Hi Everyone!!

I just recently completed my 6 month program. I saw my surgeon on Tuesday and apparently, I lost too much weight. In his professional opinion, I can do it on my own. I'm a bit frustrated and confused. Has anyone else had this problem? I am afraid the insurance company will not approve me, even though they are supposed to go by your starting weight and BMI. I have BCBS PPO.

I have little restriction. I am working out on a regular basis and watching what I eat. I am down over 13 lbs. I go in for my 2nd fill next week. I'm really excited to finally see the scale moving downwards and to be pain free at the port site!!

I'm down another 2 lbs and I will have my 2nd fill on Tuesday. I'm working out 6 times a week and watching what I eat.

Hoping that I can tone up my stomach and my arms.

Anyone else having (or had) problems toning up their arms and their abs?? I'm working out consistently and am losing weight and inches but my stomach is not going down and my arms are flabby.

Any suggestions? I am having a session with a personal trainer on Wednesday. I hope she can help me. But any advice on here would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Amy

I saw my surgeon on Wednesday, June 30th. In 5 weeks, since my first fill, I lost a total of 15 lbs!!!! I was and still am over the moon about this. Even though he resisted at first, he did give me a small fill. He did tell me to continue with my current diet and exercise program and to see him when I started to GAIN weight. He will only give me fills in the future after I have gained weight.

I was sick this past week and was unable to meet with my personal trainer. I am looking forward to doing that sometime this coming week.

I am open to suggestions regarding any types of exercises that will help tone up my triceps and my abs.

Open to comments and suggestions!!!

umystifyme, my bariatric dr told me that since i was a few pds under 100 need to lose, to NOT LOSE ANOTHER POUND until surgery. I too have BCBS and they go by your present weight and if, even with co-morbidities, i lose even a pound before surgery, they would not approve me. I really could not lose a pd before the band and am grateful for the guidance of my dr in vegas. Good luck and keep the faith, everybody has a different outlook on things.

umystifyme, my bariatric dr told me that since i was a few pds under 100 need to lose, to NOT LOSE ANOTHER POUND until surgery. I too have BCBS and they go by your present weight and if, even with co-morbidities, i lose even a pound before surgery, they would not approve me. I really could not lose a pd before the band and am grateful for the guidance of my dr in vegas. Good luck and keep the faith, everybody has a different outlook on things.

Hi Sparkplug,

Every plan is different. I have BCBS PPO of Michigan. My plan goes by your starting weight. I know this as a fact because that is what they did with me. At the beginning of my journey, I weighed 285 lbs. I lost over 80 lbs when my doctor's office submitted my paperwork to BCBS of Michigan and I was approved. I did have some co-morbidities. On the day of surgery (12/23/2009), I weighed 197.2 lbs.

My advice to everyone is to talk with your insurance company and listen to your doctor. That is what I did and it worked for me in the end.... even though I was a nervous wreck... which is normal for me.... lol. Also get a preauthorization letter from your insurance company. I got one and it "pre-approved" me for this procedure and then outlined what was required in order to be approved. My doctor's office followed that letter to T and I was approved.

On a side note, I had a lot of problems post-op and was unable to have my first fill until May 25th. That was a long time without restriction. I had a second fill (very small) on June 30th. I now weigh 169.2 lbs. I'm feeling awesome!!!

Good luck to you on your journey!! Best of luck to all of you!!

Thanks again for all the support and comments. I wouldn't be here today without them!

Amy

Just a quick update: I'm doing AWESOME!! I had my 3rd fill on September 29th. I lost 42.2 lbs in 9 months. I'm 15 lbs from my goal weight.

Hope everyone is doing great!!

It's been over a year since I posted on this thread and I wanted to update everyone. I celebrated my 2 yrs of being banded on Dec 23rd!! I'm at my goal weight and am maintaining it. I feel great!! To be completely honest, my stomach is flabby and my upper thighs are still thick. And I have cellulite and stretch marks. Things I never had when I lost weight before, but then again I had never weighed 285 lbs before. I just started dating and am having trouble telling guys that I have had wls.

I just wanted everyone to know that 2 1/2 years after starting this thread, I am banded and 150 lbs lighter. The band is a wonderful TOOL....I'm soo happy that I made the decision to change my life and my lifestyle!! I hope everyone that has read this thread and participated in it is doing well.

Amy

i have bcbs too. they approved me within 3 weeks. i had a bmi of 40, high bp, sleep apnea and had been on weight watchers for a year with a weight loss of 12 whole lbs in a year. i got approved and just got banded on dec 13th. good luck to you

I am 5'4" and just got banded on 12/27. I started at 215 with a bmi of 37. I also have sleep apnea (which is a co-morbidity). Since my bmi was not too high, I felt like my sleep apnea was my golden ticket to have insurance cover my lap-band surgery. I only lost 4 pounds prior to surgery bc i was afraid of losing too much and not getting it covered. That is SO awesome that you lost so much on your own!! If I were you . .. I would keep going with that and if for some reason you stall and gain it back you could try to get approved again. Good luck!!

I am 5'4" and just got banded on 12/27. I started at 215 with a bmi of 37. I also have sleep apnea (which is a co-morbidity). Since my bmi was not too high, I felt like my sleep apnea was my golden ticket to have insurance cover my lap-band surgery. I only lost 4 pounds prior to surgery bc i was afraid of losing too much and not getting it covered. That is SO awesome that you lost so much on your own!! If I were you . .. I would keep going with that and if for some reason you stall and gain it back you could try to get approved again. Good luck!!

Thank you Sillymama for your support. I actually went through with the surgery on December 23, 2009. The morning of surgery, I weighed 197.2 lbs. I now weigh 144 lbs, which is about 4 lbs above my goal weight. My weight has been stable for over 8 months now and I feel great. In my case, it was the best decision I made.

I have bcbs ppo and they went by my ending weight. I was on the cusp of 40 bmi to start and my drs office told me to not lose weight until I was approved.

Ok I just noticed this is a post.from about 2 years ago...lol