stuntmonkey

First off, my weight loss journey with the band is going really well. I'm down over 40 lbs since mid-December. The band is working exactly as I hoped it would, and I am very happy with my decision to get the surgery. I am slowly coming to realize how much I self-medicated my anxiety with food. No one is more surprised than me. If you had asked me if I was an emotional eater prior to surgery, I would have said no. I HONESTLY just felt constantly hungry. I was hungry all day. Now that I physically can't eat when I'm stressed, I notice how much higher my general level of anxiety is all the time. It's not like I feel like I want to eat all the time anymore -- I truly don't. I'm not hungry between meals, and I don't even want to eat between meals. I am having a very easy time keeping my portions small and not overeating. However, I miss food as a comfort. And I'm just so surprised how much I relied on it and never knew. Just wanted to share in case anyone else is experiencing something similar.

I read this forum a lot prior to getting my band, and I thought it would be good to post an update for those who are waiting/deciding/nervous. I am very happy with my band. I started at 250, and 3 months and a few days later, I'm down to 217. It has been a very smooth process. My constant hunger is gone. I feel in control of my eating. I can eat pretty much whatever I want as long as I go slow and chew. I don't try to diet at all -- I just go with what feels right and good to eat, and so far, so good. Anyway, just thought I'd add to the success stories here. I still have a ways to go, but I'm feeling so much better and am very happy with my decision to get a band.

So happy to be posting in this thread!!! My official sugery date is December 14th. I'm so excited to finally be on the schedule and start this process!! Woohoo!!! I have my barium swallow and primary care sign-off both on this Wednesday (11/23), and I have my pre-op visit on Dec. 5. My pre-op diet will be for one week and it will start on Dec. 7. And then it's surgery time. My surgeon is Dr. Robert Pinnar, and he works out of Reston Hospital (in Northern Virginia). I'm blessed that my insurance is covering the vast, vast majority of the cost. So, so excited!

I have CareFirst BCBS (BluePreferred PPO, DC plan), and I have met all the requirements for my insurance. (I called back when I started this process, and my employer's plan does cover bariatric surgery, so no worries there.) I am over 18. I had a successful psychiatric evaluation for bariatric surgery. I did a structured diet (WW) for six consecutive months, going at least once a month. My BMI is over 35 and I have severe sleep apnea. My submitted all my stuff to my surgeon's office, and they submitted it all to my insurance. Well, my surgeon's office called me back to today and left a message that my insurance plan doesn't do preapprovals for bariatric surgery, and the insurance company said that they will pay for my surgery after the fact. The nurse isn't in tomorrow, and I will call her back on Monday morning for clarification, but now I am curious/worried about this. Is this a common occurrence? It seems weird that I have to have the surgery first before they will make the final decision on whether they will pay for it or not. Any experiences you can share with this would be very, very appreciated! Thanks!

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I called CareFirst on Friday and went over each and every requirement with the representative on the phone. They only require one comorbid condition when your BMI is over 35. I checked twice. Severe sleep apnea counts. I am still frustrated because the rep I talked to said that "In her opinion, she saw no reason I should be denied coverage, but they will do a review of my file after the surgery to make the final decision." I just think that's nuts! From everything I've read and from my long and detailed conversation with the insurance representative, it sounds like everything will be fine, but wow, this is nerve-wracking. I would really prefer a pre-surgery approval! Here is a cut and paste of the official policy of my exact plan: Surgical treatment of morbid obesity is considered to be a viable treatment option in patients who meet allof the following criteria: Age: (criteria met -- I'm 33.) 18 years old or older and Psychological examination: (done and submitted to my surgeon) complete a psychological examination to determine readiness and fitness for surgery and necessary postoperative lifestyle changes and Structured diet program: (I did WW for 6 months. I went to at least one meeting a month and have the sign-in records and my payment records.) Maryland and D.C. plan members only: must complete a structured diet program in the 2-year period that immediately precedes the request for the surgery by participation in either: - one structured diet program for 6 consecutive months or - two structured, non-concurrent, diet programs for 3 consecutive months. (can include commonly available diet programs such as Weight Watchers® or Jenny Craig®) and Weight requirement: (BMI is about 40 (depends on the day), plus I have severe sleep apnea) Maryland and D.C. plan members only: must meet eitherof the following criteria: - BMI of 40; or - BMI equal to or greater than 35, in combination with one or more of the following co-morbid conditions: hypertension; a cardiopulmonary condition; sleep apnea; diabetes mellitus; or any life threatening or serious medical condition that is weight induced

The insurance guru at my surgeon's office told me to call her once I have completed 5 months of the 6-month required supervised diet, and then she will give me further instructions on when to schedule my pre-op tests, etc. She said my surgery would probably be able to happen very soon (within weeks) of the day I hit the 6-month mark.

Do you work for FCPS? I was told the same thing about being able to do one 6-month supervised diet or 2 non-consecutive 3-month supervised diets. I'm using Dr. Robert Pinnar (in Reston) for the surgery. Good luck to you, too!

When I called my insurance for the exact rules, they told me that weight watchers did count as a medically supervised diet. When I spoke to the insurance specialist for my surgeon, she told me that most insurance companies will not accept the online weight watchers programs -- you have to weigh in and go to meetings in person for it to count. Hope that helps. It's so hard because every insurance is different...

This is my exact plan. I have not formally submitted anything yet, but I spoke to the insurance manager for my surgeon and she said they are very good to deal with regarding lap band surgery. I work in VA, but I have the DC plan for some reason. This plan requires a 6-month supervised diet. The actual virginia plan does not require the 6-month supervised diet. Good luck!

At the seminar I went to, I was told that one of the things that I would have to change was eating and drinking at separate times. I am fairly certain they said I'd have to wait 45 minutes after eating to drink liquids. My question is, do they mean I have to wait 45 minutes until taking a single sip of liquid, or do I just have to wait 45 minutes to drink a high volume of liquid. I currently usually take a few sips of a drink after a meal just to "wash it down." Does that need to end, or just drinking large volumes after you eat? Thanks!

That makes total sense. Sounds like a small sip will be okay, and that is really all I need after a meal. Good to hear. Thanks!

Have any of your surgeons prescribed you a prescription appetite suppressant for your pre-surgery diet? Is there any reason why it would be bad to take a prescription appetite suppressant before lap band surgery? I ask because a few years back, I used an online pharmacy and ordered some phentermine (37.5) as an appetite suppressant. It worked great for a while, but then the effects wore off. I am really hoping that the lap band will give me the same results, but for the long-term and won't wear off... I think it would be helpful for me to go back on the phentermine until surgery just to get back into the place where eating decisions aren't ruled by my constant hunger, but I certainly don't want to do anything that would be dangerous prior to surgery. Will my surgeon think I'm crazy if I ask for a prescription? I have an appointment at the end of the month.

I did my sleep test in-office, and it wasn't bad at all. I'd recommend doing it in-office if you can -- much more reliable results and much less hassle. You go there, they hook you up, and you sleep. It was pretty much just like being in a hotel room with stuff connected to my body. Nothing bad at all.

Wow! 50 lbs pre-surgery is awesome! I haven't gotten my lap band yet, but I don't think you need to worry about cleaning your own stomach prior to surgery. They will do that when you are on the table. I've had two c-sections and a laproscopic apendectomy, and I've never needed to worry about cleaning my own stomach. Best wishes!

I’ve been reading a lot of your posts on this board, and I’m left with a large question. Why are so many people on here being so secretive about their lap band surgery? I don’t get it. I don’t think we have anything to be ashamed of. In fact, I think that the more we talk about this process and this surgical procedure that research actually shows can treat obesity successfully, the better the path will be for those who come after us. If people think this makes me weak or judge me or whatever other negative reactions they might have, they win if I go cowering in a corner and let them make me feel bad. And if I do (and I expect to!) lose a large amount of weight with this procedure, if I stay quiet about it, I will just be one more person who overweight people think has weight loss results that they themselves are not strong enough to achieve (not true!). So, educate me. Why the secrecy? I mean no disrespect by this question at all. I have no doubt there are good reasons behind this, I just don’t understand them yet.

Hi, everyone. This week I started my 6-month medically supervised diet to get my insurance company to approve my lapband surgery. I went to see my PCP and started weight watchers, both on the recommendation of my surgeon's office. If I'm being honest, I have no expectation of actually losing any significant amount of weight during these 6 months. My insatiable hunger will probably force me to eat more than my points allowance, or else I'll be able to do it for a while but then get weak and pig out one day, etc. If I could just follow the program and get the weight off that way, I would have lost my excess weight a long time ago... My outlook is that the band will give me a feeling of fullness without having to eat so much, and that will be the main driving force to my weight loss. I'm not a big emotional eater, and I'm in very good health (other than severe sleep apnea), so I don't have a lot of worries on that end. I have done great on appetite suppressants before, but they wear off so quickly, my hunger comes back, and then my eating ramps back up and I gain back the weight. So, now the question is, what should I truly focus on during the next 6 months to get myself as prepared as possible for a successful outcome to the surgery? My surgeon's office suggests "mindful eating" as a goal, but that is a bit too general for me and I'd like to hear ideas for specifics. Here are some things that I've gathered would be helpful habits to try to adapt: -chewing food more before swallowing -eating and drinking at different times, not together -seeing where I can add extra Protein and reduce the amount of bread in my diet I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions on what I should be focusing on during these 6 months to make me as prepared as possible for a successful lapband surgery outcome. Thanks!

Interesting. I meet with my surgeon and his insurance expert at the end of the month, so I'll be sure to ask if this kind of letter would do the trick. I've seen my current PCP for about 6 years. When I called my insurance and got the exact details on the approval process for the surgery, they told me my plan requires a 6-month *medically-supervised* diet. They said Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig would qualify, but not anything online -- you have to go to meetings in person. They want a record of you seeing a doctor/some sort of professional regularly and being weighed in and counciled on weight loss strategies. It's definitely frustrating, but the amount of money I will save by having insurance pay for 90% of the surgery is worth it and I'll put up with the hoops... But thanks for the heads up to ask about this kind of letter.

Hello! My name is Jamie, and I'm very happy to be on the path to getting a lap band. About me... 32 years old, my height is 5'4", BMI = 38.6 happily married for 7 years to a naturally thin (and wonderful!) husband two adorable kids, daughter is 2 and son is 1 live in Northern Virginia, about 25 miles away from D.C. elementary language arts teacher My weight struggles... heavy since I can remember lived around 175 in college lived around 185 post college got up to 195 pre-first pregnancy got up to 235 with first pregnancy, then down to 210 got up to 240 with second pregnancy, then down to 225 now at 225 for a year, weight is not moving I have an insatiable appetite. I'm hungry all the time. Always have been that I can remember. I ran a marathon in 2007 (pre kids), I started training weighing 185 and finished the race weighing 186. I haven't run since having kids, and now I'm totally out of shape. But, I was very much in shape when I was down in the 180's. I found out a few weeks back that I have severe sleep apnea. I have always had weight loss surgery in the back of my mind, but I never thought I could qualify. Well, with a serious comorbid condition, I now qualify and I'm ready to take the plunge. Other than the apnea, I have no other medical issues (good blood pressure, etc). I am going to use Dr. Robert Pinnar in Reston, Virginia. I went to his seminar earlier this week and was very happy with what I saw and heard. I have my first official appointment with him at the end of May. I'm seeing my primary care doctor tomorrow to get a physical and make sure all is well for the surgery. Due to insurance, I will have to do a 6-month supervised diet before I can have the surgery. I'm starting weight watchers tomorrow with my first meeting. Once I finish that 6-month diet, my insurance (CareFirst BCBS) will cover 90% of the surgery. My hope is to have the surgery before the end of the year. Looking forward to chatting with you all through this process! Jamie

You're totally not nuts. My husband thought I might have sleep apnea, so I went for a sleep study and it turns out I do have severe sleep apnea. I was thrilled! It meant I could actually DO something about my fatigue and it also qualified me for the lap band surgery. A couple of suggestions for you... 1. sleep on your back. position during sleep definitely matters 2. Can you get a true monitored sleep study? It wasn't too big a deal -- they stick wires to you and you just sleep in a mock-hotel room. Much easier than trying to do all that at home... Good luck!

Hi, everyone. I qualify for lap band surgery (BMI of 38 and I have severe sleep apnea). I am currently on health insurance that covers lap band after a 6-month supervised diet. I've dieted forever and forever and tried to lose weight forever and forever, but never medically supervised. I did start weight watchers in late March, so my 6 months with that will be up in mid September. I am hoping to switch jobs and therefore insurances starting September 1, 2011 (I'm a teacher). I would be offered group coverage through my new employer, but there is a specific exclusion to bariatric surgery. (Same is true with my husband's insurance). From what I can tell, I will not be allowed to purchase cobrar insurance from my current employer if I am offered group insurance through my new employer. Is this still true if there are huge changes in coverage? Anyone have experience with this? I really want to figure out a way to get my surgery covered but still be able to change jobs in September. Any advice? Any way I can use my previous diets to qualify for the surgery during the summer? Why, oh why do I find out that I have severe sleep apnea and finally qualify for the lap band at this exact time when I am very close to having a new job lined up that I'm really looking forward to???? The timing couldn't be worse...

Answering my own question in case anyone else turns this up with a similar issue. I talked to someone at the Dept. of Labor today. If I decline the insurance with the new company, I am still eligible to obtain Cobra coverage through my old company. Great news for me! I will have to pay Cobra for about 4 months (to get to the next open enrollment period after the surgery), but other than that, my surgery will be covered just like it would have been if I did not change jobs and insurance. $2000 for Cobra for 4 months vs. $17000 for surgery is a no brainer. I'm thrilled.