Hey guys just joined the other day.Been reading the forums for a few months.Got everything ready for my surgery.Dr.office said it looks like I don't have to do a 6 month diet plan but now the Insurance is saying they need it......So now it looks like I have to wait till August before I can see if i get approved.I'm 30 years old 5'9 319 49 BMI.So anyway just saying hi and wish me luck sucks but I know this is just a door that I have to go into in order to reach my goal.

Thanks

Jason:thumbup:

Edited February 17, 201016 yr by Awnaw

Jason good luck with your diet. The good news is your insurance will cover it just not right now. I'm glad you are on the path to make yourself healthier. Let us know if you have any questions. Leigha

Hi Jason, Welcome! Your journey has begun, stick with it and keep posting here. Many people here have had to jump through countless hoops in order to get banded, if the diet is the only thing your insurance is asking for, then I agree with Leigha: consider yourself fortunate.

Check out my stats below and pictures on my profile, we weren't so far apart at the beginning - if I can do it, so can you! Good luck, and stay in touch!

Thanks guys I'm on day five of the diet doing really good I'm drinking around 8 32oz bottle of Water a day which is really helping with any hunger I have eating 3 good meals a day and I'm done 5 pounds.I can't wait for it to be over with and get the ban but I tell ya this is really helping me get ready for it.

Jason:smile2:

Oh good! I was afraid since nobody had replied to your post that you might have been discouraged. I am happy to hear that your doing well. Losing before the surgery really helps with the safety aspect of it. So is your first goal 299? If so your are 25% of the way there! Good job!:cursing:

Yea 299 is my first goal.I'm hoping to get down to 270-278 by time the 6 months is up.And both of you guys look great!! Banpal wow you are my hero man you look great.Adding both of you to friends so I can keep in touch with ya.

Jason

Hey guys just joined the other day.Been reading the forums for a few months.Got everything ready for my surgery.Dr.office said it looks like I don't have to do a 6 month diet plan but now the Insurance is saying they need it......So now it looks like I have to wait till August before I can see if i get approved.I'm 30 years old 5'9 319 49 BMI.So anyway just saying hi and wish me luck sucks but I know this is just a door that I have to go into in order to reach my goal.

Thanks

Jason:thumbup:

Hey Jason!

Welcome to the forum. I was able to appeal the requirement for a 6 month diet. I sent in weight watchers records and personal journal records showing past diet attempts. I explained that with each attempt I did lose some, but the gained that back plus some.

My insurance is BCBS California HMO. They accepted these, and I did not have to do the 6 months again.

So, if you have any records of past attempts, you might be able to avoid this delay.

Best wishes!

Did you ask your Dr.'s office why they thought you didn't have to do the diet? I was in a similar situation. I have BCBS of MI and every time I called them to find out information, I was told I would have to complete the 6-month diet. Then when I went to my surgeon's seminar, the insurance coordinator said that because I had a BMI over 40, I did not have to do the 6-month diet. She said that the 6-month diet rule had been changed for over a year for my particular insurance. And still, even up to my surgery day, if I would have called BCBS of MI, they would have told me I would have to do the 6-month diet. The insurance coordinator said that a lot of times with insurance companies, their information they are going off of is out-of-date, and the surgeon's office actually has more up-to-date data than the insurance company.

Did you ask your Dr.'s office why they thought you didn't have to do the diet? I was in a similar situation. I have BCBS of MI and every time I called them to find out information, I was told I would have to complete the 6-month diet. Then when I went to my surgeon's seminar, the insurance coordinator said that because I had a BMI over 40, I did not have to do the 6-month diet. She said that the 6-month diet rule had been changed for over a year for my particular insurance. And still, even up to my surgery day, if I would have called BCBS of MI, they would have told me I would have to do the 6-month diet. The insurance coordinator said that a lot of times with insurance companies, their information they are going off of is out-of-date, and the surgeon's office actually has more up-to-date data than the insurance company.

Hey Mary yea the Dr. office called the Insurance company and they told them I would. Looks like it's something new cause I have two co workers that have had the lapband done and didn't have to. Now that was 5 years ago I work for a local Telephone company here and they have premier benefits as our Insurance so it seems something they just added.Also something else they have changed is they use to cover 100% of the cost now it's 80% which is still great.So I'm just taking this time to get ready lose some weight and start getting my mind right for this.Thanks for you're help.

I had a 12mon requirement from ins. BCBS Texas PPO, but this was b/c it was the employers requirement. It was great tho, helped alot to prepare for the changes you'll have to make after the band. Dec. 5th I was at 318lbs. now I'm at 289lbs. and week and a half left of pre op diet. I have lost 11+lbs since the start of the pre op diet that i started on Tues. On the brighter side of things we submitted at 8mons supervised weight loss program and got approval on first try.

I was asked today, "If you have lost 30lbs. on your own why are you getting the band?" my reply was b/c I'm human and don't alway make the best choices. The fact that I've lost 30lbs in 3months shows my dedication to using this "tool" to to obtain the best possible results. The one and only reservation I have is excess skin....But that is slowly fading when i think about all the advantages. Any and all suggestions on this issue would be greatly appreciated. I don't konw if I'll be able to afford plastics. >.<

Edited February 28, 201016 yr by LongTimeComing

Quote--Longtimecoming--I don't know if I'll be able to afford plastics

I am with you I was self pay on the band so I am out of money for extras at the moment. So I decided that extra skin without the fat layer beneath is better looking than extra skin with the fat layer. :biggrin: