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Hi everyone - new member here. I have been researching lapband surgery for a couple of weeks now. Been considering some kind of bariatric surgery for a couple of years now, but after watching the people at work who have had gastric bypass and all the problems they have had I was scared to do it. After reading about the lapband, I feel comfortable with this method. I am going to the free info seminar next Thu in Houston. I talked to our HR lady who had gastric bypass 4 years ago and she said our insurance (Anthem BC/BS PPO) was good about approving people as long as they meet the requirements (which I do). I will be 49 in January, I am 5' 2" and I weigh 100 pounds more than I did before I had kids (my oldest turns 23 on Christmas Eve). I have been yo-yo dieting for the last 20 years and I am sick of it and tired of being hungry all the time and a slave to my hunger. I am so impressed with all the support and information on this forum!

Slippers you can just slip on when you want to walk or pee. Life saver for me! And Chapstick. Omg u are without water the entire day of surgery and into the next!! I wasn't given a toothbrush, but asked for. Bring a small small bag. Where clothes there u will come home in and pay attention to ur waste band. Phone charger and I brought extension cord bc my iPhone cord is so damn short. And panties. I saw 3 panties. Don't worry about anything else. U won't care.

Hi all, My sleeve surgery is scheduled for May 8th. When I met with the surgeon last week to schedule the surgery, the first thing he asked me when he walked in the room was "so why the sleeve?" I answered him and he proceeded to tel me that he thinks bypass would be better for me because on the sleeve, I will most definitely get heartburn for the remainder of my life, also that bc i have a family history of diabetes, that with the sleeve I am more likely in 10 to 15 years to still develop diabetes, and lastly that with my height and weight and getting the sleeve, I will only ly lose about 5 lbs but with the bypass, i will lose around 60 to 80. I have foe a lot of research and found that the sleeve is the best option for me and I stuck to my guns, even as he stared me down waiting for me to change my mind. But now I second guessing my sleeve decision and thinking the bypass would be better for me. Anyone have any experience with this dilemma? Thanks in advance

This isnt really right. Tricking your body into satiety like a band does doesnt negate the fact that you're underfeeding it. It still has to learn to be VERY efficient with what it is fed. Starvation mode is a contentious issue, and not everyone agrees it exits, but for some people super duper low calories dont result in much weight lost - although over time it HAS to. But the sad fact is for ALL of us who have lost weight, they dont remove the band at the end because in the process of losing we have all taught our bodies to become remarkably efficient and most of us can probably never again eat the calories that a person of our weight who had never been fat could eat. We will always have to undereat to maintain our losses. It may not be by much, but even an excess of 100 calories a day does result in a lot of weight over say a decade. Moderate calories and slower weight loss is better. Most women cant really achieve adequate nutrition under 1000 calories a day and honestly, a band that restricts you to 700 or so is probably too tight (apart from in the post op phase). If you eat too little, you will lose a lot of lean body tissue as well as fat and that compounds the metabolism slowing problem doubly - since muscle is metabolically active and the more of it you have, the more you can eat. I had a good example of this the other day. As a 5ft 10 150lb woman, who is very fit, I can eat quite normally - about 1800 calories a day to maintain my weight. That's fantastic. But to do that, I have to run for an hour most days and do some good honest heavy strength training on a regular basis. My pals at uni were incredulous, being 20 somethings who had never been fat - most of them ate much more calories than me - because being that age, there was a fair bit of alcohol and fast food in there - and never exercised. They stay THINNER than I am and were generally much smaller too (I'm very tall) so the calorie disparity is really obvious. I dont care, 1800 a day to me is generous, satisfying and allows for a very normal diet. But it illustrates a point.

Hi All, Well i have a little dillema...:confused2:I am getting my band May 12th. I have ran into a speed bump though. My husbands 2 best friends are having a birthday party this saturday. Apparently i cant eat anything and i cant drink (alcohol):thumbdown:...I would have loved to go but it just doesnt sound like ANY fun due to my issues. I told my husband this and he got all upset about it. :angry:I told him to go by himself and he said no, i want you to go...so i said okay ill go but i do NOT want to be there for very long. He got upset with that but dealt with it..i guess:glare:. So i am going to this party with 25yr old single men who are going to be getting drunk with their skinny rude girlfriends and they are going to be wondering hmmm why is victors wife not eating or drinking?:bored: I dont want to tell them i am having WLS...maybe i dont want to tell them b/c i dont want to embarrass myself:sneaky:. (He doesnt want me to have the surgery bc he loves me not matter what even if i have 13 fingers:lol:). I really dont know what to tell them. Can anyone help me think of something to tell them...i dont want them to think im being rude and i just dont want to be around them. ( i really dont bc of my surgery) Really confused and frustrated:incazzato: Mandi Jo

I’d always bounced between being a healthy weight & being on the top end of overweight. Then I became perimenopausal, then menopause & I became obese I swear overnight. Couldn’t lose more than a couple of kilos which would come back even more quickly. I battled for a good 4 years. A friend who’d lost a lot of weight told us she’d had the surgery and about three months later I woke one morning & decided enough. Got an appointment with my GP who gave me a referral to a surgeon (the one my friend saw). It was about 5 weeks between the morning I made my decision & my surgery. So very glad I did. I didn’t have any comorbidities though I knew if I continued at that weight I soon would. I was fed up with my large body because it wasn’t who I really was. My energy was compromised & I felt I couldn’t play with my younger nieces & nephews as I wanted. Looking back I realise I also used to work harder & do more at work or home to prove my weight wasn’t limiting me. Another factor was I love fashion, clothing designs & fabrics & my choice was being restricted by my size (about a US14). To me the difference between the surgery & medications is you’ll always have the changes to your digestive system but medications are a temporary artificial change. Of course in the end both depend on your willingness to make permanent changes to how you eat, what you eat & why you eat. If you go back to eating how & what you did before you will regain weight regardless of the surgery (you can eat around your surgery if your determined to) or medications. All the best.

i have to thank everyone that has helped me out so far on here - this site is a great big help!! my chest pains and tightness is gone now- thanks to the help- Rocko- the first week i couldnt eat anything bc of the pain- its good that you are burping though- that pain in chest is all caused by gases that accumulate throughout your body - mine was behind breastbone and in my back...i took the gas-x pills and walked and it helped it overnight.. i am not taking in more then 500 calories a day- well except today bc i cheated - :cry but try the gasx pills- it helps alot now i have a question- someone explain the fill to me- my first one is coming up on Thursday and im nervous- is it painful??

Every 3 hours sounds easier then it is turning out to be ☹️ Everyone suggests the good fats, I use Olive Oil when cooking but don't eat nuts nor nut butters. I am not a fan of anything but peanut butter and I haven't allowed myself to have it yet. (I have a tendency of over eating it). I get enough protein bc that is mostly all I eat.

I am really trying 2 stay positive about this whole weight lost process thing . How do i ignore that the weight is not coming off when im counting calories, protein, n im execersing . Its tearing me apart bc i know its only a tool but i dnt think mine is working. Then im reading how everyone else is losing n being happy. I hear be patient. Well when u try something new n u see a difference that gives u motivation 2 keep going it gives u hope that u can do it. But when u dnt see the results or the weight go down what do u have... I have tears, fears, frustration, n headaches . I go 2 the doctor 2morrow im going 2 show him my food journal n request fill number 2 :-( tiffany

Everyone is different, but there is a common thread that a lot of us have issues with hormonal BC post op. I don't really know what it is that causes it but you see a lot of complaints. Maybe it's that we're already hormonal post op because of the fat cells that store hormones being burned off. Who knows? You'll just have to find what works for you. If you go IUD do your research. I loved some parts of having Mirena (hormonal IUD) but I could not lose weight on it and it increased my hair loss. I have heard good things about Paraguard (non-hormonal IUD) but for me it wasn't an option, as I needed a hormone to control endometriosis. I had almost no periods on my IUD - very little spotting for a while and then nothing, though, so if that's what you want it might be the option for you. ~Cheri

Dr just called back and said I can get in the pool! I didn't think I could bc im still a week from making 1 month! Dr knows best I guess! thank u!

Hi my name is Pamela and I had been very unhappy as an overweight person. I was always an obese person even as a child. In high school I was popular but I knew deep down inside I was just the "fat friend with the cute face". I graduated from high school weighing 190 pounds. I then went off to college and the freshman 15 (that is how much you typically gain during your first year of college) turned into the freshman 30. Even by the time I left college I was much heavier than I was in high school. With this being said I still was not to the point were I was fed up with my weight. I felt I could live with it and if no one else could, well that was their problem. I had gotten married in 2004 and became really comfortable with my life. I had a husband who loved me for me so I subconciously figured I could eat whatever and whenever I wanted. Well I kept this up for the next 2 1/2 years and ended up ballooning to the weight of 292 pounds :omg: . I thought to myself what the hell happened. Well the fried chicken, ribs, mac and cheese day in and day out happened. Not to mention the Reeses easter eggs (both in white and milk chocolate) and the Pillsbury deserts, you know the ones you drizzle caramel and fudge on top when you take it out of the . Well I had got to my "Ah ha" moment. I knew I was slowly but surely killing myself. I knew I had diabetes and hypertension that ran on both sides of the family. So I had to do something. I had heard about the Lap-Band procedure but knew nothing about it. So I did my research and found a surgeon by the name of Dr. Robert Quinlan :clap2: who is my godsend. I had a seminar in October of 2006 and was officially notified that I a candidate for surgery. Well this was the best news for me but I still had to go through the pre-testing such as the ultrasound, pschy, and various other testing to see if I could physically stand to have the surgery done. I wasn't concerned about the test results being that I was 27 years old and had no current health problems besides being morbidly obese (oh and the 3 three protruding "love" handles that were on both sides of me in addition to my "thunder thighs"). Well it took me six months to go through the mandatory testing to be approved for surgery. When the surgeons office finally called me to let me know that my insurance was approving it I thought I was going to faint. Six anxious months had finally paid off. And not to mention I had lost 12 pounds before surgery to decrease the size of my liver. I had my surgery March 29, 2007. The day I went home from surgery I weighed 280 pounds and to date (Sept 3, 2007) have lost 60 pounds (yay! :bounce:). I eat ABSOLUTELY nothing fried and no sweets. I figured that between unhealty food and my obsessive eating its what got me to this point in the first place SO NO MORE!! I exercise at least three times per week whether it be going downstairs to the gym, power walking outside (which isn't very fun in 90 degree weather) or turning on exercise tv and working out. I hate to exercise :whoo: but I know it's half (if not 60 percent) of the battle of weight loss so I force myself to do it. I love the band and have no problem tolerating any healthy foods even fibrous ones like broccoli. I want to at least get down to 150 pounds and plan on having a abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) done at that time. I would encourage anyone who has had repeated failures at weight loss whether it be Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, or Slim Fast (oh and can't forget about the Richard Simmons way of weight loss too been there done that), go to a lap band seminar and get the skinny on the way to a better life. Now I understand it's not for everyone but it really saved me from continuing to lead myself to an early grave.

Hello there I am from BC and I am having my surgery tomorrow! I am a self-pay as well. There are two surgeons in Vancouver who currently preform the lapband surgery. It took four months from start to finish to get this far. I was tempted to travel south and get the surgery done in Washington state, as it would have gotten done sooner. However, I know that if something went seriously wrong and I needed medical help ASAP it would most likely be covered by our medical care in Canada. Downside- the band may not be recoverable if you needed serious surgery. When I was choosing between Canada and the US I called the clinic and talked to them about this very issue and they informed me that if there were problems that there would be out of pocket expenses, because I had no medical insurance. I did not want to go bankrupt, so I made my choice based solely on that fact alone. After the payment everything is covered because in Canada once the surgeon operates on you he must continue care without payment. That is why that insist on payment upfront. I would stayed in Canada because it is safer in the long run. Also if something goes wrong my doctor is closer.

I've sewn for a long time -- in fact I have a BS in Home Ec. I started quilting in about 2000. I'm waiting for a surgery date. I've been getting through all the tests and pre-op stuff, and it's taken months. My date should be in late October, or early November, but I have to prove I've lost the 15 pounds first. I've got 13 down my first week of dieting, and two to go, but no weight loss this week. Sticking with it though. Boy, you have less than two weeks before the big day. Good luck! I think it's going to be life-changing, don't you?

I've read both of your posts, the polyp/BC conundrum and this ab pulled muscle - God knows i'm not a doctor. I do think that the muscle pull is just something that has to heal on its own, but try a heating pad,along with the ice. If your insurance covers it i'd get a second Gyno opinion.

Dr. Schmitt did complete my surgery on December 18, 2006. He was so wonderful, I cannot even begin to explain how wonderful my experience was. I have lost 65 pounds. I am scheduled for another fill next week. I was too tight in May and in June he took some out of my band. This is September and I cant wait to get to my goal weight. Dr. Schmitt has always answered all of my question. This has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. I feel like a different person. I am 36 years old and feel like I did when I was in high school. The only bad thing was that when I was to tight I would throw up alot. I went back to the doctor and everything has been fine since. I have BC/BS of Alabama and it would not pay for my surgery. I was self pay. This has been the best money I have every spent.

I wonder if this place only ever gives 1.2 ccs or less bc I once again got 1.2 cc. Oh well. I guess I will just stick it out. I got a different lady this time and she let me schedule for 2 wks out this time. So, if I have no restriction it is not too long before I go back. Hopefully I will feel something...

Thanks for the advice!!!! I do find my fiance attractive, im wonderin if i am over thinking my own body bc without clothes ugh i gross myself out but i see my own imperfections and they end up being my main focus. Ill try to work on it i guess i need to find my confidence in the bedroom again lol

Addendum to all that BS I wrote above...... I don't bother with my scales anymore anyway....... I go by how my clothes fit.

So, Ive been lurking on these boards forever reading all of your stories and hoping that one day I would get to share my story as well. I looked into the bypass more than a year ago when my doctor suggested it, I was fed up with my wieght, I dont seem to lose weight anymore I go on diet after diet to no avail and come out heavier than i started. I got diagnosed with pre diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension and knew I had to make a change.. Unfortuanately when I started the journey then, I lost insurance and wasnt able to carry through, but I kept believing that one day, maybe, I to, would be a success story. I spent a year researching and making sure this was absolutely the option I wanted to take. Im really excited I have met with a nutritionist, I have a doctors appointment tomorrow, I have my psych eval set up in May and I have called my Cigna insurance spoke with them a couple of times and I have a 3 month waiting period with the dietician. I have always been overwieght since around the age of 10. I remember my doctor talking to my mother about getting me on a diet, and she declined saying it was stress of the loss of grandparents. That stress eating got me to the pleasently plump woman I am today.. The woman who feels like she has gotten to a point of no return. I actually lost a significant amount of weight about 4 years ago, I had gotten tired of it and completely revamped my life I lost 90 lbs! I looked amazing, I loved being alive, I had a whole new love for fittness that I had never thought was possible! I really miss that girl, and Im sure my kids do to. I got pregnant with my twins and the weight came on like no other.. I gained 80 lbs with my twins but actually once i delivered and healed from my vertical c-section them I was only about 30 lbs more than when i started. I of course had a lot of excess skin, something only cosmetic surgery will fix, but I felt good. Unfortunately, the next year and a half of sleepless nights caused my weight to spiral out of control, throw in every stress imaginable with being a mother of 4, working full time, finishing a degree, and LIFE and what do you get, ME! I know that my weight has put a strain on my relationship, I'm to the point that I dont want to leave the house because I feel so ashamed. My kids use to love when I took them on hikes and bike riding, and now it doesnt even seem obtainable. I feel horrible that I have allowed myself to become like this. I always put my children first and did everything for them and their health and making sure they had a good life and everything they could ever want, I just never thought my weight was taking away from them.. but now I know it is. As far as support goes, little to none, but that doesnt stop me I have always been my biggest cheerleader when it comes to getting what I want anyway. My fiance "supports" it but he got angry at me the other day and told me I was being selfish to him and he didnt have anything to look forward to and now i do. I know that when it comes down to it, this decision and my new lifestyle will cause some issues with us, however at this point I feel that I'm doing the right thing for me and my future. I hope that once he sees the changes in me, and starts to see me for the girl I was when he met me, maybe his attitude will change.

Good luck to you. It will be worth every penny. I too was self pay. I pay Anthem BC/BS 700.00 per month for insurance for hubby and me and they wouldn[t pay a dime. I went to Mexico and had the most world reknown surgeon who'd done over 7000 and the biggest, nicest hospital and wonderful aftercare and wouldn't change a thing. You will be so proud you did this. I was only out 8500.00 but it's still the best thing I ever did for myself. I will be thinking about you and keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.

I have 2 questions that I'm looking for some information on. I was told that after the gastric sleeve you can't take an NSAIDs anymore? But when I do research some say u can just not every day, others say not at all, and some even say they were never told anything about it. I ask bc I'm having major back issues. I'm really inflamed all throughout my spine and they suggested taking an anti inflammatory but I didn't think I could so I looked into natural supplements and they say turmeric is really beneficial for inflammation so I was thinking of trying that but I'd really like input on taking, ibuprofen or aleve etc... My other question is about weight loss. I had the surgery out 29th of last year so I'm almost a year out and I've only lost 50lbs and I still Need to lose 40 more. I started noticing at about 6 months out I was able to eat more and more I wasn't getting the full feeling like I was the first couple of months like if I took one more bite I'd throw up but now it's not like that. I'm still controlling what I eat but the feeling I get when I knew I couldn't eat anymore really helped. And I'm not staying full for very long anymore. Any input on this would help. I need some insight on what else I can do to lose the 40lbs. I keep hitting plateaus and I'll go down 2-3lbs then up 2-3lbs does anyone else deal with this? And I'm still losing a lot of hair but that I knew could happen. Thank God I started with thick hair! Any opinions or thoughts would help! Thanks so much, Bridget

Anyone have BC/BS Federal and had a BMI less than 40?

Hello, I have BCBS as well. I had a sleeve gasterectomy in spring of 2015 and had no issues getting approved. In spring of 2017, my original surgeon and I saw that a full duodenal switch was needed for the absorption component so yhe process for approval began again...EGD, psychological evaluation, PCP visits and approval etc. Since BCBS only covered one bariatric procedure per lifetime, The situation with the second surgery is that it needed to be proven to be medically necessary and that I had been compliant with the sleeve gasterectomy in 2015. After the completion of my tests and visits, my package was submitted to my insurance company. As you guessed it, DENIED. I knew I had to act quickly since it was denied in the fall, this meant my deductibles has been met and in order to not have to pay them again in 2018, I needed to try to push for approval before 2017 ended. I knew that the appeal could take longer than I would need and after what decision I would be given, I would either have to have the surgery in 2018(deductible) or have to start the process from the beginning. Although I was frustrated about the denial, I decided to start doing what I knew to do, fight. You see I work for a medical insurance provider and advocate daily for members to receive the care that is needed, be it from physicians or the insurance company. I had assisted many members before in getting various approvals for different treatments that was needed to better their life. I went over all the things that I knew a review board and medical director would want to see/know before granting me a 2nd opportunity. Upon doing this I realized that my surgical team did not fit my needs this time around and to appeal the initial denial would be pointless since the evidence/tests needed for the insurance approval were not done by my original surgeon. I did additional research and found a surgeon in Texas that was well credentialed, accepted my insurance and also did initial appointments by phone since I was a patient from another state. After reviewing ALL of my medical history that was sent to him and discussing the prior denial, we forged forward. After phone 'visits' I was scheduled for an EGD with this doctor along with a 3 part stress test(breathing, legs and heart to check for clotting and exercise)...during the EGD I was also given a ultrasound of the gallbladder. This doctor was extremely thorough and was making sure that I was given every possible chance for the insurance to not deny me. When the package was submitted after all of the tests, I made sure to tell my insurance coordinator at the surgeons office additional things I wanted included such as my fitness gym contract, diseased gallbladder ultrasound, receipt from latest pcp appointment(that insurance company didn't show in their records)...I knew I had a better chance at approval if BCBS saw that not only was I being compliant but that I needed a cholesctomy(gallbladder removal) and that I would pursue the 2nd surgery until it was granted. With the cost of treating my comorbities, I'm sure the insurance saw that it was less expensive to grant the surgery than it was to treat the ailments that existed bc of my weight. By the amazing powers that God put in place, I was granted the second opportunity to change my life. My surgery took place December 14, 2017. Prior to surgery my co-morbidities were high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes(with injections daily), edema in lower extremities. Please don't give up!!! My apologies for the long reply but I hope it helps someone that needs the strength to keep fighting. God Bless! Sent from my SM-N920V using BariatricPal mobile app

Thanks, I just tried Source Organic Whey protein ( I ordered it online, it is produced in northern CA from pasture fed cow milk organic and non GMO) which I liked, it tastes like milk when mixed with Water, I added peaches and vanilla in the blender and was pleased. Will continue to investigate.