Debora Anne

I am from TX TOO~ Banded June 8th best thing I ever did - feeling awesome

Totally inacceptable - I was self pay as well and had a hyneria repair and this did not happen to me

I was banded 5/18 as a self pay and had my procedure done in a surgery center. I paid the surgery center $8,500.00 and my surgeon $6,800 before the surgery as my band wasn't covered because I am low BMI. Today I received from my insurance company an explanation of benefits stating they have been billed for "supplies" at the rate of $9,500.00 from the surgery center. I then called the surgery center to ask what this charge was for? I was told that since I had a hiatal hernia repair (which I didn't even know I had until my post op check up) that they billed my insurance for that and I will be getting a separate bill from my surgeon for his part to repair it. I understand the part about my surgeon being paid to repair it, but how could the surgery center possibly rack up $9,500 in supplies for a 2 stitch repair? I am livid!! They are double dipping. I already paid to be operated on with anesthesia included and they billed my insurance company for a whole other surgery and expect me to pay the $1.532.00 of unpaid ins. deductible plus a $1500, co pay! I told them that this is a scam and double dipping and flat out insurance fraud. I told them I wanted a detailed list of "supplies" and was told that they bill globally for a procedure and don't count up each bandaid used. I am awaiting a call from their administration and flat out refuse to pay them for a whole other surgery! Unfortunately my insurance has already paid them their portion to the tune of $3,900. I intend to fight this all the way and let a judge decide if need be. This is the reason healthcare is so expensive. These kind of people bill and overbill as much as possible and get away with it. I also, plan to talk to my insurance company today to dispute this claim and hopefully they will investigate them. Sorry for the vent, but I cannot believe the greed in this situation.:thumbup:

Hey there - your day is gettign closer I had surgery June 8th and let me tell you I feel awesome~ I was on my stationary bike Day 5- had only a few days of the uncomfortable gas (only lasted a couple of hours thru out each day) I am now on Mushies so far so good - As long as I have Protein as main source of meal I get full and remain full. Love my new band~

So we're three weeks into June - how is everyone doing who had surgery at the beginning of the month?

My surgery is June 29 - so I don't have any post-op words of wisdom just yet.

I just had my surgery June 8th - I set my goal's to what I think are attainable For example my first goal is to lose 25lbs from Surgery date to July 4th-- I go on vacation Aug 4th so will set another small goal for then (of course I will wait to see where I am at July 4tgh before I set the Aug 1 goal--

I have not had a goal set for me by my primary care doc or my surgeon. Weight charts show 174 as the highest for my height which is 5'10" but I don't see that as a realistic goal for myself at this point. (Weight on surgery day last Thursday was 300.2.)

Any advice on setting goals? I know WW starts babystepping you towards your goal weight at 5% so I was thinking maybe I'd try that route. Small goals that won't take so long to attain will encourage me for sure. But how do I establish a long term goal?

Good for you! Congrats As a 50 year old woamn who has been overweight all her life I LOVE MY NEW LAPBAND~~ YOU WILL TOO

Hi Everyone !

Well, I finally made it. Made it to the approval stage from my insurance that is - yippee ! Received my letter from the insurance company yesterday. Nice to see APPROVED in print.

It's been a haul thus far starting with my PCP, the orientation session, sleep study, stress test, heart echo (x3) - thank goodness all was eventually good and the nutritionist. Now, I'm ready to start the pre-op diet (in 2 weeks) and then onto surgery on 7/21. Can't wait to get to my new life.

I've been reading LBT since my initial appt with my PCP - you've all been so helpful and now I'm ready to join in. I've been overweight my entire life and at age 47 - I simply must make the changes necessary to go another 47 years.

Thanks for having me !

DITTO - he sounds liek an ass

What do we think????? I can't speak for everyone but personally.....I THINK YOUR DOCTOR IS AN ASS!!!!! It's your body and your band and you should know absolutely everything you can about it! It's his responsibility to educate you so you can be as successful as possible.

I am short 5'2 and stubby so I would definitey not fit in a 14 like you tall ladies for a while

I was banded June 8th and do not feel any soreness anymore I had some pain on the right side under breast but it too has gone away

Hello all,

I was banded on the 8th and I have a wierd soreness in my stomach like rt where the band is. Its more of an internal soreness. Is this wierd or common. Has anyone else experience this with banding.

That does suck Just an FYI - If you go to SPARKSPEOPLE.COM - You can add food items and it will assist with calculating calories etc.

Last night my husband wanted to go out for Father's Day, so we headed to TGI Fridays. I scanned the menu and chose the Mediterranean Skewers appetizer for my meal:

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So it arrives at the table and it's 3 triangles of pita bread, 6 bite-sized pieces of steak, dipping sauce, and about 1/2 cup of coleslaw. Perfect. I eat it, pita and all (mmm) and figure I'll go home and add it to my food tracker for the day. But here's the kicker. TGI Fridays doesn't publish their nutritional information! Grrr! The only thing I have to go on is the little "healthy" sign next to the meal on the menu (yeah right) that means the product is less than 750 calories.

Just venting here! I know that in the US restaurants aren't required to make their nutritional info public, but I'm amazed that a company would choose not to. It's like the blind leading the fat...

Good luck to you~ I also have a super supportive hubby- and it certainly helps~ You will be amazed at how quickly you start recovering from the surgery - SO GLAD I DID IT! June 8th is my new birthday

Hello,

My surgery is on Thursday 6/23/11. I'm on my 10th day of pre op diet... Its not as hard as I thought it was going to be because this is what I want more than anything! I hope I can hang on to that feeling during my journey! I weigh 229 lbs now, I've lost 6 lbs during the pre op.... I want to lose 75 or more lbs...... I'm, for the most part healthy.... However... I've seen my blood sugars rising and my blood pressure going up up up.... I know the road I will be on if I don't do this NOW.... My kids are grown and gone.... I'm with a man that loves me as is..... So this is all for me.... All about me and my health and my body and how I see myself in the mirror.......... Wish me luck and thanks for a place to share!!!

I was On Protein Shakes and liquids from day of Surgery - now on mushies .I quess every doctor is different -

My doctor suggested drinking them from the beginning.

Welcome and good luck with your journey

HI! I have been lurking and reading LOTS on this board and am SO happy to have found it! I am currently starting my path to getting lap band and really love all of the info that I am absorbing here. I do have family and friends who have had successful lab band placement and had pretty much decided this is the path for me, but I have learned so much more from reading things here than I would have even thought to ask before reading. Anyway, just wanted to say hi and I look forward to "meeting" more of you and getting involved in the forum!

Do you excercise and also how much Protein are you consuming in a day?

I have been banded for 6 mos. I have lost 15 pounds since surgery. I have had 3 fill since surgery. Why am I only losing inches and not pounds? Has this happened to anyone else? Is there a reason for it? I have gone down 2 pant sizes but I can't move the scale??

This is my typical day:

Can't eat anything in the AM...too tight

Hot tea

12:00-1:00 Greek yogurt with high Protein granola

5:00 dinner with family....chicken, ground turkey....no Pasta or bread

8:00 snack...Mertz cheese and wheat thins

Usually some kind of chocolate during the day=1 handful of choco chips or glass choco milk

Suggestions??

Good luck with the Insurance

Hi, I'm new from Southern California on the Desert.

I'm in the process of waiting for insurance to approve my surgery so I am in the waiting game right now. I get a little worried if they will approve it but I do hope so because I do have diabeties and now found I have a mild case of sleep apnea from my sleep study but I am 100 pounds over what the Metlife weight charts say I should be. I have been waiting since beginning of March so I am hoping that this journey won't take much longer I am really excited to having a new life.

Congrats to you!

Neither of you are failures BAD choice of words. You are just having a plataeu I would think you should both see your nutrionalist to discuss how you may change things uop to have better weight loss. Remmeber you need to burn more calories each week than you consume. Protein is your freind ..gives you energy and keeps you full longer. Carbs all day like Pasta will be your enemy they turn into sugar as well. Maybe if you start fresh and do Protein Shakes and liquids fr a couple of days it will help you get back on track. You may need to have another fill or a decrease in fill to help reach your green zone. I am no expert by any means (just banded myself) but hope this helps. Keep your chin up and know you have support and can do this

I love your Blog and just went to your website and saved it to my favorites TONS of fantastic information thank you for sharing I am just starting in mushies

Thanks everyone! It's been a really amazing journey. If you're interested in reading more about my weight-loss/gastric band journey, visit my blog at www.phoenixrevolution.net. I also have a lot of information on my blog (link at the top of the page) about the surgery, what to expect, how it works, common questions, etc. I hope it is helpful to people that are considering the surgery!

I just went today to my post appointment 7days since surgery and was told I can go in my pool ...but not beach or lake Water yet ...

Soooooooooo, I'm getting banded on July 1 and was wondering how long I will need to stay out of my pool. Has anyone asked this yet? My Dr. said welllllll, maybe 7-10 days, depending on how you heal. I don't mean swimming laps, I mean hanging out, LOL. I'm a teacher so I will be home for the summer and I have a 7 year old who loves to swim. I'm hoping I heal up quiclky!

The AKC is where we found both of our yellow labs 500.00 each and worth every penny

I'm sorry but cheap or free dogs are not something to look for. Dogs take a lot of money to care for and if you can't pay for the dog, you might want to reconsider getting one (things come up...annual vet visits are normal but anything can happen and I'm sure you'd want to be able to pay to keep your dog happy and healthy).

With that said, if you're looking for a purebred shepard that is not the price a major breeder would charge - consider looking at AKC's website and you'll find rescue groups for purebred dogs. Search anywhere online and I'm sure you can find a shepard rescue group. Rescues will charge a fee based on the dog (the more adoptable, the higher the price...so a german shepard puppy in good health could go from $300-500), a young adult might be closer to $150-300 and a sickly dog or a senior dog is likely to be free or cheap. If you are serious about that breed, I highly recommend looking into the rescues that focus on the breed you like and I'm sure you can find one that really needs a good home.

(Sorry if that seemed like a lecture...I'm a major advocate for responsible pet ownership and feel some people don't realize what a responsibility a dog is. If you have any questions or want help in finding more information, I'd be more than happy to try and help)

Good for you! CONGRATS You are going to love it

That is such a sweet thing to do - you sound like a very neat person

Hello Kristi,

Thank you first of all for responding. Sounds like we are both about to begin our journey to a healthier weight. Thank you for the pep talk I think I really needed that. I begin my liquid diet tomorrow and like you have said it sounds not so much fun but worth it in the long run. If you don't mind I would love to say a little prayer for you on Monday morning and a wish of better health and future sucess!! Also I would love to keep in touch and see your progress. I have been reading alot of post from here and it seems like an amazing resource that might be what keeps us going. Good luck to you on your journey.

Teresa

Hi there I was banded June 8th GO June bandsters~ You will start feeling great very shortly

Hi eveyone!!! Just introducing myself. I'm Jamie, 33 years old and I was banded on June 10th. So far, it's going ok. I'm in a lot more pain then i thought i would be. My abdominal wall is killing me =-) other than that doing ok with the diet, actually i don't think i'm gettng enough in, still pretty swollen. Looking forward to my journey and to meeting new Banded friends.

I quit smoking just a few weeks after surgery and alas I was afraid to take my Chantix, so didn't (nauseau if taken with no food) so I caved However next week I can start on mushies and will start the Chantix program again.... Lordy story of my life lose weight quit smoking over and over aghain...wish there was a band for smoking

hello smokers, was wondering if there where any out there......lol, i am completely convinced it is the loritab, i have to take it every so often for kidney stones and when i do the first thing i think of is who has a smoke, had to quit for the surgery actualy stopped approx 6 months before, and after surgery and liquid loritab, somewhere in my head i was thinking one would'nt hurt me, plus i sooooooo deserved it.... not like it has any calories in it............hummmmm so now here i am 2 months later getting my chantex refilled. GOOD LUCK TO ALL! I know it can be hard but i truely think the loritab makes it harder.

Had my surgery June 8th - liguid diet is not so bad just have to get past the first couple of days and then much easier. I am on "sliders now- bso if it can fit thru a straw I can have it. You will be so happy when you do the banding! After 1.5 days of sleeping started feeling good~ Day 5 sarted riding my excercise bike again I LOVE THIS JOURNEY AND YOU WILL TOO~

Hi everyone am so happy my surgery will be June 1st am a little nervous but very happy cause this will be a new beginning to my life!!

CONGRATS!!! It will be well worth the frustrating wait! When is surgery - I was banded June 8th AND FEEL GREAT~