GeezerSue

Probably not...except in some countries, they doctor might waive HIS fees to remove it. If it's any consolation, my husband's stent--put in after his heart attack--has no guarantees either.

Just be sure to read the whole sentence...it might say, "...specifically excluded except in the event of..." Other than that, though, specifically excluded generally means your employer didn't want to pay for that benefit. Well, wait a minute, does it say that the LapBand is specifically excluded or that wls in general is specifically excluded? There are cases where the band wasn't allowed but bypass WAS, and the doctor wrote letters and it WAS paid for. So, can you be more specific on EXACTLY what the policy says?

I'm not sure...I think I weigh about 7-10 pounds more than I did at check-in. It's not monumental...but you know how "we" are about extra poundage. I had IV's going for only a day. Boobs and belly are swollen. But it's the scale that's got me irate!

Tell me about "all the fluids they pump in during eight hours in the OR." My nurse in the hospital mentioned my edema and said it's pretty routine, due to the above. But when I got home and got on the scale I wanted to die! What is routine for this sort of thing. (I still have to J/P's going out and one On-Q going in...but that's only 2ml/hour so I can't blame IT for much.) HELP!!

As far as pain goes...neither our daughter nor I had any immediate post-op pain or incisional pain with the BR. My plastic surgeon--who is very good and very REAL (as opposed to what you usually find in the Beverly Hills area) says that that is more often the case than not with BR patients. The healing process is tedious...our daughter's worst week was the third week post-op...she wasn't really sick but whe wasn't back to normal and she was tired of being needy. Just this morning, I felt a few seconds of a stab of pain along the panniculectomy revision incision. The On-Q pain pump is in there. The model I have--I just looked it up--is supposed to give about four days relief. So, from Thursday afternoon to Sunday morning before feeling ANYTHING, is pretty good. I'm hoping to get another day and a half out of it. I will confess to taking a half a Vicodin, though, but not for what one might think. The crook of my right arm--where they had me tied down for hours--is killing me. And the getting up and getting down is harder at home than it was in the hospital...so arm and leg pain from the pulling is what I'm treating. Weird. Advertising for doctor...not on payroll, no discounts provided...but if you are in the Los Angeles area... http://www.drandrewcohen.com Advertising for the pain pump http://www.iflo.com/prod_onq_classic.php There you go.

Oh, Vera...you're so sweet to remember. In May, I had a panniculectomy, which was done to remove a huge apron of fat and skin. (Not just "empty" skin as in post-weight loss patients.) They told me going in that it would take two steps to get the desired result. So, I went to our daughter's PS and asked about his doing that work. the price was very reasonable and so we also talked about breast reduction. I figured that the breasts were cosmetic, given that our daughter had more removed and had to fight for coverage. He said we should submit to insurance. So we did. They said okay. Then he said we should submit the panniculectomy revision. We did and they approved again. First time on both. He has very god luck with Blue Cross...I'm thinking because he's out of network with them...that is, they pay him less than they pay other doctors...and he turns in photos and a report and...anyway. All went well except for intubating me. That was a disaster. I'll end up paying a bit more for that service...I think I pay 20% of about $500-600/hour. But I was a good ten hours with one anesthesiologist and probably a couple more hours with a second one...so instead of 20% of $1000 that I planned on, it will be more like 20% of $5000-6000. Fortunately, that isn't a problem. I wanted to spend the second night in the hospital. Because I got out of recovery closer to 6 p.m. than 2 p.m....everything was a little behind schedule. by the time I could have safely left, it would have been around 8:00 p.m. on a stormy night on the LA freeway system. Not a good move. But I was SURE ready to come home this morning.

My PS was the 10th. I was a problem for the intubation part and they almost cancelled surgery. But, finally, after an hour and a half and two anesthesiologists, they did it. My mouth and throat are sore. I have an On-Q pain pump in the belly and nothing else for pain, so far. In other words, I've had two and half pounds of boob hacked off and I haven't even needed a Tylenol. Amazing.

Are you still having trouble with liquids? Things going down any smoother? Tell!

I just had the opportunity to chat with "the attending physician" who supervises fellows where I could have had my plastic surgery (free to me, long story.) I asked him to inform "junior" that if he continues assuming that he knows what patients want without bothering to ASK them, that private practice might prove to be a food stamp experience for him, as well. (In this case, he figured that when an MO patient is going in for PS, she must want to look like Calista Flockhart and, since she won't, she won't be satisfied with the surgery. My Beverly Hills plastic surgeon said, "Tell me what you're looking for." I said, "Rubenesque." He said, "We're on the same page. My insurance will pay and my surgery is in two days.) Can you decline the services of the fellow, or is he a "given" with the coverage you have? I ask, because--and I don't want to scare you--but I wouldn't want a beginner doing my band. (And I'm not a total snob; I did have a beginner do my panniculectomy.) The band complication rate is tied directly to surgeon experience. Anyone who would want you to make a scale move in short order--and basically, the only way you can do that in time is by dehydrating yourself--is not practicing common sense, let alone good medicine. Best of luck...

EGBOK, Vera, EGBOK!! (Everything's Gonna Be OK.) He has a great repuptation and you'' do great.

Shelly, I'm not sure where I got it, but it's here, too: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/state/foreignentryreqs.html

Just a thought...in the past, people in the UK have gone to Belgium or France for second opinions. Can she handle that or is she too sick/stuck with the medical services she has. On another board I visit, people have traveled quite a ways to get a second opinion from another doctor...and they were glad they did. I think the exam people meant was an endoscopy.

bumping for review

This site is written by a brilliant, somewhat crazy and VERY irreverant guy. It has incredibly good information and I think it may make you feel better about the drug. http://www.crazymeds.org/strattera.html

Ya know...I ADORE Donali and most everything she writes...but I have a diferent perspective. I haven't spent years eating more than I need when I wasn't REALLY hungry because I'm MO. I'm MO because I've spent years eating more than I need when I'm not really hungry. So all I can wrap MY brain around is the concept that my MO is a symptom of my being insane. This came up because a week or so ago, my PCP offered me "something to reduce my appetite." I started laughing and told him that I don't eat because of "an appetite" or to "correct" the "problem" of hunger. I eat to "correct" the "problem" that I'm not eating. I see that MO can kill us and for that reason it is a disease..but, FOR ME, it is a disease secondary to the NEED (compulsion, if you prefer) to eat all the time. ALL THE TIME. It is NOT about the food. It's about self-comforting or avoidance of distress or whatever it is that if I really knew the answer maybe I could stop--or not. So, I'm once again "Valium-deficient." But I am an instant addict on that stuff, so...not a great idea. And Xanax wasn't around when I went to my LAST Valium detox event...but I take it that it's more addictive. So I'm reading up on drugs to deal with the anxiety that won't kill me faster than the food that I'm currently (apparently) treating myself with....I'll just let that preposition dangle. Anyone else crazy, or just me?

let us know how it goes.

I'm confused. Are you worried that the UHC won't cover LapBand or that they woan't accept you as the insured?

Since when does Kuri even have a "staff surgeon?" He's a one man show. It's gotta be wrong. A different surgeon was, some time ago, convicted of insurance fraud. But he is not now, nor was he then a partner of Kuri's. And it had to do with overbilling. BTW, there was no jail time that I'm aware of.

they fed it to me before I left the hospital the next day. I only managed a spoon or two...but that's a start. Jonathon--do you live anywhere near a Jamba juice or similar place? That was a nice treat during recovery. And a free Protein boost gave it nutritional value.

AHA! here's from the gov't website: Returning to the United States – Caution! Make certain that you can return to the United States with the proof of citizenship that you take with you. Although some countries may allow you to enter with only a birth certificate, U.S. law requires that you document both your U.S. citizenship and identity when you reenter the United States. The best document to prove your U.S. citizenship is a valid U.S. passport. Other documents that establish U.S. citizenship include an expired U.S. passport, a certified copy of your birth certificate, a Certificate of Naturalization, a Certificate of Citizenship, or a Report of Birth Abroad of a U.S. citizen. To prove your identity, either a valid driver’s license or a government identification card that includes a photo or physical description is acceptable. Well for once, I was ahead of the game! Time for every to get a passport!

If you're in GA, you really need to check out Ponce. Last I heard, his price is under $14,000. It's worth the time it takes to get the few thousand extra to see a local doctor with that kind of experience. Once you add in the cost of travel, and adjustments and emergencies...there is no difference in the cost.

Not driving through...just a photo ID. Driver's license will do. But I find that I go through faster WITH a passport. I've only used a passport in air travel, but I don't think you need one. Where are you having surgery?

you need to go READ everything you can about the procedure. I'm saying this because your question shows that you were not properly prepared for this surgery. This is one of the most basic, yet often-asked questions...which means that even though your surgeon may be great at the surgery, he is (like many surgeons) terrible about informing patients. And that means YOU have to do all the work so that you can have a good experience. So, now that this question is answered, go back and read eveything you can about the band. It won't bother us if you ask the questions, but it can save you from concern, fear, feelings of failure, etc, if you know what to expect.

Santiago Horgan is one of the most reputable and experienced LapBand surgeons in the country. From what I hear, his skills are wonderful...and his bedside manner could use some work...but if you have to choose... He repairs mistakes made by less experienced and less proficient surgeons. He is not the ONLY good doctor in town, but he is "the man."

Yeah, but...at least our weights LOOK/SOUND better in kilos or stones.