Dave_NW

Why not call them and ask? Can't hurt, and it may reduce your stress. You have enough on your plate (pun intended ) than to worry about something that may be a non-issue. Good luck! Dave

There are "hidden" ways to gather funds together. Do you own a house? Depending on your circumstances, refinancing can turn up equity you could use, if the numbers make sense. Same with using certain credit cards, rewriting car loans, or even borrowing against a 401K. Some people have "cafeteria" insurance plans at their work where they can pay it forward to get money for surgery. Look around you - do you have anything sitting around you could sell? Old jewelry? Antiques? Collectibles? An extra insurance policy you could cash in, or borrow against? Family members you can borrow from? Take on a second job to earn the money? If you want the surgery badly enough, there are ways to scrape together funds to make it work. One, some, or all the above may help you come up with the funds. Just a few thoughts. Good luck! Dave

I really, REALLY like that expression. I'll be using that one in the future. Thanks! Dave

Tricare is one of the easiest insurance carriers to get an approval from. I went through what you did, and they submitted my surgery request to Tricare on Friday, October 15th. On Wednesday the 20th I got a call from the Tricare office, did a brief phone interview, ("Sir, is this surgery truly what you want?" "Um, yes. That's what I've been working toward all these months." "Oh, ok. We just need to be sure."), and they approved me on the spot. Took three working days after submission to have my approval. And now my surgery is a week from Monday. Can't wait! You'll likely be approved. I haven't heard of anyone being turned down once their Provider requests an approval for surgery. i think they know the surgeon wouldn't request it unless there was a need, and that you fit the requirements. Dave

I'm being banded December 6th. Ready for the rest of the journey to start! Dave

Tricare for Active Duty is different than Tricare Prime for retirees. If you go to the Triwest.com website and check the section about deductibles, it'll show you that Tricare Prime for retirees only pays co-pays, and that they have no deductibles. Other forms of Tricare pay other fees, including deductibles, which could include the cost of fills. It's tied to how you are eligible for Tricare coverage. I'm retired Navy, on Tricare Prime, and I only pay the same co-pays Mabinty mentioned. My entire surgery cost on December 6th will be just the $12 co-pays for office visits, and the $25 surgery fee for the hospital stay. (At this point my out of pocket has been less than $50 for this process.) One of the perks for having survived the military long enough to retire from it, I guess. Dave

After months of waiting and anticipating, all the details/approvals/visits are done, and it's now less than two weeks till my surgery (Dec. 6th.) The Nutritionist has me on a high Protein, low carb preop diet to try and shrink my liver, so surgery will be easier. Did anyone else have this same process? How did it go for you? And on another note, as I start to get even more excited anticipating surgery day, I'm wondering if anyone else is as spun-up about their surgery as I am about mine? Dave

I have to say, that's one of the major things I'm looking forward to after losing the weight. When I go into clothing stores now, if I see shirts or pants I like, I usually learn they don't come in my size. (costco clothes all stop a size or two less than what I need, so I don't even bother looking anymore.) Or they're a horrible color of lime green or something I'd never wear. Or if they do happen to have an extra X-sized whatever I can fit into, it looks like hell. (Thank God for JC Penney mail order sales, polo shirts, and Dockers cords with elastic in the waistband!) I am SO ready to walk up to the sale table in a clothing store, and find something I like, that also fits. Worst of all is when I go on vacation. I hate that the only item of souvenir clothing I ever find that will fit is a ball cap. Dave

Cool! Thanks for checking into it. Dave

My surgeon required me to have an Endoscopy before he would do my surgery. It was during the Endoscopy that they discovered my hiatal hernia, which they'll repair when placing my band on Dec. 6th. I had no idea I had one. My reflux was minimal, so I never thought it was worse than eating food that didn't agree with me. Who knew? Surprise surprise: Surgeon asked me to start taking Prilosec OTC, and I have not had a single episode of reflux since. No matter what I've eaten. I'm pretty amazed. I'd insist on them doing an Endoscopy for you. It's pretty easy and painless. Dave

I totally agree. And I think it's weird that they wouldn't tell you answers to your questions. I hope you eventually did get the answers you wanted. My surgeon keeps asking me if I have any MORE questions, and I feel like I'm not asking him enough or something. I've done SO much research online, I've talked to so many people, and his surgery clinic was my choice after visiting several others, so I know pretty well exactly what I'm getting into. I'm prepared for any issues that may come up, and I know I'll make it work. Despite being really overweight, I have a tremendous amount of will power. Go figure. I hope your latest go-round with the band works to your advantage, and that you're able to enjoy things. It'd suck to have a bad feeling about something that is so important in your life. Wishing you nothing but good luck and success. Dave

I think it's normal for a surgeon's office to down-play the problems, especially if they were outside of the country. It's a sales pitch thing. They want you to think they're the best surgeon in the industry, so it's only to be expected. I think you reading on this Forum about all the problems and such is misleading. True, there are a lot of people here who are reporting issues, but how many thousands more have the surgery with no complications, and who never post anything online? We who own computers tend to forget there are a lot of people who aren't online, or who don't post things on a public forum. And if someone has no problems, they wouldn't be likely to post here, right? Just a thought. As to the NWWLS picture of a bad band - those people are the ones who make it clear that EVERYONE but them is a quack. They make it seem like they are the ONLY people who can do a good band. And of course we all know that's BS. Take their sales pitch with a grain of salt. (I live about 20 miles from their clinic, and I've been to their seminars. I chose to have surgery elsewhere.) I'm not saying you don't have reason to feel lke you weren't told the whole truth, but I think you need to weight it all against how things have turned out. The ultimately responsible person should be yourself - it's your body, your life, and your health. And remember the bottom line for a lot of these independent surgical companies: They're in the BUSINESS of medicine. Dave

So in reading this thread I'm seeing a lot of people who are doing a pre-op diet of Protein shakes. Is there a reason for that? My nutritionist has me on a high protein, low carb diet for this last three weeks pre-op. I won't move on to Protein Shakes till after surgery. From all I'm seeing, this is how my surgeon wants it for all his patients. Any idea why it's different, and is one way better than the other? Dave

For everyone who is still looking for a Protein shake, I'd like to heartily recommend checking out www.unjury.com. They have several flavors, and they taste really good, in my opinion. You can order samples very inexpensively, and try them before buying a bigger quantity. I'm definitely a fan. Dave

You deserve to be congratulated for sticking it out. Eleven months is a LONG time to work toward your goal! I wish you nothing but easy weight loss and a happy road to your goal! Dave

I have Tricare Prime and was approved for surgery October 20th. They did not require any sort of supervised diet. Dave

Well, the final hurdle before surgery is tomorrow: I visit the surgeon's office to sign consent forms. I'm told I'll be given instructions about the pre-op low carb diet, post-op liquids diet, and last minute slap-down from the surgeon's nurse, ""Don't you DARE gain another pound before surgery!" Then, 20 days from now is surgery, December 6th. It's been a long time coming, but it's almost real now... Yay! Wish me luck, folks! Dave

Well congrats, Angie! I know you'll do great! Keep us posted on your progress. Dave

Mellissa, when you stop to think about it, NOT having surgery is what makes you a quitter. Getting surgery starts you on your new path in your life, and the future you'll earn for yourself. If you chose not to have surgery, things would plod along day to day, gaining one more pound at a time, till you were seriously ill, or worse. Having surgery may actually help you to get back into the race, not just sitting on the sidelines. Go for it. Dave

Admittedly, I haven't yet been banded (my surgery is December 6th) but I do have an opinion: Yes, it IS worth it. Here's why: In your own post, you said you'd lost 130 pounds. You didn't say, but I'll bet you gained it all back again, didn't you? Is it worth it to lose that weight once and for all? If it was easy to do, you'd have lost it already. If losing weight permanently was easy through diet and exercise, everyone would be fit and trim. But life doesn't work that way. We both know you've tried every diet in the book, and weight loss, for you, is only temporary. As soon as you go off the diet, the weight comes back. Everyone on this site is in the same place you are. We've tried it all, and we admit (at least I do), that I can't do it alone. I need some help to lose my excess weight, and keep it off. I'm of the opinion that LAP-BAND will give me that help I know I need. At least, I'm willing to use the band as a tool to help me out. It is not a magic bullet, and weight loss isn't quick or easy. It takes work. But I know how to diet - I just don't know how to keep it off. And that's where I want the band to give me a helping hand. If I do nothing, I'll only continue to be overweight, and sit on the sidelines as life passes me by. Having band surgery is something I can do, hopefully for the benefit of my future. I'd think it'd be the same for you, and for your kids. Good luck in your journey. Dave

Thanks. I've seen that, but it doesn't seem as efficient as a clickable link under the "Quick Links" tab like on other Forum sites. Does a post made in an existing thread automatically subscribe the user to that thread? And does starting a new thread also do that? Am I just missing something? Edit to add: Yes, I was missing something. I just checked that page, and at the bottom of the list there was a link to "Show all subscribed threads" or some such. Clicking that showed me everything I've posted into, including my own new threads I've started. So the links are there. Now, Admins, how about posting a link to do that under the Quick Links tab, so it's quicker to get there? Dave

On some other Forums I visit, there is a link where I can see a list of links to posts I've made, or threads I've started. Is there anything like that here? If not, can we set up something like that? It'd be great to have that kind of option, so I can quickly get back to threads I'd like to revisit, without wading through all the others on the site. This site is so large, and is so busy, I often find it difficult to find posts I made a day or two earlier. Email notifications are not very useful, especially since I don't really care if my post is one of a hundred in a thread. But if a particular thread or post is important, or if I'm waiting for a reply from someone, it'd be nice to jump back to that place easily. Dave

I think the reason they haven't done anything surgical is becasue they are both HUGE food junkies. No pun intended. If they had surgery, they'd be restricted on what they can eat, and I just don't think either one of them cares that much about giving up what they love to eat. In any amount. Dave

I think a lot of the "Is that all you're eating?" questions are just an attempt to make conversation. In response, I think it'd just be easiest to just look them in the eye, shrug, and say something like, "Yep! I'm on a special diet." then smile, and say, "What do you think? Don't I look better than I did before?" Then change the subject, and ask them how they like their meal, or something. Social lunches can be awkward. Luckily, at my work, I've never felt the urge to eat lunch out with coworkers, so after I have my surgery it won't be an issue. I hope. Dave

The band is my second choice. I was going to get the sleeve, because I felt for my needs it was a better option. (My age, severely arthritic knees with degenerating joints, and other problems where formal exercise will be an extra challenge.) But I found out (kind of late into the process) that my insurance company rep had misinformed me. My insurance will NOT cover the sleeve after all, which changed my plans right in the middle of everything. The band was the only realistic option available to me. Bypass isn't something I'd want to do - malabsorption, dumping, and rerouting my intestines just isn't appealing to me. So I'm going to try the band (surgery date is December 6th) and if it doesn't work well for me, I may look into self-pay for the sleeve at a later time, unless my insurance changes their rules and will pay for the sleeve at that time. And to answer your question, the band is generally least expensive, sleeve is next, and bypass is the most expensive. At my surgeon's, it's a range of about $14,000 to $20,000 to $28,000, respectively. Dave