Serena

I went to an informational seminar at a hospital that was to include info about the lap-band. The surgeon presented material about the more drastic surgeries and then announced that he was against the lap-band. He said that you couldn't lose much weight and that the band itself was criminally overpriced at $4500. He ranted on for at least 10 minutes about the "evils" of the band. I was sorry that I had wasted 3 weeks waiting for this seminar. I would never consider the more invasive, mutilating procedures. I went to another hospital to get a more reasonable perspective.

Eyespy, Something similar happened to me and it was so frustrating! I waited 3 weeks to attend a seminar at University Hospital in Cincinnati. They promised info on the lap-band , but at the seminar the surgeon said that he was against the lap-band and only did the other (more drastic) surgeries. So I tried to get in at another hospital but that month's seminar was full so I had to wait 6 weeks for the next open seminar. Although you can get all the info on the procedure online, they probably want to be sure that you understand all the requirements for their particular program's approval as well as financial matters. Most programs charge a non-refundable program fee for the cost of the evaluations (my program charged $500). You may be able to download all the information, questionnaires, and checklists from the programs website. If I had been in a time crunch as you are, I would have appealed to the staff for an exception. It couldn't hurt....... I'm waiting for a determination from my insurance company so I should have a surgery date soon. Good luck to you!

:nervous Hello from Ohio! I've been vegetarian for 52 years (I'm 56) and I'm so sick of being asked (sometimes diplomatically and sometimes not) how I could get so fat if all I eat are vegetables. Being veg. only means I don't eat meat, fish, and eggs. Everything else it fair game! I did want to pass on a communication I had with Bariatric Advantage products. None of their vitamin supplements are vegetarian--the vitamin E comes from fish oil. I'm still awaiting insurance determination and I hope to be banded the first week of June. I'm fortunate to have approval from my primary insurance guaranteed. If the second company declines coverage I'm only responsible for about $1,000. I'm just hoping that my secondary (Humana) doesn't require the 6-month physician-supervised diet I sometimes hear about. My BMI is 40.8 and a six-month diet may result in a BMI too low to qualify. Does anyone have the experience of being required to diet for six months?

Thanks for the reply Kendra and Juli. My surgeon will be George Kerlakian. He seems great but the day I met with him he had a resident shadowing him for the day who was obviously disdainful of fat people and very arrogant. I did complain about him, which is when I found out he was only there for one day. I wouldn't object to the 6-month diet if I didn't think that it would be used to disqualify me. I don't even know what they're looking for. Do they want the diet to prove I'm serious about weight loss, or do they want it to prove that I can lose weight on my own and therefore do not need the band?

Hello! I'm from Cincinnati and I expect to be banded at the beginning of June at Good Samaritan Hospital. I've jumped through all the hoops and my material is just being submitted to my insurance company. I'm concerned that my insurance company (Humana) will be one of the ones that requires a 6-month doctor-supervised diet before approval. After a 6-month diet my BMI will be too low to qualify...........Good Sam also requires a two-week liquid Protein before surgery to reduce the amount of fat around the liver so it is easier to attach the band. I would love to hear about your banding experiences. I am 56 and hoping for relief from back and knee problems.