Dulci

I agree about the Isopure. I tried the fruit punch flavor today for lunch. I didn't have any alternative Protein drinks, so I couldn't throw it away. It is absolutely vile - imagine watered-down sugar free koolaid with some kind of hot pepper after taste.

My surgeon's staff asked me the same thing. After attempting to research it and not finding much objective information, I told them that I was not going to specify a choice. I feel that my surgeon should make the choice based on my anatomy. Once I communicated to them that my decision was for them to decide, they were fine with it.

I start my two week liquid diet tomorrow. I hope these two weeks fly by. I'm sure I will be here looking for support.

Call the customer service number on the back of your card, give them your member number and ask if YOUR policy will cover WLS. Most insurance companies do offer coverage for WLS, but many employers choose to exclude WLS to keep costs down. The only way you can be 100% if YOUR policy includes WLS is check the actual policy or to call the company and check what your specific policy covers. Good Luck.

My insurance requires a 3 month medically supervised diet. My surgeon's office submitted my PCP's office notes which documented my dieting with Adipex in 2009. The insurance accepted the 9 months that I was on Adipex as medically supervised dieting. Talk with your surgeon's insurance coordinator about your insurance company's requirements.

My surgery is scheduled for October 28! I'm excited and nervous. Thanks to everyone here, I feel so much better prepared to begin this journey.

My surgery is scheduled for October 28. I start the preop diet on October 14. I need to add one of those cool weight tracking signatures. I'm excited and a little scared. I don't think I'll have too many issues with the gas pains. I have had laparoscopic surgery to remove endometriosis three times and the gas was tolerable, especially with a heating pad my left shoulder the first few days. Good luck and fast recoveries to all of the October bandsters.

I am very happy to hear that all of you are doing fine with coffee. My doctor recommends no caffeine until you have lost 75% of your excess weight! Of all of the changes, recommendations and restrictions, the only one that I am sure that I cannot adhere to is the no caffeine rule. Several years ago, I realized that everything I drank was caffeinated. (Coffee, tea and diet soda were my liquid staples) I knew that couldn't be healthy so I slowly changed my drinking habits. At the beginning of my band journey, I eliminated all carbonated liquids. I love my coffee. I need my coffee to get my day started. Decaf just cut it. I have two cups during the week; one at home when I read the paper, check email and other online stuff, and one at work. On the weekends, I only have one cup. I do plan to let my doctor and NUT know that I am continuing to have caffeinated coffee. (I'm pre-op, all testing complete, and insurance approved. Just waiting for a date.)

In the spring of this year, I changed jobs, moved and finally obtained health insurance that doesn't exclude WLS. After speaking with several co-workers regarding recommendations for a PCP, they almost all suggested that I go to an internationally known teaching hospital. I established myself as a patient of one of the internal medicine specialists and, until today, have been very happy with the coordinated care that I have received. The clinic related to this hospital provides complete care, including labs, diagnostic testing, and specialist care in-house. All of my medical records are available for all of my doctors to review. If my gyn orders bloodwork, the reports are available for my PCP, my bariatric surgeon and my endocrinologist to review. They also have a secure online site that I can access my test results myself. However, today I am wondering if this practice is too bureaucratic and regimented. I have been taking the antidepressant Effexor XR for over 10 years. This drug runs through your system very quickly and causes horrible, awful withdrawal symptoms if a dose is missed. I had my prescription set up with "autofill" with my pharmacy. I don't call in monthly refills; the pharmacy automatically processes refills and notifies me when I need to pick up my medication. Thus, I was not aware that the refills had run out and new script needed to be obtained. Last week, I called the pharmacy to check on the meds and I was told that my doctor needed to authorize a refill and they had contacted their office. They stated that there was nothing I needed to do. On Monday, when I had one dose left, I called the pharmacy and was told the same thing. I panicked a bit because of the short supply of my medication. I was told that my PCP denied the request for a renewal of the script. I determined that the pharmacy called my doctor near my former residence who denied the renewal because I was not currently a patient of his. I told the pharmacy that they needed to contact my current PCP and they informed that they had faxed her also. I also called the PCP department as well. I was told that the refill would be called in within 24 hours. Today, I followed up with the pharmacy, who has not heard from anyone regarding my script. My PCP doc is working the hospital until Friday. She is not responding to her admin assistant's urgent message on my behalf. The pharmist flatly refused to give me a dose or two hold me over. I am dizzy, nauseated, irritable and unable to control my emotions. I am scheduled for an upper endoscopy tomorrow with my WLs surgeon ( the last test before I get a surgery date, insurance is approved. As a last resort, I called the bariatric department to see if my surgeon would call in a small script to hold me over and to enable to me undergo the endoscopy with him tomorrow. If I am shaking, hurting and vomiting, I doubt he will be able to do the endoscope. My request that the surgeon call the script was flatly refused. I was also accused of lying by the patient coordinator on the phone because she didn't see any indication that I had called my PCP more than one time yesterday morning. Apparently my PCP's secretary didn't note the calls in the system. My surgeon's patient coordinator believed their computer over me. At this point I am emotional mess and a physical mess. I don't know what to do. Tomorrow, I don't know if I should try to have the endoscope done or if I should try get an appointment with my former PCP and drive 3 hours to see him. I am worried about what kind of aftercare or emergency care I may receive if I have surgery with this surgeon's practice. I am sure that I am going to change pharmacies and change PCPs. I have never experienced a situation where there wasn't another internist or P.A. available to cover for another. Am I overreacting? Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?

I was approved by Fed BCBS (standard) and I am waiting for my surgery date. I provided them with 2 years of my PCP's office notes which showed my weight history as well as 8 months of "supervised" dieting (when I was on diet pills). My surgeon's insurance coordinator submitted my paperwork on a Thursday and approved by Monday. I just need to have an endoscopy with my surgeon and (assuming no issues) will have my surgery date scheduled the next day.

I had that done; it's not a pleasant test. I'd rather go to the dentist and gyn at the same time then to have that test done again.

I know how to eat healthily. I know that when something tastes good, I will continue to eat, regardless of whether or not I'm full. I know that when I lose weight, I look great, I feel great physically, I am more confident and out-going. I know that my husband loves me regardless of my body size. I know that my husband finds me attractive regardless of my body size. I know that I can make changes that are good for me. I know that I can break bad habits. I know that I have never learned to maintain my weight. I am in a constant state of weight change, either gaining or losing. I am hopeful that the band will be the tool (along with my NUT) to help me learn to maintain my weight. I know that I allow myself to let my weight hold me back. I have avoided seeing friends and relatives because I am ashamed of my appearance. I know that food is not medicine, and it is certainly not a panacea to cure all that ails me. Eating won't cure depression, sadness, loneliness. Food will not cure a cold, a headache, a stomach ache, or anything else. I know that I am worthy of being healthy and happy.

I had low vitamin D as well. My surgeon's NUT started me on 2k IU, but told me to stop it 2 weeks before my surgery date. I read an article somewhere that correcting an obesity related vitamin D deficiency can help with weight loss.

I just found out I was approved today. My surgeon's insurance coordinator submitted my paperwork on Wednesday; they received the approval today. I have a BMI of 37, two co-morbidities, and I had 6 months of supervised dieting (taking Adipex) in 2009. I also met with my surgeon's NUT two times and they wrote up something as well. I'm waiting for the scheduler to call me.

Which FEP BCBS plan do you have? Basic or Standard?

My thyroid levels were suddenly out of whack and my PCP sent me to see an endocrinologist. He increased the dose very slightly and changed the way I take the medication. He instructed me to set two alarms in the morning. One hour before I have to get up, the first alarm rings and I take my levothyroxine with a sip of Water. My real alarm rings an hour later and by the time I shower, brush my teeth and feed the cats, the thyroid med has had nearly two hours to be completely absorbed before I have coffee and Breakfast.

I feel your pain! I am waiting to see if the insurance coordinator received the doctor's notes from my PCP which will document 3 months of supervised dieting. Then I'll be waiting to see if the insurance accepts them as being recent enough. I have completed everything else. I really want to get started on my life with a band.

When I met with the psychologist, she asked me to write a personal history before I my appointment. She said to put anything that I thought she should know. I wrote about my lifetime history with weight (underweight until puberty, then I blew up like a balloon). I summarized my experiences with losing weight and regaining it. I wrote a paragraph describing why now was the right time for me to have WLS (have insurance coverage, have full support from my husband, have a job that isn't so stressful (I binge on carbs when stressed). I added some of things that I learned while researching WLS as well as what changes I have begun to make (learning to tolerate Greek yogurt, eliminating carbonated drinks, trying to not drink with meals, eat slowly and chew, and I started taste testing Protein drinks. Finally, I talked about what I learned in trying to adjust some of the lifestyle changes as I wait for insurance approval. For example: ff I am really hungry, I take larger bites and don't chew well; and I don't like soda any more. Good luck with your letter. Just be honest with yourself.

I am working on approval with Fed BCBS also. My surgeon's insurance coordinator is waiting for the notes from my former PCP regarding medical supervision of dieting. I was on phentermine from April to October 2009. Hopefully, they will accept that as the required diet. Otherwise, I will be doing 2 more visits with the dietician at my surgeon's office (1st one was August 18) and they will write up the report for the supervised diet for BCBS. My surgeon will be out of the office for the month of September, so my surgery won't be until October regardless.

Even capsules? My antidepressant is an extended release capsule.

Congrats! You are making great progress.

I have been dealing with hypothyroidism for about 10 years. I have been on synthroid in doses that were gradually increasing. The past 3 years my TSH levels have been erratic and my dose has changed frequently. I recently changed PCPs; my new doc sent for me an ultrasound of the thyroid. The US showed several nodules on the thyroid. I have an appointment with an endocrinologist on Friday. On Wednesday night, I am having a sleep study done to confirm sleep apnea. Thursday morning, I am attending the WLS surgery seminar. 2011 is turning out to be a year a positive change for me. New job, new home, investigating and resolving the medical issues that have been keep so fatigued all of the time, and (if my insurance approves) lap band surgery to finally get my weight to healthy level.

Like you, I am in the decision phase. Before I started researching, I thought that the band would "force" me to eat less. It doesn't. It does make you feel full on less food. However, we will have to change what we eat, how we eat, and how much we eat. Exercise seems to be a component for most, if not all, successful bandsters. There can also be some unpleasant side effects. I have pretty much decided to go forward with the band, assuming that my insurance company approves it. Next Thursday, I am going to attend an information seminar at the facility I hope to use. My husband is attending with me, at my request. If I do this, this will be a major lifestyle change and it will have an effect on our life together. Good luck with your research. This site has been a great resource.

I've struggled with my weight since puberty. When I was younger, I was always in state of weight change - I was either losing or gaining. I never learned how to maintain my weight. I'm in my early 40's now and I have been losing and gaining the same 25 pounds for over 10 years. Like many of you, I have tried so many diets - Weight Watchers, Atkins, Jenny Craig (on which I gained weight), Slimfast. I've tried walking, Pilates videos, gym memberships. The only physical activity that I enjoy is swimming/water aerobics. I can stick to a diet plan, but not to an exercise plan. I have learned so many ways to talk myself out of exercising. In the recent past, I have had the most success with an appetite suppressant which my PCP prescribed. For many good reasons, he will not prescribe it for more than 3 months; nor do I want to be on a dangerous medication. I recently changed jobs and my new health insurance may cover WLS. Since I did well with the diet pills, I think that the Lap Band will be finally be a solution for me. If my physical hunger is under control, I can overcome the mindless eating due to boredom, the emotional eating, and stress induced carb binges. Next week I have a sleep study to confirm a diagnosis of sleep apnea. (My prior health insurance's meager contribution to that test had made it unaffordable.) The morning after the test, my husband and I are attending the WLS surgery seminar at Cleveland Clinic - Florida.

I have FEHB BCBS Standard as well. I'm just beginning to research lap banding so can I finally get off this weight roller coaster and attain then maintain a healthy weight. I'd be very interested in hearing about yours and others experiences in obtaining approval.