msbug

I second the vote for gallbladder. I haven't been banded (yet!) but it sounds exactly like what I had when my gallbladder was acting up. Intense back pain that only went away if I put lots of pressure on my stomach, which might not be best thing with a band and moving around. I'd talk to your doc about it. Hope you're feeling better soon!

I am hoping to get the lapband in the next couple months. I'm going to pay for it myself. I have BC/BS of Illinois PPO. It will cover lapband if I've been enrolled for at least a year and have 2 comorbidities. I've only been with BC/BS since Jan, and have no comorbids, so I won't get the surgery covered. But I'm wondering if they will pay for the fills after I have the surgery. Has anyone had insurance cover fills after they paid out of pocket for the surgery? Is that even possible??? :help:

I'm in northern Illinois, about an hour north of Chicago. I've heard excellent things about the Wish Center and I'm pretty sure they have a location in Chicago. Dr. Iwanicki (sp?) at Wish is supposed to be very good, as are the 2 other docs that work with him. I'm hoping to get it done at the hospital up by me, Centegra's Bariatric Center, with Dr. Haydari, but if I wasn't going through him, I'd go through Wish. As for insurance, it varies a lot from what I can tell. SOme cover it, some don't, some do only after you jump through a ton of hoops, ie be on a dr-supervised diet for up to a year, submit lots of extra tests, and do a bunch of appeals. Unfortunately, mine insurance won't cover it for me. My BMI is only 40 and I have no co-morbidities, so they won't consider it a medical neccessity. I also need to be enrolled in the ins plan for 2 years and I just started this past January. So, I'll be self-pay. :second: Call your insurance company and they should be able to tell you what you need to get it approved. Some are better than others. Good luck!

If you were self pay for your band, what was the total, if you don't mind me asking? Did your surgeon have a "package deal" with aftercare included?

After spending the majority of my life fat, I think I've decided to get the Lap Band. I'm currently 130lbs overweight and cannot seem to get it off and keep it off. I was on Weight Watchers in 2004 and successfully lost 70lbs. But, I stopped losing after having my gallbladder taken out and have started to gain it all back. Unfortunately, I'm working against bad genes here, as the majority of my dad's side of the family was morbidly obsese. My dad had RNY done in December of 2002 and looks great. He's lost all his weight and had no complications. His doctor calls him a model patient! I'm hoping I can be as successful with the Lap Band. I'm leaning towards lap band rather than RNY because I like the fact that it is reversible if I decide to get pregnant again. I'm only 29 years old and dh and I haven't decided if we're done having kids yet! So I like being able to have the ability to adjust the band if I get pregnant again. Plus, I have two kids at home, ages 6 and 3, and can't afford to be out of commission for too long. So the shorter recovery time also appeals to me. My husband is a little nervous, but promises to support me no matter what. He's loved me at my highest and lowest weights, and everywhere in between! I'm going to my first seminar next Wednesday and hope to be banded by the end of the summer. My insurance won't cover it since I am actually pretty healthy for a fat person (so far) and have no co-morbidities. No high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, chronic pain, etc. I have asthma, but I've had that since I was a kid and it's not at all weight related. In fact it's more in control now than when I was younger and 100lbs lighter! So my dad has agreed to help me pay for the surgery and I am on my way. I'm nervous, but still excited and hope to learn a lot from all the members here. I've got lots of questions! Thanks for listening to my story!

I'm considering lapband surgery. My insurance will not cover it because I haven't been enrolled in our plan for 2 years (only been on it since Jan 1 of this year) and I have to have at least 2 co-morbidities, which I don't. I'm actually pretty healthy for a fat person. :nanahump: I don't have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, chronic pain, etc. I do have asthma, but I had it since I was little and it's not weight related. I'm actually better now than I was when I was younger, despite the extra 150 pounds! Anyway, I was just wondering if the pre-op requirements were different for a self-pay. Do you still have to have the sleep studies, endoscopy, and everything? And do all bandsters have to lose a lot of weight before they have the surgery done? I've read about people who have to lose 30lbs before they can have the surgery. Gee, if I could do that on my own, why would I be having the surgery?! Thanks for helping out a newbie! Tracey