Ponderer

The ultimate goal of having the band is for it to be a helpful tool for you to lose weight. The fact that you are doing it on your own right now is certainly admirable but that will not eliminate you getting fills. It just shows that as you progress in this journey you are going to rock it! Just keep doing what you are doing and when the fills continue and you start to really get the benefits of this tool in your life, you will have certainly gotten to the point where you deserve it!! Congrats to you.

Wow....good job!! You are doing really well and I am glad it is all feeling so good for you. Your post gave me a smile. Thank you for that!!!

Hi all! I am scheduled for March 15th. My consult is on 2/28 so I do not have detailed instructions as of yet for the 2 weeks prior. I just wanted to check in and say that I am a member of the MARCHing BAND!!

I am scheduled for the 15th. Wow....we all make quite the...wait for it.....MARCHing BAND......don't we!?

There is absolutely nothing out there available to you, or any of us, that does not require us to choose to eat healthy and exercise for the rest of our lives to maintain good health and weight. It sounds like you are looking for something that will prevent you from having to do your part. It does not exist. As far as craving the stuff that put the weight on originally....there is nothing that will cure that either. It all comes down to choices and at some point you will have to muscle through that on your own and choose the right stuff simply because you want your health bad enough to do so. You muscle through it...honestly and truly correctly...long enough and it will become natural and desireable. That alone makes doing the work worth it!

I am tentatively scheduled for surgery mid March. Having stumbled onto a couple of posts last night about people not being able to get insurance after being banded I suddenly had a bad feeling. The money guy at my work had mentioned looking into different insurance later this year. We are currently with Blue Cross Selections but my surgery will be a self pay. I am presuming that I cannot be removed from my current insurance because I have the procedure. My guess is that people are having trouble when they go to change coverage after the procedure. I have seen some things about having to be 3 years out from surgery to get an individual policy and such I am just unsure if an individual policy is the same thing as a group policy at a company? I will be confirming if we are going to be looking for new insurance later this year and if so, I am scared to get banded yet. Thoughts? Help?

I will probably do a bit more research yet. If I learn anymore I will post it and it would be great if you do the same! I am glad this was helpful for you too.

I have what I consider to be very good insurance with Regence PPO. Any treatments, surgery, etc. for obesity is clearly outlined as an exclusion with our policy as it is how my company chose to do things. If they have written that they will not cover it.....it is not about if a BMI qualifies or even if it is considered "medically" necessary by one's doctor....chances are it will not be covered. When companies purchase medical insurance for group coverage they have to customize and choose various plans and when things like obesity treatment are excluded that is typically done to keep the fees down for all. I know where I work I am in the minority and can understand why a small company like the one I work for would opt to leave this out and keep rates low. On one had it drives may crazy that I have spent as much as I have for my insurance over the past 7 years and am about to pay $15,000 out of my own pocket for lap band. On the other hand....it would also drive me crazy to think that everyone in my company was spending thousands of extra dollars for a service they were never ever going to use. It can feel like a catch 22 but I guess I want to look at the cup half full.

"There are key differences between individual and group insurance plans. Individual health insurance plans were designed to provide insurance to unemployed or self-employed persons not covered under their employer's plan. In some cases, individual insurance can be difficult to obtain at any price. People with pre-existing, previously diagnosed, or treated health problems seeking new health insurance policies are considered high-risk by insurance companies, and may be unable to find affordable health insurance or any health insurance at all. On the other hand, group insurance plans, which provide coverage for two or more individuals, cannot single out high-risk individuals; nor can they deny them health coverage. All individuals are covered regardless of their existing health problems, and high-risk individuals are factored into the total cost of the group plan" OK....feeling much better now that I learned this online. Whew!!!

The last couple of weeks are all that have passed from my thinking I would never do lap band surgery to really doing some soul searching on it, going to a seminar, doing tons of research and the most amazing of all.....being able to arrange financing at 3.5% interest thanks to an incredible individual that is helping me more then he will ever know! So....as of today there are no stumbling blocks and I am calling to schedule my consult so I can get this going. I am dazed and confused....WOW!!!! The way this has all come together has me feeling incredibly blessed and I have decided I am glad I am a self pay. With my personality and views on money that is going to help with my success and I am not a bit sad to spend this $15,000 on myself. For the first time in my 45 years I really am starting to own how much I am worth this....and more!!! Anyone who is spending any time on these boards is obviously dealing with some weight and health issues. All I can say is....YAY US (no matter what stage you are at in all of this)!!!

Wow....of all the videos I have watched on YouTube this was the one that caused me to take the time to enter my info and have an account simply so I could save this as my first favorite. You would not by chance be interested in being an e-mail buddy / mentor to a newbie would ya? Wow....a huge congrats to you!!!!! Girl...you absolutely rock!!!

My current insurance will not have paid to have it placed, I am a self pay. More so what I am really trying to find out is....if and when my company changes insurance companies, and of course they will not have paid to have it placed either, is that when I would have the problem of getting coverage?

Kayla, Keep in mind that you do not have to do your financing through the company that does it for the doctors office. If you are able to get your own funding, such as from your local bank or credit union, that will usually give you a much better rate. Although I am doing my lending through a very generous employer at 3.5%, I did look into a lifestyle loan with my credit union that was running at about 7%. I know that carecredit was at 14.9% and that was never going to happen. I simply refuse to pay that kind of rate and if you have someone willing to co-sign a loan for you, chances are you do not have to pay that kind of rate either.

Hi there. I have actually spent a bit of time on that thread too. I am looking for more of a one on one e-mailing situation with someone in a bit more similar situation to my own. Thank you for responding!

I have not had my surgery yet but for me I am going into it as this being something that will make it a bit easier to do the right things to get healthy. I still need to make the choices and this will not prevent me from making bad ones.....but it will make it a bit easier for me to make good ones. At the end of the day though....I still need to choose to do the right thing right. If I am not going to, why would I even bother to get this done is the way I look at it. You can do the right thing wrong and still it will not work....it only happens when you do the right thing right.

Dr. William D. Neal in Olympia takes Tricare.