chrisgtl

Hi All, I was banded on May 31, 2006. I'm still having issues with the port site. Today, for some reason beyond me, I'm sore in the area around my port. Do you think it's still healing?

Here are my suggestions. Since I just got banded on May 31st the initial phase is fresh on my mind. Add more food, specifically Protein. I didn't limit myself to any portion size or # of meals a day. I figured I need all the food I could get to recover from surgery. Losing weight will come later. I also found when I got to feeling hungry the gas pains would start. I used Gas-x in the strips. The gas still returns today if I get to feeling very hungry. Move as much as possible. Each day will get better

"Medically supervised diet" does not mean pills. It means you've seen a doctor on a regular steady basis concerning your efforts to lose weight. Medically supervised means you've gone to your primary care physician once a month for a weigh in and consultation and the Dr. marks in your records the visit was for "weight loss". Some insurance require 6 months of MSD, or 12 months, some don't require it at all. There's no way to know ahead of time what the insurance will cover until the paper work has been submitted. The insurance company when they request MSD are banking on the fact most people will not follow-through, therefore, they'll never pay for the surgery. If insurance requires the MSD...do it...be faithful and make sure the DR makes the correct notations in the chart records because this is what the insurance company will look at to determine if you've met their criteria. Good Luck.

Janey, Are you supplementing what you're eating with protein? My guideline from doctor is to get at least 60 grams of protein daily and the only way to do that is through supplementing with a quality protein of some kind.

Warning about Short-term disabililty This is something I just ran into the day after my surgery on May 31st. My surgeon filled out all my paperwork - both FMLA and STD forms - and requested that I remain off work for 6-8 weeks. I went with 6 weeks. The day after surgery - my STD company calls and tells me they will only cover me for two weeks...that's it. My surgery was two weeks ago today and today was the day I was required to return to work. Be sure to check with you STD about how long they will cover you!

Kim, I think your back pain is gas. I returned to work today and found out Gas-X is my friend, unfortunately, I took my last strip yesterday. A couple time a day while recouperating at home I would take a Gas-x strip whenever I felt some pressure that I couldn't attribute to something I ate or drank. Usually within a few minutes the pressure would be gone. Gone of course after a few burps or gas passes. I had to return to work today and didn't bring any strips with me basically because I ran out of them and didn't think it was important. About 2 pm the pressure started. Went to our medicine cabinet and got some Tums...it took about 45 mins, but the pressure went away. Plan from this point forward - have some gas-x with me at all times. Hope this helps. Chris

Hi all, I was banded on May 31st, been on liquids since then, but finding a need to move on to mushy food just for the change of pace. I've had applesauce and yogurt with no problems. Which side of the body is the port on? I too have a larger than expected incision on my right side. It's about 3-4 inches long. This is giving me the most problem as I'm constantly worrying that I'll rip it open. I had a unexpected turn of events with my short-term disability company. They expect me to go back to work on June 14, when I left work for surgery my expected return date was July 13th. STD company is only giving me two weeks off because I had it done laproscopically even though my doctor requested me to be off 6-8 weeks. Not sure how I'm going to do going back to work - at this point I can't stand to have a bra on. The last few days I've wished I didn't go through with the surgery. I guess I'm just tired, but I'm thinking this was a bad idea. I guess I'm just scared this won't work and here I've gone through this pain for nothing.

There's no way of knowing if you're insurance is going to cover procedure until you've started the process with a Doctor. Key to my approve was all of the pre-paperwork and information the doctor required before they'd even send in my claim. Before sending information into insurance for approval I had to have: A nutritionist eval A psychologist evaluation A referral letter from my primary care physician All of my sleep study reports An evaluation from surgeon on my situation that outlined all of the conidition I had as a result of obesity. When I called before all of this information was gathered my insurance company said I wasn't unless to treat morbid obesity, which I didn't need all of the information above to tell me I was, but the insurance company did. I think it's worth your time and effort to start the process to find out if your insurance company will pay for it. There are so many different policies-there's just no way of knowing until you get all of the information submitted to them to review. Good luck!

Blue Cross EPO (outside California) - The company I work for is based in California, but I live in Kentucky.

My BMI is 48.2, I have sleep apnea, hypersomnia (excessive daytime sleepiness), I've had high blood pressure. I think other contributing factors were health issues of siblings.. One sister with diabetics, sleep apnea, 2 sisters obese. I think the way the doctors present information to insurance companies is key also. Mine had a letter of recommendation from my primary doctor, my sleep study results, a pychic evaluation and long term documented efforts to loss weight on my own.

I'm getting mine paid for by insurance, except it's out of California since the company I work for is headquartered there. However, Dr. Geller - Louisville, said many companies are now covering it. The only problem is you have to do all of the pre-work and actually have the paper work submitted to your insurance to be absolutely sure they will pay or not pay.

Iziksmom, I'm in Lagrange and my scheduled surgery date is May 31 - I'd love to get with you and discuss your experience.

Hi All, This is my first post. I received a very quick approval for Lapband last week. The doctor's office submitted request on Monday and by Wednesday it was approved. I have a surgery date of May 31st. Ready for this journey Chrisgtl