JaimeSTL

Melissa, I'm there with you. I'm starving, eating way too much, and feeling really out of control. I have my fill on Monday, thank God. I don't think I could last much longer. It is so disheartening, but I know it will get better when I get my fill.

Most insurance companies will say that they have 30 days to make a decision. My ins. told me that and the doctor's office said it can take up to 30 days. It just varies. I got approval the same day my paperwork was sent, but it doesn't go to a review board, it went to a nurse case manager, she called me, then approved it. All companies do it differently. Try not to stress about it.

You look great! I love the picture--you've got attitude! :redface:

I was banded by Dr. Darin Minkin at Des Peres Hospital. My insurance paid, but he quotes the self-pay price as $17,000, I believe. I had surgery on 2/28 of this year and I've already lost 104 lbs. I attribute much of my success to Dr. Minkin because he's aggressive with fills (which are usually done under fluoro) and he's very supportive. I highly recommend attending one of his seminars to meet him.

Sears has a nationwide BCBS PPO (Empire) that pays for WLS. My husband is a full time employee with Sears in St. Louis and they paid 80% on my surgery.

I feel like I was led to this. I've told other people that, too. I had a weight related incident during a routine surgery a year ago. When I went in for my follow up, my ob/gyn sat me down and talked to me about the Lap Band. Before that, I'd researched gastric bypass and wasn't comfortable with it, but I had never heard of the Lap Band. I figured there was no way my insurance would pay for it--they won't even cover birth control. The next day, I called the insurance company and a very nice representative sent me to their website for all of the information and surprise! they covered it at 80%. The very next week, there was a seminar with the surgeon my gyn had recommended. I went to it and felt very comfortable with him right away. I usually don't like doctors at all, but something about him made me like him. I saw him a month later, went through the pre-op testing, and everything was sent to insurance in late January. I was approved the same day insurance received my information. When I got my letter, the date on it was the same date I was hoping for. I had a couple of snags in the process, one with my gyn being out of the country for a couple of weeks when I needed a letter from him for insurance, and then when my relief person at work quit a week before my surgery date. I've also had an incredibly easy post-op experience and the band has truly been the answer to my prayers. Nothing else ever worked--I could diet and never lose more than 5-10 lbs before it stopped and I'd gain even more. I was ALWAYS hungry. It seemed like my body didn't know how to be full. Now I'm 7 months out and have lost a little over 100 lbs. I'm very happy this I made this decision.

I've now lost a newborn calf, an average housecat, and an average human brain.

Thanks RSG. I ordered this today. I'm excited. I've wanted to do Yoga for awhile but I didn't think I'd be able to. It was marked down to 6.99 too!

Thanks for all of the snack ideas! I love cheese, always keep low fat cheddar and string cheese in the house. I didn't think about rice cakes. I'll have to pick some up when I go shopping this weekend. I've been eating a lot of pretzels and 100 cal popcorn. Crunchy Snacks are my downfall so it helps me avoid chips. We got some good news about my husband yesterday, but we're still not sure exactly what is going on. He has been having a deterioration in his cognitive functioning for a few years now. He was diagnosed with ADHD but we're not sure if that's it or not. Then during the last two weeks, he starting having headaches, dizzy spells, and some other weird symptoms, so his neurologist sent him for an MRI. I was really freaking out, worried that he had a brain tumor. The MRI came back negative, thank God. I'm waiting to hear back from his neuro now, so we can figure out the next step. I'm still worried, but at least we've ruled out the most serious problem.

I need a fill so badly. I'm really struggling right now. I'm hungry all the time and having a lot of stress due to some health issues my husband is having so I know I'm making crappy choices. I won't have a fill until 10/13 and can't get in earlier so I have to manage until then. Any ideas on low calorie filling Snacks that aren't veggies? I have a hard time getting veggies down (plus I'm not a big fan of most).

I eat a Smart Ones almost everyday for lunch. They are the perfect size portion and some are pretty good. I've tried a few that are just yuck. I also really like the Lean Cuisine pizzas, though I don't eat much of the crust. It's a nice taste of pizza, which I love. They are so easy to just grab and take to work or even heat up quickly at home. I'm always busy so I need some convenience.

As of this morning, I am down 100 lbs exactly!! :crying: I'm so happy! Saturday is my birthday, so this was a nice little present from the scale to me. :wink2:

Yay! Congrats Melanie!! The 10 lbs between 90-100 really put up a fight for me. I didn't think I'd ever get there.

I didn't get to watch the entire thing, but from what I saw, I thought that McCain evaded most of the questions and I didn't see what the commentators meant about "strong debater." He sounded like an echo of Bush in 2000 and 2004.

Thanks everybody! I wanted to add a couple of pictures. The red shirt is Christmas 07, the blue shirt was taken tonight (-104 lbs).

Here is a new picture of me. I'm -104 lbs as of today.

Ezma, I really doubt it is a 5 lb fat gain. It is probably water retention. If you've been eating badly, chances are you are taking in a lot of sodium. Try to increase your water intake a lot for the next few days and see if you can get rid of it.

Anna, you look great! Keep it up!

Thanks everyone! I am so happy. I never imagined I'd make it this far, this fast. :thumbup:

I had surgery on Feb 28, so I'm just shy of 7 months post-op. I've lost 101 lbs. I just checked and it has been 29 weeks since my surgery, so that's an average of about 3.5 lbs per week, though my recent average is about 2 lbs a week. I say as long as you feel good, are getting adequate nutrition, and not starving yourself, you're fine. I've had a couple of people tell me that I'm losing too fast and I just laugh. I feel better than I have felt in years, I'm healthy, I'm active, I'm well-nourished. I didn't set out to lose this much weight this quickly, but I'm happy that I have.

That's awesome, Crystal! You look great!

Congrats!! Size 10! I'm jealous.

Of course! :thumbup:

I'm 10 days shy of 7 months post-op. Surgery date was 2/28/08.