Time to love me

Has anyone used BC/BS of Massachusetts insurance for surgery? If so, How was your experience? What were the requirements for you? I called and I'm told that all I needed was a doctor's letter, having a bmi between 35-40 with a co-morbid disease or being 100 pounds over weight. I'm just curious now because I see so many logs of people who call the insurance company and they are told all the same info., only to be denied when you apply. Thank you, in advance, for any input.

Just curious to hear what people might have to say about the doctors who do the lap band at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, MA. Good or bad experiences are welcomed. I have an appt. on the 8th of Sept.

WOOOOHOOOOOO CONGRATS YOUR IN TWOTERVILLE! YOU DID IT! Nice Job Steph and you too JMO!

Happy Birthday Leona! :happybday: :happybday2::happybday:

Nana, I'm very happy for you. It IS very annoying when you lose weight and nobody notices. BUT when someone finally does, it's like floating on a cloud. I've been going through this too, but i've only lost 11 pounds since surgery but I've lost a total of 16 since i've started the program. I feel that my clothes are not so tight anymore, or should I say they are loose. Then yesterday my friend of 20 years came over and on the way in she said you look so awesome, are you losing weight? I was so happy. I'm a closet bandster so she had no clue that i have the band. Anyhow, this is about you today! Congrats to you.

Wild, I understand that your frustrated but you need to understand that the first 6 weeks are for healing, not weightloss. If you lose any weight, it's considered a "bonus". I'm a around 3 weeks out from surgery and things have been slow for me, compared to others, but like you i'm on the lower side of the scale compared to some (I'm still fat). It seems to be that the more weight you have to lose, the quicker it comes off in the beginning. You know how the saying goes. The last 15 pounds are always the hardest, it sort of applies with the band, IMO. Once you get a fill things should start right up for you, that is my hope too. We just need to remember that with the band the average weightloss is 1-2 pounds per week. The band does have a slower weightloss. It's all worth it, not to mention that it's the healthy way to lose. Please don't take this as a neg. post, it's not meant to be. Best of luck to you! 12 pounds is a great start, better than mine. Keep your chin up, you can do this. To answer the above question. I didn't have band related complications, more post surgery. but I did have pneumonia and a pulminary embolism (blood clot). That kept me in the hospital for 8 days out of the 3 weeks that i've been banded.

GO STEPH!!!! TWOTERVILLE, TWOTERVILLE.. TWOTERVILLE. YOU CAN DO IT! Please post and let us know how you did.

Debi..I'm so frustrated with this stupid guideline too. My doc didn't tell me this, he told me I'll lose as much as i want (within reason) if I follow the food and exercise program. He did, however, tell me that I will never be a size 2. LOL age has something to do with this too. I'm 35 and 5'6, I weight 228.5 The 65% weightloss guide is bull crap, I think. It most likely is the average for the band. So this include those who abuse the band, those who mostly follow the rules and people who are rule followers. IMO there are many people who take this band for granted. There are those who cheat & eat around the band and then you have the die hard people who are truly giving 100% to making this all work, not to mention the ones who are in between those two. Now don't get me wrong, i'm sure everyone has eating things that we shouldn't eat. We all have the band because we have food issues. We are all human and once in awhile it's okay to "cheat". BUT at the same time i really think that some people believe that this is a magic band and that they don't have to exercise or eat right. I am only a little over 3 weeks out of surgery, so I'm not eating solids yet. BUT I have started to exercise and before I had the band, I did start my healthy eating plan, I lost weight and felt good about myself. And NO I wasn't perfect, I had one cheat item a week. I will continue to cheat once a week. The nutritionist said it's better to cheat once a week or I'll set myself up for failure when I finally had it and eat out the house. LOL It just pisses me off that a doc can say 65% is what you'll lose and that your goal is unrealistic!!! Come on, we'll do just fine. Once we start losing weight, we'll have the motivation to want to take more off and we'll do what ever it takes for us to get to the point of where we feel most comfortable. Whether it be 145 or 175, I don't care as long as i'm healthy & happy. Every pound I lose is better than what I weighed pre-band. I look at it as a diet, I know most people don't like to look at it the same way, we've dieted all of our lives. Shall we call it a life change? In the end we need to eat right, drink Water and exercise. The same stuff we would have to do to lose weight if we were not banded. We just have a little band telling us it's time to put down the fork. Hang in there and be positive. You can get close to goal, if not at goal. There will be plenty of people here to help you get through this. I know I'll need all the help I can get when it gets to those last 20 pounds. If I don't get there, then I don't. I'll give it my all. In the end.. I just want to be healthy.

LOL well some of these are quite amusing. BUT this just makes me feel extremely happy that I only told my husband about my surgery. I didn't want to deal with the bull shit nor the stupid ass questions. But, mainly.. i really didn't want people to babysit me and lean over my shoulder watching my every move or shall i say.. every bite. LOL Keep up the laughs.. some of these are great.

Congrats to JMO, Leona, Donna Marie and Ruthie on your great weight loss! My goodness Ruthie what a great start for you. I think you have every right to be bragging right now, if anything it's motivation for all of us. Good work! I also agree that the amount of weight people need to lose has a lot to do with weight loss, in the beginning. The more you weigh the quicker it will fall off, compared to someone who may only need to lose 60 pounds. But it does even out in the end. WHO CARES LOL any weight loss is amazing. To me, it's more than what i would have lost without the band. ALSO, ERICSMOM.. you have done awesome girlie.... maybe you need to do a little bragging. LOL I'm so proud of all of us, we will do this. It's even better that we all have each other to share the highs and the lows with.

Great job! Sounds like you have hit your sweet spot, for now. I hope it's the last fill for you! 12 pounds is a wonderful start.

I think that it is CRAZY that they would even have those two groups meet at the same time. I go to Lahey in Burlington, MA and they do two seperate support groups because they are very much different from one another. This is one of the reasons why I stayed away from the Boston Hospitals. Some, not all, of the hospital meetings were hard pressing for GBP. For anyone who went to Boston Hosp. please don't take offense to this. This is in no way, shape or form saying anything about the Dr's. I think the doctors are amazing. It just upsets me that lapband and GBP are treated the same, when they are completely diff. I actually think we need to be educated more about the lapband, due to the careful guides we need to know for eating and preventing pb'ing, sliming.. and so on. Go with what you want. DO NOT let ANYONE pull you away from what you want. There are many pros and cons to both. I have been banded for just a little over 3 weeks and i am happy i got the band. Yes, the weight comes off slower BUT there are less issues with the band, IMO. Also, from what i hear there is less chance of having severe excess skin. I also would like to know if this was a info. session or the support group? In the info. session, they would talk about both surgeries. But, I wonder why they wouldn't spend equal time on each procedure. Also, find out if this Dr. is one of those docs who do mostly RNY's vs Bands. Sometimes you get those docs that try to talk you out of the band. Keep an open mind and see where the doc stands and also, see if there is another doc available in the practice that you can meet with, that isn't so much pro RNY. I'm not sure what hosp. you are going with but there is a very nice lady named Diva that was banded in Boston, you might want to chat with her. Maybe you both go to the same Dr. or Hosp. Anyway.. best of luck to you! Please keep us informed on how things work for you. If you need someone to chat w/ PM me. Last time we chatted it was fun.

Hi Everyone, I just wanted to share with you all that I've finally got a surgery date of July 24. After a year of waiting lists,testing and jumping through hoops, It's finally my turn. The only thing that makes me worry now is that my insurance company (BCBS of Ma) has new guidelines stating that if your BMI is under 40 with 2 co-morbid diseases, they do NOT have to cover you unless the diseases are to the very extreme, meaning you could die if you didn't lose weight right away. BUT my Dr. is pretty sure I'm okay. My BMI is 39.8 with 2 co-morbid diseases but, I do have many other medical issues that would benefit me if I lost weight, so the Dr. thinks this is what will get me through. Now don't get me wrong.. I know that the insurance company doesn't have to cover anyone. I'm just stating that they've changed the severity of the co-morbid disease. Anyway, wish me luck. I'm told that the ins. comp. will inform me either way. I'm not sure how long it will take, but i'll be waiting by the phone. How long did it take for any of you to hear from them?

I can not give you a normal meal day for me yet, i'm still on liquids. but, i was told by my nutrititionist to eat 6 small meals a day, as she puts it. I do eat breakfast, lunch and dinner... but i have a healthy "snack' 3 times a day. The nutritionist requires this to have Protein. I use string cheese, yogurt.. turkey rolled up and so on. I'm told with the exception of sleep time. I should never go 4 hours without eating, it will set me up for a bad meal choice. but like always, listen to your own doc or nutrit. best of luck to all!

Hi Everyone.. Just a question for those of you whom this may apply. How long did you wait to become pregnant, after you had the band? I'm just curious. I'm at a crossroads right now. My husband really wants one more baby, I do too. But I think I'm being selfish because I'm sick of being overweight. I have a 12 yo and a 2 yo. I did promise him 2 babies close together and my 2 yo is not getting any younger. The crossroads comes because I am finally done with all the requirements I needed for surgery and I've met my weightloss goal with the nutritionist. I am just awaiting a date now. Thanks for all your help, in advance.

I am told that my ins. will pay for PS but i would have to have documented treatments stating i've had infections, rashes and i'm sure many other issues.

Sherri, I first have to say that I'm happy that your son is going to be okay. Thank GOD! I"m so sorry that this has happened to him and I pray he has a quick recovery. Secondly, lots of hugs to you... it must be so hard to see your child in distress. stay positive and strong, you and your family will get through this. Lots of prayers are being sent your way.

Thanks to those of you who told me about the nausious preventing medicine. It worked. I also want to thank you all for your kind words, I'm still in the hospital and awaiting to start my journey. It means so much to me to have so much support from people that I have never met in my life. You All are the best. AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR!!!! The best to you all!!! Wow what a month for all of us, now lets help each other continue to get through this. 64) July 31 - lizzilo 65) July 31 - New bander 66) July 31 - readyforchange 67) July 31 - Coach Buckley <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->__________________

Surgery Updates ~ I'll be deleting my old updates, to shorten the thread. <!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->01) July 03 - giggle3474 02) July 03 - dsh0917 03) July 03 - pugchick 04) July 04 - jlm20639 05) July 05 - canada sunshine 06) July 05 - eric's mom 07) July 05 - leona06 08) July 05 - july5forme 09) July 05 - Donna Marie 10) July 05 - DaniellaBella 11) July 05 - kstrehlow 12) July 06 - Olive 13) July 06 - loriely 14) July 06 - gottabeme 15) July 07 - Chuckle 16) July 08 - time 2 live 17) July 08 - almost ready76 18) July 10 - fishy 19) July 10 - mysherrijo 20) July 10 - funnyduddies 21) July 10 - rubyband 22) July 11 - marlluvia 23) July 11 - ubermom1 24) July 11 - DeeMichelle1969 25) July 12 - triciaself 26) July 12 - Kelley B 27) July 12 - Huggs 040 28) July 12 - Baylor Mom 29) July 13 - gochevy3 30) July 13 - GrannyAces 31) July 14 - hip mom 32) July 14 - gatorrev 33) July 14 - Stesti 34) July 14 - biggirlpantiez 35) July 17 - jojo41 36) July 17 - I'm with the band 37) July 17 - MDG 38) July 18 - Dody 39) July 19 - born2bethin 40) July 19 - Alberta 41) July 20 - Ikc 42) July 21 - vintagehound 43) July 21 - Paulax 44) July 21 - mferra 45) July 21 - Jennifer23 46) July 21 - chunkiyetspunky 47) July 21 - mel61670 48) July 24 - Trish06 49) July 24 - Arceal 50) July 25 - velvetkiss 51) July 25 - Halobabe 52) July 25 - JenMomto3/JMO 53) July 25 - luvtoluv 55) July 26 - flappy 56) July 27 - sabrinajoanne & hubby 57) July 27 - time to love me/KMO 58) July 27 - julip 59) July 27 - oktwigs 60) July 27 - VLP 61) July 28 - giblert 62) July 28 - ready2bthin 63) July 28- KariK CONGRATS TO THOSE NAMES LISTED ABOVE, YOU ARE NOW OFFICIALLY IN BANDLAND!!! BEST OF LUCK TO YOU ALL! :clap2: :Banane56: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 64) July 31 - lizzilo 65) July 31 - New bander 66) July 31 - readyforchange 67) July 31 - Coach Buckley <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->__________________ <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->__________________ <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->__________________

I'm sorry to hear that some of you are having "bumps' in the road. It's not going to be an easy challenge, that's for sure. Just try to do your best and when you mess up, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start over again. That, IMO, is the best thing you can do. Just because you fall off the wagon once, doesn't mean you should stop and not move ahead with your plan. You all can do this, or shall i say, WE all can do this. Just try to remember that most likely we wouldn't be losing weight if we didn't have band.. and with this band will be challenges.. and i'm guessing the band will win! lol I keep reminding myself that it took me along time to get this way, so my body is going to fight to keep it this way... . I will win though. Another great thing is that we all have each other to lean on. I'm sure that on any given day, we can find someone on here that is experiencing the same thing or has already btdt and got the tshirt. LOL I'm quite sure i'll be having a struggle with many things. I'll use you all as my backbone, when i need too. So thanks in advance! I appreciate every single one of you. I read these posts, daily, and i always learn something new from someone on here. I hope I can return the favor! Anyway, I"m not trying to preach. I'm just more or less trying to pull everyones spirits up and say HELL YA WE CAN DO THIS! :huggie: I have to admit, never did I ever think that i would become friends with people online. I used to scratch my head and say HMMMM.. Never against it, but never did i get into it. Well I really missed out on lots of good people. I have come to LBT and chatted with so many of you and I've become close to a few of you and hope to be with many more. :blah: Okay.. well once again.. off I go.. I'll try to log back in and say "HI" before i leave for my surgery! BANDLAND HERE I COME! :drum: :Banane48:

LMO, I am next! I will be banded at 12:30 today. I was bumped for someone who needed heart surgery... poor thing. I feel sadly for them. Anyway, your time is almost here. Get away from the parents house and get your tail online, we miss you! Talk to you soon... after me.. it's all you kiddo! AND THEN FINALLY I'LL UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING EVERYONE IS FEELING

Hey Drifter, I did not use HMR but someone in my support group was using it for a preop diet. I guess, from what we were told at the Lapband support group, was that HMR does take the weight off, but most likely it will come back on. We were told that a lot of patients that need to lose quickly for certain types of surgeries take this, as well. One guy lost 200 pounds off of it ( he was 590) and he is now banded. He was allowed to continue HMR for 6 weeks after he was banded to help him continue with his weightloss, but only as a replacement for his 3 shakes a day, not a "meal". He lost another 40 pounds. After the six weeks were up, the Dr. adviced him to stop taking it. So basically instead of having his protein drinks, he had the HMR. I'm not sure if i helped you out any, i just thought i'd add my 2 cents in. LOL best of luck to you.

:whoo:WOOHOOOOO!!! Yah for you, the waiting is now over and you are now in bandland! :confused: I'm sorry to hear that you're still :puke:I hope it goes away soon. I can't imagine having a sore belly and also puking. Try to take it easy. As far as the peepee problem.. UGHH sorry, it was not my intention to curse you with my every surgery day problem. LOL I'm suprised the Dr. didn't orde flomax.. It's suppose to work well, It didn't for me.. LOL but it's worked for most. I'll talk to you soon! Much love to ya, sista

Jen, I'm so happy for you, I hope that your surgery went just fine! I'm sure it did. :confused: I've been thinking of you all day today.. You should be on your way home now, if you are already not. Take it easy and relax... my good buddy. I'll call you later..

49) July 25 - velvetkiss 50) July 25 - Halobabe 51) July 25 - JenMomto3 52) July 25 - luvtoluv Best of luck to all of you!!! I hope your surgery is uneventful and that you get on your feet quickly, with as little discomofort as possible. Let us know how you'r doing, when your settled.