N00B-Waiting on Approval

Hello All!

My name is Lissa, I'm 27 years old and live in Jackson, MI.  I am going through Barix Clinics in Ypsi and just had my psych eval on Friday.  The doctor said I should hear something back on approval by then end of the week or early next week.  I have BCBSM and work for the county.  Two of my current co-workers have had the Lap-Band/Realize Band procedure, which is what I opted for.  Many of my friends and co-workers when I lived in Columbus, OH, had also had the procedure with stellar results. 

I am married to a great guy, Donnie, and we have a son, Giovanni, that will be turning 3 in July.  He was 3 months premature due to pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes.  My sister, whom still lives in Columbus, is very supportive of my surgery as is my husband.  My husband's mother says she is supportive, but she keeps making comments about how she isn't sure I can do this.  Both of my parents are deceased. 

I have endometriosis and PCOS.  I have been told that weight loss should help both of these issues, as well as help keep my blood pressure under control and reverse my pre-diabetic condition.  I am nervous about surgery but I know this is something I can do. 

I am hoping to reach my goal of being a happier, healthier wife and mother.  The number on the scale isn't that important to me, but I secretly long for the day I can walk into any store and buy something off the rack and have it fit.  I've always wanted to shop at VS, and maybe I'll be able to come this time next year!  

Just wanted to tell everyone hello and introduce myself. 

Have a great day!

Lissa

Hi Lissa -

Welcome to the forums!  We're a pretty friendly bunch over here --- don't hesitate to ask questions, we're happy to help. 

I also have PCOS (with insulin resistance) and endometriosis and had high blood pressure.  The high blood pressure went away quickly and now I tend to run very low and have to be careful to get enough water and sodium in my diet to keep my BP in a good range.  But low is better than high, right?  Not sure how my endometriosis is going.  I've been on Depo Provera shot for 6 years to control that but my GYN just took me off a couple months ago, so we'll see how I do without the control of the Depo. 

PCOS and insulin resistance has also gotten better and all my outward symptoms have disappeared (acne, dry skin patches, dandruff) and from what I can tell the insulin resistance has been reversed.  I had a new doctor tell me that PCOS doesn't go away after WLS, but I recently found a medical journal report that proves he doesn't know what he's talking about.  You can read it here.  This relates to people who have had RNY, not the Band... but I imagine with the weight loss that your PCOS will improve over time.  (With RNY it's fixed almost immediately because of the "cut" - the bypass changes the way your hormones act in the body.) 

And you'll also notice that I tend to ramble a lot.  LOL!  Sorry. 

Anyway, just wanted to welcome you to the boards.  Congrats on the start of your journey!  It's a fun ride. 

Pam

Welcome, Lissa!  This forum is excellent for finding out all kinds of info, asking questions, and looking for support and reassurance.  I look forward to hearing more about your weight-loss journey.

 Thanks for the welcome.  I have to say looking through these boards it seems I had it a lot easier than others on the approval process.  I wonder why the different clinics/insurances have such difficulty with the process.

I got the call on my approval about 2pm on Monday, after my original post.  The doctor faxed everything at 8am and by 2 I was approved.