songbird81

As long as you follow your medical team's directions, you should be fine. You could also ask your parents or your doctor if you have any questions and get some reassurance there. Good luck!

I would schedule an appointment now if you want to switch. It can take three or four weeks to see her.

I've gone to Magee too. Dr. Courcoulas is wonderful. She recommended bypass due to my weight but was supportive when I said I want the band instead. Due to insurance denial I'm going to have to go somewhere else where it's cheaper though. Dr. Courcoulas removed my gallbladder 3 weeks ago and it was complex because of my weight and scar tissue. She took good care of me and I wish I could afford Magee's cash price for the band, but I just can't.

It's really easy. They just asked me about my lifestyle, support, how did I get to this weight, why did I want surgery, etc. Took about 30 minutes.

I'm in PGH area too; what surgeon did you meet with?

Has anyone been banded by Dr Nick in Dallas, Texas? I'm considering traveling out-of-state to see him as it's much cheaper than the average price where I am.

Gallstones are a common ailment with weight loss. Have you had an ultrasound? That's how they diagnosed mine, along with the same symptoms you have. I'm having it removed in a few weeks.

I chose her. I haven't been banded yet, but I've had two appointments with her, and she's great.

I didn't say that I wouldn't do the diet; only that I was hoping not to be on the 800 calorie diet for much longer. I did it for five weeks and lost 22 pounds, but then my gallbladder was hurting so badly that I have to eat more to stop the pain. It is much worse if my stomach is empty or if I go a long time without eating, because the bile backs up there with stones. I understand how I got to this weight, and I am not needing continued therapy to deal with it. I passed my psych eval just fine. I also never said that I thought the band was a fix for being fat. I know I have to put in the work and it's only a tool. I've been wanting the band to help me with my weight loss for the last few years but my insurance only started covering it this year; in the meantime, I've done countless hours of research and read several books on the topic. I was only wondering if others had to lose a significant amount of weight before getting the band like my surgeon is making me do. It's very hard trying to function on such a low calorie diet for a long period of time without any band restriction to help. It's like the two week pre-op diet on steroids.

Thanks ladies. I'm at 64 right now, so I'm not too far over. Hopefully she'll operate rather than require me to be on an 800 cal diet much longer. I do have to get my gallbladder out in a couple weeks; too bad the band can't be done at the same time.

Has anyone's surgeon told them they need to be below a certain weight or BMI before the surgery can be done? My surgeon told me I need to get below 60 BMI before I can have the surgery. If it were that easy, I could just lose weight on my own without the band.

I love Unjury's stuff. My favorites are the chocolate splendor shake, the chicken soup, and the cheese sauce is very good.

BBB is toothless; providers aren't too worried about it. Try your state's attorney general or department of insurance. Good luck!

You're lucky! I work for UHC and they won't cover it for me. Benefits there are actually fairly skimpy all around.