mngirl0044

I went through Park Nicollet’s Bariatric Surgery division. Everything was amazing beginning to end. The first step was to go to an informational meeting. From there I filled out paperwork and set up my first appointment with the nurse. This nurse oversaw my case beginning to end (I had Dorothy). On a side note I loved that almost everyone working in the Bariatric unit had gone through a weight loss surgery themselves. It made talking about my weight and issues a lot more comfortable. Another plus is that you get firsthand knowledge from each person you interact with. My insurance company is BCBS of MN. That meant that I had to do 6 months of nutritionist meetings, a sleep test, blood tests, ect. At the end of the 6 months Park Nicollet took all of the information from the previous 6 months and sent it directly to BCBS. Just 3 days later BCBS confirmed that they would fully cover my procedure. Doctor Wetherille discussed my surgery with me in depth. I chose to do the LAP-BAND® as an outpatient. On the day of surgery again he was very helpful in getting me prepared for everything that was going to happen. The surgery was quick and only a few hours later I was headed home. I actually even went back to work only 6 days later! Since the surgery I have had monthly follow up appointments. Amy and Stacey are the two women that administer the fills. Both are awesome! They give you great workout tips, are encouraging, and have made this experience just wonderful. Overall, Dr Wetherille is a great surgeon who has surrounded himself with an amazing team of people!

Today I received an email notifying me that someone posted on here. I'm sorry I haven’t been keeping track of this or checking in! Someone asked how much weight I've lost. Since surgery I have lost 118 pounds. Of course I'm still not at my goal weight, but it's in my sight! My goal is to be at my end weight by April of this year. It's been an amazing journey for me. I'll never forget what it felt like to run my first mile, to sit on an airplane comfortably, to put on a swimsuit and not be ashamed. I wish everyone the best of luck! I truly had a wonderful experience at Park Nicollet. I would recommend seeing Amy for your fills.

I was x-rayed before I was able to be discharged the day that I had the band put in place. I haven't been x-rayed since then.

My doctor's office used my original weight from my first appointment. I had to go through the entire 6 months before my information was sent to my insurance company. However, my doctor's office had the entire routine down. Keep in mind that in the eyes of the insurance company 28 days = 1 month, so it's not a true 6 months!!! Also, I had Blue Cross Blue Shield and I was approved 2 days after they recieved my information!

I also had a rough time deciding which surgery to move forward with. I like the below website because it compares both methods side by side...giving the pros and cons for each. Lap-Band vs. Gastric Bypass Surgery

I have BCBS of MN. I did the 6 months of documented dieting along with all of the other tests and meetings. I also have no other health issues besides my weight and due to living outside of the US I was missing a couple years of documented weight. With all that said I was approved 36 hours after BCBS received all of my paperwork! BCBS gave me the option of doing this as either an inpatient or outpatient. I was banded 6 days ago as an outpatient and the recovery has been great so far. I hope your approval process is as quick and carefree as mine ended up being. Good luck!

I was just banded yesterday April 27. I chose the outpatient option and after reading a lot of posts on here I became fairly nervous about not staying overnight. However, I had a great experience! I arrived at the hospital at 7:45am, got into surgery at 9:15 (a bit earlier than planned), and it took only 70 minutes. I had my x-rays at 1:15pm and left the hospital at about 2:50pm. I was moving around well and loved being at home and getting into my own bed. I couldn't sleep that afternoon, so I moved to the living room and watched some TV. I easily slept through the night. Something that really helped me was buying a body pillow and sleeping with that under my knees. I also set an alarm and woke up during the night to take some pain meds. When I woke up this morning I felt great! I'm moving around easily and used the GasX stripes which really helped me. Good Luck to everyone else! This is such an exciting time for everyone.

April 27 Thanks!