ericanda1973

I got denied too ,I appealed thru obesitylaw.com and they won it for me. And the lap band company paid for them to appeal for me, if i chose lapband over realize band , if you appeal and DON'T give up they will eventually approve you. Good luck in your insurance dilemma.

Hello, I am going to go to a WW meeting this week, like you I loved their old program and the new one sounds interesting, I have quit losing , not gaining tho but that is cause I eat crap.I need to get on a healthier eating program. All my family needs to eat more healthy. after i get the info and am on it a couple weeks i will let you know how it is going for me.

Congrats Triple, Today is my 1 year bandiversery, I am down 70.4 lbs. This has been the greatest year for me too, I am running now , Never in my life did I think I would run anywhere or actually do it and enjoy it, I have my vices(cotton candy). I too have given up soda( I don't miss it), I also don't do fries anymore they just don't play nice with my band. I want to get down to 135 or so, and I want to see 129.8 once so I can take a picture of it and post it. LOL Congrats to all the August Bandits out there.Good luck in the second year.

I agree with heather, my last fill i was tight for a week and half after it was memorial day weekend so i could not go back to dr. i lost like 10 lbs in 2 weeks i was freaking out but it all leveled out and i lost nothing the next 2 weeks. I would wait it out , I have a hair over 7 ccs in my 10 cc band.

I was 5-6 months out before my first stuck food hit, and believe me you WILL know. Not to be gross but hey this is the place to tell u what to expect. When you get something stuck and u will, when you throw it up, it is not like throwing up when your sick, it is way different , what you throw up will look like a slime ball.This is something I wish i would have been told cause it is nasty.And not what you expect when you throw up.Ok I am done being gross, also when you throw it up and it is gone it is done, not when you are sick and want to get sick again. hope this helps.

You will start losing dont worry ,don't focus on the scale,get healed is the best thing u can do

I also got a wii fit for Christmas, I also got the Biggest Loser game for the wii, and it is pretty intense. I am going to use the wii fit and biggest loser instead of getting a gym membership. I have used it for a week and have lost 4 lbs and i have not used it religiously, this week I go back to work and the kids go back to school so i am going to start getting up an hr earlier and doing a work out on the wii.Later i might get the new program Jenny McCarthy has out for the wii it looks neat and it helps with your form as u exercise, For now i just want to get some weight off and get trimmed down. Good luck.

Thanks for starting this challenge. this is our year everyone. good luck and happy banding in 2010.

I go 1/18 for my 5th fill, I am still unsure if i will keep this app. I feel I am at or super close to my sweet spot. So only time will tell. i am now at 6.25 cc in a 10 cc band. Some days feel i need a fill and the next day I don't , i am so unsure right now.

I had the band a little over 4 months ago I am down about 36 lbs , if i had it to do over i would , Good luck keep us posted.

slider foods are food that are usually high calorie and go right threw the band such as ice cream,or other foods one can eat lots of with no restriction, so one tends to eat more of these kinds of food cause they are easy.

with my first fill i had restriction for like 2 days , same with my second fill, then my third fill was a big one, so big my 4th they hardly put any in. The fill process is really nothing to be nervous about, the first couple times the fill it with me laying down now they do it with me standing up, I like it better standing.Good luck and just remember the restriction will come.

I have BCBS of IL, and I also work for them , I got denied the first time. But with an appeal through obesitylaw.com I won and got approved from the time i started the ball rolling on everything to the time i my surgery it took one year. That being said the guidelines have changed now you only need 3 months of dr visits not 6, and don't need the 5 year history.Just those 2 changes I would think it would be easier to get approve. All I can say is have your pcp over document everything, That is the biggest deniel reason is lack of documentation. Or you could get lucky like a couple girls at work and theirs went through with no problem.

It will come , I did not my major restriction till my 3rd fill. I at at 6.25 cc's in a 10 cc band. I am good now i go for another fill on jan.18th. you are in what is called bandster hell, It is not pleasant but it will pass, hope this helps.

Hang in there guys it does get better in a few short weeks you will start getting fills and all will be good. Good luck.

Jazzy , the most amazing thing i find with my band is , I am not settling for smaller portions, I can't physically eat alot, My body is tells me when to stop. I love that.Before the band i could always eat "just one more bite", but now I can't. Also i don't get the bloated full feeling anymore and I truely stay full in between meals. At first the emotions are a little crazy but the good totally outweighs the bad when it comes to the band.

hey there Jazzy, I am will be 4 months post op tomorrow, and I can almost eat and drink everything I did pre op just not much in the amount I am eating. The only things I have trouble with are breads, and pizza crust so I usually just eat the toppings and usually off 2 squares and i am full. As for the liquids I totally stay away from carbination so beer may be an issue for you. Kinda sounds like to me you are doing this for everyone but ur self, I think like any weight loss attempt , you have to be doing this for yourself and not what everyone says you need to do. The band is a tool and a good one if you use it right.Hope this helps.

Hi Tracy Dr. R did my surgery on Aug.7th , I live near Jacksonville, I thought i had a long drive to clinton , good luck on ur surgery.

I was just banded in August, And I love my band I would do it again. I recovered quickly.It has truly changed my life , I have lost 32 lbs from my highest weight.I just go my third fill last week and I am thinking I am at my sweet spot.The best thing i have found with the band is you CAN NOT eat too much with out being sick. I get full so quick now, it is awesome.Go to the chat sometime, it is great to actually talk to people at all different stages of their lap band journey.

I have bcbs and i work for them too and mine was round 8000 as well, if you go to an in network provider then the discounts the ins. get is huge, then you percentage comes off the final cost after ins. discounts, my total surgery bill was like 24,503 , but after discounts insurance paid 9067.00 and my portion was 488.91, so i think they have to mark up to get anything out of the claim they submit.

It was like 2 months after my surgery before i felt my port , I am wondering what you felt was scar tissue. I am almost 14 wks out and i can feel my port real easy.When i get my fills they do them while i am standing up.

I agree with Kiz, it is not really pain just discomfort.For me when the first belch comes up then i am done and it takes about 1/2 cup of food for that to happen. I also stay full for 4-5 hrs. I just got my best fill last week, i am at 6cc in a 10cc band and the restriction is major.Hope this helps and i think that dr on tv is WAY wrong.

mashed potatoes and gravy, and pumpkin pie, don't eat the crust. I just got a big fill so I will not be eating much , but that is ok. good luck to you

I have been trying too with no avail, I am going crazy , wonder what is wrong with it.

i got my band on August 7 of 2009, i just got my third fill so i am at 6cc in a 10cc band, and OMG i have Major restriction now. My Dr. says it takes 3-4 fills or even more for some to get to the sweet spot, I am not sure if i am at that spot or not. How many CC band do you have ? Maybe you need to tell your dr. to fill it up more.I would not get it taken out just yet.Now if you were like 9 months to a year out but your still new to this. Looks like you have 4 cc, I could eat what i wanted too when i was at 4.5 cc, You may also have a bigger band too.