SpecialK

Thanks Juli! Check out the March 2008 Bandsters logo... Cute

Welcome NDWife-- I have the same exact health plan and I can tell you that Aetna denied my initial submission from Charlene and the doctors due to not having my 5 year weight history --as soon as she sent that in, plus my sleep clearance report, cardio clearance, psych clearance and proof of diet - I had two appointments with dieticians plus about 9 months of WW program log book, then I got approved on Feb 18th. I got my surgery date on Feb 22 and it will be March 17th. Hope you can join us at Polaris Mall for the lapband group fun get together. See the thread for it under Ohio. Kathy

Got my approval letter from Aetna in the mail today!! Its in writing..what a good feeling. My sister in Arizona was going to come for my surgery and keep an eye on me but when we started searching for flight, the cost was over $500 a ticket because that is Spring Break/Easter time for the end of that week. So we just couldn't see spending that money right now given I think I'll be fine. I'd rather for her to come and visit when I'm back on solid foods and feeling good ...and thinner :-)

Congratulations. It has been a very long time since I have been below 300 lbs and I can't wait. I got my banding date of March 17th - St. Patty's today!!

Okay, I know I've posted it in three threads on the board but I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. Started this process in first week of October 2007 attending the information session at Mt. Carmel and had my clearances done by mid-January and sent for insurance approval with Aetna Jan 29, got insurance approval on Feb 18th and now have a surgery date of March 17th. I feel so blessed and yet excited and scared at the same time.

Got my banding date -- St. Patrick's Day March 17th!! at Mt. Carmel so I will be so wired up on this get together I won't know how to act.

SUE-- Incredible and so lucky --- St. Patrick's Day...

Got my surgery date -- St. Patrick's Day - March 17th with Dr. Price at Mt. Carmel. More details to follow. I'm jumping for joy like a little leprechaun.

Just within the hour I got the call I've waited so long for....March 17th St. Patrick's Day will be my banding date in Columbus Ohio! :sad::smile2::sad:

I keep looking for 'Girl' Leprechauns graphics or things and couldn't find anything so I thought maybe its something funky that there are only boy leprechauns??

There is a cute thread under General Discussion about what nickname to come up with for us March 2008 bandsters. Check it out. I created a sample graphic to use on my signature once I know for sure I get to be a March surgery date...still waiting. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/what-march-bandster-s-official-name-year-53071/

This was a cute one too.

I'm not a pro by any means on graphics so if somone else can do something niftier, I'm game. Here's what I created in just a couple minutes using basic clip art from Microsoft's free library. I liked the idea of the sunrise being the beginning of a new day..new beginnings, and the generic marching cartoons being good for men or women in the group. Marvelous Marchers.bmp

I voted for Marvelous Marchers! I think it goes along with the idea of bandsters great. Thanks for thinking these ideas up. I was stumped and had been thinking about it considering I'll have a March date for my surgery.

I think everyone should be adults and understand that there are Moderators of the web site and if they feel something is out of line, they can pull it off the site and/or decline account privileges to those who won't be responsible on their own. Sad to say, but we have to do it where I work too, people abuse privileges.

I had been seeing my PCP care doctor over the past year and discussing that I had been doing Weight Watchers faithfully, had been showing her my weigh in book, and evidently she had been documenting that. Plus I gave the surgeon's office the copy of my weight log book, and a nutritionist appt report from December and January saying that diet and exercise, etc. had been discussed. I ended up not being able to fit in a February nutritionist appt because now I've got approval. So... I'm not exactly certain what Aetna based the approval on for the diet requirement portion. They had 5 year of doctors progress notes showing I kept talking with my PCP about weight every visit, even about 3 years ago discussing RNY surgery with her, so maybe they just decided that there was a long enough history all around. Whatever did the trick, I'm praising God!! :tongue2:

Wow, cutting 17 days of the waiting period is terrific. Congrats!

Wow! Its so positive to see people getting their surgery dates in March! They said Dr. Price will be reviewing my paperwork tomorrow and I should know something maybe by Monday. Second, I had a really great conversation with 2 different people related to Mt. Carmel's Bariatric program. Here's the scoop. I'm encouraged they cared to call me and talk. Melissa is the Bariatric Coordinator for the hospital and I told her that several of us felt Mt. Carmel could step up more on improving having patient advocates that help people get through all the clearances, scheduling and insurance process, not just the person who submits the insurance paperwork. She said she appreciated the feedback and said she'd have the office manager of Mid Ohio Surgical Associates call me to talk since the doctors in that practice are the sole group of bariatric surgeons at Mt. Carmel for now, and that ultimately how many people they have staffed to handle their bariatric patients is their call but that Mt. Carmel certainly has a stake in how successful and how positive the whole process is. The office manager, I think he said his name was David, also called me back and we had a great conversation. He said yes, they realize that there is a need for someone to help patients get through the whole process, that they had proposed adding a position called patient adviser or patient advocate (something like that title) that would be the person who handles helping the patients who are trying to get approved for coverage or who have to complete various clearances to have surgery are getting done. I mentioned the other bariatric programs having a 1 day process of bringing people in and getting their cardiac, psych and nutrition clearance appointments all nailed down in a single day and that it was a tough process scheduling them all individually ourselves. He said he'd definitely consider that. He wants to expedite and improve it as much as they can. He also mentioned that he'll bring this up at the Mt. Carmel bariatric program committee meeting and also with the three doctors who ultimately own the Mid Ohio Surgical Assoc practice. So, it would be wonderful for the newbies coming into the process to have some more help than some of us have had in the past. I mentioned that you have to be tough and determined to get through all the hoops and they really shouldn't make it so hard on folks who really need this help. He agreed and was very very nice about listening to the feedback on improving the Mt. Carmel program. Hope that brings encouragement to others and we'll keep you posted if we hear they've added to the staff to help bariatric patients get through the first six months especially.

I'm APPROVED FOR SURE!!!!! I called Aetna and they said yes, their records show that the surgeon's office provided the missing information on Feb 18 and that Aetna approved my surgery that day!! That I will be getting a letter saying it is approved. I feel so blessed.

Becky (hinger) I can relate to the feeling of being so happy you wanted to cry when you knew you were approved. Congratulations. Looks like there are several of us lining up to be Banded Buddies in March.

I'm APPROVED FOR SURE!!!!! I called Aetna and they said yes, their records show that the surgeon's office provided the missing information on Feb 18 and that Aetna approved my surgery that day!! That I will be getting a letter saying it is approved. I feel so blessed.

Randy - Welcome! Be sure to check under this web site under the USA Local Group Support for Ohio and you'll see several different postings for Columbus and the different lap band surgery centers in our area. I'm interested to hear if you'll have your surgery done at Children's Hospital or are you working through one of the other hospitals - Mt. Carmel, Riverside, OSU, Barix, other?

I need some good thoughts going our way to Aetna on what I think is just a paperwork lag thing. I had a first letter dated Feb 6 saying they wanted the 5 year weight history. It took my surgeon's office until Feb 18 (this past Monday) to get that to them and the surgeon's office called me that same day, Monday Feb 18th and said I'm approved and I was so elated. But in the meantime Aetna sent a letter dated Feb 13 saying my request for surgery was denied due to needing 6 months of weight loss history. So I have to wait overnight until the surgeon's office opens in the morning to make sure they have it right that Aetna approved the surgery on February 18 and then hope I get a third letter from Aetna saying in writing I'm approved now. Cross your fingers and say a prayer this is just a paperwork lag thing but at least I thought I'd share in case others are going through something similar.

I just got home and there is a denial from Aetna in my mail for my lapband surgery but the letter is dated February 13 and Charlene from Dr. Price's office (surgeon) called me on Monday February 18 and said I'd been approved. Now I don't know what to think until I can talk with Charlene in the a.m. I'm hoping that Aetna reversed their position once they had the 5 year weight history notes and that Aetna just needs to send me a 3rd and hopefully final letter saying I'm approved effective February 18th. Say a prayer for me on this. I'm trying to stay positive that its all okay.

Okay, I realize you have to make money somehow but the site is starting to look really crazy with advertisements. The one I'm really having trouble accepting or dealing with is where you now insert an advertisement after the first person adds a new thread and this advertisement is so big that it scrolls off the screen that there is anyone else who has responded to the thread-- you have to scroll past the advertisement to find the real stuff you want to read. I think this is a really intrusive form of advertising, much worse than banner ads at the top or right hand panel side of the web site. Hope you'll rethink this.