marnie723

Thanks for the info. They also included a list of comorbidities which I don't have(well at least the ones on the list) I have lost 5pds in 8mths(sad!) & that's with working out 3-5times per week on a treadmil for 45-60minutes. What surgeon did you use? I have a pcp appt this week & I feel I need to do more work to get this covered faster. We don't have an exclusion on WLS on our insurance so I can't figure out why the same insurance has a different rule. Hopefully I've overlooked something. I would fly to Michigan in a heartbeat if that's what it took.

I am going thru AIGB in Texas but our insurance in BCBS Mich.because my husbands headoffice is there. They faxed back the requirements & it stated, "minimum 12mth supervised diet with monthly weigh-ins & exercise regiment" I think I will call & ask for my own description of the qualifications. I have a feeling it won't get approved because at 12mths they will make me go longer ( with the wording of a 'minimum' of 12 mths) Can I ask what your BMI was & if you had any comorbidities. My BMI is 39.5, can't get much closer to 40. I should have stuck weights in my pockets. ha ha .

I have to do a 12mth supervised diet(I'm now in mth 8) & am a little worried about having it approved. If I end up self-paying(Mexico?) I will feel I totally wasted this last year when I could have been banded. Anyone had any experience with this? thxs.

I am counting down my supervised diet to qualify for insurance & following along here. I am really concerned about all the foods I see that people are having problems with. It seems lots of people can't eat steak,chicken,eggs,bread,lots of veggies, fruit with skins & rice or pasta. WHAT"S LEFT TO EAT?? Are alot of people surviving on protein shakes & soup? I like to cook but I'm not sure I'm that imaginitive to make meals out of such little choice. I've done the Atkins diet & couldn't keep it up because of the lack of selection. If you all tell me I'll never be hungry again so don't worry about it then ok....but I just want to be prepared if I'm just going to be sucking soup thru a straw for the rest of my life. Ha Ha.

I have Blue cross ins. & I am 6mths into a 12mth supervised diet. So I still have a long way to go (6mths) and then I have to submit for approval. I am getting this done one way or another! If I have to self-pay I will but I will try insurance first. It just seems soooooo long to wait because I of course want this done now and I hate to spend another 6mths "weighting" for it. My husband was a little unsure but I told him I have really researched it so he's ok with it now.(well when I tell him we may be paying for it he might not feel that way.ha ha) It sounds like your coworker isn't really committed to giving up her food. I thought once the fills were done & you were losing weight it was hard to eat enough to regain it.(other than soft food sabotage) Did she have her fills taken out or just eat around the band? I am afraid of failure at this too but in the past I have lost 50-60 pds many times but feeling hungry I would overeat again & always gain it back plus... So my idea of this is that it is suppose to prevent that hunger and cause you to be able to only eat less food. Meanwhile I will keep reading everything I can on it. My doctor thinks I am a great candidate for this. How did you chose your doctor?

Hi Melissa. I am in San Antonio. I've done the psych consult & stress tests etc. I can't wait to get this done. I think this will finally be away for me to keep weight off once I lose it. I don't know anyone who has had this done so this site is great to learn lots. The women I spoke to at the clinic have had this done but they are employed there so I feel this way I can get an unbiased opinion on how it is.

Hi Melissa. Where are you going for your lapband? I have been going thru AIGB but I am in the process of doing my supervised weight loss to meet the insurance requirements.

Wow that's alot of weight lost on your own. Congrats! Did your surgeon do the 1200calorie diet due to the insurance or did he not submit the insurance till after 12mth weight loss?

Hi Karen How did you manage to not do the 12mth supervised diet.? Did you get excused from it somehow or was it never even brought up? i can document my weight fluctuations for 15yrs which I had hoped would show my dieting & then regaining problem(40-60 pds lost several times) but they said it had to be 12mths supervised. So here I go again. My BMI is 38.5 so I'm worried about losing weigt & being told my BMI isn't high enough OR not losing enough weight & being told I didn't try to lose weight hard enough.

Hi I noticed you mentioned 12mths consecutive weight loss history for BCBS Michigan. I also have that ins.& am in my 6mth of the weight loss history. I have a BMI of 38.5 and I am wondering what my chances are of getting insurance to cover it. I am thinking I may end up self-paying. How did it work out for you? I want the lapband now of course but I am willing to go 12mths to see if insurance will cover it but at the same time I don't want to waste any more time if it's not likely.

Have you looked into the Canadian economy lately? It is booming even with it's universal health care. It's right every system has it's flaws but universal health systems seem to work for every country that has it. There are waits for non life threatening surgury but in Canada those waits come from a shortage of doctors referred to as the "brain drain" who have all come to the United States where they can make alot more money off of the "for profit" system. I still prefer the Universal system .

Why did you have your band out?

I am Canadian & have been living in Texas for some time now. Given the choice I will take the universal health care system anyday in Canada over the American system. We have great insurance but it still costs us money everytime we make an appointment & I always check with the insurance to see whats covered. When we were transferred here I thought the tax savings would more than make up for the health care costs but it hasn't even come close. I find it hard to believe a country as powerful as America(which I am loving living here) can have such an unfair health system. To leave your lives in the hands of insurance companies is crazy. Yes in Canada there are waits for some surgery but at least after that 6mth wait you are going to go bankrupt trying to pay your 100K$ surgury. My husbands company in the US just told the employees they will not have health care upon retirement to save $$. At least with my husband we can go back to Canada. I would be afraid to retire here in case your company goes banko or cuts off your health care at a time when you most need it. Healthcare shouldn't just be for the wealthy. And by the way....75000$ annual income isn't going to take you far if you have cancer or heart surgery.

Hi Everyone. I am counting down the "medically supervised diet" for my insurance co.& have been following along here for a few weeks. I have yo-yo dieted for 18years. I have lost up to 50 pounds many times by starving but as soon as the hunger was too much I would gain it all back (usually within 6-8mths) and feel like a failure. I workout 45-60 minutes 3-5times per week but this time I am hoping the lap band will keep me from being able to gain it back. My food problem is just way too much food ie.2nd & 3rd helpings. I am concerned about some posts I see where people can't eat chicken & salad or asparagus/broccoli. Those are my fav foods(along with too much other stuff obviously) I'm wondering how hard it is to eat healthy when you are limited to certain foods.(seems fiber & lean meat is problems for alot of people) Either way at this point I am willing to eat soup for the rest of my life if I can keep this weight off & not feel I'm starving to death. Also I have been trying to find info on longterm success & wonder if more problems come up the longer you have the band such as erosion, slippage etc. Do the people with problems feel it has been worth it? Healthwise I have boarder hypertension & back problems. Alot of my weight is in my midsection. Also diabetes runs in the family. I am worried about causing myself more sickness by getting the band(with erosion,vomiting,reflux) and all these things I see posted here. I want this badly but I am also very cautious. I feel it's too good to be true that something might actually work & help me to solve my lifelong weight problem. Any input would be appreciated.

Hi I lived in the Toronto area but last year had to move to Texas. Here they have seminars regularly to talk about lap-bands & some insurances cover the procedure. I had started looking into it while I lived in Toronto. I was under the impression all lap-band procedures in Canada are self-pay? or has OHIP covered some of these procedures? Last year the only info I found in Toronto was a PS in Mississauga.