EliyshevaLovesYahweh

Hi Haven, may Yahweh favor you. Preoperatively, I am well, thank you. I am scheduled for WLS this 2nd day of the week on 1/31/11 @ 6am. I will keep you posted.

Hi everyone! My name is Eiysheva, and I am so happy to be a part of this community which is so informative and supportive at the same time. I made the right decision to have WLS and finally I got my surgery date for 1/2/11. I praised the Almighty Yahweh for helping me during the process. Also, I want to add that IF anyone has a question(s) re my previous posts ... I am more than willing to help answer. Blessings to all.

I gained some unintentional pounds. I hope everything worked out for you.

Yay congrats!!! I was so close to going to Mexico to do the SILS with Dr Rumbaut, but things changed for me with my insurance . I'm pleased to hear you are doing well and are home safe. I will be joining you among other bandster here two days from now. Please keep us updated of your progress.

Hi Kylie! I must say that everyone's insurance policy is different, although the insurer may sound the same, insurance policies vary from state-to-state. The ensurer or surgeon may require a supervised visit, for example, as a prerequisite for WLS. Perhaps the employer excludes bariatric surgery, maybe not. I'm not trying to discourage you though - I hope you have a green light all the way. Having said that, my first consultation took place in LI, NY on 10/20/11. During that time, I had GHI PPO for med ins and they require one to attend a six month supervised visit. I made it priority to schedule all of my clearances appointments very close together (all within a two week gap) to speed things up. However, after three months of weight-ins, on Dec 31st I received new insurance cards from my husband's employer with Empire Bluecross Blueshield and I found myself switching plans with the Human Resources dept since my surgeon of choice is out-network for me. During this time, I receive a call from the surgeon's office that he will accept EBCBS fees, and I was so pleased. On 1/19/11, I got my surgery date for February 1st which was then rescheduled for the 31st - two days away. I am currently weighing 239 lbs, having lost two pounds. . Tips? I'd say, be very patient. Stay on top of the insurance company, don't be intimidated to call them to find out any questions that may surface. I have learned that ALL of my queries were answered whenever I called them to ask about specific questions. Find out from your medical Ins Co. all that is needed from you in order to get your process moving faster. Also, if you like, inquire if your employer excludes bariatric surgery or not. Finally, remain hopeful.

Welcome aboard!

Lol bigtom - my husband told me the same thing since I have this lingering craving for lobster...we are going out to dinner before the-all-day liquid diet. Congratulations to you and everyone here who got their surgery date. How nerve-racking and exiting is this?!

I agree with the above post...call your insurance company, stay on them. I was a bit intimidated at first with calling my ins company but I learned that I actually helped with my approval process. You'll get a call soon from Aetna, perhaps next week.

My consultation was 01/25/11. I am so ready to do this but i feel like the system is set up for ppl who are not quite sure. Unfortunately i waited till I was 100% positive before scheduling an appointment. now everything feels like its dragging. Now I have to get an Endoscopy, Psych Eval, Nutritionist, and letter of recommendation. feeling like Im back to square one. I think I gave myself the false hope that when I made my decision it would be one two three and i would be feeling great by summer...............could be wrong-er! btw how do i get one of those weight loss trackers? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Watch and see how fast time flies. The ample time is fitting, giving you the precise allotted space needed to gather your paperwork in order. When I faced such ordeal, I kid you not...I got on the phone and booked all of my appointments very close together and got my clearances done in less than three months. My surgeon was so surprised I was so ready for surgery. Don't get discouraged, there still is time for you to start feeling great by summer, you'll see. This journey is such a trying experience, however in the end your perseverance and patience will be worth it. Re the weight loss tracker: Click on my tickerfactory image it will prompt you to the website. Fill out the boxes, then create your own ticker. Copy the first link, then proceed to your profile located on the upper left corner "signed in as" (under the Lapbandtalk logo). There, go to settings, it will open up four other tabs. Click on your profile, go down to 'change your signature' and paste the copied link there. I do hope this works for you.

Congratulations hope! I know the feeling. May you have a successful surgery and speedy recovery.

I had a horrible experience. Historically, the sleep study technician is to form some sort of rapport with the patient thus learn sleeping habits in order to offer the right cpap for one's comfort. For example, if one sleeps with mouth open or not, which in my case I don't. So she waltz over to my room with a seemingly darth vader Cpap device and proceeded to place it over my face (without explaining anything to me regarding the apparatus) while I was half asleep. It's funny to me now looking back at my frustration with this device and how I failed the second part of the test and had to do it over. Thanks to my best friend who is a Dr who gave me some great tips on how to overcome the claustrophobic anxiety, I passed the test. The key is to take a deep breath, hold it in, keep your mouth closed and try to breathe in ONLY from your nose once the device is properly placed. Why didn't this tech say this to me? Where do they find these people? lol. Anyway, the wires were an inconvenience, the freaking glue remained in my hair for days...I was only able to remove the glue with an oil treatment. So glad that part of the WLS/journey is over. As it turns out I suffer from sleep apnea - I would have never found out I had sleep apnea if it were not for bariatric clearance. Well, I hope your results come back OK.

Thank you Kristina!

I was reviewing my posts and came across yours again. How are you postoperatively? I hope all is well.

Neat! I've received your private message and answered. Keep in mind that every plan is different and every case as well. Empire Bluecross Blueshield reviews cases independently. Hope things work out with you.

Pyrodjm, seems we have something in common Congratulations to you both for the fist step toward the WLS. If you don't mind my asking, what type of plan do you have with Empire Bluecross Blueshield? Apparently NYCTA decided to go with direct point of service for some of their employees who were transitioning from GHI PPO to Empire BCBS regardless of their geographical position. I am upstate NY. One question though, are you certain that E-BCBS requires a 5 year weight history? Will have to call them up about that. If so, I have been told by my PCP that he will do his utmost best IF I need anything re this Lap Band journey to get approved - that is reassuring.

Hi everyone! Yes Honk, I certainly agree. My husband is a retired foreman with the NYCTA of New York and our plan is Direct Pos with Empire Bluecross Blueshield. I have learned that although many may have the same medical insurance not all plans are the same. There is no better way to find out about one's medical plan than to call the insurer oneself. I suggest for people in question re their medical coverage with WLS: call your medical insurer 800 # (# on the back of medical card) and ask directly re what the type of plan is and coverage. If you are unsatisfied with one representative's detailed explanation of your plan, dial the number again and speak to someone else. In lieu of my uncertainties and due to my lack of courage - I took the initiative and called Empire Bluecross Blueshield yesterday to discuss my plan in depths. The representative I spoke with read verbatim from the downstate medical guideline form instead of second guessing her response to me. That was interesting. Apparently, what the surgeon's office rep had said to me regarding the six mo supervised diet is seemingly certain. Across the board, all of the BCBS plans are different and guidelines differ from state to state, in my case no supervised visit is mentioned in my policy for batriatric surgery. However, I will keep you guys posted when/IF I learn otherwise. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have an appointment with Dr Holover in Long Island, NY on January12 which would have been my 4th weigh-in had I continued with GHI PPO insurance coverage/plan. I am uncertain if I should cancel that appointment and wait till all of my paperwork is straightened out or go there to discuss surgery date. Anyway, I hope my shared experience helps someone, anyone.

Hi nako99. I was doing a 6 month supervised diet which is required by GHI (PPO) and I had three more weigh-ins in order to comply with GHI's prerequisite for Lap-banding. However, my husband's employer changed from GHI to Empire BCBS and on Dec 31st, 2010 RD we received our new insurance cards with Empire Bluecross Blueshield (which is when I found out of the change). I immediately called the surgeon's office to find out if my new insurance was accepted and if a six mo supervised visit was required by the insurer. The rep at the office told me that Empire Bluecross Blueshield is accepted if in-network and no six mo supervised visit is necessary. I really don't know how well informed this office rep is though. Nevertheless, below are some helpful websites which I found that could possibly answer your questions. BCBS Medical Policies: http://www.empireblue.com/medicalpolicies/policies/mp_pw_a053317.htm BCBS Blue Distiinction Centers for Bariatric Surgery: http://www.bcbs.com/innovations/bluedistinction/blue-distinction-bariatric/ BCBS - Directory of Providers: http://www.bcbs.com/innovations/bluedistinction/blue-distinction-bariatric/bariatricmidlevelcriteria.pdf BCBS - Centers Hospitals (participating) for Bariatric Surgery http://www.bcbs.com/innovations/bluedistinction/blue-distinction-bariatric/bluedistinctionbariatric.pdf Hope this helps. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Just when I figured out all the answers they changed the questions"

lol. I live Upstate NY and my surgeon is in LI, NY. I travel almost three hours to seem him w/o a problem. His facility is some kind of wonderful...all of the doctors one will ever need in order to obtain clearance prior to this SILS (single incision laparoscopic surgery) band are in the same building working together with ea other - a great convenience for me. My surgeon's name is Dr. Hollover and he works together with Dr. Garber, both are certified to the gills in bariatric surgery. I have GHI PPO and Dr. Hollover is in the network for me. I do hope it all works out. Cheers.