the guy at the very end who said " I'm addicted to life " sure hit exactly how I feel , how wonderful to loose this weigh and get on with life

Comment by cthyct on April 22, 2008 at 12:00 pm I had my bypass surgery on Feb 4, 2008 I left the hospital without any diabetes & high blood pressure, cholestrol & depression medication. It's been almost 3 months an I lost 63 lbs and feel like I was given a new beginninig an I want to enjoy this feel till the end of my life.

I am anxiously awaiting all the good results I read and hear about. I've been fighting Blue Cross Blue Shield (PPO) of Illinois for over 3 years now, even though I have met every requirement they've laid down. Now lawyers are involved, and I guess if that's the route BCBS chooses, that's the route we'll take. I'll not give up on this battle, and have my personal physician and the Illinois bariatric Center fighting for me as well, so maybe this current battle will be the won that wins the war!

I loved two parts....one was when the group was asked how many of them had diabetes pre-op and everyone raised their hands. They were then asked how many currently had diabetes (in remission) and none of them raised their hands. Very powerful! The second part was the very end when the man talked about his food addition and then stated he is now addicted to his life. Fantastic ending and left you thinking about the segment in a very positive way. It was nice to see a mainstream news show feature gastric bypass/weight loss surgeries positively. It discussed the surgery with the health benefits and not as a cosmetic procedure. It also didn't make it seem as though it was a given that post-ops would abuse alcohol, drugs, or shopping after surgery. Thanks for starting this thread!! Cathy

donnohess - I am 63 year old, retired Texas State employee with Blue Cross Blue Shield (PPO) in Texas. Planning to contact them about coverage for gastric bypass. Any suggestions, comments for me? Thanks. Sheriff (user name)

I am scheduled for surgery this Tuesday, April 29th @ 5:30am. I have been so excited but very anxious about it as well. I have woken up every morning between 3 and 4 am with the feeling of doom and asking myself, am I making the right decision? I know I am, but wonder why this is happening in the wee hours of the morning. Maybe it is the anticipation of the whole thing. But when I see and hear things like this from 60 minutes, or group seminars I feel so good about what I am doing for myself. So I try to reason with myself, do I stay obese and pray to God every morning I wake up that I am alive or do I have the surgery and get it over with one time and live for the next 50 years? What is more of a risk I ask myself. Then I think, OK.... what if I would have lived another 10 years without the surgery and then I have the surgery and die. Did anyone feel the same way I do before they had the surgery? Everyone I talk to said " I would do it all over again in a minute! I am definately doing it. I already paid cash for it. Had to refinance my house in order to pay for it b/c my insurance company #@$%$&*!!!! But the question is, am I thinking normally at this stage of the game with the anxiety worries? Then I say "How could someone not be nervous and have anxiety? this is a huge deal! I think the medical laws definately need to change and insurance companies need to be forced to cover these operations. A one time $25,000 pop or 15 years of medical bills for diabetes, cancer etc... is more expensive to pay for. I don't understand the insurance companies!!!!!! They are so political like the government and Gasoline. Come on corporate insurance big wigs, We are talking about human lives here. What if it were your mother , sister, father brother????

I loved this segment! Thanks for posting it. I have a lapband and love it.. I think that as WLS in general gets better press the more people will be helped! I have two good friends that had the RNY and both were able to go off meds, both went from around 310 is to 180 is and BOTH look awesome...... the 26th will be my ONE year bandversary and I'm down 85 lbs! anyone who is thinking about it should do the research and attend several seminars.

I TIVO'd 60 Minutes and I played back this segment with my husband. I have considered this option on and off over the years, and I am now seriously considering it. I have been recently diagnosed with diabetes and I soooo do not want to go through the issues that I have already seen in my family. Thanks for all the good info on this site; it is really opening my eyes!

Going from 283 to 116 and being able to move and live normally... it was a life change I will never regret. (no more sleep apnea, no more diabetes, my joints are no longer stressed)

Wow! Thats all I have to say.

I had the gastric bypass surgery on November 7, 2006 and have lost 102 pounds. What I gained was my life. Yes, to answer your pre-surgery jitters...it was a bit scary. But not as scary as seeing older obese people trying to get around with canes and walkers; not as scary as hearing the cancer statistics on obese people and certainly not as scary as seeing my old obese photographs and remember how at times I was suicidal in my frustration with yet again gaining all my weight back it took so long and was so hard in losing. I'm sending this segment to my fiance so he can understand a bit about it. I haven't shown him my before pictures yet......he loves me just as I am. Thank you God for this surgery!!!

I thought the segment was really good, but I was slightly concerned because they almost made the bypass seem like a miracle cure. I think it certainly can be, but it requires a lot of hard work by the patient. I know people who have had the bypass and regained their weight or never met their goals. I think it is very important to emphasize that surgery is NOT a miracle cure, it still requires hard work from the patient too.

my surgery is set for 07/25/08, i keep having this feeling that I might die on the table... does anyone else have/had had that feeling before surgery? im a diabetic with bad eyesight, and my dr said with this surgery i will lose weight and get rid of my diabetes. She said that i have a 99.9% chance of survivng the surgery.. but i heard that ppl that are 25-30 age range are dying after surgery, like in 30 days after. Please if anyone is out there 30 yrs old, weighs 230 and has had the surgery, please email me. I really need someone to talk to. Thanks

Hiya J-Gen! I'm was pleased with my lap band results, but I have been giving serious thought to the RNY because of the devestating effects of diabetes in my family. If I could cure diabetes and *never* lose another pound, I would. Diabetes is just that powerful of a foe.

I am 4 years post-op and have gained so much of my life back, I can relate to the man who said he's addicted to life because I am. That's not to say that my food addiction went away, I still have to fight the demons that made me eat in the first place, but the surgery gave me a hope that for the first time in my life food couldn't take away. Whenever I dieted before it was for someone else, to meet someone else's expectations, but I had the surgery for me, I lost the weight this time for me, and everything I do to keep it off I do for me. As long as I remember that, I'm happy, free and also addicted to life. The anxiety before surgery is something to talk to your doctor about, but my fears were laid to rest during an orientation session before surgery.

This is leaving a comment on any blog, I'm so happy I can become a part of this community. I just received approval from my insurance co yesterday. Hopefully my RNY will be scheduled in July. I'm sorry some have had to fight their blue cross ppo. I was fortunate that our blue cross ppo was changed to CIGNA just prior to submitting my claim, or I would be in your position too. I was denied at first but dealt with a supervisor with CIGNA instead of company they contract with to approve certain claims. I was approved within 1 1/2 weeks. We had a similar denial with blue cross ppo's contracted service and also had to fight to get coverage for our daughter. I'm sorry you have had to fight for so long. Keep fighting for what you have been paying those premiums for!

I am very excited, I am scheduled for surgery Friday May 23rd. I hope it all works out.