jasleeve

i had lost tons of weight before on a subway diet. went from a size 18 to a 6 in 4 months. im an attractive female and have a spicy personality (im puerto rican) and i got TONS of attention. walking down the halls of my high school, all the guys would look and i became very popular because of how many different pairs of expensive popular sneakers i wore. funny thing is, i had on the same exact sneakers 4 months prior & never got that much attention. EVER!! after about 8months of dieting, i quickly put the weight on again and gained an extra 50.

I only told my husband and a friend who had WLS after me. I only told her because she shared with me and was bemoaning that "you lost weight without surgery-why couldn't she?" I felt so bad that I told her-of course she's been supportive. I do get lots and lots of attention for my weight loss but I don't feel like dealing with the judgement.

at first, my plan was to tell NO ONE except my mom. not my boyfriend (who was my boyfriend at that time), not my bestfriend, no one. well my employer too because she is the one who told me about it.

i just couldnt hold in such a secret though. i think about the surgery EVERY chance i get. everytime i see someone out of shape, i wonder if they would qualify for it. i bought new clothes today because i have an event to go to thursday & i look like im pregnant with twins. im so depressed.

I've told alot of people too. My family, neighbors, employer and a few co workers. I also am making a video log and its private as well. I'm not putting on Facebook, but I don't mind telling anyone who ask about it.

Good Luck.

im glad all turned out well for you. what made you not want to tell others?

I told NO ONE except my wife, after I got back and all was OK I told everyone and after I started losing a lot of weight I told anyone who asked.

i agree, people should be very supportive but they would take it and use it to make fun, unfortunately. im 22 & we all know that young people can be very ignorant. its sad but true.

i think maybe in the future after all my weight loss, id open up to ppl if they ask but i dont think id have the courage to broadcast it. i am doing a vlog (video blog) on youtube and im going to record my every single step but ive made it all private. maybe after i lose a good 50+ lbs, ill have theheart to make it public for the world to see. i know im proud of my decision & proud that im taking control of my life! i just think the stereo type for surgery is so negative & its sad.

I guess it depends on the people in your life. I told EVERYONE. I've been doing a log of everything I've had to do on Facebook for all the people in my life, real time, or cyber. I'm proud of my decision and following through with all the steps that I've had to do to get approved by my insurance. This is not a small thing, and the people in your life should be supportive about YOUR decision since it is YOU body. Just my thoughts! With that said, I wish you the best of luck!

Nope! I told my husband and that is it! I don't like the negative nay-sayers and don't need to hear the bs!

I may tell my mom one day, but for now, I keep it on the dl!

Kelly

at first, ALL 3 of the ppl who i told said, "HELL NO!!! YOU DONT NEED THAT!!! JUST DIET AND EXERCISE!"

well my ex boyfriend is a fitness director (personal trainer) & is very fit & my best friend is a zumba instructor & has all these zumba certifications.

i know i could diet & exercise but its a crazy long road & a billion times harder to maintain.

my mom said no until i explained it to her & gave her more info. they are all excited for me now but im terrified of not being approved thru my insurance. i know i qualify but they may not cover vsg

i decided only to tell very few people. i think ppl are so judgemental & id hate for ppl to look at me funny. i feel like i could lose so much having vsg but i would be the "fat girl who had WLS" instead of being "healthy & smaller".

i only told my ex who him & i just broke up after 9yrs. he used to be 500lbs & became a body builder and lost all the weight thru diet & exercise.

my mom who is my support system & my bestfriend of 12years. oh & my employer who had the surgery & i looked into it as soon as i saw her weight loss!

for those of you who have had vsg already, did you feel like telling more ppl after losing the weight? i started a vlog (video log) on youtube but made all the videos private. im going to keep them all private & im going to keep making more until maybe after dropping the weight. if im comfortable enough, i will put them out for the world to see.

AMAZING!!!!!

Updates!! I'm nine months out and feeling great! Just trying to get the last bit off my thighs and I'm DONE!!! Whoohooo!!! I'm posting some before pics too, and the one in the pink jacket was me in March, just a few months ago. Wow those inches just FLY RIGHT OFF!! I love my sleeve!!!!! I will post more tomorrow Sorry the photos are so big, there seems to be an issue with posting pictures right now.

Peak:

March 2011 (3 months ago)

Current (25 Lbs to goal)

im terrified of not getting approved & i was talking to a friend who has had the sleeve done & she gave me a tip!

it turns out that LAP-BAND & GASTRIC BYPASS patients are NOT allowed to take asprin! if you can have your regular doctor prescribe you asprin for some type of pain related to weight (back, knees, hips, ankles) & have it on record, it will be hard for them NOT to cover vsg. you wont qualify for BYPASS OR LAP-BAND!!

you may get denied the 1st time but be patient and appeal OVER & OVER!

you just may get your way.

i hope this works. im calling my doctor tomorrow & im going to tell him the truth & i know he will hook me up.

IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER TRICKS OR TIPS, PLEASE POST!!!!

okay--I have met with the surgeon, dietician and started my doctor supervised diet. I also have done 1 of my 2 mental health visits. I am praying my insurance approves me for the Sleeve surgery. I know I will be approved for the band, but for the sleeve they have stipulations. One is that you must be a chronic steriod user. Well, I inhale a steriod nasal spray every night, have for the last one and half years and will forever. If they won't approve off of that, then my surgeon says he will scope me and look for gasritis as if you have that then the sleeve will be covered. I am doing all the steps. I am in the process of trying to find me a Protein drink I can tolerate. I am just not getting samples in the mail so let the sampling begin!! I have already turned in the last 3 years of my medical history too!! I am praying this is my answer to my whole life of obesity!

:/ im not a steroid user.

im praying that they dont deny me.

ive lost my gall bladder due to weight.

im border line diabetic. i have thyroid issues. hormonal inbalance. pcos. fatty liver. out of breath quickly. back pain galore.

im praying that they dont look at my issues as "small"

I have wondered this same thing...while on the doctor supervised diet...should you lose weight or not??? Am I really suppose to be trying....or what...any suggestions!!!

it seems like a trick! lol. i dont know tho

It just depends on the insurance company whether you have to go through a process. One of my forum friends, LeahG, only had to complete a psych eval and she was approved. It took less than two weeks for her. (Hope she gets a date soon ) And while for me, UHC requires a 6 Month Physician Supervised Weight Loss attempt. Therefore, I won't be able to submit my information to insurance until August 4th after my last 6MPSWL visit. I know it seems daunting right now, but you will get through this. It might not happen as fast as you want, but you can do this. Just start making the appointments you need, find out what your insurance wants, and find a good surgeon in your area.

i actually found a surgeon already & go see a nutrionist, nurse practioner & seminar on july 5th.

something else that has me wondering is, what if i lose a lot of weight during that 6months? will they deny me? i lose weight quickly but put it on twice as fast which is why i turned to vsg.

The thing is, since I have to have an individual policy, this is the ONLY insurance that I can get where I live. I checked before signing up for them a couple of years ago. The reason? Well, because I am morbidly obese, I am considered UNinsurable. Because BCBS is non-profit - they HAVE to accept everyone. Otherwise I would not have any health insurance.

oh ok.. wow. im sorry to hear that.

if you dont mind me asking, are they going to make you pay everything upfront or would they finance it for you? i read on a few sites that it can be very costly.

i pray i get approved because if not, ill be devestated.

I have blue cross blue shield - and my policy specifically excludes WLS. However, a lot of other people who have BCBS do have coverage and insurance pays for it. Having an individual policy really stinks - but I don't have a job that has benefits (gotta love it when the company considers you as a contract employee so they can get away with giving NO benefits - NOT!).

that is horrible

im sorry to hear that.

my insurance thankfully pays for even the after effect such as loose skin, etc. thank god for my mom!!

have u possibly looked into changing insurances? u may end up paying less by signing up with another insurance than paying for the surgery out of pocket.

Do not avoid the nutritionist. They will be able to help you learn how to eat better, proper portions, and give you some ideas on how to handle change in diet that the surgery requires. I'm very grateful that I get to see a dietician and she has told me to email her anytime with questions. I will be meeting with her on Monday again when I go through pre-op teaching and I have a huge list of questions for her that I know she will be able to answer.

well the only reason i would skip over her is because my boyfriend is very into nutrition. hes a fitness director & a bodybuilder. i know someone who had vsg surgery and she was on the same exact diet pre-op that he had put me on...i lose a lot of weight but put it on just as fast which is why im turning to vsg.

if its not avoidable, than i will have no choice but to pay but i rather get the info for free than pay out of pocket.

The main difference in the length of time is due to insurance. Some insurances that cover the WLS require 3 months, some require 6 months, some longer - but the vast majority seem to require 6 months diet before hand. However, if the insurance will NOT cover the WLS, then the surgery can be completed much sooner if you have the funds available. For me, my insurance will not cover the surgery, so from the time that I met the surgeon to the time of my surgery it will be 2 months. The month prior I had attended the informational seminar.

if you dont mind me asking, what type of insurance do you have?

i am going to a seminar on july 5th & i scheduled an appointment with the nutrionist and nurse practioner the same day. i have 1199SEIU and after researching, its affiliated with aetna and aetna does cover the vsg (thank god)! if my insurance were not to cover it, id be trapped in this body forever.

i hear its a 6month process with my surgery & if i mess up, id have to start all over. im scared lol

after doing much research, ive read from some people that getting their surgery only took 3 months. with others, ive read that its a 6month process. why is that? i believe my insurance is a 6month process. i have 1199SEIU.

anyone else have this issue?

anyone know why?

congrats! we are on the same boat. i am just now starting my journey and i cant wait! i have my seminar, nutrionist and nurse practioner all scheduled on the same day... july 5th! i hear its a 6 month process so i may be waiting until january

i know of some people who get it done sooner! im not that lucky but i will see. lol.

congrats!!

i cant wait to make my post like this. it will be a journey but i cant wait!

If you have aetna... they do cover the sleeve.. don't know why they wouldn't just tell you. When I called I spoke with a person who had the RNY procedure and she talked to me for quite awhile about her experience. I just finished my 6 mo diet and am waiting approval. I don't think there is a set amount of weight you absolutley have to lose, but the goal was 10% which I lost by just tracking my calories and eating more like the dietician wanted me to. There is a 3 month diet option also, but the program fee was out of the budget for me. Good luck with everything.

well its for sure 1199 but i seen a little logo i guess if you wanna call it that and it said aetna so im not sure if that means that they are all the samething. maybe how like medicaid has different forms like fidelis or health plus, etc.

my boyfriend is a bodybuilder so he can help me diet wise. i was made aware of (through research) that id have to pay for my psych eval & a nutrionist out of pocket. if i can go around not seeing a nutrionist, i will. if not, then i gotta do what i gotta do.

i have an appointment with a nutrionist & nurse practioner on the same day of the seminar. you didnt see a nutrionist?

thank you for responding, i greatly appreciate it!

What it sounds like to me is that it IS a covered procedure, but the person who will be doing the review will be the one who authorizes it or denies it according to their set policies and what the surgeon says you need. (And if you told the Dr you want this procedure, that will be the one he says you need. The Dr's office is ALWAYS on your side, they want to get paid. LOL)

Good luck!!!

that gives me a whole lot of hope! thank you for giving me hope! i pray my doctor is a money hungry kind of person. maybe in a lot of debt with a gambling problem? haha!! im kidding! but i just hope i get approved

thank you for responding! xo

I was you six months ago. I started the process with a BMI that barely qualified me (BMI 40, no comorbidities) and was terrified to lose any weight until I was approved. Because of this fear I overcompensated and gained about 10# over the six month weight loss program. Only to find out in retrospect that the weight submitted for approval approved was my very first visit in December…so I missed the opportunity to put a nice dent in my weight that entire six months.

But no regrets…I was sleeved Monday and Aetna paid.

If you have experienced folks at your surgeon’s office they should be able to tell you exactly which weight they submit. Good luck getting straight answers from any insurance company, for they will leave as many areas gray as possible.

thank you so much for taking the time out to respond to me. i believe i seen "aetna" on my insurance card but i know its 1199 (my moms insurance). i pray i get approved.

First, call your insurance directly and speak to them about bariatric coverage!! Second, my insurance states as below. You may even try looking around their website for their medical policy.

NOTE: The initial BMI at the beginning of a weight reduction program will be used to meet the BMI criteria for the definition of morbid obesity used in this policy.

i had called them & they couldnt give me a direct answer on whether THAT surgery was covered. they said its up to the doctor & then the insurance would review it. i kept asking her, if the surgeon says i need it, will it be possible to get it or do u not cover it period? she said its up to the ppl who review it. she couldnt give me a direct yes or no. i understand i needa qualify for it first but i just wanted to be sure that if im a perfect candidate, they are not going to say the dont cover vsg.

i am about to start the process of getting all the tests done & meeting with a surgeon about being sleeved but im

nervous about my insurance denying me!

i have 1199SEIU. i hear that i have to go on a 6 month diet before being approved but im confused. if i lose too much weight, will they deny me? my reason for wanting the surgery is because i put the weight on too quickly. it never stays off. what if i dont lose enough? will they deny me? what exactly makes or breaks this cycle?

i need this surgery because of my health and the last thing i want to hear is that im not approved. i know i can diet & drop weight fast but i put it on twice as fast. thats my issue.

anyone else have to do diets?

did you get denied and for what?