junbug178

Hi NayFortune, we have a Bandster Support group that meets every third Wednesday of the month at 6:30pm at St. Anthony's Hospital. You're more than welcomed to join.

Awww, Day 2 for me. Granted my wife did most of the work. :w00t:

Just wanted to give a little feedback about my procedure with Dr. Huguet. Everything went great! Staff is great too! They walked me through the whole process and even worked a little harder when my insurance denied my original request. Dr. Huguet came highly recommended and spoken of very highly by his peers.

Congrat's! Good Luck!

I'm home, everything went great!!!

Pre-op to Post-op. My surgery is today, I have to be at the hospital at 9am. My mom is flying in today so she can help my wife and I in the recovery stage. I have a lot different emotions right now, I feel excited, nervous, a little sad (about how everything is going to change) and very happy (about how everything is going to change). I'm down a little over 30 lbs after my pre-op diet and I feel great. Wish me luck guys and I'll see you the post-op side. :scared2:

I am no way an expert, I'm not even banded yet :thumbdown:. But it sounds like you have a lot opportunities for improvements. I would suggest make list tape it to fridge. I have a list that I want to laminate and put up on my fridge, here it is: Always eat the Protein part of the meal first. Limit food intake to mealtimes only – no snacking. Space your meals out evenly (4-6 hours apart). Take small bites and chew your food well. Do not drink with meals. No liquids for at least 10 minutes before meals. No liquids for 60 minutes after meals. Maintain your daily Fluid goal: 64 ounces a day. Take your Vitamin and mineral supplements as recommended. Keep up with a regular exercise routine. Attend a regular support group. Eat at the table – not in front of the TV or computer. Continue to monitor your eating behaviors for life. Keeping a food diary is helpful and effective for maintaining weight loss with the LAP-BAND.

Actually, the ladies handling the Authorization and Scheduling were very nice and accommodating, even when I had bug them on the phone several times. They really try their best to get the authorization in yesterday so I wouldn’t have to reschedule. I'm glad they were able to get me in so soon. Honestly, I’m a little tried of the protein diet.

Wow! Great resource, thanks for sharing! My Dietician provided something similiar but yours is online and more detailed. Also, it provides daily sample menu which is great.

Just got my approval this morning at 8:30am. Needless to say, I had to reschedule since I wasn't going to proceed without it. Rescheduled for 11/02/2009. Good news at least it's approved!

You are correct! I went to Doc's on Friday to get a physical. He sent them the medical clearance documents on Friday and they have not been processed as of yet. I think I may need to reschedule the surgery. They said it takes 72 hours to review documents marked "STAT".

*Update* So it seems the Insurance was requiring Medical Clearance from my PCP. I went today and got MC from PCP which consisted of getting a complete physical. Needless to say, I did not have enough time to mentally prepare for a specific part of my physical. Glad it's over and I'm almost 100% sure I will get my approval on Monday.

Thanks Sara! This is extremely helpful. Like I mentioned they were sending the medical evaluation the afternoon I received the denial letter. I am hoping that this will be settled today. The Medical Director has not had a chance to meet with the Surgeon as of yet.

It seems the Medical Evaluation letter was sent yesterday afternoon. Now it seems I'm only dealing with the "not medical necessity" reason. Which should be resolved after my surgeon meets with the Medical Director at the Pre-Cert.

I am just confused, is it two reasons for the denial: Not a Medical Necessity No Medical Evalutation

Just got the letter yesterday. Here is the reason for denial:

My surgeon is meeting with the Medical Director at BCBS tomorrow afternoon. I should know more after this meeting. This really sucks big time.

Documents they will be sending are Dietician Letter and Docter Letter.

I am hoping they are only needing this information in order to approve the request.

Well, it seems my doctor's office still has a couple of documents to send to the insurance. The authorization admin will fax over those documents and speak to the pre-cert nurse to find out why and call me back this morning for the details.

Just found out BCBS denied my request for Lap-Band stating it wasn't a medical necessity. I'm going to call my surgeon in a few minutes to find out more details about it. I'm really bummed out. :thumbup:

Day Four - So far it has been a roller coaster ride emotions and hunger. I have to say the scary/tough part is over. I am finally used to drinking the shakes and I actually enjoy them. I am looking forward to my walk later today. It's raining today so I may have to take a tour of the parking garage. :scared2:

It's definitely tough. Today has been a little better. I took a walk around grounds to help keep distracted.

Hey OP, I know you mentioned the support groups are not convenient but I want to stress how important is to have one. A set of real people who know what you are going through and you can communicate with face to face is going to be extremely beneficial. I would suggest to sacrifice that one evening for the support group. In the end what matters is your physical and mental well being. Good luck!

10/28/09 - still pending insurance approval