Problems.... Me Sad...
So, I'm having a few issues....I am no longer comfortable with the Sleep Clinic I have been working with... this is what I get for working with a Gay Owned and Operated facility...I wish I would have just gone to the place I was referred too, the regular hospital.
I've started my treatment and was diagnosed with Moderate Sleep Apnea.... that's as far as I have gone with this company. I DO NOT want to contiue with them for the remainder of my tests, for my CPAP Machine, etc. Am I stuck? Will my insurance allow me to continue elsewhere? I'm sad and afraid this is going to stall my surgery...
I plan on calling my insurance company on Monday. I wish they were open now....
Another question: Once you have the lapband, do you loose weight automatically at first without any effort (other than eating right of course) I know that the band is a tool, not a cure for weight loss... just curious what I can expect.
Me Sad.....
I've started my treatment and was diagnosed with Moderate Sleep Apnea.... that's as far as I have gone with this company. I DO NOT want to contiue with them for the remainder of my tests, for my CPAP Machine, etc. Am I stuck? Will my insurance allow me to continue elsewhere? I'm sad and afraid this is going to stall my surgery...
I plan on calling my insurance company on Monday. I wish they were open now....
Another question: Once you have the lapband, do you loose weight automatically at first without any effort (other than eating right of course) I know that the band is a tool, not a cure for weight loss... just curious what I can expect.
Me Sad.....
Hi Jamie. I haven't had any experience with sleep clinics. I do know some about insurance companies. I would talk to them as planned but if you get any feeling that they would give you a hassle, suck it up and stay where you are. You don't want to give them any excuse to delay your surgery and your relationship with the sleep clinic is a temporary hoop to jump through and not a long-term commitment. However, if your insurance seems cool with you changing, go for it but do it quickly. I would make sure you have another appointment set up with a new place (hopefully a really soon one) before you let the other group know you are jumping their ship.
As for the lapband, that I do know some about (although I chose GBP). There is no automatic weight loss with any method. There are lifestyle changes with either that require effort. I would suggest trying to get used to those now before surgery so that after surgery, it will be less stressful. And yes, LB is a tool. It is also a method of LWS that requires more lifestyle changes and mental effort than GBP because you don't have the malabsorption and possible dumping as additional tools. The weight loss with LB is slower but the good news is that the window is longer. In other words, most people with GBP have about a 6-9 month-window for optimal weight loss but usually lose pretty quickly. With LP you lose slower but the window extends out for as much as 12-18 months, so in the end, the result (pound wise) is about the same.
Either way, you have to do the work of changing many things in your life. The good news is you are doing that. You can be very proud of yourself and happy that you are doing something. I would suggest you can take joy in just the process of getting there. I would also suggest that you make sure your head is wrapped around the idea that being normal weight will not make you happy, it will not cure all your problems, and it is not a goal. You will not have more love in your life. You will not automatically be a better person. And you will have the challenges of adapting to a new body (see about a million previous posts here. LOL).
What you can expect is a sense of accomplishment like you've perhaps never known before, a feeling of gratitude for your health, less pain, less fear of dying young, more energy, more ability to fit in with the rest of normal-sized places and people (airline seats, theater seats, booths at restaurants), a feeling of being able to cope with life's slings and arrows of misfortune, strength, better sleep, better sex, a large feeling of control over what you can control and perhaps the ability to let go of the things you can't control.
Of course, your mileage may vary and this is just me talking here. I caution people preop to be careful not to expect life to be perfect or anywhere near it once you have surgery or once you lose weight. LIfe is life and sometimes it sucks. I just happen to think that the sucky times are less sucky without the burden of fat. I also think that the fantastic times in life are so much more fantastic because... I'm not stuck with hating myself because I'm fat and that used to cast a shadow over every happy time in my life (except the birth of my children but that's a whole other thing). *g*
*big hugs for the sadness to pass*
As for the lapband, that I do know some about (although I chose GBP). There is no automatic weight loss with any method. There are lifestyle changes with either that require effort. I would suggest trying to get used to those now before surgery so that after surgery, it will be less stressful. And yes, LB is a tool. It is also a method of LWS that requires more lifestyle changes and mental effort than GBP because you don't have the malabsorption and possible dumping as additional tools. The weight loss with LB is slower but the good news is that the window is longer. In other words, most people with GBP have about a 6-9 month-window for optimal weight loss but usually lose pretty quickly. With LP you lose slower but the window extends out for as much as 12-18 months, so in the end, the result (pound wise) is about the same.
Either way, you have to do the work of changing many things in your life. The good news is you are doing that. You can be very proud of yourself and happy that you are doing something. I would suggest you can take joy in just the process of getting there. I would also suggest that you make sure your head is wrapped around the idea that being normal weight will not make you happy, it will not cure all your problems, and it is not a goal. You will not have more love in your life. You will not automatically be a better person. And you will have the challenges of adapting to a new body (see about a million previous posts here. LOL).
What you can expect is a sense of accomplishment like you've perhaps never known before, a feeling of gratitude for your health, less pain, less fear of dying young, more energy, more ability to fit in with the rest of normal-sized places and people (airline seats, theater seats, booths at restaurants), a feeling of being able to cope with life's slings and arrows of misfortune, strength, better sleep, better sex, a large feeling of control over what you can control and perhaps the ability to let go of the things you can't control.
Of course, your mileage may vary and this is just me talking here. I caution people preop to be careful not to expect life to be perfect or anywhere near it once you have surgery or once you lose weight. LIfe is life and sometimes it sucks. I just happen to think that the sucky times are less sucky without the burden of fat. I also think that the fantastic times in life are so much more fantastic because... I'm not stuck with hating myself because I'm fat and that used to cast a shadow over every happy time in my life (except the birth of my children but that's a whole other thing). *g*
*big hugs for the sadness to pass*
"When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge." -Tuli Kupferberg
let me piggy back on Raven's post here.......the BEST thing i ever did for myself in preparation for wls was go on a 9 month mostly liquid diet. that really cut my ties to food and really got my brain wired and prepared for the after surgery regiment for the rest of my life. the behavior modification that was in place prior to my surgery really helped me and made my early days of being post-op a TOTAL breeze. Do yourself a favor and change now....you will totally be thankful for doing it in the long run.
whether you continue with this company or not will not be a determining factor in whether you are approved for WLS or not. the diagnosis is what your surgeon needs to make a case for you :) I had sleep apnea and I got the cpap and everything and never used it but the diagnosis is still there and was what my surgeon needed to bring my case to the insurance company. don't worry handsome......you got what you and your surgeon needed....the diagnosis (and hopefully a report stating that fact)
Sorry you sad!
Insurance should have no investment in which sleep clinic you use. In fact there are laws preventing that. They should have contracts with at least a couple local clinics if there are more than one or two in the area. The local hospital is probably a contracted facility. Call whomever gave you the original referral and ask for another. Your records are legal, medical records. Once you have an appointment with the hospital, the new place will have you sign a release which they will send to the first place to get all your info. May take a week or two extra, but not significant. The sleep study is the major hassle, and you are done with that torture.
And honey, weight loss is never "without any effort". Sorry. Initial wt. loss is because you can't take more than a TINY amount of water after surgery. Getting in all your fluids the first week or two is an all day labor. Then getting in the food is difficult. Then getting all the fluid, food, vitamins...... At least that is the way with the sleeve. PM Tom or Sean and ask them their experiences, cause they are the ones with the lap bands. Don't forget the learning tools of foamies, PBs, stuckness, etc. They will teach good behavior, but they are not effortless or pleasant.
Insurance should have no investment in which sleep clinic you use. In fact there are laws preventing that. They should have contracts with at least a couple local clinics if there are more than one or two in the area. The local hospital is probably a contracted facility. Call whomever gave you the original referral and ask for another. Your records are legal, medical records. Once you have an appointment with the hospital, the new place will have you sign a release which they will send to the first place to get all your info. May take a week or two extra, but not significant. The sleep study is the major hassle, and you are done with that torture.
And honey, weight loss is never "without any effort". Sorry. Initial wt. loss is because you can't take more than a TINY amount of water after surgery. Getting in all your fluids the first week or two is an all day labor. Then getting in the food is difficult. Then getting all the fluid, food, vitamins...... At least that is the way with the sleeve. PM Tom or Sean and ask them their experiences, cause they are the ones with the lap bands. Don't forget the learning tools of foamies, PBs, stuckness, etc. They will teach good behavior, but they are not effortless or pleasant.
"be willing to sit in the middle of the fear and fucking feel it." Lady Raven
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/gay_lesbian_bisexual_transgender
VSG 12/9/08 Highest 278, then lost #30 preop Goal 126
I have the lap band and love it. I would suggest you get over to the lapband board if you want accurate information about it. Some people lose weight easily at first and others don't. It seems to be very individual. And as others have said, there will always be effort behind weight loss!
Connie
http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/gay_lesbian_bisexual_transgender/
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