If you were told that if your insurance would cover Lap-Band surgery if you were a little bit heavier, would you gain weight in order to get the surgery covered? If so, how much would you consider gaining?

I didnt vote......my insurance did not require me to loose weight......the hospitals pre op program required me to loose 10-15lbs but that had nothing to do with insurance coverage. Also, I didn't end up loosing the 10-15 that the hospital wanted me too and I still was able to have the surg.

I had to gain 5 pounds to just squeek by and be eligible for my insurance to cover the surgury. So I did..no biggie

is it sad that I didn't have to worry about this at all? I came in at 41.9 BMI, just as my normal self. But being 5'2'' made it easier LOL

LOL! My doctor insisted I was 5' 4" and I told him no I wasn't I'm 5' 5". I got upset with him since he didn't even take my height. (Can you say Blond moment!) He still wrote 5' 4" on the paperwork. hahaha! It wasn't until I left that it hit me. DUH! That was 4 years ago and I never went though with the surgery. So I'm having to start over now.

I gained too about 20lbs..it was so painful and dreadful. I wished I had known more about this site. I would wear ankle weights had I known.

Chinese food the night before...lots of water weight gain from the salt/msg.

I was denied the first time we put the paperwork through so I gained 30 lbs and was approved on the appeal.

we have done all kinds of crazy diets! of course a gaining weight diet is no biggie!!! I had to and I am glad I did! Believe it or not gaining weight was actually hard and I also had to put some weights on and heavy jeans and dug out my winter heavy boots even thought it was late april in the south! hehe!! the additional 10 pounds helped alot! one month post op i have lost all the weight i gained and I am now exactly where I was when i first started the venture. So, now the real work starts for me!!:cool:

My sister said they weighed her in a hospital gown. So I guess there will be nowhere for me to hide weights. I need to gain 20lbs to qualify

Slump slump slump:tt2: If you can, drink water while waitng for your weigh in. The nurses even watched me do that and did not care. If you can drink almost 2 qts. (and hold it!!) that is 4#. Wear your heavy shoes--they told me to do that. I have read about the ankle weights too. also saw where someone mentioned padding their bra with a couple small weights--peaple get desperate:w00t: I had a co morbidity so would have been ok not to be over 40 BMI but just wanted to "make sure".

Hi. I am in the same exact situation you were in. How did it go with your ins? Hope you got your lap band. Eliysheva

Just remember that one gallon of watter weights 8.8 lbs a gallon, if you are only 5 pounds away, drink, drink, drink. Just a warning thought, I wouldn't start untill about 15 minutes before my appt.:drool:

Let me introduce myself. To maintain anonymity, I will not disclose what practice in which I work, nor where BUT let me start off by saying this...

I am a provider in a bariatric practice. Patients who come in to the office and are being seen for their initial consult are weighed in by our medical technician. Sometimes, they are weighed in by the practitioner seeing them, it depends. We take the issue of wearing weights extremely seriously. If you are caught, you will be asked to return at a later date. The same reason why it's illegal and fraudulent for a surgeon to falsify medical documents and just "make up" your extra poundage, or make you shorter to increase your BMI, it's also INSURANCE FRAUD for people to come in wearing weights.

At least in our practice, you do not wear your shoes when being weighed, you do not wear 8 layers of clothing. You empty your pockets before you get on the scale. You stand up straight like a normal person when you are being measured. An exam is performed on you also during the visit. Virtually, every part of your body is felt at some point and weights are always detectable. Unless you hide them in your rectum, we usually find them. At that time, they are removed, and your weight is retaken and entered into the system. If you ask to go to the bathroom after you are weighed, you come back and are re-weighed again. Most of the time people come back 15lbs lighter... we aren't idiots to believe you just urinated or pooped 15lbs.

We find at least 3 people with weights a week and it's just a complete joke... it's a real shame. Do any of you realize that a successful practice can lose their license to practice if things like this are tolerated?? This is fraud... and in our practice is absolutely not tolerated and you will be sent away and sometimes not seen by the surgeon.

I was just a few pounds shy of the 35 BMI and the nurse actually suggested I go home eat as many bananas as I could stand and them come back. I made it with a few ounces to spare.

Lolly, your post makes me laugh. I mean, for real, you basically strip search people?? This is a business NOT a prision. I would not want a surgeon that is that lame to touch me..:rolleyes2: