kczar

Welcome to the board! I haven't had surgery yet so I can't help you with some of your questions. I would recommend going into each of the main threads here (pre-op, post-op, diet and nutrition, etc.) and read through the pinned topics. They contains a huge amount of information for people just starting out. It covers everything, even sites to order Protein samples! Good luck and keep us updated on your progress.

Good luck!

There actually is a pinned topic in this section of the boards. The Frequently Asked Questions topic covers the abbreviations used, how to add a ticket to your profile, and a ton of other great stuff.

Congratulations!

I'm pre-op as well but I plan on getting that great ice from Sonic and using it as a substitute. A bit of crunching/chewing and water - great combo!

No problem. When I initially applied for individual insurance, I was 5'8" and weighed 294. After I was denied by one company, I fudged and said I was 250; still got turned down. PCIP doesn't care about that. They also offer a service where a nurse will call you on a monthly basis to check on your health goals and give general support and advice. Keep in mind that if the insurance is available in your state, the only requirements you have to meet is to either have a pre-existing condition or have been denied health coverage and be without insurance for six months. You will not be turned down. If your paperwork is in by the 15th, coverage starts the first of the next month. The program is supposed to go away by 2014 but that should be plenty of time. As far as WLS, they require a six month monitored diet program, a BMI of 35 or more with two co-morbidities or a BMI of 40 or more without. ETA - I don't think the diet program has to be done while you're covered under the insurance but I'm not sure. They do require detailed information about your diet, exercise, etc. Your surgeon's insurance coordinator can check on this to be sure.

I tried applying for two different individual insurance policies and was turned down by both because of my weight. (They asked for a check and/or credit card but they didn't process them since I was declined.) I then applied for PCIP, which is a government funded insurance program. It's specifically for people who have pre-existing health conditions and who have not had insurance for at least six months. It's not available in all states but it's a really good program. I pay $306 a month (it's based on age groups) and it has a $2,000 deductible and $4,000 out of pocket maximum. So after my gallbladder surgery and endoscopy, everything was covered. I had my deviated septum repaired at no additional cost and will be sleeved in August. So I'm paying about 7 grand this year but I've gotten a lot of health issues taken care of. If you're interested, go to the pcipplan.com website and see if your state is included. (And if you've been turned down by another insurance company, that counts as a pre-existing condition.) Good luck!

Welcome tx_girl! I'm in Garland (Dallas) myself. If you haven't already, check out the food and nutrition section. They are a lot of good threads there. Also, have you read the stickied thread on this part of the board? It has a checklist of things you'll need to take with you to the hospital and for afterwards. Good luck!

I think I've read several people's comments that they think it's a sign of when they're full. Is that what your husband is experiencing? I'm not there yet, but I am curious to know if it's true.

The brand name is About Time. I really love their stuff. You pretty much have to buy it online. Vitacost seems to be the cheapest. I'm going to try their meal replacement bars as well. Apparently, they make them to order so they should be amazingly fresh. We'll see.

Welcome Amy and Emily!

I'm not sure if they're all the same, but this was my experience. I initially went to a seminar sponsored by Baylor. They sent me forms to fill out ahead of time and I turned them in when I signed in. A coordinator gave a brief intro and then the surgeon made a PowerPoint presentation about the different types of WLS available as well as the success and complication rates. That took about 20 minutes or so then he opened up for questions. There was a lot of Q&A and then it was over. It was kind of awkward because no one let us know what kind of follow up would be taking place. I got a call the next day from them but I decided to go directly with the surgeon that made the presentation rather than through Baylor. So...I don't know how helpful this is but that was my experience!

Protein drinks are very tricky. It's really a trial and error process. A lot of people love the RTD's but I find that they have a chemical taste. So I stick with powders. I personally like About Time because they use very few ingredients and high quality whey protein. I've decided to just stick with the chocolate, vanilla and unflavored ones and then dress them up with syrups. I've got six different Tarani sugar free syrups and they help with the taste quite a bit. I just got brown sugar and cinnamon so I'm really anxious to try that one! Good luck! ETA - Have you checked out the protein thread? There's a post that has a bunch of links to sites that let you order samples of different brands. That might be a good way to go. You can also buy individual RTD's at GNC or the Vitamin Shoppe.

Welcome to the boards! You're actually ahead of the game since you have all the education to know what to eat; now it's just a matter of getting this great tool to help you. Good luck.

Have you spoken with the insurance coordinator at your surgeon's office? He or she should be able to tell you why the paperwork hasn't been submitted. I'd definitely give them a call. Let us know what you find out.

What is your date?

I don't have any experience with this but I would recommend calling your surgeon in the morning to let him/her know. Some surgeons install filters in high risk patients to prevent clots. I will be important that they know about the clot. Good luck. I hope you're feeling better and this doesn't delay your surgery. Never mind what I said. Lisa answered beautifully, as always!

Probably mid August.

Slim12, I see your surgeon is Dr. Kuhn. i'll be using him as well. I hope you check back in with us after your surgery to let us know how it goes. Good luck!

Good luck to everyone tomorrow!

Congrats!

BG, were you directing this to me? If so, I probably just didn't express myself very well. The doctor was very supportive! In fact, he was pretty awesome. But what he said is true - if you've been heavy your whole life, it is harder to lose weight and keep it off. Your body gets a comfortable setpoint and it doesn't like to drop down below that. For example, the lowest weight I can remember is 190 lbs. Both my surgeon and I know that it's going to be tougher for me to break that after surgery. Of course it can be done, but I'm not going to magically drop down to 150. I'm going to have to put in the work to get there. But I'm okay with that as long as I have the sleeve to back me up. I know I'm never going to be 275 again. I could never say that if I wasn't getting the sleeve.

Good luck to you! I'll be done with my insurance requirements at the end of this month but because of my work schedule, I'll probably be a mid August sleever as well.

I agree with everybody who already posted. Start making the changes now that you will have to do anyway post-op. Stop drinking during meals, order a bunch of Protein powders to try, start walking or exercising if you haven't already, lower or eliminate carbs. All of these things will help you feel better as well as make the time go quicker. My insurance required the six month diet program as well and I'm grateful for it. It's given me time to read, research and take up residence on this board to learn as much as I possibly can, the good, the bad and the ugly. Believe me, the time will fly. I have my last "NUT" visit (actually with my PCP) at the end of this month. Since all my other requirements are taken care of, they should be able to submit the paperwork for approval immediately after my visit. It really went very quickly. Hang in there, you can do it!

I just went to see the psychologist for my psych evaluation (my insurance doesn't require it but my surgeon does.) He's obviously familiar with this process as he was one of the docs my surgeon recommended. He said that if you've been overweight all or most of your life, it's always going to be harder to lose weight and maintain it. Your body is always waiting for you to "come out of hibernation" so we'll always have to eat fewer calories and exercise more. That's just the way it is. People who are regular size or who were thin in the past, gained weight and then lost it think we're lazy. They think this surgery is the easy way out. I guess they can't understand that we need all the tools available in our arsenal to be successful. I've been very fortunate because I've told pretty much everyone that's important to me and they have been supportive (or at least not negative.) I wish everyone here could have that same experience.