spoiltmom

I also have UHC Choice Plus. Under our policy Lap Band is 80/20 AFTER you meet your deductible and it's only covered if you use a network surgeon. I had already met my out of pocket maximum before I was banded though so I didn't pay anything for mine. My insurance paid a whopping $95,000 for it

If I were you I would go ahead with the Lap Band but I would find a new hospital to have it done at. Your not using the same doctor that the news article is talking about are you?

OKay I really like these! So far I've tried Vanilla birthday cake, chocolate peanut butter and Dutch chocolate. They make a light shake and they have no funny aftertaste. I also got coconut cream pie, bananas n cream and chocolate chip cookie dough but I haven't tried them yet. I had psyllium added to the birthday cake so now I get 4 grams of fiber per serving:)

Ever since I was 14 my hips have looked weird. They look like I have a double set of hips if that makes sense. I could have Lipo on them to fix them but would I get lasting results or would fat just build up in those areas again?

Okay, it's a done deal. I put my deposit down and I'm scheduled for December 14th:) what an awesome Christmas present!

I know what you mean. When your insurance takes effect just read your policy closely and then call and speak to a customer service rep. With my UHC plan I ended up speaking with several different reps and then a supervisor. My UHC pays well but their reps aren't very knowledgable and have a tendency to give me incomplete or incorrect information.

Isn't that like Erosion? I know that happens in like 1 or 2% of patients.

I know it's supposed to work on the kidneys, but my Lap Band surgeon said the reason why women's bands get tight around there time of the month is because you do actually retain some Fluid in and around your stomach which then pushes on the band causing the tightness. I'm wondering if a diuretic works the same way? If I'm not taking it then maybe I do have a little Water retention that I'm not seeing and it's causing tightness?

Back in March my doctor took me off of my blood pressure med. It had a diuretic in it so she gave me a separate diuretic and told me to take 1/2 to 1 whole tab a day as needed for fluid retention. Well I've been taking it ever since then. Now I don't think I need it anymore so I stopped taking it Sunday. Since Monday I've been really tight. Is it a coincidence or was the diuretic making my band looser? I'm normally much looser than I have been the past few days.

Same here. I can't find that happy medium.

I went ahead and placed an order last night. The shipping is a little high because they only use UPS but the products are cheap, customizable and come in TONS of flavors so it's not too bad overall. I'll review them when they get here.

I was searching for Protein Powder and came up on this website Protein powders? They have a huge assortment of flavors and different kinds of protein to choose from. I'm thinking of trying them next.

Thanks guys! After thinking it over and discussing with my dh I'm going to try and schedule it for December 14. The PS I'm using has done tummy tucks on 4 other people I know and they are all super happy with him and his results. I can't wait! I'm so excited now!

Wow! That is crazy high! The only other big obstacle is he likes to use this one type of suture. He says it leaves less scarring, but I had those same sutures when my gallbladder was removed and they came out within 3 days. I was left with open wounds and they took 2 months to fully close. So now we are waiting on my operative notes. He wants to see if they came out because my body reacted to them or if they came out because of the way they were tied off. He told me either way it wouldnt be a huge deal. We just have to decide what to sew me back up with. I will definitely check out your pics! Thanks

What they cover will depend on what your employer group wants them to cover. I have UHC also and mine does not cover plastic surgery at all but yours may be different. The premiums are based on the options the employer group chooses. Our employer group chose to cover bariatric surgery with very few requirements but no plastic surgery. As for the thigh lift, if you are planning to have a baby I would NOT get it done until afterwards. I only say that because when I got pregnant the first time my thighs were fine and normal sized but by the time I was 9 months preggo they were stretched out, saggy and full of stretch marks. I've been wanting my thighs done ever since then. When you are pregnant you tend to hold a lot of weight from Fluid retention which can settle in your thighs. Does your BCBS cover plastic surgery? Is the United Healthcare coming from that same employer?

My consult was this week. I asked what the procedure consisted of and how long it would take. How long before I would be up and back to 100% again. What the complications could be. I also asked him what complications if any, does he see in his patients. He voluntary told me that he automatically stretches the pubic skin up when he does the tuck- Apparently not all docs do this so you may want to ask if you are saggy in that area:) He also told me everything I could expect. He showed me before and after pics of his work and pictures of the stages of scarring. Also 3 of my friends just had theirs done and all 3 recommend a pain pump if your PS offers one. Mine does. It's $400 extra but they all said it's well worth it. Also ask if they will be able to move your port, not all plastic surgeons do that. If they don't move it they can't full tighten the muscles.

Sue, You just can't see them in the pic but my belly is nothing but wide stretch marks. They go up above my belly button so he won't be able to remove them all. I can afford it it's just, well, $5K is nothing to sneeze at. I'm just wondering if I will be $5K happy with the results. Do you know what I mean? It's like paying $150 to get your hair done and when you leave the salon it doesn't look any different than your old $50 hair do. Another thing is he said he no longer use drain tubes for tummy tucks. He said the way most surgeons do them now, drains are not needed. Is that right? Most of the pics I see the people still have drain tubes.

Only a 4.5 huh? Not too bad at all:)

Okay so my PS says he can do my tummy tuck for $5000 total. That includes all expenses, a pain pump and moving my port so that he can tighten my upper abs. When we were discussing results he said that some people have expectations that are really high and then they are dissappointed if they are not met. So he told me to stand up straight and relax and let my belly hang out. Then he told me to suck it in really tight. He said that would be the minimum result I would see. Then he said that the result would be even better with the extra skin taken off. When I sucked in he said imagine, that is what your stomach will look like after I tighten your muscles and you won't have to do any work at all. Does he mean if I work out like mad that my abs could get that flat/tight without surgery and he can make them that flat without exercise? What do you think? My biggest concern is the bulge that hangs over my jeans and the fact that I look pregnant depending on what I wear. Here's my pics: Front view, not sucking in side view not sucking in side view, sucking in- the effect I'm asking about. Could I get this look without a tuck? Thanks guys:)

That is good to hear! I'm not sure what to expect in reference to the pain but hearing you say it's not as bad as you thought is awesome!

My PS consult is finally here! I'm excited and a bit nervous. I can't get it done until at least January but I currently have around 17 pounds left to lose. Maybe I will lose it before then. I'm wanting a tummy tuck and possibly breast implants and my upper/ inner thighs done.

That's totally doable! I started out at 232 and I lost 75 pounds in 1 year.

I've been banded a year now and I still use regular Mucinex all the time. I'm on it again right now. I've never had any problems with it but I take mine with hot coffee or warm tea.

For my last few fills I've been swollen and had a hard time eating for the first 10-12 days afterwards but by 14 days I was back to eating fine again. If I were you I might would just wait it out a little longer unless you start having heartburn, reflux or night coughs. Thanks:) It feels so odd to me to be in a size 6 but exciting:)

Thats awesome Amber! I start back to college next week. That should help me get the rest of my weight off. When I'm in school I'm too busy to eat so I stick to 3 meals and no Snacks. On a side note, am I the only one that is UBER annoyed by all these ads on the site? I have a little pop up ad that comes on when I'm on my iPhone. It drives me crazy:(