SaucyBandster

Funny you mentioned this! I haven't even met the Dr. yet. I meet him early November. Today was my orientation at the Dr's office which is at the medical building at the hospital that I will have the surgery (if approved). So the lady I met today is the head of Bariatric education at the hospital and holds the orientations. Ironically she was banded 7 yrs ago and 146 pounds lighter. Also, her husband and son have also been banded. She provided a wealth of info. With today and this site, it just has put me in a really good spot mentally. I am going to call the office tomorrow and see what my insurance requires. I was told I may need a 3 month supervised diet. With the holidays and stress and hosting them, I am not ready for surgery until early next year anyway. This would be perfect timing as come January, my life will be slow. Perfect NYE resolution right? Thanks so much for the thoughts and writing me. It helps me wrap my head around it all in a better space if that makes sense. It was like the lightbulb came on once I joined here.

Thanks for your note on this. Actually no I do not know for sure but I assume because I have never seemed to have issues. My family history includes major heart disease on both sides, lupus, HBP, Diabetes, etc so I am trying to prevent any of those. I do however have more severe asthma when I am heavier. My back is always in pain and makes it tougher to exercise even tho I enjoy doing so. So I am hoping we can go that route with the high BMI. I went today for the orientation and am totally ready after all the questions and answers and the help they gave me. I felt very comfortable with the staff and the relationship with the hospital which has an incredible amount of bariatric surgeries each year. So at least I am able to wrap my head around it more. Next up is the Dr's appt. On that date, I will find out what my insurance actually covers. Crossing my fingers!

That is where Dr. Jessee is I think. Do you know anything about Palms of Pasadena by chance and what their rating is or where I can find that info?

Thanks Dawn! Good luck on everything and I will continue to see how your journey goes I am going to my orientation tomorrow at Dr. Rehnke's ofc. I hope I meet him tomorrow. If I have any reservations or don't feel comfortable, I may make an appt with Dr. Jessee. I am relunctant to push it back again and have to start with the appts when all have been set. Tomorrow will be interesting!!

There are a few Dr's in Tampa that are free. However it's just not very convenient for me to go back and forth. Question about your Dr. - I have heard wonderful things about her as well. How was her bedside manner and her aftercare? Have you had any issues since banding? What hospital did you have it performed at? I so wish I had someone local to talk to. I attend orientation tomorrow so I hope I can find a "buddy" of sorts.

Dawn, After reading all of these posts today, and the recommendations of calling around, I ironically called your Dr as well. They stated it was 1k as well. So I was curious if the $1k is the norm around St. Petersburg because there are a few Dr's charging it???!! Maybe they figure that since one is charging, they can all charge it?

No - not my co-pay. It's the standard Dr fee for this particular surgeon. I guess to cover seminars and orientations? I have no idea, that is why I was curious if others had to pay a fee or not.

Thanks for the note! My insurance company tells me the Lap Band is covered if medically necessary. So not sure what medicall necessary really means to an insurance company. Tomorrow morning is my orientation and I will bring all of my paperwork and insurance info. My Dr's appt is on Nov 2nd so I am crossing my fingers for the green light. I will definitely keep you posted and would love to hear how you are doing. Nervous for this step but very excited! Thanks for the friend add as well

This is the email I received: The program fee is $1,000.00, which is non-refundable and is a mandatory part of our program (this fee is not covered by your insurance plan). On the initial visit with the Dr., $200.00 of this fee will be due. This can be paid with cash or credit card. The remainder of this fee ($800.00) will be due and payable at your pre-operative appointment in the form of a cashier’s check or money order. Your regular co-pay for a specialist will be due both at your first visit with the doctor, as well as on your pre-operative visit. Post operatively, 90 days after surgery, we will begin billing out your visits to the insurance company, and your specialist co-pay will be due at each of those visits as well. There will be an additional out –of –pocket expense pre-operatively for the 2 week supply of Optifast Nutritional supplement. This diet is mandatory before surgery, and the cost will be $230.00. We accept cash and credit cards for this. No checks please.

I am curious if this is the norm and wanted to gauge what others had to pay. I am meeting with a surgeon and their fees are $1000 plus a $2-300 Optifast diet. Seems steep. I was thinking of going to another surgeon but he has a nice track record from others I have searched and he is the only surgeon on the West Coast of FL that does only once incicion (in the belly button) so easier healing and less cutting. (Personally after having surgery from an ectopic pregnancy and losing my left ovary, etc and having 4 surgical cuts to heal, this was a PLUS). Also, his office is close to me so will be easier for follow up care, etc. So with all of that said, is $1k normal or do most surgeons not charge? TIA

I absolutely LOVE this site and have been using it for years. The recipes and pictures are outstanding. It helped me significantly when I was on WW and is still a go-to for recipes. I plan to use it post op as well hopefully

Thank you everyone for the help with this topic. I think I had it in my mind that I would never be able to lead a normal life around holidays, going out with family, etc. While I WANT to have restriction and have help with a life long commitment, I want the choice to be able to at least have a bite of something versus having the thought of NEVER being able to have something again. You have all helped so much!!

I don't think all are created as equal and easy as yours. I have BCBS and when calling, they told me it is covered if medically necessary. From there, the Dr starts the ball rolling. Tomorrow is my orientation and then my Dr's appt is on Nov 3rd. By the 3rd, I should know what the prereq's are from BC/BS. My Dr's office thinks I will have to have 3 months medically supervised weight loss and that Weight Watchers is not sufficient. You were uber lucky yours was so easy. I am so hoping they deem mine medically necessary!!!

Hello! I am 37 and have been researching the Lap-Band for over a year. I was a consultant however with no insurance so didn't want to self pay. So I went to Weight Watchers and lost 40 pounds until my center moved far away and it has all krept back on. Fast forward to now and I have a new position and insurance with Independence Blue Cross. WLS and LapBand are covered if a provider recommends it and I am at the very beginning stages. This Wed I have my orientation. Then Nov 3rd I have my Dr's appt with Dr. Rehnke in St Petersburg & that week I am going to the seminar. With that said, I have NO idea if insurance will take his word for it or if I have to start with a PCP to get started. Having no insurance for long, I have been going to Minute Clinics for common colds, etc over the past few yrs and haven't had any issues to go to a Dr so therefor I have no history established. I don't have any health issues but my BMI is definitely high enough to be considered. Not sure if this comes into play that I DON'T have HBP, sleep Apnea, etc... I have been fortunate to not develop anything from my weight, YET. So here I am, ready and hoping this will get approved. I have no clue if the insurance plan wants a supervised diet. (Is Weight Watchers considered for this??) I ask because I was weighed weekly for almost a year. Any input from others who are in this stafe will be appreciated! I have a million questions but wanted to introduce myself first. I am already obsessed with this site as there are so many inspiring stories!!!

Thanks so much for your note!! It's hard being a foodie and having the wrong assumption that I would be forever stuck eating yogurt and scrambled eggs forever. It seems like there is trial and error but that I can lead a normal life and enjoy some of the same things but at a MUCH smaller scale. I am ok with that. At dinner tonight, we split a meal and I told my boyfriend about my decision to talk to a Dr. He told me he loved me no matter what and would support me in any decision. With him for 7 yrs and seeing how amazing he is in tough times and even emergency surgery, I truly believe him. He said it would help him get healthier as well. One hurdle crossed. Next up, my first orientation is Oct 26th and then my first Dr's appt is Nov 3rd. I have been reading SO much and feel so much better after reading personal blogs and tons of posts on here. Congrats and good luck PoodleLover!! I would love to hear more of your journey since you are new into it. Also, LOVE the screen name. We are poodle lovers as well. I have had poodles my whole life and we currently have a 3 yr old little brat, who is the love of our life. She is Cafe Au Lait color with silver ears. Her name is Gypsy. So anyway, fellow poodle lover here too!!

What about just plain Club Soda?? No calories but is this an option or no? I love to drink club soda and lime and it's like a faux cocktail when I go out. No calories but it tricks me into thinking I am having a vodka/soda/lime but without the vodka and no calories. Or are the bubbles way too much? I am at the VERY VERY VERY beginning stages of this journey and just going thru the beginning process of insurance so this is all new to me. Thanks in advance!

Thank you for being open with your experience. I know it will be tough as food has definitely played a big part of my life. I am a total foodie and food snob and luckily somewhat active so even tho I am overweight, it would be worse if I wasn't. I can understand the smaller portions and am ok with that. I have been trying to get on that mindset for awhile now. When I go out, my boyfriend and I order one app, one meal and one salad and split. Before, I could eat all three. I have been trying to change my mindset and just get the tastes and knowing a band in place would help me with that longterm. I just think wrapping my brain around the thought that I would NEVER be able to try things has been tough. This site is much more detailed than the previous site I was reviewing is. I kept reading that I couldn't eat pasta. While I don't eat it that often, it was hard being Italian and thinking I could never have it again. I know I need to get over the food and emotional part which will be the toughest part of this for me.

Hi everyone, I am new to this group and in the inquiring stages of getting banded. My new insurance covers it and it's something I have read about and thought about for a few years. I submitting paperwork today to get the ball rolling but wanted to get some of the questions out of the way from real people versus Dr's. I am 100% Sicilian. With that means, food has always been about comfort. I am an experienced cook, very creative in the kitchen and have won recipes and ended up in cookbooks, etc.. I also food blog and do restaurant reviews so this is a huge life challenge for me. I have done well on Weight Watchers in the past but it always creeps back up. I was doing so well and lost almost 50 pounds until my center closed and moved far away. Thhen the weight crept back and I am back into this stage and want to do something while I am still young. I am 37, overall very good health but overweight (obviously). I am curious if I have to walk away from everything or if you can occassionally try things that aren't on your list?? For instance, once a month, my Italian family gets together for all of us to cook. Will I never be able to have Pasta again in my life?? Or is this something that once a month, I can have a few bites and partake in our tradition?? How are holidays for everyone? While everyone is eating, is it mentally tough? I know high Protein is pushed... Is sushi or sashimi an option? Are you able to ever have a glass of wine? I know you can't eat and drink at the same time (is this correct?) but what if I went out with friends and wanted a cocktail? Is it just hard to digest or is it because it's empty calories? I just want to check on how my lifestyle and this surgery would go together. Thanks in advance!