VSGandMe2011 (DisneyMomma)

Thank you, Rob!!

Those 2 things are the last steps before getting approval from my insurance company!!! I can't even tell you how excited I am!! So, any advice? I have no idea what I'm in for tomorrow!!

Just to put your mind at a bit more ease, Empire BCBS (I have it too) started covering the sleeve as a "medically necessary" surgery on 11/18/2010! As long as you meet their guidelines, they should definitely approve you! I'm so excited! I'll be submitting for approval hopefully at the end of this week!! WooHoo!!! Skinny jeans, here we come!! ;o) GL!

Well, I just got a call from my sleep center (I had my sleep study Wed night) and I have obstructive sleep apnea. Not the news I wanted to hear, but just makes my resolve to have VSG that much stronger! I'm scheduled to go in again to sleep with a cpap machine tomorrow night!!! YIKES! I may not be able to make it to church Sunday morning, but DH is taking vacation starting Sunday so I won't have to worry about my girls while I sleep! The ball is really rolling! Anyone that has a cpap machine, do you have any advice for me? Will it be horrible?? Hoping I get some sleep with that machine strapped to my face! ;o)

I survived it! I didn't sleep well at all, but it's over!! YAY! The results will be read in about 5 days.....now I wait until next Wednesday for my psych eval and nut visit!! Whew! Thanks for the advice!

YAY!!!! Congratulations!!

Any advice?? I'm a little nervous and am hoping I can go to sleep!! LOL! Thanks! It's really real! I'm really starting my VSG journey!! YAY!!

I have a question about birth control! My DH and I haven't used it since February 2006. I have PCOS and I don't have a period unless it's induced or if I'm on fertility meds. I was discussing birth control options with DH for after surgery, but he said he doesn't care what we use or if we use anything. I think after 5 years of seriously TTC baby#3, he feels like we just aren't ever going to get pg and I can't say I blame him, I feel the same way. BUT, I know that with all the estrogen that will dump out of all the fat I'll be losing, we could end up pg....a long shot, but still a possibility. So, what would you do? Not worry about it? Worry about it?? BCP are not an option, I get strep throat every time I use them. Condoms? Any advice would be great!! Thanks so much!

Congratulations!!!! Way to start 2011 off with a bang!!

Congratulations!!! Way to be persistant!!!!!

Here's the Medical Policy they referred me to! HTH!! http://www.empireblue.com/medicalpolicies/policies/mp_pw_a053317.htm

Hey, Foxbins! Good idea! Here's mine! Feeling sexy and appealing to myself, let alone my hubby! (he's never said anything, but I don't get the whistles and butt pinches I used to! ;o) Going clothes shopping because it's fun, not because I've "outgrown" my current clothes. Being physically able to run My feet and knees to stop hurting all day, every day. To see my feet when I'm standing up and look down! To tie my tennis shoes without huffing and puffing. To play with my kids! To enjoy our vacations!! Our last trip to Disney World in September, I was physically miserable. So sad to be in the "happiest place on earth" and be so miserable!! To make our sex life more fun!!! ;o) To live to see my girls get married and have kids and be able to PLAY with my grandkids! To hopefully start having a menstrual cycle again and have one more baby!! Ok...that's long enough...I could go on and on, but I won't! I can't WAIT to be sleeved!!!!!

Hi, VSG friends!! I know this question has been asked a million times but every one of us has different circumstances! So, here I go, and I apologize for this being kinda long to begin with! My name is Dana and I've been married 12 years to my wonderful hubby! We have 2 gorgeous girls (ages 9 & 6) who I homeschool! We've been trying to have one more baby over the last 5 years, but have been unsuccesful. I have PCOS and have been on fertility meds off and on and every time I take the meds, I gain 10 lbs. So, I started out 5 years ago weighing about 225 lbs and I now weigh 288 lbs. We've decided to leave the fertility drugs alone forever, choosing VSG instead and if we have another baby when I get healthy, we'll be overjoyed.....if I don't get pg, we'll count our blessings and move on! I had a friend ask me the other day if we were still trying to get pg. I paused before I answered her because I just didn't want to tell her about WLS!! So, I told her we weren't trying anymore, but I was going to see a dietician in January (not a lie, I am to meet my pre-op requirements!) and see if I can get some help losing weight. Ok, I don't mind telling people I'm having WLS AFTER I've already had it. It's the before part! My hubby is chairman of our church's deacon body and although our church is loving and supportive, I will be the FIRST person to have VSG or gastric bypass in our whole church, not to mention as a person who holds several leadership positions. I'm not at all sure of what reaction I'm going to get. I KNOW a few people would try to talk me out of it and tell me I just need to pray for more self-control....just a few, but I'd really rather avoid any negativity altogether! Do you agree?? If you were me, would you wait until after to tell? The other issue I have is when to tell our parents. With my in-laws, I'm not worried about them being unsupportive necessarily. They won't be thrilled, but I don't think they'd discourage me. It's more that my MIL worries and when she worries she gets horrible migraines! With my parents, it's a bit stickier. I don't have a good relationship with my parents right now. My mom tried to committ suicide for the second time a year ago and it was then that I finally realized that we've had a co-dependent relationship my whole life. I started setting healthy boundaries, my parents didn't like it, so we only see them on holidays/birthdays now. Their choice, not mine, but I decided a year ago that I would be healthy mentally and this year decided that my body needed to reflect the new health on my insides!! Anyway, what would you do? I was thinking about calling and telling both sets of parents the night before my surgery. I think they'd all be upset if we told them after the fact!! I'm having my sleep study done on January 5th, my diet consult and psych eval on January 12th, then we submit everything to my insurance company and I should have a surgery date in February! I'm so excited and feel so blessed that I have a hubby that is so incredibly supportive. I can't hardly wait to start my new life!!! Thank you to those of you who made it through all that!!

Wow. I think Jillian has some great ideas on weight loss and she's been super sucessful with her contestants on BL, but just like surgery isn't the best option for everyone....just dieting and working out isn't the best option for everyone! Sorry, but I just can't believe her skinny-self when she says "diet, self-exploration and exercise" are the only way. I'm so excited about getting sleeved in February!! Happy Valentines Day to me and my hubby!!! <3

Anyone?????

For those of you who used insurance, did you pay anything up front before your surgery or did they bill you after? My deductible will be met after my sleep study in January, and then my insurance pays 80% until I meet my maximum out of pocket. How did this work for you? (Anyone not using Dr. Nick, feel free to share your experience as well!) I'm just trying to get all my ducks in a row!!

Thank you, Leslie! I was gearing up for a fight with my insuarnce company and am so glad I'm not going to need to!! I was looking at the lap band too, but really wanted something more permanent and something without foreign objects being left inside me! Thanks for celebrating with me!!

I can really see a huge difference!! Way to go!! Can't wait to join you as a sleeved sister!!

Hi, Gina! Welcome! Congrats on your surgery date! This site is wonderful! A wealth of information and such friendly people! I'm excited for you!! GL!

Ok, I called and got my NUT appt, psych eval and sleep study scheduled for the first 2 weeks in January!! I'll be ready to submit everything to my insurance company very soon after January 12th! WOW!! I'm so excited! AND here's the AWESOME part.......(drum roll please...) Empire BCBS now covers the sleeve!!!! "Medically Necessary: Gastric bypass and gastric restrictive procedures with a Roux-en-Y procedure up to 150 cm, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (for example, the Lap-Band® System or the REALIZE™ Adjustable Gastric Band), vertical banded gastroplasty, biliopancreatic bypass with duodenal switch, and sleeve gastrectomy (open or laparoscopic) are considered medically necessary for the treatment of clinically severe obesity for selected adults (18 years and older) who meet ALL the following criteria:........" YAY!!!!! Can I do a happy dance?!?!!!!!!! WooHooo!!!!! Just had to share!! :bananapartyhat: :bananapartyhat: :bananapartyhat: :bananapartyhat: :bananapartyhat: :bananapartyhat: :bananapartyhat: :bananapartyhat: Merry Christmas to me!!!

Ok, I called and got my NUT appt and psych eval scheduled!! I'll be ready to submit everything to my insurance company very soon after January 12th! WOW!! I'm so excited! AND here's the AWESOME part.......(drum roll please...) Empire BCBS now covers the sleeve!!!! "Medically Necessary: Gastric bypass and gastric restrictive procedures with a Roux-en-Y procedure up to 150 cm, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (for example, the Lap-Band® System or the REALIZE™ Adjustable Gastric Band), vertical banded gastroplasty, biliopancreatic bypass with duodenal switch, and sleeve gastrectomy (open or laparoscopic) are considered medically necessary for the treatment of clinically severe obesity for selected adults (18 years and older) who meet ALL the following criteria:" YAY!!!!! Can I do a happy dance?!?!!!!!!! WooHooo!!!!! Just had to share!!

Caramel - That's awesome!!!! Congrats!! AFM - I scheduled my sleep study for the beginning of January and that will take care of my deductible, then I just need to look at getting my NUT appt and psych eval scheduled!! YAY! The ball is rolling!! Yippee!!!

I just got my letter from my Dr's office and I have 3 documentation requirements before they will submit my request for approval. 1. Psychiatric evaluation 2. One-time diet consultation 3. A pre-operative sleep study Does anyone know how much these things will cost me?? I'm really excited that this is all they need! Pretty simple! I won't be able to do these things until January (Christmas is taking all our extra $$), but I'm so excited that it seems to be pretty simple!! WooHoo!!!! (If anyone has any experience with these things and Dr. Nicholson's office, I'd appreciate the insight!)

Ok, I figure I won't be the only one wondering about Empire BCBS (my hubby works for Sears Holding) so I thought I'd just keep updating this thread with how the process works for me! I just got my letter from my Dr's office and I have 3 documentation requirements before they will submit my request for approval. 1. Psychiatric evaluation 2. One-time diet consultation 3. A pre-operative sleep study Does anyone know how much these things will cost me?? I'm really excited that this is all they need! Pretty simple! I won't be able to do these things until January (Christmas is taking all our extra $$), but I'm so excited that it seems to be pretty simple!! WooHoo!!!!

Anyone else????