Welcome!

mackie, welcome to our family.  i hope you will find what you need here.  there are a lot of nice people here in this group.  we have a chat session on mondays in the bariatric buddy chat room every monday. it is at 6 central,  7 eastern, 5 mountain, 4 pacific.  you will meet a lot of nice people there.  let me know if i can do anything to help you.  go to the  main discussion, you have more people who have replied there. vick

Hello everyone my name is Tiffany. Like most of you weight has been a life long struggle. My RNY is scheduled for 1/5/2010. getting scared and excited. All the what if's are poping in my head. I know everything will be fine. just anxious about it. I have 2 wonderful kids and I just want to come home to them. I am glad you all are here. Support is sooooooo important. That's all for now Just wanted to say HI!!!!! :) see you post op if not before.

Welcome to the bariatric buddy group Tiffany.  Looking forward to seeing your posts after surgery.  best of luck

Welcome tiffany! Glad to have you here and sharing your journey with us. Yes we all do experience the what if's. I think inmost of our coases the "but what if I dont's" give us the courage to move forward and do this. I KNOW that was the case with me.

I can now literally run around the house chasing and playing with my grandbabies. That wouldn't have ever happened before my RNY.
Your surgery is sooooooooo close! I am sure you have every possible emotion swirling around in your mind.
Stay strong and positive going into this and I will slide my kaboose over and make room for you on the losers bench! Keeping you in my heart, thoughts and prayers!

Hi All,
I am Terri, I am 52 years young, I just had surgery on the 29 of December. I think I am doing pretty good. Working on the water today. Late start was out and about.So sip,sip,sip
Terri

Welcome Terri! Great to have you onboard here! Congratulations on your recent surgery. Welcome to the losers bench, where we never run out of spaces! lol.
Be sure to ask anything you need to and join in the various conversations going on around here. Looking forward to getting to know you terri.
Again welcome! keep up the sip sip sipping!

hi everyone, new here. i am 34 yrs old mother of 3 daughters, ages; 6,9,and 14 . i have a great husband that is very supportive. we are also hosting a foreign exchange student from Germany until June . she is 15 yrs old. i have struggled with my weight since i was 4yrs. old. i decided on wls years ago. i am going to be a self pay patient . insurance said absolutely not on coverage.  i have many med. problems from being overweight; diabetes, sleep apnea, thyroid disease, back problems. i have an apt. for a consult with surgeon on Thursday, Jan. 28 th. i think i want to have the vsg . my bmi is 48 . please send me your opinions on which surgery. this looks like you all are very helpful and supportive with the wls journey.

mary, welcome to our  growing family.  sounds like u have a lot going on in your life with the children and foreign exchange student and hubby.  as far as surgeries go, that is a personal decision that you need to make with your surgeon.  educate yourself on each type. the book weight loss surgery for dummies is really a good book to learn from on all the types. especially for the lay person.  like patrece, i don't think the band would be good for a bmi of 48.  i also agree that appeal ling the decision by your insurance company is highly recommended.  with all your problems and bmi you might get a reversal on that decision.  you might even want to speak with the insurance board of your state to see about your rights. also, document as much as you can your problems for as far back as you can go and submit this in the appeal process.  if they know you are up on things and willing to back this up with hard documentation they might just change their minds. good luck to you, mary.  let me know if i can do anything to help.  vick 

Hi Mary, welcome to the bariatric buddy group.  I agree with Vick and Patrece, the decision of which wls is best for you is a very personal decision.  work with your surgeon to decide what is in your best interest.  Read as much as possible on each procedure.  Do net get persuaded by the small but vocal group that thinks "this is the best and only solution".

I also have many of the same co-morbidities as you list.  Initially I was considering the band, until I did more research and had a couple of visits from the surgeon to discuss the options. 

A great starting place is to make lists of reasons for and against each of the possible surgical options, read and reread the lists and have some quality time pondering your options. 

Hi Mary! Welcome to our group! It seems like a lot of people never notice intro's posted here, so i will make a new post pointing them in your direction here.
Wow.. it is tough having to do self pay. Have you tried to appeal to your insurance company? Sometimes if you appeal once or twice, they change thier mind.
I honestly don't know which surgery would be right for you, as we are all different. But what i can share to help you in deciding is this:
Lap band would not be the best given your BMI.
When considering RNY versus Sleeve, ask yourself this question. "are sweets a problem for me?" If they are, you may onsider RNY, as with the VS you do not dump from sugars and some of us need this dumping to train us to stay away from the sweets. Also, research both very well. If I recall correctly, recovery and early post op can hold more possibility of complications with the sleeve. But less food tolorance issues.  It is best to talk to your surgeon about each procedure and together decide the best plan of action based on your individual challenges and needs.
Wishing you the best of success in whatever method you choose! Hope to hear from you often! again...welcome!