flyingdove

Hi TalibahT, Your right, it does depend on the agreement between company (employer) and Aetna and even though Aetna says it will cover 100% there are guidelines that still must be followed to obtain the pre-certification so a good insurance secretary at the Doctors office should know what those guidelines are and let you know. Follow to the letter and you should have no problems. Good Luck!

Welcome Dee, No, I have Aetna but the same principles should apply if they follow the guidelines and your policy covers bariatric surgery. Call Empire and get the details and restrictions if any. That should ease your mind a bit. Hope it all works well..

I tried the powder chocolate flavored P-nut butter in my Unjury choc shake.. wow.. what a great combo! It added a bit more Protein and felt sinful.

Hi ibehere10, My ankles grab me to at odd times while walking. We lose weight even in our feet! Try an ankle brace or wrap with an ace bandage before getting on the treadmill. A really good sneaker to walk in is essential for me. One that gives ankle support even better. Since my feet are 9.5 4E wide its hard to find shoes that fit except New Balance but I would do some research online. Some people swear by Rockport brand but a shoe that has a good arch support and feels great to step in to may be great. Try going to an athletic retail store and try on several kinds to find what is best for you. Just because they are super pricy doesn't mean they are the best.

Awsome! Congrats!!!!! Keep us posted.

Changing39, You mentioned that so many people were trying to talk you out of it or "out voted" so it sounded to me like you were not quite sure in your resolve as you didn't make mention that no matter what others try to tell me my determination is to move forward.. Since I didn't see something like that I was thinking there was a wee bit of doubt you might be having... if I was wrong I apologize.

LOL... we should rename this thread for the over 50 crowd!! I am 59 and also have bad knees but only had a meniscus repair on one which has weakened the knee alot. I feel pretty confident with weight loss and more walking I should get the use of it back. I can already get up the stairs a little better now!

Congratulations! You are now on the other side!!! We are here for you. Get in the chat room if you can stay awake a little and talk to everyone. They may have some ideas and lots of empathy. It will get better so don't try and rush it. Sip Sip. They likely have you still on a drip for fluids? I was in the hospital for a week so I had IV for 4 days before they stopped to see if I would drink enough. That was 12/16/12 so hang in there... it does get better.

Hi Changing39,

This is a life long decision and should be taken super seriously. No guarantees that the tool will keep you thin and active either. It is only a tool and if you have tried everything else and exhausted every diet like myself and your health is in serious jeopardy then personally I felt I had to other way. It took me about 4 years of "thinking about it" before I felt mentally ready to do it. Your life will change dramatically so serious questions on whether to do this must be answered. I believe that is why most doctors ask you to see a psychologist to make sure you have really thought this through. So if you havent seen a professional yet then it may be a good next move. It helped me alot.

Hi Redhead,

I feel you. Post op is difficult for many but I was lucky that the Nutritionist allowed us FAGE plain GREEK yogurt. It has 23 grms per cup and of course I still have trouble getting a whole cup down but I mix it with sweetner and bought some different types of extracts like vanilla, hazelnut, coconut, rasberry etc.. and love mixing it up since we can't have real fruit in the beginning. the FAGE is 3x the Protein of other greek yogurts. I also use it to add to tuna with dill seasoning when u get to the mushy phase. I bought some hummus and added that to the tuna to give it flavor and make it real soft and muchy. I only had to do liquids for 2 weeks post op so I am hoping you will soon get on to phase III which is the mushy/blended phase using real foods. Keep posting!!!

Hi D Mixon,

Welcome... we certainly are a friendly warm group so you will have lots of support from all of us. I know it has helped me to browse the chat rooms and open forums. I tried to view your profile and noticed you placed "undecided" regarding having the surgery. Is this correct? Talk to us girl... what is troubling you?

Thank you so much MIZZZLIZA for doing the math!

Take a deep breath. All will work out. I am very surprised you got a surgery date without having prior approval from the insurance company. Usually they will not schedule a date until your pre-approval comes thru. The best thing I did was to go to Aetna's website and look up info on bariatric surgery requirements. Then I called Aetna and they told me what my employer signed up for and if they even pay for bariatric surgery. Once I was assured and knew what the criteria was I set about making sure I had the 5 years of history records, The list of attempts of types of diets I had tried and failed, The different diagnosis from Diabetes to High blood pressure to bad knees and sleep apnea to allergies etc.. I collected several progress notes from the general doctor; cardiologist (pacemaker); even the neurologist. I collected clearance letters from all 3. I saw the Psych eval as instructed; I had the EKG, Endoscopy done and my gallbladder checked for stones as requested. I followed the instructions of the insurance secretary at my Docs office to the letter and felt confident that I would get approved with a BMI over 52. It took 2 weeks and 2 phone calls to Aetna to move the paperwork but it came thru fine. Hope this helps.

Oh, by the way your question about extra protein... you can put the Protein powder into shakes or smoothies and that will add protein grms. You can shake unflavored protein powders in the protein pudding that has 30gms per container to boost the grms. You could disolve Unjury unflavored protein and make Jello with it and that would increase your grms...

If your Protein powder is 23 gm for one scoop you need to look on the Pnut butter label to see how many grms of Protein for the reduced fat Pnut butter. add all grams together then divide into serving sizes that you need.

I am still waiting for someone to tell me if the BPT Pnut butter powder can be used as well. That has no fat in it. I bought the plain and the choco BPT at Whole Foods but so far haven't used it.

We are growing.. thats awsome. I was sleeved 12/26/12 and am still on soft puree food. The Doc says 6-8 weeks after the initial 2 weeks I have to stay on this Phase III before I can begin slicing and dicing my way thru whole chicken. I loved that someone wrote in saying they add crystal lite lemonaide to the greek yogurt and taste a bit like the lemon pie filling! I have to buy some more of that flavor. Anyone find Decaf crystal lite without the lemon flavor added? I wouldnt mind peach flavor tea but for the next 3 months I have to stick to decaf. I bought some herbal bag teas that were decaf so I think I will make it and then refrigerate... I like cold more then hot down here in south florida!

Going to Vegas sounds like lots of fun! When I travel I take a small suitcase and the card the Doctor gave you after you had your surgery stating you are a bariatric patient. Everything in the small suitcase deals with medical including food, pills, meds O2 or Cpap and is NOT counted as a baggage in your quota (at least not in my Miami/ft laud area but please check before you board) This little suitcase stays with you on the plane so you are not separated from it. In it you can bring a cool pac to keep stuff cool until you get to the hotel. I would pick up the Protein pudding that has 30grms at Vitamin World or GNC, Small packages of Protein2Go that can be mixed in your glass of Water at the table easily. Bfst will be no problem as they usually have eggs or cottage cheese/fruit etc.. Call ahead when you get their and speak to the chef. Explain your situation and they will make a special effort to bring you tuna or chicken salad mixed with mayo or something soft like a couple of slices of deli meat to cut up, add some low cal dressing and you are set. If you do not want them to know then just tell them you are allergic... lol.. works like a charm. Good Luck. Hope this helps

Just had 2 oz of turkey burger with bbq seasoning. I bought those tiny pre made turkey burgers thinking I could eat at least one but 1/2 way thru my stomach said no more..... I have several little containers with different stuff waiting for tomorrow. I am shy a week from completing a month after surgery (12/26) and I keep thinking soon I should at least be able to consume 3 oz of Protein but no worries.. if it stays like this I am very content. I just eat every 2 hrs. to get the protein in

I agree, getting some daycare for a couple of hours 2-3 times a week would be the way to do it. Even if its only once a week. You need time for you. One of the reasons many of us got fat was that we concentrated on everyone else but ourselves so its time girl to step up and assert yourself. You have another partner in this life and he needs to support your efforts. Even if he works nites and sleep days he still can manuver some time for you to do your thing for an hour or two a couple times of week. Talk heart to heart and let him know your concerns and needs as well as listen to his. I know I can't be all things to all people and now must take a little time for me otherwise the resentment piles on and I go to food.... that is no longer an option so facing the issue may be a challenge but it will make you a better person.

It is amazing what you have accomplished in such a relatively short time beth! Awsome job. Only 7 months. I can imagine how elated and lighter you must feel and how many new things you can do! You are such an inspiration to me. Thank you for your post. I am 6 days shy of a month and doing ok. Fatigue is my only complaint. I am waiting for the all clear to start swimming at the gym. I knew there was a reason I kept up with my annual dues as I always thought one day I would be able to use the facilities. At 335lbs I felt I just could not walk in the place in a bathing suit. So, I am saying the heck with what people think and will go anyway wearing shorts and a tshirt. Keep up the great work.

Happy to be here. I love hangin' with positive people who have positive energy. Sometimes we have to talk about what our challenges are but with support and sharing of wisdom we will all benefit!

I have a Bipap and used it in the hospital but when I got home found I was swallowing too much air and causing gastric reflux to act up so have stopped for now. The best thing is to get re-evaluated just to be sure and I plan to do that soon. I have restless leg syndrome but since I sleep alone do not know if I still snore so the best thing I can advise is to make sure you are getting enough O2 before you decide to stop it all together even if snoring stopped as mine did I still go for periods without taking in a breath

Congratulations! You are certainly staying positive and excited! That is great.... This is a great place if you have bumps in the road to come and talk about it. Keep up the great attitude!

My sleeve was done Dec 26th and I know exactly what you are going through. Fatique is getting me big time and I am hoping now that I can take vitamin's and swallow pills again it will get better. Stay focused on the positive outcome of doing this procedure. Journal your feelings and write down everything you drink to track the amount of Fluid and grams of Protein. If you are a bit under don't stress but know as you go day by day it will get better.

I am very nervous and excited I finally was approved and have a date. A date that will forever be burned in my mind as the beginning of a new way of life. A life I can fully participate in and not hide behind food. With the great support of the group at Cleveland clinic, this forum, my psychologist and family and friends, I feel I can make this transition. The challenges I face will be met head on. I have 4 more days of eating solid foods, have said good bye to pizza, pastas, sugar, carbonated soda, and am weening off cafeine slowly. The two weeks of liquids will cleanse the liver and prepare me mentally and physically. I have found meditation tapes to listen to to relax my mind. I am totally focused and will not allow myself to sway to the negative side, the coulda,woulda,shoulda side... everytime one of those thoughts enters i will allow it no time to stick around. My mind will see my goals and the wonderful life I will experience being able to walk, dance and live life again.