Sad after seminar

Hello All: I attended the Weight Loss surgery seminar at my local hospital. I am pretty convinced that I want the Lap band but I dont know. But I left feeling sad because one of the coorinators there said because of my insurance they are going to require to meet with my doctor every month for a year and meet with a dietician 3 times per month for a year before insurance will approve it. So my past years of WW and HMR etc wont count. It has to be recent and monitored every month by my doc. And then maybe in a year I can have the surgery.  This I wasnt counting on....What to do??

If you want it-DO IT !! Get started ASAP. Time flys. and for the next year, it can be an educational time. Many of us have waited. I waited 7 years because I did not have an inusrance company that would cover it. Blessings to you, Chris C

Kym, Take a breath and relax.......then call your insurance carrier and ask if they cover the lap band (procedure code 43770) and what evaluations are necessary in order to be authorized for this procedure.  Then you know what exactly you have to accomplish for approval.  The three visits per month with a dietician seems significant, you might also want to find out if your insurance covers those visits otherwise you will have to pay for those out of pocket or use your flexible spending account if you have one of those. Take Chris's advice and begin now.  I started June 2006 and it was a simple office visit with my primary doc, where she would take my weight and blood pressure and then spend 2-3 minutes discussing how I need to lose weight.   It seems like a long time but it goes rather quickly. Good luck to you!

Hi, That does seem like a lot of office visits.  I would contact your insurance company and clarify the requirements.  Sometimes letter of recommedations from your family physician and ob/gyn can help too.  Why don't they understand that losing the weight isn't the problem, but keeping from coming back is the main problem.  I waited 5 years but really if you can "get into shape"  for 1 year you will have a great success rate then most.  Time really does fly by I can't believe it's the middle of the year already.  I attended my first seminar in feb 07, first meeting with surgeon in march , dietican and nutritionist in april and surgery in June.  Best Wishes, Monisha

Hi Kym, insurance companies can be such a pain to deal with. Unfortunately you have to jump through their hoops to get approved. Get going and get it over with. The insurance company wants to wear you down so don't give up. Let us know how things are going. Mona

I understand the wait is hard, but as it has been stated, use the time to learn.  Learn all you can. Start practicing some of the stuff that you'll have to do after the fact.  For example, as soon as I started the process and learned about the post op diet, etc. I stopped using straws, I quit drinking soda, and I started using sugar-free everything.  It helped me figure out if I was actually capable of going through all of this.  It was great prep-time, and I think you'll find the the same is true for you.  Really a year is not that long?  How long have you been over weight?...I've been for years, what was another 6 months. Hang in there!