mrlddst

Hey I have Cigna as well and I was approved. I think you should talk to you PCP or NP and see if they would be willing to back log your records with phone conferences or visits. If you think he/she would go for it, provide some kind of record to them showing how much you wieghed that month, what your eating habits were and what kind of exercise you did. It would make life alot easier for them. Also provide a letter that details all of your efforts including monthly weights and have her add any info she can. If you need an example, let me know. Good luck!

I had a BR about 3 yrs ago. I was a 42 F, now I'm a 40C...use to be a 38C before I gained some weight . I love the choice I made, although I do believed I was depressed for the first couple of months, when I could see my feet with no problem :think . I felt like a little boy while they were still healing and gradually they dropped to be the perky boobs that I have always wanted :hititbanana: . My friends always say they are jealous. I can freeball it too (no bra) and people can't tell the difference. No man has been about to tell the difference either, sometimes I play the find the line game . I don't know if that is standard or not, my PS was a good one. Dr. Antell in Manhattan. There is a really good site for women seeking BR. Its called breast health online. They even have pics.

I was the same way Mona. After I graduated from college, I dedicated my life to working out. I went from 220 to 170, however I had also been on phentermine as prescribed by my old(slave to the drug company) doctor. Low and behold, I had to have surgery (unrelated) and in recovery they could not get my heart down to a normal beat. It scared my so bad I was off for good...ballooned back up and past my first highest weight. Oh and PhotoNut..I hear you. I plan on getting back to the gym and getting a head start, but I AM going to treat myself on the cruise. It was preplanned, surgery or not. I will get it together though...just to make myself feel good :-D

Hello everyone....I got my approval on Monday, but I don't have a date as of yet. I'm thinking sometime in Mid May because the doctor's office says he is booked through April (thats what I get with going with a general surgeon). Anyhow....I'm afraid that I won't take my butt down to the gym NOW and exercise and get this banding off on the right foot. :guess I'm afraid that my love for sweet ice tea will have to be stopped because its sugar with flavor :faint: . I'm afraid that I won't be able to lose enough wait to fit back into my summer clothes comfortably and end up feeding my shopping habit.:heh:

Sorry to hear that....I hope Cigna didn't change their policy for the new year. I think I'm going to call and ask again tomorrow. I also have a HUGE bone to pick with the secretary who sent my paperwork out to Cigna. I went up to the doctor's office and filled out a release to have the paperwork given to me that was supplied to Cigna. Well she sends me my lab results and the notes from my nutritionist that don't even count with out my PCP notes. I am praying that she just half-a**ed it with me and not Cigna. She didn't send me the letters from any of my doctors or the psychiatrist letter....I'm so pissed. I don't know whether to pay her a personal visit tomorrow or a pleasant phone call. She has one nasty attitude. What should I do? I want to be nice since she could be the one person who ruins it for me but she is really pissing me off.

Hey did you have surgery? How did everything go? I'm still waiting on approval, the secretary said she mailed everything out on last week.

I went for a consult with Dr. Terracina, but I ended up choosing Dr. Wohlgemuth on the Southside because his place involved way to much traffic and traveling going to the peninsula. He seemed like a nice doctor. I also didn't like the woman who helps with insurance, she use to argue with me about whether or not my insurance covered the band, even though I told her I was staring at thier position.

Okay...the secretary has my paperwork!! Please say a little prayer for me, as I'm hoping everything goes well.

My doctors are helping me putting together the paperwork for this now, everything should be complete in a week or two. I say my PCP for the last time last week. I am a little worried because I did not meet with my PCP one month because she was out but I did come in for a weigh in. I'm thinking of going for two more months just in case. I am going to send in what I have now to see if I am denied. No harm in trying I say. I also got a little hope when I looked at OH insurers database and saw that several people were approved with Cigna for the lapband.

I have Cigna and I'm coming up on my last visit with both my nutritionist and PCP. I sent them both a copy of the coverage position and asked that they make sure that their notes were as detailed as possible before they are sent to the surgeon office. I'm just praying that I have everything that they asked for.

I have Cigna PPO, a 6 mos diet is required. I have been seeing my PCP for the last year (just for weight in the last 4 mos) and a nutrionist (that CIGNA pays for every month) each month for the last 4 mos. I have 2 more visits to go. I'm hoping that they approve me...but we will see.

Is Cigna that hard to get lapband approval for? I have finally heard back from the two doctors office that I am trying to get the surgery through, both of their insurance handlers sound very negative about getting Cigna to approve the surgery. One told me that I will have to come in the office to talk about it (she didnt want to talk to me on the phone about it). She is leaving me in a jam because she wants me to come in and talk to her right before I go for my initial appt(where I pay $395). The other office's insurance clerk, doesn't believe that Cigna even covers the band, we got into a little disagreement because I was looking at the statement from Cigna saying that they did cover it. So if she isn't positive about getting approval, why I should I believe in it either. And I have an appt with them next week. What do you think?

I wish I could switch but my company just finished open enrollment and the only choices were Cigna and Cigna.....

I read it while I was doing my research, it was informative. I would check with your local library first though, that way you can scan over and then purchase it if you go with the band.

I have always considered myself a fat healthy person (is that an oxymoron??) I don't have any existing health conditions other than being fat, well let me clarify. I'm 5'1 and weigh 240(give or take a few). I don't have diabetes or high cholesterol. Although, since I started reading up on WLS I have developed back pain and have trouble standing up for a long time, my feet and knees start to hurt. Should I go see a doctor about this? I have a high tolerance for pain so I normally would just take 2 advil and suck it up, but I think these may support my insurance approval. I am also getting tested for sleep apnea. Are there anything else I can do? I saw something about attending nutritional classes, but have no idea where to find those in my area.

Hey KellyK, Yes it is very sobering, however I did notice that the people who had the biggest regrets were those who had other surgeries beyond the GR.

Have you checked this?? I'm am still researching and I have found this very useful. http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/amosforums/any_wls_regrets

Have you checked this?? I'm am still researching and I have found this very useful. http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/amosforums/any_wls_regrets

As many of you know I am researching the surgery, and I have read several(100+) bandster profiles, websites, messageboards(my congrats to those who love it and my sadness to those who don't) over the weekend. There seems to be some varying opinion about feeling full. Can you plz clarify your experiences? *You have no restriction after surgery, so you don't feel full at all and you go back to eating what you want?? *You don't start PBing until you get a fill or is it right away? *How long does it take to get back to hard foods? Thanks for any assistance you can provide in advance.

Your right, I am just extra anal when it comes to some things. I want Cigna to approve me without being denied but there is nothing I can do except pray on it. I am afraid that my PCP will not write a letter in my favor. She is one of those doctors that believe I'm not doing enough. Even though I have followed all of her weight recommendations for the last year and a half and I have actually put on weight. And prior to my move to VA(live in NJ for 2 yrs), I was under another doctors phentermine prescribed diet. I did lose 50 lbs but when I stopped due to fear of what was happening to my heart, I gained 70 lbs. I have an appt with her on Friday, but admittedly I'm am scared that she will say no. And if she does, I know I can switch but then who do I see who can recommend me after that. I have called Cigna at least once every day, just to ask about exclusion and bariatric surgery. They keep telling me about the medically necessary part and when asked about the LB surgery, they said there is no exclusion(of course there is the experimental bit, but I hope they dont try to pull that one on me). I read the benefits guide from 2004 and we have open enrollment this coming June, it looks like the plan changes.

The whole "real" portion thing is sarcastically funny to me, esp today. I thnk a week's worth of reading bandster stuff has given me that syndrome where you think you have every thing you read about ( can't think of the term). I went to a restaurant and got a meal and starting feeling sick looking at the huge portions that they gave me. I ended up throwing half of it away. I have also managed to convince myself that I have joint and back pain, although I haven't done anything strenuous all weekend. Well I'm going to a chiropractor today just to be sure though.

Wow, that article was written very well. Being that I have not had the surgery, it provides more insight for me. I don't expect the surgery to be the end-all of my problems. I just want life as a fat person to be a little easier....I would love to run. I want to be forced in to the mind set of what a "real" portoin size is.

Thanks, I checked my BMI its at 43. For some reason, I don't think that I will get approved (like my ins company is just going to say no without even trying). I'm one of those people that prepare for the worst, and "try" to hope for the best (guess I'm just a pessimist). I just hope that I can cover all my bases. I don't know what I will do if I get denied. I am considering self-pay but I don't think I can afford the fills after paying for the surgery.

I am 5'1 and 245 lbs and I am interested in the lap band procedure. I am a little afraid, but I would rather have a lap band in place than have my organs cut up. I have started the preliminaries, I am going to an seminar held by some of the docs today. However, when I talked to another doctors office yesterday, they told me that CIGNA did not cover the lap band because it was too new. I talked to CIGNA and they said they would approve an WLS that was deemed medically necessary. So I'm a little confused. I have been under at least 2 doctor supervised programs, the first time I lost 50 lbs but I gained 80 back. I have seen a nutritionist, a psychiatrist, and a psyschologist but not with the intention of seeking WLS, just to understand why I couldn't drop any weight anymore. Should I start trying to track all of this down? Any help you can provide would be a great. Has anyone had it done in VA? Can you tell me your story.

Hey HarleyNana, I am researching this option as well. What doctor performed your surgeries and what did you have to do to have it covered?