1Day1Life4Now

Congratulations on your latest victory in the war on obesity. 50 lbs is a lot of weight and you are almost half way to goal. You should be flying high right now. Keep up the good work.

Hi Sandee, you are right, the waiting is torture. I finally got my approval and will be sleeved on Feb. 10th. Did your surgeon give you a date yet? The approval will be coming through at any time so use this waiting time to get all of your post surgery supplies in order and your house and life organized to make the recovery as easy as possible. It's going to happen....be positive. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Im with JeanZ and magtart, I've never heard of program fees and my doctor certainly doesn't charge those. Allycat, what part of the country are you in? Maybe its a regional thing. You are probably too far into it to change doctors but we're with you... all that extra stuff is just bogus. Good luck to you and hope it all turns out.

Woo hoo....I'm doing a happy dance. They called today and I'm officially approved and my date is February 10th. They had given me a tentative date of Feb. 11th and had hoped to move it up to Jan 27th but now it's officially 2/10/14. Happy Valentines day to me. I am continuing my pre-op diet and will have my last visit with Surgeon next week. Its been a long long wait and I felt it was sooo far away but I've finally arrived and the count down begins. Can you tell that I am excited?

Hi Morticia,<br />To be honest, I was very nervous about the Psyche evaluation but it was not as bad as I thought it could be. They are looking to see if you have any severe psychological issues, if you have any drug or alcohol addictions. I spoke with the Dr. for about 20 minutes about why I wanted the surgery and what I expected the surgery to do for me. I then answered a multiple choice test of about 900 questions asking a number of questions about my eating habits, mental state of mind, addictions, personality traits etc. Sometimes the same question is asked multiple times but worded differently. Just be honest with your self, the test and the doctor and you should be fine. If you act like you are trying to hide something the doctor might think you are hiding "issues" and he/she might be inclined to stall your surgery. Don't worry about anything, just go in there with the attitude that you've got this and complete the interview and the written test. You will do great.

Hi Maria, It's okay to be scared. This is a big step, and it will make major changes in how we eat as well as changes in our life. Read all the literature you can on the surgery to make yourself more comfortable with the concept. Knowledge is power and having all the information you need will make you more comfortable with the surgery. I bought the book Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies and I've read it from cover to cover twice. It has so much information about every aspect of this surgery and answers every question you could possibly have. I highly recommend it. Read everything you can on the boards for pre surgery and post surgery too, I think that will put you at ease. Take care and best of luck to you.

Hi Blue, welcome to the site and to a new healthier life. How far have you gotten on your process? Have you had all of your preliminary tests? You have done very well on your weight loss so far. Looking forward to hear how you do too. Good luck.

Hello Benny, I know you are waiting on some guys to weigh in on this topic and Im sure they will soon but just wanted to say that other than my Husband and daughter, I've not told a single soul. I don't intend to tell anyone either. I am not interested in anyone else's opinion of whether I should or should not have the surgery, I don't want anyone watching what I eat or don't eat and I don't want to be judged by others. By not telling others about the surgery, I don't have to put up with any of that. If they want to be supportive of my diet and weight loss, then they can do so. The surgery is my business and not a decision that I came upon without great thought and research. I do not feel I am deceiving anybody...it's my prerogative and legal right to keep my medical information private.

I have found that some people have control issues and its easier for them to control those of us who have self esteem issues and feelings of inadequacy. Not all overweight people have these feelings but many of us do. The more weight we lose, the better we feel about ourselves and then we are so empowered, we feel we can do anything if we put our minds to it. The power-mongers don't like this and use abuse to put us back in our place. It doesn't matter if we're in a hetero or same sex relationship, the abusers are all the same. We must all recognize that the problem is actually their problem. We can either choose to stay and accept the abuse or pick ourselves up and move on to a better relationship. I have been fortunate in the fact that I have an awesome and wonderful husband who loves and supports me but I grew up with a step-father who was an abusive and violent drunk. At the age of 14 I decided to move on and live a healthier life. We can do whatever we need to do, its not ever easy but it is always do-able. I wish you all much luck.

Call your HR Dept. to find out the specifics on the insurance. They might be able to tell you what your new insurance is going to pay. I bet they won't pay 100% like Cigna. Cigna must be some badass insurance. Most insurance makes you pay a deductible and a copay. Good luck to you.

How do you heat them up again once you have taken them out of the freezer? they sound very tasty.

congratulations Allbeast. I'm on the pre op diet too. Its hard but its temporary. Good luck to you.

Peanutz, good luck to you. Are you alone or did you bring someone with you for support? Keep us posted.

Take it easy. It could be water weight. Just keep doing what you are doing, the weight will come off. Maybe you could reduce sodium, increase water, and walk a bit more. It will come off, be patient.

wow, you look beautiful. You should be very proud!

I am still pre-surgery but I can tell you I'm in it to win it. I've been married 35 years and my husband is very supportive of me in this quest for better health and a thinner me. We didn't settle, we were both young and thin when we got married but life has a way of changing people. We both have weight issues and my husband has serious health issues. I am hoping he will change his eating habits along with me as we journey through this. Anyway, I'm definitely in my relationship till the end.

Happy Valentines Day to you. Best of luck for a successful surgery and a quick recovery. Let us hear about your experience and keep us updated on your progress.

UALAW, praying for safe surgeries and quick recoveries for both you and your hubby. Happy that you can go through this together. What wonderful support. Good luck.

Everything in life is easier when our family and friends support and rally around us but unfortunately it doesn't always happen in the real world. I know it can be hurtful that they aren't there for you but they may have issues of their own for not doing so. Your eldest daughter is there for you and she is setting an example for the rest of the family. It is up to them to follow her lead. You will get lots of support on this website and it is very possible that your family will begin to support you when they see the progress you are making in living a healthier lifestyle. Could be they harbor a bit of jealously maybe? Take care and make your choices about you.

Ive been to numerous seminars over the years and they are all pretty similar as described in the other two posts. Don't worry a bit. They won't make you speak, they won't ask for a commitment, and they won't push anything on you. They are simply there to offer you information in case you want to pursue the surgery. They usually have some kind of handout that you can take with you to look at when you get home. The process takes awhile so it's not something that you wake up some day and have decide to have the surgery the next day. There is a process to it all. Good luck to you.

I had an EKG, and an Echocardiogram, a pulmonary function test, arterial blood gases, full blood work, a colonoscopy, an upper endoscope, chest xray, psyche evaluation, and tomorrow I am going to the Pulmanologist for whatever he does.

Liz, if you need help...call me ...I'll come get you. Don't ever think you don't have a way out.

give yourself time...take it one day at a time.

Hi Liz. Congratulations on your victory to a healthier you. Well done. As for the hubby... you do realize that this is verbal and psychological abuse, don't you? What ever the reasons, you do not deserve this. This is his problem... stemmed from lack of self confidence or fear that he'll lose you but either way you need to call him on it and ask what is bothering him so it can be addressed. Maybe he just needs to be reminded that you love him and you're not going anywhere. I'm sorry that he can't be happy for you and that he finds any reason he can to criticize you. Keep on with your diet plan, don't let anyone detract you from your goal. Maybe you could talk your husband in to some couples counseling...and if not, try to go yourself so you can learn to deal with the hubbies issues without getting yourself off track. Sending you hugs.

My surgery Is scheduled for Monday, Feb 10th but I haven't gotten the approval back from the insurance yet... hope mine will still happen. Good luck everyone.