SaucyBandster

My surgeon is putting me 2 weeks of Opti Fast. He explained it was necessary for a few reasons. He said it does shrink the liver and going in, he wants to in and out of surgery as quick as possible. He said the less a patient is on anesthesia, the better the healing and outcome and chance of anything negative occuring. As much as I am DREADING a 2 week liquid fast, I will use it to lose weight and get a headstart and go in with a clean slate. I am also a bit fortunate that the 2 week fast will come right after New Years. So I am sure by then, I will be ready to start the new year fresh and get rid of all the holiday food gluttony!!

Another easy thing to do is make your breakfast only once a week. I make an eggwhite frittatta and sneak in all sorts of veggies, some goat cheese, turkey crumbles and spices. Then I cut it up into pie slices for the week. I heat a slice up each day for like 45 seconds. You can make it on Sundays for the week. If you need exact directions on how to make a frittata, let me know and I will write it out step by step. One pan, easy cleanup and SOOOO Yum!! The taste is incredible and it's super low fat, extremely tasty and very filling.

I am in the beginning of my journey as well and it is frustrating to play the waiting game and wanting to get the ball rolling quickly. When I called my surgeon, they booked for me my orientation and the surgeons appt at the same time so my appts were already set up. I went in for my orientation on October 26th and then I met my surgeon and started all of it on Nov 3rd. Now for my insurance requirements, I need to see a primary care Dr who will put me on a "diet" and will notate and recommend for 3 months. So my first appt with that Dr is on Nov 14th and when I am there I will set up the next 2. Then I will set up appts for my psych eval and hopefully that will be in. If everything goes as plans, I will have everything submitted in Jan and have a surgery date in Jan or Feb. I wish it was NOW!!! Good luck to you!!

Read this and felt so bad for people who live there who are in the process of trying to change their lives for GOOD. Anyone read or hear about it? http://www.inquisitr.com/156812/weight-loss-surgery-no-longer-covered-in-georgia/

When I attended my orientation, the bariatric coordinator explained that we would have to choose between the two and we pick them. The Dr uses both and it's up to the patient. I have been running searches but to no avail. When they passed both around the room, the differences that stood out to me were the way the band inflates. The Lap Band has sectioned pieces on the ring and the Realize has one continuous band (non perforated) if that makes any sense. My question is - Did others have options between the two? Are there pros and cons to each? Are they the same in results? Any help is appreciated! Thanks!

I have asthma and it always gave me a roadblock when exercising. I would always use the inhaler once I had symptoms until my Dr told me to do the same thing. It is absolutely night and day. I used to have to stop midway thru Zumba and thought I had a truck on my chest. Now, I take 2 puffs before and can do the whole hour fine. It's such a difference. For those with it and those with the induced "like" symptoms. Great post!

So sorry to hear all of the issues you are having. I think the best thing you are doing is going to a rheumotologist. My mom has lupus and Fibromyalgia. Sounds like some, not all, of her symptoms. I am 37 and have dealt with some pain and she wants me to get checked. I think weight has a lot to do with my pain (back aches, etc) but I may still get checked. While she has pain, she has learned pain management and with her meds, she leads a very normal life. I know she has issues sometimes but you would never know it. She is a trooper. I wish you luck on finding out what is going on and by going so young so you can get a handle on whatever it is.

I went to my orientation today. I met with the bariatric head of the hospital. The hospital has performed over 7,000 lapbands and are a center of excellence. With that said, the lady was banded 7 yrs ago. Her husband and son are both banded as well. And on top of it, she runs hundreds of support groups so has a LOT of experience. Today she mentioned she orders a shot of vodka and then a glass of Water. Then she mixes her crystal light into the water and add's the shot. She also said she DOES have carbonated bevvies. Not often and she said it much slower because you have to let the bubbles go down. But she said every once in awhile she craves a diet orange soda or a beer. So with all of her experience, I trust her in not giving out bad info as she keeps pretty up to the minute. Anyways, champagne may be tough to drink and may not be your regular go to, but I am sure a few sips here and there will be ok just like having a martini every so often.

Funny you mentioned this! I haven't even met the Dr. yet. I meet him early November. Today was my orientation at the Dr's office which is at the medical building at the hospital that I will have the surgery (if approved). So the lady I met today is the head of Bariatric education at the hospital and holds the orientations. Ironically she was banded 7 yrs ago and 146 pounds lighter. Also, her husband and son have also been banded. She provided a wealth of info. With today and this site, it just has put me in a really good spot mentally. I am going to call the office tomorrow and see what my insurance requires. I was told I may need a 3 month supervised diet. With the holidays and stress and hosting them, I am not ready for surgery until early next year anyway. This would be perfect timing as come January, my life will be slow. Perfect NYE resolution right? Thanks so much for the thoughts and writing me. It helps me wrap my head around it all in a better space if that makes sense. It was like the lightbulb came on once I joined here.

Hello! I am 37 and have been researching the Lap-Band for over a year. I was a consultant however with no insurance so didn't want to self pay. So I went to Weight Watchers and lost 40 pounds until my center moved far away and it has all krept back on. Fast forward to now and I have a new position and insurance with Independence Blue Cross. WLS and LapBand are covered if a provider recommends it and I am at the very beginning stages. This Wed I have my orientation. Then Nov 3rd I have my Dr's appt with Dr. Rehnke in St Petersburg & that week I am going to the seminar. With that said, I have NO idea if insurance will take his word for it or if I have to start with a PCP to get started. Having no insurance for long, I have been going to Minute Clinics for common colds, etc over the past few yrs and haven't had any issues to go to a Dr so therefor I have no history established. I don't have any health issues but my BMI is definitely high enough to be considered. Not sure if this comes into play that I DON'T have HBP, sleep Apnea, etc... I have been fortunate to not develop anything from my weight, YET. So here I am, ready and hoping this will get approved. I have no clue if the insurance plan wants a supervised diet. (Is Weight Watchers considered for this??) I ask because I was weighed weekly for almost a year. Any input from others who are in this stafe will be appreciated! I have a million questions but wanted to introduce myself first. I am already obsessed with this site as there are so many inspiring stories!!!

Thanks for your note on this. Actually no I do not know for sure but I assume because I have never seemed to have issues. My family history includes major heart disease on both sides, lupus, HBP, Diabetes, etc so I am trying to prevent any of those. I do however have more severe asthma when I am heavier. My back is always in pain and makes it tougher to exercise even tho I enjoy doing so. So I am hoping we can go that route with the high BMI. I went today for the orientation and am totally ready after all the questions and answers and the help they gave me. I felt very comfortable with the staff and the relationship with the hospital which has an incredible amount of bariatric surgeries each year. So at least I am able to wrap my head around it more. Next up is the Dr's appt. On that date, I will find out what my insurance actually covers. Crossing my fingers!

I am curious if this is the norm and wanted to gauge what others had to pay. I am meeting with a surgeon and their fees are $1000 plus a $2-300 Optifast diet. Seems steep. I was thinking of going to another surgeon but he has a nice track record from others I have searched and he is the only surgeon on the West Coast of FL that does only once incicion (in the belly button) so easier healing and less cutting. (Personally after having surgery from an ectopic pregnancy and losing my left ovary, etc and having 4 surgical cuts to heal, this was a PLUS). Also, his office is close to me so will be easier for follow up care, etc. So with all of that said, is $1k normal or do most surgeons not charge? TIA

That is where Dr. Jessee is I think. Do you know anything about Palms of Pasadena by chance and what their rating is or where I can find that info?

Thanks Dawn! Good luck on everything and I will continue to see how your journey goes I am going to my orientation tomorrow at Dr. Rehnke's ofc. I hope I meet him tomorrow. If I have any reservations or don't feel comfortable, I may make an appt with Dr. Jessee. I am relunctant to push it back again and have to start with the appts when all have been set. Tomorrow will be interesting!!

There are a few Dr's in Tampa that are free. However it's just not very convenient for me to go back and forth. Question about your Dr. - I have heard wonderful things about her as well. How was her bedside manner and her aftercare? Have you had any issues since banding? What hospital did you have it performed at? I so wish I had someone local to talk to. I attend orientation tomorrow so I hope I can find a "buddy" of sorts.

Dawn, After reading all of these posts today, and the recommendations of calling around, I ironically called your Dr as well. They stated it was 1k as well. So I was curious if the $1k is the norm around St. Petersburg because there are a few Dr's charging it???!! Maybe they figure that since one is charging, they can all charge it?

No - not my co-pay. It's the standard Dr fee for this particular surgeon. I guess to cover seminars and orientations? I have no idea, that is why I was curious if others had to pay a fee or not.

Thanks for the note! My insurance company tells me the Lap Band is covered if medically necessary. So not sure what medicall necessary really means to an insurance company. Tomorrow morning is my orientation and I will bring all of my paperwork and insurance info. My Dr's appt is on Nov 2nd so I am crossing my fingers for the green light. I will definitely keep you posted and would love to hear how you are doing. Nervous for this step but very excited! Thanks for the friend add as well

This is the email I received: The program fee is $1,000.00, which is non-refundable and is a mandatory part of our program (this fee is not covered by your insurance plan). On the initial visit with the Dr., $200.00 of this fee will be due. This can be paid with cash or credit card. The remainder of this fee ($800.00) will be due and payable at your pre-operative appointment in the form of a cashier’s check or money order. Your regular co-pay for a specialist will be due both at your first visit with the doctor, as well as on your pre-operative visit. Post operatively, 90 days after surgery, we will begin billing out your visits to the insurance company, and your specialist co-pay will be due at each of those visits as well. There will be an additional out –of –pocket expense pre-operatively for the 2 week supply of Optifast Nutritional supplement. This diet is mandatory before surgery, and the cost will be $230.00. We accept cash and credit cards for this. No checks please.

I absolutely LOVE this site and have been using it for years. The recipes and pictures are outstanding. It helped me significantly when I was on WW and is still a go-to for recipes. I plan to use it post op as well hopefully

Thank you everyone for the help with this topic. I think I had it in my mind that I would never be able to lead a normal life around holidays, going out with family, etc. While I WANT to have restriction and have help with a life long commitment, I want the choice to be able to at least have a bite of something versus having the thought of NEVER being able to have something again. You have all helped so much!!

I don't think all are created as equal and easy as yours. I have BCBS and when calling, they told me it is covered if medically necessary. From there, the Dr starts the ball rolling. Tomorrow is my orientation and then my Dr's appt is on Nov 3rd. By the 3rd, I should know what the prereq's are from BC/BS. My Dr's office thinks I will have to have 3 months medically supervised weight loss and that Weight Watchers is not sufficient. You were uber lucky yours was so easy. I am so hoping they deem mine medically necessary!!!