New Here..lots Of Questions

[knknosmom 4]

Hi my name is Shannon, I am 32 years old and have been overweight my whole life. I have contemplated lap band surgery several times, the only thing that makes me hesitant about it is what I have heard about ending up with a lot of loose skin. I am planning on calling my Dr tomorrow to schedule an appointment to talk to her about the surgery and hopefully after that, I will be able to begin my journey to weight loss once and for all. I guess what I want to know is, what does this entail? I have found several sites telling me what the surgery is, but nothing about what you need to do to get there. I have heard several different things, some people say that you need to lose a certain amount before you can have the sugery, some say you dont. I just wanna know what you went through from that first appointment, until you had the surgery and how long do you have to wait to have the surgery? How many of you had to deal with the loose skin and if you didnt end up with it, how did you prevent it? I am just scared that I will end up with loose skin and be more ashamed of how I look than I am now, being overweight. I would love for someone to talk to, that has been through this. Thanks so much.

[margo0119 0]

hi shannon, i'm margaret. i am new here too. i am scheduled for lap band aug 13. i looked into it about a year ago when i was diagnosed pre-diabetic. with a bmi of 35 and 2 co-morbidity factors i am eligible for my insurance to pay for the surgery. i had to join ww or jenny craig for 1 year. i joined ww and i only lost 15 lbs since july 2011 and i have recenly gained 3 back. i had to meet with a life coach 2x a month for a year. this was done on the phone sometimes for 15 minutes and sometimes for an hour. i had to meet with a mental health professional once. i also had to meet with a nutritionist once and i will meet with her again when i go in for my pre-op appt. i had to get a series of lab work done, an ekg and a mammogram and a letter from my pcp that i am a good candidate for the surgery. on july 29 my one year waiting period will be up and then it goes to the insurance for approval (praying they approve it!) from that point i will have to do a liver shrinking diet to make the procedure easier. the the surgery. i am beyond excited and i would do it tomorrow if i could. as far as the loose skin i have heard that it is more common with the bypass and the sleeve and not so much the band as the weight loss is slower with the band and as long as you are exercising it shouldn't be that bad. i have also heard that if you are getting infections from the loose skin that some insurance companies will pay for it. but you might have to fight them to do it. i hope this helped you a bit. and good luck! margaret

[lawismylife 41]

Hi I am not sure how much you have to lose ... I am 5'5 and was 250 lbs. I am now down to 179 and still have a stomach - have about 25 lbs more to go. I feel awesome! I am turning 32 tomorrow. I am working out 2x per week doing Zumba. I notice in my tummy some elasticity isn't bouncing back but overall a big improvement. If you exercise the result is much better. Also depends on genetics, how you are shaped. But the gross nasty skin you see from shows like biggest loser isn't really typical since we lose weight much slower. I tended to lose like 2-4 lbs per month after the initial honeymoon period. Drinking Water helps too.

Bottom line is - would you rather be fat and unhealthy or have some loose skin?

[SageTracey 608]

Welcome. I can't offer you advice on the process you will need to follow to get to surgery as I am in Australia and it is different. But I will reiterate what others have said - loose skin is a lot less unattractive and infinitely healthier for you than being morbidly obese. I have lost 62kg (about 135lb) and, yes, I have loose skin on my stomach, upper arms and thighs. It doesn't look great but most of the time it is covered by clothing so is less visible to others than my fat ever was!

I may or I may not have it dealt with surgically in the future. At the moment I am focussed on reaching a healthy weight and maintaining it for the rest of my life.

Good luck on your journey to health.

[scorrea 95]

My journey seems to be different than a lot on here. From my first consult with a surgeon about the surgery, I had about 3 months to surgery. It took a while to get appointments with the other doc's I see to get clearance for surgery, then I scheduled. That was it. I had to see my gastro, a therapist, a nutritionist and a pulmonologist. and have an EKG and a swallow study done. Once I was done, my surgeon put the paperwork into my insurance and they approved it within 3 days and I scheduled surgery. I did have to prove that I struggled with my weight my whole life, that was through regular doc sending a letter to insurance. I was one of the people that did not have to lose any weight prior to surgery, I am not sure why this is.

I think everyone's journey is a bit different, as is every doctor. My doc did say not to worry about the extra skin as we are losing so much slower it wouldnt be such an issue also.

Good luck on your journey!!!

[JustDoIt130 369]

Thing is, the requirements are different depending on your insurance or if you're self pay. My insurance (BCBS of TX)had me do a 6 month diet with my regular doctor, meeting once a month. I also had blood work and an ekg. Nothing too bad. I didn't "have" to lose any weight- I did lose a couple lbs but nothing much. Then surgery. I started at 284 on 1/26/12, now at 222.5. so far no loose skin, but as others have stated, I'd far rather have some loose skin I can hide than being super obese and die of something preventable.

[readytogoforit 172]

I had a BMI of 47 when I started to look into this surgery. I went to the seminar, had a meeting with the doc and a nutritionist same day. they asked that I lose 5% of my weight b4 surgery, told me to start with a 1200 calorie "diet". I was immediately stokked and started logging everything I ate. I started going to Curves 2 weeks later. I found this forum, learned sooooo much about what to expect and what to do. Love it!! I lost 30 lbs by my surgery date. my weight loss has been slow, about 1 or 2 lbs. per week. I am very happy with the results.

Yes, you will have lots of loose skin, especially if you have been heavy for a long time. I am older so I am not thinking of surgery to fix this but, many bandsters have tummy tucks, arm and thigh too.

you are young, hope you do this so you can enjoy life as a healthy person earlier than I did! don't get me wrong, I am very grateful for this wonderful tool. It is a tool not a miracle, we work very hard to achieve our successes!

Good luck and keep reading, reading and reading. you will learn so much.!

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,721]

i would rather have (loose skin) than be over 300lbs again.

just my opinion. do this surgery FOR your health. not for looks.

looks fade.........good health does not.

all the best

[BayougirlMrsS 3,934]

congrats on taking the steps to changing your life. Few things you didn't mention: your height, your weight, have you had kids? natural or c-section?

Theses are my reasons: I find that the taller people that don't have a huge amount that have not had kids do better with the skin issue.

I on the other hand am 5'2" weight 223 had two kids via c-section. I have lost 80lbs ... give or take a few. I exercised and lost weight slower than most. My underarms, legs (inner and outer thighs) have no issues, no problems with the neck either...... But, my stomach was different. Even though i worked out i still had the stomach apron, mostly due to the two c-sections. So at two year and three months out i went and had a Tummy Tuck. :) I'm so happy....for the first time in 20+ years i can wear a bikini in public. Like the rest, i would rather have the loose skin then be back at 223lbs again.

Others are right, every person is different with the band and so is every person's insurance. I started my process in Aug. 09 and was having surg. nov. 09. I had the seminar, visit with nutritionist, heart dr., swallow test, sleep study, I didn't have to do any diet as i was right at 40.8 with no co-morbid s..... in fact i purposefully gained 10 lbs to meet insurance of 40 BMI. I'm not ashamed of that and would do it over again. At one point i was at 230 and dieted with WW and got down to 213. But could not go below that.... so when i started research and found out i had to be at 40 i gained 10lbs back... Gain 10 to lose 80... hell yes and i would do it again. My PCP sent in a paper with my medical history and so did my GYN... to show my progressive weight gain over the years. that was it... approved first letter.

I wish you all the luck....

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

Hi Shannon and Welcome!

It's a big decision and not one to be taken lightly. You're smart for asking questions and doing research.

What you need to do get there will vary by your insurance company. Some people do have to have a 6 month doctor supervised diet before they can have the surgery, others (like me) are able to get it almost immediately. I went to my first consultation and was banded a month later.

Btw, have you been checking out surgeons in your area? A great place to start would be attending one of their informational seminars. There, you can learn more about not only mechanics of the surgery itself but what to expect after too.

As for loose skin, it is a problem a lot of us have. Myself included. I knew it would be considering the huge amount I had to lose, but I decided I'd rather have saggy skin than remain fat and unhealthy the rest of my life. Plus, I found out my insurance will cover to have the tummy skin removed if you loose 100 or more pounds. I am dreading that particular surgery because I know it's very painful, but at the same time, I'm excited to get a point where I've lost enough to have it and finally be rid of the extra skin I've got on my belly now. (I often joke I look like a dang Shar Pei lol)

Best wishes to you whatever you decide

[BayougirlMrsS 3,934]

hey Mis73.... i had my TT 19 weeks ago and my experience was great. I too was expecting the worse and chose not to have the Breast reduction at the same time because i heard it was so painful. But it turn out not to be the case for me. I equated it with my 2 c-sections. Mine was from hip to hip and dips down into my pubic area. I didn't want a scar straight across my stomach.... my dr listened and i am sooooo happy. I was back at my desk job in 12 days. The worse part for me was the compression garment. I had to pay out of pocket for mine, but it was the best $8800 i ever spent. and would do it again in a heart beat.

[Kenzee245 2]

I am new to this journey as well. I just went and saw my doctor this week and he of course was against it. He took blood work and is having me do a 2 week food journal so he can see exactly what I am eating. My frist attempt at the Lap Band... definately preparing myself for a lot more.

[ilikebunnies 48]

Seems like my journey has been forever long but it hasn't in retrospect. I have BCBS of Texas and they changed the requirements in Feb. thus changing my journey. I had to have a BMI of 35 or greater with 2 co-morbidities or greater than 40. I did a sleep study, pscyh eval, several nutritionists appointments, seminar, consult, pulmonary function test, letter from GP, and was then submitted to insurance. I was approved in 48 hours and set a surgery date shortly after...then changed it because of work and family obligations. I am set for surgery on July 30th. I am getting the band with plication. About the loose skin, I agree with the rest...it is better than being overweight and the medical concerns that come with it. Whether you make the choice or not this site is a wonderful sounding board and support system so WELCOME!!!!!!!!!

[Nicci 28]

What are plications? I am just starting my journey at 30, weighing 322lbs, and am 5'3" tall and have vaginally birthed 3 children, which includes a set of twins. My childrens father, whom I have been with for nearly 7year now, is supportive of my decesion BUT I have come to believe he is a chubby chaser. The past few days I have been excited about my decesion for the lap band surgery and as a result of my excitment I've opened up to him about what my ultimate goals are with the surgery. He told me if I got below 140lbs he would leave me. I have to laugh because he himself is lucky to weigh that on a heavy day :-P

[knknosmom 4]

Thanks everyone for your answers!!! I am 32, 5'5", weigh 265. I would like to get down to 145-150. I have 3 children, had 2 vaginally and 1 by c section. I made an appointment for Monday, to talk to my doctor about the surgery.. Hoping she is for it, I am sure it will make things easier!! I think one reason I am so worried about the loose skin is because my husband mentioned it and I am afraid of looking "gross" to him.