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I have Aetna through my wife's job, and while Aetna DOES cover it, I had a heck of a time getting approved, because at the last minute (3 weeks before surgery, after completing a 3-month program with all the bells and whistles), contrary to everything we'd been told, I get a call that Aetna has denied me because my wife's employer put an exclusion for weight-loss surgery in their plan. I was devastated and angry. But it turned out that there just was a wording difference between the plan the company actually had, and the plan that Aetna thought they had. Yes, there was, according to the company, a general exclusion, but it would be waved if you could prove "medical necessity". But Aetna didn't have that part in their records. So, we were told they'd fix the error, but it would take a couple of weeks (!!!???). Okay. So a couple of weeks later we re-submit, and now they say "Okay, so we DO cover this, but we need to see weight records from the past two years from your doctor." I'm like, WHAT. I hadn't seen a doctor that weighed me since 2006. I managed to get THAT record, and praise the Lord they took it as fulfilling the requirement. I got official approval literally on the Friday before my scheduled Tuesday surgery. Which was, I was THEN told, too close, because the hospital needed me to come in for pre-admission testing first. Did that, and now my surgery is set for this coming Tuesday. So, long story short, yes, Aetna covers it, but make sure you know all the details.

I used Dr Denham he is wonderful !! You can call him at 847-570-1700 he is in Vernon hills on thursdays

There's usually a daily post at Obesity Help's lapband forum where everyone lists what they're eating that day. http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/lapband/page,1/

Yes you are so right. I enjoy the stories but hate the doom and gloom. I wish people would keep their negativity to themselves.

I take it slow for 48-hours after a fill, because I'm usually swollen, but once that goes down I can drink Water just like normal. That doesn't mean my fill didn't work-- my fills have been great (I lost all of my weight but for the last 5 lbs on 2 fills), but what they give me is a feeling of "that's enough" after a smallish meal of solid Protein and veggies. There is no physical restriction at all. My band doesn't prevent me from eating anything-- it just gets me satiated on smaller amounts of whatever I do eat.

I haven't been banded yet, but I have been through this thought before. When I lost 30 lbs, my whole attitude on life changed. I felt prettier, had more energy, volunteered more, worked out more, etc. I started losing "interest" in my husband because other men started noticing me and paid attention to me. It was the "new" feeling I got like when you start dating someone....you know, the butterflies. I almost made the worst decision of my life because of this, too. Even though all these things had changed the way I looked, felt, acted, etc...my husband didn't change. So I thought I deserved better, needed something to spruce up my life. One day it hit me. My husband was the one who supported me through my tough times, skinny and large. Stuck by me when I threw all my clothes on the floor and refused to go to a wedding because I was too fat. Encouraged me any way he could to help me lose the weight on my own. I didn't need a new guy. I had to find a way to rekindle what we had lost because of me and MY issues. I went to counseling to help get my attitude under control. To figure out why in the world I felt the need to move on when nothing was really wrong in the relationship, I just liked the new attention I was getting. Counseling really helped. That was 2 years ago. And even though I'm right back where I started (weight wise), my husband stands by me in my decision to have WLS. I could never repay him for how he's taken care of me, but I guarantee you, the grass isn't always as green as you think on the other side. Just a thought to keep in mine :-)

For the below food suggestions - add salt/pepper to taste. I experiment as far as quantity goes and kind of eyeball most of it. I cover everything to be baked to keep moisture in and keep foods as moist and tender as possible. I check on the things cooking frequently to check for readiness. baked chicken wings with a bit of garlic powder and paprika, once cooked i toss in a bit of bbq sauce that I make from low carb ketchup, bit of worcestshire sauce and some hp steak sauce, i then sometimes put hot sauce on top. I also dip in blue cheese dressing. I am returning to atkins low carb diet and saw weight loss eating this type of food. I generally before the band had 5-6 wing pieces. Probably with the band 3-4 would be a stretch. Instead of baking though with such a small amount I spray some pam in a frying pan and slow cook the wings until almost fall off the bone - yummy. slow cooked spare ribs in the oven using same ingredients additions as above except for bbq sauce which i put on right at the end. i slow cook on 300 for about 2 hours or till falling off the bone and have them covered with tin foil. i broil for a few minutes to get a nice coating. i put the bbq sauce mixture once they are cooked and then broil. take small bites and chew very well. baked or slow pan fried hamburger patties using either lean ground beef, pork, chicken or turkey - i put some chopped onion in or some onion Soup mix, garlic powder and a tbsp or two of bbq sauce (bbq sauce keeps them nice and moist) tuna with mayo and chopped onion and some chopped dill pickle, i smush it very well so it is smooth and easy to swallow devilled eggs pan seared fish - any kind steamed seafood or boiled, lobster, crab, clams etc. soft rib eye steak on the bbq - one of the tenderest steaks i've ever found - i'm still very careful to take extra small bites and chew a lot. cheaper cuts of steak that i have marinated overnight with some balsamic vinegar a bit of olive oil and steak spices plus i usually pound it like anything with a tenderizer - i'm very careful with steak though as have had several stuck episodes boiled chicken legs with some bouillon cubes added to the Water - chicken legs come out very soft and what's left (the bouillon once strained) is pretty good too perhaps with a bit of salt and pepper stuffed green peppers using ground meat and prefried mushrooms onions - baked in oven covered in watered down tomato paste and low carb ketchup to taste. i saute meat as well. they are done (i cook them at 350) when the peppers are very soft when poked with a fork and green color has faded. stuffed cabbage (cabbage rolls) , cabbage needs to be precooked and peeled leaf by leaf - this takes time and some patience. with same ingredients as stuffed green peppers, i cover the cabbage with the biggest leaves i took off at the beginning and cover the rolled ones to keep in the moisture. I use 1 big cabbage and i do smother the top in tomato sauce mixture. I bake for about 1.5 hours on 350. cabbage should be easily poked with a fork when done. meat and all ingredients should be precooked and then stuffed (rolled) into the cabbage. eggplant parmesan - prepared as if making lasagna (substitute thinly sliced preferrably oven baked with some olive oil and salt and pepper until pretty soft but not falling apart) and use what other ingredients you normally would to make a lasagna - tomato sauce preferrable low carb, mozzarella ( i prefer a lower fat one) low fat ricotta cheese, baked at 350 covered for approx 40 minutes - give or take. no bean chile prepared the same as regular but without Beans. I also included this link that i quickly looked up under low carb recipes for lapbanders - i haven't tested any of them though. http://recipes.spark...cookbook=347266 hope this helps