Scooterbug

I have to agree with all the other posts....it actually takes some time to start losing....I only wish it started melting off from day 1. I personally did not see any weight loss more then a few pounds for almost a month and 1/2. After I finally did start losing I was plateauing every 5 or 6 pounds (sometimes would take a few week to a month to lose again)..even to this day I keep plateauing every few pounds. Last week I got a fill and lost 6 pounds right off the bat....now have stayed the same weight for the last 5 days..not even a lose of a few ounces since then. It can be frustrating at times....but don't give up.

I couldn't agree more..Dr Baptista is awesome!!!

He said that he gives all of his patients his personal cell phone # and asks that they call anytime they feel the need to ask a question directly to him or have problems with his office. He said that if we ever feel the need to go to the ER do to an issue with the Lap Band to call him first no matter the hour etc. He said that he feels confident in doing that because his phone does not ring off the hook since he takes care of his patients and has few complications etc.
I am not even a patient yet and I have his cell # ... Maybe it would not mean much to some but for me that is a huge calming factor to me that I can talk directly to the doctor if I am fearful there is something wrong with me.

First thing to do is not panic. Second, if you got your EOB (explanation of benefits) or are able to access them online, you should be able to see all charges listed for your surgery. Next to each charge you SHOULD see a 5 digit code. These are called CPT codes and this is how coders bill for procedures/surgeries.
You will want to try and locate your Gastric Band CPT code..which should be 43770. When an assistant surgeon is used a "modifier" is added to that code in the form of modifier 80. So IF coded properly the Gastric band code should be 43770-80 (Gastric band procedure with the help of an assistant surgeon).
Make sure there are no other codes that have the modifier 80 next to them. Coders do sometimes make mistakes and you want to make sure modifier 80 is not added to a code that insurance would not think would require an assistant surgeon to help with.
So for instance... hypothetically..lets say a coding mistake was made, and modifier 80 was added to the code for placing an IV. The insurance company would say "Why would it take a primary surgeon and his assistant to insert an IV?" That would be denied right away by insurance.
SO.... my suggestion is look over the codes, if it's not too confusing, and make sure everything looks right OR call the insurance company and ask why they denied the charges for the Assistant Surgeon. If it was a coding mistake it should be easily fixed by your surgeons office and resubmitted.

I know there was a post where everyone was posting their pics but I could not find it so I just wanted to share my latest. Only 10lbs to go until goal! =)
Before 252lbs
Current 149lbs

My wife and I are both getting banded tomorrow!! (Sept 7th)

My wife got a call from Dr. Baptista's office a little while ago...our surgery is scheduled for September 7th!!!!!! Now I really wish I had went to him when we first started.

I'm so sorry to hear all the issues & problems many of you are having with Dr Cywes office. As I said before I had researched the local offices for over a good year & heard some not so nice things regarding them. When Dr Baptista left his office & began his own practice I then knew it wasn't all rumors. I absolutely adore Dr Baptista & can't say enough kind words about him or his staff.

I am well aware that the INSURANCE COMPANY has 30 days to approve or deny it, but it does not take there office 30 days to send in my paperwork. I have planned this for well over a year, and had plenty of time to wrap my head around it. I am already on the LOW CARB diet and have been for 6 months now. My frustration comes from having to play tag with there answering machines, and my information NOT being sent to my insurance company 2 weeks after they said it would!

Our last 3 appointments went well. We just had our group meeting with Dr. Cywes on the 25th, and they should have sent in our info for insurance approval the on the 26th. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it does not take too long to get approved.

My suggestion is... if you haven't already, attend a seminar of the Lap band doctor your choice. After the seminar they usually have the insurance coordinator there and a few other staff members to answer question. Explain to them you would like the name of a PCP who they deal with on a regular basis concerning Lap Band. They should be able to hook you up with at least a few PCP docs who you can see. If the Lap Band surgeon's office deals with these PCP docs, they should have no problem recommending you for Lap Band.

I am seeing Dr Cywes as well. My wife and I go for our 5th weigh in today (out of 6 for our insurance). We actually see Dr Cywes in July to wrap things up and submit our paper work. We are both going for the Banded-Plication.

All doctor's are different honestly. When I lived in South Carolina a couple years ago, I inquired about Lap Band with my PCP (who I had seen since 1999), she was against it and there was no way she was going to recommend me for the surgery. She sometimes had a very old school approach to things, basically saying I could lose all the weight on my own.
I moved to Florida just over a year ago, and started my lap Band process this past December. This time I got the name of a PCP that they deal with all the time from my Lap Band surgeon. Getting her to write the letter of necessity was pretty easy once I was checked out and got Cardio clearance, Anesthesia clearance, and did a sleep study.
Basically long story short, it all depends if your doc is an advocate of Lap Band or if they have the attitude that you can lose your weight on your own.
List of Co-Morbidity for Lap Band:


Cardiometabolic syndrome

Type 2 diabetes

Hypertension

Dyslipidemia

Coronary heart disease

Osteoarthritis

Stroke

Gall bladder disease

Obstructive sleep apnea

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

Some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)

Was just a suggestion
Honestly you can get cancer from anything you eat, breathe or drink these days...so as long as we don't do any of those 3, we are all fine.

Mine is Cheese!!! I honestly hope I won't be able to eat it after I get banded...cheese is sooo (deliciously) EVIL!!

Like everything, some will hate something, others will love it. This thread is a good example of that. I can tell you how much I love my band, but that's me. Fluffy obviously doesn't, and that's her. I personally don't think it's support to tell someone what you believe and expect them to believe it themselves, and I'd like to think that Fluffy knows the difference, coz I sure do. All you can do is relate your own personal experience, perhaps quote some well researched and objective statistics (who's laughing with me at this point?) and hope the person you're offering advice to gains some insight from you.
In the end, everyone has to make their own, preferably informed decision. I am proof it works. Fluffy believes she's proof it doesn't. Oh well, only you can decide if it's worth the risk that you'll be one of the ones for whom it works. And oddly enough, I don't see any statistics that prove that for MOST people, it doesn't work, and that for all those "people", it is directly related to band failure instead of user error, so take from that what you will. You will always have supporters and detractors, in EVERYTHING.
In Australia the lapband has been used for over 15 years and still remains the WLS of choice for most. That sounds pretty long term to me. Just saying.

Just doing a small amount of research on this doctor, I was able to find some information on why I personally would never have chosen this guy:
Richard A. Carter, D.O., who practices surgery in Arlington, Texas, has been disciplined three times by the Texas Board of Medical Examiner, twice related to surgery and once for false advertising.
In 2006, the the board and Carter entered into an agreed order under which he paid an administrative penalty of $1,000 was required to complete ten hours of continuing medical education in the area of medical records and charting. The action was based on allegations that he had failed to meet the standard of care by leaving a sponge in the abdomen during an operation in which part of a patient's intestine was removed.
In 2009, as shown below, the board ordered him to pay a $5,000 administrative fine and refrain from making misleading claims about himself and AmazeRx, a meal-replacement product he has been promoting. The Board action resulted from a complaint I made about infomercial and Web site advertising which claimed that the product could cause weight loss of up to a pound a day and failed to clearly state that the people who gave testimonials to that effect had undergone bariatric surgery. The order (shown below) prohibits any statements or claims that (a) he is "America's weight loss doctor," ( he is one of the most successful bariatric surgeons in the nation, and © the product will cure fatty livers and/or nutritional cirrhosis." Carter is also prohibited from making any other misleading claims about immediate results or long-term sustainability or how post-bariatric surgical patients compare to the general population. Infomercial Watch has a detailed analysis of the AmazeRx infomercial.
In 2011, Carter and the board entered into an agreed order requiring him to pay a $1000 administrative fine and complete 20 hours of continuing medical education that includes 5 hours in medical record-keeping, 5 hours in risk management and 10 hours in physician/patient communication. The Board found Carter did not adequately document his rationale for the timing for removal of a patient's lap band or that he had counseled the patient.

Makes me so glad that stuff like the internet exists so I was able to research the surgeon who will be doing mine and my wife's surgery.