bfyneNtyme

Thank you Valzie! I am going to press on with my surgery on Monday (July 2nd) and keep my faith that all will work out with Cigna. It's not about loosing the weight but it's about loosing the depression that is caused by the weight. Please keep me in your prayers as I seek to live a better life. I hope all is going well for you with your Quest to be happier and more self confident in life!

Lyn..yes you are lucky and blessed! I pray all goes well for you on Monday. I know you're excited and so am I. I'm 39 and I weight 196 standing a tall 5ft 1 1/2 inch. So I'm eagered to get on board with my new life. I can only dream of all the beautiful clothes that I'll be able to purchase and wear. Right now I'm in a 14 but my ultimate goal is to loose 60-70 lbs based on how I look and get down to a size 8. I know I'll do it, it's just a matter of getting banded. God bless you and I truly hope all goes well! Be bless...Lucky 7.

Hey..I'm scheduled July 2nd. I don't consider myself lucky but rather Blessed! What about " The 7th Blessing"? Just a thought!

My pleasure! I'm in Dallas, Tx..

I too believe in the power of prayer...to God! Thank God for your blessing! I was dealt a blow as well from my insurance company. At the last minute they decided I was not completely approved but was not denied. This made no sense to me whatsoever! I'm scheduled for July 2nd (Monday) and guess what, I'm stepping out on faith and believing that God will see me through! Please pray with and for me that Cigna will pay for the surgery! I'm not turning back now because I know that Satan wants nothing more than for me to loose my zeal and faith in Christ. God is good...ALL OF THE TIME! I cannot financially afford to pay for the surgery as I am a single parent of 1. The power of prayer is powerful. Many blessings!

Hello Tina, I did not do the liquid diet but was asked to eat light over the next 4 days. I will be having surgery on Monday 7/2. The doc did mention that eating light causes the liver to shink and makes it easier to slip the band on. I'm not being as faithful as I should (drinking a little wine tonight). I will suffer Sat and Sun with liquids and no wine. I'm ready to get this over with and start my new life. I'm ready to shead theste 70 lbs and look forward to a beautiful new me! Protein bars should be ok!

I forgot to ask..what is your weight now that you're banded?

I too will be on a liquid starting Monday for 2 weeks. I look forward to the challenge! I have friends who have lost 30 lbs in 1 month and they all did the 2 weeks liquid diet. They are so focused and the motivation they give is AWESOME! They have pep in there step and there are no sad faces due to the strenous diets that are now on. Imagine...every week you drop 4 - 5 lbs! Yes..give me liquids. One of my friends has lost 120 lbs..no sagging skin, and oh my goodness she looks GREAT! The only down size is ...SHE SHOPS LIKE CRAZY AND HAD TO GET A 2ND JOB TO SUPPORT HER HABIT :confused:! Hey...I even bought her a suite..size 10..wonderful. Best of luck! bfyne...

Serenity...you have come to far to give up or give in! So many people wish and pray for this surgery and cannot afford it and/or cannot get approved through their Insurance Co. You must focus and look at this as a once in a lifetime opportunity! Food is just something to deprive the mind of joy, peace and happiness. It's a substitue for something we feel lacking in our lives. Anxiety also being a motivator to eat more than the norm. Don't give in, you can do this! Just take it 1 day at a time and look towards the big picture. Hang in there baby...hang in there!

Hey Sunshine.. I am 39 yrs old, 5ft ft 2 inches. I run 5 miles 2 days a week, 2 days, 45 minutes on Elipitical and 1 day 30 minutes on treadmill. I throw in 3 days of weights in with the 3 days that I'm in the gym. I don't have any health conditions other than being overweight. My surgery date is July 2nd...

My surgery is scheduled July 2nd. I was not put on a post op diet but just told to eat soups and salads. I weigh 195 lbs! I may fast on Sunday just for the heck of it b/c I've read where some people did fast 1 day prior to surgery. I'm so ready!

Hello.. I had my doctor send all the information at once. You really don't need 5 years of data, 6-12 months is sufficient. Because you have health conditions, this will be a driving force that Cigna will find hard to deny! If you can get a generic letter from a dr for the last 6-8 months stating that you have tried diet and exercise but little to no success would be great. Cigna is not as difficult as they try to make you think they are. But what they do attempt is to wear you down so you stop pressing towards the mark, don't allow them to do that. Have your Dr's office fax in the Psy Eval and a letter from your PCP stating the weight loss attempts and that is all that they require. Once the information is faxed over..call about 4 days later and start asking questions. If you don't get a denial letter within the first 2 weeks you are approved! Once you're approved they will make all kinds of promises of sending different paper work, etc you'll never get it. Demand the information via phone and or fax. I will say a prayer for you tonight! Keep believing and trusting in God to make a way out of no way! Warmest Regards!

My experience with Cigna Insurance and the Quest for Lap Band approval. I want to first give all thanks, praise and honor to God who has delivered me from my misery. I have learned quite a bit about what to do and what NOT to do when applying for coverage with Cigna. I hope that this note can be of help to the many who seek Lap Band Approval. My experience in getting approved for Lap Band Surgery. I first contacted my PCP (Primary Care Physician) and made an appointment to meet with her to discuss weight loss procedures. She agreed that the Lap Band was one of the safest techniques out there so we moved forward. She then asked me to find a Doctor who performs the procedure and do my re-search to check the credentials and success. I then went on line and located a Dr in my area. I gave her his name and she type up a referral letter so I could present it to his office. I called his office to inquire as to what steps I needed to start for the surgery. I was told to attend a Seminar to see what the Lap Band was all about, etc so I did. After the Seminar I called the office the following work day and was told I needed to set up a Consultation. At the consultation he took my weight, height, blood pressure, heart rate, etc and talked to me about dieting, weight loss and the procedure. He then told that I would need me a series of tests prior to being qualified for the surgery. There are several tests such as an Upper G.I., Eco, Stress test & Psychological Evaluation. Once I completed those test the Dr's office faxed the information to Cigna. I did not hear from Cigna so after about 5 days and I called the Dr's office to see if they had heard any news. They did not and the Receptionist encouraged me to call Cigna to see what status my paper work was in. I called and they asked me to call back in 7 days, so I did. Cigna said they needed more information but refused to tell me what information they needed over the phone. So the Rep stated that they would send it to me and the Dr's office via "snail mail". After 7 days neither of us had received the letter. I called back and told the Rep that we had not received the letter and due to time constraint I needed the information today! The Rep told me that she could not give me the information over the phone and I immediately asked for a Supervisor. She transferred me, I remained calm in advising the Supv. that I had not received the letter and needed to know what information they were still needing. The Supv then advised me that they did not receive the Psy Eval (we did fax it) and they also needed a letter from my PCP of my diets, weight-loss, gain etc. I had not presented them with a letter of weight loss from my PCP so I called and asked if she would type something up for me. Although I had not been on a 6 months diet program, I did have 5 years of weight loss on file. I did not go on Weight-watchers, Jenny Craig, etc but I did do the Atkins Diet in which I managed to loose 88 lbs. My PCP type a very generic letter stating my weight loss, disciple, determination, etc. This was not at all what they asked for because I had not been on a supervised 6 month diet per say, but I was successful as loosing the 88 lbs on Atkins and working out. I was a bit nervous when I read the letter from my PCP, but she only stated the truth and that's what we went with. When I presented the letter to Dr's office the Receptionist read it and said "well it's different but we will send it anyway". "Cigna is tough and they usually require documentation stating the different diets, weight loss and/or weight gain with each diet". I then told him that this is all I have so let's go with it. Since they asked us to re-send the Psy Eval he faxed it over again with the letter on a Monday. I called them on Tuesday to confirm that they had received the fax and they did. At that time they advised me that it would be a 48 - 72 hour turn around before the office that I was speaking too would have it. So I called back the next day on Wednesday and they had not received the paper work from the other department but asked me to check back later. I called back on Thursday to see if they had received it in their office and also to see if I was approved or denied. The Rep told me I would receive a letter advising whether or not I was approved or denied. I told her that I've never received anything that they said I would and demanded to speak with the department who makes the final decision. After giving me the run around she finally transferred me to the Pre - Determination department.The Representative from the Pre - D department then asked me to hold, she came back and said we have the paper work in office and you are approved! I couldn't believe my ears! I asked her if she was sure and she said yes. I immediately hung up and called Dr's office and spoke with John. By this time he knew my voice and said "hello, what's going on", have you heard anything? I said "praise God...I'm approved! He then asked me to call Cigna back to get them to fax a "Authorization Letter" which would have the Authorization number on it. I called back and Cigna said they could not give me the number over the phone but would mail it. Once again I had to bypass the first Rep and ask to speak with the Pre-D department. Once getting through the Rep in Pre-D pulled my chart and gave me the Authorization number over the phone. She stated that they would mail a letter to me and the Dr's office. The most important thing was getting the Authorization number even if we didn't have the letter yet. When I called John back with the Authorization number, we both started laughing in total dis-belief. I do not have any illness that Cigna requires for this surgery. So much was going against me but I stayed on my knees trusting in God. I had a 37 BMI, no high blood pressure, no diabetes, etc. I am as healthy as can be but because of my height 5ft 1 inch and 196 lbs, I am 75 lbs overweight. That was my only leg to stand on regarding health issue was the 75 lbs overweight. I do believe the 88 lb weight loss worked in my favor over the 5 years that I had been dieting. I did not loose any weight the last 2 1/2 years and that is why I began to see medical help. I started this journey on May 9th , 2007 and I was approved on June 14th, 2007. To say the least I was ecstatic! There are some very important things I learned in this quest for a new beginning. First, have all your ducks in a row before submitting paperwork to Cign or they will quickly deny you! Secondly, seek a good Dr. who is persistent in following up with you to see if the Insurance Company has contacted you. Thirdly, you must be proactive in following up for yourself call, call and call again! I cannot stress how important it is to have ALL your documents faxed on the 1st go round. Then, you must call, call, and continue to call. It is annoying to continue calling but if you do not call over and over, your chances of getting approved is very...very slim! Another key is bypassing the first Representative and being transferred to another department who can give more concrete information. God will deliver those who trust and believe in Him. Don't give up! Warmest Regards,

Hey..I just got your message. There are a few things I would like to share with you as you press forward. During my experience with Cigna, I've learned alot. I typed a letter up for the Hospital in which will be performing my surger and I'll send it to you. Cigna does cover the Psy Eval and everything else that you need! The key is to have all your ducks in a row before submitting the paper work to them. I'll send you the process took and how to get approved shortly. Best Regards!

I have many friends who were denied by Cigna so before I applied I did my homework. What I found out is you MUST submitt all the necessary paperwork at the same time to avoid getting denied. The 2 things that Cigna requires is a Psy Eval and diet program. The upside is if you've been overweight for 2 plus years and have tried to loose weight but was unsuccessful or lost only a minimum amount of weight, that is acceptable to send in. The 6 month step is just a "front" by Cigna! I was not on a 6 month program but over the last 5 years I had been successful in loosing 90 lbs by dieting and exercising. Once I hit my plateau I applied for the Lap Band with Cigna. I started May 9th and was APPROVED on June 14th. I'm ecstatic and can't wait until July 2nd which is my surgery date! Key pointer for Cigna...send both requirements in at the same time. The call, call, and call again! Good Luck!