Riane226

I started this process in Dec of 08 with my PCP. I saw the surgeon for the first time Feb 09. He then gave me a battery of things he wanted me to do... blood work chest x-ray doppler study of legs and abdomen gyno cardio pulmonology sleep study pft nutritionist & 6 months worth of weights from PCP (so monthly visits with the PCP) I am going back for my pre-op consult with the surgeon on Wednesday the 12th... and then they will submit it to insurance... it normally takes about 2 weeks to get the results back... so hopefully im looking at the end of august! so for me it took about 9months

i personally think that you should get in ASAP for an unfill, you dont want to risk getting dehydrated... that just my opinion... call the Doc and see what he says

i think this is a really good idea!!! i definitely think it could help keep us all on track!

oh yeah... i am a vegitarian (ovo-lacto) which means i eat eggs (very rare that i actually do) and dairy...

Hello everyone, Im Riane! I am 24 years old, married to my sometimes wonderful husband (Jeff), and have 2 sons (Jeffy 8, and Jayden 3). I am 273lbs, with 283lbs being my heaviest. I am 5'3". I do not have a surgery date yet, but am positive I will be an August bandster. All of my pre-op testing has been done and I am just waiting on a final checkup with the pulmonologist so she can clear me. (Last month after my sleep study I was diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea, which I honestly believe I have had all my life). I have been overweight/obese since I was 5. Anyways, I am THRILLED we finally have a place of our own, and cannot wait to finally be banded. good luck and god bless!!!

i just feel so defeated... grrr... im almost finished my journey to getting a lap band and then this. im not even sure what my next step to take is... help...

I have an issue... i spoke to the woman from my doctors office, because i wanted to purchase a CPAP machine outright instead of going through the medical supply company their office uses because she wanted to charge me and arm and leg... she said that i couldnt purchase it online like i had wanted to because it needed to be programed by a respitory therapist... is there anyway to get around this? and does anyone know what this means.. im lost for what to do next, and feeling hopeless!! grr..

Hey Cathy! Thanks for replying... I was going to look into renting one.. but the company that works with my Drs office, charges an arm and a leg... i think it would be cheaper for me in the long run to just purchase one. (or get a hand-me-down one!! :thumbup: )

Thanks so much Sue for your advice. I will have to take a look. Congrats on the WL!!

im not sure where to post this... but i hope someone is able to help me. I am supposed to have a CPAP machine for odstructive sleep apnea. my insurance has denied me for getting it, because i do not have medical equiptment coverage. i was wondering what everyone else in this situation has done, and what it costs to just purchase one. I was looking online and i came across a few of them for under 300.00... but im not sure what constitutes a good one.... i still have my mask and tubing from my sleep study, so i dont need that. just the machine itself...

congrats... i can only hope to be so lucky when its my turn!

Congrats!!

Hi Julie! I have BCBS of NJ as well, that is my HMO. I had the same exact problem when i would call. I gave up calling. I went to my PCP who gave me a referral to the surgeon i researched (after making sure he accepted my ins.). He then told me everything that needed to be done for my ins plus all the extras he required for the surgery. I saw him in Feb 2009, and Im hoping that in July 2009 i will get my turn to be banded. Where are you located in NJ? Just wanted to let you know that I know exactly how you feel towards the ins. company!

RESULTS A review of published studies showed many laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) patients achieve comparable weight loss at 3 years and beyond (55% for LAGB and 58% for standard RYGB).6 The previous came directly from Lapband.com Hope its helpful! Im assuming that it is just an average. There are people who have lost more, and people who have lost less than that. I also am looking to lose around 150lbs.

Im not banded yet but these are my goals... 1)Be a MILF! 2)Have my body match my mind... I feel like a skinny girl trapped in a fat girls body. 3)Have AMAZING sex with my husband. more are... 4)Buy clothes that fit my age and my size... not just my size. 5)Walk into a room and feel that people are looking at me, not because Im fat, but because Im cute. 6)Be a hot nurse, and not a fat sweaty one.

mine was also preprinted on a form. it also said that it was to rule out a hiatal hernia. i have heard that they can repair those when they do the banding... i didnt have one though. but the barium was really horrible.

My surgeon ordered: -chest xray -abdominal ultrasound -bilateral doppler ultrasound of the legs -upper gi (barium.. i agree.. YUCK!) -TONS of blood work -medical clearance from PCP -clearance from a nutritionist -clearance from pcychologist/psychiatrist -clearance from a cardiologist -clearance from a gynocologist -clearance from a pulmonologist I have no health problems other than being obese... i think these are all just standard for him.

I used to live in Millville, actually born and raised there. Moved to where Im at now about 2 years ago. My surgeon ordered all kinds of things for me to do before he will send anything to my insurance company. -tons of blood work (have to go whenever) -chest xray (done) -upper gi (done) -clearance from a gynocologist (done) -clearance from a nutritionist (mon 4/20) -ultrasound of the abdomen (wed 4/22) -bilateral doppler study of the legs (wed 4/22) -clearance from a psychologist (thurs 4/23) -clearance from a cardiologist (wed 4/29) -clearance from a pulmonologist (june 8th) Did your surgeon order all fo these tests or is my just over precautious? Either way, I think he is an excellent Doctor. Just taking me a little longer to get insurance approval. I was battling an inner ear infection in March so everything got pushed back . If i get approved Im probably looking at the end of June or beginning of July.

Hi everyone! My name is Riane. I am located right inbetween Cumberland and Salem counties... I am not banded yet, however I am definitely in the preop process... yesterday actually, i had my upper GI and chest xray at Elmer Hosp. My surgeon is Dr Balsama. He practices at UMDNJ and Kennedy.

Congrats on your success and Happy early Birthday!! (we share the same birthday!!) You are truely an inspiration!

Phentermine... it is a wonderful little pill when you first start taking it. I took it for almost 2 years straight.. not recommended. I did manage to lose 95lbs in 1 year, but i just wasnt eating. I used to grind my teeth horribly like a drug addict, and my resting HR on it was 116. After the first year on Phentermine my body grew tolerant to it, and i was no longer losing... i was stuck at 168 going days without eating at all. I asked my NP at the time to up the dose from 30mg to 37.5mg, the highest does they make of it. I was taking the 37.5mg pill for almost another year with no weight lose, i was actually gaining. when i completely stopped the pill i gained 76 of the 95lbs back. That is where i am now. My current PCP does not care for Phentermine because of the cardiac side effects. I think Phentermine may be a good thing if taken for very short periods of time, but nothing of length as your body may because addicted and tolerant... just my 2 cents.. hope it helped! FenPhen and Phentermine are different. Phentermine is 1/2 of what FenPhen is... the other half is Fenfluramine, The combination caused aortic and mitral heart valve damage, and was taken off the market.

Thanks TQUAD64, PATCHELTON, laurenica23, and slim-n-tn for your help! I found out today that my Surgeon requires a meeting with them and a support group meeting, physical exam, blood work, EKG, chest xray, and psych eval.. They also recommend getting the weight loss history together for insurance purposes. After all that is completed they submit the paper work to the insurance. Once its been aproved you get a surgery date! Im hoping my almost 2 years on Phentermine (the he!! pill!!) will be counted at a 6 month supervised diet. I guess my next step is meeting with my surgeon... im assuming i just need a refferal from my PCP? :Yawn: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! :thumbup:

I have one more question... Can anyone tell me what they are looking for in the 6mo supervised diet? I have been on Phentermine for the last 19 months (no longer taking it now), and I had to go to the Drs once a month to have my BP and pulse checked and could only get the script if I physcially went to the doc. Think that may count? Thanks for your time again. Sorry to be a bother.

Can you just tell me what SWL is? Sorry. Thanks!

Hi everyone! Thanks for taking the time to read this. I have a stupid question. I just started the whole process of trying to get a LAP-BAND, and Im not quite sure the order that things need to be done in. I know my insurance covers the proceedure, and I know that my insurance covers the surgeon that i have chosen. Bascially all i have done so far is go to my PCP and tell her that I want the proceedure done, and she told me that she believes I am a great canidate. I know that I need to meet with my surgeon, and I know that the surgeon requires a psych consult, but after that Im not sure what needs to be done. Im also not sure when the letter gets submitted to my insurance company for approval. My insurance in BCBS of NJ. From reading other peoples posts, Im guessing that i meet with the surgeon, get the psych consult, and the surgeon submits the letter for approval? I also need to know if my surgeon or the PCP is the one to submit the letter. Please someone let me know how this whole process works. I feel like I have learned so much from doing research and this site, but this is one question that really hasn't been answered. 1 more thing... when I called my insurance and asked them what was required for the surgery, all they told me was a letter of medical necessity. Im going to call back as soon as this is posted! :laugh: Thanks for your help in advance! PS- Sorry for the typos!