mschaffer66

Today I go in for my consultation with Dr. Zeni at St. Mary's in Livonia. I just got off the phone with my insurance company and they said the surgery is covered if you are one of the following: BMI>35 with comorbid BMI>40 with 6 months doctor assist diet BMI>50 I fit in the second category, but don't have the doctor assisted dieting. Does anyone know how to go about getting around the diet stuff? I'm not sure why they even require it...its not like my doc is going to come home and sit next to me at dinner at physically shove me away from the table when he says I've had enough. What classifies as a comorbid? Is my excruciating back and knee pain in that category? In past doctor visits I've had higher cholesterol and last time had higher blood pressure, do those apply? I'm kinda lost with some of this stuff. Any advice would be great because I really don't feel like wasting 6 months worth of copays just to be back in this same spot again. Thanks in advance.

Did anyone go in for consultation on a Lap-Band and have the doctor kind of push you away from it? When I went in for my consultation the doctor told me about the three options, bypass, sleeve, and band. He then went through some of the draw backs and personal opinions about each one. For the band he said no one knows how long it will last, it is a foreign object in your body, and it can possibly slip. For the sleeve he said there is no long term data on it, ie they don't know if your stomach will stretch back out to what it was. It can seep or leak. It can bleed. And its permanent, unlike band and bypass. He didn't technically recommend it, but he as beating around the bush as to the sleeve being the way he would go in my case. He ruled out the actual bypass completely. Now personally I would rather take the chance at them having to move the band or replace it sometime in my life versus losing 80% of my stomach forever. The band isn't as fast weight loss...but I guess I'd rather have slow steady long term and keep all of my innards. Any one else that can comment on this?

I am looking for a Lap Band doctor near Livonia. I see someone named TALLAL M ZENI on the Lap-Band website. Has anyone here gone to this guy? I have also heard of a few people going to DANIEL BACAL out of Oakwood in Dearborn. Any suggestions there? I'd like to find someone as close to the Livonia/Plymouth area as possible. Thanks in advance.

My wife and I have BCBS PPO. I'm 27 years old, I'm 5'10", and I weigh a touch over 300. My knees ache if I stand for too long and I have horrible back pain that I'm no longer able to rehab because I've gotten too fat to exercise and strengthen. Is there any doubt in anyone's mind that insurance will cover the Lap-Band. To be honest I think I will go through with it even if they don't. Thanks in advance.

Went to my consultation last night and like you say worst case it is 6 months out. They are checking with my doctor to see what he has documented.

True...and it may cause more problems.

Or I could swallow a few lead bars and get my BMI up to 50 haha

I wish I had known some of this stuff years ago...I would have documented then. I guess we will see what kind of magic they can work. I've been seriously dieting since my second year in college after gaining a ton of weight my freshmen year. I've tried every diet under the sun. I even tried some weight loss drugs at one point that made my heart beat so fast it felt like it was vibrating. Exercising and being active has never been the problem until I hurt my back. My problem is just eating in general. Its a horrible addiction. People say the hardest thing to do is to quit smoking...but at least your body doesn't need cigarettes, you won't starve to death if you don't smoke. Sorry, I'm ranting. From what I've seen the Lap-Band will curtail my eating, which in conjuction with a healthy diet and limited exercise will help me shed some weight. After I get rid of some of the weight my back will actually be able to get better then I can crank up the exercise and really start making a difference. Is that a valid idea?

I've got a 4:00 appointment Tuesday with Dr. Zeni. I decided to go see him based on a lot of reviews I read and how close he is to both work and home. I'll update with reviews if I end up getting it done there.

Thanks for all the info. I go in for my consultation next Tuesday. The only problem is I don't have any documented medical assisted weight loss programs. I've always tried to do it myself in the past. Other than suggesting things like what to eat and watching calories my doctor has never been helpful. You are right, I'm not too heavy to exercise. But the weight in conjunction with my back and knee problems makes anything but walking hard. My hope is that by the time my banding day comes along I will have rested my back enough so I can slowly start exercising and building strength to get more intense.