laurenwhite82

Thanks for responding! I have the requirements and theres nothing specific said about that. Just says I have to have 6 consecutive appointments and a surgical clearance. I already talked to my PCP and told her I was worried it might be a problem. She said they usually arent that strict about the exact dates (she has helped a lot of people get banded), but if she needed to, she would play with the dates for me. I plan on asking the insurance people at NYU and seeing what they say. Just dont want any problems...ya know! You are right....waiting is the worst part!

Awesome....I can do that! Glad you are feeling good and wish you the best of luck in your weight loss journey. I know Im ready to begin mine!

So i have a question about the 24 months....how many weigh ins do you have to have to prove you were over a 40 BMI for those months?? 2, 1 for each year?? One for each month?? (Surely not) What about those of us who didnt go to the dr that much?!?

King- It also kinda depends on where you live. If you live near a large research hospital, they usually are more likely to take younger people. I will be banded at NYU medical center and I know they have a special program where they have banded kids as young as 15. I am not sure what the requirements are versus being an older bandster, but if you google their name their website may have more details. Also, i know there is a forum on this site for teenagers who have been banded. You might take a look and ask around as to where they have been banded. Good luck!

Hello all- I will be banded at NYU hopefully sometime in September and plan on completing the psych eval. and the nutritionist appointments soon. NYU requires that these are paid out of pocket, but I have read that some of you submitted the receipts afterward to your insurance company and were reimbursed for at least a portion of the cost. I definitely want to do this as these 2 appointments alone is going to set me back about $600 if I don't. Can any of you who have done this tell me how you submitted the paperwork. Also, about how much were you reimbursed....the entire cost? all but the copay?? BTW, I have Cigna. I would really appreciate any help as I am poor and want to pay for as little as possible!! Thanks!!

I concur...this sucks! It was a good episode though.

I am also doing the 6th month and am about to start my 5th month!! YAY!! I can't wait to get this boat on the river. All moaning and groaning aside, it really does go by pretty quickly. It also gives you a lot of time to read, research, and get ready for the changes youll be making very soon. I will have completed all the other requirements during the 6 months too, so that is good. My psych eval and sleep study are happening at the beginning of June and I will have my nutritionist appt. sometime during July so that I will be ready to submit my paperwork ASAP. I have lost about 10 lbs, but I haven't been killing myself or anything. I know its bad, but Im kinda in "last supper" syndrome right now. I definitely am ready though!

I am 26 years old and live in New York. My insurance required 6 months of a supervised diet which I started on Feb 1st....(which means I will be done August 1st!!! YAY!!! I can't wait to get started!) I am doing a sleep study next week (well, the first round anyway), the Psych eval in a few weeks, and the nutritionist appointment in July so that when August 1st hits I can be ready to submit my paperwork and schedule a surgery date. So, if all goes well, I hope to be banded sometime in September at NYU Medical Center. I am 5'2'' and weigh 250ish pounds. Good luck in your journey and keep in touch! :thumbup:

Mmmmmm...swarma!

There is a whole area that people discuss cosmetic and reconstructive surgery on this site. I know the cost issue was a recent thread. Id say take a look, there are a lot of great stories and pictures and people will be happy to answer your questions.

Hey...thanks for the info. I have a POS plan and a $600 deductible, none of which has been met, so its looking unlikely that i will be reimbursed for anything, but I will submit the bill so at least it goes toward my deductible. How were your appointments?? Did they do any testing during the psych eval or just talk to you? Im into my 4th month of my 6 months required by Cigna, so Im planning on doing the psych eval in June and the nutritionist in July so that I will be done by the beginning of August (right when my 6 months is up) and hopefully everything will go quickly so I can be banded in September sometime. Mind you, this is in a perfect world! Let me know how everything goes for you...its helpful to have someone else from NYU so I can kinda get an idea of how everything will go. Are you going to Dr. Fielding or Dr. Ren?

Hello all....my name is Lauren. I am 26 yo and I live in the NYC area but am originally from Texas. Am not banded yet, but am jumping through insurance hoops currently. I am almost done with my 4th month of my 6 month supervision required by Cigna and hope to be banded sometime in September at NYU. I am a singer, and, sadly, no one wants a fat singer either! Looking forward to being a normal weight for the first time in my life very soon! Good to meet you all!

Well...I have seen some people on here who have submitted the receipt with a letter and have gotten reimbursed, so I figure it cant hurt to try.....right. I mean, its not like im asking them to pay for a 3rd boob or anything....

You look fabulous! The changes are really noticeable, even after just a few months. Keep up the good work!

I am soon to be banded by Dr. Fielding at NYU. He has been banded himself and, in the info session, he stated that he drinks a diet coke every day for lunch. Obviously, this really isnt the best nutritional way to eat, but I figure if one of the most prominent lap band surgeons in the US is drinking diet coke, then its probably okay as long as your body can tolerate it....everyone is different!

I think my answer might be a little biased because I am in the performing arts, but, in my career, it has truly held me back. Aside from health reasons, this is a huge influence on why I am having the surgery. I have been told outright by more than one person in my field that I have the talent to stand out in my field but I have to lose weight. This is obviously tough to hear, but I try to remember that these people are really trying to help me succeed. I have always been a pretty confident person, but I still notice differences in how much attention men pay, how people hold doors, help me in a store, etc between now and when I have been thinner. Also, when interviewing for regular day jobs, I did notice in certain fields a definite pull toward hiring thin women.

I also feel like this is part of my identity, and I cant imagine how weird it will be to not be the way I am now! My GP has helped a lot of people through their 6 month requirement and she mentioned that it would be very strange receiving more positive attention all the time, and that some people have major problems adjusting to this. I had never thought aobut it before, but I, like a lot of others here, have been heavy since childhood and have always been the "funny fat girl." I am an opera singer and I even see it in the roles I get. I literally got a role once that was described in the score as "a large woman in the balcony!" As insulting as this may be, I try not to take it personally. I also get the, "but you have a beautiful face" comments. I also know that people dont really understand that what they are saying can be offensive, so I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. I have had overwhelming support regarding the lap band and hope it stays that way, but, like I said, it will be totally weird afterward...I just know it will...:rolleyes2:

Hey...I know what you mean about picking them up!! Could get a bit cumbersome Id think!! Keep me updated on how you are doing and I will do the same. Im also nervous about sagging skin too. I dont wanna be under 30 and look like I am wearing a skin suit. Maybe, since we are young, we will be the lucky ones....

Right now I am 5'2'' and 253 ish pounds (doing my 6 month pre-op requirement). Would love to get down to a healthy weight for my height which would bev 115-130, but I literally havent weighed anywhere near that since elementary school so, like others, it is hard to know what I will look like when I get that thin. I am also on the lose weight and see how I feel and look plan. I will always have big boobs (currently 42F), no matter what I lose. Have considered a reduction afterward, but will have to wait and see what is going on in that department as well. Luckily I am hourglass shaped and carry my weight pretty well. When I do lose, I typically lose all over, so I stay proportional. Heres hoping it stays that way!

I started right at the age of 10 and, like most other people, that is when I began to hold weight. I had a D-cup and was 5'2'' when I was in the fifth grade. I am still 5'2'' and have obviously grown a few cup sizes!! From that point forward is where I remember a distinct difference in how I -looked as compared to my peers. I was around 120-130 in the 6th grade, and I cant wait to get back to that size!!!

Oops...posted twice...sorry!

Warning: This is gross! I used Xenical before Alli was available. Alli is just Xenical but in a lower dosage. This is why they are able to sell it without a prescription. Anywhoo....this sounds quite gross, but the topic requires it. If you take Alli, basically anytime you eat any fat your body doesn't absorb it and it is excreted through your poo (gross huh). So your poo sorta becomes greasy, runny, and very smelly, depending on how much you alter your diet. If you are in a position where you have a bathroom near you, you might be okay. However, if you have gas and feel like you need to fart, beware that something might come out. It may not be full fledged poo, it could be just grease (which is quite difficult to get out of the undies and also quite unattractive) or it might be something runny (also unnattractive!). Even with an altered diet, it finds all the fat it can pull out of you, so it gets quite annoying. It also tended to make me very gassy and i felt like anything i ate or drank pretty well went right through me. I dont think I lost very much weight, but honestly, I didnt do it for very long because the side effects were pretty nasty. Im sure the Alli is a little better because it is a lower dose, but I cant imagine it being much better. Ahhhh.....the things we do to lose weight!

Warning: This is gross! I used Xenical before Alli was available. Alli is just Xenical but in a lower dosage. This is why they are able to sell it without a prescription. Anywhoo....this sounds quite gross, but the topic requires it. If you take Alli, basically anytime you eat any fat your body doesn't absorb it and it is excreted through your poo (gross huh). So your poo sorta becomes greasy, runny, and very smelly, depending on how much you alter your diet. If you are in a position where you have a bathroom near you, you might be okay. However, if you have gas and feel like you need to fart, beware that something might come out. It may not be full fledged poo, it could be just grease (which is quite difficult to get out of the undies and also quite unattractive) or it might be something runny (also unnattractive!). Even with an altered diet, it finds all the fat it can pull out of you, so it gets quite annoying. It also tended to make me very gassy and i felt like anything i ate or drank pretty well went right through me. I dont think I lost very much weight, but honestly, I didnt do it for very long because the side effects were pretty nasty. Im sure the Alli is a little better because it is a lower dose, but I cant imagine it being much better. Ahhhh.....the things we do to lose weight!

So they didn't deny you, your policy does not cover the proceedure to begin with? Correct? If they did deny you, but they do say that they sometimes cover it, you could appeal. There is a whole thread about how you go about an appeal on this site. However, if they enver covered the proceedure to begin with, I am not sure how you would go about getting them to cover it. My prior insurance did not cover WLS, but I knew I was going to be switching insurance so I just waited it out. Good luck to you!

Hi All- Hopefully someone here can answer my question because im totally curious. I am doing my 6 months that my insurance requires to get the band. Hope to be banded in September. My current insurance will cover everything except copays for fills. However, the job I am at is sort of a stepping stone for me. If i take a new job my insurance will obviously change. I am worried about the coverage of the fills at that point. Would there be an exclusion based on a preexisting condition. I am also worried about complications...would the new insurance cover any problems that may arise?? Has anyone been in this situation?? Thanks for any responses!