needtoseemeagain

Yes, I absolutely know what you mean! It is so surreal to actually be moving toward being a size that I used to be! The meeting with the nutritionist went really well today and now being that much closer to getting to Onederland! I can't wait to see how soon my date would be. One of my goals is to go skydiving, go cycling with my husband and to go to an amusement park wuithout trying to make sure the ride will accomodate me! I love roller coasters and it would be great to just get on without any anxiety. Congrats on your progress, I hope that by this time next year we have met or are very near our goals!

Hey Congratulations to you! I found out that my 1st choice does work with my insurance, Oliak seems to be a great doctor but I really could afford his out of pocket cash cost, to be honest. I have my 1st appt with Owens 12-5, my nutrition is today and I have my psych eval yesterday, they said I should have a date in January, maybe e will be there the same day! I am so excited, are you nervous at all?

Selected Doctor: 10-14-08:eek: Viewed Emmi (Seminar) Online:10-15-08:rolleyes: LabWork: 11-18-08 (my delay-not theirs):tongue2: Psych Eval: 11-20-08:sneaky: Nutritionist: 11-29-08:sneaky: 1st Appt with Dr. Milton Owens: 12-5-08:scared2: Surgery Date: :cool: If better is possible than good is not enough ...

My husband was not very supportive originally, he is one of those people who can eat anything, jog or run 10 miles, and feel great! He also felt that I could do it they way he would. Well eventually, I asked him to just be educated about what I am doing and that I wasn't trying to change his mind, well after showing him info, testimonials, pros & cons, he saw that it was important to me and that it was not a magical surgery, he is now being more supportive. I had to be clear that this was for me and not him in my own head, you know?:cursing:

Once you are registered you can view you benefits, but you can also view Medical Policies and Clinical UM Guidelines in the learn more section when you first go to anthem.com/ca. it is towards the bottom and you can search Lap Band and read all of the details on what will be required.

I have decided to go with the Lap Band because the surgery is less involved, a lot less cutting and recoup time. I like that it is adjustable and that due to the "measured" weight loss, there is time for me to work out so that my skin isn't hanging. No judgement, everyone has there own journey, wish you the best

Right now I am leaning towards keeping it with my immediate family as others seem very judgemental rather than supportive. I will not lie, but I will not be completely transparent. My phrase will be, "I have decided to LiveIt and not Diet!" It is very touchy and eventually I will tell close friends and perhaps others but not at the beginning because at that time I will need support, not distractions. All of these responses have really help me think through this aspect, thank you to everyone for being so transparent and helpful.

I am with Anthem also and was advsd the same as taylorgirl ... taylorgirl you sound like you work there! I am so excited just did my labwork yesterday ... I am on the road!

What fun this whole process is! I thought Owens was not participating with my insurance, he was my 1st choice, but I have since found out that he does, but was listed under a different address! This is great news for me, as he was my 1st choice and Dr. Oliak charges $4500 cash in addition to what my insurance pays and I was really having a hard time going with that. So great news is Owens was first choice and has reasonable requests and accepts my insurance completely! Yay, I did labwork yesterday, I am so excited and ready to have the tool I need to make better health choices and shed this weight!

Hi ... FYI - I am in the same area searching like you are Dr. Owens seems to have great references on ObesityHelp.com and here, Dr. Krahn has a lot of negative reviews one different sites (check for yourself) for me 2 is enough! Everything is an individual journey so I am sure others have had great experiences. I am just learning of this Out of pockets amounts too and Dr. Owens seems to be reasonable compared to some other providers. Wish you well! I am doing my labs this week and per his office should get a January date for surgery.

Oh my goodness:w00t:! I was so excited about moving forward in this, I get a call from the office person and she tells me that with my insurance I still have a $7000 out of pocket amount, $4500 that is for supportive care post op that is not charged to my insurance at all! The coinsurance & deductible I get, but the non-negotiable pay before surgery $4500 is so much. Is this normal? Can anyone elaborate, is this what everyone does?

MacMadame, that makes perfect sense. I want this for me. This seems to be my crossroad. I will do more research today. I need to narrow down a doctor while I have time. There are 2 deminars coming up and I really would rather start with only one doctor and complete the cycle. Thank you so much for your help, you are a great resource.

That is so incredibly true! I am not banded yet, but I have decided to be intentional about eating much better in preparation. Thanksgiving is my favorite time to cook for everyone and eat too:lol:. My plan is to still cook for everyone, cut back on the fat and not the flavor, drink water and when I want to snack go for a walk with family or take the dogs out to distract myself. Prayerfully this will help.

Thank you "you know it" I am so sorry to hear this situation even exist for you. That is really a difficult decision. One never thinks that it will be them that this happens too. Is is cheaper in places like Mexico since your out of pocket is so high anyway? I am not familiar with those doctors, but there are many threads on them and very satisfied people, perhaps they can help?

Thank you MacMadame ... defining normal, in this case it just means, I didn't want to hear that ...:blush:lol. I was so surprised at the amount! However, you make sense and have said basically what she told me about the aftercare. I want to do this for me, if were anyone in my family, I wouldn't have reacted, it is time that my health and wellness be worth the investment. Though I want to be healthier, making a hasty decision financially is scay too. I wonder are there other COE's in So Cal that have great care and more reasonable cost? You know, I want my fatfree cake and to eat it too :thumbup:.

Hey Congrats to you:thumbup:, I just faxed my patient info form to Dr. Oliak. I was going to go with another doctor but he was NPAR (Milton Owens):eek:, so I decided to go with Oliak as he is PAR, experienced, seems prefered by many patients. I am going to the next seminar:blush:. Hopefully all goes smoothly. I have Anthem PPO. Both doctors seem great, I wonder how long it will take to get a surgery date? Excited and nervous at the same time.