JaxBandster

I was at my insurance agent's office today on another matter and mentioned to her that I was having Lap-band surgery in a few weeks. I am currently unemployed and have no insurance to cover my surgery so I am making other financial arrangements to cover it out of pocket. She proceeded to inform me about a type of major medical policy for people who do not have insurance that will reimburse a portion of your surgery/physician/anesthesia expense (plus other expenses if need be). The premiums vary, but the plan I am looking at is $61 a month. Once you have the surgery you can cancel the policy, so you are essentially just having coverage for a month. The amount reimbursed varies depending on the insurance but I am looking at getting back as much as $2,000 to cover some of my expenses. It's not a ton but is more than 10% of the cost of my surgery which is nothing to sneeze at. Just thought this was really interesting and something that people may want to look into if they are having to dig into personal savings or using credit to cover their surgery. (P.S. They will also write policies on plastic surgery as well).

So Randy, are you trying to tell me that you have other ways to occupy your time besides riding during the winter?????? Right now the weather sucks!!! Overcast, rainy, temps in the 50's, and just yucky overall and it's not supposed to get any better. I'm hoping it clears by the weekend as we are supposed to be doing an inaugural ride called the Scott Speicher ride to benefit POW/MIA's this Saturday. I will definitely look for Carol as I'm really wanting to find out. Of course, I'm meeting with my doctor tomorrow so I can just ask him then. :smile:

Hi Tina! I am on a pre-op diet which requires that I consume no more than 30 carbs a day, sort of a modified Atkins Diet. (Glad I'm not have to do the induction phase of that plan!). Two days before surgery I go to Clear Liquids. I have already lost about five pounds on the diet alone so I'm getting a head start. I am sort of looking at having the band inside of me like I would if I had a rod in my leg or arm, or a hip replacement, etc. It will be something that helps my body to function properly My surgery is on 02/07. I am definitely depending on this group and a couple of others I am on to keep my head in the right place. I know that in order to be successful I am going to have to lean on my fellow bandsters from time to time and let them lean on me as well. Good luck!!!

Bandster Bikers MC!!!! LOL Hi to all the scooter trash out there!!!!! I'm Karen and I'm due to have my surgery on 02/07/08. I'm really excited and really nervous! Okay here's the part where you guys begin to hate me. I live just south of Jacksonville about 45 minutes from Daytona. I ride ALL the time as much as I can. I have a 2008 Harley Fat Bob (one of the new designs for Harley). It's kind of old school/drag bike looking and I LOVE MY RIDE. I have another appt with my dr this Thursday and the first thing I am asking is when I will be able to ride because as we all know, Bike Week is the 1st week in March! I will probably just run down for a couple of days during the week because the weekends are just crazy! We are also planning a ride later that week with some friends from the HOG chapter in Tampa. They are heading to the Big Easy which I have never been to so I am hoping that I will be in good enough shape stamina wise to make the trip. I'm including a pic of my bike. Looking forward to getting to know everyone and who knows, maybe I can host a get together for those people who are going to be heading this way for either Bike Week or Biketoberfest!

Wow Miranda! That's great! I'm also doing self pay and glad I'm not having to suffer through the insurance hoops. My surgery is on Feb 7th and it can't get here soon enough! Good luck!

Congratulations!!!!! Especially congrats on the stop smoking thing!!! How are you kicking the habit??? My best friend is doing commit lozenges. I hope they work for her.

Cool! You go the day before me! But two weeks of liquids? Ouch! That is the one thing I have found to be really interesting is how varied the pre-op diets are. I started Atkins full force today and as long as I am doing it right I think I will be okay. I know I have already lost a few pounds as I started transitioning over the weekend and was down today when I stepped on the scale. I definitely know that nervous and excited feeling. I too sometimes think it's really far away but then I think about how quickly the time has flown just since the holidays and I know it will be here before I know it. Nice meeting another Feb-bandster!!!!!

Hi everyone! I'm Karen and I am soon to be a Bandster. My date is Feb 7th and I am going through Jacksonville Weight Loss Center. Dr. Robert Cywes is my surgeon. He has probably done more Lap-band surgeries than anyone in the area so I am feeling pretty comfortable with him and his staff. Tomorrow I begin the Atkins diet until two days before my surgery, then I will go on Clear liquids. I have actually already started eating better, just cleaned out my pantry (which is now practically empty, I never realized just how much carbs I ate!) The fridge and pantry are now filled with high Protein lean meats and vegetables along with some fruits and dairy. I was told the reason they want you to do the Atkins diet is because they don't want you going through carb withdrawal at the same time you are trying to recover from surgery. Sounds logical to me. I have told most everyone, and while not everyone is entirely comfortable with me having surgery, they are still supportive. My husband and daughter are going to be dieting with me so that will help. I am hoping to lose at least 100 lbs, if I lose a little more that will be icing on the cake but 170 is my goal. I am currently unemployed so I figured that I would take the opportunity to be able to have the surgery, heal, and get used to my new lifestyle without having to worry about when I have to go back to work. Getting employed will be first on the agenda AFTER I get my band! At this point in time, everything is sort of surreal. I keep having to remind myself that this is really happening, that I am really going through the process and this is reality. When I remind myself, I sort of mildly panic just because I know it is going to be such a life changing event and those are always a little scary no matter what they are. So don't be surprised if I come on here at the last minute saying OMG what the heck am I doing????????? LOL Seriously though, I have been contemplating this for over a year now. I've been to a seminar, an orientation, I am a member on two boards, I have read everything I can get my hands on so I know that I have made a well informed decision. All I can do is follow my doctor's instructions and then the rest is in the doctor's and God's hands. I'm looking forward to meeting all my fellow Feb Bandsters and becoming new and improved with you!!!!

Me at my current weight. Taken Sept 07. Where I want to get (back) to. Actually want to be about 25 lbs less than this (the corset is holding me in quite a bit! LOL)

I'm added to the list!

Hi Pizzaman I was curious how your surgery went and how you felt about having a "foreign body" in you upon waking. Hope all is well!

The instructions I received from my nutritionist say no drinking for 1/2 hour before and after meals. Otherwise, sip Water or other low calorie beverages continuously throughout the day to stay hydrated. Hope that helps

My doctor also has me on the Atkins diet pre-op. My husband and I just got finished cleaning out our cupboard and holy smoke!!!!!! I never EVER realized how many carbs we ate! My nutritionist says that the reason they want me to do this now is because they don't want me having to recover from surgery AND going through carb withdrawal at the same time. Makes sense to me! Of course there is the added benefit of reducing the size of the liver before the surgery and getting a head start on my goal weight I will be put on liquids two days before surgery to further shrink my liver. Less than four weeks to go! Karen

Welcome to the group Chell! I know that you will get all of your questions answered here so you can make the best decision for you.

Chaos, My recommendation is to read, read, read and read some more. Only you can determine if this procedure and the lifestyle that follows is right for you. I can't give you any feedback about the surgery or anything since I haven't had it yet (my surgery date is 4 weeks from yesterday) but I can tell you that before I decided I armed myself with as much information as possible. I still have varying emotions about the upcoming changes in my life but those are to be expected with a change this significant. All I know is that I feel this is my best chance for success. Good luck!