Looking at getting Realize Band...Have some questions!

Hi!

I am really considering the Realize Band for weight loss. I have had too many dieting attempts to count and am at the end of my rope! I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and want to have children, but the weight and the PCOS is not helping. I know if I can get the weight off, the PCOS will get better and I will be much healthier and happier.

Just a few questions...are there any of you girls out there who have PCOS and have had the band? If so, what are your successes? 

I noticed on the Realize site that you will have to provide documentation for failed diet and exercise plans. What does that documentation entail? 

I also saw you may have to have a psychological evaluation. Did you have that? And if so, why do they want you to have this eval? 

I know you have to have a supervised weight loss program with a physician's supervison. How long do you have to do that before you have the band? Does this just prepare you for what is to come after the surgery? 

My final question is how long of a waiting period did you have before you went in for the surgery? I heard it can take as long as 8 months. I want this as soon as possible...is this true? 

Thanks for all your help and advise!

My surgery is set for thursday 9/3

I have been working on this since feb 09.

Most insurance companies want you to do a 6 month plan under a doctors care to loose weight... it has be be documented by the doctor.  Most ppl do not have that when they make the decision to do surgery so you have to wait the six months.

the psych eval is to make sure you are aware of what you have to do and your reasons for getting the surgery.

I don't have PCOS, so i can't answer your questions on that. 

I think the only way to do a quick surgery is if you are paying out of pocket and ready to go... but you really have to talk to the surgeon about that.

I also had to do a stress test and a sleep study.

Hey..welcome to the board!

Regarding the PCOS I can't really answer that questions but I do know a woman that has it and had the rny a few months ago and is doing great so I'm sure it would be same with the band..I would definitely ask you surgeon regarding this matter for more additonal information. 

The documents that you will need to provide is mainly based on your insurance policy and what they require for approval. Typically with the failed diet attempts and exercise programs..you would just need something showing on your medical records that show that you have tried different diets..I go to the doctor every month so I would tell the doctor what type of diet I was trying and also would get prescribed diet pills..which this would also fall under the category of the supervised 6 mo diet..so luckily this information was good enough for my insurance to approve surgery.

The psychological evaluation is typically required by both the surgeon office and insurance company. They just want to know that you are pyschologically stable enough to go through with the surgery and to make sure that you have support and everything post op. I definitely wouldn't worry about this..I was super nervous and it ended up going very well.

I went to my wls seminar in June 08' I had all my pre-op stuff completed by Nov 08' It took my family doctor about 3 months to send my medical records over to my surgeon so that was the huge delay.. I had a date set for Dec 08'. Overall it took my about 6 months to actually get everything going which to me was pretty quick to me compared to what some people have had to wait for. 

I hope this information helps!

first thing...welcome!
 second ck your insurance call and speak to them and get all of the requirements...every insurance is different. it all depends on the employer and if there are any ryders on the policy.
second ....find a good surgeon and go to the seminar...ask as many questions as possible, write them down as you think of them, so you don't forget.
my insurance i had to do the 6 month diet prior but i had that under my belt before i even went to the seminar.....i ck'd my insurance first so i knew what i was up against, the other stuff is pre-op  and for your own good, psych eval id just what it is....they want you to know what you are getting yourself into...believe me it is not like a diet....it is work ...the band is not magic, you have to know the limits and be careful doing it. being stuck is no picnic!
also if you do have to do the 6 month diet, you will be healthier for the surgery, the liver is the organ that gets in the way during the surgery and it can bleed very easily so they want it small so it is easier to move out of the way. and believe it or not it really does go fast..
you can do this. i went to the seminar in june 08 and had surgery september 08
lori

Hi :)
I am currently preop in my 6 month  insurance required medically supervised diet.  I have PCOS and have been to 2 different surgeons for consults.  Both recommended bypass for me, however they are each willing to do the band surgery on me.  They were both in agreement that the bypass is my best chance for losing all my weight, however, there are exceptions to all the stats, and I am hoping to be one of them.   I am pretty sure at this point I will be doing the band, but there are moments that I change my mind.  I am most concerned about major complications of the bypass, and that's what is keeping me from embracing that surgery.  I have no doubt about my chosen doctor's skill and abilities....just that I tend to be Murphy's Law.

As a PCOS person, I had to endure fertility treatments to have a child.  I only have one, and I wish that I had done something about my weight/pcos sooner - my family may have looked very different number wise.  I think you are really smart to do something about the weight to increase your chance of not having infertility issues. 

I just had my psych eval a few days ago, and passed.  It was basically an interview/quiz about my life and my understanding about what I am electing to do to my body, and a personality test to see how medically compliant  I am, and if I have other issues such as addictions, no support, etc.   The scariest part of the test was the waiting room believe it or not. LOL

Good luck :)

I have PCOS, we tried fertility treatments for a while and they did not work for us.  We went the adoption route instead and couldn't be happier.  I got the band on 3/31 and am almost down 30 pounds now (3  more to go)!!   I am a slow loser, but slow and steady wins the race, right??

My documentation consisted of weigh in visits (6 months worth) from my PCP along with any other health issues (Sleep Apnea, PCOS, Infertility, Depression, & high cholesterol).  It will really depend on what your insurance requires....

The Psych Eval was easy....I really actually liked it and was happy to have someone to just "listen" as I am usually the one doing all the listening and can't get a word in edge wise....I had to take a test "pick the best answer type..." that was 500 questions long....it really is to make sure that you are in a sound mind and not just choosing to have surgery because a "little voice" is telling you to. 

I didn't have a weight loss program with my Physician because I had a few visits that he could use for my weigh in's.  I think I had two months that I had to go while I was in the early process, I was basically just eating a healthy diet of everything.

I had about a 2 month wait before my surgery.  It depends on how backed up your surgeon is and their requirements.  I could not get a date until everything was compeleted and turned into the insurance company.

Good Luck - time goes by quickly so try not to focus on that part!

Hi mfeagan!

I HAVE PCOS!!!! It's a freaking pain in the ass, isn't it?? :)

My story is pretty much the same... I want to have kids eventually, but am worried about how my weight and PCOS will affect it. Lovely PCOS.... makes you gain tons of weight, and makes it damn near impossible to lose.

I began looking into surgery about 18 months ago... I finally had it this June, and have noticed a HUGE change in my PCOS symptoms. My periods are regular, and I haven't had any bad cyst flare-ups since I started losing weight. It used to be so bad that I'd literally need to load up on Demerol just to get out of bed. But, I'm feeling MUCH better. The healthy diet has also helps, I cannot believe how much better I feel now that I'm taking all the proper vitamins and supplements. I just feel SO MUCH healthier!!

As for a few of your other questions, I'll try to answer in a quick summary.

There are generally two sets of requirements you need to fulfill.... the ones required by your insurance for approval, and the ones required by the surgeon.

The insurance requirements tend to vary depending on what insurance plan you have. The failed diet/exercise documentation and psych evaluations are pretty standard. Call your insurance company to find out whether or not bariatric surgery is a covered benefit; and if it is, ask them to send you a copy of the specific requirements.

The surgeon will also have requirements, many of them will be the same or similar to the insurance company's requirements. They might also run a few more tests... my surgeon for example required me to have bloodwork, an upper GI, and a few other basic tests done... mostly just to make sure I was healthy enough for surgery.

The waiting period will vary. For some people, once their documentation is submitted, they are approved in a few days. For others, it can take a few weeks. Once you are approved, it's just a matter of scheduling the surgery. Personally, once I was approved, my surgery was scheduled asap, and I only had to wait a few weeks to have it done.

Anyway, the best advice I have..... be your own advocate. Don't take no for an answer... and be persistant.

Good luck to you, I hope everything goes well!! :)

Wow! All of you have given such great advice!

Thanks to those who wrote me who have PCOS like I do! I don't think people realize just how much it affects you and makes it so hard to lose weight. 

I actually work at Curves for Women and have been following their weight loss plan for quite some time now. Just doesn't work for me! I have weigh-ins in the computer, so I am hoping this may suffice for documentation so I don't have to wait 6 months to get in. I am desperate, but I'm sure most of you were as well and time goes by faster than we can imagine. So I just have to be patient!

I contacted a doctor in my area and they have set me up for an educational seminar. Just waiting for the paperwork to come so I can see when it is. I also contacted my insurance company. It does cover 80% of the surgery, which is great! I am also looking into medical financing for the portion my insurance doesn't cover.

Would anyone be able to tell me how much their surgery was so I can get an average of what I will have to pay out of pocket? I am estimating about $3500 - $5000. One site said the surgery is between $16,000 and $25,000 and another site said $9500. So I'm not sure what to expect! 

I was very reluctant to have the surgery and thought of myself as a failure if I had a surgery to lose weight. After reading more about it and having been able to hear from those of you who are in my situation who have had the surgery, I am so much more at ease and actually excited about my new life! I want to be healthy for the rest of my life. I am almost 30 years old and want to take care of this before I turn 30! I know it's harder to get it off as you get older. I know I need to be pro-active!

Thank you again for your help!

My (lack of) metabolism is what concerns me the most about getting the band.  I'm afraid that my body will adjust to the lack of calories, and hold onto my weight, and I'll be kicking myself for not going the bypass route.  I *know* there is no guarantees with any surgery, and I keep redirecting my attention to the stats for both the bands and bypass approx 5 yrs out - they are very close in results. 

I think you are very smart to deal with this isse at 30!   I wish I had the courage and insight years ago to go forward with surgery.   

Good luck :)

If it helps any, I was worried about the same thing.... I had a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of living on less than 1000 calories per day.

However....

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I do very well on less than 1000 calories per day. My body hasn't held onto my weight at all... I'm steadily losing 2-3lbs. per week. And I'm really not hungry very often at all.

I make sure that my body gets all the vitamins and nutrients it needs.... this means taking a daily multivitamin, and drinking protein shakes. The shakes especially are extremely nourishing (make sure you get the "meal replacement" ones, not the "supplement" ones).

The only frustrating thing about the band is going to support groups and seeing RNY patients who are losing weight much quicker. It kinda screws with your head! But for me, I would rather lose my weight a little slower to give my skin time to adjust and firm up..... and the health risks associated with RNY and other surgeries just weren't worth it to me. And really.... I am thrilled to be losing a couple pounds a week.... that's WAY better than I've ever been able to do, and my diet now isn't nearly as miserable as some of the ones I've tried! :)

Good luck!