EliyshevaLovesYahweh

Your surgeon's affiliated program sounds exactly like the combo my surgeon has going on over at his facility. I do hope everything works out for you!

If you are doubting the lap band then perhaps this surgery is not for you. Try giving Nutrisystem or any other weight loss program a try before committing to any weight loss surgery. I however, have tried MANY weight loss programs, Nutrisystem was the last straw and I was on that program for 6 months prior to my WLS and I only lost 14 lbs. Nutrisystem did not work for me.

I hope no one jumps down your throat either because ALL QUESTIONS regarding 'lap band' are good and valid in my opinion. I have Empire Bluecross Blueshield medical insurance and although I have not verified if the fills are covered, my lap band surgeon told me that most insurances don't cover the fills. So I'd probably have to pay $ whenever I am due for one.

Congratulations to you! May the lap band tool (and your new healthy way of eating) help you achieve your weight loss goal.

I do not know your insurance type nor your BMI to give you a specific answer. However, I can share with you the route I chose on this journey: Four months ago, I made a consultation with the surgeon of my choice for the following month [October] on that day he determined whether I was a WLS candidate or not. Due to my intense research on WLS I was only interested in the Lap band single incision through the navel and I made this known to my surgeon. During the consultation he rendered a list of specialists of all who I had to seek clearances from - this is optional since you can go with your own specialists. I scheduled appointments with all the specialists on his list ...days apart from one another since I wanted to get the ball rolling ASAP. The bariatric clearances took three months total for me to acquire. Due to my insurance change, I was scheduled to have surgery at the end of the third month. First, find out if your insurance pays for this type of surgery - IF you are opting to go that route and are not self-pay. Nevertheless, make sure you go with a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence when choosing your surgeon. Once you find a board certified surgeon, book a consultation with him/her to discuss your possible candidacy for WLS. Hope my answer helps you.

Congratulations! Please do share some before and after pics.

Congratulations to you indeed!

I know exactly what you are going through. Communicate your concerns to your friend, let her know what is on your mind regarding her negativity with hopes to see her change of attitude. Because you (as well all lapbandsters here) are in need of another type of environment right now, a more supportive circle than a criticizing audience. WE are here for you hon. Nevertheless, I hope that in the end you and your friend can remain friends.

Congratulations! I am a week out and doing well. May you be blessed with this tool.

I'll be rooting for you to quit. You can do it!!! You want to look young and healthy not wrinkly and old in your new slim body. C'mon...you can do it girl!

Hi Haven, may Yahweh favor you. Preoperatively, I am well, thank you. I am scheduled for WLS this 2nd day of the week on 1/31/11 @ 6am. I will keep you posted.

I gained some unintentional pounds. I hope everything worked out for you.

Yay congrats!!! I was so close to going to Mexico to do the SILS with Dr Rumbaut, but things changed for me with my insurance . I'm pleased to hear you are doing well and are home safe. I will be joining you among other bandster here two days from now. Please keep us updated of your progress.

Hi Kylie! I must say that everyone's insurance policy is different, although the insurer may sound the same, insurance policies vary from state-to-state. The ensurer or surgeon may require a supervised visit, for example, as a prerequisite for WLS. Perhaps the employer excludes bariatric surgery, maybe not. I'm not trying to discourage you though - I hope you have a green light all the way. Having said that, my first consultation took place in LI, NY on 10/20/11. During that time, I had GHI PPO for med ins and they require one to attend a six month supervised visit. I made it priority to schedule all of my clearances appointments very close together (all within a two week gap) to speed things up. However, after three months of weight-ins, on Dec 31st I received new insurance cards from my husband's employer with Empire Bluecross Blueshield and I found myself switching plans with the Human Resources dept since my surgeon of choice is out-network for me. During this time, I receive a call from the surgeon's office that he will accept EBCBS fees, and I was so pleased. On 1/19/11, I got my surgery date for February 1st which was then rescheduled for the 31st - two days away. I am currently weighing 239 lbs, having lost two pounds. . Tips? I'd say, be very patient. Stay on top of the insurance company, don't be intimidated to call them to find out any questions that may surface. I have learned that ALL of my queries were answered whenever I called them to ask about specific questions. Find out from your medical Ins Co. all that is needed from you in order to get your process moving faster. Also, if you like, inquire if your employer excludes bariatric surgery or not. Finally, remain hopeful.

Welcome aboard!

Lol bigtom - my husband told me the same thing since I have this lingering craving for lobster...we are going out to dinner before the-all-day liquid diet. Congratulations to you and everyone here who got their surgery date. How nerve-racking and exiting is this?!

I agree with the above post...call your insurance company, stay on them. I was a bit intimidated at first with calling my ins company but I learned that I actually helped with my approval process. You'll get a call soon from Aetna, perhaps next week.

My consultation was 01/25/11. I am so ready to do this but i feel like the system is set up for ppl who are not quite sure. Unfortunately i waited till I was 100% positive before scheduling an appointment. now everything feels like its dragging. Now I have to get an Endoscopy, Psych Eval, Nutritionist, and letter of recommendation. feeling like Im back to square one. I think I gave myself the false hope that when I made my decision it would be one two three and i would be feeling great by summer...............could be wrong-er! btw how do i get one of those weight loss trackers? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Watch and see how fast time flies. The ample time is fitting, giving you the precise allotted space needed to gather your paperwork in order. When I faced such ordeal, I kid you not...I got on the phone and booked all of my appointments very close together and got my clearances done in less than three months. My surgeon was so surprised I was so ready for surgery. Don't get discouraged, there still is time for you to start feeling great by summer, you'll see. This journey is such a trying experience, however in the end your perseverance and patience will be worth it. Re the weight loss tracker: Click on my tickerfactory image it will prompt you to the website. Fill out the boxes, then create your own ticker. Copy the first link, then proceed to your profile located on the upper left corner "signed in as" (under the Lapbandtalk logo). There, go to settings, it will open up four other tabs. Click on your profile, go down to 'change your signature' and paste the copied link there. I do hope this works for you.

Congratulations hope! I know the feeling. May you have a successful surgery and speedy recovery.

I had a horrible experience. Historically, the sleep study technician is to form some sort of rapport with the patient thus learn sleeping habits in order to offer the right cpap for one's comfort. For example, if one sleeps with mouth open or not, which in my case I don't. So she waltz over to my room with a seemingly darth vader Cpap device and proceeded to place it over my face (without explaining anything to me regarding the apparatus) while I was half asleep. It's funny to me now looking back at my frustration with this device and how I failed the second part of the test and had to do it over. Thanks to my best friend who is a Dr who gave me some great tips on how to overcome the claustrophobic anxiety, I passed the test. The key is to take a deep breath, hold it in, keep your mouth closed and try to breathe in ONLY from your nose once the device is properly placed. Why didn't this tech say this to me? Where do they find these people? lol. Anyway, the wires were an inconvenience, the freaking glue remained in my hair for days...I was only able to remove the glue with an oil treatment. So glad that part of the WLS/journey is over. As it turns out I suffer from sleep apnea - I would have never found out I had sleep apnea if it were not for bariatric clearance. Well, I hope your results come back OK.

Thank you Kristina!

Hi everyone! My name is Eiysheva, and I am so happy to be a part of this community which is so informative and supportive at the same time. I made the right decision to have WLS and finally I got my surgery date for 1/2/11. I praised the Almighty Yahweh for helping me during the process. Also, I want to add that IF anyone has a question(s) re my previous posts ... I am more than willing to help answer. Blessings to all.

I was reviewing my posts and came across yours again. How are you postoperatively? I hope all is well.

Neat! I've received your private message and answered. Keep in mind that every plan is different and every case as well. Empire Bluecross Blueshield reviews cases independently. Hope things work out with you.