Hello to all!! from the Panhandle of Florida

Hi, I am Donna and I am from the panhandle of Florida. I have an appointment on June 1st to have all of my pre-ops and then my surgery is June 8th. I am excited and my husband is very supportive. I have been overweight all my life- and I have been thin once for a few years. (what a great time in my life) if seems I can't maintain a healthy weight. I am 240 now and want to be about 140. I am 47 years old and I feel I need to get "on with the program" before I turn 50. I have a grandaughter on the way- due August 3rd. :jump: I am jumping for joy!!!! I have decided to have lapband and my inusrance company will not pay for it at all!!! I am going to file the claim in case they change their stance on the surgery - then I have a years to refile. My husband saved the money for me to have the surgery! He is very supportive!!! I am so hopeful this will help me lose and maintain my weight. I cant seem to lose any other way! any suggestions, support, etc would be greatly appreciated. Have a good week all!! I am looking forward to getting to know you all! BeachBumDonna

Donna, Good luck with your surgery! It sounds like you've made the decision to improve your quality of your life and you've got your hubby to support you. You'll do fine. Keep us posted on your progress. Vickie J.

Hello, nice to meet you. That's wonderful your husband did that for you. You sound like me. I've tried other things , but feel this surgery will do the trick of getting my life back. I can't wait for my insurance to go ahead and release me ,so I can see my surgeon. I'm 20 days into filing a greivance with them. So far they haven't found me a surgeon in their network. Hopefully if everthing goes right, I'll have a surgery date when I go see Dr. Bass. Paying cash has it's benefits, you should give your husband a very very big hug. Good Luck!!!

Hi, I have not even tried to get my inusurance to pay. Blue Cross of Florida will not pay for the surgeries. They started that stance as of Jan 01,2006. I hope they will change their mind someday soon. Medicare pays for it.......go figure. I dont know why they would want to pay for diabetes, sleep apnea, heart disease, etc, etc........go figure. Good luck with you fight. what kind of insurance do you have? what kind of surgery are you planning to have. I know a couple of people who borrowed money to pay for their surgery. I figure I would buy a car, a boat, or whatever else if I wanted it or needed it and I am more important than all of the above. well that is my soapbox!!! LOL I am excited and scared at the same time. I dont like having to be under anesthesia for anything. But I feel good about my surgeon and have coonfidence that I will do well. I would love to hear about you, your life and your journey. take care donna

Hey Donna. A good website to check out that may be able to help with insurance issues is www.obesityaction.org. Hope this helps! ~ Monica

Hi Donna Nice to meet you. Good luck with your surgery and be sure to keep us posted here on the Florida board. Don't be a stranger. Kudos to your husband for being so supportive Betty

Hi Donna, Welcome and congratulations on your upcoming surgery. Good for you for not allowing the insurance to dictate what is best for you. I pray that all will go well for you. Like Crystal, I had lap RNY in April as well, and I can say certainly say that for me it was the best decision I have made in a long time. Keep us informed on how things are going and you have my best wishes for a perfect procedure and a very rapid recovery. Jerry

Thanks Jerry, I appreciate your post. I am very excited about my upcoming surgery. I dont like anesthesia but other than that I am good. My surgeon is great and I feel confident that all will go well. I just dont want to gain weight. I have been reading online about people who have had the surgery and gain. that would be awful. how is your journey going? how much have you lost. what are some to the issues you have faced??? How did you handle not eating at the beginning? I am anxious to hear how others live and incorporate real life with their surgery. thanks again for the welcome. take care donna

Hey Donna, I am happ to share anything I can that you might feel would be of value to you. I am currently 1 month and 5 days post-op and have lost about 45 lbs since the day of my surgery. The weight loss was very rapid at first. When I went in for my first follow-uo 6 days after surgery I was already down 20 lbs. That is mainly water weight though and it begins to slow a little after that. However, it has been a steadily losing trend to this point. Your post-op diet will vary from mine somewhat I am sure as each surgeon tends to have their own plan, but there is usually a lot of similarity also. I was on clear liquids, 1 oz every 15 minutes for the first week. The second and third weeks were full liquids starting at 1 oz every 15 min and working up to 2 oz every 30 min. Week 3 I began to incorporate some pureed foods and I am now eating some solids but only a little at a time. For the first 3 weeks I didn't have much of an apetite and really had to force myself to take in my nutrition. After that I began to get my apetite back but it takes very little to be satisfied. The biggest challenge for me was to ensure that I was getting sufficient amounts of protein. I really did not have any post-op pain or discomfort. Within 3 days I was doing some light work around the house and by the end of the first week I was walking 1.5 to 2 miles a day. I was back to work 2 weeks post op and everything just continues to breeze right along. I hope all goes just as easily for you and if you have any questions or just need to talk drop my a line. I am always happy to share anything that might help someone else along the journey. Best Wishes, Jerry

Welcome and congratulations on making one of the most important decisions of you life.