klawson617

I live in Boston but was banded in Norwood.

I was banded on the 26th of June and am scheduled to return to work on the 11th of July. Honestly, I'm glad I'm taking 2 whole weeks off. Though I have a desk job, I simply can't imagine returning to work just after a week. It took 8 days to finally shake off the gas pain and am now dealing with surgical incision pain (and possibly mild infection...my surgeon did put me on antibiotics to be on the safe side). Everyone is different thus recovery time will vary from person to person. I do, however, recommend taking 2 weeks off if you have the vacation/sick time to cover it or short term disability (FMLA leave). It's always a good idea to err on the safe side of things.

You and I both! I was suppose to start my pre-op diet on the 16th but didn't since it was my b-day and knew I'd be going out so I opted to start today instead. Had my first Atkins Protein drink this morning and for now, I'm doing okay. I'm sure I'm still running on sugar reserves from last night's yummy dessert. We'll see how I feel by tomorrow afternoon. I'm praying that I don't get a headache from the sugar withdrawal or worse, a migraine. I'll be drinking my 2nd Atkin's Protein Drink for lunch in a few mins and snacking on yogurt later on this afternoon to tide me over until dinner time. Dinner will be Citrucel. For now, I'm also making sure I'm drinking plenty of Water. Good luck to you and your pre-op diet!

Anyone here have any experience with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Blue Care Elect PPO)? If so, how long did you have to wait for the lap band surgery approval after your surgeon submitted your paperwork?

I'm with you. I just got my approval letter yesterday and while it was easier to share my decision to get the Lapband with my close friends, I've gone back and forth on whether I should tell my family. I've been talked out of it by a sibling (who weighs 110 lbs) a couple of years ago and just don't want a repeat this go 'round. I decided to tell my mom that I will be having surgery (gave vague details) this June since the procedure itself, though simple, is still surgery and with it comes inherent risks and possible complications. At some point down the line, I'm sure I will tell the rest of my family...in my own time. I know for certain that not everyone will understand or be pleased with the choice I'm making but at the end of the day, I am the only one who will truly know what is best for me and if they're really family, they'll love and accept me, regardless of my size and weight. Ultimately, the decision to tell your family (or not) is yours to make. Do what you're comfortable with and share as much or little as you would like them to know. Either way, just make sure you surround yourself with supportive people, family or otherwise, especially the first few months post-op.

I have BCBS of MA (PPO). I wrapped up all my required pre-op appts on the 15th of this month. To my surprise, I received an approval letter from BCBS yesterday. I was told by the program coordinator at the clinic I'm going to that by far, BCBS is the easiest insurance company to work with--notification of decision usually received within a week and a half.

If there was one thing you wish you knew before you got banded, what would it be?

I'm in the very early stages of considering lap band and I'm doing my research to prepare myself for what's to come. During my most recent visit with my PCP, I asker her if she thought I'd be a good candidate for it. She said that I'm a good fit given my well documented battle with my weight (she's been my PCP for close to 10 years). With that, I went ahead and attended an information session at Beth Israel Deaconess in Boston just this past Thursday. I was advised by one of the coordinators to give the hospital's Weight Loss Surgery Center a call to schedule an initial assessment and education with the center's nurse. Excited, I gave them a ring first thing the next day. Right out of the gate, I've encountered my very first obstacle. Basically the center won't even bother scheduling an appointment with me because my BMI is 39.1 and I have no co-morbidities. The program coordinator said that they won't be able to get approval from my insurance carrier, BCBS of MA. I was really surprised that they pretty much wrote me off so easily and quickly without even reviewing my medical records. Though I'm not a diabetic and don't have sleep apnea (not that I know of, at least)--the only 2 co-morbidities that BCBS of MA really care about, here's a run down of my health issues that I strongly believe warrant the center's and my insurance's consideration: I'm on cholesterol-lowering med I'm on BP med i've been prescribed metformin I'm currently taking phentermine I've been overweight for over 6 years I've made wholehearted attempts to lose weight and am able to provide documentation (atkins, weight watchers, south beach, gym receipts, trainer receipts, body media) Diabetes runs on my mother's side of the family (my mom is 125 lbs and being monitored by her PCP because of high glucose level, despite healthy diet and active lifestyle, basically she's pre-diabetic) I have 2 uncles who died at 32 and 44 respectively due to stroke My father passed away at 49 of coronary atherosclerosis My paternal grandfather suffered 2 heart attacks before the age of 60 So you see, I'm in a bit of a conundrum here. I'm unhealthy, but not unhealthy enough by my insurance's standards. I have very high risk factors but not high enough for my insurance to finance the procedure. Really, if I were to gain 5-6 lbs, I would qualify for the surgery but that would put my BMI only at 40.1...right at the very cusp, which still won't guarantee insurance approval because of varying formulas used to calculate a person's BMI. Also, I feel like gaining lbs to qualify would only start me off on the wrong foot if I'm to take this whole process seriously. I've heard of people finagling their weigh in by wearing extra heavy articles of clothing at their appointments, ankle weights, stuffing their pockets rolls of quarters, or gorging themselves silly minutes before they step on the scale. Don't get me wrong, I'd be a hypocrite not to admit that I haven't thought about doing the aforementioned things to "pad" my weight a little. Besides, we're only talking about a few lbs here, not 10 or 20. However, I'm also scared of getting caught. What if they ask me to put a hospital gown on? I would be totally busted....unless of course, there's someone in this forum who can attest to the fact that BIDMC won't poke and prod you during your initial assessment. My other choice would be to go through another hospital's program that would be more supportive and would take the time to go through my records and help me with obtaining my insurance's approval. If anyone here has any suggestions of other clinics and/or MDs I should consider in the Boston and surrounding areas, please reach out to me. My PCP is signing me up for a sleep study to check for sleep apnea, something that would be required either way for precautionary reasons. Here's to hoping (no matter how awful it sounds), that the results come back positive for sleep apnea. I already feel awful just wishing for such a horrible thing. I'm not exaclty sure of what steps to take next therefore any feedback would be much appreciated!

Sue, I can't thank you enough for your recommendation. I had my initial consult with Dr. Glasgow yesterday and things are moving along. I love the fact that his clinic's specialty is solely the Lapband. Next will be my appt with the nutritionist and psychologist. If you don't mind, would you mind sharing your experience (i.e. how long the whole process took from initial consult to surgery, challenges, post-op, etc.) working with Dr. Glasgow and his staff? We can do it offline if you prefer.

Thanks, Sue! I will make sure to call them tomorrow.

He will be the one to perform the "physical", but it was very basic. He'll check your stomach area to see if you have any scars from other surgeries or if he can feel any internal swelling, then he checked my wrists and ankles to make sure my circulation was good. The nurse also did an EKG and checks your vitals. For me that was it, but I am pretty healthy (outside being obese!) but at that point is when they decide if you'll need any additional tests. Did they weigh you again and have you change into a hospital gown?

My PCP referred be to Dr. Schneider. However, BIDMC's Weight Loss Surgery Center just refused to schedule an initial assessment with me since by BMI is only 39.1 and have no known co-morbidities. In case I qualify for the surgery in the future, can you please tell me exactly what the hour-long initial assessment and education entail? Is the physical exam as thorough as your annual physical with your PCP? Thanks in advance for the info!

If I'm not mistaken, persistent high blood pressure despite meds, makes it a co-morbidity. My blood pressure is just borderline high, with my meds. This is really frustrating and discouraging, especially since I'm in the very early stages of the whole process. If this is a preview of what's to come, I imagine the rest will be an uphill battle.