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RSREED53

Gastric Sleeve Patients
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Posts posted by RSREED53

  1. Posted

    The Bridges Program in Phoenix is very good--Dr. Fang gives great seminars and seems very attentive when I went to a seminar at St. Luke's Phoenix. I could not use him because he was not a provider under my Mercy Care plan with AHCCCS. Best of luck to you--I am staying around 40 pounds lost, but trying to settle into an exercise plan and hoping to get a job fairly soon. The nerves sort of play a game with me. Plus, the holidays are coming up, and I really like to bake--have converted some of our nutbread recipes to low carb and low sugar content. They taste good! :) Life is good, and so happy you are progressing with Dr. Fang and impending surgery. Take care! Ronda

  3. Posted

    Glenna, once you contact your doctor, they will schedule you, and give you the PreOp Diet that has to be followed for 2 weeks, usually. That PreOp is like a detox, designed to shrink your liver so that the surgeon has optimal conditions to do your procedure at surgery. Oh, also at scheduling, the doctor will order some labs and an xray to be done, if not already, in your surgical prep orders--this is routine. If I have missed anything, I stand corrected. Your time at surgery, and recovery, will be smoothe--I am betting so! Ronda :):D

  4. Posted

    Glenna, congrats to you! So happy to hear you will be getting surgery soon. I worked 4 years before getting my revision surgery. It is so worth it!! Keep us posted on date and your progress--right now, I am finding need to be engaged with successes from the board here--loss is kind of stalemating my successes right now due to having a birthday last Sunday and just generally a high stress week. I am working to get right back on track, tho! :) Take care, Ronda

    I DID IT!!! I DID IT!!! I GOT APPROVED!!! I am soooooo excited I can hardly stand it!! I haven't even called the surgeons office yet LOL I told my sister & my best friend!!

    I cannot believe that it worked out, after 2 denials from BCBSIL I was starting to loose hope... for all of you who are in the process be patient! I have been working toward this for the last 10 months!! Now to call the surgeon & figure out what to do next...

    Wow, I am in shock... my new life will begin soon!! Thank you all for your support it kept me going through all the months!

    Glenna

  5. Posted

    Say your prayers. Yes, it seems like a very good sign. :rolleyes:Ronda

    Ok, so I don't know what to think... I called BCBSIL and was told that I needed more information from my Dr regarding the type of program that I was on for the 6 months of MSWLP. So my Dr wrote a letter explaining that I was on a low calorie diet with exercise 3 times a week, daily food journals & exercise notes; that i came in every month for a weight check etc... so I sent that over with the personal letter I wrote as to why I want the surgery. When I called yesterday they told me that they have my fax, but have not reviewed it & that my surgeon's insurance coordinator might get more information. So she did call in and magically between my call and hers they had reviewed the fax then sent it on for Dr. review & she should call back in a week for an update. My question, for all you out there, is: Is that a good sign?

    I am optimistic that this is a step closer to surgery, like maybe before they denied it due to the lack of information and it never got to the Dr review part? What do you all think??? I have been doing this since Dec of last year & I just want the approval so the waiting is over...

    Thanks for all your help!

    Glenna

  8. Posted

    MIne was repaired 1o yrs ago when I had my RNY--no problems thereafter! I do sometimes chew 4-5 Tums, but the hernia has not been a problem postop. That surgery was an open incision one, so did not have the scope procedure. Now, my sleeve was done by laparosope May 31st. I am all healed up mostly, lost about 45 pounds now, and still working to get the remaining 40 off for maintenance. Good luck--the repair surgery is good--my hernia was the size of the surgeon's fist, so I needed it fixed! Ronda

  9. Posted

    Tiffy, you look cute and ready for baby to come! Glad for you, and hope your labor and delivery goes without a hitch! Too bad she is not coming in Oct--my birthday is Oct. 16th, which is next Sunday. I could be her Grandma! Gonna be 58. Thanks for sharing your pictures with us here. Tatum will be here before we know it--on my niece's 16th birthday, I might add. Take care of yourself and get the rest you will need for the hospital and baby's arrival. Ronda :rolleyes::D

  10. Posted

    Just be proactive in every way with this. I took 4 years before getting OKd last spring for surgery May 31. It is worth it! Doing very well with my sleeve. xchange, congrats on getting your approval, and those waiting I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers that your day will come very soon. Hang tough! Ronda :D

  12. Posted

    Njjewing, I would be in the middle of Aetna with my approval letter and ALL documentation for their approval regarding your sleeve--get an atty if they renege on their commitment to your care coverage because what they are trying is a scare tactic because of your complications and a higher bill. Don't let them get away with that! Now is not the time to back down from them. I am sure your doctor's staff will help with any and all paperwork needed to clear the matter up--also, I bet somebody mistyped codes and faulted on the clerical work during claims processing. It happens. Best of luck to you, and I hope you are having better success with your new sleeve. :rolleyes: Ronda

  17. Posted

    Good luck with surgery Wednesday, Monica! Ronda :rolleyes:

    I am Monica. I have been struggling with my weight since 1997 when I had my 3rd child. I had been under the notion that you needed to be at least 100 lbs overweight to consider surgery but last year I had heard the requirements had changed. That is when I started to reconsider it again. January I started my requirements for the 3 months or medically supervised weight loss the insurance required. As I entered my 3rd month, the policy had changed to 6 months which kinda sucked because I was ready. After the additional 3 months, my life was in the hands of the insurance company. There was an initial denial due to additional documentation needed (that was actually in the file), the approval came a week later. My surgery date is September 28 and I start my 2 week pre-op diet tomorrow and am looking forward to getting healthy. I should be curing my obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and joint issues with my knees!

  18. Posted

    Mercy Care said I could go to Dr. Shuster for my followup appts since Dr. Simon left the valley. My sister had her lapband done at Scottsdale/Shea campus with Dr. Robin Blackstone. You might try there if you need a place closer to Phoenix than Gilbert.

    Good luck with everything! Keep us posted! Ronda :rolleyes:

  19. Posted

    Contact your state dept of insurance to complain about treatment of coverage. If they no longer cover the surgery, then that is fault of your employer. HOWEVER, I would send all documents of approval to the Insurance Commission--the carriers usually HATE to be investigated by the State! Worth a try. I would not give up the ship with them. Hang tough! :rolleyes: Ronda

    Dont get me started on Anthem BCBS. I am with them as well, good insurance but they do suck. All my pre op testing was covered, I am all set to set a surgical date and then I was then told it wasnt no longer in my contract. I HATE INSURANCE COMPANIES!

  20. Posted

    Good luck with surgery, Monica! You will love your sleeve!! Glad to have you in our group!:D Ronda

    I am Monica. I have been struggling with my weight since 1997 when I had my 3rd child. I had been under the notion that you needed to be at least 100 lbs overweight to consider surgery but last year I had heard the requirements had changed. That is when I started to reconsider it again. January I started my requirements for the 3 months or medically supervised weight loss the insurance required. As I entered my 3rd month, the policy had changed to 6 months which kinda sucked because I was ready. After the additional 3 months, my life was in the hands of the insurance company. There was an initial denial due to additional documentation needed (that was actually in the file), the approval came a week later. My surgery date is September 28 and I start my 2 week pre-op diet tomorrow and am looking forward to getting healthy. I should be curing my obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and joint issues with my knees!

  21. Posted

    Welcome, Rebecca! Glad to have you with us! Good luck with your surgery--the sleeve is WONDERFUL!!!:D RONDA

    Hi! My name is Rebecca. I live in Gilbert, AZ and am a full Arizona Native. I've struggled with my weight most of my life, definitely since high school. I'm married to an awesome, supportive husband and have 4 beautiful kids. I've been through the process for preapproval for wls twice before, but this time is it! I'm actually grateful the other times didn't work out, because I now know about the sleeve..and I'm super excited! I'd love to join the AZ Sleevers group.

    Rebecca

  22. Posted

    You are doing swell! As for the tummyache issue, it might be lactose intolerance doing it to you. Try mixing Almond Breeze milk into the Protein powder to see if that won't help; soymilk might also work but it has more calories in it than the Almond Breeze--I get both at costco for reasonable prices, and also my Protein out there is good, too. I use Muscle Milk lite in vanilla flavor to make my shakes with. Sometimes, I will add half of a banana to flavor it with--tastes very good! You could also try frozen blueberries in the shake which also is a nice tradeoff from plain vanilla. I think as you get farther along postop, you will do much better! :D

    I am 5-6, and right now weigh 186. I started this journey as a revision surgery patient from RNY to sleeve in May of this year--a first for the doctor I had. Normally, they do band to sleeve revisions. My bypass failed 5 yrs ago and I had developed hypertension that I cannot be treated for with meds due to severe allergies to all of them! Weight loss is my only intervention--I feel better than I have in years! My goal is to maintain at 145-150. My weight at the onset of sleeve surgery was 223.5 pounds--at the time of bypass surgery in 2001, I was 264. I never wanna see those 200s EVER again!!!

    It is great hearing from you, Dawn! Wishing continued success and keep me posted on your progress!

    :rolleyes: Ronda

    I agree about the carbs, I try to avoid them for the most part and concentrate on the Proteins also. I saw the doctor for my check up today and I've lost 10lbs since my surgery. The doctor was happy with that and said slow loss is better for me since I have less to lose. I can't do the Protein Shakes. For some reason they give me a stomache ache. The doctor said to get my protein from my food instead. He also said that I can cut down the total protein from 75 grams to at least 50 grams. I am short only 4'10' and he said I don't need 75 grams of protein so I can stop stressing about getting so much protein. That was a relief for me as I have been feeling really worried about not getting enough protein. I also think that since I am not going to be eating constantly to consume so much protein I will see a better weight loss on my next visit.

    It is all a learning experience, but one that I am so glad to be working on.

  24. Posted

    I would get my approval letter from the ins copied and sent to each of the parties needing payment. In the meantime, get a lawyer to go to bat because that sounds fishy--it is breach of contract to not pay for services once the ins co. OKs it.

    Good luck! :rolleyes:

    Anthem BCBS pre approved me for surgery. I had my surgery in July and now they deny the surgeons bill, the hospital bill and the anesthesiolists bill. I call and they say we will send it back over in the mean time I am on the verge of going to collections. BUYER BEWARE. Insurance companies suck.

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