porclndoll

can someone please explain to me what "pb'd and slimed" is? I have seen it a few times out there and frankly it doesn't sound too appealing! Just wondering what I am getting myself into here.....

Hi everyone. I just wanted to introduce myself. I am a potential LapBander... I have my initial consult with my primary physician tomorrow morning....I am 100 pounds over weight and my BMI is over 40......Im nervous that somehow I wont qualify for the procedure...and I have tried EVERYTHING to loose weight and keep it off. I am 32 years old, I have been dealin with this for most of my life! I really think this is the answer for me.... I will keep you posted, and it is great to see sooo many sucess stories on line...from what I have read. Thank you for your time and I will be chatting soon! Later

Hello again. I went to the surgeons office on the 10th and was overwhelmed by all this information that I all ready researched. I guess it was all just becoming real to me that I am on my way. I got the list of requirements, and I have to loose 10 pounds prior to surgery...so I shopped the perimeters of the food store and got lots of fresh fruit veggies and meats...Now I just need to learn what to do with it all! I am all for taking dinner out of a box and warming it up, as long as someone else cooked it! The drs office strongly suggested that I wait till I get my new insurance on 3/1 because they say Aetna will NOT cover the surgery or any of the presurgical testing...so I will wait. Gives me more time to work on that 10 lbs and to get ready for the post surgical diet. I am gonna take care of the psych consult now, because I will be paying out of pocket for that...that will just take me one step closer. Sooo now I play the wait game...Its all just part of the process. Gives me more time to prepare thats all. Plus, it wont be so bad undergoing surgery in April...maybe it can happen around spring break. I work at a high school and will have that time off anyway! All right. Thanks for listening. I will be in touch soon!

Tanya...Congrats on getting your date! I am hopeful to get a date and an approval from insurance and everything else. My date to see the surgeon is 2/10 to really get the ball rolling! How long do you think you waited from the day you started everything to get a surgery date? Just curious...I know everyones wait time is diffrent .. insurances are diffrent...I AM SOO EXCITED FOR YOU! I read somewhere on the internet that if you exercise before your surgery it will help in the recovery..speed it up, make you less sore, and may help reduce the risks of surgical complications! Im sure you will be fine!! Prayers are with you!!

Kathy, Im sorry, I skipped right over your question basically about self pay insurance. My experience is with group plans.....not self pay.. I would imagin with a self pay they can deny you coverage for any reason, but in this day and age, I don't see how they could. If memory serves me correctly, there are federal laws that protect people with certain illnesses...such as cancer, and obesity. Maternity and breast health are protected by certain laws too. Just gotta ask up front, but you all ready knew that... Sorry I couldn't give you more specific info....good luck to you!! I am not banded YET either. I have an initial consult with the surgeon and dietician on 2/10. I am anxious to see how long the insurance company takes to approve/deny. Talk to you later

Hi Kathy....I don't know everything, but what I would assume would happen, your new insurance may consider your band a pre exisisting condition. They may hold claims on fills (if they cover fills at all) until the pre exisisting condition time frame expires. Some policies say they wont pay on pre exisisting conditions for 60 days from your policies effective date. However on the policies that I have worked on for BCBS they had an exclusion on the pre exisisting clauses saying if you have had insurance within the last 60 days from the day of your effective date...then the preexisisting clause is void....you don't have to wait on your claims to be paid. SOO basically the preex clause is only vaild if you have had no insurance prior to your new policy...which you have had insurance. I don't think they would deny you coverage especially under a group policy thru your employer just for the band. One tricky thing about group insurances is that the employer helps the policys development...if they say cover band aids, then the insurance company covers band aids....if the company says covers lolli pops, then the insurnace company covers lolli pops. I worked on a group policy for Morgan Stanly in New York City...a huge investment/stock broker and they had excellent coverage.....I also worked on ummmmm another HUGE company in NYC.....I forget the name now, but if ONE person complained about coverage, the company would approve the charges!!! It was wild. It was like why even have a policy if everything was getting pushed through....but I digress.....I hope this has helped your question in some way Good Night !

Elizabeth...I do not have your insurance, but if ya let me know what your policy says I may be able to help you form a stratagy around it...........maybe........I use to work for Empire BlueCross BlueShield and learned a lot working there. Does it say if medically necessary? Empire typically covers the surgery but it needs to be preautherized...which means documentation sent in by your provider and you need to meet a certain list of qualifications. I don't know if your policy is set up the same way. Maybe it is saying no on just weight loss programs such as Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig....Lemme know if ya need help........

Hello everyone...."Newbie" here....have posted a few times. I am going to see my surgeon in 9 days to discuss this lap band procedure. AND THEN I CAME ACROSS THIS PICTURE.....Please please please tell me that this is something TOTALLY off the norm! I am not going to reconsider the surgery because I do have other health risks to consider...but this gaping hole in this stomach would scare the crap outta anyone. How long is this person expected to have this hole open like this? Well, I guess one good thing is I work at a Haunted House during the fall, I guess special effects make up are gonna be cheap this year! I feel so bad for who ever is on the other end of this! It looks like its the size of a softball! If I followed the story correctly there was a problem with the port being rejected...this is the result of surgery to clean out the infected parts and replace the port?? This isn't a typical wound left from the first surgery is it? Ya get stiched up right? Im just full of questions this morning aren't I??? Best of luck to ya!!! Im sorry that your going through this. And heres to a speedy recovery!!!!

Hey there everyone. I am on my way to being banded. I have my first appointment with the surgeon on Feb 10th....and then starts the cycle. I was wondering if there is anything I can do now to prepare for the surgery? I was thinking afterwards I will have to drink a lot of water, and right now I am not a big water person. Sooo I was thinking trying to increase the amount of water I drink for the next few days. Then trying something else...like picking out all the junk out of my diet......Then going back on slim fast...just so I don't miss the little things when I do get my surgery. Of course I don't have a surgical date as of yet...but I think if I can prepare myself just a little bit for the afterward, then I will get through recovery better.........Also, with the extra skin...Is there anything I can do to help my skin "bounce back" after the weight loss. I was thinking to slather my skin with vitamin e oils/lotion to help the elastin work better...I don't have any clue what Im talking about, just any suggestions.....would be helpful. I really don't want to have reconstructive surgery after weight loss....I guess if there is a good time to have reconstructive surgery it would be after weight loss.....but still, if I can prevent it...Im gonna try like mad! Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Just wanted to let yas know, I contacted the surgeon today and I have an initial appointment with them for Feb 10th. They will be sending me a packette of info that I need to fill out and bring with me at the time of the appointment....and I do have to undergo psych eval....Im not concerned with it, but I wanna get thru this as quick as possible. I guess these steps are put in place so that people dont go into it haphazzardly....not like getting a tattoo...(which I have 4 of).....I guess I could be impulsive at times....and I guess they want to make sure of my committment. I can't wait! I am so excited. I have been thinking of all the clothes I could wear when this is all over.....I am thinking of all the things I can do with my son that I can't do now.....How life is going to change....IM UP FOR IT.

I am not banded yet....and the thought of surgery scares the dickens outta me. However....I have come to terms with the risks somewhat by this: A) Other than being morbidly obese *as if obese wasn't a clear enough picture* I am healthy...no heart problems, breathing problems, no diabeties now....... My little boy, 7yrs old now has Down syndrome and he has had several surgeries and had underlaying medical conditions when he had surgery (he had a hole in his heart when he was born...surgeries were for tonsils and adnoids, tubes in his ears twice..If he can do it I certainly can do it...If I can make the decision to have him put under anestesia, I can certainly make if for myself....and finally C) Being morbidly obese poses a LOT of major health risks. Diabeties which is breathing right down my back (I had it when I was pregnt and it runs rampid in my mothers family), heart attack (my father had 2 of them), certain cancers (also runs in my family), stroke (my mom had 2 strokes)....... So I guess what I am tyring to say is that I have weighed the option of surgery to not having the surgery and it seems that I could possibly face death with or without the surgery.

GOOD LUCK LAUREN........You must be very excited. I just started on this journey...and I am looking forward to the day that I can post this same exact message...........Please let us know how things go...and I look forward to learning all I can about this........

This does seem like a VERY supportive group...THIS IS AWESOME....The visit with my pcp today was VERY positive...He agreed that this is the best step I could take...and gave me the name of a surgn in our area...about 20 minutes 25 minutes from my house! I called the office today to get the ball going, and well, the lady said, I would love to help you but we have an emergency situation here, can you call back monday! Well, of course I said yes, but the little voice inside of me keeps yelling WHAT WAS THE *(&^%$ EMERGENCY!!! Yea a little scarey!!! I will ask when I call back monday. My PCP said that he would be more than happy to write a letter of medical support when it is needed too!! How cool is this! I thought that he was gonna waste my time and money suggesting yet another diet drug.....or program....or what ever! I know its a long trip from here to surgery...but Im ready for it! Psych evals, cardio, and what else.....I need to get my med recs together as far as programs right? I am just sooo excited I wanna get this all done NOW.... I think my father is just as excited as I am.....wow, he can't get enough info about this!! He is so supportive because he knows how important this is for me. I have been in this battle all my life basically and its gonna be over soon!!!! AND I WILL WIN I do tend to go on...I like to write....so I will stop for now! Talk to you all soon! Thank you all for the welcome and well wishes!! LATER

thanks for the support guys. I am nervous/anxious all at once. this is a great group. i have been browsing all day it seems. I will let you know what happens. I am sure this time around the PCP will just give me a name of a surg and we will go from there. Im soo happy to be here... talk to you soon...im off to the doctor!! later