So, after 39 years of battling the bulge, I'm going in for a consult next month. Insurance won't pay for it to be done outside of our hospital, but they haven't actually done any, although they would like to. I'm hoping to put them in touch with another doctor at UCSD to start their own program, or get an authorization. An emotional eater, losing weight has never been hard, keeping it off has. Food is my drug of choice. Gastric bypass is not an option. I don't want to mess with my digestive tract. I've witnessed too many of those gone wrong. The final factor was a new diagnosis of spinal arthritis which was pinching my sciatic nerve. I've decided that a lap-band is the right choice, since it is adjustable, reversible and doesn't require any rearrangement of organs! I'd love to hear from you!

FrostinGal -

LapBand certifications are a nightmare to get where I am, too. I have great insurance, but because of some fiscal problems, the major hospital and all it's doctors dropped my insurance plan. The only doctor who is certified directly by LapBand does not take my insurance, so I had to find alternate locations. Since I know NYC so well, I decided to go there. Found a couple of doctors.

The first thing you must do is go for an orientation session. 4 hours of very little that you cannot get off the website www.lapband.com .
I book a seat at the first orientation session with a physician from a hospital I know the reputation of very well. He cancels, because I am the only person signed up for that session. And of course, he only does orientations once a month. Next month, same crap. So I find another doctor. He takes my insurance, but insists that you go to the psychologist and nutritionist that he chose. My psychologist here in PA is certified in weight loss evaluation and counseling, and is also a gastric bypass patient. I'm pretty sure that she can figure out that I am, psychologically, a good candidate for the procedure. There are two nutritionists here, on my plan, who are also certified to counsel on gastric bypass and lapband. Nope, he wants these two. And of course, they take no insurance, so there is $600 out of pocket. Not to mention - if I can get a prescription from the surgeon's office for the shakes you have to drink for a few days prior to and after surgery, my insurance will cover it. Nope - you have to buy them from the nutritionist.

So, here I am, back at square one.

Good luck with your quest. Send me PMs to keep me posted on your progress.

Theresa

Theresa, I thought I was having problems!! What a pain in the patootie you're going through! I hope you get it all sorted out, though. I'm sure the $16,500 the insurance will have to pay, (and they probably get a further discount than cash customers,) is less expensive than all the Dr. visits and meds we'll need if we do nothing!
There is a special circle of he** for insurance companies, I'm sure.

I haven't heard very much about these lapbands. Are they less risky than the gastric bypass then?? Sounds interesting.

ok, I checked to see if I'm a candidate and it said only if I have a weight-related health condition. I don't have any condition that I know of but they took a bunch of blood tests on Monday to see what's going wrong with my hormones so you never know...

The doc whose orientation I went to does cash patients for BMI>35, insurance usually wants a BMI of >40 or <40 with a weight-related health condition. I fit into the latter category.

LaSombra -

Your blood pressure could be considered a weight-related health condition, as could pre-diabetes. There is actually quite a long list of weight-related health conditions, which they describe to you at the orientation.

Not only is LapBand safer, it is the only weight reduction surgery which is approved by the FDA. And it is reversible if complications arise.

FrostinGal -

I see your weight-related health condition, and raise you all the weight-related health conditions plus all but two symptoms.

Theresa

Theresa...I fold!
LaSombra, one of the things the surgeon expressed in his orientation was that one of the first things to get better in almost all of his patients was their mood/depression. Counting that one, I have two comorbidities.
OT, but one of my favorite quotes: "In the 60's people took drugs to make the world seem weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it seem normal."
October is taking forever to get here....

As it applies to this thread, it means "medical conditions that exist in addition to obesity and are often a result of being overweight"
The quotes said it better than I could have explained.
The first week I started my SSRI (depression med) I didn't notice, but my husband totally noticed. He said I was smiling and laughing again. Better living through chemistry!

I have the lap-bad. I love it. The only regret I have is that I didn't do it sooner. It was a year in August. I've lost 71 pounds, and I'd like to lose a total of 100 pounds. My mom and I had it done the same day. The process from our first orientation until the day of our surgery was about 9 months. The process is long (especially depending on your location and availability of drs.), but if you're truely set on it, keep at it. If anyone has any other questions, please feel free to pm me.

After many tests and appointments, I had lapband inserted about 1 year, 2 months ago. Lost 25 lbs rather quickly. Gained it back just as quickly. The only lasting difference is that I hiccup when if I eat too quickly. Waste of time for me. oh well. Glad others have had success.

I had it 3 years ago. I lost 80 pounds in 6 months and I worked at it sooo hard! The trick is getting adequate restriction and you have to commit to it 100%. If you eat around it you're defeating yourself (eating high caloire foods that go thru easily like ice cream). I did that when I was pms'n once and regretted it. I had some problems from being to tight that resulted in some pretty nasty side effects like vomitting (which should be avoided at all costs) & heartburn. I had to be emptied and have gained back about 20 pounds. In the middle of this our insurance has changed and I'm not sure that this new inurance will cover it. As far a co-morbities are concerned. . .It can be something as simple as skin irritation, activity intolerence, joint pain and so on. Mine were GERD, activity intolerence, joint pain and skin irritation. My BMI was 38. It totally changes your life not just your eating habits. I had to say goodbye to potatoes, rice, bagels, untoasted bread, broccoli, peas, salmon and the list goes on. Tiny bites and chewing a million times. Best of luck!

Elle

Hi all! Just wanted to clarify my story a little ...
I got my surgery in Manhattan. I'm in Dutchess county, so it was a long train ride for post surgery appointments. You have to continue to get saline fillings every few weeks for at least a year. I would get my refill, I would feel restricted for only one day. So I got extremely discouraged after a few months. I lost weight quickly in the first month, then plataued in a month. I stopped going for refilling after about 6 months. It seemed like a waste of time for one day of restriction. In fact, my last appt. my Dr. refilled me so tight we thought I wouldn't be able to swallow anything except water! But again it was good just for one day! (I didn't have a leak either).

What my original Bariatric Dr. always would always say about lapband is "it will work if you work it", but after a while, since I could eat just like I did pre-lapband, it seemed to boil down to dieting again, which I fail miserably at. It seemed if it got back to dieting, then the surgery seemed pointless!

I know now that it is very important to maintain that initial momemtum, so if you have the surgery, AS SOON AS YOU FEEL UNRESTRICTED, get back to your DR.!!

I did sometimes wish I had bypass instead, but in the long run, it is still about changing your diet and habits. My friend had bypass. He also has gained back, but not as much and he is healthier in general. His wife also had bypass and is doing great! She has diabetes and bypass has helped her trememdously.

I have since gained back all but 5 lbs. but I am hoping to find someone local to start refilling again. Hopefully with more success.

Every one is different and there are many many lapband success stories!Here's a link that I found very encouraging:
http://www.obesityhelp.com/

Sorry this is so long. I just want to share my experience.

God Bless

-Rezzy

Well said Rezzy! Dieting again. . .I obviously suck at it too or else I wouldn't be tubbo! I used www.obesityhelp.com for a long time and found it a great resource. I have an appt in a couple weeks and am glad! I hope you are able to get a Dr nearby.

Elle

Rezzy -

Yes, thank you for clarifing your story. I was very worried about your first post. I have to reinforce what you said. Yes...you have to keep up with the lap-band. You have to get fills, you have to be in tune with your body, your hunger, your eating. I have a friend who won't get the lap-band because she doesn't want to keep going back to the dr. The first 6 months was probably the most dr. visits. Then, once I felt restiction like I needed, I didn't have to go back every 6-8 weeks. I had my one year check up in Aug. and I don't have to go back for another 6 months unless I feel I need more fill. I hope you find someone close that can perform your fills. It's too bad it didn't work for you, I hope it does in the future.

Thank you for your input, the good, the bad, and the ugly! Mhill, awesome job! The overall average weight loss is 60% of the original weight to lose. That is including the people who haven't lost anything, so that is still really good percentages.
Mhill, I hear from every success that the trick is to get the right restriction. Find the "sweet spot," so to speak.
For me, I've been working on eating right and increasing my exercise. While I have made progress, it's just not enough. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result. It's time for me to do something else to get a different result. The "obvious" path to a healthy BMI isn't working for me.