Brand New

MML · January 30, 2007

Hello everyone, I am a new to the whole idea of lapband. I overheard something about it on tv but I did not get the whole story. If someone could fill me in on all the pro's and con's about it. Like how much does it cost, is it easy to find a Dr., how would I even start to find a Dr.? I'm 27 single mother of two (6yr and 2 month old) I'm 5'7 and 265 lbs. I want to have energy for my kids and be there for them when they get older. I hardly fill full and when I do I'm hungry less than a half hour later. Would I be a good canidate for the whole thing or should I try something else. I was thinking about the bypass surgey but I dont really like the chance of lossing my hair, (it's getting thinner everyday anyways). So if someone could help me make sense of it all I would really appreciate it.:rose:

juliegeraci · January 31, 2007

The lapband is an excellent tool to help with Portion Control. I believe it has only been approved in the US 2001-or 2002 so its fairly new here. Its more popular over in Europe and other Coutries. The pro of the band is that it is noninvasive surgery. There isn't any rerouting that takes place. The con is you can have a slip and/or pouch dialation. You have to make sure you follow your doctor's orders so that you can avoid these things. To make you aware, you can outsmart the band. You can eat frequently and absorb a lot of calories so be aware of that. One other pro is you feel less hungry and when you eat it lasts longer. I love my band. I do not exercise and so far I have lost about 40 lbs in 8 months. That is considered slow. The surgeon told me that it is typical to lose 30% of your excess weight the first year. Typically it takes a bandster 2 years to reach their full weight loss potential. Good luck to you with your decision. The surgery is roughly $15k but some insurance companies do pay for it. My fills are out of pocket $200 each. Best of luck to you.

MEW · January 31, 2007

My suggestion to you is first off, make sure you're insurance will cover the procedure and find out what their requirements are. If your insurance wont cover it, then self pay might be a route to take.

I'm just beginning my journey, but what I have been doing is just sitting back and reading and learning all I can from the message board. I've seen many people get their hopes up, only to be denied due to policy exclusions, not meeting the criteria (each insurance company can differ) or not having the medical reports that are needed.

If, after finding out about the insurance, you still want to proceed, then read, read, read and when you're done reading....read some more!! Do your homework and decide which procedure is best for you!!

I wish you lots of luck and success in whatever it is you decide to do!!!