KUgirl

This awesome! Thank you for taking the initiative!

Yes I do check it out occassionally. Who is your cooridinator?

Hello- I am Jan. 4th with Dr. Kuri. About 5 days before you FLMAN! This is so cool, I'm excited to talk with others getting it done in Jan!

Mine is the 4th with Dr. Kuri! I'm getting ready and excited to start my new life!

Hello- I'm scheduled for surgery with Dr. Kuri on Jan 4th 2008. I can hardly wait. I have a couple of friends that went with Kuri and said he is the best and I did tons and tons of research and could not find any negative thing about him. I'm so excited to start my new life. Rebecca K. in Overland Park Ks

Sorry- I was referring to someone's post about Dr. Mary Vernon in Lawrence KS

She is a family practice doctor in Lawrence. She used to own part of Dr. Atkins after he passed away. I have a friend who used to work at Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Labor and Delivery. I've heard she is mean to nurses and vulgar. She co-wrote a book on Atkins

Hey every body! Sorry about all the struggles with the seminar. I think there is one that does them on line. Have you checked out Welcome to LAP-BAND.com. You can sign up for free and see the calander and will tell you where they are all held at. Hope every one had a good weekend. I don't have a date yet, but still got a few months left on my diet. LMAO! Talk to you all later- Your friend- Rebecca Kenny AKA KUgirl

Let us know how the seminar went :Bunny

I'm going through the same thing. Mine is only 6 months but is sounds like it must be a typical insurance thing. Is your BMI over 40 or under 40. I know mine is under but if it had been over for 5 or more years they would instantly cover me. Mine is 39 according to Dr. Malley so I have to jump through those hoops too. We can do it! We can beat them at their insurance games! Let's jump high as we can and do it! Have fun at the seminar and we will conquer those insurance bugs! Your friend- Rebecca

Thanks Tracy! I will look into that. I just think it is a little ridiculous. I mean I can tell the doctor something like, oh I have been parking my car at the back of the parking lot and taking the stairs and that would be behavioral and if whoever is approving or denying this stuff doesn't like the toilet paper they used that morning, they can deny my surgery. Oh Oh oh I could go on. I pay a lot of money to have insurance every month and then have to pay a co-pay and have my insurance company tell me, I have to use generics or pay an arm and a leg.. UGH so frustrating... but I"m jumping.. maybe not as high today, but I'm still jumping! Thanks for listening... moving on to positive things! Thanks for the suggestions. Rebecca

No worries! I'm going to be positive! Thanks for the words of encouragment. I won't worry about Cigna. I just know they will pay and I will keep saying it over and over... in fact. I think I will just say oh Cigna has already approved me! Power of positive thinking! Yes weight has been a life long struggle. I can relate. I love this site knowing that other's here can relate to us. I have family and friends, but they just don't understand b/c they don't know what it is like to have this kind of monkey on the back.

:faint:I spoke to Rachel today. I guess I have only been doing it about 1/2 right. I need my doctor to document behavioral modifications and that I talked to him about weight loss medications. Also that I have been following the diet that the nutritionist reccommended and that I have been exercising. She said it didn't matter if I gained 2 lbs or lost 2lbs as long as I say I'm doing it. :doh: I'm more convinced now than ever that the 6 month doctor supervised diet is a stupid ploy by the insurance company to get their clients to not go through insurance b/c the requirements are confusing. Not only that but my co-morbidies may or may not be considered co-morbidities by Cigna and there is no way to tell until all the paper work is sent to Cigna and they either approve it or deny it :omg:. Guess I will go along with it. I won't be having lap band until next year. It will happen when it is supposed to. :nervous

Hi- What you want to do is go to your insurance carrier's website and search lap band or bariatric surgery. They should have a document that shows exactly what the criteria is. My insurance requires me to do a 6 month doctor supervised diet. I guess I'm lucky b/c some insurance companies require a year of doctor supervised diets. I hope your insurance is just requesting proof doing a diet like WW and not the year with going to the doctor monthly thing like mine for 6 months. If my BMI was over 40 for 5 years I wouldn't have to do that, but I think I have only been over 40 once and that was about 5 years ago. Rachel at DR. Malley's handles the insurance so after you go to the seminar and then the consult she will call you and discuss your insurance with you. Good luck! You will learn a lot at the seminar!

Yes I went to KU. I graduated in 1997. I took my time getting through college... poop happens. I wish I could be self pay and get the surgery done ASAP, but my hubby said to try the insurance first. I have Cigna and they require 6 month doctor supervised diet. Me jumping through the hoops. well the banana has to do it for me... I"m not that cooridinated Boy I hope that is spelled correctly.

Wow! I didn't know that you could get banded if your BMI is below 35. That is awesome! I had a friend go to Mexico b/c she was under 35 and couldn't find a doctor here to do it! I'm so glad there is one here that will do it. I was worried that I might lose too much weight on the doctor supervised diet that my insurance is requiring me to do. I have lost some weight, but my BMI is still over 35 but my doctor wants me to lose 25 pounds during this 6 months so then my BMI would be under 35... oh what a mess. I can't wait to talk to Rachel at DR. Malley's tomorrow so I can figure this out. Well that is cool. Do you have a date yet? If not I hope you get one soon!

That's awesome Tracy! Go Tracy Go Tracy Go!

Hey thanks for the motto chant!

Congrats on your date citygirlInKs that is awesome! Thank you Tracy! I'm going for my 3rd appointment for the supervised diet next week or the week after I think. I have Cigna so they are pretty strict and I am not sure going to the doctor and telling him that I am sticking to the diet that the nutritionist gave me is good enough or if I should be doing WW or something so guess I will need to talk to Rachel at Dr. Malley's office. I think I will be approved, but I do have plan B which is Tall Grass in Topeka if I have to be self pay. I can borrow against my 401K and get a small loan for the rest. I would rather pay myself back with interest than a bank with interest. I have heard the doctor over there is good too. My friend's step mom is a post-op nurse so she sees all those patients. But that is plan B and I am going to think positive that plan A will come to be! Cigna will pay Cigna will pay Cigna will pay Cigna will pay Cigna will pay. I will put it out to the Universe. Watch the Secret, it's awesome! Happy weekend every one! Rebecca

Hi Tracy!- I'm so glad you popped in on here. I have been reading your posts and your story. I am hoping and hoping my insurance will cover it. I am still working on my 6 month doctor supervised diet. I am waiting to talk to Rachel too b/c not sure if I am doing that right. Thank you happy friday! Rebecca

Hey Sarah- At the seminar I went to for Dr. Malley they indicated that they may not be able to accept any more BCBS patients. The woman at the seminar said they might be renegotating or something, I didn't quite understand what they were talking about. Anyway, you may want to call and make sure that they can take it. I hope they can take it! Good luck. Rebecca

I am going through insurance so yes, I have to wait a long time. Well it seems like a long time to me. I am still doing my 6 months of required doctor's diet. My insurance requires it, not Malley. I am only into my 2nd month of the diet thing and i'm not sure I am doing it right so waiting to hear from the insurance gal at his office. I think if you are self pay, you can get in much quicker. I got my appoint for the consult in less than a week so I am sure if you are self pay, you can get in much quicker for the surgery. Are you using insurance? Have you checked out one of his seminars. They won't even see you until you do one of those. Good luck- Rebecca

Hello- I am new here. I went to my consult today with Dr. Malley in Kansas. I am thinking I need receipts from my past attempts for the insurance. I went to this place called Turning Point Weight Loss in 2003 it was a two year program like L.A. Weight Loss but with exercise. Long story short, I didn't keep my contract or receipts. The place has gone out of business. I have researched and made some calls but I cannot get a hold of any one that has any clue. (HMMM... only lost 15 pounds in a 3 month time frame no wonder they went out of business) Does any one know if my bank statements will work or have any ideas for me? Thank you-

thank you- I will have to research it some more. The insurance gal is to call me by the end of the week. I wish I had the money in my hand to go have this done tomorrow, but I have to go through insurance. Thank you!!!

What does that have to do with my lost receipts? Dr. Malley has done more lap band surgeries in my area than any other doctor in the area in which I live. He has done close to 700. There must have been a medical reason he was not able to complete that person's surgery. The reason was that the liver was too large. I am sure Dr. Malley was doing the right thing. I wouldn't want to take any risks, if my liver is too big for the surgery, I would hope he would not continue or risk my health. Thank you-