Fluffy_Gurl

Thanks for the replies! I was looking at dr. johnell but i really dont want to waste my time or money when my ins wont pay so ive been trying to get more ins info before the consultation. I am told that it is my employer that has said no to covering wls not the ins company, who would have covered it pending manual approval had my employer not discluded that from our policy. nice huh? i work in healthcare so this astounds me a little that they would deny something that could prevent diseases like diabetes etc especially whent hey specificaly care for ppl who end up having to be in our facilities due to these diseases that in the long run cost them more money but anyway... ill have to wait another year for the surgery to even be added to our policy and then who knows if they will approve it? im at a point in my life where i need to do something before its too late and i have some of these diseases that being fat like me causes. i want to be here for my daughter and want to be able to see her get married blah blah blah ..so instead of waiting and gaining ive decided to do somethign about it now! so yet again i findmyself asking what about after the procedure?

So i am told that LB is not covered by my ins then im told that it is covered but there are stringent req. then im told that because my employer has choosen not to cover the procedure that it isnt covered. :cursing:i just got off the phone with uhc and they told me that my employer has choosen not to provide this coverage with their policy. i asked them to send my benefits coverage etc and they tell me that they can i have to get that from my employer that they arent even allowed to tell me what benefits i have:cursing:...yet they just told me that this is not a covered benefit..so i go to our hr person who really does nothing more than payroll and she tells me she doesnt even know who i am supposed to contact regarding our benefits and to go online to the website..myuhc.com which is a joke in case any of you have actually tried to get information from it other than you have the ins but it wont tell you what coverage you have.:confused: so now i am done ranting...has anyone else been through this? Is there a way i can actually get an answer? Should i just give up and figure out a way to self pay? HELP! I'm going to loose my mind-but i guess that would be a weight loss right?

I work full time as the Recreation and Leisure Services Director at a Long Term care Facilty about an hour away from home. I am still working on my degree and have one class left! for Therapeutic Recreation, it is sortof comparable to occupational therapy, and im a single mom!

Ppl like this woman make me crazy. :confused: She only had these children to make money. what kind of mother has more children when she already has six and cant take care of them? it is one thing to have several children or large families if you are able to take care of them..i have opions on that too..but it is quite another to have children to make money off of them...did you see the show where she was talking about wanting to have a reality show about her good parenting? how in God's name is this woman ever going to be able to emotionally support this many childen let alone the financial responsibility. it makes me sad that there are so many women who want to have children and arent able and then there is this woman who exploits the system and her children. Shame on her! thats my two cents!

hello everyone! i just found your thread and i hope you dont mind if i but in but i have some questions about dr k and i havent gotten any answers from any of the other threads i tried...im still fighting with my ins co it seems no one there really knows if they cover this surgery or not ...so i have been researching drk and have some questions if any of you dont mind. 1. what is the after care like? does he fix or whatever the complications if you have any or does he charge extra? 2. i noticed that a few of you have new docs...have you had a hard time finding someone to treat you because you had your surgery with out ins covereage? did your insurance cover things like pain meds or antibotics..things like that after the surgery? will ins cover if you have complications ? 3. after the first three months does he still take care of you if you are having complications or things arent going well? what does he charge..his site says he only charges 15 for fills? well im sure i have more but these are a few things ive been worried about when thinking about self pay...i appreciate any help! thanks:biggrin:

Welcome! This site is fantastic...take the time to use it you will find a lot of info and support here! Ihavent been able to stay away since i found it!

My most embarrasing ... i was meeting an old friend..that i hadnt sen in a few years as she lives out of state now and was back only to visit.... at a restaraunt and as i was walking up she sent me a text saying OMG!! u wldnt believe the fat a@@ walking in omg how can anyone b that fat and go out in public?...I was the only one walking in the restraunt at the time. i pretended that we never got it. i was totally mortified and we never talked about it having to tell everyone that i have to have a certain chair at family dinners because i dont fit in my parents dining room chairs. my parents having to get out a special chair for me anytime i have dinner at their house. my daughter wanting me to not go to parent/teacher confs because we went to back to school night i broke the chair and her whole class still teases her i actually asked out maint. guy at work to remove all of the mirrors from my office and area. my boss was demanding they be put back up until i started bawling to him about having to look at myself all day everyday he hardly looks at me now. there are of course sooo many more... someday ill look back and be glad these days are behind me!

Welcome! I am new also ...I have not yet been banded and am in the begining of my journey. I have found this site very helpful and everyone very supportive! Good Luck on your Journey to a new you!

I wish you good luck Sunbnny! I hope that UHC approves you quickly so you can start your new life soon!

I am still struggleing (sp) with my ins company i was wondering if anyone here who works for sava and has uhc has been approved and if it is something that is covered. so far ive been put on hold for a thousand times and been given pretty rude service etc ...can anyone tell me if they have had their surgery approved while working at sava and has uhc before i go wasting another 6 months? please help! thanks

So Im not sure what to do now. Ihave been waiting for my new ins at work to kick in as i was told by the rep who came to my office that the new ins would cover the surgery so of course i went with the best plan that covers hosp stay etc just in case. now when ive finally done all the research and chosen a doc etc i find out that m ins does not cover any weight loss support at all. no surgery no counsling no dietician nada...so now what? im a single mom and have student loans out the wazoo and there is no way i can pay for this on my own. ive also tried every diet i can think of blah blah blah everything that anyone who decides to have this surgery does before surgery..so i guess im looking for some advice and am wondring what soluions others in my position have found...please help if you can im feeling very fustrated and heartbroken:frown:

welcome! im new to the journey as well. you will find great support and resources here. everyone here has been great at answering my questions and even providing support! Good luck!!!

thanks everyone. i really needed just a little support. ive been yo-yo'd all around by my ins and im not sure if its because of the ins or my company. either way id like to put them in a time out for being naughty. it seems so sad to me that they are so desperate to save a buck vs help make ppl healthier in the long run. not to mention change ppls lives forever i wonder sometimes if they think this is an easy way out for ppl with weight problems and that it snt work. it is tho and those of you who are banded and those of you looking into it i give you mad props for having the courage to make a lifetime commitment to a healthier you!!!! thanks guys! and gals!

I have UHC and live in Northern Colorado. I was wondering if anyone out there who has UHC can recoomend the doc they used. I am starting to research doctors that my ins may cover, i thought that my ins wouldnt cover but now there is a possibility that they may so i thought i better start researching docs in the event that they will. any suggestions and/or experiences would be helpful thanks.

i was wondering if anyone out there had endometriosis prior to having the band and if they noticed any improvement in their symptoms or fertility since having the band procedure. I am new to the lap band world and am working on geting banded, some of the research that i've done shows that the weightloss actually improves endo. i was just wondering if anyone else had this experience and how much of a difference if any did it make. I was told at about age 21 that i couldnt have any more chldren due to my endo (i had my daughter at age 17) im not married but am hoping to be someday and would love to have more children any advice or personal experience would help! thanks!

Thanks for all of your responses! I have found this web site to be absolutely amazing! it is such a great form of support. i think it soooo important that you all are sharing your experiences! Good luck/loss to everyone!

Deb how did you start the process and how long did it take for you from start to finish? did you find that uhc was easy to work with? i have researched dr j a little bit but not extensively. how did you get info from uhc on what their requirements are etc...thanks for your help!

just wanted to say thanks for putting yourself out there and offering your experiences to help those of us who are just starting this journey...thanks!

I also have UHC but have had little to no luck talking to someone about this procedure in fact i was told by a rep that the bariatric resource services actually meant that they do not cover any weightloss support at all. so im guessing that i just talked to someone who either didnt care or was ignorant about what they actually cover. so my question is for those of you who have UHC and have contacted them regarding this to determine coverage..who should i call..just the number on the card?? and what specifically do i need to ask. it is becoming my experience that they will tell you you dont have coverage for things just so they dont have to pay for it ...can anyone help me out with this..i have been tryingto find a way to self pay for the surgery but if ins actually covers it that would be superfantastic as i have been worried about after the surgery..if i self pay..if there are complications if my ins will cover or if another dr will even touch me because of the procedure...if anyone has any advice and can help guide me i would really appreciate it. also if any of you who have uhc that live in co have suggestions for dr's i should check into for this procedure i would reallllllly appreciate it as i am new to this journey! thanks!:thumbup:

1!I was not considering going to Mexico because there is a dr by the name of Dr. Krschenbaum that does the suregery for less than 10k and he is less than an hour from my house so it would seem unreasonable to travel to mexico vs an hour to have surgery. i am trying o diet and walk dailey as well as use my eliptical machine. i also have been calori counting as well as weighing food etc. is not about not making the commitment but about having success long term. thank you to those who have been supportive and have given me suggesions for options to finance!

well i am definatly not looking at going to mexico. Dr. Kirshenbaum is only an hour away from me and he is for sure cheaper than others. i wonder if anyone here has gotten a loan etc from the places like care credit or others like it and if they regretted it. i just feel like i am already drowning financially and feel held back in my career and personal life because of my weight. when you work in the recreation field being heavy isnt exacly kosher if yall knnow what i mean. im at a point in my life where im afraid if i dont make a drastic lifestyle change now i never will and this is not how i want to spend my life.

I am new to the site and the journey. i found out today that my ins wont cover my surgery...bummer bu i have been checking into dr. k for a while anyway. it looks as tho all of you have had your surgery done by him. i was just wondering if any of you had ceative ways of paying for your surgery. also i was wondering about what his follow-up includes like if you have complications etc how is hat handled...? and of course any advice you all could give me wwould be superfantastic!

I'll be praying for you also. Unfortunatly...i have UHC and they will not cover my surgery. BUT it all depends on what your comapany signs up for as benefits and how many ppl work for your company....good luck I hope that you work for a better company than i do. Many ppl who have UHC have had theirs covered.

Things that I wont miss... -the "rainbows" in my underwear because im so fat i sweat all the time all over my body -the feeling that everyone is looking at me wherever i go because i am so fat -not being able to sit through an entire swim meet for my daughter -having to excuse myself and asking ppl to move because i am too fat to squeeze through a grocery store isle,movies etc without th other peron moving -my world revolving around food -being embarrased to go out with friends and sitting at home by myslf all weeknd and being so depressed i dont even shower -the waddle -crying ecause im not who i really want to be -feelinng powerless -feelin unworthy -feeling fat -tight cloths -lane bryant -wearing stuff off the clearance rack because fat girl cloths are expensive -wondering how many x's wll i need this month -dreading christmas because of the pictures and the gifts...ppl always assume when your fat that you must like it cuz its in your size..which by the way they always guess way too small or way too big -my dip in the couch..ill need a new one oh there really are so many things i cant wait for my journey to really begin!

after over a year of reading and researching ad talking to people who have had the surgery, i decided that lap band is the right thing for me. the problem is i havent been to see a doc for a while and am a little embarrassed to talk to my reg physician about this because of how ive been treated by them in the past. so what do i do now? do i have to have a refferal frm my reg doc ...im just nt sure what the first step in this process is..can anyone help? i would like to pursue this through insurance first but its more likely that i will have to find a way to pay cash. I live near ft.collins and denver sort of in between..does anyone have any reccomendations on which doc i should go to? any help would be appreciated. im about 5'1" and 246lbs so im pretty sure i qualify from all of my research i just dont know what to do next.