officegirlblues

Hey, Tom! I have never seen Dr. Snow, but I do know several people that he performed bypass on. As far as doctors in Mobile and the lap band go... there are a few that are now performing them, but they are relatively new to the procedure. When I say relatively new, I think it is safe to say they have only within the past year started performing the surgery. Dr. Avara at South Mississippi Surgical Weightloss Center has been doing the lap band for a few years and has had great success with it. He does seminars in Mobile, also. I've been to his and have been to his office, which really is just across the state line and it takes no time at all to get there. Also, his prices are somewhat cheaper than the ones in Mobile from the information I've collected. Dr. Caylor in Foley also does the procedure and has for about 3-4 years but charges more than any of the others. I know, personally, that when I have mine done, I want a dr that has done this surgery ALOT! I'd love to hear what information you've collected on the procedure. Do you have BCBS of AL? I was told recently that they are supposed to start covering this surgery soon... Don't know how accurate that is but we can always hope! Send me a PM if you want to chat. I don't run across too many Mobilians on here! Thanks, Hope

I am addicted to Nora Roberts.... whether she is writing as herself or J.D. Robb! The "In Death" series is awesome! I'm waiting on pins and needles for the next book to come out. Just can't get enough of Eve and Roarke! I have also been reading Christine Feehan. Her "Dark" series about the Carpathians is amazing. Takes you to a whole other world! I tend to like stuff that is not "everyday" stuff... heck, I can have normal stuff on my own! I like books that take me to another place. There is nothing better than getting lost in a book.

http://www.obesity.org/subs/fastfacts/obesity_what2.shtml Maybe some people don't consider it a disease, true, but the IRS does: On April 2, 2002, the IRS announced a new policy (IRS Ruling 202-19) stating that "Obesity is medically accepted to be a disease in its own right." For taxpayers, this means that treatment specifically for obesity can now be claimed as a medical deduction..." This website also has a lot of information on how to get involved in helping to make insurance companies pay for the surgery. Maybe if we all banded (no pun intended! HAHA!) together we could make big advances then people wouldn't have to loan themselves to death to pay for good health. :clap2:

Misltoe, I completely understand what you are going through. When I first started this journey almost 4 years ago everyone in my family was absolutely 100% against it. I let them talk me out of following up after my first consultation, which btw my ex-husband (hubby at the time) was completely against. I've gone through all the programs... I've done all the diets... and I finally have decided I have cried all the tears I am going to cry over being fat and feeling like the most disgusting creature on the face of this earth. Obesity is a disease. Plain and simple. But, people that don't suffer from it don't understand that not only is it a physical disease, it is a mental disease. If you had cancer wouldn't they want you to try every procedure available to help cure you? Even if those procedures could harm healthy parts of your body? This is no different in my opinion. My insurance doesn't cover the procedure, either. But, at this point, I don't care. I will work an extra job or find some way to pay for the loan that I will have to get. I am a single mother and my children and I live with my mom... this surgery may mean living there for a few more years, but at least I will be LIVING. I've not really lived in a long time... I get by daily and do what I have to do, but I don't feel alive. I feel ashamed. That is one thing that insurance companies don't understand. Obesity is a disease, yes, but it is not a disease that we can hide. We wear it like a big neon sign because we have no choice. People with other diseases can hide them if they choose to. A woman with breast cancer can buy prosthesis to hide surgery or a wig to hide hair loss from treatment... a person with diabetes doesn't have to advertise to the world that they have diabetes... but an obese person has no where to hide. It proceeds us into a room. Before people even see our faces, they see our bodies. You can't hide 100 extra lbs. behind a size 12 to "appear" normal to everyone. It won't fit. It is the first thing someone sees when we walk up and the last thing they see when we go away and it is something that we live with every day and every insurance company that doesn't cover it is simply depriving us of the right to TRY to have a normal life. Please don't get me wrong, I am in no way belittling cancer or diabetes and I don't mean to offend anyone who might be suffering.. I have both prominently in my family... which is all the more reason to get myself healthy. My point is, we have the opportunity to help ourselves with this surgery and I think we have a responsibility to ourselves and our families to do that. Maybe you should get them to go to a lap band seminar with you. I know once my mother finally sat down and read the information she totally changed her mind. You do need their support... no... actually, you DESERVE their support. The more sure you are, the less unsure they will be. And, once they see you loosing weight, they will be so excited for you. I don't think anyone should let someone talk them INTO surgery, much less out of it. In the end, no matter how difficult the decision is, you've got to do what you feel in your heart is best for you. Everything else will take care of itself. Good Luck! Hope

Hey Kelly! Welcome! We have a pretty small group of Alabamians on here but we are all willing to chat, I think. Unfortunately, I'm not banded yet, but I'm hoping it will happen very soon and would love to hear all about your experience. I've never heard of Dr. Black. How was your experience with him? Gosh, 12 lbs already! You go girl! Hope to talk to you soon... Hope:)

Any of you Alabama Bandsters had any luck with getting BCBS of AL to cover your surgery yet? If not, has anyone heard an update on when/if they will cover it any time soon?:nervous Thanks! Hope

That is great Tami! :clap2: I know this surgery is the best option for me so I'm trying to hold out... or figure out a way to finance it. But, I'm a single mom and I'm going to have to buy a house in the not so distant future, so I don't know that I can take the added expense of a lapband payment AND a house note. My kids and I live with my mom right now, so it will just be too much. I think I remember hearing about that case as well. I also talked to one lady that has BCBS of AL and they paid for her's but, come to find out, she works for a very large company and it was written into their plan at the corporate office. One of the big paper mills. Only large companies like that can really afford to have it added. I know our premiums are going up at the company I work for and believe me, they are not adding to the coverage! I've thought about consulting one of the Obesity Lawyers and I may end up doing just that. If they think they can get it approved, that is. I've jumped through all the hoops already! It just amazes me how narrow sighted BCBS of AL is on this issue... I wonder if they have done a study on the dollars they pay out every year on diabetes and high blood pressure, etc. and compared it to what they would save if they helped people actually recover from those diseases by loosing the weight and keeping it off?! An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure! I'm glad the surgery worked out for you. Keep being an inspiration to us all! Thanks, Hope

Right. Several of the other states' BCBS covers the surgery. But, as usual, Alabama is behind the times. I keep hoping one day soon I will hear that they do. I've been waiting for 3 years to have this surgery. I just don't see any way I can self pay.... :cry

You know, I'm sort of going through the same thing you are Melodee. I'm not banded... yet... and I'm not sure that I'm actually going to get banded. At the moment, it is a monetary issue more than an issue of not wanting to be. I'm a single mom and at this point it is like... let's see.... am I going to provide my children with a home and food or am I going to be skinny.... :cry I think we all know which decision I have to make on that one. IF my insurance covers the band or I can figure out a way to do it, I most definitely will get the band. I want it desperately. I get on here every day (almost) and I read the posts and I see all the pros and cons and I still think, after I log off, that the band is for me. My family is even starting to come around. I've been trying to get banded for over 4 years now. At first, they were completely against it. But, as they see my weight go up and my health go down they are more supportive. My friends say I'm obsessed with it, but really, I'm just more repulsed by myself when I look in the mirror. I'm ready for the life change and I'm ready to stop wanting to be invisible. If you are not at the point that you just absolutely are unhappy with yourself, don't do it. What a shame to do it and then not have results because you are not committed to making it work... and I'm sure you have to be committed to the band. Otherwise, it will be as effective as buying that new dress you just have to have because you know every time you open your closet it will inspire you to get skinny and wear it. Unfortunately, inspiration is not necessairly the greatest drug for weightloss for most of people. I've done it on my own before. I went from a size 22 to a size 8 five years ago. I kept it off for two years. I am now a size 22 again. I know I can do it again, I just want that tool to help me keep it where it should be. It is not fun to compare my size 8 blue jeans to my size 22. Falling on your face is never fun, but doing it so publically as with your health and appearance is even less fun. :faint: Having rambled on forever already (sorry about that everyone), I will say this. When I do get the band, I don't know that I will do a lot of participating in forums and groups. While I have gathered vital and important information in making my decision, this IS a scary place sometimes. And having been a part of this group and others, I think it is safe to say that people that have negative things to say are a lot of the time more vocal than people that don't. I am a firm believer in the premise that if you surround yourself with negative things, negative results are more likely to happen. And while there is SO much positive to this forum, I don't want to risk somebody mucking up my karma, you know? Not to mention that I'm sure I will be so happy with my new skinny me that I won't have time to sit here in front of this computer while life passes me by. :clap2: So, in a nut shell... I won't regret the band when I get it... even if I have complications and I have to adjust to my new lifestyle... but the band was also my own idea. I've noticed that the things I have regretted most in my life are things that I did at the prompting of others. Be sure. Be completely sure. And if you do get it... be positive. Be positive that it will work for you. Just go into it with the firm faith that this tool is going to help you achieve your best you. Good luck to you and I have to say a big thank you to all of those on here that put their personal lives on display so people like us can make up our minds to follow you back to 1derland. :gluck: Hope

Hey everyone. I have BCBS of Alabama and they do NOT cover the band. They will cover gastric bypass any time but not the band. I know. Doesn't make sense to me either. I've been trying for over 3 years to get the band and the doctors here won't even file it anymore. I've had one actual denial and I've seen a couple of different doctors and they all say there is no point in filing. BCBS of AL considers this surgery investigational. I've written to the State Insurance Board and basically what they said was that each BCBS is different. Alabama chooses not to cover it for whatever reason and there is not a whole lot that can be done about it. All of the states around Alabama cover it so we're hoping maybe it will trickle down to Alabama eventually. Unless you have a kind of self-insured BC plan for a very large company you are just out of luck. Frankly, I'm getting tired of waiting and am considering just going ahead and having the bypass done. Congratulations to everyone that has had it approved.I think its great and I am so happy for you! :clap2: Hope

I contacted a lawyer early on and there are a few that are more than willing to help, I just can't afford the price! :phanvan I would go ahead and self pay if I could afford it, but that's not an option at the moment, either, so I guess I will just have to be patient.

That's great pplqueen! Lord I wish we were all that lucky. I've heard it is easy for people on BCBS in other states. Maybe Alabama will follow suit SOON. With Florida and Georgia covering, you'd think they'd have to, but unfortunately they don't feel that way. Alabama BCBS still considers the procedure "investigational".

I know what you mean about BCBS. I hate it but it is my only option. I'm not sure what state you are in but Alabama will not cover it, period. Have you checked back with your doctor? From what I read, and I could be reading it wrong, it is not specifically saying that lap band is not covered at all.. it is saying that it is not covered for you because you haven't met the criteria. Check and make sure that your doctor had deemed it medically necessary. The statement received from my insurance was different than yours. If your doctor does not say it is medically necessary then you have no chance. And, in talking to several doctors and nurses in our area, once it is approved you will still have to meet certain criteria, like diet history, etc. When you go back, just make sure that the dr's office is using all the correct terminology and covering all the bases with BCBS. Good Luck!

Does anyone know of any doctors/hospitals around the South that will let you finance the surgery through them? I've seen a few doctors in the area and have talked to several different clinics but none of them finance. Thanks! Hope

Amy, Congrats on the baby! That is wonderful! I have BC/BS of AL also and, to date, I know of no one that has gotten them to cover this surgery. I've priced the procedure all over the state and have found that Birmingham is the least costly in Alabama. However, the facility in Dalton, GA is a good bit less expensive than the ones here. It may be easier to have the band done when you are having another procedure, I don't know as I'm not banded yet and have no info on that, but from everything I've heard, BC will kick out the charges for the band from what they do cover. If I am ever able to self pay, I think I am going to try to go to Dalton and have it done, mainly because of the difference in price but I also have heard lots of great things about that clinic. Let's keep our fingers crossed and say lots of prayers that soon BCBS of AL will get with the program and help us get this procedure! Good Luck! Hope

Hey Zoe! Have you thought about getting the spray on tan? I got my mother a gift certificate for Mother's Day last year and she loved it. Although it didn't last as long as results from a tanning bed, it suited her well for the vacation she took. I hear that the spray self-tanner is better than the lotion kind... I don't know for sure, though. My employer just took the whole company to Cozumel last month and I know a lot of the girls in the office that don't tan in the beds used the spray kind that you do yourself at home and they were pleased. I, personally, go to the tanning bed. It completely relaxes me and helps to ease some joint pain that I have. You could look up some articles in Cosmo or something... maybe they can tell you which self-tanners are the best to use! Good Luck! Hope

Hey, all. I just felt I HAD to reply to this. I am a former employee of the only Splenda plant in the United States and a former resident of the town where it is made. I have read all the articles on Splenda, those for AND against. I think everyone has to take their own personal stand on what they will and won't put into their bodies, but I have got to tell you that Splenda is absolutely without a doubt safe and is a God-send for many diabetics. I know what goes into this product, and although I can't tell you, I will tell you that these people believe in this product and produce it to the highest degree of quality. You can not imagine the amount of time, study and love that goes into this product. Now it's true, not everyone reacts to things the same way, heck, I'm allergic to green Beans and they cause a HORRIBLE reaction in me, but that doesn't mean that the next person should stay away from them. There are people that have bad reactions to Splenda, just as there are people that have bad reactions to dairy products or Peanut Butter... but Splenda is in no way shap or form a danger to all who consume it. What we've all got to remember is that when articles like this are published, and even articles that advocate a product, there is usually a lot more behind it than hands down research results. You would not believe the huge war that goes on between these sugar-substitute companies. It really gets ugly! You have silent backers of one company, paying research companies to bash a product in favor of another company... as in everything, there is just enough fact or fiction in what we hear and read to confuse the issue. I totally respect everyone's right to their opinion on this and am not saying that any one person's view is wrong or right, but I just wanted to let everyone know my feelings on Splenda. I'm very proud of my former association with this product and recommend its use, without a doubt, to anyone. My kids love it and I CERTAINLY wouldn't let them use it if I believed, based on the information I have and what I have seen, that it would harm them. Just my 2 cents for what it's worth! :-) Have a great day! Hope

Hey, everyone. I had my consult today with the surgeon I want to use.... first off, let me say kudos to everyone in Dr. Avara's office in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. They were all fantastic! They took so much time with each one of us today and just made you feel so great and welcomed. AND they didn't even charge for today's visit!! WOO-HOO! There were 4 or 5 of us there for consults today and first they separately got all our weights, etc., gave us some info and then took us all as a group into kind of a little mini-informational seminar. They were very knowledgeable. After that we all went into separate rooms and they came in to do our work-ups (for lack of a better term) and separate consults. Here's where the bad news comes in. :-( My insurance company, BCBS of AL, does not cover the band, as many don't. The total charge to have the surgery there is $15,000, which I'm sure is not bad, unless of course you have bad credit and no home to put a second mortgage on.... which would be me! So! Now I don't know what to do! If anyone is cleaning out their pockets while they're putting away their winter clothes and happens to come across an extra 15 grand lying around and can't figure out what to do with it... send me a message! I can help you use that! So, basically, I have a few options now... I can either self pay or fight the insurance company and regardless of whether BCBS of AL decides to cover the surgery or not, I have to be on a diet for 6 mths, supervised by a physician. This, too, is no surprise. BUT! What if the stupid diet works?! What if I loose just enough weight in that 6 months to no longer qualify for the surgery?! I just don't know if I can go through the emotional devestation of loosing weight and gaining it all back again. And I know that sounds completely negative and like I've given up but I've been doing this for half my life. I loose the weight, keep it off for a little while and then gain it back with interest... I absolutely can't do that again. THEN by the time I gain it back again, I will have been outside of the time parameters for the supervised diet and have to go through the whole blasted thing again. Sorry about this little rant, but when I tried it on my mom she didn't really see what the big deal was. I knew everyone here would understand (or at least hoped some would!). Does anyone have any bright ideas? I'm stalled on the road to lap band land and need some serious help. Oh, and by the way, I told all the ladies at the dr.'s office today about LBT. I told them how great you all have been to me and how much information and knowledge they can gain from this site. Maybe we'll see them on here, too! Thanks for listening everyone. Your support means the world to me! Stalled but not giving up!!!! Hope

Hey, Angela! I'm positive you'll hear back from Dr. Avara's group. I had a response within 24 hours. Lisa is great and even faxed me the info so I could have it ready for my appointment this Friday. I haven't met any of them yet, but they have been great so far. As far as pricing goes, I think the cost there is between $13,500 and $15,000. Dr. Caylor in Foley, AL is around $18,000. There is also a Dr. in Birmingham that is around $13,000. All of those are for Outpatient and the prices kind of vary... At the moment, my insurance doesn't cover the band so I'm kind of shopping around. Oh, and Dr. Avara's office has a financing group that they use, they will give you the application for it if you want them to. I don't know what kind of insurance you have, you might be one of the lucky few that will have it covered! I know some of the other groups that I've talked to didn't really offer a lot of help. But, ultimately, I'm hoping that Dr. Avara's office will help fight the insurance if they deny the claim. Anyway, enough about my saga... good luck and I hope you get all the information you need. Let me know how it goes! Hope

Hi, everyone! I'm in South Alabama, not far from Mississippi and in my Quest to find a dr. in this area that not only performs the surgery but that I can afford, I was pointed in the direction of SMSWLC. I sent an email to them and they responded immediately and are sending me some forms to fill out for financing. I was just wondering if anyone knew anything about them. Here is the link: http://www.smsurgicalweightloss.com/index.html I think the dr.'s name is Dr. Avara. Thanks! Hope

Thanks Kathy! No, I haven't checked in for a while. I will have to check out that thread and see how everyone is doing. I have to admit, though, that although I am so happy for those of you that have had the band, it's a little discouraging to be on the other side of that coin. I tried dieting on my own since the last time I was on and actually lost about 15 lbs. which I thought was great, but then I went on a trip and gained it all back. So, that kind of had me bummed. BUT, I'm going to Dr. Alvara and I'm going to do SOMETHING! I'm hoping that maybe they will help fight the claim when it is denied. I guess we'll see. Oh, and I saw a note posted on another site that BCBS of GA (and a few others) are now covering the band! Apparently was just announced today or earlier this week... I'm praying that Alabama will follow suit. That would just solve all my problems! Anyway, thanks for the hello and I promise I will stay in touch. Great to be visiting with all you Bandlanders again! Hope

Hi guys. I finally made my appointment with Dr. Avara. I go next Friday! I'm excited but also a little aprehensive. I don't want to get too excited b/c I know that it has been impossible so far to get BCBS of AL to cover this procedure. I'm so excited to see the great responses regarding his group, though. Gives me a good feeling, that's for sure! I'll let you guys know how it goes!

Woo-Hoo Eliza! I'm so glad that things turned out so well for you. Good Luck with the healing process! Hope

Hey, I'm Hope... A.K.A. Officegirlblues. :-) Shannon, got your message and sent a reply to your email addy. Thanks!

Hey, Shannon. I'm Hope and I'm in Mobile. You're doing so great! I'm so excited for you! I haven't been banded yet, trying to find a dr. and all. So you were happy with your doc? Did they offer lots of help and stuff? I'm trying to get financing for my surgery... I think it's gonna be a long process! Anyway, just wanted to say hi and congrats!