CarmenPonce

I am in Garden Grove in Orange County

I will be there with bells on. If thats ok?

bigmamaboss, Good luck on your journey. I'm am here in Ca also.

Can anyone tell me what this slime actually is? And where does it comes from? I don’t think it’s solely saliva but it doesn’t seem to have stomach acid. So just what this hell is this uber stringy, thick, slimy crap?:blushing:

Sneezing, Coughing, Hiccups, Burping will not damage your band or your stomach, although they may hurt this soon after your surgery. LOL, I know mine did. Hiccups and a runny nose is also a sign for me when I’m full. You have to remember the pouch the surgeon made is in the upper part of your stomach, below you diaphragm. Spasm of the diaphragm is a hiccup. So once you eat enough food to fill your pouch, your full pouch hits your diaphragm and tada… hiccups.

If you don't have your temporary patient ID card with the 7-digit code, ask your surgeon for a LAP-BAND® System Surgery Kit. This packet from Allergan is filled with resources you will need during your post-surgery LAP-BAND® System Journey and includes the temporary ID card. or Call 1-800-LAP-BAND, option 6, for assistance. You will be asked to answer a series of questions relating to your procedure, your surgeon, and your band. or go to there web site Lapband.com - LAP-BAND To receive your permanent patient ID card, enter the 7-digit number found on the lower right hand corner on the back of your temporary ID card. The temporary ID card is included in your LAP-BAND® System Surgery Kit provided by your surgeon’s office.

Skinnydesires, Yes, it seems by the way your exclusion is written they would cover your WLS but here are a few points… The exclusion as written is “but this shall not exclude procedures that are necessary due to a specific condition caused by another illness or for morbid obesity as determined by the plan.” The key terminology is “as determined by the plan”. Most carriers require you have at least a 35bmi with 2 or more co-morbidities or a 40bmi without. So you really need to find out what your plan states as morbid obesity and do you meet there criteria. The doctor needs to be very specific when writing your Letter of Medical Necessity to your health carrier. Outlining the issues with your health which have been affected by your obesity. The letter would be helpful if backed up by medical documentation. Also it is a good idea for to ask your doctor if you could have a copy of the Letter of Medical Necessity. You should submit the letter along with your appeal. A little known process with the carriers is to also file a grievance. This should be done after your claim has been denied multiple times. A grievance is different than a claim denial in that it does not go to the claims/approval department but to a higher up corporate level and should raise some eyebrows. When you file a grievance it is sent to the carrier corporate level but also the state insurance department. At the state level your grievance will be logged against the carrier. You see all insurance carriers have a rating, and one of the ways they get there ratings is on claims handling. It is really important for the carriers to keep there rating good. I know it is frustrating now but persist and I’m sure you will get your approval. I hop this has been helpful to you

Beth, I do think listening to your surgeon in this case maybe helpful to in getting enough data to Aetna, even though you may only need to do monthly visits, bi-monthly visits will be better. But when in doubt you can contact Member Services (there number should be on the back of your card but if not let me know and I will get it for you) and ask them explain in detail how many visits are need to within the 3 month supervised diet to satisfy there requirements. Also while on the phone with member services see if they can mail you a full explanation of your benefits not just the summary. You should (if you have not already) sign up on Aetna’s web site http://www.aetna.com/index.htm. There you should be able to review your plan benefits and check claims. I hope this has been helpful to you :redface:

I am a Health Insurance Broker and also a fellow banster. Feel free to message me and i can help you to navigate the insurance nighmare.

Here is how my doctor explained it to me… It will take awhile for your periods to become regular. First off women (especially obese women) store estrogen in there fat cells, so when you start losing weight the extra estrogen is released in to your system causing heavy or just irregular periods. Secondly a dramatic decrease and sustained decease in your daily caloric intake can actually make your period stop or skip months. My doctor said to expect my body to go through a variety of responses over the course of 1 year post banding. YAH ME L Hope this helps

I had the same problem post op. I now use Benefiber in my morning protein shake to keep me regular. There are 2 actual things that are making you irregular. 1 is that your food intake has been greatly reduced, and 2 is the high protein diet. My doc suggested the Benefiber (no taste, no grittiness and you can mix it with anything) and jello (I doubted the jello, but it really seems to help).

CALL YOUR DOC RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BTW you should not be throwing up on a daily basis.

Muscle Milk ready to drink is a soy protein shake

not good call your doc now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am here in Garden Grove, message me if you have any questions

I would say start with your insurance carrier. Find out if you have coverage for bariatric surgery. Request and “EOC” Evidence of Coverage. This will be a full description of your coverage’s. Next ask what are their requirements for bariatric surgery? With this information you can go to your “PCP” primary care provider if you have a HMO or if you have a PPO you can ask you regular doc who he would refer you to. If you have a PPO most insurance carriers have a web site for you to be able to search for a bariatric surgeon. There’s no point in picking the hospital before picking a surgeon as not all surgeons operate at all hospitals. I hope this gets you pointed in the right direction

Dormant she lay, longing for a way to make it her day and be on her way. To drag herself out of the turmoil and doubt, to her demons, she'd shout "I want to come out!" From this stifling shell: self imposed Hell. Though unwilling to tell, Her emotions would swell. One day, to lift her shame, a stranger came: Hands skilled, heart tame. She knew only his name. Delivering her gift, in fashion swift. When the canopy did lift... 'Twas I.

Thank you Gone

I have tried GNC Brand (forget the exact name), Wal-Mart’s Brand Body Fortress, & EAS brand of Protein powders and out of the three I would have to say I liked the EAS the best. All three are easily available at GNC or Wal-Mart. Costs about $29.00 for a 5lb bag. EAS has 120 calories, 2g fat, 2g carbs, 1g sugar, & 23g protein. I always get vanilla as I doctor my shakes up. The EAS tastes great to me. Here are some of the Protein shake recopies you can try… Vanilla Protein powder w/ 8oz skim milk, 1 tsp Peanut Butter, 1/2 tsp sugar free choc syrup. Blend in blender. OMG, taste like Reeses peanut butter cups. You have to try it. Or Vanilla protein powder w/ 8 oz skim milk, 1 tbsp of sf cheesecake pudding mix, 3 frozen strawberries (I keep bags of frozen fruit in hand). Blend in blender. Great also, tastes like strawberry cheesecake.

I have tried GNC Brand (forget the exact name), Wal-Mart’s Brand Body Fortress, & EAS brand of Protein powders and out of the three I would have to say I liked the EAS the best. All three are easily available at GNC or Wal-Mart. EAS has 120 calories, 2g fat, 2g carbs, 1g sugar, & 23g protein. I always get vanilla as I doctor my shakes up. The EAS tastes great to me. Here are some of the Protein shake recopies you can try… Vanilla Protein powder w/ 8oz skim milk, 1 tsp Peanut Butter, 1/2 tsp sugar free choc syrup. Blend in blender. OMG, taste like Reeses peanut butter cups. You have to try it. Or Vanilla protein powder w/ 8 oz skim milk, 1 tbsp of sf cheesecake pudding mix, 3 frozen strawberries (I keep bags of frozen fruit in hand). Blend in blender. Great also, tastes like strawberry cheesecake.

For your protien drinks you should try this... vanilla Protein powder w/ 8oz skim milk, 1 tsp Peanut Butter, 1/2 tsp sugar free choc syrup. Blend in blender. OMG, taste like Reeses peanut butter cups. You have to try it. Or Vanilla Protein Powder w/ 8 oz skim milk, 1 tbsp of sf cheesecake pudding mix, 3 frozen strawberries (I keep bags of frozen fruit in hand). Blend in blender. Great also, tastes like strawberry cheesecake. I have tried the Walmart brand (Body Fortress?), GNC, & EAS brands of protein powder. I have to say i like the EAS brand the best mixes well, no grit. Also i always get vanilla b/c you can add anything to it to get a variety.

Vanilla Protein powder w/ 8oz skim milk, 1 tsp Peanut Butter, 1/2 tsp sugar free choc syrup. Blend in blender. OMG, taste like Reeses peanut butter cups. You have to try it. Or Vanilla Protein Powder w/ 8 oz skim milk, 1 tbsp of sf cheesecake pudding mix, 3 frozen strawberries (I keep bags of frozen fruit in hand). Blend in blender. Great also, tastes like strawberry cheesecake.

Vanilla protein powder w/ 8oz skim milk, 1 tsp peanut butter, 1/2 tsp sugar free choc syrup. Blend in blender. OMG, taste like Reeses peanut butter cups. You have to try it. Or Vanilla protein powder w/ 8 oz skim milk, 1 tbsp of sf cheesecake pudding mix, 3 frozen strawberries (I keep bags of frozen fruit in hand). Blend in blender. Great also, tastes like strawberry cheesecake.

I am a health insurance agent and at this point no insurance carrier is covering cosmetic surgeries post weight loss. Now panniculectomy is the removal of excess skin which may be medically necessary in some cases, such as in the case of the excess skin causing infections or ulcers. So, in this case the panniculectomy would be covered if you doctor recommends and insurance approves. An abdominoplasty is not only the removal of excess skin but also tighten of the abdominal muscles and lipo sculpture. This procedure is considered purely cosmetic and not covered by insurance. I hope this answers some of you questions.

This depends on your Insurance Carrier and Plan. Some do, Some dont