Ok Banded pro's this is my first time posting , I would like to know if n e 1 has been banded in columbus, ohio at the Mt. Carmel hospital and if so how was your experience? I have just sent in my first set of paper work to be approve by their Dr. Also they are charging $300.00 for administrator fee (paper pushing to the Ins.), not to mention I will have to spend another $200.00 for their nutritionist and this $500.00 is not covered by my insurance:faint: . Are fee's normal? I was just wondering because I feel as much as the surgery cost, these things should be included! N E help would be nice

Hi. I am new here and have never posted before but I have been reading messages for awhile. My name is Shawna. I hope to be banded by the end of the year if everything works out with insurance. I have one more clearance appointment (sleep dr.) and I will have everything done. And I am a Dr. Choban patient.

My question to you all, did anyone have a hard time getting the doctors you saw for the clearances to send the clearance paperwork to Charlene? (I hope that made sense) I had my Psych eval 2 months ago and I have called twice and they said they faxed it but Charlene says she still doesn't have it. My Cardiac clearance was 1 month ago, I called on Monday and they aren't sure what they are supposed to send and they can only send it to my PCM, then they will have to send it on to Dr. Choban. Still no one has it. Meanwhile Charlene only has my Nutritional class in my file.

Sorry to unload here but I want this so bad and I have been working on it since May and it just doesn't seem to be moving along. Did anyone else have to deal with this? Oh, by the way I did use only doctors from the lists that we were given because I thought they would be used to dealing with the paperwork. Any help or encourgment would be appreciated!

Shawna, yes we all had some 'challenges' getting the paperwork from our clearances into Charlene's hands. :confused: I did the same as Angie (ThinnerMe) and actually hand walked one of mine there to the office when she kept saying she didn't have it. I also asked for the various clearance docs to FAX it so that they had a date and time-stamped thing that showed it was sent and then to let me know what date/time it was sent so I could call Charlene and say that the office of so and so sent it at xx date and xx time and has the confirmation it was faxed okay. I also had to follow up with David the office manager at MOSA when some delays happened where things were sent and Charlene said I don't have it. She even had the 50+ fax in her hand on my 5 year weight history info from my PCP and kept saying she didn't have enough info on my weight and PCP documentation so I had to have my PCP office manager circle the exact places on the pages, refax just the 10 pages with circled info out of the original package. I was so thankful they would do that. Within a couple days after that, bingo! I had my insurance approval.

So hang in there Shawna -- it is so worth it! Welcome to our little thread.

Also, if you can consider coming sometime, a group of us meet at the Polaris Mall once a month to chat and share lapband experiences, both pre-aproved, pre-op and post op from all the different lapband docs in town and its fun. You can find us 2-4 pm at the Food Court tucked in between Chik-Fil-A and Great Indoors.

The meeting for October is tomorrow October 11.

Hey all long time since I've been here. Don't know why but I've been at this same weight since August!!!!! I'm back up to 5.5 cc(ml if you work at MCHS) Anyway it seems totake awhile for a fill to kick in for me. I've had this one for a month and just now starting to "feel" it. Trying this week to be extremely vigilant. Seems like maybe just picking the wrong foods. Dr. Miller did my last fill and he is doing the next one on Nov. 3. Maybe that one will do the trick!!

Good to hear from you Sarah. Hang in there! Dr. Miller does a great job on my fills - hits my port within seconds and painless. So nice!

Susan -- aka Seebs -- Happy October Bandiversary-- I think you said -84 lbs and that is wonderful! Congratulations.

I wanted to take a minute and thank Angie (ThinnerMe) and SpecialK for responding to my posts, and thank you for the invite to Polaris. Our wonderful golden died yesterday after a 5 day illness or I would have come up to the mall Saturday. I am looking forward to meeting you all.

SWOOD, I am so sorry.

Swood, I'm so sorry for your loss. Our pets a such a part of our lives. When they pass it's significant.

You have my sympathy.

J

Thank you both so much! It has been very hard. He was almost like one of our children. Needless to say, I am a stress eater and this is not helping me get that 10 to 15 lbs off for Dr. Choban before surgery.

Shawna

Tomorrow will be 7 months out from my surgery. Are you out there GregW and Suecasb? How are you doing? The time if flying by incredibly fast. I'm stuck around 63 lbs right now but just working the program every day. Feeling like I am at my sweet spot with only being about to eat about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food at a time.

Okay, so I tried experimenting with getting a hotdog and french fries at lunch today for something different to eat that I hadn't tried in forever. I ate maybe 8 total fries and was so stuffed I threw the rest away. Can't stand cold french fries so that was a big waste of money I won't try again. I tossed aside the bun on the hotdog and with slow steady small bites, was able to eat the hotdog. Wow -- 1 year ago I would have been able to eat at least 2 or 3 hot dogs with the buns, probably potato chips as a side and of course wash it all down with a big Diet Pepsi...as if diet pop would save calories. Duh!

Life sure is different -- Good different!

I agree Kathy! It is really amazing to see how much our meals have changed in the last 7 months! You are really doing great! Congrats!

I seem to be stuck at the 67lb mark, too! I am really thinking that it is more of a food choice thing, not a "need for a fill!"

I usually eat about 1 cup or 1 1/4 cups at each meal. Most days I eat 3 times a day, maybe more if I have to work. I enjoy being able to eat out still, and love that if I do, I am full for HOURS! Things are going great right now, and would not change a thing!

No fill for me today at my check up - I told him I didn't think I needed one for now and he said, Okay, from what you are describing I'd have to say I agree with you. I had lost 8 lbs in the 6 weeks since my last fill and I didn't think that was so great but he was pleased and said to keep up the exercise and he'd see me again in 6 weeks - I have a post Thanksgiving appt so I guess I better watch my P's & Q's (turkey, dressing, etc. too!) on the holiday dinner so I don't gain.

P.S. I took a -62 lbs picture with Dr. Miller today -- what a nice doc!

Edited October 20, 200817 yr by SpecialK

Congrats Kathy! I think that any loss at this time of year is great!

Kathy,

Great weight loss. You really looked good when I seen you at the support morning at Mount Carmel. I go for my fill tomorrow. I'm not sure what to expect since I haven't really lost any weight since my .5cc unfill. I'm kinda of scared to go back up since I got so sick after my last fill, but sometimes I feel like I could eat a horse. Maybe a leg. I'm stuck at 32/34 pounds depending on the day. Sorry, I haven't written lately.

DHR, what time is your appt today? I have one at 3:15. Maybe I will see you there?!?!

I am a little concerned about my band, and what damage I might have done over the last three weeks with this terrible virus. I have had such a terrible wrenching cough! I went back to the doctors and they are finally going to treat me with antibiotics, a steroid pack and a new inhailer! I know that doctors hate putting people on antibiotics these days, but by waiting it out, my DD and I needed breathing treatments bc our lungs were not moving air in the lower lobes!

Anyway, I though I should check in with Dr Choban and see what she thinks about it.