Isabel'sGma

I also have UHC Choice Plus and had surgery this year. I am also our company's Insurance Benefits Manager. The real answer is, it depends on your plan.
1) If you plan has a surgery or hospitalization "co-pay" - you will have to pay that. If it does not, then the OOP maximum would apply and you should owe nothing. I met my OOP max with my pre-op tests so I owed nothing for my surgery.
2) If you have a Dr's office visit co-pay, that should only apply to your pre-op appointments, but it depends on if they charge a Dr's fee every time you go in for your post-op checks. Mine does not, it is important to ask your surgeon's office if they bill an office visit charge for the post-op visits.
3) If you have met your OOP (out of pocket maximum) for the year, all bills through the end of the year that would normally pay at a % will pay at 100% unless there is a benefit with a specific visit maximum (chiro, naturopath, etc.)
4) Anything with a co-pay, you will still need to pay your co-pay's.
I hope this helps, you can PM me if you want.

I am a little over 4 months post op and my nutritionist said that I should be eating 1200 calories a day. I actually was not eating enough and found when I upped to 1200 a day I started losing again. She said that our bodies are really not intended to function long term on the lower calories. If you had a three week stall, I would strongly consider taking a couple of weeks and trying to experiment with your calories and find a level of calories that your body likes. Mine likes to get around 1200-1400 and I lose about 0.8 every day that I hit that target, of course if I go over, then it doesn't but if I have a really low day in the 800 range, I also gain.
I know that this is not what a lot will say, but I find that it works well for me and I wanted my lifestyle to be something i could maintain forever and I know that I could never last long term eating 800 calories a day. I intend to eat 1200-1400 per day for the rest of my life with the occasional day that will go over that.

I am a little over 4 months post op and my nutritionist said that I should be eating 1200 calories a day. I actually was not eating enough and found when I upped to 1200 a day I started losing again. She said that our bodies are really not intended to function long term on the lower calories. If you had a three week stall, I would strongly consider taking a couple of weeks and trying to experiment with your calories and find a level of calories that your body likes. Mine likes to get around 1200-1400 and I lose about 0.8 every day that I hit that target, of course if I go over, then it doesn't but if I have a really low day in the 800 range, I also gain.
I know that this is not what a lot will say, but I find that it works well for me and I wanted my lifestyle to be something i could maintain forever and I know that I could never last long term eating 800 calories a day. I intend to eat 1200-1400 per day for the rest of my life with the occasional day that will go over that.

Thank you so much for your story. I am two weeks pre-op and just started my liquid diet today, so needed some encouragement. I also love theworldaccordingtoeggface and have been trying out her recipes in advance! I am just hoping to get through the next 14 days and on to my surgery!

hope2beslim
might be showing my ignorance but.....
what the heck is a POWER PLATE?

I came across the below recipe and thought it sounded like a great recipe for those of us that are in stage 4 or later. Lots of Protein and little to no carbs. Looking forward to trying it.

Stuffed Zucchini







Ingredients






3 zucchini
1 lb ground turkey/chicken/beef/sausage
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 clove garlic minced
1 (32) ounce jar spaghetti sauce
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup mozzarella or Monterey jack cheese


Directions






1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 derees C.)
2. Trim stems from zucchini and slice lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and put in bowl.
3. Place sliced zucchini (cut side down) in a 9 x 13 baking pan with a small amount of Water. Bake them in the heating oven while preparing the remainder of the recipe.
4. Brown meat mixture with garlic, drain grease and add to bowl with zucchini seeds.
5. Mix seeds, meat mixture, bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.
6. Remove zucchini from the oven and stuff them with the meat mixture and return to the 9 x 13 baking pan.
7. Pour sauce over zucchini and cover pan with foil.

Bake in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes, or until zucchini is tender. Remove foil and top with the mozzarella cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted.

I came across the below recipe and thought it sounded like a great recipe for those of us that are in stage 4 or later. Lots of Protein and little to no carbs. Looking forward to trying it.

Stuffed Zucchini







Ingredients






3 zucchini
1 lb ground turkey/chicken/beef/sausage
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 clove garlic minced
1 (32) ounce jar spaghetti sauce
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup mozzarella or Monterey jack cheese


Directions






1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 derees C.)
2. Trim stems from zucchini and slice lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and put in bowl.
3. Place sliced zucchini (cut side down) in a 9 x 13 baking pan with a small amount of Water. Bake them in the heating oven while preparing the remainder of the recipe.
4. Brown meat mixture with garlic, drain grease and add to bowl with zucchini seeds.
5. Mix seeds, meat mixture, bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.
6. Remove zucchini from the oven and stuff them with the meat mixture and return to the 9 x 13 baking pan.
7. Pour sauce over zucchini and cover pan with foil.

Bake in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes, or until zucchini is tender. Remove foil and top with the mozzarella cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted.

I would sit down and have a heart to heart with the surgeon. My A1C was 8.8 in January and I had surgery in April. In June it was 5.8. See how long you have to wait. An A1C can be checked sooner than 3 months, that is just the average time they like to wait.
While waiting for the retest. Walk, walk, walk. Try to take a minimum of 10,000 steps a day (get a pedometer). the exercise will really help your sugar control and if you can't walk, try getting into a swimming pool and swim, or even just walk in the Water. It is great exercise and less impact on your joints if that is an issue. Water aerobics classes are also wonderful. Any activity you add now will also help you post surgery.
You will do this and it will be wonderful. Before surgery I was on Humalog 40 units with every meal and 60 units of Lantus at bedtime and Byetta 10 mcg 2 x day plus metformin and glyburide. Now, NOTHING!!!!

Fannyf,
So nice to meet a fellw veteran. I was in the Army quite a few years ago. I am not service connected or retired - I am glad to hear that they have a program for veterans, i would love to hear more about it.
Congrats on your weight loss. You really are rocking the sleeve and obviously even more important than that, you have embraced the lifestyle change that is required for a permanent change.

I am right there at your height. I used to be almost 5'10" but now measure about 5'8 1/2" most of the time. My Dr and I have not discussed specific weights, but I am shooting for 199 and the going to reassess.
I think when I type my height into a BMI calculator I come up with something like 165 putting me into a "normal" weight range. I am not sure I want to be that low and I want to be realistic. I think we spend so much time focusing on a number and not nearly enough time focusing on body health. I want to be fit and if I am fit and happy at 199, then that will make me happy. I realistically think that I will end up around 175.

Your body chem is just reacting to the surgery. Going into protection mode. You WILL lose weight. Just keep at the Water and walk, walk ,walk. Make sure your getting your Protein in. Most of all.......be kind to yourself...you've just been through a huge surgery. Believe me you will start losing.

Do you have a DVR, if so, get into the habit of recording the shows you like and watch them in a little time delay. That way you can fast forward through the commercials. I absolutely love DVR for that one thing more than anything else. I may only wait 10-15 minutes into a show to start watching it, that usually makes is to I can get through without having to sit through the commercials.

Oh also, I have gone from wearing a size 26/28 or 30/32 to wearing a solid 22 and in some things I can wear a 20.

Hello everyone. Surgery 4/24 and doing great. Nice to see others from our neck of the woods. No regrets and no real complications.

The whole bariatric Center is not unique to Healthnet. It is not that bad; however, they will probably have a set of requirements. Find out who their centers of excellence are and locate a physician that has worked with healthnet in the past and talk to their insurance coordinator. They will be best able to advise you.

Oh also, I have gone from wearing a size 26/28 or 30/32 to wearing a solid 22 and in some things I can wear a 20.

No, my date is 7/18 (23 days, I think?!). I've been walking at a 2 percent incline and range from 2.3 to 2.6 mph. I get a little more than a mile in during those 30 min.

I haven't used them since surgery, but I love Leslie Sansone's Walk Away The Pounds DVDs.

I'm not here to judge...cause God know's and I know that the pre-op diet is extremely difficult. But ask yourself this. The pre-op diet for me was the ultimate test. If I could not get myself to comply with the 2 week diet then why in the world would I make this life-long commitment.
I have now been post op for less than a week....and let me tell you something....the hunger does not competely go away. My stomach might be full but my brain wants to keep eating.
Make sure you are ready to make this commitment.

Being put under was easy. Unfortunately, I have been put under three times in the last month. Trust your anaesthesiologist (sp?) and ask them any questions that you have. I found that mine was more than willing to answer any questions that I had. For the most part, I have found that they are wonderful and easy to talk to.

I keep reading on here about people having a hard time getting in 1 Tbsp of food or things like that but for me, since Dr said I could be on soft diet, I have no problem with 3-4 ounces of Protein.< /p>
Today is the end of the 2nd full day and my calories are around 600/day and I have eaten taco cupcakes cheese, chicken, etc.
Am I eating too much? I am not what you would call hungry, but have not problem eating the 3 oz portion I measure out.
Help?

I was sleeved on the 24th and boy do I know about the food confusion. I was put on Clear Liquids for 2 weeks. I am so weak and can't even begin to tell you how weak I am. I decided to add yogurt and cottage cheese myself this week because i just can't stomach the Protein Shakes, they make me nauseaou. I ordered the Unjury chickien powder and I can't even stand that. I need to get my Protein from real food.
My heart rate has been going crazy (172 during my walk yesterday) and I even walked a shorter distance than the days before. Going crazy from all of this. No regrets, but extreme frustration.
On the upside, I am down to 291 (twoterville for the first time in at least 12 years).

Do I think it will hurt you if you do that? No. Do I think there are better choices, nutritionally, than cup noodles? Yes. They are high in sodium and low in Protein at a stage when everything you eat has to count. Why not make a big pot of homemade chicken noodle Soup and puree that? You could make it to your liking and know that what was in it, was good stuff.

My Psych told me that if there were two things he could that could help all of us that have weight issues (he is 3 years post op from a LapBand).
1) Destroy the scale
2) Destroy the BMI
A scale does not know what it is weighing, a rock, a frog or a person. He said if there is anything that any of us could do would be to get a tool that uses body composition (body fat, muscle mass, etc). This would allow us to see the changes in our body with the change in our actual makeup and use that tool along with the sleeve. Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does so by increasing our muscle, we help ourselves in way more than one way.
The BMI is essentially the same rational. It only takes one small step forward from a scale, because again, it only asses weight along with height.
I am with him, I have looked around and they have body comp scales at Walmart for about $30 and that will be my next purchase after I recover from my post-op expenses and such.

This is a suggestion to anyone who is a hard stick for an IV. Talk to your Dr/Hospital team about having a PIC Line placed prior to surgery. It is a short procedure that places a line in that can have blood drawn from it and you can receive all meds through it with absolutely no trouble. It is a one stick procedure that can save all the pain and bruising that JanetF experienced.
I had one during a previous hospitalization and the guy who had to stick me three times for my Upper Endoscopy suggested would be a good idea to the surgeon and he was all for it.
Simple procedure, great to not have to be poked numerous times.