laurenwhite82

You are a much stronger person than I Miranda! I would be flying down to the Cigna office to personally take someone (or multiple people) out! You really should just start calling every day (maybe even 2 times a day) and annoying the hell out of them. This sounds bad, but sometimes this can be the only way to get anything done. It's sad that they put us in the position that we have to do all this for a medically necessary surgery. I will be submitting at the end of the month (more than likely) and I am disappointed already by the quality of service that Cigna (and im sure most other insurance companies) provide. We do pay their salaries. They are so quick to forget.

I'd love to join. I am an opera singer, but grew up playing the piano and oboe as well.

How did it go Wendy??

I am in my last month of my supervised diet, see the nutritionist next week, and am on my way to being banded (soon hopefully!). Previous to now, I have been busting my butt to get everything together for my insurance and for the hospital. Done that...I find myself just waiting and thinking. Well, I was in the predicament of needing new contacts/glasses and I noticed that my eye insurance gives a discount for LASIK. I couldnt help but start to think about how lovely I would look if I was thin *and* didnt have to wear glasses or contacts. Well, today one of my colleagues came into work with veneers on her teeth. Now I have been thinking about them for a while, but it made me really want them (because I would look so nice if I was thin, and didnt have to wear glasses, *and* had a perfectly straight white smile!). Ive also been cruising some plastic surgery sites, even though im not banded yet, knowing that I will probably want at least a tummy tuck, if not more, when I have lost the weight. My boyfriend is worried that I am becoming unhealthily obsessed with how I look (or will look), but im not sure. I feel like Im catching up on all the lack of attention I have paid to my body over the years, but am I being petty?? He also mentioned (hes a psychologist) that I may be trying to busy my mind with things I can control since, at the moment, I am in a holding pattern re: my band. Am I sick?? Have any of you done this??:confused2:

Thanks all! Really helpful! Great list Mac....I will take it to my appointment with me. Appreciate it.

I posted this in another area and didn't get many responses, so I decided to repost! I have my appointment with the nutritionist tomorrow and the surgeon in a few weeks. I am trying to make a list of questions to ask both and would like to know what you all asked as I am sure I am forgetting things! Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks for the help!

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

I am seeing the nutritionist soon and am making a list of questions to ask. Am also getting together a list of questions for the surgeon. Anyone have any suggestions of things I might be forgetting to ask (for either)?? Thanks for the help!

Man....reading about all this waiting is making me nervous and I havent even submitted anything yet. I just might lose my mind!

"there are no chemicals, they are flavors which we all ingest every day" And how may I ask, do they replicate these flavors??? Maybe, possibly, with chemicals. Its the only way. Think about it.

you too wendy...what happened!

Miranda....what in the hell took them so long to submit for you?!?! I realize they are busy, but is that not an important part of their job?? I have a funny feeling they are gonna get tired of hearing my pretty little voice on the telephone.... Good luck to you, please keep us updated.

Here's hoping!

Sounds like he suffers from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). My boyfriend is a psychologist at a VA in New York and that is primarily what he treats. Its a very difficult illness, effects every part of your life. Is there a VA in his area, they would be happy to offer counseling for these kinds of things. However, treatment varies from VA to VA so I couldnt say how good the therapists will be. Good luck to him.

Good point...Jack mentions the idea is outlandish that someone could be so greedy that they would completely disregard everyone else in the country and use their power to gain control. Im not saying it is forsure happening, but its not that far fetched. It has happened before in history. I hope you are right that it cant happen here, but im just not sure. The bias is totally based in greed, and it would take a really courageous person, probably a person who wouldnt ever be elected to office, to turn away from the money and do things that might actually help this country. I really like Obama and I hope he would be able to do this, but again, im just not sure....

I should be clear that I meant *the government* would lose millions if they made an efford to wean us off oil. Lobbyists for the oil compaines pay big bucks to make sure the ideas that dont suit their tastes get put on the back burner. I am aware that one man or one family didnt and could not create the amount of problems we face now. Maybe Im jaded (and I hope im wrong), but Im not sure there is a politician out there who can stand up against this machine and refuse the money that the oil companies use to buy them off.

But this war has not been budgeted and hes ok with that....

I used Dr. Kimberly DeOre at Murray Hill for my 6 months. She was recommended to me by the patient liason at NYU. I really like her...she is friendly, understanding, easy to talk to, and has helped many people (soon to include me) to get the band.

The technology is available to make cars that are not dependent on oil. There are people smart enough in this world to create these things, yet their efforts keep being stifled by our government. Both Bushes were responsible for holding these technologies back as they are in oil. They stand to lose millions if people stop using their product. Nothing like a little bias to make someone willing to sacrifice the future of our world...

Congrats on your surgery date! I am finishing up my 6 months next month and hopefully everything will go smoothly from there. I have my nutritionist appt. in a few weeks and am getting nervous about the insurance part of it. Did you get to meet Dr. Fielding yet? He seems really nice! Good luck with the liquid diet....not looking forward to that! Keep me updated on everything!

Michael Moore for president....haha j/k!

But you must admit hes become more and more aligned with the party views as November becomes closer and closer. He used to be pro-choice for the love of God. He definitely is no longer...Id call that a major flip. He used to bash the RNC for the way they took contributions from PACs and other "advocacy" groups. Now hes taking as much of their money as he can get so that he can run his campain. He also used to support the GI Bill...the one that he now opposes. The list goes on and on.

The problem with McCain is, he stopped deviating when he needed to pandor to his own party. I didnt mind him when he deviated. He used to stand for something different, but as soon as he became the front runner for the republicans he threw all that out the window. I do realize that all politicians do this to some extent, but hes taken it pretty far.

Actually, flag code is not clear about the anthem, it is about the pledge. I am a singer and sing the national anthem quite frequently at sporting events and many just remove their hats, they do not put their hand over their heart. It is not a "requirement" and the fact that right wing conservatives have the time to discuss whether someone has their hand over their heart during the national anthem rather than the fact that their own candidate will not support further education for troops who serve their time is just astounding. From someone who was educated by taxpayer dollars, its amazing how quickly he forgets to pay it forward, huh!

I am 26 and on the road to having the surgery very soon. I began looking into it when i was about 23, but my insurance did not cover it until now, so here I am! I think the earlier you can get a handle on your weight, the better it is for you long term. I have very few comorbidities right now, but I know if i waited till i was 35 or 40 I would have a whole host of other things wrong with me. I believe this is the best time in my life to do it. I also live in the Hudson Valley (Tarrytown) but am having my surgery done at NYU in the city because a) it is a "Cigna Certified Bariatric Center" which means its in network and they tend to recommend the drs there and :grouphug: the doctors there are some of the best in the world at lap band surgeries. I am sure there are doctors further upstate who are very qualified, but I felt it was worth the short trip to the city. Just my $0.02.