Hi There...

I am a 29 year old (ooohhh...almost 30! eek! :biggrin: haha...) who needs a change...and is really, really considering being banded. I'm not entirely sure how to go abou it...do I speak with my Primary Care physician first? Or do I have to research some surgeons who do the Lap Band? Anyone have any ideas in the Boston, MA area? I have seen lots of blogs with people's pics...which is super inspiring...and I hope to have this in the near future. What is the time line from when you decide to go ahead with the surgery to when you actually get it done?

Any help would be fantastic!!

~Jen

Hi Jenn - I am due to be banded on Feb 3rd. Your PCP is a good place to start. Also, look around for bariatric doctors in your area who give seminars. Go to as many as you can. They are free and full of info. Look at your insurance policy to see if it covers WLS and what types/rules. Mine does not pay so I made the decision to self-pay. Go to the support group meetings of the local bariatric surgeons and talk to people. I also have been on this website a lot to just look at what everyone has to say. Good and the Bad. Hope this helps.

Hi Jen.... I hear ya.. I need a change!! I simply did some research of doctors in my area. I called my insurance and found out the requirements... One is that I have to be on a 6 month supervised diet... So I went to a Nurse Practioner, told her that I was wanting lapband and needed to be on a 6 month diet. I then found a surgeon in network and called that office and told them that I was interested in lapband and wanted to have a consultation with the Dr. I went to my consult on the 20th....... He said I was a perfect candidate and that we'd go from there, simply meaning that his office would call me and we would start working on insurance approval.... hope this helps.

I would start with calling your insurance. they might have a list of specific doctors you can go to and you can get an idea if it is something you can afford. from there the surgeons office might be able to guide you. i haven't been banded yet i'm still in the process of jumping through hoops but i can't wait. good luck with everything!

OK....so over the weekend, I did a lot of research on different doctors in the area who specialize in LapBand. In fact, I found a Weight Loss facility pretty near my house that ONLY does Lap Band surgeries. I called my insurance first thing Monday morning and found out that indeed the LapBand surgery is covered, provided you fall into the "Medically Necessary" category (which I do, as I have a BMI of 41). I have to enroll in a program called iCanChange through Tufts Health Plan. I have to have my Primary Care Physician write a letter and be accepted into the program. SO...I then called my DR. and left a message to have her call me back. I am going to ask her to write a letter that will get me into this program. It is a 6 month program where you speak with a nutritionist on a weekly basis...so pretty much the 6 month diet you were speaking of. THEN....after 6 months, I can either re-register for the program or get the LapBand. However, it is possible that you could be denied. I'm a little bit bummed....b/c even if you are enrolled in the program, it isn't a guarantee that you'll even be qualified to get the surgery through insurance. I REALLY wanted to get the ball rolling faster than 6 months out from whenever I get enrolled....let's just say in a couple of weeks....so that was a bit of a downer for me.....BUT....I'm just going to believe that everything will work out. I also have enrolled for a free seminar at the place that I was speaking of at the beginning of my post. It is on February 9th at 7pm. I am really excited to meet my "future" surgeon! :scared2: (PS...I'm thinking positively! :thumbup: hahaha)...

Anyway, that's all of the news that I have for now. I'll keep everyone posted if anything else changes. :thumbup:

Have a great night!!