kdlee

Hi all. Just curious and wondered if anyone had similar experience that could offer input. I have Anthem BC/BS Ohio. I have a leak and surgeon wants to do a port replacement. Insurance said they needed a letter of medical necessity and that was sent last week. Anyone have the same situation and if so, how long did it take to get approval. According to Anthem's website and the rep I spoke with, this is covered under my plan. Thanks for the input!

I also have some pain on the left side below my breast when I wear an underwire, especially if I'm doing a lot of sitting. I try not to wear an underwire too often because of this.

Are these the chicken "sausage" links? If so, be careful! We bought these at Sam's and both my husband and I got stuck on them. The casing is impossible to chew up and it doesn't go down so well!:smile2:

Hi everyone. Well, insurance finally got in gear! I got a call from Kaplan's office yesterday and insurance gave them the approval! Susan (Kaplan's nurse) is great. She was on top of this and called me as soon as she got the approval. So, for those of you also waiting on insurance approval, I'm sure she'll do the same for you! My port revision is scheduled for next Friday (26th) at 11:30am. Woo Hoo!!!

Thanks so much. That is very nice of you.

I had gone in for 3 or 4 fills and each time they pulled back the Fluid there would be a little less than had been put in before, even with my new fill. This last fill in May, it was 2 cc less than it was in April. :wink:

I had this same issue. I would do great for a couple of weeks after a fill and then my restriction would start to be less and less. Turns out I have a slow leak. I am only losing about 1-2cc a month, but it's enough to lose restriction. :sneaky: I'm now playing the waiting game on insurance approval to have my port replaced. :wink:

While I've had my own problems with a "leak" that I'm waiting on insurance approval to have fixed, I have to comment on this thread. My husband also has a lapband, which was placed August 25, 2008. He has since lost 100lbs and LOVES his band. He has had no problems at all. He is 5'10" and started at around 350 lbs. Each person's story is unique and you just need to compare the pros and cons for yourself and decide what's best for you. Good luck in whatever you decide! :blushing:

I wouldn't wait for the job offer. As someone else said, the benefits are part of your compensation and by all means are just as important as the wage they are offering you. You are a marketable employee and have the right to ask. I interviewed for a position recently and asked about the benefits in the interview. The company was more than happy to provide me with a summary document about the different insurances they offer. It included a phone number for the insurance company. I called that number and told the insurance carrier that I had specific questions related to this company's coverage, as I was considering employment with them. I found out that WLS is not a covered benefit, so I decided not to take the position, in case I ran into problems in the future with my band. Good luck to you and certainly don't hesitate to ask about your benefits!

Hi everyone. Well, my port revision had to be rescheduled because Blue Cross insurance stinks! Kaplan's office didn't have the approval yet. I love how they take their blessed time! I have to get this done in June because everything resets July 1 and I don't have any extra cash right now! Glad to hear that you're doing well, Kar. Congrats on the loss!!! I won't have to stay the night. It's general anesthesia, but it's outpatient. Wolf- His office is in the old Kroger building behind the mall (where the go-cart track used to be). Good luck with your appointment.

Hi all. Has anyone heard from Kar? I wonder how she is. I saw Kaplan this morning and my port revision is scheduled for this Friday at 1:30pm. Wish me luck! I hope this does the trick! I really wanted to be at goal this month...but, maybe by Christmas now. =)

Congrats!!!! I hope that things went well. =)

Saundra - I'll keep you guys posted. Elizabeth - I have been super busy at work and home. I haven't been on here as much. We are remodeling our house top to bottom and are doing all the work ourselves, so that takes up alot of my internet playtime! We just finished the kitchen a couple of weeks ago and are now on to the living room. Things are going well otherwise. My husband is doing great and has lost almost 100 lbs (98 to be exact, but I'll give him the 2 extra!) We are doing a lot more activities now. We went on a 7 mile hike last weekend at Old Man's Cave and had a blast! My legs are still a little sore! I didn't know there was a meeting this Thursday. What time is it? Not sure if I'll be there or not. How are things going with you?

Congrats on the approval!!! You're right, the 2 week pre-op diet sucks! By the 2nd week my energy level was so low. But, it's only 2 weeks and you'll lose roughly 15 lbs! WOO HOO, you're almost there!!! On another note...Jeannie's pretty sure I have a leak. I'm not holding all of my fill in and I'm losing most of my restriction within a few days after my fills. This has been going on for 6 months! I'm pretty frustrated. I only lost 3 lbs last month, but I guess that's better than a gain. Kaplan is out until the 29th, so Jeannie hasn't spoken with him yet, but we're pretty sure it looks like a port replacement for me. :laugh: Not sure if it's leaking from the port or if there is a puncture in the tubing. At any rate, I'm just glad to know the loss of restriction is not in my head! I'm going crazy here and I'm a starving woman because of the loss in restriction. Not a good combo! I just can't wait to get the problem fixed and get the rest of this weight off! I've got about another 60 lbs left to go. Maybe by this time next year....

Congratulations! :scared2: That must be an awesome feeling! I walked my first 5k last fall and my goal is to run the same one this fall. I'm working on it, slowly but surely!

Wow, there are some serious over-reactions on here. Use common sense. Think about it. He is referring to habits in the US, as this is where his medical practice is based. For those of you living in the US or that have spent any time here, how many restaurants in the US do you go to that bring you out a plate of iceburg lettuce with croutons, a couple of small wedges of tomato and dressing, perhaps some cheese if you're lucky? That's it. The salad comes before the main meal, not with it. It happens to be almost all the restaurants I've been to. Please explain the benefit of filling up on this to me? I was instructed that I should only eat 1/2-1 cup of food at a time. Well, there I've met that restriction alone with my iceberg lettuce. Seriously, that's all he is saying. Don't fill up on the lettuce! Yes, I do agree with some of you that the presentation of the article painted salad in a bad light, but step back and read it again. He's just saying, don't eat a plain non-protein salad lathered with dressing. I love salads and eat them quite often. I add fresh veggies and lean protein to them and often don't use any dressing at all. If I do use dressing, I dip my fork in it and it never gets poured onto my salad. That said, I didn't take what Dr. Vuong said as gospel and freak out thinking he was telling me to never put a bite of lettuce into my mouth again. Do what works, lose your weight and try to pass on the wisdom you've gained to others. After all, that's what we're all in this together for, right?

You're welcome. I notice it most when I'm doing aerobics, but it is usually gone by the next day. Good luck!

My port area is sore sometimes with exercise, especially if I'm doing something new. It is on your abdominal wall and doing activities that your body is not yet used to will naturally cause some soreness here. It should go away. If it does not, talk with you Dr.

Hey Jennifer - I agree with Elizabeth on the potassium thing, but you can't have bananas. They are loaded with carbs. However, you can have broccoli or spinach with your dinner at night for your veggie. 1 cup of spinach has almost twice as much potassium as a medium banana (840mg vs 560). If you don't like spinach, try broccoli. It has about 290mg per cooked cup. I know it sucks, but try to eat them plain, to get the best benefit for your pre-op diet. I had leg cramps pre-op also and the spinach seemed to help. Also make sure that you're getting your multivitamin in daily. Good luck and hang in there. It's almost over!!!

Jennifer- Congratulations! I know how exciting that is! It's cool that you and your husband are so close in the stages that you can do them together. My husband and I were 2 months apart, so we were completely different. My advise to you is to look at it as just 2 weeks. I KNOW how bad it SUCKS! What helped me was that I altered things a little on the weekends. We were out both the weekends, so I had a salad with grilled chicked and no dressing (yuck, I know) for lunch, and then the shake for dinner. Stick with it, I know you can do it. Look at it this way, I lost 15lbs and my husband lost 20 during that time, so at least that's a good payoff! If you want to vent about it all, just send me a message. =) Good luck, you two!!!

After fills I'm told to do 2 days of liquids, then I do a day of mushies then back to regular foods by day 4. 10 days is a long time, but if it's what your Dr. says, it's best to follow it. Good luck! I hate the liquid stage!

Congrats, Jennifer! I'm happy for you both!

The diet is torture, but it works! Look at it this way...it jump starts your weight loss. I lost 15 lbs on the pre-op diet alone.

Hi. I take it your husband is in the service? If so, tell him thanks for serving to protect us! Congrats on your date. My husband and I both had the surgery done. I took 2 weeks off, just because I could. He took one week off work and did fine going back. You will be sore and very tired that first 1-2 weeks back. Just take it slow, follow your eating plan exactly as your Dr. tells you, get plenty of sleep and you'll be ok. Good luck!