I had my consult with surgeon on 04/19/13 he told me I was an excellent candidate for lap band surgery I have a BMI of 41.1 with diabetes and high blood pressure .My insurance requires three consecutive weigh ins (had my first 04/01/13 and second 05/01/13, third will be 6/06/13 ) a visit with a nutritionist , and a psych evaluation, I have all these appts scheduled for this month. My surgeon requires an upper gi check to rule out hernias and also a pulmonary consult which I had today, she referred me to get a sleep study done to see if I have sleep apnea. And I also have to have my thyroid checked. I am also required to lose 5-10% of body weight prior to surgery achieving this by going on an all liquid diet for two weeks.I am looking for Protein shakes that are lactose free cant seem to locate any! Wondering how long it will be before I am approved for surgery ? Also what kind of road blocks if any I may come across? I was told by doctors office after paper work is submitted my ins co only takes about seven to ten days!

Surgeon: Samuel Wasser South Jersey Bariactrics

Insurance: Horizon NJ Health

Sounds like what you're doing is about right. Everyone's insurance and surgeons require different things, so it all depends if you meet their requirements. For instance, my insurance required a 6mths supervised diet and I didn't have to do the pre-op diet, but most do.

Your Dr most likely has dealt with your ins. co before, so they are the best one to inform you about how long it takes. Thats an insurance by insurance thing also.

I have Aetna and it did take only 7days for approval, but by law the insurance company has 30days to decide.

Waiting is one of the hardest parts.

Stick around here and learn all the ins and outs of LBS, I promise there is a lot to learn from everyone here.

Good luck on your journey to improved health.

well, you have your to do list....that is your job now.

go about getting it done (and not worry about road blocks that could or couldnt happen)....the sooner you get your items completed, the sooner it can be submitted to your insurance for approval...wishing you all the luck in the world.

You must fullfil all your steps and some only come up once a month or so (seminars) so planning and going to them is very important. I did lot's of my tests/seminars asap including shrink doctor for evaluation.

Here on this baord, we have a wide variety of people who have done different surgeries and recommend one over another. They are all good except some choose a different path. All will lead to hopefully longer living, getting healthy and eatring the correct foods. Ask all your questions here. They will surely get answered.

Best wishes on upcoming surgery (whenever the date is scheduled).

There are books available that can answer most of your questions. Some are more than 500 pages long so there's a lot to learn.

Jean McMillan's "Bandwagon"

Alex's "The Big Book on the Lapband"

Thank you all for your information!! I guess I am a lot anxious and a little nervous!! Can anyone give me process once all appointments are completed?

Once all my appointments were completed I scheduled my surgery! But I'm sure it's a different answer from everyone. Good luck!

I had my consult with surgeon on 04/19/13 he told me I was an excellent candidate for lap band surgery I have a BMI of 41.1 with diabetes and high blood pressure .My insurance requires three consecutive weigh ins (had my first 04/01/13 and second 05/01/13, third will be 6/06/13 ) a visit with a nutritionist , and a psych evaluation, I have all these appts scheduled for this month. My surgeon requires an upper gi check to rule out hernias and also a pulmonary consult which I had today, she referred me to get a sleep study done to see if I have sleep apnea. And I also have to have my thyroid checked. I am also required to lose 5-10% of body weight prior to surgery achieving this by going on an all liquid diet for two weeks.I am looking for Protein shakes that are lactose free cant seem to locate any! Wondering how long it will be before I am approved for surgery ? Also what kind of road blocks if any I may come across? I was told by doctors office after paper work is submitted my ins co only takes about seven to ten days!

Surgeon: Samuel Wasser South Jersey Bariactrics

Insurance: Horizon NJ Health

They are asking you to jump through a lot of hoops! The timeline they have given you regarding the insurance approval is about right - I have BCBS and I was told they could approve me in as little as 48 hours, it depends on the number of cases they have to review. Mine was just submitted yesterday, so I hope to hear something next week - I've already started a pre-pre-op diet in my own, just to start getting ready for the changes I'll need to make for this to be successful.

Muscle Milk is my absolute favorite Protein shake, it contains no milk or lactose. I've noticed that if I have at least 25g shake within the first 20 minutes of me waking up, I am not hungry for at least 3 hours. If I double scoop (50g) I could go 5 -6 hours and not feel hunger - we know that's not good though. But, do try Muscle Milk. I've found that when I start feeling hungry and i'm out and about, just stopping at a convenience store and picking up a bottle for $3.00 is much less than the value meal I would have had instead - and I've done a good thing!

Good luck, you're in good company. I've gotten answers to questions I didn't even have yet. I've also been able to mentally prepare for what is to come based on other members experiences.

Thanks so much i will definitely try the muscle milk!!! What was the process for you?