SkinnyMiniMe

Insurance companies drive me CrAzY!!! Well spoke to the office manager and she too was surprised about the deductible...I guess the teamsters union has a different plan Anyway so I went onto my insurance website and it says that out of network I am responsible for 20% Co-Insurance!!!! NO WAY will I be able to afford that!!!! The office manager told me to call on Monday, so if she still is willing to take whatever they pay as paid in full which apparently is 80% of the bill then I will stay with my surgeon if not then I will have to go to an in network. Which means I may have to push back my surgery (SIGH )

Long story short. I had my consult almost finish with all my pre-op appointments. Come to find out my surgeon (who I love) does not take my insurance but will take their payment as payment. I will be responsible for my deductible. I called my insurance GHI last month and was told its $200, well the bill came in and now they are telling me its $300! My husband and I are both doing it so grand total will be $600.00. Then in January it will start all over again since its a new year! We are tentatively scheduled for surgery in December. I am thinking long term, $600 every year (until they raise the deductible again cause it never goes down) is a bit much when I can go to a surgeon that just takes GHI and all I have to pay is $20 per visit. So my question is has anyone changed doctor's before being approved? Was it a messy situation? Or should I just fork it over to be less difficult? First year or two I will probably easily exceed that deductible but I am looking far ahead in a few years we will have to see him less. So $20 maybe once or twice a year is better than $300.00. I was told first year we have to go in once a month. Is that true? What about in 2 or 3 years? HELP!

Thermos intak hydration Water bottle $10 at target helps keep track of how much you are drinking. I also add MIO to my water also at target by the crystal light. Good Luck

Since quitting diet soda I bought the Thermos Intak Water bottle at target for $10 I LOVE IT!!! Its BPA free, spill proof, has a loop you can easily carry everywhere and the best part there is a dial on the top there is a rotating part (meter) that lets you keep track of how much you drink. Its 24oz bottle and you can track 6 refills on the bottle itself.

OMG!!! You guys are such inspiration!!! I hope to do the same when I finally get banded in December. I want to be in onderland by June! Wishing you guys all the SUCCESS!!! I want to hit the ground running with the band...any pointers or tips will be greatly appreciated! Are you guys still on shakes, what are your meals like, working out? I have read lots of inspirational stories and some not so inspiring on here. I just want to make sure that I do my part and hoping the band will do hers, so I can get results like you guys. I am hoping to inspire some newbies next year WOOHOO!!! LOL I even named my soon to be band "Hopey" I may give her a last name "Hopey Will"

I will be able to button my jeans standing up no more buttoning my jeans laying down again ever! I never want to be afraid to use the public restroom for fear that you can't zip you pants back up. No more painful, itchy, dented skin around my waist from wearing jeans all day. No more stretching clothes before putting the on. I am always stretching my shirts and sometimes my pants. I have be known to ask my husband to hold one end of the pant waist and play tug-a-war with me holding the other end.

I really can not wait to see your results!!!

I have had other surgeries and I am not too concerned. With all the pre-op appointments I am pretty sure that my surgeon knows if I am healthy enough to have this 45 minute procedure or not. They have checked all my abdominal organs, blood work, lungs, stomach and even checked for blood clots. That is more testing than the other two surgeries that I have had in the past.

Well Thanks for the advice. Since I started the process already in October my deductible will be already covered if I have the surgery in December. Its too late to turn back now. I guess you are right I will probably meet that deductible anyway in 2012 again with all the fills. I have a feeling I am going to see alot more out network doctors from now on. At least take advantage. Thanks for the advice about getting it in writing. I have a friend that was sued 5 years after by a lawyer and the doctor was no longer in business so she could not verify with the office manager. She ended up being served to go to court and settled out of court. Don't want that to happen. I think I am more annoyed that I called my insurance last month and they told me it was $200 deductible per individual and now come to find out its $300 and since its for my husband and I it will be $600 but that will cover it for the rest of the familly.

The thing is I am only responsible for my deductible which is $300 per person a year. Since we already went to the consult I am already responsible for and it will cover the surgeries if they happen as planned in December. My husband and I already discussed it...and we think we will continue with him. Then in 2012 we will continue too because we figure we will go plenty of appointments that it will make sense. After we are done losing the weight and maintaining we will consider switching so it won't be so expensive. I guess being skinny is worth it.

I think it is Emblem now...I know Dr. Holover takes it and that is the doctor I would switch to if I changed doctors ARRRRGHHH I got to make my mind up. I will have all my appointments done by 11/15.

After getting this idea from another forum poster. I decided I will name my band "Hope" and maybe even "Hopie" I am Hoping for the best with my new tool. Can't wait..I am almost there!

Just a suggestion...compare your clothes and you will definitely see the difference. I know our minds take more time to adjust to our new bodies. It happened to me last year after losing weight and now that I regained it back and some extra I finally realize how much skinnier I was. Now I am on my lapband journey. Hoping to be as successful as you and inspiring to someone else as you are to me. THANKS!!! You look great!!!!!

I was cure from the "Last Supper Syndrome" tonight. My family and I went out to what was suppose to be our last buffet. After eating the food which did not seem that great as it was in the past, we get the bill and I felt violated! $107 for Chinese food!!! I was upset mainly because I felt I overpaid. Then on my way home I realized I was "cured"!!!! I will no longer have the desire to spend so much money on quantity of food as opposed to quality. Had it been delicious and affordable I would have been thinking about it for years to come. I felt like it was a nice clean break from my relationships with buffets lol As for chocolate, I still like her lol but in moderation I should be fine lol.

So I am aware that I must cut my caffeine to one cup of coffee a day. Carbonated drinks are not allowed. Then the surgeon told me certain foods are not tolerable after the Lap-Band, such as rice. The first food addict thought that came to my mind at that moment was, "No Sushi ever again?" He told me not everyone has that problem with rice. I have been reading the forums and it seems some people don't have any food problems but then last night I am eating corn and I start thinking, "will I be able to eat this after the surgery?" So, I started this forum because I want to know, what food or foods (if any) have you had to give up because of the Lap-band?

I am a newbie too...initially I was nervous and scared but I can not let fear run my already fat miserable life. I believe I am a food addict. I have been in a bad relationship from food for 1/2 my life. I done, I over it and I am taking my life back. As I am going through all these pre-op appointments and tests, I am realizing that is not that big of a deal. As far as the hassles from the band, I feel it will be hard at times BUT the end result will be well worth the hassles. Remember fear is created in our minds its not tangible. Create your new healthy life happily. Look around and read, good and bad and remember lap-band is completely reversible. As for me...next year I want to say to myself this is the best thing I ever did. Good Luck on your journey!

Can drinks/shakes be gulped after the lapband? Or small sips always?

I am not banded yet, hopefully in December. But when I diet and exercise without the band I could lose 2-3 lbs a week on my own. Of course that's 1 hr- 1 1/2 hrs at 5 days a week, without the band. Dieting is the hardest part of it for me. I am hoping with the band and with the same workout effort I could lose 3-4lbs a week. Is that possible?

Then egg nog Protein shakes for all of us LMAO

I always figure (for me) just making it to the gym is a miracle but if I make inside the gym I am working out. So I judge by how I feel. Usually 20-30 minutes to start 2-3 days a week. As you start going more often you will see that you will be able to do more and will want to do more. Once you find things you like you will form your type of schedule. For example Eliptical on Mondays, Tuesday Spin Class and weights etc., By the 2-3 month I was going 5 days a week ad working out for about 1 1/2 each day. I have to get back into the gym. Last year lost 40 lbs and now I am up 50 lbs...so I am embarassed to go back BUT I plan on it!!! Now when I get the Lapband I am hoping that I will maintain all that hard work. GOOD LUCK!!!