Brighteyes

Congrats! Makes me hopeful mine can happen as quickly.

I have Blue Cross Blue Shield (federal). Since I am trying to get surgery done ASAP (changing jobs and insurance companies) my insurance rep from the hospital said it should take up to two weeks get things approved. In the meantime she told me to start me pre-surgical diet so they can schedule me as soon as it is approved. But from what I have read on here most people with BCBS get approved in a couple days.

Thanks for sharing. Blessing to you and your home.

I am 32 and while my bucket list has spilled over there are a lot of things I wish to do again....but the two things I haven't done that I would want to are getting married and raising children.

Maybe it's just me...but I have always insisted on wearing great bras and panties. I haven't had surgery yet. But it's such an edge for me to be wearing some hot underwear under my suit while at work. Maybe it's my equivalent to men having the 'mine is bigger' ego contest at the office. It's always been something I won't comprise on.

So just a quick follow up to this. My current physician is willing to take my initial visit with my old PCP and count it as month one of the three month supervised weight loss. I will finish all my pre-surgery requirements on 3 Sept. I was advised that 1 Sept I should start my two week pre-op diet. I am on a bit of a time crunch, so I need to move forward with surgery quickly. The hospital is working with me. They promised to have all the paperwork submitted to my insurance company that first week in Sept and will schedule my surgery as soon as its approved.

Every Army hospital has a patient advocate. I am not at Bragg anymore, but you should be able to find a number for them in the hospital's directory. I have found that often a phone call to them gets issues handled pretty quickly or at least gets me in touch with the right people. Also remember that because of the furloughs civilian employees have been required to take one day a week off. It's left some already understaffed offices even more burdened.

I find drink hot tea and going on a walk helps. If you are eating larger portions now that is okay as long as you are eating the right things. I am a month out from surgery and am doing the same thing you are. I have cut caffeine, increased my protein, cut out the sugar. I am not super strict on it. But I will have to buckle down once I start my two week pre op diet. So make some changes, don't beat yourself up. And as long as you are following doctors orders you will be fine.

There may have been a time that WLS could have gotten a waiver. But at the rate the Armed Forces are downsizing their strength, waivers are almost impossible to come by. If this is something you want to do don't be afraid to advocate for yourself. The regulations on what is allowed changed based on the needs of the Armed Services, and each branch will operate a little differently. So while you might get a 'no' answer right now it could change in the future. Overall, I think the Air Force will be the most lenient on their standards.

Thanks everyone who has offered some perspective and prayers. The more I think through this the more I am convinced that once I have a job offer it should be no issue to take the leave I need to get the surgery done. My severance package from work will cover any time I have to take off if I have to take leave without pay.

I don't have an official job offer yet, so I am choosing not to disclose any of this to them until I do. I am slightly worried about doing surgery and then immediately going back to work because the job will require me to travel a lot. I am just not sure how much I can expect to put my body through at first.

First off, this group has been a bit of a god send. With the exception of my therapist and a handful of other people no one knows I am preparing to undergo WLS. At least this is a safe place for me to talk about things as they happen. Normally I go to friends and family to ask for support and prayers. However, because of the private nature of my decision, I am asking this group for this instead. Here is what has been going on. At the beginning of this month I was given official notice from my job that I would be furloughed requiring me to take a 20% pay cut along with a separation notice informing me that my last day at work would be 30 Sept. I am not scheduled for surgery until sometime in Oct/Nov. Thankfully I will be able to maintain my insurance for a year at the cost of my regular contribution. I am fortunate. Here is where things get a little messy. I am interviewing for a new position that I am very excited about. I find myself getting very anxious over the idea of not being able to get my surgery done because of having this new job ad not having the sick leave available. Yet I am not in a position to turn the job down. So far I feel I have been very blessed. What I ask from whoever feels so inclined is to please say a quick prayer or send some positive energy my direction. That hopeful the time line for this surgery and a new job will align with no complications so that I will be able to start my new life with a great job and a healthy new beginning. Thanks for giving me a moment to get that all off my chest.

Thanks for the input everyone. I am sure if I had a labor intensive job I would need to take longer than two weeks. But since the general thought seems to be desk job = two weeks leave I will go with that.

New PCP is great! I count the whole experience as a blessing. It's good I know now that my internist physician wasn't comfortable talking about weight loss. Now I have someone who will be supportive and is willing to look at my whole medical history.

I haven't had surgery yet, but I was curious how long it took some of you to get back to work. I work a full time job, primarily at a desk. I don't have to worry about lifting; plenty of Soldiers around to help out if needed. Just wanting to give my work a rough idea of how long I will be out.

Do you have access to a therapist and nutritionist through your current insurance? I would start there. Nothing is a total failure unless you do absolutely nothing. You are reaching out for help so you have already taken a step in the right direction.