littlerlou

Ive been working so hard at getting my ducks in a row for my surgery. My first appt. was back in October where I was told I had to change insurances. I had to start the whole process over. I started jumping through all the hoops because the office was telling me that once my insurance changed over..I was looking at a mid-late January surgery date!! YIPPPPPEEEE!! So I went to my surgeon meeting on Tuesday. I was so excited. Meet with the Dr. and he tells me how he wonderful he thinks this surgery will be and that we are going to go ahead and schedule a date...again..YIPPPPPEEEEE..so we are walking out of the room and getting ready to talk to the nurse and he casually mentions "Dont schedule any appointments," she looks at him stunned and he looks at me and says "We have some facility politics going on right now..so I dont know where I will be within the next few weeks"...My jaw dropped. So then I get put in a room with others who are just as confused as I am..we talk to the nutritionist and the insurance lady, none who can answer our questions...then the scheduling lady comes in and tells us.."I have no clue whats going on..its office politics..they are hiring a couple more people to do surgeries and he doesnt seem happy about that...so, if you want to have your surgery by him, you *may* have to go to a different hospital. The new hospital does not have a special unit...they dont have a team...it will just be him and a couple nurses that he will be training...and who knows when we will get our appt. Im furious..the whole reason I switched insurances was to have this proceedure at that particular hospital with that doctor and that team. Now...its all up in the air. I I tried to make an appointment with another doctor that was on staff at the current hospital and he said "Im not getting involved" so I cant even make an appointment with him, Im so disappointed right now..I worked so hard getting everything ready and getting everything in order so I could have my surgery this month...got to know all the people at the facility and was really super excited..now..I just dont know

I havent had my surgery yet..but I can tell you the precise moment I said enough!...We went to Disney world and they have those pictures that they take of you while your on the ride. I was on Space Mountain and when we got off the ride I was mortified at my picture. I looked like a sausage stuffed into that seat. I was so mortified I didnt want anyone to see it. I had lost a lot of weight a few months before but didnt realize I had put so much of it back on. So there I knew I had to do something *again* I immediately came home and went back through all my diet journals...I was trying to figure out what diet I was going to use...flipping through I was thinking 'Oh, I lost 20lbs in a month on this one.."Oh on this one I lost 30 over 3 months"...and so on..but as I kept reading I kept realizing..these were all so temmporary..and that I needed more help than I could give myself. I needed something more permanant. I started doing research and got scared away a couple times...thinking "Oh, if I have to be on a liquid diet for 4 weeks..Ill just do it on my own"...and it worked..then it failed again...so...here I am..I finally accepted I need more help than I can give myself and hoping to get surgery at the end of this month

I already went to the seminar back in October..and due to insurance issues I had to wait to make my official surgeon meeting appointment til the first of the year. So, I already sat through the seminar and I called to make my appt. with the surgeon and they told me that I need to plan to be there the better part of my day...from around 11a -4p. My question is..I already sat through the seminar...what is the surgeon going to do with me tomorrow that is going to take 5 hours?????

I see a lot of postings about the pre-op diet..and some people are on them and some arent...Is it based on how much you weight? I hear a lot of talk about needing to shrink the liver..is this for everyone as well? Just wondering why some are on a preop diet and some arent.

No more of your pants pilling together from thigh friction!

Since there is no LIKE button..I'll just comment that I am in TOTAL agreement with this one.

In addition to the overall benefit of living longer and being all around healthy again.... 1) Being able to be more active during the day...not taking hours to get motivated to do something..if anything at all. 2) Not being the only person at the baseball games who gets winded just doing simple things 3) Not having to order a 2x shirt this year for my sons baseball team 4) Being able to roll over in bed without having to build momentum 5) Being able to shop the clearance racks...(there always such good stuff in smaller sizes). 6) Being able to play with my kids a lot more...actually finish a game of baseball or basketball without sitting 7) Wearing a swimsuit without a skirt. 8) Spicing up..and getting back to..a normal sex life..and drive 9) Being able to enjoy a dinner without obessing over it 10) Not being the biggest one in the "friends" group.

This makes me nervous! I just changed my coverage to BCBS Community Blue (DTE, Michigan) because I was told by the surgeon and his office personel that they had the easiest requirements. My doctor wrote out the note and just jotted down all the diets I have tried within the last 10 years and that I had been on adipex for a year. My BCBS wont kick in until the first of the year but I hope they dont make it a 6 month diet requirement! So frustrating. And there is no where that you can actually read what exactly their policy is..When I called the 800 number the girl on the other end said that it was covered and that there was no requirements..but before she hung up the phone she did the little speach about ..."this does not guarantee and coverage is subject to change". Ill be so upset if it does change cause the whole reason I went with BCBS is because they said it was covered and no requirements needed!

I see a lot of people post things like "I have trouble with chicken" or pasta or rice...can anyone elaborate on what it means to be having "trouble with". Like if you have trouble eating chicken. What does that mean in your terms? What do you have "trouble" with..what are the affects? How do you remedy it?

Hmm..that is a toughy..is there any way you can go back to your PCP and let him/her know that this is getting to be too much? Especially financially. Perhaps the dietician isnt communicating too well witht he PCP and maybe the PCP could contact them and override it???? Anything is worth a shot!

I just switched to BCBS this morning during our open enrollment. Of course it doesnt kick in till the 1st of the year..but Im wondering if I can get all my pre-req. done now and then schedule my surgery for the 1st of the year.???

Can you just go see another dietician anyway? Since you have already done the 6 month thing with your PCP I would politely inform her that you arent going to do this and if she doesnt give you the clearance then you are going to another dietician. I think what these dieticians are suppose to do is deter you in every way from surgery. Do they think that after everything we have been through that a 2 week diet they are going to put us on will just magically turn us around!! I suppose this diet is going to be something that you wouldnt be able to maintain the rest of your life realistically. That is so frustrating!!!

ahhh..ok..that explains it very well!!!

So by "comes back up" of course you mean throw up right? I wondered how you would know something got stuck. Like what does the hurt feel like? Im just trying to get as much info as possible!

It seems the more research I do the more confused I get. Im in open enrollment period with my insurance and we are switching to BCBS. Our contract states that I have to have 40+ BMI..and no longer requires the specific time period of trying to lose..so on and so forth.. Ive already talked to my PCP months ago and she was the one who actually threw the suggestion of Lap BAND to me. That is where I started my research. Well..the hospital I chose, of course doesnt accept my CURRENT insurance. So I have to wait for the BCBS to kick in at the beginning of the year. My question is..I feel like Im in limbo. I dont know what to do or who to call next. Do I call my PCP and tell them that I want to start all the psych eval stuff right now and get it underway..or do I call the surgeons office that I want the surgery done at go through there? Im so confused!!!

Can I ask about sex???? Im wondering if that changed at all??

Im switching to BCBS during open enrollment. They told me that they do cover lap band..but cant give me any specifics on what the requirements are to be approved until AFTER we switch insurance. So Im kinda going into it blind just following posts about BCBS on these forums and hoping for the best.

First..LOVE THIS THREAD. Im in the beginning stages of all this and had some questions about some of the things here. 1) The Gas! Does it go away or is this something you have to live with for the rest of your life? 2) Pain medication...Can I never take a pill form of medication again? I seen someone say that they had to take liquid Tylenol and all that..is this forever? 3) Do you eventually "not feel" your port..like getting dental work or something..you feel it for the first few weeks then after that you just kinda forget its there? 4) When people say they "Platue" is there something to kick start it again or is it just a wait and see kinda thing?

First..LOVE THIS THREAD. Im in the beginning stages of all this and had some questions about some of the things here. 1) The Gas! Does it go away or is this something you have to live with for the rest of your life? 2) Pain medication...Can I never take a pill form of medication again? I seen someone say that they had to take liquid Tylenol and all that..is this forever? 3) Do you eventually "not feel" your port..like getting dental work or something..you feel it for the first few weeks then after that you just kinda forget its there? 4) When people say they "Platue" is there something to kick start it again or is it just a wait and see kinda thing?

I know Ive posted a couple times regarding insurance coverage. So I apologize if my post seem to be repetitive. However, we are in the open enrollment stages of insurance with my husbands company. After much research, it *seems* like BCBS is going to be the best option for me. However, because I dont currently have BCBS, Im getting the run around. To actually speak to a representative, I have to have a client #. I dont have one so I keep getting hung up on. I called the hospital where I want the surgery done and talked to the insurance dept who said that BCBS is *usually* great. But just to check my particular coverage and make sure there are no exclusions...problem is..without actually having that insurance yet, I cant find the exclusions and cant get through to a real person to ask them. Any suggestions? The open enrollment packet says "Blue Cross Blue Shield Community Blue".

Thanks Melinda I will definately give that a try in the morning.

Does anyone have any idea where I can find this information. It seems like the info is available if your already a member..but if your looking to switch insurances its almost impossible to find the full info. My husband works for Detroit Edison in Michigan. Its making me insane.

they gave us a pamplet. That says its covered but says "see exclusions" but there is no exclusions that I can find. And when I go on the BCBS website the term "community blue" is not listed anywhere in the options. And of course, when you call, you cant get any answers. I feel like Im running on a hamster wheel!

When I started researching the band I was kinda in the same mentality you are. The more I read the more I thought "why not just diet...why get the surgery if Im gonna have to diet afterwards anyway". Instead of giving up, I kept on reading. I kept on learning. And I learned a lot about myself in that process. I havent been banded yet, as Im in the beginning stages of the insurance part..but what I learned is this: The lap band is truley a tool..I got sick of hearing how its "a tool"" but once you accept that..the better off you will be. If you are going into having lap band and thinking "I still can eat McDonalds Big Macs, Fries, Shakes and all the junk food I want..just less of it"..then you are in the wrong mind frame. Losing weight is not about the food..its about you..and what you want. Putting better things into your body to get better things out of your body. If your not wanting to change your life for the long haul..then you probably arent making the right decision right now.

Thank You! I am at the beginning stages and with wanting to switch insurances, Im so confused. Thank God for this board and its members..at least Im getting some direction! Ive put in a call to Aetna, BCBS, BCN and HAP just to see where I stand and what I need to do. Thank YOU!!'