CMTurner

I am not a smoker but do know about trying to quit an addiction. My Nutritionist said that my doctor requires anyone she is doing surgery on to quit smoking a month or more prior to surgery and that they would be checking the pre-op bloodwork for nicotine and if the results showed person was still smoking, surgery would be cancelled until they could quit. That info seemed to make a couple people in class sit up and take notice. Hope you don't have the same problem.

When talking to anyone at the insurance, write down EVERYTHING. Get their name and if they were super helpful try getting their direct extension. Some will give it to you or at least a direct number to their department. I have a seperate calendar that I printed off the internet to notate all my doctors appts etc and also note who, when & what on the date when I talk to anyone. It's amazing how much that helps if you end up having to talk to a supervisor or your HR rep. LOL Hope you have great news soon. I will having my paperwork turned in at the end of next week so I am right behind you.

St. Francis Center for Surgical Weight-Loss does have a support group that meets the 2nd Thursday of every month from 7:30 to 8:30. It isn't the same as a seminar but it is people who have had the surgery and people considering weight loss surgery to meet and get info and talk to people who have been through it all. It is at St. Francis Hosp in the St. Catherine Room (behind the Emergency Dept.). There is a sign that says Longinotti Auditorium over the door that you enter from outside. The nutritionalist is there. Sometimes they have "guest speakers" and sample products and of course there is Q & A time. I would suggest going to Dr. Woodman's seminar and maybe also catching a support group meeting. You can contact St. Francis CWLS at 901-765-3040 for info on the support group. Continued good luck and before you know it that 6 months will be over and you will be getting approval from ins. You are welcome to PM or email any time you wanna talk.

Angelnurse, Do you have a closeup pic of the eyebrow tattooing? I am super curious as I have such light colored brows. That's what I get for being a fair skinned redhead. Oh well. LOL Thanks in advance for possible pics or any advice and pricing of having this done.

I am in Memphis and I have not been banded yet either. I have my 2nd nutrition visit on the 22nd and my initial surgeon consult on the 23rd with Dr. Virginia McGrath-Weaver. She is with the St. Francis Center for Surgical Weightloss. I am not sure who you talked to and got the packet from but between here and ObesityHelp.com you should be able to do some research on them. EVERYONE I have talked to loves Dr. Weaver and everyone who talks about Dr. Woodman says he is an asshole but a good surgeon. I chose to go with a nice doc that is a good surgeon. LOL Once I complete my initial consult with surgeon they will submit to insurance. I have Cigna. They do cover it but I have heard both good and horrible stories of the pre-approval process. So I don't have any "experience" with actually having the lapband but I am always willing to help when I can and I am a great listener. Almost all the people on here on super positive and great sources of info. Hopefully we can support each other on the steps through this process. Continued good luck on your research and path to a healthier, happier you.:cool2:

Hi Becky. Sorry I don't have any answers but I am very curious to see what responses you get. I live in Memphis and have Cigna through my DH's county government employer. I complete my 2nd Nut class on the 22nd and my initial surgeon's consult on the 23rd of this month and then they will be sending in the paperwork for pre-approval. Hopefully it goes fast for both of us. Now that I have made up my mind to have the surgery and I know that insurance covers it (after jumping through lots of hoops) I am very anxious to get everything underway and start my new and hopefully much healthier and thinner life. :cool2:

Hi all. My initial appointment with Dr. Weaver is July 23. At that time I should (fingers crossed) have all my paperwork ready to send in to insurance. Once you were approved, how soon were you able to schedule surgery? Thanks for any help you all can offer.

I have Cigna and am still awaiting approval but, my doctors office includes 4 fills in the surgery price and my insurance covers fills so I guess I am pretty lucky. Now only if my pre-approval happens fast I will really feel lucky.

We were told at the first nutrition class we HAD to quit smoking at least 2 months prior to surgery. Not a problem since I don't smoke. They also said we would be tested for nicotine in our pre-op testing and surgery would be cancelled if it is determined we were smoking. Like I said not a problem for me but alot of others in the class seemed upset by this news.

I too have that one friend. She says things like "I am just sooo worried about you" and "I am worried about you because you are always sick and having problems". I wanna say "yeah because I am so over weight" and "hopefully this will help with all those problems that make me feel bad all the time". Part of me feels she is saying these things out of real concern but another part of me thinks she is saying them because she will be losing "the fat girlfriend". My friend is very "looks consious" (sp?) and LOVES to be the center of attention when we all go out. I don't hold this against her (especially as she went through some bad abuse when she was younger) and I love her as my friend no matter what. I met my friend when I came to TN to meet my now DH and they used to be friends but now my DH can hardly stand to be around her (for lots of reasons....she is fairly loud, and it seems everything is about her, and she seems to go through a lot of men). I still value her friendship for what it is and have just decided to take her concern for what it hopefully is...real concern for my health and welfare and if it turns out to be any other way, I guess I will deal with that when/if it happens. I hope 1 or 2 peoples attitudes and concerns don't stop you from researching and deciding for yourself what you need to do for you. I know I haven't let it stop me. I go tonight for my sleep study and do my upper GI first thing in the morning. Hope I didn't ramble too much.

Hi. Could you post some pics of your brows? I am very curious as I have a terrible time with my brows being so light/fair. Thanks.

That sucks. Sorry. That is sooo what I am afraid of happening when I have my sleep study done next weekend. I hope they got what they needed so you don't have to try and redo the test. Recently I have been having to take something to help me sleep anyway.

Michelle...WOW. Your progress is an amazing inspiration but what inspires me most is "the look" on your face. I want to feel like that again. My paperwork will be sent to ins for pre-auth after my appt with my surgeon on July 23 and I am hoping to have surgery scheduled sometime in Aug. Seeing your pics and hearing how you utilize your tool and strive for improvement seems to help in keeping me sane (ok that was a stretch) during this frustrating waiting game. Thank you. And thanks to everyone who is sooo positive and caring on this site.

Congrats on the NSV. I was thinking the same thing about aimlagana being REALLY close to her doctor. LOL

That is wonderful. The friendship and the rollercoasters! I met my DH online on a non-dating website. You gotta love the internet. Congrats on both of your weightloss too. Can't wait to be a bandster and to get under 200.

Thank God I am not the only one. Whew. Thought my fairly new computer was messed up. Have ran multiple spyware and antivirus programs thinking it was just me. Hope they fix whatever the problem is as is bugging the crap outta me too. Thanks all. Cindy :thumbup:

LMAO that would have been hilarious! Glad it didn't happen to me either.

BBK you are amazing. So beautiful. And of course I love the red hair and my DH loves it too (since he is kinda partial to redheads anyways :thumbup:) LOL I am definately listing this as one of my "rewards" for getting to goal. You are truly an inspiration and I don't just mean with the photos. Yours is one of the names I recognize with helpful comments and encouragement on this site. Thanks for all you do. Cindy:thumbup:

I see the surgeon on July 23 and hoping to have a surgery date sometime in August too. I think an August support group is a great idea. Those of you going on cruises have a blast. Cindy

Well I guess count me in on the whore count. My DH and I were just discussing this the other day and he said to ask on here. LMAO I made him come in here and read some of this thread. I told him "whew" we're safe. We both enjoy giving and receiving so much we were hoping nothing would change in that respect (except of course me feeling totally better about my body and having soooo much more stamina and the ability to get into positions I haven't seen in years...LOL). I am hoping to be banded in August but I soo enjoy reading everyone's posts. Thanks to you all for talking about real life stuff. I can't wait to be on the loser's bench with you all. Cindy

Congratulations!!! I am so happy for you and am hoping I have as much luck once my surgeon submits the paperwork. I see her July 23 and am hoping to have my surgery sometime in Aug. Cindy

It could be excess skin getting "pulled" in (and out). I saw a surgery on tv where the woman had to have excess skin removed down there too after weight loss. Just a thought. Hope you figure it out and get back to enjoying life. Congrats on shrinkin 100#'s. Cindy:smile:

Congrats!!! I too have Cigna but my paperwork won't be turned in for pre-auth until after my first visit with the surgeon which is scheduled for July 23, 2008. Seems soooo far away. Hopefully I will be aproved soon after that. How long did it take to hear back from Cigna once your paperwork was turned in? I know you will do great with your surgery and I will be thinking of you on July 1st. Cindy :tt2:

Congrats!!! You will do great. Keep us informed and we will be thinking of you on the 17th.