M2G

Congrats! You sound like you are doing great...keep up the good work.

Good luck, I'm right behind you, my surgery is Fri. I hope everything goes perfectly for you!

I would call your FSA provider. Most FSA have a very explicit list of things that CAN and CANNOT be purchased with your account. And since this is a lot of money you are talking about, you need to make sure that there won't be a problem down the road. FSA accounts are reported to the IRS, hence you needing an itemized bill to substantiate your claim. IF they deem that an expense was outside of the allowable limits, you may be asked to refund that money. I wouldn't trust that your test of $10 going through the credit machine in Mexico means that you can charge the max. for your surgery, because they can always come back and say NO, that claim isn't allowable. When you call your FSA provider, write down the person's name (first and last) and have them look at your specific coverage. Ask for any implied coverage in WRITING!!! Do not trust that the provider (the place in Mexico) will know the limitations of YOUR plan. That being said, I hope that you CAN use your FSA, because that is the whole idea of an FSA is to pay for items NOT covered under your medical plan. I hope it works out for you.

This is an excellent idea! My husband was VERY supportive of me in this process, and I wanted him to do it too. He kept saying, "no, you go ahead, you have a ton of motivation, etc, you will do great at this" THEN he went to the seminar with me and about 2 weeks later went "I need to do this too." I was so happy that he is taking the steps to be healthy as well. Plus in a few months (He is 2 months behind me) we can split a meal when we eat out!!!

Congrats to you!!! I am being sleeved on Fri. and it is sooooo nice to hear uplifting stories. I know it isn't going to be easy, but it WILL be worth it, I have no doubt!

Wow, that is a huge difference! That is only 20lbs??? Well done and Happy Birthday!

I have UHC and had to do 6 months of required weight monitoring, BEFORE anything could be submitted or approved. Once submitted, UHC gives themselves 15 days to approve or deny a benefit. You might call and find out how much time they allot themselves.

Welcome and congrats on your weight loss so far and your committment to improving your health! My story is similar ...even what you weighed in HS, was about what I weighed back then (and thought I was huge!) lol. Now my dr. wants me to weigh 150!! Anyway, I'm a 38 year old married mom of 2 girls and I started this journey back in Apr. of this year researching my insurance and then started the 'hoop jumping' process to actually have surgery. In the 6+ months that I have been working on this, I did lots of research and decided that the band was not for me. Also, my husband went to the seminar with me and decided he wanted to do this too. It was at his insistance that I do more sleeve research and we both felt much better doing the sleeve vs. the band. (He is hoping for a Dec. date too.) Good luck with everything and I don't mind admitting that I have spent countless hours reading and absorbing tons of info from this site. It has truly been a lifesaver to find all of these people and all of the information here.

Best of luck with everything! I'll be right behind you...my date is Fri. Oct. 22nd. My pre-op is on your surgery date. We can be surgery buddies...and stay in touch!

Congratulations!!! I was just approved on Wed. after 6 months of insurance-required weight monitoring. I guess I must be lucky b/c my surgeon doesn't require a liquid diet, except for 24 pre-op. Of course liquids AFTER surgery, but nothing really before. I thought I would be eating crazy and trying to eat everything I love before next week, but so far today I've had 1 egg on a 100 calorie toaster thin bread, 1/2 of a chesse & ground beef quesedilla (from leftovers and the tortilla was a life balance low-carb one), a protien bar and about 3 cups of popcorn. dinner will probably be a salad and some protien. Sorry, I just realized I put food items listed in my post on a post where you are struggling with a liquid diet. I hope you keep up with the plan they have you on, I know it is difficult!!! (I did an all liquid diet for 7 months one time about 13 years ago...Medifast...ugh!) Anyway, hang in there and keep posting!

1. To be a 'healthy' weight...and have my healthy brain & insides match my exterior body. 2. To avoid Diabetes & Hypertension (it runs in my family). 3. To change my relationship with food. 4. To play with my kids, BE THERE for my kids, and be a good example for my kids. 5. To be able to "participate" in life. Want to go swimming...sure! Hope on a boat or go waterskiing...sure! Race you to the corner...sure! 6. To have a clear conscious at the end of the day instead of 'beating' myself up over eating food. 7. To shop wherever I want and not be "limited" by the "plus" size selection. 8. To be a sexy wife to my awesome hubby. 9. To ride a rollercoaster, airplane, or any other type of device that is limiting to larger people. 10. Because I can do this! And I get to be in charge of my fate, instead of obesity-related issues ruling my current life, and my future.

I was just approved today by UHC. I called back in April and was assigned a bariatric case manager and a bariatric nurse manager both from UHC. They have helped through this whole process. My BMI is 44 and I have no co-morbidities. The information I have from them lists surgery will be approved on the following basis: Class III obese (BMI > 40) Class II obese (BMI 35 - 39.9) in the presence of one or more of the following: - Type 2 diabetes - Cardivascular disease (e.g. stroke, myocardial infarction, stable or unstable angina, pectoris, hypertension or coronary artery bypass) - Life-threatening cardiopulmonary problems (e.g. severve sleep apnea, Pickwickian snyndrome, obesity-related cardiomyopathy) So I imagine that if your BMI is between 35 and 39.9 without at least one co-morbidity listed then it will be denied. Sorry. I'm surprised that they didn't give you at least a case manager to walk through this with you and give you advice, etc.

So, I have completed my insurance required 6 months of weight monitoring and nutritional counseling, done all of my pre-op testing, both that the insurance requires and my surgeon requires. All of my paperwork was submitted on Oct. 5th.....and today I find out that my bariatric nurse (THE one person who decides if it is approved or not) is going on vacation all next week. So please God, grant me patience, because heaven knows I need it. My surgeon's office won't give me a "date" until I'm approved (can't say I blame them) but it is literally driving me nuts that I CANNOT place a surgery date on my calendar and PLAN MY LIFE AROUND IT. AAAARGH! Oh, and I guess the insurance gives the nurses 15 days to approve/deny...so it's not like it's out of the "norm" as far as how long they can take to decide. At least my bariatric coordinator from my insurance company was SO nice today when she told me that the nurse would be on vaca all next week. I know this is small price to pay for going through insurance vs. self-pay, but someday I wish I was a self-pay patient just so I didn't have to jump through so many freakin hoops! (Oh and just for the record, I will be paying $$$$ some big money for this surgery, I pay $5K out of pocket and then 10% of whatever is left over after the $5K is paid.) I just wish that I could have a date....SO FRUSTRATING!!!

I FINALLY have a date. 6 months into the process, I finally have a date I can plan around, and it is a good date for me! I'm so happy! Oct. 22, 2010 Now I have to scroll back through this list and see if anyone else is going to be sleeved on that same day. :teeth_smile:

I agree that it can be un-nerving to hear that type of thing. My surgeon is extremely well-known and highly respected, and when I asked how many sleeves he has done, the answer came back at around 15. I have full confidence in him though, as he stated the sleeve is much easier to do than the over 2,000 bypasses he has done. He also does bands as well, so I know he is well-rounded. He is the creator of the Full-Bar (which he insists is not an answer for morbidly obese people) but rather a product for those who have less to loose, to help them curb their hunger. I think most of my surgeon's materials, support, guides, etc. are set up for band or bypass, as the sleeve is "relatively" new as a stand-alone WLS. The are working on having more inclusion of the sleeve as it is becoming much more popular. In the end, you have to do your research and do what is best for you. Always listen to that inner voice!

I am sitting here completely floored. I was told that my nurse would not even get to my file until after Oct. 18th, and SHE CALLED TO APPROVE THIS AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wonder if her vacation plans changed or she brought her work with her??? I didn't get to talk to her, she just left a message while I was dropping the girls at school to say I've been approved! So I actually have a date...Oct. 22nd. I'm SO HAPPY! Thanks for those of you who gave me encouragement. It is an incredibly frustrating wait

Congrats! That is DEFINITELY worth celebrating!!!

Vicki, glad you are here for support, I'm sorry you aren't getting it from those closest to you. I hope you will find some here. And I do agree that this is major surgery, not sure what constitues 'radical', but I know for me WLS is not something that I just woke up one day and wanted to do. It has been years that I have thought of it, but was always too scared to act on. Having been banded twice, I'm sure you don't want to keep having band surgery. I think you will find a lot of people here who have revised from band to sleeve and much prefer the sleeve over the things they experienced with the band. If you are truly experiencing agony over the decision to have or cancel surgery, is there a therapist that you can reach out to and go for a visit just to talk and clear things out of your head? I'm sure you probably had to have a physch eval just to have the band, or maybe you know of someone who would be willing to listen and give you an objective opinion. Or as Eureka said, to sit and write things down. Good luck with whatever you end up doing, just remember that you are doing this for YOU and no one else.

If I read that correctly, then you are having surgery today! GOOD LUCK! I think everyone goes through that scared and nervous emotion, and don't forget that there is a LOT emotion just surrounding WLS itself. I can totally relate to how you are feeling! I hope everything went well today. Update us when you can.

Welcome! I did the whole "lurking before joining" stuff too! And I also started down this WLS path thinking band. My husband is also doing this surgery (hopefully in Dec.) and it was at his insistance that I do more sleeve research, and part of my research found this forum. A big weight was lifted off my shoulders when we decided sleeve over band. Now I'm just waiting for my date...hoping soon! I started this process in April of this year, so it feels like it has been quite a long wait time. Good luck with everything and keep in touch here often.

I agree that you are probably never in the "clear". I lost 80 lbs over the course of a year on Medifast, about 12 years ago and about 6 months after being "done" losing, then the gall bladder stone attacks started. I don't know anything about the new medicines though, as they wouldn't apply to me, since my gall bladder is already gone.

Woo hoo! That is exciting news!

Congrats on your success, and thank you so much for your post! I'm going to have my husband read this (he is due to be sleeved in Dec. hopefully!) and while I have found the time to exercise, he has not. He is currently working about 80-90 hours a week (not always, but just in the last 6 weeks due to a project getting ready to go-live) and getting in exercise is something that he cannot find the time for. (I work out at Curves, ladies only, and at 5:30am when the rest of the world is usually still asleep). So thanks again, your post is very inspiring!

I love all kinds of nuts, and they are definitely easy to "over-do". The 100 cal bags are great for control. My NUT said the things she sees as problem food for people during maintainence is cheese and nuts. She said they have their time and place but should not chosen as the best source of protien. Both of those items are food that I can easily over-do if I'm not careful.

Oh wow, SO lucky!!! Did you also have a bariatric case manager? I've had the same case manager from the first time I called to ask about WLS. She has been nothing but awesome. My nurse I have only talked to once on the phone, and my nurse is the one who decides. I sooooooo wish my case manager could just approve it. lol. You must have got lucky and a nurse who didn't have a lot on her desk. According to my case manager, my nurse is swamped! (Lucky me )