StLouisGal

It is great that you have kept it off for a year. I'm not banded yet but I admire your success. My previous diet experience says to start measuring food and tracking your intake. Sorry I can't be more help. Hang in there. You have done great!

oops, I mean 85 lbs. Great loss.

When was your last fill. Maybe you need another one. Just curious, have you been able to keep the 65 lbs off?

Hello February Bandsters. :wave: I am hoping to join you. I am currently waiting for insurance approval. I thought it was all taken care of but because of an insurance name change, my paperwork got lost so I am waiting again. First available pre-op appointment with my surgeon is Jan 30 but I can't even make that appointment until I have my insurance approval.:ohwell: I feel like I am running around in circles.:violin: Glad to have such a wonderful support group here.

How about the Incredible Shrinking Cupids

Thanks, You won't believe this :faint:My insurance company changed names on Jan 1. They lost my paperwork in the switch. :mad: There is no record that I was approved and we have to start over at square one. She said she did make it "high priority" this time. :speechles I just want to cry but I can't because I am at work. :cry

Hang in there Amy, :hug: I am sure you did everything they required. It is very nerve wracking to wait. I am on hold:phone: with my insurance company as I am typing this.:typing: I am not sure why I keep calling them because I get a different answer from them every time I call. I can't for the life of me figure out how it takes 12 days to generate and mail a letter. :ohwell: :bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce: Keep thinking the good thoughts.

Where are you having your surgery? Your surgeon may have a support group available.

I guess we have to keep hanging in. I am going home at lunch to check the mailbox again and then call them this afternoon. This is getting quite old.

Apparently not, I asked for one over a week ago and it hasn't come yet. I have a feeling it is because they approved it for 2008 and they won't send it until after Jan 1. Maybe it will come tomorrow.

Hang in there 4jin. It will come soon. I am still waiting for the official letter so that I can make my appointment. (Acording to the insurance company I was approved on Dec. 21. The first available is Jan 30 and I can't even make it until I have a letter in hand. And it didn't come yet today. I am so frustrated. When that class fills up then next one won't be until mid February and Mar 1 is when my work kicks into high gear for three months. :faint:

Thanks, O2BThinAgain. I know that the time will fly but I want it done yesterday. Did I mention that patience is not one of my virtues. I hope the surgeon doesn't think of some other tests he wants done to delay if further. I guess it will come when it comes. :cry I hope you are correct Chrisann. They are telling me that my doc has open surgery dates in Jan but can't schedule until after pre-op class. (Jan 30). I am going to try to lose some weight in Jan before the class to hopefully avoid the pre-op diet thing.:Banane34: Waiting two weeks so I can complete an arbitrary diet would not please me. I'm going to do it before. The worst that can happen is I'll lose some weight that will never come back. I'm already approved so they can't take that away.:whoo: Y'all take care!

Apparently being approved doesn't help much. My docs office won't even schedule the pre-op class in the end of Jan. until they have the paperwork in hand and it hasn't come yet.:faint:I am so frustrated, and 600 miles from my mailbox. I am so afraid that I will be pushed further back and have to wait until summer because work it too busy for me to take time off. :cry Happy New Year!

Yeah, I called on the 21 and they told me it might be 30 days before I was approved. Go figure!

I called my insurance company this morning and found out that I was approved on December 21. :whoo::whoo::whoo:Now for the bad news. I have to leave this fantastic January thread because my pre-op class won't be until Jan 30 and surgery 2-6 weeks after that. And I so wanted to be a January Jewel or New Years

I'm with the rest of you, I rarely find myself in front of the camera. I hate pictures of me but for what it is worth, here it is.

Fine by me! :clap2::clap2::clap2:

Hey Ross07, Welcome :clap2: Where in St. Louis are you? :rose: Who is your Doc. :rose: This board is great. I am in St. Louis also and currently waiting for insurance approval but we won't go there, too frustrating. Happy Holidays!

What about a tiny crumb of bread and a tiny sip of wine. Is it unlevined bread or yeast bread. The unlevined bread kind of just melts to nothing (at least the kind our church uses.) Also many churches offer grape juice for the alcoholics or others who cannot have alcohol, that might be a better option for you. Just a thought. Hope you are feeling up to going to church on Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas.

I called my insurance again this morning. the gal I talked to today said it was still under review and that could take 30 days. :angry I feel like I am just supposed to put my life on hold until they decide to get their act together. :faint: I don't want to tell my family that I am having the surgery until I am sure I am because in my mind it will be just another thing I didn't follow through with in their eyes. :rolleyes I wish they would get their stories straight. The last gal on Wednesday told me 72 hours. I think this one just wanted to get rid of me. :bored I may call back this afternoon to see if I can get a third opinion. :decision:

I started researching this about four years ago but at that time my insurance didn't cover anything but bypass and I didn't want that and my primary doctor refused to even let me consider that, so I kind of decided I was just meant to be fat. I tried WW again, about 40 pounds lost :)and gained back about 60. :mad:Tried Atkins, lost about 70 pounds, :)gained back all 70. Again decided I was just going to be fat, got rid of all my small clothes, except this one green suit that I love but is a size 18. Oh well, My epifiany was when I went to an amusment park with my neices and nephew and had to get an electric cart to keep up.:embarassed: I decided that I didn't want to have to ride around in a wheelchair to keep up with my grandchildren if I ever am blessed with any. I started researching again. The band was now available and a possiblity with my inusrance. I ran across this site, and did more research, clicked every link and read, read, read, Finally in September I went to see my primary care provider and asked what she thought. She thought it was a good idea and said she would support me any way she could. :whoo:I started researching surgeons in this area. Found one, got information, signed up for a seminar, etc. only to find out that they don't accept my insurance. :cry Back to the drawing board. I found another surgeon, requested information, etc. filled out preliminary paperwork, saw pcp again to get letter of medical necessity, made appointment for the psychological evaluation (a month out from where I was then:cry) and waited. Got the Psych eval, passed, waited while surgeons office evaluated paperwork to decide if I was a good candidate. They submitted the paperwork to the insurance about a month after I submitted it to them. Now I am waiting on the insurance. My Doc doesn't even see you until after insurance approval. Once the insurance is approved I have to meet with dietitian, exercise therapist, preop testing, and a consult with surgeon. :clap2::clap2::clap2: I guess I haven't had to jump through all that many hoops yet but I hate waiting. Fortunately my PCP was able to document several diet attempts and a long history of obesity. I guess there are advantages to sticking with the same primary care provider for 20 years plus. :eyebrows: So that is my tale of woe. We are going to make it.

You have great taste in tickers. Hope you are approved soon too. It would be a great holiday present!

Congratulations. Jan 7 will come sooner than you think. Do you have to do a pre-op diet?

I guess we are all in the same slow boat. 4jin, I have a federal program administered Anthem in Missouri. :biggrin1: I miss the good old days when my doctor (who actually knows me and makes decisions on what is best for me) made the decisions about my healthcare and proceeded without interference with insurance companies. They just paid the bills when they were submitted. :flypig: Oh, but they didn't have the band back then :eek:so I guess I'll stick with what I have. I'll be praying for all of you :pray::pray::pray::pray::pray:while I'm praying for my insurance company.:pray:

I finally called the insurance company. The Doctor's office submitted the information on Dec. 6. :whoo:The insurance company finally got it on Dec 15 and have submitted it to a nurse to look at for approval. :clap2: The nurse hasn't had time to look at it. :rolleyes When I asked how long it usually took her to get around to looking at it, I was told it depended on how many more she had ahead of me on her desk but once she looks at it, I should have an answer within 72 hours :huytsao But since it is not an emergency they can't do anything to speed up the process. :guess:guess:guess I am welcome to call back next week to see if she has had a chance to look at it. :cry:cry:cry I think I'll call back tomorrow and Friday and maybe they will get tired of hearing from me.:heh::heh::heh: Thanks for letting me vent. :bounce::bounce::bounce: I'm bouncing off the walls here, I'm so nervous.