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I have my surgery booked!

I"m having mine on Tuesday March 10th, and I'm beyond excited!

I love Etsy!! I've been thinking about putting some stuff up! Love your blue night owl collar! I just don't think my kitty would like it as much I do! Good luck on Tuesday!

I will be at the Lucerna Sunday night March 22nd, having a breast lift with augmentation the next day at Cosmed. It would be great to meet any new or almost bandsters while I am there!

Karen

My mom and I will be there! I'm getting banded on the 23rd! Hope to see ya!

I attended OA for years (on and off of course...never steady). It is a 3 part deal: physical, emotional and spiritual. I found it was helpful but I could never commit to the program. Getting a sponsor and reporting DAILY to the sponsor, turning everything over to a higher power, following a strict food plan (NO WHITE STUFF - i.e. flour, sugar...!!) - it was so hard for me. I was hoping the band would once and for all be my saving grace....but I know there is head-work to do still....it's scary...this journey I'm on...

I have thought about going, but I have never gone because of all the things you mentioned! I think it would be very difficult to do the sponsor thing! I'm also concerned about the physiological aspect. I asked my insurance if they covered eating disorders (for counseling or psychiatry) and they said only anorexia and bulimia! Just another way they are denying that obesity is a disease! Let me know what you end up doing!

My mom and I are going for my surgery on March 23! Would love to hear from anyone having surgery around my date! Good luck to all going in to OCC in March !

Ok, I talked to Renee and he said that the retainers must be made of plastic. What a relief!!!!! :good3:

I have a toe ring that has been on my toe for several years and wouldn't come off without a lot of pain and prying... so they let me keep it on. There is something they do to it, and as long as you have no complications, it's really not an issue. I'd definitely ask.

Ok first off, you look amazing in that outfit! Love the shoes! I forgot to call them today and ask, but from what your saying I just need to devise a plan to make it so that the jewelry can't be taken out....hmmmm. Can't think of any physical barriers, because I'd want to change them incase I find super cool jewels.

Maybe psychological trauma that would result in years of therapy? Must keep them because I'm a dimple model on the side? If taken out, then I can't chain them to my ears for my Shanid O'connor Halloween costume?? Open to other suggestions.

AngelaAnn, did they just find yours and take them out without you knowing ??? That's gotta be some type of piercing larceny! Thanks for the heads up. I put Mom on red alert.

Amber

My dimples have been such a pain in a** to heal that it is almost like I'd be losing the war if they close on me!! :angry: There is no way I'd get them done again either!

AngelaAnn, how long were your nips pierced before you went into surgery? Some places close faster. I haven't worn earrings forever and my holes are still open, but earlobes are different from pretty much any other piercing. Babies have them!! I would think that facial piercings would shut-up quick though.

Well, the only way to know for sure is to ask. I might have to give Mom a crash course in inserting body jewelry!

That's what I kinda figured . Thanks for the reply!

I am going to be banded in a couple months and I was wondering if anyone else went in with body piercing and if they were allowed to use retainers. I know that metals are definite no-no's, but what about PFTE (Teflon)? It is biocompatable material and I have PFTE retainers for all my piercings, but I don't want any surprises. I've had the piercing for a while, but I still freak out about closure because everyone is different and our bodies know where there are and aren't supposed to be holes! Has anyone else experienced this? Thanks!

I do taxes and want to explain. to claim medical on the 1040 long form your medical costs must be more than 7.5% of adjusted gross income so example you make 50K than the first 7.5% or ($ 3750) would not be deductible. the amount you pay beyond that is. It can include planes, parking, tolls,hotels and meals while away, and miles to and from drs too. you can deduct Insurance premiums that are not pre taxed. Most people do long form if they own there own home because you need enough deductions to beat the standard deduction. Hope this helps

Thanks for that! I am set for banding this March and I was thinking about deductions, but forgot about the extras like airfare, hotel, etc. We use a FSA too, so how does that factor into the first 7.5%? The first 7.5% is not deductible, but the FSA is before tax, so I would only add everything after the FSA & then the first 7.5% of the after FSA expenses is not deductible, right?

Ok, I've had no children and I have lines all over the belly! I've lost weight before and noticed that the red ones tended to fade with weight loss. I can't remember exactly, but I think the old white ones were even less noticeable as I lost. I had lost about 50 lbs with Rx drugs. I've been using Mederma, but not the 50 times a day it suggests and I don't know if it's working or not. I'm kinda worried this go around, because there are so many more than ever before!!

I'm getting banded in March too ! I'm set for the 23rd, so maybe I'll see ya! So, I'm 26 and I fought ever since I was in 2nd grade with my weight. In high school I would not eat to trim down and I also did a lot of drugs to try to control my weight back then and in my early 20s. After I quit doing drugs, I gained a bunch of weight back and hit 215. I went to the doctor, because I could not stop gaining and he gave me Rx weightloss drugs.

Well, I lost 50 lbs over like 6 months. And I will never forget one coworker telling me I was her hero because I did it with diet and exercise, and didn't take the easy, surgery way out. I reminded her I was also taking Rx speed, but she didn't care because I never got the surgery and in her eyes I was better than people who got surgery.

For a long time I thought like she did; surgery is the easy way out. So I continued to yo-yo, doing it the hard way and every time I hit 220 I went back to the doctor and got my Rx and started the cycle again :negative: . Last summer I realized that I need this surgery. It is not the easy way out and people who say it is are ignorant and, oddly enough, tend to not have severe weight problems.

Your sister may be one of these people. Not to say she is stupid or anything, she just may not know what all is involved in this process and I'd rather have invisalign instead of metal braces, too :pardon: . Maybe she is just being selfish, but maybe she does not understand why you need this.

There are so many people out there who think it's easy to get the surgery. That's why after I lose a few, I plan to tell each person that says "You've lost weight, you look so good," that I got surgery and that they can- well, you know..

Because high school is hard, you don't have to tell anyone, but be prepared for friends to ask why you are only having yoghurt and pudding for two weeks straight! My husband is not obese and he will never truly understand what we are going through. He supports my decision, but I joined this forum to get educated on the procedure and to get extra support from others who know what it's like!

Do what you need to do and to heck with everyone else! :lb16:

Doctors in this area of the country who perform the lapband procedure require possible patients to attend a 2 hour seminar prior to being accepted as a patient (most do nationwide, I've been told). I attended two such seminars for two different doctors. I felt badly in both of them; though I am not an underwear model, there were people in both seminars that were taking up three chairs. The doctors explained the procedure, both using a powerpoint presentation with slides, and one of them used actual photos at times. I did my research.

Both doctors explained the post-op diet. All three (those two plus the OCC plan) are similar. The pouch would only be stretched by overfilling it. One doctor posted his statistics. Since 2004, he has completed over 700 of the lapband surgeries. He spends more time doing the Roux procedure, for severe cases. In his 700+ cases, he has had only TWO documented problems, and they were band slippage - by the SAME person. The person, within two weeks of surgery, went to a megabar (southern term for an all you can eat buffet) and stuffed himself - three plates-full at a sitting. And here in the south, a plate means 'pile it on until it falls off'. Both cases were by the same person.

One weakness in the OCC program is patient follow-up. I had my surgery on April 8, and I have no recollection of even receiving a phone call asking if i returned home safely (not transportation-wise, but band wise)... how was the first week going with liquids.... how was the second week going... etc....

The doctors here SEE their patients for follow up twice each week following surgery, and call each day the first week, just to check on them. Some type of after-care program was seriously suggested to OCC, but to my knowledge, no such program exists. Just being handed some papers, and say "follow this" can be spiced up a notch... the quality of the REST of the program is high, the after-care portion needs to be raised to the REST of the program's level of quality.

There are FEW cases of band slippage documented according to the doctors. It happens when patients ABUSE after-care instructions. A stretched pouch will come from 'quantity' of food, not 'density', because the VOLUME of food enlargens the pouch. The liquids, and other soft foods (soups, jellos, etc) pass through the rather large opening easier than steak and other more-dense foods. This post-op program gives the procedure time to heal. A small container of jello with two small pieces of fruit in it is NOT going to cause your upper pouch to rupture like the revered Jiffy-pop popcorn tin. I am not, nor have I ever advocated going to a megabar during a post-op time frame. I was simply stating what I had done, based on the diet presented to me by OCC, and that I did not stretch my pouch or cause band slippage. Reading as many posts on here about this same subject has taught me that people fear JUST THAT... that one little "oops" will cause a major system meltdown. It doesn't. If it is a LITTLE 'oops'.

The best advice came from one poster... use your judgement. If one bite of something causes you a problem, DON'T TAKE A SECOND BITE.... back down. This was posted a year ago, but still rings true in this case.

These same issues have been debated before. Each new generation of bandsters should go back and read postings from prior generations (a generation on this forum seems to last about 4 months or so).

Be well, eat smartly, lose much, achieve your dream.

I have my band date set in March 2009, but I had gone into a bariatric surgeon who accepts "out of town" patients. When I mentioned Mexico, he told me "Well, they've been doing it longer then we have." Then he agreed to be my aftercare doctor (he knew I was a self-pay). I'll be able to go to him for fills and questions. Don't know if this would help anyone trying to make the decision and worried about the aftercare from OCC. I just found someone at home to do all the follow-up!

Thanks guys! I have been reading this forum for months and the people here are who convinced me that OCC was legit and the support system is awesome!

Yesterday I made my deposit and emailed the Survey! :i-m_so_happy: My date is March 23, 2008! I'm pumped! I think my mom may be able to work it out to go with me, too!

They have not posted the March Topic yet, but I'll be in there! Is anyone else planning a March Band-day?

Thanks. Yeah, I don't have any credit cards just laying around at my disposal. At this time I don't even have a job. I've had alot of difficulity doing so in my town for one reason or another. Had some issues come up a few years ago that weren't even my fault that have damaged my background checks and I also assume that my weight doesn't exactly make employers jump at the prospect at hiring me. I recently went through a divorce and am living with my mom. That in itself is depressing enough. I want to better myself. I want to get out there and show the world that I can kick butt... but it's proving to be a difficult process.

So is surgery in Mexico safe? I have to admit the idea of it does scare me. I speak no spanish at all, but I realize that that if I'm going to even get a surgery done (anywhere remotely close to a price I could afford) I'll probably have to do it there. I'm itching at the idea of getting the surgery because I feel that my age is important. I'm 26 and I would love to have children and live a fullfilled life. I don't want to wait until I'm nearing 40 to make a major life change. I want to do it now.

Oh my gosh! I was just talking about fat people discrimination with my mom last night! No matter what anyone says, employers choose the beautiful people over the less endowed. It's tough out there as is in the job market and being fat doesn't help! You could try to get jobs where their benefits include medical insurance that will cover the surgery. No matter what you'll probably have to wait, but that's ok because you'll get there before you're 40! Mexico is my only option and after researching for months & with all the wonderful people on this post, I'm convinced that I'm doing the right thing. Just keep reading forums and remembering what you are working to get.

Hello. I was just curious as to how you all got the money to be able to afford the lap band surgery. I can't afford to pay the whole cost out of my own pocket right now, and I don't have any insurance. I've been looking into the lap band for a few years now, and I feel like it's the right choice for me, but I just don't know what to do to get started.

Thanks

Christy

:-h Hi! I assume you are thinking about having the band done in Mexico if you are on this forum. If you haven't contacted the OCC, do that first. The price is dramatically =D> less than what I was quoted here in the US. My insurance doesn't cover anything either, so you and I are in the same boat.

We decided to take a loans out of our 401(k)s for most of it. You have an interest rate, but you pay it back to yourself! Tax season is coming up, too! I'm also using some tuition reimbursement from my employer, as school is already paid for and I passed all my classes. We will probably take a personal line of credit for the rest unless we win the lotto, but we don't buy tickets so it's very unlikely that will happen.

Funding was my biggest concern. In fact, I knew I waned the surgery last Aug but just set the date for March last Friday =D> to make sure I'd have all the money!

Many people take out loans from banks specializing in medical loans, but I hear the rates are high and there is a credit crunch because of the recession. The OCC gives referrals to some of these places when you contact them.

I found someone posting in this forum saying that she was able to pay it using a credit card and then submit it to her FSA and pay back the credit card money. I thought that was pretty cool.

You could use a credit card from what I understand, but not all of us (me) have cards sitting around with thousands at our disposal, nor would we want to start digging that hole.

Your last resort is to SAVE, SAVE, SAVE! I am waiting almost a year to get the band. Time has flown because of school and work and all, so don't be discouraged if you have to wait awhile. Just think of any assets you have, how good your credit is, and how long you can wait if you have to save.

I think it also depends on how bad you want it and what you are willing to do financially to work it out; we got rid of cable and my husband applied for a promotion at work and got it .

Good luck with your financing! You'll figure it all out!

Amber

I completely understand the coping problem. I'm worried that I will fail in the end because of the relationship I have with food. I've been thinking about going to someone who specializes in eating disorders to deal with that part, but I called my insurance today to get some numbers and, guess what? They only cover anorexics! I don't fully understand this because obese people live longer and have more health problems, where the anorexics have heart attacks and dies sooner (Karen Carpenter for ex.)!! Insurance is useless!

If anyone has ideas on how they handled the loss of their BFFs (BK, KFC, cheesecake, etc.) let me know!

ValleyGirl, you have survived the holidays and now the hard part is over. Now everyone will be joining gyms, dieting, and being crazy for two months, so then they'll all be crabs and you'll blend right in

Ok don't hate me, but I really do not like The Biggest Loser anymore. I read two articles (http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1626795_1627112_1626456,00.html http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/2007/07/...e_they_now.php) talking about how these people are isolated from society, :training1: for 4+ hours per day, and eat barley anything. I used to love Biggest Loser, but now I look and see these people who are starving themselves, overworking their bodies, and dehydration has to be part of this as well, all so they can lose weight as fast as possible. This is a bad way for us to think about weightloss!!

Sally had to have a total body lift because of all her loose skin. Most of them have loose skin from losing in an extremely short amount of time. Granted, many people who have dramatic weightloss may have to have plastic surgery for loose skin, but the faster you lose the looser your skin will be and the more likely you will have to have plastic surgery (something I could not afford)!!

I think I watched one of this season's episodes and Bob said the very first Biggest Loser gained all the weight back and is back where he started using his story to chastise one of his team :negative: . no wonder most of them gain the weight back! The plan they are on is unrealistic (I know I don't have 4-6 hours to work out per day) and it is hard not to eat when you are hungry!

I personally feel it tricks the audience into think we can do it like they do too! I bought the book. I joined the Club. I know the score. If it helps people to lose and motivate, great. I just think that a lot of people watch and think, "Hey, I can do that!" But when we try, lose a pound one week, then gain two the next and we're following the diet, we think there is something wrong with us and we are weak, then we eat cookies! :cray:

Weightloss should be at a slow, steady rate to make it so that one can maintain. I've quit watching the show. I feel like I've been duped

I don't judge you guys for loving the show; I just wanted to voice my opinion about it

I feel a little vulnerable, but here I go:

1. Name: Amber

2. Location: Sioux Falls, SD

3. Age: 26

4. Band Date: planning March 2009

5. Married: yes

6. Children of the human or furry kind: fur-less cat, KittenBoots, 1-year

7. Hobby(ies): Homework, reading for school, and homework

8. Work: PT CSR (I get to work at home ) & FT Student

9. What was the deciding factor(s) on getting banded: The Rx diet pills stopped working (I gained weight last time), I have ripped the majority of PJ bottoms in the thigh regions, the couch cushions are flat like pancakes, and were it not for my birth-control, I'd swear I were pregnant!

10. Interesting factoid: I am double majoring in Government/International Affairs and Business Admin, but I'm not boring :pilot: