HELP!! Need a local support group ASAP!

Mamacj · 07-31-2008, 09:14 PM

I am required to attend a support group meeting, lead by a 'certified' support group leader. I live in extreme Northeast Oklahoma and would like a meeting closer to home than OKC. Any suggestions? All information appreciated. :biggrin2:

Queen of Hearts · 08-06-2008, 06:45 PM

Hi mamacj~I was just wondering..exactly what kind of support group is it that you have to attend? Is it suppose to be like the seminars the doctors hold? When I was checking into getting the LAP-BAND® I was told to go and sign in and watch the ME EMMI web site..I wonder if that will fulfill your obligation for support?? It logs you in and you can print your completion out..you might ask and see if that works?? I don't attend a support group but I did go to my docs seminar. Let me know what you find out!

Mamacj · 08-06-2008, 07:56 PM

Teri,
It is a LAP-BAND® support group that meets once a month. The leader has to be certified. I too have watched the emmi videos and attended a seminar.
I actually have it worked out, I am going to do my sleep study after the support group meets so I will get both done in one trip to OKC. Thanks for your help! CJ

Queen of Hearts · 08-06-2008, 08:25 PM

CJ! Sounds like a plan..I didn't have to go to support groups. I had so many co morbidity problems I didn't even have to go to the shrink!

But within 2 months my health improved so much that I was astounded! My liver doctor was thrilled, my heart doctor was excited for me and my family doctor told me that I was one of the patients that this really worked well for and rather quickly! I told her if she had any patients that had weight problems like I did then she was welcome to tell them everything she had to do to try and help me! I'm halfway to my goal but it seems that this last half is going to take a bit longer than the first half! I just need to exercise more but you know how hot it's been and I hate to walk when we have so much heat!! My insurance is blue cross blue shield federal so that may be part of why I didn't need the support group validation??!! I wish you well on your journey!

Mamacj · 08-06-2008, 09:12 PM

Yes, I think it will work out. I am so glad you are having so much success and feeling better! It's really weird, since I started the process to get the band I have been having terrible acid reflux and had to increase my med for that, I also had some lab done and am pre-diabetic! Guess I should have decided to have this surgery last year and then I would feel great, too.
I am glad your doctors support you, it has taken me 3 years to convince my family doctor to write a referral letter. He has always supported my efforts to lose weight, he just wanted me to do it without surgery. I guess I finally proved I needed some help and that the LAP-BAND® is it!
Thanks for the 'support' LOL, too bad they won't count online, I would have it made.

Queen of Hearts · 08-07-2008, 07:45 PM

Wow!! I was borderline diabetic too! It's completely under control now as well..about your reflux..if you get anxious does it flare up?? Nerves might be getting to you?? I know waiting for all the requirements to be met made me so stressed I had headaches and stomach aches!!

Well I had to wait with my family doctor too but when she found out that my liver doctor was going to write a letter then she jumped on the band wagon and then the heart doctor but come to find out I didn't need all of those! Just getting the LAP-BAND® doctor to do his report and have all my morbidity problems and my excessive weight and having proof of a supervised diet plan within the last five years..and failing of course..set me up! This is the first year my insurance covered the LAP-BAND®. They would the by pass but my liver doc and family doc said they wouldn't recommend it because of so many problems that could be incurred..so my liver doc said..now a LAP-BAND® I'll go for since it's reversible if things don't go well! So 2 years later I finally got my band! I just wish they had this available through my insurance years ago!! It sure would have saved them so much in prescriptions and doctor visits!! But better late than never!!:biggrin2:Please keep me posted as you go along and get things done and if you need anything I'll try to help you as much as I can! One thing I suggest..just because..if there is something that you really love to eat..get it and eat it!! I had steak for 2 whole weeks before my preop diet! HA! If I knew that those great rolls wouldn't go through my band I would have made myself sick eating those too because you are getting ready for a real strict amount and type of food you can eat! I can eat just about anything but chicken that's fried..forget it, if it has dry meat I gag!! I eat steak but my hubby cuts it really tiny because I'm real bad about not chewing as throughly as I should!

I eat fish, beef, pork (which seems to be the easiest for me to digest) and my veggies are limited because some of them are pretty stringy and you will fill up pretty quick with fiber!! I always try to eat my protein (meats/cheese/eggs etc) first..then proceed with what ever is on my diet! One mistake a friend of my daughters made was assuming the band was a cure all..it's not..it's a tool to HELP you but you have to follow the diet and be ready to exercise..all I do is walk and it does help!! You can still cheat but that's when your will power has to be overcome!! In the lapbandtalk forum there are a bunch of us that have plead guilty of cheating once in a while and it's really strange that the good stuff will make you puke but the bad stuff just goes right through! HA! But we are all trying to keep from cheating now!

If it goes down that easy then that tells me it can be stored as fat!! I'm so tight right now I should be losing weight but like I said I haven't been exercising so I know it works because I'm eating a lot less but the scales are moving soooo slowly!! Anyway..just wanted to let you know some of the things I can look back on and wish I would have done but didn't..and now what I can do but try not to! I'm only half way through but my girlfriends at work think I've lost enough..as well as my hubby, but if I'm going to pay for plastic surgery I want to at least reach my goal first!! So I will plod along and maybe this time next year I can start my second phase of becoming a new me!! Best wishes for you!!