Little baby steps on a very long journey!!!

Hi everyone. I am feeling so excited and finally as if there will be some end to this horrible weight I live with. Yesterday, I scheduled both my pulmonary and psych. consults and today I faxed in my completed information sheet to the dieticians at Dr. Barba's office. The other day I posted about confusion with my insurance and CPT codes that were covered. I finally just called Dr. Barba's office and got and answer from Michelle. She said that VBG is similar enough to Lap-Band that it is the same code. I questioned this because I know it's similar but still, in a way, radically different. The bottom line is that if my insurance provider stated that it "does not exclude" that CPT code and will approve if medically necessary....I'm good to go. Well, that's if all my consultations go ok. I have to say that I am nervous about the whole approval process. More so than about anything else. (pre-operatively) I am worried they are not going to see what's really wrong with me. I don't believe I have any breathing issues or diabetes. The only BIG medical issue is that my cholesterol is through the roof. I want the Dr to look at all the other stuff like the fact that also have psoriasis which is exacerbated by my weight. My joints in my hips and knees hurt all the time. My feet feel like painful blocks off wood. My lower back is an ongoing painful issue that sometimes has me sleeping on the floor. All these things, plus my lowers self-esteem and feelings of self doubt, guilt and general ickiness (I know, big ,technical word there) should be enough for them to approve me. All those things aren't really medical though. I have only told a few people about my plans and one of them asked me the question "If you can't stick to a healthy eating plan now what makes you think you will after the surgery". That was a really good question. It's something I have thought of a great deal. However, it's not something I can articulate. Especially to a person that hasn't struggled with food addiction, emotional eating or being overweight. Having this device inside me is going to make me eat differently. First, I believe this device won't let me eat just anything I want without very, very unpleasant side effects. Also, I'm the type of person that usually is moved to action by drastic measures. When I was pregnant I was so careful about what I ate. I was in a drastic situation and HAD to eat well. No if's and's or but's. How do some of you respond to this type of question. I know that I don't owe anyone an explanation but I would like to try and make people understand. Well, thanks for letting me ramble on and on...... Take care everyone. Gina

With gastric banding you WILL be able to continue to make POOR choices- ie you WILL be able to melt an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and drink it. You WILL be able to eat a chips instead of a piece of lean fish. You will have a tool that helps you decrease the amount you can eat at one time, decrease your hunger as food fills the upper pouch created by the band....decrease your overall intake thusly causing weight loss. If you have food addiction issues you need to really take a look at them. What got you to the weight you are now? How do you handle stress? What triggers you to eat? What are your "comfort" foods What are your eating patterns? Do you graze? Do you binge? Have you considered the gastric bypass versus the banding? What is your support system - family-friends? As for the questions? I don't think you need to defend your decision to anybody. Anybody who hasn't been there - who hasn't had to deal with being obese can't understand. Limit who you tell or you will find that negative responses will lead to self doubt- and you don't need that.

Gina- glad to hear that you're moving along nicely in your process! Isn't it exciting knowing that you're going to make a major change in your life?? A couple of thoughts- Lap banding will not restrict you from making poor food choices, you won't really get sick...it's more of a quantity limiter than anything else. Since there is no dumping or malabsorption issues, there will be no sickenss associated with the TYPE of food you eat. Quantity and texture- yes. Just 'food for thought'. Lap Banding has it's OWN CPT code, I believe it is: 43770: Laparoscopy, surgical, gastric restrictive procedure; placement of adjustable gastric band (gastric band and subcutaneous port components) -you can look this stuff up online- Lap banding is not VBG nor vice versa. Please be careful about what you're telling the insurance company you're having done, because your Dr. cant submit a VBG code if they're performing Lap Banding. That doesn't make sense. And, SOME insurances DO NOT cover Lap Banding, while they may cover VGB, RNY, etc. You'd be best off requesting your insurance send you their coverage book so that you can review it yourself, rather than rely on what a person tells you on the phone, in my experience. Again, just thoughts- hoping they;ll help you avoid bumps in the road down the line. Good Luck to you.