Hi I am a new member and I am trying to get the lap band

Posted December 18, 2004 · December 18, 2004

Hi everyone,

My name is Tina and i am new to the board. For the past month I have visited the board and love the type of community that is here. Since my decision to get the Lap Band I have felt very alone until now. The few people I have told have not been very supportive. I have decided not to tell anyone if I am approved and have the surgery.

To tell you about myself, i am 5,9 and 320 lbs. My BMI is 49. I am in the process of getting approved for the Lap Band in New York with Dr. Christine Ren and Dr. Fielding. I have been referred by primary doctor and my insurance company Oxford said that the surgery is covered if medically necessary. My doctor says its medically necessary because i can barely move without pain due to fall during last year's winter.

I am in the process of getting my medical records from childbirth until now, my gym memberships and all other documents. I have photos at various stages of weight gain and loss. Does any one have any suggestions on what other information i should gather? Is Oxford a pain to deal with. Dr. Ren said that her office usually handles getting the approvals and provides me with a copy for my records.

I have to be honest with you, I am afraid of what will happen in the course of the next few months.

Does anyone have words of wisdom of dealing with their Lap Band decision and surgery?

Thanks for your help.

Tina

New Hope · December 18, 2004

Tina, I, too, am a "Closet Bandster" and glad so far. That is a decision that each of us has to make for themselves. We have some other Dr. Ren patients here. Have you tried doing a "search"? There is so much information to learn before you get your band. Please study, study, study. Everything that you can learn will just help you be that more successful. We look forward to hearing more from you. Best of luck to you on your Quest for better health!

Iluvharleys · December 18, 2004

Tian - Welcome! Please read some of the old posts too, there is a lot of valuable information in them.

I had my surgery in October, and I am very happy with it and yes I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I can't advise you on the insurance, I was a self pay, but a lot of people here can.

Good luck with your journey!

hagerteresa · December 18, 2004

Tina,

Welcome!!! I hope it works out with your insurance company and the band. I had mine done this past May and absolutely love it. It is very nice to meet you. Teresa

whippledaddy · December 18, 2004

Tina,

Congratulations to you! It's a tough decision, and it takes courage to decide to change. Change is the most frightening thing we go through in life. Many people stay fat and unhealthy because of this fear.

I was afraid that the Band, or any WLS surgery for that matter, would change everything about my life. And so far it has. But the changes have been good. I no longer fear change, I welcome it.

People in our lives have no idea how to be supportive, I'm convinced of that. I'm also convinced that many of the people who seem so unsupportive think they are being just the opposite. But remember, change is a frightening for them as it is for you. They too are afraid. After all, any change in you could result in a change in your relationships.

They are afraid, and their fear has no reason behind it. They forget that you will still be YOU whether you band or not. They forget that your quality will shine through.

You are afraid, and it's normal. Change is scary. Everyone you talk to knows someone who's best friend's aunt, had an acquaintance whose youngest daughter had the surgery and she only lost the weight on one side then her left leg blew up like a zeppelin and they went in and found the band broken into seventeen pieces and lodged near a perfectly preserved donut in her uterus. (preceding ludicrous story for illustration purposes only). So, if that kind of thing bothers you, by all means, keep it all on the down low. It's your life, and your business.

But fear not. The beauty of the band is it's safety. Low complication rate. Non invasiveness, and ease of reversibility. Of all the courses out there it is the logical choice. I had to decide. I picked this, and now I'm one month out, it was easy, fast, and nearly painless. Well, a lot less painful than my overactive imagination had drawn it for me.

Diet and exercise do not work. Lose the weight, gain it back, plus a little bonus. Will power is good for the next meal, and maybe for months, but sooner or later the will power fades, and we fall into our old ways. If the will power worked there would be no fat people, no alchoholics, no addicts of any kind.

The way I saw it the only way to go was to choose between a short life and a longer one. Keeping my messed up relationship with food was the short life, the band was the longer one.

Follow your own star. Make your own decision based on who you are. One thing about these people here, they know how to be supportive, visit often, read the old threads. Contemplate. But move yourself to action. As Red says in "Shawshank Redemption" it's time to get busy living, or get busy dying. I suggest living with the band, you'll smile more than you do now, you'll laugh daily.

Good luck, and glad to see you here.

babsyintx · December 18, 2004

Tina,

Take a deep breath and take the process one step at a time. The approval part with insurance (in my opinion) is the most tedious part. Do you have a letter of medical necessity from your primary care physician? You can see samples of letters and give one to your doc to fill in the blanks. I found a sample on obesityhelp.com and I used this sample coupled with records. I am sure that your doc office can help you with the precertification criteria. You picked a very good doc to do your surgery. Ren and Fielding are the two of the best.

Regarding supportive or unsupportive folks, I had the same situation. A lot of folks dont know what the lapband is and they try to compare it to the bypass. My mom kept saying to me, "Why do you want to have the surgery that Al Roker had?" She figured one laparoscopic surgery was like another. NOw she is so proud of my success and sends my pics to everyone. Mostly people who love you worry cause they just dont understand how NON-invasive the lapband surgery is and think you should just be able to lose the weight with traditional "Dieting" which we all know does not work long term. So hang in there, do lots of research and be comfortable with your decision. All of us have been here and you are on your way to a healthier life.!

Babs in TX

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6/23/03