SQBEAR37

had lap bad surgery from a Dr in sacramento?:Bunny :Bunny

Thanks for the great advice ladies! Nicole

Forgot to mention that i'm in South Sac, I have worked for the medical field for over 17yrs. I have nothing good to say about Kaiser...but that is just MY opinion. Nicole

Wow it has been awhile since i was here (i actually started this thread) I did half azz try to get approved for the Lap Band but i guess at that time i wasn't ready. I have a really good friend that i have watched have the sugery and she is doing very weel (she is a nurse) i have also lost a good friend last summer to the other WLS...(gastric bypass) I already knew that surgery was NOT for me. My problem before was my Dr (i have Health Net HMO) was not and is still NOT supportive of ANY WLS! There is no way i can change my insurance until open enrollment until November of this year. So my question is how do i start the process? I deffently know i need to change Dr's 1st, what else? My BMI is 43 and other than a neck and back injury i have no other medical issues. Thanks for a ny info you can give me. I did re-join the Yahoo Bandsters group. Nicole

Wow, it's been awhile since i have posted to this group. It has grown so much. I never did have the Lap Band, but i have a good friend who may have this done. I'm still thinking about this, I work at UCD Med Center and i have Health Net HMO. My primary Dr does not believe in having ANY WLS, so if i did have this i would have to 1st find a new Dr to refer me. Just recently i had a good friend die of Gastric Bypass, she left behind 6 kids and a 3rd husband. She was only 38yrs. I too am interested in the Sacramento Lap Band group. Nicole

Hi all, My name is Nicole and i posted a few times last year (in fact i had talked with Alexandria a few times and recently i talked with De Larla, about paralegal stuff) I have been to see my Dr. recently and I have complained about weight gain (i am taking Effexor for depression, and i have these 3 torn disks in my neck which i can never have surgery for, so instead of working out at the gym 5 days a week as i used to, due to pain i can barely go to Water aerobics 3 times a week) Oh and i am on the work comp nightmare for my injury. Okay so my doc sugessted Gastric Bypass, i DO NOT want this surgery i am more intersested in the Lap Band, so my ? to you is how did you get your Dr to get the insurance to approve LB and NOT GB??? I have Health Net HMO. At this time the dietican wants me to write a list of all the diets i have tried and failed. I am 4ft 9in and now weigh 205lbs (according to the dreaded Dr. scale. Thanks all, i always read this site and i will be around alot more. Nicole

Thank you so much for the info! Nicole

bump, bump, bump, bump

I don't understand! I went to my Dr about a breast reduction(he is fresh out of med school and the newest Dr in the group) and he says the insur may not approve me cause of my weight. I am 4ft 9in and i weigh 195(i just lost 25lbs with weight watchers) i am a 42 DD. He did say that the insur will approve lap band(i have Health Net) i told him that i don't meet the criteria for wls...but i did tell him to go ahead and submit the paperwork for breast reduction. Why would the insur approve the more expensive surgery(wls)...I just don't understand! Has anyone else experienced this?

i thought my friend had lap bad but when i asked her about "fills" she had no idea what i was talking about. She had "surgery" this past April and has lost 85lbs. She told me that she does have bands on her stomach and she does not get fills nor does she have a port, but part of her stomach is cut and attached to her small intestines is this gastric bypass? But why does she have the bands? She keeps telling me she had the lap band...i don't understand........thanks Nicole :cool:

so i have just changed insur to Health Net so i can try to get a breast reduction and lap band(not at same time) and i got the "new and youngest dr" in the group! so i had my 1st appt last Fri and i told him all the reasons i wanted to have breast reduction(i am a 44DD..back/neck pain/perm grooves in my shoulders) and he tries to talk around the subject...then i start about lap band(BMI 43/poss diabetic/high bld pressure) he says" well i referred someone and they died" i say "from lap band?" he says "no from gasrtic" i told him i was not interested in gastric i asked if he even knew what i was talking about he said he did...i think i will be having a prob with him...he is already biased against WLS....so he said after he gets my records from my last Dr and after my bld work come back we will talk(next month) i'm giving him that last appt then i willbe changing to another dr in the group...sorry so long...Nicole....oh yeah i did have to tell him i have worked in the medical field for 10 yrs so that he knew i knew how the system works......:rolleyes

Hi Alexandra......through out the year i buy cheap Gladlock containers as they go sale(if i have coupon it's better) and when i have guest over as i am putting away leftovers i will pack up a container for each guest at the same time(this works great for the holidays)...Nicole

can u never drink with your meals? and if so why?:Bunny

my friend had lap band done in April of this year and she has lost 80lbs.......i am happy for her...but isn't that too much wt in a short amount of time?

can anyone give me any advice on how to get Health Net to pay for lap band...i have an HMO so i know i need to start with my primary care Dr(i do know her from working in the hospital so i should have no problem in a referral from her)...any advice pls

i have been on these boards for about a month sometimes getting some really good info about the bands(i'm just now changing insur and doing research) and i thought that i would really get some good info from certain people(i will not name names) and put them on my buddie list and pm them from time to time with ?'s and to wish them good luck on their journey...well iv'e gotten no response from any of them....maybe they felt that i was bothering them...then i asked myself isn't what this board is about...sharing the experiences that u have had with newbies like me? I will go on record to say that if i do get to have this surgery i will help anyone i can whether they are a newbie or not with any info i have to share!!! Thanks for taking the time to read this..i feel much better....

hi all...i just found out that i might be able to change my insur from Kaiser to Health Net(and i know they approve lad band) anyone have any advice on how to start the insur process w/Health Net? Do i need to go through my primary care 1st?

i have Kaiser inurs and they will only do bypass (they have never heard of lap bands) i can't change insur until open enrollment in Nov...i did call Dr Patching(he is in Sacramento) and he charges $9,000 but the hosptial portion will $20-$30,000.....going to Mexico is not an option for me...so i guess i will try weight watchers again and wait until i can change insur...my BMI is 43 and i want to lose 75lbs...but i would still like to come to these boards if that is okay? Nicole

just wanted to say hi to everyone...:banana