jukebox81782

wow! i thought i had gotten the supreme screw over. i'm so sorry! i can't believe how insurance companies treat some people. it's like, we pay so much money to have this coverage, and all they want to do is like deny us our right to medical care! urgh! it's frustrating indeed! give em the big stick! i think we'd ALL support you in that!

well, i called my insurance company early this morning and got the final word--i was denied, but my surgeon's office called and disputed and it was overturned the very same day! that's why i received three letters with the same date. in four and a half hours, i'll be in surgery! ) i had a little bit of sad emotion come up when i sent my "just in case" wishes to my sister and parents... that was tough! but i'm showered, shaved (hAhA!), and ready for surgery. thanks to all for the amazing stories and support, good luck to those being banded today, and WAHOOOO!!!! we're going to have a wonderfully amazing and totally worth-it journey!

hello my fellow bunny bandsters... i'm freaking out! my surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. on the 9th, i received a call from a representative at my insurance company congratulating me and letting me know that the company provides a case manager for all members having bariatric surgery...to keep in touch with after surgery and make sure all is well, etc. i answered her questions, and she let me know that she'd be in touch either the day of or the day after my surgery. then, today, i received a call from my surgeon's office confirming my surgery date and time. i also received a call from the surgery center where i'll be having the surgery confirming the time and giving me the pre-op instructions (what to bring, what to wear, etc.). THEN! come home to three letters from my insurance company--all dated the 8th. one states that my application to cover the lap-band is denied, one saying that my application to cover 1 day(s) surgery is denied, and one saying that my application to cover 1 day(s) surgery is approved. i'm so confused and so worried that this is now not going to happen. i have aetna and cannot speak to a service rep until tomorrow morning... any advice? any similar stories out there?

i'm so glad to hear how well everyone is doing. i'm starting to just feel so READY to be good and banded! i go in for surgery tuesday. i have to be there at 10, surgery should start at 1130. i'm not staying overnight. i should be able to be home by 4. my parents are arriving from colorado that night and are taking me to a fancy hotel to rest w/them for the rest of the week. (they spoil me). good luck to everyone who's being banded monday!! jess

someone else in this thread had the same problem...i think they just wound up telling the truth, but other suggestions were just to say you are on a crazy fad diet, another was to say that you're not feeling well, so you're not eating anything heavy, and i think someone else suggested canceling the dinner plans...:welldoneclap:

UPDATE: I'm being banded on the 14th now instead of the 15th. I had my last consultation with my surgeon yesterday, and I'm feeling very at ease and ready. Good luck to everyone who's been recently banded...<3

Thanks, hopeful! Although my sister's visiting from Colorado, and I've been eating bad dinners... I have my final consult on the 3rd!!! :smile2:

yeah...i always joke that i only like shopping for purses and earrings...those are the only things that always fit...no matter what!

Hello... I'm 26 years old, 5'8", and weigh 380 pounds. I've been heavy ALL MY LIFE. I've always been told by everyone I meet that I'm facially beautiful. I've always had friends, always had a huge social life, and was always happy. I decided to get a lapband because I need to lose weight to be a more healthy person and live a more active life...the older I've gotten the more out of shape I've become since my days as a fastpitch softball player. I also want to lose weight to just see what life would be like as a thin person. How would my body look? How would my face change? Would my love life improve (PLEASE GOD YES!). At any rate, my mother--who was also overweight and struggling with diabetes--had the gastric bypass two years ago and has had tremendous success. She got me interested in the lapband. Ever since I started pursuing the lapband, I've become more and more depressed. I really realize now how fat I am. I see myself so much differently now. I see myself as disgusting when I used to not think I looked that bad. I'm also starting to experience a lot of stress related to the aftermath of weightloss. I keep thinking I'm going to have so much excess skin that I'm going to look horrible...I say to myself, "you may as well just stay fat!" Did anyone else out there have these thoughts, fears, or questions? How were they dealt with? I'm not going to stop my journey toward banding--I'll get mine in late April/early May, but I just feel like I'm making myself sick with anxiety about looking worse post-goal. What should I do?

Thank you, k! I'm really starting to get more comfortable with the idea of accepting the body I will have after I reach my goal (but I'm still saving plastic surgery money just in case :cursing:) I've actually seen people who REALLY commit to the diet and add hardcore exercise routines into their daily life have weight loss that mirrors that of someone w/the bypass--this is what i'm hoping for because I'm ready to be at least 2/3 to my goal by christmas!! (we shall see...) Thank you for the compliments. I've been actually getting more comfortable (totally ironic I know) with appreciating my larger body for some of its larger ass-sets...hahahah! I'm hoping I can still have the donka and rack I've got now...just on a smaller scale! I'm right there with you on the shopping thing. I HATE shopping! Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, Torrid...those will be names of the past, honey, for you and for me!! :tt2:

Lou-- I'm experiencing a kind of similar situation with my fellow chunksters...it may have something to do with the fact that they're slightly jealous (which is understandable). My best friend, in particular, is worried that if I'm newly thin and she's not, it will but a wedge in our bond. We've always been heavy together...for nearly nine years! We will all get through this, you know?! It affects everyone in our lives--the ones who mean anything to us, that is! And I haven't had to start any sort of pre-op diet yet. In fact, this hasn't even been discussed with me... I'm starting to get concerned. I have my final appointment on the 3rd, though, and I'm sure my doctor will explain everything then. Only 21 days to go! <3<3<3

I am ready to commit to the full life changes. I've already started living my life (diet/exercise) as if I have the band...and I've already lost five pounds in two days! Of course I know that's just Water weight--I too have been a yo-yo dieter since my teens, and I've always regained and then some. I like the fact that the LB will be my safety net...my line in the sand that I will not be able to cross with regards to overeating. Again, I'm so very happy to have found this site because I plan to be on here A LOT! And MrsMitch--I'm scheduled for the 15th, too! I'll check in on ya! <3

The more I read everyone's words of encouragement, the more I realize that I am worrying too much about something I cannot fully control. I have abused my body for 26 years, and I will have to deal with how my body reacts when I finally try to be good to it by losing weight. Hopefully, I will not have too much penance to pay, but I'll jump that bridge when I come to it. Thank you so much for all of the encouragement and wise words! I'm so happy I found this site (thanks, Jaclyn!). We are all going to do GREAT!! :tt1:)

I'm scared of dying on the table, but at this point, I have to trust that my doctor knows what he's doing and wouldn't put me in danger/risk of surgery if he didn't think my body could handle it. The biggest thing I'm scared of (and I've talked about this in my "post-goal weight anxiety" thread) is what the aftermath of rapid weight loss has in store for my body. I don't want to look like a deflated balloon... I've already started saving for full-body contouring and a boob job, but if ANYONE has heard any workout tricks or magical potions or lotions, please let me know!

It is great to know that there are so many women (and men!) going through the same things I am. I'm ready for this. I really am. I just wish I could say, "I'm doing it. This is the date, and it's not gonna change!" It seems like my mind keeps telling me to GO GO GO! one minute. Then, it's NO NO NO! the next. I dunno... <3

ThinWithin, I competely understand what you mean. It's not that I enjoy being fat--I don't. In fact, I really hate it. It's just that being fat is all I know. It's like... what's it going to be like to be able to put shoes and socks on sitting down? what's it going to be like to be able to sit on the ground indian-style? what's it going to be like to put on jeans without having to suck in so much or use a friggen pair of nail clippers to get the zipper up? what's my face going to look like without all this extra fat hanging from the chin? are my cheeks going to be as puffy-cute? what's it going to be like to walk into a room and know that people are looking at me because i'm gorgeous instead of fat? what's it going to be like to be in a relationship with a guy and not constantly wonder why he's even with me? it's like... i'm entering a completely new world without any of the walls i've been able to build so securely because of my fat. all i can do is hope that the person i've become because of my weight--the funny, friendly, not really happy but can sure as hell pretend person--i just hope she doesn't change too much because i feel like she will. and sometimes i don't feel like i'll like her all that much. :rolleyes2:

I called my surgeon's office today on the way to work and confirmed that I've done all I need to do for my insurance company's requirements. I guess I just have a more accepting insurance company…well, that, and I have a BMI that’s pushing 60... I’ve officially set the date for my surgery though—as of now, I’ll be banded on April 15th. I may change the date because of work-related reasons, but for now, that’s the date. :rolleyes2: I decided to take one more last-ditch effort to try and lose weight on my own, though. I started today because there is roughly one month until my surgery date. I’ll be eating as if I had the band (or at least trying to eat the smallest sized portions I can while eating the breakfast/shake/lunch/shake/dinner regimen. I’ve also joined a gym and paid for a personal trainer 3x a week for the next 4 weeks. I fear this may have been a bad idea because my trainer keeps telling me that I won’t even want the surgery after the month is up… Did anyone ever feel like they were “taking the easy way out” by getting surgery? I keep hearing this phrase thrown around a lot by people in my life who claim they are just worried about me going under the knife… Also, sometimes I feel like I should be able to do it on my own because I’m young and in good health. I don’t know… Did anyone ever deal with guilt associated with being able to have the opportunity to get the surgery in the first place? I have a lot of overweight family members who don’t have the financial freedom to have the surgery… sometimes I feel guilty—like I should struggle because they do. Just things that I’ve been battling with lately… wanted to throw it out there and see if anyone else is going through it at this stage pre-op. :scared2:

You are so right about that! A fat person could be the most beautiful person--inside and out--but because they are fat, they are considered an untouchable or something. A thin person, however, who has all sorts of body issues (but fat layers under his/her skin) is perfectly accepted by society for the most part. :rolleyes2:

PharmaGirl, Thanks for explaining. I don't know if I just have really easy-going insurance coverage or what, but all I had to do was have a full physical w/my PCP (including bloodwork out the ying-yang), meet the surgeon for a consultation, talk with a psychologist for an hour, and have three meetings with a nutritionist within three calendar months. I'm not sure if it's because I'm qualifying for surgery based on my BMI being over 50 alone (I have no co-morbidities associated with obesity), but I met the doctor in February, and my final nutritionist appointment is April 3rd, when they will submit all of my paperwork to the insurance company and we'll have approval within ten business days...At least that is what I've been told. Is there a possibility that I may not get approved? The surgeon's office said that my insurance just has specific requirements (which I have met), and once those are met, the surgery is automatically approved. Could it turn out that I may not actually get to have the surgery afterall? Now I'm totally freaking out. ;o)

Hello All! I'm being banded in late April (official date to come), and I haven't heard about this "2-week Opti" or whatever it is. Is this something I will have to do pre-op? I haven't been told about this... Jess