Any Loyola Lap band patients

[dancing 0]

Wanted to share info with any Loyola Lapp banding patients. My surgery was 10/4/06 with Dr Sharker. i am eager to meet people that want to help each other with ideas? Thanks and eager to here from you. Jules

[judymarie 0]

Hi what was it like with Dr Sarker and was the surgery ok? Can you tell me if you had any problems did your surgery do well?

judymarie

[judymarie 0]

dancing hi this is judymarie I really like to talk to you about your surgery

can you e-mail me at judymariecool@comcast.net.

thanks

[marie715 0]

Hi Dancing and JudyMarie. I am a patient with Dr. Sarker. I am going through all of the preop's and feel like I won't be ready to even submit the forms to my insurance until sometime in the Fall. It takes so long to book an appointment and then after each appointment there is some type of follow up. I would be very interested in email with you both. I am interested in your opinions on post-op support by Dr. Sarker and Loyola in general.

Thanks,

Marie

[dperson 0]

I AM GOING THRU THE TESTING PROCESS NOW. I AM SEEING DR. SARKER. CAN YOU EMAIL ME ANY INFO ON HER OR YOUR EXPERIENCE?dcutipie@aol.com

[amichelle 0]

Dr. Sarker placed my lap-band almost a year ago (8/2/07). I've had ups and downs-- most of them had to do with me changing my mindset-- but I am so glad I did it. I'm down 75 pounds, and recently, my BMI changed from obese to overweight. I've never been happier to be overweight! I'm about 30 pounds from goal. The closer I get to goal, the harder it gets!

Anyway, I was happy with Loyola, and continue to be a patient there for reasons other than the lap-band. Wait, does that make it sound like I'm sick? No, I just see a dermatologist, ob/gyn, family doctor, etc. Also, on the rare occasion I had difficulty-- my own fault I took a regular sized Vitamin and it got stuck!-- she was very responsive.

Let me know what questions you may have!

[time2Bthin 0]

Hi, This is my first post to the forum... I am just finishing up all my testing and getting it in order to submit to the insurance. My surgeon is Dr. Sarker too... and I have BCBS IL HMO... Have you been approved yet? I am worried because I have not lost weight on my own. Could the insurance deny me because of this? I have been working on this for 12 months!!!

[marie715 0]

Hi, This is my first post to the forum... I am just finishing up all my testing and getting it in order to submit to the insurance. My surgeon is Dr. Sarker too... and I have BCBS IL HMO... Have you been approved yet? I am worried because I have not lost weight on my own. Could the insurance deny me because of this? I have been working on this for 12 months!!!

Hi, you and I are at about the same place. We were ready to submit my info to BCBS IL HMO on August 1st and then noticed that the psych eval results were never given to Dr. Sarker. That was donen on April 22nd! I called the psych eval 'dr.' on August 1st, She returned my call on August 5th and said she would have the results to Dr. Sarker on the 6th or 7th. I was (and still am) angry. I told her that she is holding up my insurance request. As of Friday, August 8th - no results sent to Dr. Sarker yet. I will call her again today but this makes me so mad. I have been going through this process since March. I have not lost any weight on my own, either so I am scared that the insurance will make me do a 6 month supervised diet. I'll post again once I hear back from BCBS HMO of IL. Please do the same. I like to stay in touch with other Dr. Sarker patients. Good luck.

Marie715

[time2Bthin 0]

Hey Marie...

Thanks so much for your reply.... I just registered and you are my 1st reply!! So fast too... This is great!!! Sorry to hear about the hold up for you with the psych eval... I just had my last test, the sleep study this past Thursday night, as soon as that comes in everything can be submitted. I have had to do a supervised diet for the last 12 months!! Started this last September... But, my weight has just gone up and down all year. My total loss has been about 8-9 lbs... I am so afraid that the insurance will deny me because of this. I was told that they wanted 10% weight off before they would approve... That would mean about 24lbs.!!! Well good luck to you too and I would love to keep in touch with you too... I don't know too much about Dr. Sarker as well. I was told I had to go to her because she was with my insurance group.... Sure hope she is good!!

[marie715 0]

Hi again,

I got my surgery date for Sept.4th with Dr. Sarker. I've been emailing other lapbandtalk posters who have contacted me. I hope I haven't already emailed you. I found out last Thurs. and was really kind of shocked. Dr. Sarker's insurance woman, Marva, (I now call her Marvelous Marva), said that HMO of Illinois immediately approved my request. She attributed it to me using all of the doctors within my plan. Once they saw that I was working only within my doctor's they approved it. And get this - Without a 6 month diet!! Yeah!! Marva said that she always tells patients that if you want this surgery the best insurance to have is HMO of Illinois. She said regular Blue Cross/ Blue Shield has tons of requirements.

Anyways, please write back and let me know what is going on with you. I'll write more later, too.

Regards,

Marie

[Slim2bnik 0]

Hi!

I'm going to have my lap band done by Dr. Sarker too! Provided I can get approved by my insurance. My coverage switched from a regular plan to COBRA. I was told by BCBS IL PPO I should know something this week. Everyone please say a prayer, cross your fingers, legs and eyes for me....LOL:tongue_smilie:

~Nik

[time2Bthin 0]

Hi There, Congratulations on your date of Sept. 4th!!! It sounds like once you submitted everything to the insurance you were approved pretty quick... I can't remember... are you a BCBS HMO IL? So it sounds like the insurance did not have a problem with you not losing weight on your own? I was told that I failed my sleep Study so I have another appt with the dr. this Friday, 8/29... Everything else is done... But I am soooo nervous because I have not lost anything on my own... I wish I was where you are right now!!! You are so lucky to have your date set.. Did they put you on a presurgery diet? Fill me in and let me know what I am in store for... Thx, Time2BeThin

[Slim2bnik 0]

Time2Bthin,

I had to do a 6 mo med supervsd diet, and I didn't loose ANY weight...in fact I gained about 6lbs. The nut. did say that they wanted me to loose weight before the surgery. I've been slacking lately. Not because I don't want to, I have this horrible addiction to fast food.:w00t: Over the weekend I started a pre, pre-op diet to drop some weight. I do 2 Meal Replacements and then a healthy dinner, plus fruit or Cereal bars for Snacks. Also, I was diagnosed with sleep apena, and had to do a second sleep study. At the 2nd study I had to sleep with a CPAP. The dr. then Rx'd a CPAP for home. The CPAP is NOT my friend...LOL. Good luck to you on your journey!

[time2Bthin 0]

Hey Slim2bnik,

Good luck to you with your approval... Keep us all posted... We are all getting close to being banded... Take care, Time2bthin

[time2Bthin 0]

Hey Marie715,

Way to go!!! Sept. 4th here you come!! Good luck to you, Time2Bthin