abbylamb

Thank you to everyone so far-I do appreciate the insight. This is in Cleveland, Ohio. And thankfully, because of that, I have several options for facilities. I had looked into the first place because, like I mentioned, they were the pioneers for bariatric sugery 10 years ago, but I'm definitely looking into other places too. And you are right-I'm not feeling like I'm being listened to, and I definitely have the feeling like I'm one in a herd of cattle. Get 'em in, get 'em out, etc. But I'm trying not to let the office staff's attitude cloud my opinion of the doc, who is the important person, since he may be the one doing my surgery. The other place I'm looking into also requires a 2 week meal replacement diet, but they are a little more flexible with what kind (Medifast or Optifast). And they do not have an expensive program fee. Now as far as the upper GI goes, I guess I can understand that, and both places require it, although I do wonder---are they talking a barium swallow GI series or a full scope? Anyone know? Thanks again to everyone for their help, and I'll keep up with this to hear what anyone else has to say. All suggestions and comments are appreciated! :confused:

wow this must be a universal problem! when I first heard back from my potential dr's office, the first thing they said was that I had to go on the 6 month diet!!! I had to insist BCBS FEP does NOT require that, and only after looking into it again did she agree! Now she's saying I require a separate letter from my primary doc. When I spoke with the insurance co myself, they said they only needed a letter from the surgeon stating medical necessity. This is so frustrating!:confused:

TinaM-obviously you can tell you aren't the only one who feels this way. I, too, have always been the girl with "such a pretty face" a "great smile", or my personal favorite "an amazing personality". All of them are just euphemisms for "would be pretty if she dropped 100 pounds". I understand what you're going through on that one. With my job too, I'm required to give in-services, and I can't help but feel I'm being judged because of my size. And, like you, I plan on being banded by December, come hell or high water! Congrats on doing this for you. I wish you nothing but the best in your journey.

ParrotheadCathy--thank you! I've just breathed a big sigh of relief on this one!:thumbdown: I appreciate your reply and your taking the time to answer this for me!

Quick question for anyone who may know--can your body really "reject" the lap-band? I'm looking to have my surgery by the end of the year, and I like to think I've done my homework--I know mortality stats, and complication stats, and whatnot, but I've never read of a band rejecting until this website/section. That really worries me. I've had 9 different piercings at any given time, and every last one of them has rejected, regardless to the nature of the metal (gold, silver, surgical stainless, titanium). Can silicone reject in the same way? If so, how come it's not mentioned as a possible complication? Is there any way to treat or prevent this? Thanks!

Hey there. I'm looking to have the Lap-Band done and am debating about who and where to go for it. I'm considering St. Vincent Charity Hospital with Dr. Ben-Meir, Parma Community General Hospital with Dr. Craig Eyman, or the Cleveland Clinic, not sure with who yet. Anyone who has had any experiences here or who has heard anything about these places or these docs, PLEASE let me know what you think! Thank you very much!

Awesome!!!!

I am SO glad to see your post! I too, work for the VA. I'm based in Cleveland, Ohio. I carry the BCBS Basic, what about you? I called them and spoke with a rep who said all I needed was a letter from the surgeon stating my name, DOB, my insurance number, the CPT code, the DX code, and any pertinent info related to medical necessity. I HOPE that is all. They did not say anything about a psych eval, or documented physician diet program for 6 months, or anything like that. I am not a patient person. It's taking all my patience to wait to hear back from the surgeon's office to schedule my consultation! Well, I will keep you updated on my progress, please keep me updated on yours! Good luck to you!

Well, I'm not a nurse, but a respiratory therapist, so I guess I'll have to do! There are 200mg of ibuprofen in one Advil tablet. Look at the label on the children's Advil bottle and find out how many mg of ibuprofen are in 1 ml of the liquid. Then you'll just have to multiply till you get 200mg of ibuprofen! Hope this helps!

Hi there. I just made the first call to my insurance company to find out the rules to get pre-authorized for the lap-band surgery. I have BCBS for Federal Employees, and was told that the surgery is definitely covered if approved. I was told I need a letter from the provider detailing my name, age and member number, the provider info, the CPT code, a diagnosis code, and "supporting documentation and relevant info including any test results that support medical necessity". First of all, what does "supporting documentation" entail? I'm 5'5" and have a BMI of 40.7, so by regular medical standards, I qualify, right? I don't think I have any other qualifying things I can count, besides the obvious aches and pains from being fat. I have asthma, but it's well controlled, and I've had it since I was a kid, so I don't think that counts. But I don't have sleep apnea, high blood pressure or cholesterol or diabetes. Does that mean that they will refuse me even if my BMI is 40 or better? I've tried diets, and exercise and Weight Watchers more times than I can count, but I've never kept a documented book outlining exactly what I was doing (unless you count the weight I weighed-that I have records of for years), and it was never "doctor supervised" or anything like that. Will that be enough or does everyone have to do the medical supervised diet first? The insurance company didn't say anything about that. They just told me I needed the things I mentioned previously in order to get pre-authorization. Also, what is the typical wait from first doctor visit to approval to actual surgery date? I'm just really excited to get this show on the road, as it were. I've done so much research my eyes are crossing and I'm convinced this is what I want to do, and I don't want the insurance derailing my hopes and dreams on this one. Any thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated. :thumbup: Thanks! -abby