, and get the ball rolling to help with that. I went over the test with my husband asking him what he thought of some of the questions I considered odd, he said that how you answered those would definitely speak to your personality but more so would help define if you are fanatical about certain things and those "issues" tend to be things that set people off or they feel very strongly about. He thought it was a reasonable assessment even if it was very long. The majority of the questions were obvious things like whether I have tried to kill myself etc and whether I fear being alone etc. it was just those odd ones that threw me off.

When I started on a very low dose of antidepressant my appetite did diminish and I did lose some weight just because I wasn't craving food for comfort the way I had before the meds. In all honesty though it was something like 5 pounds. I am still on that very low dose over a year later and the effects are the same. It never wore off. I only do have the cravings when it's approaching that time of the month so it's more hormonal and less a means of self medicating. I really do think the meds help the seratonin so my brain isn't calling for some food that will boost it...if that makes sense. I think that you should pay attention to all of your body cues....if you don't have an appetite don't eat. My surgeon says that the band works by tricking the brain into thinking you have eaten more than you have....so if your brain thinks you are full perhaps it's working better than you think or the combination is just working well together. I wish you every bit of luck. You may just be on a temporary plateau but it is important to tell you doctor about all of your concerns. You sound perfectly reasonable with a well thought out set of questions that a professional should be able to help you with or explain better what is going on with your body. Very Best wishes in getting it all sorted out.

Also, have you taken your measurements? You might be rearranging a bit especially if you are exercising more than you did pre band.

Also call and talk to someone, find out if it is excluded specifically. There are self pay options as well...something to think about if you find out they wont cover it for sure.