lalaktblala

Hey everyone! My name is Katie, I'm 21 years old and live in New Jersey, though I have BCBS of California insurance. I'm brand new to this site and just had a few questions that I thought you guys could answer better than any doctors or insurance companies. I have been interested in lap band surgery for a while now; I have been dieting every since I was eleven and could never lose weight. I am now 278 pounds with a BMI of 42. Though I am a young girl, I have been through many diets and procedures, such as Jenny Craig, Diet Center, Weight Watchers, hypnosis and many personal trainer's and gyms. My doctor has been telling me for years that I have to lose weight or I will have serious problems later in life, but I could never really follow through. Here is my problem right now...I went to my Lap Band surgeon's office last week and everything seemed to be falling in place perfectly. Then, we started talking about insurance coverage, and, though the woman wasn't too sure about BCBS policy in California, she said that if I don't have proof that I followed a diet with my doctor for a six month span over the last two years, I would not be approved for surgery. Do you think this is 100% true, or should I give it a shot, send in all the information that blantanly shows that I need this surgery (including a doctor's letter), or should I try to follow a physician supervised diet for six months and then give it a shot? I'm a really impatient person, so I want this to happen as soon as possible. But I don't want to be discouraged if I don't get approved for a silly reason. So, any imput or any advice you could offer would be great. I think I'm going to try and send it in and see what happens, but some support or suggestions would be very much appreciated. Thanks so much.