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I am also with the Fed Govt and now have Aetna Open Choice (2007). I started out with Kaiser and tried for several years to have the surgery. I went through the 6 month of classes then made the decision to change to GEHA (2006). I found this company very good to work with but they are expense. I had to pay 15% of my hospital bill and 50% for all non generic prescriptions. So this year I changed to Aetna. Come time for open season, do your research because each year the rules change. During the open season for 2006, I emailed the companies to see who covers the lapband and found MDIPA and GEHA. I did like Kaiser and would like to go back so this open season I called them to see if they would cover my follow-up care and any problems that I may encounter in the future and I was told NO. If I were you, I would also try to get tested for sleep apnea. Since this is so early in the year, go through the whole program just like you are going to get GBP to get all the testing out of the way, then come next year all you have to do is get approved. It took me until June to have surgery, because of all the testing I had to do after changing insurance companies.

Well, I have gained 14 pounds since DOS so I am really depressed, I know it's early but it feels like this isn't worth anything, I literally eaten NO FOOD for 2 weeks, so that's how you know calories in/calories out is BS...I am so angry and I am going to bed .

Would you recommend any specific brand that tastes good? I keep looking and then deciding against bc there are so many...I tried one kind and it was weirdly salty?

Another practice I had called before finding the one where I had my surgery wanted $500 for program fee. They also wanted $100 deposit before I even made an appointment. I called my insurance and they said they hadn't heard of this either and said it sounded kind of shady( Anthem Bc/Bs) So I found another practice. This practice only required my copay. I did however end up paying out of pocket for the nutritionist visit($100), and my pysche eveal was only covered 80%. Other than that, insurance paid for everything. I have heard of some practices doing this more now than since I was banded over a year ago. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Has anyone had PRK eye surgery ( similar to Lasik ) I had it recently and I am worried bc I know when I have the sleeve on the 20th of April they will tape my eyes closed. I won't even be 1 month out from eye surgery and I'm super worried they will mess my eyes up. Anyone else have PRK right before sleeve surgery?

People, people, people. All companies are in the business of money. And insurance companies are the greediest. Their goal is to never pay out a dime. All this pre, pre, pre stuff is to get you to GIVE up or mess up and not provide some BS form or record they make up. Just keep trudging away and eventually they will run outa objections and have no choice but to approve it. Good luck.

I think I'm going to put a cup in my purse. Bc i can only eye ball so much b4 i question if its about a cup. Although it takea me an hour to eat a cup of certain things at least i know that I'm eating my cup! Does anyone else do this?

You’re asking about maintenance, right? Confused bc everyone is answering about while they are losing. I am four and a half years post op. Been at goal since a year out. I have to eat about 5 smaller meals a day to get all my food in because my capacity is limited. Like a meal might be half a sirloin patty and a cup of salad. Anyhow I eat anywhere from 1800-2800 calories a day as a 5’6” 140-ish pound woman. I run about 20 miles a week and do 4-5 hours of heavy yoga.

had to post here, as I am having my last supper tomorrow!! I am going to a buffet for all you can eat grab legs...(which aren't actually bad for you...except the butter) but I dont plain on over doing it at all. I don't want it to be a Complete shocker to my body on Friday when I start my liquid diet bc I had just ate so much food the night before. I plan on enjoying my meal moderately tomorrow!!

I am eight months post op and I've been at the same weight now for four weeks. I'm getting very frustrated. Please anybody give me some advice bc I'm very depressed about it

Thanks for asking! I'm 2 weeks post/op today. I'm sore still due to hiatal hernia surgery at same time (I didn't know I even had one-discovered I have 3 hernias, actually! The other 2 will be fixed after I lose 100 lbs.-fun!) I returned to work last Mon. 10/22- too soon! Came home in tears, back to dr. on Tuesday and he said I was fine, I didn't tear anything (thought I did!), but I went to work too soon. He recommends 2 weeks off work and I tried to do only one. My bad! My empire BC BS is NY state employee (NYSHIP)-I'm civil service, secretary at elementary school. This surgery not only saved my life I believe-it is giving me a life! How I was living before last August was not living-it was a slow, pound by pound suicide! good luck! I am here for you!

You'll love the sleeve compared to the band bc I do! The band was so uncomfortable IMO. Plus no trips & co-pays for fills ???? Height 5'3 SW w/band - 214 Ending weight before 2 band slips- 150 Ballooned up to 193 after my last slip Sleeve SW- 193 Surgery weight at revision 186 (pre op diet) Surgery 6-13-13 CW- 140 ☺️️ Rock that sleeve!!!!!! Mind over matter and I'm at my goal already.

When I spoke to the nurse to go over what to do this week she said to stop taking my multivitamin bc the vitamin e thins your blood.

So its normal thank god. I spoke to my doc he suggested omoprozol. It's so bad I'm so disappointed in this bc of it.

It started about 3 years ago, My sister, then, a 21 year old young woman was living her life normally when she was overtaken by a horrible pain in her abdomen, followed by throwing up and not even being able to keep water down for days we decided it's time to take her to the emergency room, the doctors wrote it off as a stomach virus and said it would pass. Months go by without a trace of another "attack" when again same scenario, back to the E.R- again told it was a stomach virus, not one doctor did a test, MRI, CAT anything.. this happened more times than I can really count in the years to follow, when finally she had the worse "attack" ever which lasted for weeks, no one had a clue what was going on "could this really be a virus?" It got to the point where, her face had sunken in at her cheek bones, she looked sick, I thought I was going to lose my sister and I was terrified. After the last episode we met with our family doctor yet once again, he sat and brainstormed with us for what seemed like forever, then finally he thought "it's a long shot but let's check your pancreas" – A long shot because not only was she a 22 year old otherwise healthy young woman, but she wasn't an alcoholic. He performed the necessary testing and made the astounding discoveries, not only were her triglycerides at alarming numbers, (normal triglycerides levels should be 130 or under) hers were at 5000, but my sister, my best friend, was suffering from pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) causing the "attacks "of dehydration, excruciatingly painful episodes and constant vomiting. Now you can imagine how angry we were with the hospitals and previous doctors that not one of them thought to check her levels, not one of them cared enough to get to the bottom of why my sister was withering away slowly and in such pain. Once we knew this info we thought "ok, give her some medication and let her get back to her life" They experimented on her as if she was the poster child for narcotic exploration, she tried it all from high doses of Niacin, Omega 3 fats (which spiked her triglycerides even more) to Trilipix, Nothing helped, Now it was starting to become an issue of just when her body was going to give up the fight because she was tired, fed up and sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. I had been researching the Lap-Band®®® procedure for myself and brought it to her attention, "Well it's known for helping with diabetes.. maybe it will help with this too". She searched for a surgeon right away, we didn't need any surgeon, what we needed was someone experienced and had a "clue" about this monster inside her. She came across Dr. George Fielding at NYU Langone Medical Center, when reading his bio we thought maybe this is the guy to help, we hoped that finally our prayers would be answered and within the month had an appointment to meet with him. Now let me get into why I wrote this, This isn't one of those writings of mumbo jumbo or blah blah hear my story blah.. No, this is for you, the reader to understand the extent of the situation before any action was taken, and for you all to know that without Dr. Fielding, my best friend would not be here with me today. During the consult he was what some would call brutally honest, but coming from all the flakey sugar coating doctors we came from, this brutality was utterly refreshing. He told her that while the band would help lower her triglycerides, at her severity, it wouldn't have made much of a difference and she was a ticking time bomb. So here we thought "back to square one" When Dr. Fielding mentioned there was another option called the Biliopancreatic Diversion where he would by-pass the pancreas so that she would only be using a small percentage of it, It was a dangerous procedure but considering that by the time she'd be 30 we were looking at heart attacks, strokes or even worse, this was our best bet. I must mention that both my sister and I have medical backgrounds, both went to medical institutes and both have an above "average" knowledge of medical terminology and physiology but this, was foreign to us. We had no idea what it would entail, was it going to work? So the researching data started. This was it! Why hasn't anyone thought of this before? Why didn't any of the doctors we saw in the past even mention the option? The answer, we shall never know but one did, and for that, and I speak for my entire family, are eternally grateful. Dr. Fielding performed the procedure within 2 months of her initial consult, The procedure itself took less than 2 hours and here I am writing this over 2 months later and she is doing fantastic. Her triglycerides are down to numbers I am even to scared to mention because they are so good and she is finally able to eat normally, just live. Without him, I don't know what Id be writing about today, but chances are, nothing good. I'd like to express my gratitude, my appreciation to him and his staff for letting me keep my sister, We could never express it accurately or enough but, know, that he saved my sister's life and I can never repay him for the gift of a normal life he gave her. Thank You so much for everything, we are forever grateful from the bottom of our hearts. -Jasmine (scheduled for the band with Dr. Fielding 6/14)

Thank you for your response. Prior to surgery i had a Hiatal Hernia, and now when i tell him i feel its back... he says "well i repaired that during srugery." and when i ask .. "well can they come back??" He says, they can but i dont feel as though you have one. " Its almost as if he is in denial. Bc everytime i go in... which has been... 4-5 times he unfills me. I had to demand a barrium swallow. He said the band looked fine, but he could see i had acid reflux and put me on protonix. WHich worked great for the 1st 3 weeks. Now... im back to this. Im miserable. Protonix doesnt help ANYTHING now. Nothing helps to be honest... throwing up seems to be my best option.

You should be eating the amount recommended by surgeon or nutritionist. You don't want to feel full. Many of those foods are sliders. Be careful.I just thought my body would signal more. I don't know. Same goes with Protein shakes. No feeling of fullness. I have stuck mainly to eggs and cheese and protein shakes. Bc I know those hold more nutritional value and more protein than pudding or potatoes. He didn't give me a specific ounce per meal nor a calorie goal. He did give me protein goals and Fluid goals, obviously. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Your body won't send full signals until its too late. Protein shakes, yogurt, pudding are all foods that go quickly through your sleeve so you can usually eat more. My plan says 1-2 Oz's every 3 hours (eat over 20 mins or less). I don't know if that's the same as yours. That's only for food - not liquids. I would just be concerned of overeating and getting sick. You can really hurt yourself this early out. Congrats on your weight loss! Sent from my KFFOWI using the BariatricPal App

Woo hoo, My surgeon's office has submitted everything to BC/BS, and now I have about a week of waiting to find out if I am approved . I know the office does not see me having any problems with approval, but it is still nerve racking.:paranoid On a fun note, I went out this week and got some comfy jammie-type pants and tanks for post-op. My brother works at Old Navy which now carries what I affectionately call "Fat girl sizes" and I got a 25% discount off some stuff. I am so hoping all goes well with insurance and I will have my band by the end of September! I am going to start a partial liquid diet next week to get myself ready for 4 weeks of liquids only. :phanvan

My theory is that because we are on a low carb diet. Our bodies use up all the carbs which is the first line of fuel for aerobic exercise. So cardio is hard bc we run into a "wall" so much sooner than before when we had carb reserves in our bodies.

I get it. I'm still looking at 3 months of jumping through insurance hoops. Just keep thinking of the goal. Imagine yourself next summer! Every time I see someone I haven't seen in a while I wonder what I'll look like the next time they see me! 4 weeks is nothing compared to the amount of time you've probably spent being miserable bc of your weight. Concentrate on why you are doing this! Can't wait to hear your success stories in a month or two! Hang in there!

Soooo, just as I was beginning to feel hopeful I found out they cover it....but you have to be with the plan for at least 3 consecutive years. WTF? What a load of BS. What does it matter? I am paying $350 a month regardless. I just can't believe it. I am so disappointed. :(

Does anyone have the surgery codes for bc/bs? I have a friend who really needs them. Thanks! * I have UHC and have my codes... but I still need to lose about 75 more pounds before I consider those surgerys.

Hiya all, I'm so happy to be on the other side, finally sleeved 4.29. Im curious if my experience so far is within normal. My surgeon used staples to ensure patients would come to week follow up. I'm pretty sore, but just on the incision to the right on my abd. I'm wearing a binder but when I stand up it feels like my guts will come out. I still need full help standing up. I cant fully stand upright bc of pain. Every sip of room temp water makes my stomach clench and spasm. I've had a low grade temp today 99.5 with a massive headache. Food smells are toooo much. Tried to sip Gatorade zero and it was to sweet. Sipped a little warm bone broth, that seems to be ok. I also had a moment where I had all these thoughts about being a failure, having to cut out parts of me to stop eating. Got really down on myself. Please someone tell me this is all normal. And thank you for listening. This place has been wonderful for support and info. Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Quick mention, I was at WW onthe day after Christmas and down another 3 pounds. I hit my 10% and got my keychain too. Small milestones! Another 10 or so pounds and I will be lower than I have been in about 10 years!!!! Happy New Year to me! I cannot believe I am starting this year without the dread of another "diet" looming ahead. I don't have that major "last supper" mentality that I would normally have now in preparation for the diet that would inevitably start tomorrow (and fail by Tuesday). This is going to be an amazing year. This year I will become the healthiest I have been in a long time AND I will finish school. What could be better? I am very excited at my prospects this year. Sadly, I am couch bound this eventful night. I could not handle another get together and another food event that I would have to suffer through. I have had 5 of them in the past week and I havehad enough!!! I will say, I have done very well. Christmas Eve, I didn't eat a thing, Christmas day I had about a half cup of very runny mashed potatoes, Friday I had 2 crackers and my soup at my aunt's house saying I had a sore throat (again-I am sick of that lie!), then yesterday at Dad's. I had about 6 wheat thins over the course of the day with some cheese spread and totally skipped the dinner. It was tough especially since I have to be sneaky. I made up a plate and fed it to my husband like scraps to a dogand no one noticed. Hubby has no problem eating 2 meals anyway. haha. Today was a liquid day because I am feeling guilty for having the crackers. I have no problem at all eating them, since I chew them to nothing before swallowing, but I technically am not supposed to be eating them. I took my scar pic today. Since then I showered and my last bandage came off. I will take another pic later. I think the scars will heal well. The big incision looks a little pink and scary but otherwise I look like I have scratches. I am pleased. Off to ring in the new year with DH!

I've seen many people saying this has happened to them as well I had some difficulty as well seems like they are very slow in getting things rolling and staying organized my issue was get this that or the other test or records from any Drs u see etc and it seemed they never " received" faxes so I got really sick of the BS so I went to each dr got my records and asked for copy's all reports tests CDs of any X-rays ultrasounds etc anything I had to get done I never gave them the only copy's of anything always had my own copy's I also made sure I brought with me to hospital the day of surgery a copy of everything in case they said oh we don't have this or that and it actually happened they said I didn't take the correct dosage of blood thinners etc I said ughh yes I did here's my receipt here's a photo of the bottle where's the lab I'll go tested right now well they decided it wasn't necessary I swear I think they slow things down on purpose they either overbook or can't for some reason get their shit together I work with attorneys so I have some experience with BS and their lack of focus and organization also time management makes one wonder how they ever got a law degree lol