N E 1 been Banded at Mt. Carmel col, oh

[nurse niki 0]

Hello Ladies! I feel like I already know you (I have read all the posts on this thread) so I thought I would fill you in on me!

I am a 30 year old proud mamma of two, married to my college sweet heart, who has gained 100+ lbs since falling in love (1999). I have tried EVERYTHING to do this on my own, and feel like the band is my last chance at saving my life. I have a terrible family history of cardiac problems, and I owe it to my babies to get myself together. My husband has been some what supportive of me getting banded, but he look at me with love-goggles and doesn't see how dangerous it can be.

This is my second attempt at getting my insurance company to pay for the band. Last Nov. (06) during open enrollment I called my husbands insurance company to see if they cover WLS, and 5 different calls to 5 different people said they did. I was so excited. I quickly jumped thru the hoops with my psych, nutrition and letter from my PCP. I met with Dr Choban and loved her! She said I was a great canidate with my BMI and age I should do great...They sent the paperwork in and they denied me. They person said it was an exclusion to the policy. I was heart broken. I called them back to see how this could have happend, and the girl I talked to said it was a mistake...I did have coverage! They said they would resend it again. Two days later I called and talk to someone who said the 6 people I had talk to that said it was covered, were not looking at the right info, and that it WAS and exclusion.

I was devisated! I ate my way to 310lbs. Here I am a year later, trying again with my own insurance. I am doing another 6 month diet history with my PCP, and in Jan. 08 I plan to submitt it again. I hope they don't make me do another psych and nutrition eval, but I am willing if I have to. This is my last shot at it....Heck, I work at Mount Carmel, you would think they would understand why I need it so badly!

Well, Now that I caught you up on me, (are you still awake?), I look forward to joining in on your forum to help support each other on this journey!

thanks guys!

[debbiek1 0]

hello, niki--welcome.

when i went to have my initial lab work done at mt carmel the lab technician pulled up her shirt and showed me her port! maybe she used her husbands insurance--dont know. but if not, then mt carmels health plan should cover the band.

that is just plain wrong what that insurance company did to you last year!!!! have you gone to some of the insurance help forums on this site? but hopefully, this year will be different.

also it would seem like such a waste of time for them to make you go thru all that psych eval and other testing again.

you are so young--you cant have much wrong with you.

IMO you are making the right decision. you could diet and beat yourself up for the next 20 years trying to lose and keep that weight off and end up only being 350 pounds. believe me i know. when i was 30 i probably weighed 195-200. at 57 i topped out at 300. that was 20 years of postponing my life until i lost weight. you know--"i'll do that after i lose weight" or "i'll wear that when..." sometimes i would lose it but only to gain back more.

you will enjoy doing a lot more with those kids after you slim down.

and THank God for those Love Goggles!!! everyone should have a pair and a spare!!!

first time today during the news, i saw an ad for mt carmels bariatric program. saw dr choban, the nutritionist (she is very pretty and thin) and the nurse.

[Thinner me 1]

Hey Niki.....:wave: Welcome and make your self at home here!! I really love this little group of girls. It is such a shame you went through what you did with your insurance company. I would have been heart sick. I hope everything works out for you this year.

If you are praying people, please pray for my DH. He had a colonoscopy this morning and they found a mass 3cm long. The dr said she tried to remove it, but not sure that she got it all. We will hear back from pathology no later than next Thur. The scary thing is his mother passed when she was 39 from colon cancer and his older brother had malignant polyps removed 3 yrs ago. I have been on him for 3 years to have another scope done, but he always said he didn't have time (he has 5 weeks vacation every year!) Now we wait and trust that God has this in control.

I am finally starting to lose the "steroid" weight. I topped out at 290 the last time I had a weigh in with my PCP. I am now at 272.5. I really wanted to be about 225 when we went on our cruise in Feb. Don't see that happening, but at least I'm not 290 either I guess. I guess thats why I need the band so badly, I can't do this on my own, God knows I have tried.

I am working out everyday with bands that I got in physical therapy. Has anyone tried these? I love them, they give you restriction without the pain of lifting weights. I hope that will help me drop a few more lbs by Feb. Then when I get back there should be news from my insurance company and a surgery date. I keep thinking.... Ok, Christmas, New Years, Mid Jan. is girls only night at my dsl. (old 80's movies, popcorn, pizza), then we leave Jan. 31st for the cruise and when we return the 12th someone should know something. If I have days to mark off it doesn't seem as long for some reason.

:omg: Alright I have written a book!

I hope you all have a blessed day!

[suecasb 0]

Hi Niki,welcome to our little group.

TM, I'm praying for your dh... I understand him procrastinating, I should have had another test 2 years ago and I have put it off because I HATE DRINKING ALL OF THAT NASTY STUFF THE NIGHT BEFORE!!

I am still waiting to hear from my Insurance Co.

[SpecialK 22]

Hi there to Nurse Niki! I was just at Mt. Carmel today having my cardiac stress test as one of my clearances I have to complete to get my insurance approval for my lap band surgery.

Wow - I'd give Melissa Webb a call and talk with her since she is Mt. Carmel's Bariatric program coordinator and see if there is anything she can do to help you along. I hope Mt. Carmel will be supportive. They've recently begun running TV ads on the Mt. Carmel Bariatric program on TV.

I have to say a nice Thank You to all the techs in the nuclear Medicine group - they were super nice to me today. I was a little nervous going in and the time when they inject the chemical stuff is a little scary for 5 minutes but they were great at reassuring me and before I knew it, it was over.

Keep us posted on your progress with insurance approvals and clearances. Maybe you and I will end up in the same band month group!

Kathy

[SpecialK 22]

Angie, Yes I will pray for your husband's polyp biopsy to come back negative. I had a colonoscopy for the first time earlier this year and they found 2 small polyps and they were okay but they said I have to have a repeat at 1 year instead of going 5 years like alot of people do. Hearing your witness here, makes me glad to know I should get a second one done to stay on top of this. God Bless You!

[debbiek1 0]

Angie--my prayers are with you and your husband. The best Christmas present for you will be clean results.

Did everyone spend the day inside like i did? Actually, it was kind of nice to stay in and get a some cleaning done.

one thing i did was plug my treadmill in. it hasnt been turned on in two years. I didnt get on it--but at least i got it plugged in and it still works!!! i havent gotten any exercise for a couple months. the time just flies. that may be one of the reasons my weight loss has slowed.

[Thinner me 1]

Good Morning Girls! Thank you so much for your kind words. We see the dr. Thursday and find out the good news ( I refuse to believe anything else). I will keep you all posted.

I am doing pretty good as far as diet goes..... I was 269.5 yesterday morning. Thats 17 lbs. I'm pretty happy with that.

I am headed out the door for a trip to my family doctor (monthly weigh in), then alittle shopping with my mom and sister. I hope you all have a very blessed day.

[SpecialK 22]

Hi girls. I did my initial nutritionist appointment today at Mt. Carmel so that's one more item off my checklist. I have an echocardiogram scheduled for Thursday to finish my cardiology clearance. The psych test is supposed to be this Friday but we're still finding out if my medical insurance will now cover the test because its their requirement for surgery clearance or if I'm going to have to pay for that psych test out of my pocket. If so, I'll put that into January so I can try to get my health care flexible spending dollars to help cover that to help a little.

[SpecialK 22]

Some eating questions for those of you who are banded already - the nutrionist mentioned these items as ones not recommended for eating that weren't things I'd seen any other postings about people having trouble with those after they got past the initial 4-6 weeks. Interested if you've had trouble or have given up these completely?

Broccoli

pineapple

Celery

Raisins (or any dried fruit)

marshmallows

If you have others to contribute plus comment on these, feel free.

[debbiek1 0]

i havent eaten any broccoli, pineapple or celery since having the surgery. but i have been tempted to eat some well cooked broccoli. i think if you eat it raw it could be a problem but if you cook it till it is limp i bet it would be okay.

i have eaten some raisins. they are one of my favorite foods.

i put them in my oatmeal, so they are soft and mushy. but i have also eaten a handful uncooked on occasion and have no problem.

i have not tried popcorn--another of my favorite foods.

Havent had any marshmallows.

have eaten bread on occasion--but mix it with other foods.

have not had steak. but i am going to try and eat some prime rib over the weekend. i am planning on eating it along with mashed potatoes. i figure if i dont eat too much of it and chew it real good and intersperse it with mashed potatoes that it should go down.

i really have not had a problem with anything going down if i mix it with other foods. i can see where if i ate a great big piece of steak all alone that it could be a problem.

Angie--i hope your news today was good

hope every one has a merry christmas.

talk to you all later.

[SpecialK 22]

I completed my echocardiogram yesterday. Was a little surprised to have a young male technician to have to do it, kind of like having a male technician for a mammogram but I just kept repeating to myself (silently!) he's a medical professional, you can do this! Yep, over and done with in about 25-30 minutes.

I talked with my psych consult doctor and that appointment had to get rescheduled to mid-January because we're having trouble finding out if insurance will cover it. I just said the heck with it, we'll schedule it for that date and if I end up paying out of pocket for the test, that's what I'll have to do. Wish me luck and say a prayer I can get an Aetna approval pre-cert for the psych testing that they themselves require for the surgery to be performed.

I also found out that there is an Aetna provider for dietician's that works with Mt. Carmel West hospital patients and she was super to talk with. She said she'd call the bariatric coordinator to find out exactly how many appointments I needed to do and what needed to be documented to be sure I got the diet counseling clearance check off I needed. Super nice! I'm looking forward to meeting her. I found out Michelle from Mt. Carmel that does all the other bariatric program nutrition work doesn't do appointments to help complete insurance clearances because she has so many hospital program patients to do just pre-op and post-op counseling and support group with. Sounds logical and she offered to refer me to someone but I thought I'd better just check the In-Network list of nutrionists on Aetna's list to have the most success at them paying for that.

I'm a jumping hoops as fast as I can. There is a chance now I'm finding out that if I do 3 Nutrition appointments including the 1 already done with Michelle, that if I do one in January and one in February, they can submit for insurance approval.

Instead of thinking I might be a May/June band surgery date it could be March. That's exciting to consider.

[Thinner me 1]

Morning Girls.

Well, We didn't get great news yesterday. The dr. said the "offical diagnosis" is rectal cancer. Though the good news is she is positive she got it all, and said that we got there just in the nick of time. We are going to see an oncologist at the James and see what their suggested route of treatment is. Could be radiation, chemo, a combo of radiation and chemo, or nothing at all except regular screanings.

I HATE that word cancer! I'm 5 years out from a high grade sarcoma..... my dad passed away 3 yrs ago Dec. 10 from brain cancer, then my dads brother AND sister both passed 10 months later in Oct. of lung cancer. Our family has been through the wringer with this, and I am so tired of it. I will never forget how sick I was from the chemo. I would check into the James on Monday and they would start a 96 hour drip of chemo. I would be released on Friday evening and would spend the next 2 weeks so sick I couldn't even dress myself. Then if I were lucky, I would have a week where I could actually sit in the living room and watch tv, only to start all over again the 4th week. This went on for the longest year of my life. At one point I told my mom that the chemo was going to kill me before the cancer ever had a chance. I wouldn't wish that experience on my very worst enemy, let alone the person I love most in this world.

I have a very strong faith in God and believe that he wont put more on us then we can take, but I am begining to wonder just how strong he thinks I am!

I dont want to sound so defeated, and I truely know in my heart of hearts that its all gonna be fine. I just needed somewhere to vent these feelings, with out Bruce being able to hear.

I am so thankful for your prayers, it means so much.

[suecasb 0]

TM...., my heart goes out to you.:hug: You and your dh will both be in my thoughts and prayers. 3 years ago my dh had some severe health problems,( ruptured aorta,strokes) spent a month in ICU then 3 months in a nursing home for rehab. I was told in the beginning that if he lived he would most likely be in a vegetative state so not to expect more.... My dh just now walked into the room and told me that he is going to town to put gas in his truck and get the mail! Outside of a speech problem he is doing fine! I remember how scared I was when he was going through all of that and I thought I might lose him, but I still needed to keep up a brave front for the family, and life still needed to go on. It all felt like a bad dream and I could only cry when I was alone. Wow... that all came back sooo clear and now I am bawling like a baby. I am so lucky to still have him. Sorry, didn't mean to make this about me!!! Just want you to know that I know what you are going through and will be here for you. Have faith that everything will be ok.:hug:

[SpecialK 22]

I raised your family in prayer as I read your posting today. Our God is an Awesome and Powerful God, the mighty Healer. God Bless you and your husband.