snowbird

I'm hoping that's how this is going to work. I went to my doctor August 4 and my BMI was 35. Since then I have lost 10 pounds on a sort of pre-pre-op diet, and hope to lose a couple more before my surgery on Oct 10. Just hope the insurance company doesn't look at my weight when I get to OCC and decide I don't meet their criteria. I figure I will save them money in the long run just if I can get off the Nexium twice a day. However, since they reimburse for the surgery after I have already paid for it, I can see them being less than kind about it.

Also, talk to your doctor and see if he/she will go to bat for you. It helps if your physician is telling the insurance company that you need this surgery to be healthy.

Federal employees and retirees' Blue Cross does pay for lap band. They call it "gastric restrictive procedures" and pay part of the cost of your surgery if your BMI is over 40 or over 35 with co-morbidities. There are other hoops to jump through, but I called FEP Blue and they do cover lap band.

Dr. Neal in Olympia, Washington does fills with flouroscopy and at last contact charged $375. You can check out his website at pacsurgical.com. Most of the folks on this website have gone to Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana. You might recheck Blue Cross and see if they have started covering lap band surgery. Ours just changed in January 2007 and they now cover it. Good luck!

Talk to the doctor who is prescribing the medicine. Some capsules should not be cut up as they may be designed to be "time-release." But your doctor should be able to prescribe the medication in a form easier to swallow or a medication less upsetting to your stomach.

My weight has ALWAYS been a problem. I am not keeping this surgery secret from anyone; I just don't see the need. I think people need to be educated about obesity and methods of dealing with it. I'm not standing on the street corner telling everyone about the joys of lap band, but if someone asks what I'm doing in the fall, I have no problem telling them about the surgery. I am not a terribly private person (my daughter will second that) and I feel no shame or embarassment about doing something about my weight. Obviously, I can't keep my obesity a secret, so why she I try to keep it a secret that I am finally willing to do something about it? If someone thinks less of me for it, I consider their disapproval an opportunity to confront their misconceptions and try to correct them.

So I have a little problem. I am supposed to lose 5 per cent of my body weight pre-operatively. However, if my BMI is below 35 my insurance won't pay for it. My pre-pre-op BMI is just at 35. ARRRGGGGH!

My sister-in-law and her daughter gave me the "Weight Watchers" talk a couple of weeks ago. Then my sister-in-law launched into this story which began, "I bought some cookies last week and tried one today, and it was really good." I told her that sentence was so totally alien to me in so many ways I couldn't begin to count. You had cookies a WEEK before trying them? Then you had ONE? What are you, sick??? Her daughter then mentioned that she was on Weight Watchers and she really needed to go home because she had been so busy she hadn't been able to eat enough of her points in the last couple of days. ????????? In other words, people who do not have this problem can't speak our language and don't understand. I asked my sister-in-law if she bought a dozen doughnuts, how many would she eat before she got home, and she just looked at me strangely. It seemed like a logical question to me!

Tom, You're right in saying it's the parent's decision in something like this, not the child's. However, 14 is a difficult age especially for girls, and I can see a mom trying to encourage her child to deal with the idea of surgery as a logical adult rather than as an emotional child. It doesn't and shouldn't mean that the parent has to defer to the child's opposition to the surgery. Parents who let their kids make the important decisions for the family kind of drive me crazy, but I didn't think that is what was happening in this case. I've read several accounts from women on this forum who were getting grief from spouses and boyfriends about the surgery, so they were keeping it secret from the men. It doesn't hurt to try to get the family member on board with the lap band idea, but I wouldn't let someone else's opposition or lack of understanding come between me and what is best for my health and happiness, whether it be a child, a spouse, or any other person I care about.

Hi, Vicky. I am a couple of years older than you, and have a daughter who has struggled with her weight for years. I can see how your daughter's reaction can cause you pain and uncertainty. I think you might try discussing with her the health issues related to obesity and let her know that you want to be around longer to see your grandchildren and watch her become a beautiful young woman. You might read over with her some recent articles about the failure of dieting on a long term basis, and the successes being seen with lap band surgery for longer, healthier lives. I just don't see lap band surgery as failure or cheating. It's the hardest decision I have ever made, and sometimes I feel like someone close to me has a terminal illness when I contemplate the changes coming in my life. I also wonder why I can't just diet and lose weight, and then I realize that I can. I've done it numerous times, with quite a bit of success. Unfortunately, I'm still nearly 100 pounds overweight, since I gain it back a few years later. My last trip to the doctor was enough to make me realize that lap band isn't a choice anymore; it is a necessity if I want to live a long, productive, healthy life. I have reached my 50's and see overweight friends whose health is steadily going downhill. I visit my mother in her retirement home and realize there aren't any obese people there, because they have already died. I've always claimed that I have good genes and don't have any health worries. However, the last blood tests proved to me that my unhealthy eating habits are catching up with me at last, with elevated blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol. What really is "failure" is failing to realize I have to take unpleasant steps to change what I do and what I put in my body. "Cheating" is when I lie to myself and say I'm not that fat, I'm able to diet, or I'm not really that unhealthy. I have been obese since childhood, and remember the doctor telling my mother to keep my weight down during my preschool checkup at age 5. It wasn't my mother's fault she couldn't do it, and it's not my fault either; can you really talk about "will power" when you are talking about a five-year-old's eating habits? But it's my responsibility to do something about it, and that is why I'm scheduled for surgery with Dr. Ortiz next month. The best thing you can do for your daughter is to be a good example by succeeding in your weight loss. You sound like you have been on as many diets as I have, with similar results, so I'm guessing that's not the way either of us will be successful. If it takes the lap band surgery to succeed, that's fine by me. You daughter may feel abandoned by the thought of your leaving the ranks of the obese, and may see it as a judgment that she is not acceptable because she is overweight. Try to let her see that your decision for surgery is a positive step to embrace responsibility for finding a way out of obesity. Wish we were scheduled for the same week, but you'll be in Tijuana a week earlier than me. Best wishes for a long and healthy life!

Looks like you have already checked out the thread about October bandsters. I won't see you there, as I'll be there a week later. I went down to TJ with my daughter when she was banded, and also when she went in for her first fill. You will get a chance to chat with everyone in the waiting room while you are all doing your pre-op stuff, and will also see the other patients throughout the time you are there in the clinic. I'm betting you will make some new friends there; everyone is going through the same thing as you, with the same fears, apprehension, and excitement about a new chapter in their lives. The clinic itself is a cross between a doctor's office and a hospital, with a big dose of south of the border friendliness and hospitality. Feeling tense? The nurse will give you a great backrub. The doctors take the time to chat with you and answer your questions, and the hotel is nice. Keep in touch through the forum; there are some great people here!

Vergie, I went with my daughter to Dr. Ortiz's clinic last year when she got her band. In October my husband and I are scheduled to be banded. Our insurance will pay for it. We are still going to Dr Ortiz; I wouldn't have anyone else do it! There was a nurse who was banded the same day as my daughter, and he had a nurse friend with him. Dr. Ortiz allowed his nurse friend to observe his surgery, and she was very favorably impressed with the clinic. It is clean, the doctors and nurses are great, and they give you personalized attention I have never experienced in a hospital here in the States. Don't let the idea of "Mexican surgery" put you off; these people are great.

Hi October bandsters. My husband and I are scheduled for October 10. Hope to see you there! I am hoping to lose about 75 lb, but right now would be happy just to get out of the terrible 200's! My insurance requires a doctor's referral and a psych evaluation, which we are going through now. We are about a five hour drive from the Tijuana border crossing, so we are hoping to get out fills at OCC and maybe have some mini-vacations in southern California when we do it. I am a little apprehensive about living with the band, but not about the surgery itself.

Just another reminder about post-op: you are on a clear liquid diet post op, so boullion is okay, shakes are not! I know the feeling about last minute dieting before the surgery, but really, I don't think I would worry about it on the plane trip to CA. Keep your strength up and don't starve yourself, just don't binge. One more piece of advice you probably can't take at this point: relax!

Here is an interesting article I found about the health benefits of weight loss surgery. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_53885.html

Danielle, Best of luck to you; I would probably be quite ticked about the last minute change myself, especially if you are bringing a young one along. The travel itself can be grueling, and when you add surgery to it, it would not be something I would look forward to! I was probably putting your "freaking out" thread together with this one and making some assumptions, and you know what that can do. It is great to have the support and friendship of others who are going through this experience, or have already gone through it. I got to watch my daughter do this last year (we sent her on ahead as a guinea pig) and now my husband and I are getting banded together, so I have my support built in around me. Still, I sometimes wonder whether I really need to do this, even though I have gone through four or five previous weight losses from dieting that have fizzled. Hope your trip to California goes smoothly, the Customs folks are fast and the LA traffic light! We will all be wishing you the best. Chris

Ericsmom, What bothers me most about your post is how conflicted you seem to be about the whole procedure. While the lap band is reversible if it doesn't work for you, I assume you are making a significant financial commitment to this. I don't get the feeling that you are on board emotionally with it. The surgery itself is not that big a deal and you should be able to travel the next day. But the fact that the change in dates has thrown you for such a loop seems to show you are really unsure about the whole thing. As everyone else here will tell you, getting the band does mean a real change in your behavior to make it work. I'm sure most of the people who get it have some doubts beforehand, but you need to reach the point that you feel the band is a necessary change in your life that you need to make in order to be healthier and happier. Are you at that point yet? If you are, have you contacted your airline to see if they can reschedule you to a later flight, so you won't be in such a rush? The biggest problem I see in leaving the day after your surgery to catch a flight out of the LA area is the border. You can get hung up there for who knows how long, although OCC can get you through in their van quicker than most.

NYU, Only you can decide whether the lap-band is right for you. However, at the ripe old age of 53 I certainly wish I could have taken this step when I was your age, instead of struggling unsuccessfully with my weight throughout my life. I have been yo-yo-ing for the past 30 years, and as I have gotten older I have found that when I regain the weight, it all goes to the most unhealthy spots, around my abdomen. I have lost 60 to 70 pounds on three separate occasions, only to gain it all back. Sometimes I could keep most of it off for two or three years, but eventually, it all comes back and more. It's a common story around here. I have a BMI of 35, which is just borderline for what my insurance will pay for, but my doctor says my "effective" BMI is higher because of where I carry the extra pounds. I'm active, ride my bike about 10 miles a day, and don't have a lot of health problems (YET) from my weight. I too have friends that tell me I'm not big enough for weight loss surgery, but I know different. My husband and I are both scheduled to be banded October 10. I have acid reflux too, and my doctor wants to do an upper g.i. endoscopy now, since he says they often find pre-cancerous changes in the esophagus after two or three years of reflux. I just had a friend die of esophageal cancer earlier this year, so that scares me a lot when I think about it. I know when I lose weight the reflux goes away, then comes back along with the weight gain. If the band can get me off that roller coaster, then bring it on! Death is something that can happen if you don't get the band, too. It's true that bread and pasta often give you problems with a band. They tend to turn to a glutinous mass in your stomach, and if you continue to eat them after you are banded, there is a decent chance you will spend some time with your head in a toilet. However, there's also a decent chance you will desire them less after a few of the above-mentioned puking episodes. As for waiting until you are 30, why? So you can have five more years of stressing your body and health, feeling bad about yourself, missing out on the things you say you missed out on in the past 5 years? The greatest thing about the band is that it is removable, so if you change your mind later, you can go back to being unbanded. Sure, you would have spent a chunk of change by then, but at least you would know whether the band is right for you. Of course you are most interested in the cosmetic changes your weight loss will bring. Heck, it's pretty appealing even at my age! And beyond looking better, the self-confidence and self-approval that come with weight loss can be even more attractive. But what makes me happiest when I look at my daughter, who at age 26 has lost 100 pounds with the band, is knowing that the chances are now much reduced that I will outlive her.

Unless they have changed, the post-op instructions are for clear liquids for some time after surgery. This would mean any tortilla soup, however well blended, would not be appropriate. The hotel has clear broth and jello, which would be all you should be eating at that point. The tortilla soup may be yummy, but have it before the surgery, not afterwards! You aren't really there long enough after surgery to have to worry about many meals. My daughter had her surgery last October and has been remarkably problem-free. But the few times she has had problems have been due to her not following the doctor's instructions faithfully. In other words, be good and follow the rules! I was told at the hotel that all public hotels and restaurants in Tijuana are required to have safe water for us gringos. While we drank bottled water, we brushed out teeth with tap water and did not have any difficulties.

Also, you can use a credit card at the hotel restaurant and most other restaurants , and there are ATM machines all over. Just remember that you will be getting your cash ifrom the ATM n the form of pesos!

That's my girl!

I've been checking the benefits for my Blue Cross Blue Shield policy, and they began covering lap band surgery in January 2007. They will cover the surgery if your BMI is over 40, or over 35 with co-morbidity (secondary medical condition resulting from your obesity). You don't need pre-approval, but you do need a referral from your doctor, so I'm getting the ball rolling by scheduling a physical and talking to my doctor. They also want you to have a psych exam to insure that you are mentally and emotionally able to handle the surgery and life thereafter. I've got my surgery scheduled for October 10 along with my husband, so we are greatly hoping Blue Cross comes through! My daughter had lap-band surgery last year and is a regular contributor here, but I won't embarass her by giving her name. This will really be a family affair for us; only my son will be left out of our surgery stories! Thanks so much, Kristy; without your post I would not have even checked to see if the surgery is covered. If all goes well, you have saved our family $16,000.

I don't have a band yet, but I have found the supplement MSM helps with chronic constipation if taken regularly. MSM is usually taken for joint strength, like glucosamine and condroitin. But it seems to act as a laxative as a side effect. When I diet I always have trouble with constipation from the reduced food intake, and taking MSM seems to counteract that unpleasant result. I would check with your doctor before taking it, as I am no health care professional and don't know if there is anything about having the band that would preclude taking MSM.

Thanks, Kristy. We will give it a try! My husband has other health problems stemming from obesity, but I don't (yet) so maybe Blue Cross Blue Shield will at least cover his costs. As you said, the worst that can happen is that they turn us down.