Alexandra

Did you have insurance prior to being picked up by this current company? If you had continuous coverage, your new carrier CANNOT exclude anything as a pre-existing condition. What are the circumstances of your starting coverage with BCBS (new job, loss of job, individual coverage, etc.)?

There's always a lot of talk about emotional eating. I've tried many times over the years to identify the moods that spur me to overeat, but they are all over the map. So much so, that I really believe they're not connected in any meaningful way. So, what IS my trigger to overeat? The only constant emotion or thought that I can associate with urges to eat is a feeling of entitlement. Other people are having whatever it is, so I can too, right? Other people are enjoying the birthday pizza, the wedding banquet, the dessert, the office Cookies, the samples at the farmer's market, the popcorn at the movies, so OF COURSE I CAN TOO. Well, the fact of the matter is that nature has decreed that I can't, not without suffering the consequences. This is the reflexive mental process that I find is my biggest enemy in the weight loss battle. With a band I have a physical barrier that acts as a coach, or a boss, standing there saying you CAN'T have whatever it is. Without the band, my entitlement wins out and food hops into my mouth because somehow, somewhere in my psyche, I've got the ingrained sense that I deserve it. But I AM different. What I deserve is health and well-being, not cupcakes and Pasta. Ugh. I can't wait to get my band back. One week.

Heh. This is the innocent question of the year. Yep, Chloe, it's safe to say insurance is stricter in the United States, where most of us here are from. Depending on any of several factors it can be relatively easy to have medically necessary treatment covered, or almost impossible. Unfortunately, for "elective" things like bariatric surgery LOTS of elements have to fall into place.

I went again yesterday, and discovered that swim fins can really change the experience. Turns out my (relatively) small feet weren't doing enough work--I wasn't kicking efficiently--and that's why my arms got so fatigued after just a couple of laps of crawl. With swim fins my legs do a lot more and better work (and I can feel it in my legs), so my arms get a bit of a break. And since I can cover more distance faster, there's more gratification in counting laps.

Michael, in some states you are not even eligible for individual health insurance if you are eligible for a group plan. Please make sure that's not the case in Texas before you go too far down this road.

I can't help thinking that a child isn't always a blessing. Good for the Duggar family that they can make being Quiverfull work for them, but heaven knows not everyone is equipped to accept as many children as an active sex life will throw at them. I can't imagine the emotional, mental, financial, and physical demands such a large family makes on parents--and siblings, for that matter. Heck, with two kids and a spouse I love more than life itself, sometimes I feel like my house is overcrowded.

Christine, if your BMI is above 40 you meet the medical criteria of morbid obesity, and therefore are medically qualified for bariatric surgery. Now, whether your specific insurance carrier will cover it is a whole 'nother question. It sure sounds like you've reached that same physical and emotional point that brings so many of to surgery. I know EXACTLY how you feel, certainly felt that way myself, absolutely. In my case it wasn't "clubbing clothes" or intimacy with my boyfriend--it was being a safe parent for my children and knowing that my life and health were in danger if I didn't do something--but the pivot point is different for everyone. Just know this: you are not alone.

Hi Christine, The fact of the matter is that insurance underwriters really don't care how we "feel" when they're making coverage decisions. Morbid obesity is a medical condition, and only if you can be medically qualified will treatment for this condition be approved by insurance. So the question really boils down to: What is your BMI?

Many people are going to gasp at your comment that it's not uncommon to need a revision or replacement after 7 years, Delooka. But I know what you're saying. For my money, another laparascopic surgery to get a new band and a clean bill of health is a small price to pay, especially if it's being covered by insurance (which my band replacement is). Seriously, even if I had known back then that another surgery would be required four years down the line I STILL would have chosen the band over bypass. These are minor complications, easily dealt with, compared to the risk of major long-term complications with something as drastic as a gastric bypass.

Wow, thank you so much for coming here and sharing your anniversary with us. It's great to hear from someone with such long-term experience!!

Another August 13er here!! Have y'all seen the August '07 section in the Monthly Support Groups? Go HERE to check out the August crowd.

Tomorrow is your band day, and I just want to wish everyone the best of luck for smooth, totally uneventful procedures. See you on the flip side! :whoo::whoo:

The first day of our last month of out-of-control obesity is tomorrow. :clap2: :bounce: :clap2: :bounce: :clap2: :bounce: :clap2: :bounce: :clap2: I feel like I'm starting all over again. Four months without my band and I've gained a solid 30 lbs. The journey begins again. Here we come, the August Bandsters!!!

Still at it, happy to say. Now I'm up to 30 laps in 30 minutes and that's where I'm going to stay for the time being. Surgery is in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS and then I won't be able to get back in the pool until after Labor Day, so this is a mark I'll be interested to see if I can hit again after that. It's still boring, but 30 minutes is no time at all and before I know it I'm done. And it feels great the next day.

I had something like this a while ago. It took about two weeks to clear up, but there was nothing to be done about it in the meantime. Wear sunglasses. Congratulations on your banding! :biggrin1:

If you're taking medications for your hypothyroid, there's no reason you won't be as successful as anyone else with the band. Until the levels are under control, though, you probably won't be cleared for surgery, so if you're not on meds now you should talk to your doctor about treatment.

Well, no one knows for sure how they will recover until they get there. I drove the next day, with no painkillers, and was OK. Just take things slowly and don't count on running and jumping for a few days. Stairs are no problem, driving is no problem (as long as you're not on drugs), and within a few days you should be fine for most activities. I'm having surgery on a Monday and am planning to be back at work on Thursday. Maybe I'll regret it, but hanging around the house while work piles up at the office is MUCH less appealing.

First and most important: There is no "general" rule because it's the STATES who regulate insurance, and every state has its own rules. The ONLY things that are the same nationally are those items that fall under Federal regulation (HIPAA). Under HIPAA, you can't be socked with a pre-existing condition exclusion if you have had continuous insurance and are going from a group plan to a group plan. Unfortunately, if you are buying individual coverage in a state that allows for medical underwriting, you can indeed be denied completely, or have certain conditions excluded for a time or even permanently. This all depends on where you live. The band, or any WLS, can absolutely have an impact on your future insurability, but to what extent will vary depending on where you live. To get the details for your state, go to your state's website and search for "individual health coverage" for the terms and regulations in force.

I'm really hopeful that I can keep this up, at least a couple of times a week. It's great!

I would ask for clarification on that statement, Jennifer. Does not having the rider mean it's covered? Or not covered? That depends on what the standard contract says and what the rider itself says. (A "rider" is just an addition to the contract. It can either add benefits or take them away, depending on what it says.) So ask in plain language what your benefit is for the treatment of morbid obesity. Find out what your rights are in your state with regard to health-carrier decisions--can you appeal? Don't give up based on what one person at your insurer said. They might or might not know precisely what they're talking about.

Hi Rae, That is pretty much the way it worked for me, I'm sorry to say. After my first total unfill, I could only tolerate a much smaller amount of Fluid, and then only for a while until the reflux came back. Ultimately, I was diagnosed with a slip--whether that was the cause of the reflux of a symptom of being too tight I don't know. But the end result was that my band was removed. If I had it to do over, I think I'd have tried to stick it out with no fill whatsoever knowing that any fluid at all would give me reflux again. An empty band is better than NO band. (And I know how lucky I am to be getting a new band next month.) Good luck, and be very careful not to overstress! Are you on medications at all? They can really help with irritation and pain, but if you're actually refluxing material up into your esophagus when lying down, something is mechanically not right.

Hang on, mom! It's tough but this is very good practice for when it REALLY matters (the postop period). I know you'll get through this. Definitely post away--that's what LBT is here for!!

I've recently started swimming for exercise, and have to say I am really loving it. Though always a Water baby, the very idea of swimming back and forth and back and forth never appealed to me AT.ALL. Booooorrrrring, I thought. No music! Until this last couple of weeks. For some reason, upon catching a whiff of the pool-chlorinated air last time I was in the Y locker room, I got the urge to swim a little. The thought didn't leave me, and in the last two weeks--during a time of incredible professional stress--I thought I'd give it a whirl. It's remarkable! Using all my muscles, non-impact, no sweating (!), really stretching as well as contracting and getting decent cardio as well, it's pretty miraculous. I'm totally NOT a jock, and literally can't do more than two laps of crawl before my arms start to scream, but without pushing myself too hard I actually can do 25 laps of breast, back, and side stroke. The next day I feel really nicely worked out, and there's no question it is a great way of managing stress. I hope I can keep this up! Anyone else start slow with swimming? How is it going for you now?

That is a good question. The band is so new in the U.S. that there really isn't much advertising for it at all, yet. What brought me to it was a google search on weight-loss surgery and I saw mention of this new thing called the band. When I investigated, the whole thing just made so much SENSE to me that I never looked back. I found my doctor on a list of physicians who had been involved in the FDA trials, and the fact that he was 15 minutes from here AND in my insurance network completely sealed the deal. At no point was there any advertising involved. Now that I've seen some ads, and my doctor's office has a website, I'm interested in how banding can be presented as something OTHER than a get-thin-quick scheme. Because that's what all weight-loss advertising has always sounded like, to me.

That would all depend, to me, on how it was presented. Because here YOU are sharing your experience we accept it as truth and have great respect (are even in awe) of your achievement. If your photo was plastered on an ad with just the before & after photos, with no indication of how long the transformation took and how hard you had to work to make it happen, then yeah, I'd likely just keep walking. Your results AREN'T typical, and as such, they don't actually speak to ME. When I was considering taking this drastic step, I wanted to hear about the typical results, because that's much more realistic for me. It's inexcusable that you are accused of lying, I'm so sorry that happens! Chickie, you are a shining example of what's possible, and we can all be totally inspired by your achievement. That's what I'm wondering myself, and why I started the thread. To ME, the most effective before-and-afters are those that include a reasonable time frame for the transformation, and those where the "after" photos are not stick-skinny. If I were a band doctor, I think I would look for someone in my "typical" results group to use as a poster child. I'd want to send the message that some large percentage of my patients actually DO achieve XX% of EWL in XX months. And so, your expectation of doing as well or better can be very good. (Maybe that's why I'm not in the marketing field, eh. :eek: )