help me understand

May 17, 2004

i am new to all of this, i need some answers to some questions, so if anyone could give me a hand it would be helpful, i have a bmi of 38 so would i be able to have a band, and is it wise to have one, i need to lose70lbs and i can`t seem to do it, at least for the last 8 yrs anyway, also can you drink beer, wine or scotch, after its all done and your on solid foods, not that i`am a big drinker but i like to go out one day a week, will the band take away your hunger , will it stop you from eating, after you have your 3-4oz of food, i eat mostly when i am not hungry i eat just to eat even when i `am full do any of you have this problem, did the band stop you from eating when your full, i just found out about lap band surgery and so this is new to me did anyone get the surgery paid for thro Humna on a ppo, Thank you all for reading my post and i hope someone could answer some of if not all of my questions, good luck to all of you, fatboy

Alexandra · May 17, 2004

i have a bmi of 38 so would i be able to have a band, and is it wise to have one, i need to lose70lbs and i can`t seem to do it, at least for the last 8 yrs anyway

A BMI of 38 by itself isn't enough to qualify someone for a band in the U.S. You could be banded in Mexico or elsewhere if you wanted, though. In the US someone with that BMI would qualify only if he or she also suffers from weight-related health problems (co-morbidities). IMO, carrying 70 extra pounds for 8 years shouldn't necessarily mean a diagnosis of morbid obesity.

also can you drink beer, wine or scotch, after its all done and your on solid foods, not that i`am a big drinker but i like to go out one day a week,

I'll bet if you stopped drinking altogether you'd probably lose a good deal of weight just from that. Men have it easy--my ex-husband stopped drinking beer and immediately dropped 30 lbs without trying at all. Weight-loss surgery is a big step and if you're planning on drinking afterward, in my opinion you may want to think twice about it.

will the band take away your hunger , will it stop you from eating, after you have your 3-4oz of food, i eat mostly when i am not hungry i eat just to eat even when i`am full do any of you have this problem, did the band stop you from eating when your full

I definitely feel a STOP EATING signal when I'm full. That's the whole point and purpose of the band. If you keep eating after that you'll either vomit or damage your pouch and/or band. Most of us don't want that, so we stop. Personally, this is the reason I felt I'd be a good candidate for the band in the first place, the fact that I had trouble judging and controlling the quantity of my food. Now I let the band do it for me, and it does a MUCH better job!

May 17, 2004

i do have some medical problems, sleep apmea (wears a spell check when you need it) hypertenition, high blood presure, cordenary heart deseise, and i`am on meds for cholesterol, high blood presure, hypertenition,and angina, my doctor said i should be the same weight that i was when i was 16 , well when i was 16 i was 140lbs now at 56yrs,old i`am 230lbs and i am 5ft 5in, according to what i have been reading i am border line on the band so i don`t know if i could get it done and if my insurence would cover it ,but as fare as my drinking goes i only drink one day a week and at most i drink maybe a six pack a week or less,but i would like to lose 70 lbs, i have been on the Atkins diet 3 times and the most i was able to lose was 16lbs i called the atkins not line they said some people who are on medacations have a hard time loseing weight, i did lose 30 lbs on a low fat diet about 4 yrs ago but i was eating diet dinners like healthy choice for about 9 months i was always hungry so that didn`t last, loseing weight is hard for anyone when its more then 30lbs and most people can get it off but keeping it off is the problem, when i read the weight that most of you have lost on the band all i can say is GOD BLESS you all thats fantasic , i want to be thin too

kellymoos · May 17, 2004

Hello!! I had the lap-band done on Aug 21 and have lost 60 lbs. I would like to lose 20 more lbs. I was on meds for high blood pressure and diabetes. I no longer take any medication. I had Humana PPO and they did pay for my surgery, I had to pay $ 2500.00 for my out of pocket. However, our Humana insurance has quit paying for the surgery. So, if I was you I would contact a dr's office that does the surgery, have a consultation and then go from there. Hope that helps you.

May 17, 2004

thanks kellymoos, i wonder why humana stopped paying for the surgery, gee thats a bummer(i hate using that term but it fits) well i`ll take your advice i hav`ent seen a doctor about the band yet i just found out about it and i don`t know if i am able to get it my bmi is only 38 so who knows , but i can`t afford to pay out of pocket for it so i`ll know more when i see a doctor, did anyone have it done in the states with a bmi of 38 or less, and was it covered by your insurence, please let me know thank you, thank you all

Alexandra · May 17, 2004

With your health issues I'd say that your BMI shouldn't be a problem. Your bigger problem is qualifying for the surgery with your insurance, but I'm STRONGLY of the belief that time will take care of that eventually. My suggestion to you is to start the process now, because it may be a long one.

Don't let the "fact" that Humana isn't covering the surgery stop you from proceeding. I knew the same thing about my insurer when I started, and a year later I was banded and my carrier paid for every dime. Don't give up. Just take it step by step. See your doctor for a physical and have a serious discussion about your weight so it gets into your file. Tell your doctor you're looking in to weight loss surgery (no need to specify which kind yet, unless he asks--the qualifications are the same for all of them) and you want his help in documenting the medical case.

Then find a surgeon and schedule a consult, and you'll see where your next step lies at that point. Good luck!!

GeezerSue · May 18, 2004

On the other hand...the band is about making changes. One of those changes is that some people cannot handle carbonation, which means there is a chance you will NOT be able to drink beer (by the way, a six-pack/week = 12 pounds per year, NOT including chips, pretzles, etc) after being banded.

And eating just to eat can and does happen to some peole with the band. The band changes the VOLUME of what you can eat, and sometimes the CONSISTENCY of what you can eat. But there is an activity known as "eating around the band," and that involves finding foods that WILL work with the band and eating too much of those.

Good luck deciding,

Sue