Lady Lap Band

I'm starting to feel better, my consult got bumped to today - yay! Instead of 2/10 and I called my Hubby to tell him and he seemed sincerely happy for me which was nice!

Suzanne! Thanks for your response! I just wanted to tell you that you are living my dream! I weigh 250 and my goal is to be 135 someday and you are so close to that! Seeing how well you are doing just gives me hope! Thank you!

I went to the Doctors in November, it was technically for a sick visit because of my cronic headaches but we discussed my weight as being one of the problems and they weighed me at 250. They also set me an appointment with a Nutrionist that very day. At the time I did not have a PCP and just saw another General Internal Medicine Doctor. I have a physical appointment with my new PCP on 12/31 and at that time plan to tell her of my lap band plan. I know I am going to have to do a 6 month PCP diet and weigh in, but my question is...do you think that my appointment in November and my one in December will count as 2 months or do you think my one in December will be counted as number one? Or perhaps neither will count? I am just so eagar to get the ball rolling and am really hoping that at least one of these visits will count? What do you think? Oh and please tell me about your experience if you had to go through a 6 month PCP diet. THANK YOU!

That definetly all makes perfect sense. I am sure that the insurance company will be specific. I will call the weigh loss center tomorrow and ask them to help me get started. I am seeing a new PCP for a physical on 12/31 and hopefully I can work out something to get it to be my first one. Thanks again!

Your 15 minutes and 15-20 after sound more doable to me. But I will try the 30min and 1hour. Hey Jenny you live in Springfield? I live in Tyngsboro, MA it's right near Lowell. That is too cool that we are so close! Have you been banded yet?

That definetly helps, thanks! Have you been successful at doing it? It sounds like it would be hard getting use to.

yay! That is so exciting!

Go to Lapband.com and find a seminar near you, they are mandatory and are really the first step in starting the whole process. They are great, and will tell you everything you want/need to know. The team at your hospital will tell you everything you need to do after that. They are usually great with walking you through everything! Good Luck!

My Seminar is tomorrow night at Lahey Clinic in Burlington MA. I was hoping that those of you who have been through a seminar could tell me about your experience. I have no idea what to expect but I am very very excited! Also, if you have already been banded I would be very interested to know what kind of weightloss success you have had! Thank you everyone!:thumbup:

Hey Cali! Good Luck with your surgery! I'm so excited for you! I am attending the seminar tomorrow! I have aetna so they will cover up to 90% but I don't know how long it will take to get approved! please keep me updated on your success! We are about the same age so I can't wait to see how well you do! Breanne:smile2: bprimeau@verizon.net

I have decided to only tell my Husband, Mom and Dad. I live with my mom and dad right now so that would be impossible not to tell them. There are a couple other people I would like to tell but I don't trust that they won't tell someone else. I don't think I would like te constant questions about how the whole thing works. I am just a very private person. I like to keep what I do to myself. Perhaps years down the road when I have reached my goal I will tell, but I can make that decision then! Breanne:smile2:

Hi There, I am with you, I am going to keep it very very private. The only ones who will know are my husband and my mom and dad. I get 2 weeks vacation so I plan to begin my vacation on the day of the surgery and try to not even let anyone know that I am having surgery at all. Breanne 12/8/08 - Seminar at Lahey Clinic

I called Aetna and they said they cover 90% if the Lap Band so long as you meet the following criteria: Selection criteria: Presence of severe obesity that has persisted for at least the last 2 years, defined as any of the following: Body mass index (BMI)* exceeding 40; or BMI* greater than 35 in conjunction with any of the following severe co-morbidities: Coronary heart disease; or Type 2 diabetes mellitus; or Clinically significant obstructive sleep apnea (i.e., patient meets the criteria for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea set forth in Aetna CPB 004 - Obstructive Sleep Apnea); or Medically refractory hypertension (blood pressure greater than 140 mmHg systolic and/or 90 mmHg diastolic despite optimal medical management); and [*]Member has completed growth (18 years of age or documentation of completion of bone growth); and [*]Member has attempted weight loss in the past without successful long-term weight reduction; and [*]Member must meet either criterion 1 (physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program) or criterion 2 (multidisciplinary surgical preparatory regimen): Physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program: Member has participated in physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program (including dietician consultation, low calorie diet, increased physical activity, and behavioral modification), documented in the medical record at each visit. This physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program must meet all of the following criteria: I am curious to see who has been approved by Aetna. If you have or have not, what is your height, weight, and bmi? THANK YOU! Nutrition and exercise program must be supervised and monitored by a physician working in cooperation with dieticians and/or nutritionists; and Nutrition and exercise program(s) must be for a cumulative total of 6 months or longer in duration and occur within 2 years prior to surgery, with participation in one program of at least three consecutive months. (Precertification may be made prior to completion of nutrition and exercise program as long as a cumulative of six months participation in nutrition and exercise program(s) will be completed prior to the date of surgery.); and Member's participation in a physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program must be documented in the medical record by an attending physician who supervised the member's participation. The nutrition and exercise program may be administered as part of the surgical preparative regimen, and participation in the nutrition and exercise program may be supervised by the surgeon who will perform the surgery or by some other physician. Note: A physician's summary letter is not sufficient documentation. Documentation should include medical records of physician's contemporaneous assessment of patient's progress throughout the course of the nutrition and exercise program. For members who participate in a physician-administered nutrition and exercise program (e.g., MediFast, OptiFast), program records documenting the member's participation and progress may substitute for physician medical records

I am so excited for you!!!!!! :cool:

Hey Jessica, My name is Breanne I'm from MA. I am new here too. I am going to my seminar on Dec. 8th. I have Aetna and I know they cover 90% if I meet their requirements and from what I can see I do. I'm 5'5 250 with a BMI of 42.5 Have you been to a seminar yet? Breanne:smile2:

Can someone tell me what a sleeve is?:cool:

I am going to the seminar on Dec. 8th at Lahey Clinic in Burlington Massachusetts. I'm just terrified that the surgeons will tell me that I am not a good candidate. I am female, 22 years old, BMI 42 and weigh 255 5'5 height I also have acid reflux and my PCP is sending me to a sleep specialist b/c he thinks i may be developing sleep apnea. To those of you who have had the lap band or have been approved, do you think I could be a good candidate? THANK YOU! BREANNE

Can you all tell me what the diet is that your doctor recommended before and after the banding? I'm going to my seminar soon and am reading that you all have done some kind of diets before and after and I was just wondering what it is! THANK YOU! Breanne

Hi Everyone, I live near Lowell, MA and am attending the seminar at Lahey on Dec. 8th. If anyone has had theirs done there do you think you might be able to tell me about your experience? What has your success been like? Thank you so much! Breanne

I went to the Doctors yesterday for headachs and now they think I have sleep apnea too! It freaked the heck outa me becuase my brother has had it for years and years and I do not want to sleep with that machine. They are sending me for a sleep consult. I honestly dont think I have it though. My husband says I never gasp for air in the middle of the night I just snore haha but I snore because I gained so much weight, hence the reason I am looking intot he lap band. So now that I went on and on haha I feel your pain!

Hey Everyone, My name is Breanne, I'm from Massachusetts. I've been researching the Lap Band for a long time now, but am just stepping into the process of it all. I have my seminar scheduled on Dec 8th. I am 22 years old, am 5ft 5in and weigh 255 and have a BMI of 42. I have Aetna for insurance, I called them today and they assured me that they do indeed cover up to 90% of the surgery is I meet the criteria and am approved. I meet the critera, they require a BMI of 40 or more and a history of obesity for at least 2 years. I am ready for a life change, not a quick fix, and I am young so I think I could really benefit from the Lap Band. I want to have children in 5 or 6 years and I want to be healthy for the family. Any words of advice as I start this journey!??:eek: