My first time on here :)

Melisa1 · July 23, 2008

Hello everyone...my Name is Melisa and im hopefully soon getting Lapband surgery:thumbup:. Ive been to my pcp and he gave me the thumbs up. I was so relieved that he thot the surgery was safe and the right decision. I am currently waiting for a packet from cottage hospital in Santa Barbara. I will then fill out everything and send it back. Then its the waiting game for the insurance. I have united healthcare ppo so hopefully no problems there. Im 5'3" and 235lbs so my bmi is over 40. I have no co morbiditys so hopefully thats not an issue. Anyways im very excited...cant wait. If anyone has any suggestions on insurance, or the surgery itself please talk...id love to hear. :biggrin2: Melisa

MsPiccolo · July 23, 2008

Hi Melisa - I just went to an info seminar last night in Thousand Oaks, CA with Dr. Billy which was a huge first step. I also have United HealthCare PPO so I would be interested to hear how it goes with getting approval. I'm 5'3, 244 so my BMI is OVER 40.

Melisa1 · July 23, 2008

Wow so you are on the same lines as me :smile:. Very nice to have someone to talk to! Yeah im pretty terrified of insurance! I already called and they cover 90% but getting approved is another thing. So we shall see! I should receive my packet from the hospital today, fill it out, and i call my insurance to ask them some specific questions. Then i send the packet back and go from there. I go to my seminar next wed eve at cottage. Im just hoping they do insurance stuff before they require me to loose the 5% before surgery. If i loose 5% of my body fat it would put me under 40 bmi and i wouldnt qualify for sure! But im sure the probably do insurance stuff before anything. Wish me luck and i will keep u posted :thumbup: Melisa

GaryB · July 23, 2008

Hi - I also have United Health Care (UHC) PPO in NJ. They were great. My band date is Aug. 15th. My Family doctor had to write a letter to UHC explaining that I tried many diets over the past 5 years without success and my BMI was 44. UHC approved within two weeks... good luck.

Melisa1 · July 23, 2008

:biggrin:Thank you sooo much for replying to me!! Every time i hear stuff like that in encourages me and makes me feel better. Yeah i dont really think i will have much of an issure but im still a little concerned at being right at 40+ and no co morbids. Do you have any other health issues? Being 100lbs overweight alone should be enough ive heard.?:thumbup:

MsPiccolo · July 23, 2008

I still need to call UHC to see if it will be covered with our plan. So far according to my benefits package it says that it will cover surgical treatment if morbidly obese. I honestly didn't know I was morbidly obese until recently which was a hard reality to face but hopefully that will help in getting the surgery approved.

I had my annual physical last month and went in with many complaints but the biggest was that I'm always tired no matter how much sleep I get. I did a sleep study and was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea. The reality of having to sleep with a mask connected to a machine for the rest of my life hit hard and I'm hoping that weight loss will be enough to get rid of my sleep apnea. I'm also having feet problems now, so much that I can't exercise. Other than that, I have great blood pressure and cholesterol.

Now that I've started to look into having the surgery, the fear of it not being covered by insurance has me holding my breath. Hang in there and keep us posted!

GaryB · July 23, 2008

I'm on cholesterol meds for about 2 yrs, but having a BMI of 40+ should qualify you with UHC. I have no other co morbids and want to keep it that way... keep us posted.