Congrats again on your banding and I'm glad to hear that you're doing better after your first fill. So far your 20lb loss in 3 weeks is awesome! Keep up the good work!
I wanted to chime in on the requirements for being approved for surgery. It depends on your insurance company, so call them directly and ask them if they cover the lapband (some insurance companies don't) and if they do ask them what you need to have to be approved. Many require a BMI requirement of >40, co-morbid conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, high triglycerides...stuff like that although not required with a BMI of >40 in most cases but if you do have those diagnoses it can help get you approved. In addition to those you may be required to do a 6 month physician supervised diet, nutritionist eval, psych eval, cardiac/pulmonary eval, sleep study and more. Every surgeon should require attendance of an informational seminar and a consultation or two.
Last note - I'm not knocking the Lapband...it was not the right tool for me, I needed the RNY. But, don't lock yourself into a procedure simply on the basis of it being 'reversible' or the popularity of it. Research each of the procedures available to you and weigh them against your individual weight loss needs. You just may find that another procedure such as the DS (duodenal switch), VSG (verticle sleeve gastrectomy) or the RNY (Roux-En-Y) may be a better fit for your weight loss needs. So...research research and research more. Check out
www.obesityhelp.com and ask questions of each procedure. Last thing you want is buyers remorse (it's what I did and I LOVE my RNY). Plus, the more you know about your procedure the better you can educate those who are giving you negative feedback...9/10 who do that just aren't as educated about WLS as they think they are.
Regardless of which procedure you choose it's definitely a tool...and I'm learning that at 4y 11m post RNY and a 25lb gain that my tool still works. With going back to basics and upping my protein, cutting back carbs and upping my water I've lost 3lbs this week.
Good luck to you all in which ever procedure you decide to go with!!
Kristy