New to this/lots of questions!

[barkleigh 0]

Hi Everyone...

I'm new to this site. I'm seriously considering lapbanding...Have a few questions if anyone has time to talk to me, I would greatly appreciate it.:thumbup:

[annjones 3]

Hey there!

I posted the same thing when I first visited this site. Ask your questions and you will get a lot of answerings and advise. I found everyone here to be very helpful in making my decision. I have not for one moment regreted being banded.

[barkleigh 0]

Hey Ann, thanks so much for the quick reply. I hate to say this but my first question is the $ amount. My healthy is very important to me, but we all know with this economy, I need to be able to afford this. Know what I mean? Will my insurance pay for it? What is the criteria for most insurance companies? Do I investigate this myself or will the doc's office? Thanks--barkleigh

[barkleigh 0]

Hey Ann, thanks so much for the quick reply. I hate to say this but my first question is the $ amount. My health is very important to me, but we all know with this economy, I need to be able to afford this. Know what I mean? Will my insurance pay for it? What is the criteria for most insurance companies? Do I investigate this myself or will the doc's office? Thanks--barkleigh

[Jennyt71 0]

Hi!~

I know each person's insurance is different, but I had to pay up to my "maximum out of pocket" (which is $2000) and then the rest was covered by my insurance.

I came on here and asked a ton of questions and went to 2 seminars before deciding on the surgery and surgeon. I just got banded 1/22, but would be happy to help any way I can. :thumbup: My father was banded a few months before me and my coworker was banded 1 week before me (all the same surgeon)..so I've had a great support group here at home. My surgeon's staff has been wonderful too - they've answered a ton of questions from "what should I eat" to "is this pain normal" in the past few weeks!

[luv2ride 0]

You can call your insurance company and see if they cover any type of weight loss surgery. It will depend on what your employer has listed as to what is covered. I was self pay and my surgery was 17,500 which seems like a lot but when you think about it most people go out and pay anywhere from 10,000-20,000 for a car. I know I am going to have this body a lot longer than I will have any car and I want it to last me. I have lost 85 lbs. and would do it again in a heartbeat. Be absolutely sure this is what you want. It is a tool, not a quick fix and you will have to make some changes. I only know what I was doing before the surgery wasn't working for me. I was banded October 9, 2007 not everyone loses at the same rate, some slower than others. You measure your success in small goals. If you have any questions just ask. There are a lot of good people on here who will be happy to share their information. Good luck and keep us posted on your decision.

[DeborahRamirez 0]

Hello,

I am 44 year female and I am very interested in Lapband sergury, I have Kaiser and I would like to know what the procedure is for getting this done, if my Insurance will take care of it or if I am to pay in full or partial,.

I weight 277lbs, I am 5'7 and most of all my weight is in my tummy and arms, I am tired all the time, I have type II diabetes, high cholesteral, high blood pressure, sleeping problems, I am anemic, I was taking medications for all of this and I am also a tad bit depressed, I take 10 MG of Prozac to keep me balanced, I dont eat a lot, I have been on every diet you can possibly thinks of and its only worked for me for a short while, I am now frusterated and am ready to make a permanent change in my life..

will Kaiser cover this sergury, and how can I find out more.

Thank you

Deborah Ramirez

[DeborahRamirez 0]

Hello,

I am 44 year female and I am very interested in Lapband sergury, I have Kaiser and I would like to know what the procedure is for getting this done, if my Insurance will take care of it or if I am to pay in full or partial,.

I weight 277lbs, I am 5'7 and most of all my weight is in my tummy and arms, I am tired all the time, I have type II diabetes, high cholesteral, high blood pressure, sleeping problems, I am anemic, I was taking medications for all of this and I am also a tad bit depressed, I take 10 MG of Prozac to keep me balanced, I dont eat a lot, I have been on every diet you can possibly thinks of and its only worked for me for a short while, I am now frusterated and am ready to make a permanent change in my life..

will Kaiser cover this sergury, and how can I find out more.

Thank you

Deborah Ramirez

[barkleigh 0]

Hey.Thanks so much for the quick reply. I now will pursue the $ end on my part. So you're here in Houston...May I ask who did your surgery? or is this too personal...I don't want to be nosey by any means...I'm a little nervous about this. I have been doing some research. I checked my BMI and it was 35.5, however, I based it on the wt that I thought that I was. Went to Australia for two weeks, came home and weighed 4 lbs more..go figure. Such is my life....Is this procedure painful? Is it done on an outpatient basis? This risks? Someone said something about having a port? Do you know of ANYONE at all that has had any problems after surgery? I don't expect this to be my all time miracle wt loss method...I do believe that it will be a tool for life for me. I'm so tired of being this way, you know? I hate being photographed and being told in a dept store that MY SIZES are over there. So far, I'm just very appreciative of the help that I'm being given here. Thnx.(my online name is under barkleigh, simply because Kim was already taken!)

[patrickgd 0]

My insurance "Aetna" will be covering 90%. They required me to do a physician supervised diet for 6 months, fax my med. records from the past 3-5 years. Have my primary care physician write a letter stating that I would be a good candidate which contains all co-morbid conditions, see a nutritionist and a pschologist. All this took about 8 months to get completed. I was accepted to be covered and will be having my surgery on March 4th. I am so exicited!

[barkleigh 0]

Hey thanks again for the $ info Patrick. I appreciate it...still would like to know a little bit more about the surgery....

[annjones 3]

As you have heard every insurance and policy are different. Call your insurance and ask, I'd emphasis overweight and health reasons. My doc's staff took care of filing and stuff. I have Tricare and only paid a small co pay and once surgery was done and that bill was submitted, I paid like 2700.00 and now my catastrophy cap is met and I have no co pay for the rest of the year.

As with any surgery there is some pain and discomfort but mine wasn't bad. For me the port is no big deal. It is there and it's kinda nice to know it is there to help keep me healthy. But then I went through cancer treatments and had a port back in 2000.

My suggestions to you is read, read, research, ask questions, go to support groups, and educate yourself with all aspects of weight loss surgery. Your doctor's office can give you alot of suggestions and information. This web site has been invaluable to me along with obesityhelp.com (I actually found my doctor and his stats and some of his other patients there)

Good Luck on your journey

[barkleigh 0]

Thanks Ann...Yes, I do have questions like anyone who may be considering this procedure. I am very interested in talking to anyone is Houston who has had this surgery.

I do believe, that first and foremost, I should make an app. with a surgeon and go directly to the source for most of my answers, however, the doctor, more than likely, has never had this procedure done. It's kind of like (for me) going to a male ob/gyn. Doesn't have a clue about what I am "really" feeling...Anyway, I am hoping to hear from someone from Houston. Thanks Best Ever Barkleigh

[Jennyt71 0]

Thanks Ann...Yes, I do have questions like anyone who may be considering this procedure. I am very interested in talking to anyone is Houston who has had this surgery.

I do believe, that first and foremost, I should make an app. with a surgeon and go directly to the source for most of my answers, however, the doctor, more than likely, has never had this procedure done. It's kind of like (for me) going to a male ob/gyn. Doesn't have a clue about what I am "really" feeling...Anyway, I am hoping to hear from someone from Houston. Thanks Best Ever Barkleigh

Yep - Im here in Houston! I went to Houston Surgical Specialists (Dr. Marvin). I knew 2 others that had surgery with Dr. Marvin and all 3 of us are doing great. He does seminars through University General Hospital and Methodist Hospital (where I had mine done). There are several nurses and staff members at the seminar who have had the band and/or bypass to answer questions too. His staff has been extremely helpful and they're always willing to answer questions.

For my surgery, I went in at 630a and was home by 5pm. I was walking around and doing fine that night. The next 2 days I had shoulder pain from gas, but that was it. I only took the pain medicine a couple of times. My surgery was on a Thursday and I was back at work the next Tuesday (I have a desk job with little to no lifting).

I have never had surgery before, so I was extremely nervous - but everything went very smoothly for me. My coworker had the surgery a week before me and so I was able to watch her go through the process and was with her at the hospital when she had hers done. She went in at 6am and was up and running around at 2pm - ready to go home! I have had no port pain or pain at my incisions either, and I'm about 6 weeks out from surgery.

I posted my surgery story here on the forum, others' stories are also very entertaining! There's a sticky subject - I think its under Post-surgery or General-surgery topic.?

Let me know if you have any other questions - you can PM me if you dont want to post the questions here. I've had a great experience with the band & my surgeon and would do it all over again in a second!

Jenny

[barkleigh 0]

Hey Jenny...thanks...Dr. Marvin? Downtown houston? Methodist downtown? not willowbrook methodist?

I just called my insurance co to see what the criteria is in order for them to pay for it. Morbidly obese, they say..My bmi is 36.9. Sadly enough, money is a big factor in this decision making. I've had a couple of surgeries so no problem there. I had my gallbladder removed (lap) and 2.5 yrs ago I had cx, so I had to have a total hysterectomy...so been there...done that and that was painful after the surgery. What is the purpose of the port? How often do you go back to see the doc? Did you have to be evaluated by a psych and nutritionist? May I ask the cost? look forward to talking to you again...should I just email you directly? thnx...barkleigh (kim)