Ready to dive in...almost

osufan · March 19, 2008

Hello, my name is Jonathan. I'm a 23/m from Oklahoma City, and I'm debating whether to go lap band or not. I currently am 6-0 and weigh around 375. I have a little bit of a different story, though.

I used to wrestle for Oklahoma State university at heavyweight. There was a max of 275 in high school (that I hovered around) and 285 in college (that I also hovered around). When you think of a wrestler, at least from my view, you think of people who have such weight control that they can adjust to the 1/10th of a pound.. And you'd be right! When I wrestled at OSU, we would burn 5000 calories a day in workouts and practice.. So I ate all I wanted and still would keep my weight around where I wanted it. When I left OSU, I only took my eating habits with me. It's hard to find large wrestlers who enjoy working out when they don't have to.. Well that was 2005 when I left the room for good. I've added nearly 100 pounds since then. I try to diet, but unbelievably, I am quite a picky eater. I also have this incredible need to "feel full". I'm hesitant to take pills that advertise satiety, so I never tried that.

I really am nervous about looking into Lap Band because of 2 reasons.

1) I will feel like I just quit.. Kind of ashamed that I... an "elite former wrestler" and college athlete.. Needed lap band to keep weight off. I can talk myself past this shame, but it is worth mentioning.

2) I have never had surgery outside of wisdom teeth when I was 14 and tonsils when I was 7. I'm nervous about going under the knife.. or the laproscopic wands or whatever they are..

Well that's my story. Here are some questions I've got:

1. There's a bariatric clinic here in my area that offers Lap Band for $13000. This includes all fees, materials, 3 days in a hospital, and doctor visits for a year after surgery. I don't know if that includes "fills" or not.. But I do know it doesn't include any dietician visitations that may be required.. And it doesn't cover pain medication. My insurance company (OMAG) does not cover any type of weight reduction surgery.

Question: What is the BOTTOM LINE cost, if you factor in 13000 + the other stuff? I just don't know what else is beyond that?

2. Are there any non-surgical methods to prevent me from having excess skin around my body?

3. Is there a significant reduction in muscle mass after the surgery? Despite being obese, I do have a pretty broad stature and have a bit of muscle that I'd like to retain if possible.

4. Is there any way to get rid of these stretch marks that I have?

5. What are some lifestyle restrictions you have before and after surgery, besides your diet? No physical activity for a month? etc..

6. What kind of pain medication did you take? Was it significant pain?

7. After surgery, you're supposed to go on a liquid diet for awhile. Does this liquid diet make you feel full?

Thanks for any advice in advance. I know deep down that this is a route I want to go, I just need a little push to get there. I have about $15,000 to spend for the surgery, but anything past that might break the bank.. But I'm hoping I can get it done.

shortgal · March 19, 2008

Hello, my name is Jonathan. I'm a 23/m from Oklahoma City, and I'm debating whether to go lap band or not. I currently am 6-0 and weigh around 375. I have a little bit of a different story, though.
I used to wrestle for Oklahoma State university at heavyweight. There was a max of 275 in high school (that I hovered around) and 285 in college (that I also hovered around). When you think of a wrestler, at least from my view, you think of people who have such weight control that they can adjust to the 1/10th of a pound.. And you'd be right! When I wrestled at OSU, we would burn 5000 calories a day in workouts and practice.. So I ate all I wanted and still would keep my weight around where I wanted it. When I left OSU, I only took my eating habits with me. It's hard to find large wrestlers who enjoy working out when they don't have to.. Well that was 2005 when I left the room for good. I've added nearly 100 pounds since then. I try to diet, but unbelievably, I am quite a picky eater. I also have this incredible need to "feel full". I'm hesitant to take pills that advertise satiety, so I never tried that.

I really am nervous about looking into Lap Band because of 2 reasons.

1) I will feel like I just quit.. Kind of ashamed that I... an "elite former wrestler" and college athlete.. Needed lap band to keep weight off. I can talk myself past this shame, but it is worth mentioning. We all might not have been athletes but we might have once been young and beautiful and have the same feeling of shame of why did we let this happen to our bodies.

It is not uncommon for athletes to gain lots of weight after their "career". Your body got used to eating all that food and even after you stop exercising your body still wanted those calories.

2) I have never had surgery outside of wisdom teeth when I was 14 and tonsils when I was 7. I'm nervous about going under the knife.. or the laproscopic wands or whatever they are..

It's natural to be afraid of surgery, most of us have the same fears. We just have to assess the risk vs. the benefit.

Well that's my story. Here are some questions I've got:

1. There's a bariatric clinic here in my area that offers Lap Band for $13000. This includes all fees, materials, 3 days in a hospital, and doctor visits for a year after surgery. I don't know if that includes "fills" or not.. But I do know it doesn't include any dietician visitations that may be required.. And it doesn't cover pain medication. My insurance company (OMAG) does not cover any type of weight reduction surgery.

Question: What is the BOTTOM LINE cost, if you factor in 13000 + the other stuff? I just don't know what else is beyond that? What about the pre-op testing costs? Chest x-ray, bloodwork, ekg and what ever else your Dr wants. Will ins pay for those?

2. Are there any non-surgical methods to prevent me from having excess skin around my body? Not that I know of. your age and where you carry your weight, how much exercise for tightening you do after surgery can affect this.

3. Is there a significant reduction in muscle mass after the surgery? Despite being obese, I do have a pretty broad stature and have a bit of muscle that I'd like to retain if possible. There should not be, if you consume the recommended amount of Protein after surgery.

4. Is there any way to get rid of these stretch marks that I have? Again, not that I know of.

5. What are some lifestyle restrictions you have before and after surgery, besides your diet? No physical activity for a month? etc.. Yes, generally there is a recovery period, no heavy lifting etc. Then your Dr. will advise exercise such as walking first. You can progress from there with advise from your Dr.

6. What kind of pain medication did you take? Was it significant pain? The most pain I had was from the gas that they pump into your stomach to make additional room inside to work. I took pain meds in the hospital and then one day after and that was it. I still had pain for about four or five days after surgery, but it was tolerable. I also had a hernia repaired at time of surgery, so I might have had more swelling and pain than others. Guess it depends on your pain tolerance as well.

7. After surgery, you're supposed to go on a liquid diet for awhile. Does this liquid diet make you feel full? I did feel full quickly in the first couple weeks, but everyone is different. The band itself will give many people some restriction at the time it's placed, but maximum restriction benefits don;t always happen until you get the right fill level in your band. That can take time and you might be hungry, during that time. You can fill up with Water or low calorie fluids. The higher Protein diet also helps to keep you satisifed.

Thanks for any advice in advance. I know deep down that this is a route I want to go, I just need a little push to get there. I have about $15,000 to spend for the surgery, but anything past that might break the bank.. But I'm hoping I can get it done.