flmama

Don't dread it Annabelle! It was really NO big deal at all...other than the temporary misdiagnosis.

I considered telling me hubs I was crazy! But figured that wouldn't get me out of laundry or cooking duties.

Awwww, thanks Annie! I do tend to be a glass half full kinda girl!

Right??? I asked him if he could just sign off on my cardiac clearance too, since we know my heart is strong enough. If that didn't give me a heart attack, nothing will!

So I got to my appt today to review my psych eval, which was compromised of a chatty visit and then a visit where I took two multiple choice tests (MCMI 3 and then something specific to bariatric surgery). The doc says the bariatric specific test was fine, showed I was a good candidate, compliant, blah blah blah. But he was very concerned about the other test results...at this point, I am puzzled, because I had revealed to him ahead of time that I have anxiety and OCD tendencies...what could be worse? He tells me that the test indicates I am bipolar and have schizoaffective disorder! I start to really freak out. He is asking me lots of questions and none of it makes sense to me at all, I start crying. Then the secretary knocks on the door and runs over and whispers to him and hands him something... She had put the WRONG TEST in my file! He was very professional and apologized profusely. And went through my actual results, which only showed my anxiety and obsessive compulsive tendencies, and said I was a great candidate. I had such a crazy adrenaline surge and it was such a roller coaster, I have a pounding headache now and feel like crap! So relieved that I am a good candidate, but DANG! The only good part was that the test coversheet (on the wrong test) said I was 22, and somehow he believed that was possible (I am actually 32)! Ha!

Have you ever done Atkins before? It might help you to go cold turkey on the carve and do something Atkins-like. I didn't think I could do it..the first 2-3 days were hard but I was amazed when the addiction was broken and I just didn't crave them anymore! You can absolutely do it...for some of us there just isn't a halfway or just a little carbs. I couldn't do 1/2c of carbs a day bc its a slippery slope for me. So you might just go cold turkey. When you start eating them again it will also surprise you how crumny the white carbs make you feel. When I ear them they make my stomach hurt and make me really tired and sluggish.

Its def from ketosis, if you don't have signs if an infection. My obgyn is the one who recommended rephresh...its not a ****** (she doesn't recommend douching under any circumstances bc that actually throws ph off and isn't safe for other reasons). Its a heavy gel/cream consistency with an applicator like monistat and it coats the walls of your vagina and helps balance the ph. Much like we use biotene when we have dry/stinky mouth from ketosis (or even listerine strips). Some people need to address the problem. I would call your obgyn and see if they are okay with it if you are concerned about the safety.

Try Rephresh. Its a ph balancer. Most odor is due to ph issues, if you don't have any signs of infection.

They said the total billed to insurance (surgeon, hospital, anesthesia) is about 40k.

Girl...you are sabotaging yourself! If you are truly afraid this will prevent you from being approved you need to get it in gear! Set yourself an appt on MWF to walk for 30 mins. And get your measuring cup out for those white food items! If you have to throw them all away TONIGHT! Insurance companies are looking for compliance. So be compliant. Don't give them this reason to deny you! You've got 3 months left and can easily lose 12 lbs. You can do it!

Request a full copy of your policy and read the entire thing. Mine only excludes treatment of.complications from surgery performed outside the US on a non-emergent basis. So basically anything you voluntarily get done in Mexico (or anywhere else) and have complications from...too bad. It says nothing about anything self pay in the US.

Sitting only. And you shouldn't lift him to your shoulder or anything. Just cradle him with you lap supporting his weight. The reason is so you don't strain new stomach and cause a leak. Its inconvenient, but your health is worth it for such a short period of time.

Yeah that is definetly not true. Even the annual and quarterly data they get from the insurance company is aggregate. It might be broken down by location and diagnosis code...so someone in corporate benefits who analyzes that data will see a higher claim rate at your location and if they drill down they will see what for, but the insurance company does not provide your identifying information to them. And they are usually more interested in reducing the amount of endocrine (diabetes), musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, etc. claims....things they have control over in various ways. Probably why they offer coverage for wls. You probably have wellness plans available to you where you can utilize health coaches and such too? That is also confidential. Sounds like your friend is very misinformed and trying to scare you. I have a self-funded plan, which means the insurance company just handles the administration of the claim but the employer actually pays for claims directly and they have decision on all appeals. So I know if I have to appeal it goes to a committee made up of people from benefits. However they were quick to assure me that everything is totally private and nothing is shared beyond the corporate benefit level and it would come to them with my name redacted.

My nut said any Protein is fine...but it MUST contain at least 1gram protein for every 10 calories. Example my current Protein powder has 110 calories and 24g protein. It would need to have a minimum of 11g, so it passes the test. Otherwise, I am just restricted to 1100 calories a day. 3-4 shakes and 1 small meal (like lean cuisine or healthy choice). If I was over 5'4" I would get 1200 calories a day.

No, you aren't selfish. His admitting his concerns is a huge step. Would you be open to going to counseling with him? If I had problems going into wls with my spouse, my butt would be in that chair each week building a foundation for our marriage to continue on. Of course, that is assuming you want it to! Individual counseling for both may also be super helpful. I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide!

My deductible is $500...I have to pay that up front. My OOP Max is $1500 and that is applied to the 20% coinsurance I owe. But all of this other pre-op testing will eat up a chunk of that, so they will all submit bills and we will see who I end up owing it to (whoever submits first) vs who will be paid 100% by insurance. But my total OOP will be $2000 to somebody at some point.

I replied to you in the other thread.

Congrats! March 22 would be my ideal! I'm also in FL...surgery in Gainesville.

Oh and you can toast the rest from this batch as you use them to take care of the sticky factor!

Sarah...but don't be offended if I don't respond to that right away as 99% of the time someone is calling me mama, mommy, mom or ma ma ma ma ma.

RIGHT??? I'd better come home to a sparkling kitchen, no laundry and get a good night's sleep bc he's gotten up with the babies if he wants a bj! (And that ain't happening...probably ever!)