Swan56

I had a post JUST like this a couple weeks ago. I've been heavy as long as I can remember. I guess there is a picture of me at like 4 when I wasn't but after that, as long as I can remember I was chunky. I was about 260 in college and my husband married me at about 270/275. Picuring myself smaller is a stretch but what I was told is - don't think so much about how you will look (although that is so exciting). Think about how you will feel. How much easier it'll be to bend over and pick up something off the ground or try your shoes or cross your legs - something I dont' think I've ever done. How exciting it'll be to shop at normal stores, buy the cute clothes... I'll be 30 in a week and these are some of my motivators. Not to mention the HEALTH BENEFITS! And as far as your friend goes, I have learned that there are times in life when you have to be okay with being selfish. You are doing what is right for you. Embrace that! Hopefully she will come around the to the idea of you being healthier. Encourage her on the way. Maybe she too will decide to change her life for the better.

Thank you Katy! How long have you been banded? What do you think is the hardest part of the process? My insurance is an 80/20 plan as well, with an out of pocket max of $1000 individual or $2000 family per year. So if I would have had to wait until after January 1, it would have cost $1,000. Times like these I am super gracious of my great government benefits despite my not so great pay... LOL. Your coverage is still really good though. I really feel for those that don't get any help at all. That's a big chunk!

I got approved today - 12/27! Woohoo - we'll be starting this journey a day apart.

Well I got the call today from the insurance specialist at my surgeon's office as well as from the case manager from BCBS stating that I have been approved! It feels like I've been waiting forever - just over two weeks (with Thanksgiving in there too). I'm SO glad to have finally got it set in stone. I go in next Wednesday (12/15) for all my pre op tests. I start my preop diet next Monday. And my OFFICIAL surgery date is 12/27 - WOOHOO! That means my surgery is covered 100% - my out of pocket for the year is met (why I was pushing so hard for an approval). YAY YIPPEE! So excited!

What about alcohol during pre op diet? I know the big issue would be the sugars in the drinks but my big 30th birthday party is about 9 days before surgery. I am skipping Christmas dinner (2 days before) and not having cake on my birthday (13 days before) but I figured a drink or two as long as it's not beer (carbs) or some super sugary drink may be okay...? Just need some opinions...

Did you smack him? I think my husband would've gotten hit if he gobbled me... lol

YAY! Congratulations! Mine was submitted on 11/22. Still waiting - i hope that means I'm soon

WAY TO GO! This is my first forum as well and I can't wait until I have stories like this to post. Congratulations on your engagement!

No Not in yet. Michele emailed me back and said that it just means they are reviewing the case. She called them late morning and they told her there wasn't a decision yet. I HATE WAITING! lol

Congrats on being so success lellow - and your willingness to be so open.

You guys are all awesome for sharing! Great job and a HUGE inspiration to me - getting banded in 3 weeks (Happy Birthday/Merry Christmas to me!)

People all seem to home some type of strong opinion of being overweight and WLS - ESPECIALLY if they have never fought this battle themselves. I have only chosen to tell a few close friends, 2 co-workers, and my immediate family. I haven't been banded yet and am not sure if I will change my mind once I have some success with the band. It's noone else's business - that is beyond true; however, I feel, in a way, that my unwillingness to be open about it could hamper people getting proper knowledge. Granted, there are obese people that are obese because of lack of willingness to stick to an effective plan and then there are those of us that have tried every plan known to man, exercise, and still have no luck. What I'm trying to say is, if those of us that have sincerely tried everything and failed achive success with the band and we don't share - we're doing the band a grave injustice in the eyes of the public. That being said - I firmly believe that having WLS is a personal choice. Everyone has every right to not tell people. Going into this process, I was (maybe still am) a bit embarrassed that I couldn't do this on my own. When my stepdad suggested it, i was offended. I thought to myself - "I don't need that. I'm young, I should be able to do this on my own." And after trying yet another diet and yo-yoing, I realized - hey, i've been trying this on my own for years with NO long term help. When I finally had done enough research on my own to determine this was the best decision for me, my stepdad says, "There is no reason you should be as heavy as you are. You eat fairly well and you've always been active..." Keep in mind, my stepdad has been where we are - not having WLS - but weighing close to 350 lbs as a 5'6" man he was very much morbidly obese. He lost the weight shortly before meeting my mom (now I understand why he always wore those shorty-short running shorts that embarassed us as teenages - he was just proud of what he had done ). Point being - WLS will probably always be controvertial. You just have to figure out how private or open you want to be about it. It is your body and your business - take care of you first!

Well my insurance is a PPO and covers 80% of WLS (until my out-of-pocket max for the year is met and then is pays 100%). I work for the government so I have really good insurance. I've met my max out of pocket for the year so it should be 100% covered. That's why the "partial approval" part confused me. I emailed the insurance specialist at my surgeon's office with the information and the referral number and asked her about it. I should hear from her in the morning. She's so good at responding and taking care of everything

Hey ChefGabbie and welcome. I'm new myself and won't be banded until the end of this month. But i just wanted to let you know what I have found lots of valuable information on what you expect as well as a lot of support on this forum. It's nice to read what to expect. I've done TONS of research on the procedure but it doesn't compare to the personal testomonies I have seen here. And with the liquid diet - hang in there. The point is to shrink your liver pre-surgery (or so i'm told). So while you may not be seeing much difference, there could be a lot going on internally that will help your surgeon get the result he needs on banding day

Okay so I checked my insurance companies website, logged in, and checked the pre-authorization area. Up to this point it has been empty but when I checked today it says "Referall #.... Approval/Partial approval.." and goes on to list my name and doctors number. So i'm confused... did i get approved? The part that confuses me is the "partial approval" part.

Hey Jenn - I don't have Aetna but I do know how frustrating it is to have to wait. They submitted my paperwork on 11/22 and I haven't heard anything yet. Michele (from Dr. Spaws) called within a few days to verify that they had everything they needed. They told her it had all been received and said it was pending. I called a few days later (12/2) and at first they told me that they didn't show that they had received it. Then i explained that my docs office already verified that it was received and she did some more research. Then she said it had been received but they didn't show it was being reviewed. I emailed Michele and told her what they had told me. She called them on 12/3 and got the reference number and assured me that it had already been in the reviewal process. Point being - insurance companies are frustrating! After she assured me - I've been pretty calm about it. She said most the time (with BCBS) anyway, that it gets approved first go 'round. Have you asked Dr. Spaws office to schedule you date?

Hello Kelsey and welcome to LBT. I'm pretty new too but I am also scheduled (tentatively) for the 27th. I'm still waiting on approval but my surgery center says I should be approved in plenty of time. I'm nervous and excited as well. It's a big step

Thank you all SO much for your help and your opinions. It is nice to know I'm not the only one who has struggled with telling a family member. @ElfiePoo and RyanTheGirl -- Thank you for some advice on how to breech the subject with him. @Happygirl65 -- I'm glad to hear your discussion with your dad went so well A lot was touched on since I was last on. Ryan - i think you asked if i was already scheduled? I haven't been approved by insurance yet but it is in the process. I have a tentative date for 12/27. So - I basically have a few weeks to let my dad know that i'm doing more than "thinking" about having it done. I suppose it is my fault in how I brought up the subject. I should have sounded more sure. I know I want/need the surgery. I knew that when i brought it up. I wouldn't have even broached the subject had I just been thinking. I allowed him to make me feel like I hadn't thought it through or that I didn't really need it. Next time, I will talk to him with confidence. Show him I have done my research and i've made up my mind. Thank you again for your help! And good luck Melzie_99 in telling your family as well

I think I have made up my mind to tell him before... but i do think after would be less stressful.

Great idea... Just have to figure out how to do that exactly. Lol

I know exactly what you're saying Cindy. That's why the decision is so hard. If he asked, I wouldn't lie. I can't remember lying to my parents about anything (even in my young/dumb years). I may have kept things from them but when asked - I always tell the truth. So yes, of course he would find out. I am very confident in my decision to have the surgery - a little scared because I've never had surgery - but confident. In fact, when I first started to consider it, I was shocked. I was against it before - thinking I could do this all on my own. But I've been trying as long as I can remember to not be the fat girl and it hasn't worked for me. And I know it's not because I've been lazy with my attempts or quit. I just need help. I'm doing it for me - but my family will benefit from this decision. My dad has a good friend whose daughter lost over 100 lbs "on her own" a few years ago. I guess he thinks I should be able to do that too. He has said, "the concept is simple - burn more calories than you put in." YES - THAT SEEMS LIKE A SIMPLE CONCEPT. Through my working out every day of the week, to eating TONS of protien and not many carbs, to only eating once a day... it hasn't worked that way. I've questioned many times what is wrong with me. Like I've said in other posts, my family isn't obese. I'm the chunky one but my siblings are all "normal" size. I guess initially posting this - i knew in the long run that I would tell him before the surgery. I just wanted some encouragment. I know he's not going to take it well. He won't get mad but I know he will worry...

Hey Cristina - and welcome! The process depends A LOT on your insurance. Do you know if it covers WLS? If so, you need to find out the requirements they have to approve it. For example, my insurance company required me to have 5 years of weight records from my pcp, lose 10% of body weight (from my heaviest), psych eval, a BMI of over 40 or 35-40 with comorobitites. Some insurce companies require a 6-month doctor supervised weight loss, some a 90-day. It all depends... and most is based on your insurance.

How tall are you? ... Cuz i'm thinking a little more than 200 properly distributed could still make for a smooth sail in a crowd

@CheckYes My dad isn't really monitoring my weight. He's really just trying to be helpful, but i understand where that could be destructive. @riverat - I don't really know. His mom is 92 and his brother (56) was diagnosed with early onset alzheimers. I think that's about the most medical crisis he has had. He doesn't really go to a doctor. He's a pretty keep-to-himself king of guy. I know when he gets mad about something he won't talk to anyone for a while. He has to think first. So I'm thinking maybe... stew? Either way, I know it's going to be hard. I'll feel guilty if i don't tell him but it'll be less stress on me than having to tell him. I talked to my mom and stepdad about it earlier this week and my stepdad said, "Well everyone has their opinions, i can respect that. Print him off some information to explain the procedure..." I think the only experience he has is with Gastric - a route i refuse to take (too intrusive for me but know it works great for some). One of his patients had gastric and had a really rough time with it. He ended up having atleast one more surgery and got really sick, etc. Maybe he thinks they're all the same... who knows.... UGH

Wow - TMI with some of that but I do understand what you're saying. However, stage diving is not a dream of mine... lol. Maybe my husband being able to pick me up would be nice. I mean, he can now (cuz he's strong as crap) but like "over the threshold" or "piggy back ride" kind of stuff.