ChristyAZ

Thanks to a bout of diverticulitis in May, my surgery was postponed till August 13th (originally scheduled June 17th). One of the requirements was a visit to a colon-rectal specialist. Did that and received the all clear for my procedure so I was all set to begin the waiting game again however the doctors office called after receiving my CAT scan results from the hospital and advised they wanted to do a colonoscopy so that is now scheduled for Monday June 30th. Not at all happy but (ha) willing to do what is necessary to reach my goal. I hear the prep is the worst part and I am definitely not looking forward to it .... I know its just a small bump on my journey but this procedure actually has me more anxious then the actual WLS. Strange but true .... not much to say really, just venting a tad .... having to postpone my bypass was hard but now this? OK, pity party over lol .....

I love this list ..... ok, here are my ten: 1. Going to a restaurant and not having anxiety over fitting into the booth/chair 2. Walking into a room and not fearing I am the biggest one there 3. Crossing my legs when I sit 4. Being able to by clothes from anywhere ... and not from the big girl section at plus sized stores 5. Being able to buy PRETTY clothes and not just what fits/hides the fat from the clearance rack 6. Taking the stairs instead of elevators 7. Having ENERGY. 8. Buying pretty panties and bra sets, not forced to wear grandma undies and Just My Size bras 9. Not feeling guilty for nibbling a sweet treat once in a while 10. The feeling of being trim and healthy for the first time since high school ** I'm sneaking in an extra one .... #11. Pictures. Taking pictures with my husband. With my daughter. With my friends and co-workers and not feeling shame when someone posts one on FB or Instagram. I have so few pictures with my daughter growing up because I was so ashamed of my size .... I regret that now .....

A few weeks ago I was hospitalized for diverticulitis. Yay me. A new diagnosis to add to the pool. The worst part is that my bariatric surgeon has not only postponed my gastric bypass surgery (scheduled for June 17th) for 3 months from the date of my hospitalization (healing time for the lower intestines) but now I get to follow up with a colon-rectal specialist and I can almost guarantee I have a lovely scope in my future ... and my WLS now depends on a surgical clearance from him as well. So not happy .... I know that telling my surgeon was the right thing to do but boy do I hate the outcome. Anyone ever have a diverticulitis and still get clearance for WLS? Now I am panicking and thinking all the effort I put in to get to this point will be for nothing

I am still 6 weeks from surgery however my agreement when scheduling the procedure was for a post op 4 hour class the week after my surgery, a 2 week follow up with dr, a 4 week follow up, additional blood work at some point, a 6? 8? week follow up and then a 6 month followed by a 1 year follow up. I also have the option to attend group support meetings held monthly.

Will your surgeon even do they surgery with nicotine in your system? Mine tests for it and will not go through with it if I were to test positive... just a thought .....

I may be wrong but if your insurance pays 70% that mans the procedure is a covered benefit so you are only obligated to pay 30% of the ALLOWED amount. The hospital/surgeon can bill any amount they want but the insurance will only pay their contracted rates. Before you pay anything, call the billing office at your surgeons office and get the billing codes they will use....same with the hospital .... then contact your insurance and ask them what they allow as payment on the codes. The amount will be drastically different them what the doc and facility bill. A few years back, my daughter had surgery and thru her father she had an 80%-20% plan. The hospital and the doctor tried to make me pay like $8000 up front and they advised they would "reimburse me the difference after they received payment from the insurance" but I got the billing codes in writing from the ins company and hospital, did the calculations and with the proof in hand went to the hospital billing office. I ended up paying about $1300. Do not think you have to pay 30% of the inflated costs the doc and facility are asking for. Make some calls and question your insurance company .... they will help you .... Good luck ....

My mom would tell me to gargle with warm salted water hourly and drink hoy tea with lemon and honey ..... I hope you feel better and your surgery is right on schedule ..... good luck

I know this is an old post but while browsing the forums I saw this and it peaked my interest enough to go search the Zinger. I absolutely love the concept and I have ordered the Citrus and Aqua Zinger. Thank you so much for possibly giving me a way to get my water without me have to choke down plain old boring water or pay tons for flavored water in bottles that are bad for the environment!

Never heard of it but with the need for protein following the surgery, I will definitely be checking into it. Thanks for the information!

Katy Perry ... "Roar" lol .......silly but seems to fit me

jtickle ... you might try talking with the office manager at your surgeons office and explaining the run around you have received. They just might be able to get things done a bit more to your satisfaction. Also, at your appointment with the dr, advise him/her about the situation, wether it has been resolved or not. A dr only knows so much about the issues in his office as they are BUSY .... seeing patients .... and often are shocked at the problems going on without their knowledge. Now of course I dont mean be all yellie and screamie but a simple "hey, I thought you should be aware" would maybe save someone else the anxiety you have been dealing with ..... Good luck

I have BCBS as well .... annnnd I did the psych test ...... 250+ questions if I remember right ...... I had to laugh at some of them but it was simple and over fairly quick .......

I am scheduled for 6/17/14 ..... and it still feels unbelievable and like a dream ..... when the surical scheduler actually called me I was shocked ... like all the hard work, the decision making, the scramble to get everything together for the insurance ... it all just cam together then and said.... you really ARE having this surgery .... soon .... lol

I am pre op myself and this topic has hit a sore spot for me. I am not the "strict" and "diciplined" type and I worry that will cause me to fail. I plan to follow my nutritionist and surgeons advise as close to the letter as I can however I know me .... that is where I am hoping my new "tool" comes into play ..... it will hopefully keep it to a slip and not a full slide into a fat and sugar induced coma! Its hard to think of a life w/o a yummy nibble of pizza or a sweet and creamy sip or two of coffee .... and I hope it won't come to that .... <did I even make any sense? lol> ........

I have a $1000 bariatric surgical fee but thats it. My deductable has been met so I am pretty darn happy ......

OMG ..... I am still pre op and this, I have never even considered ...... nor did I want to lol ..........

I have told anyone and everyone who asks or should know. All my coworkers, family and friends are aware ..... soon enough, it wiil become obvious anyway and I absolutly refuse to be ashamed about the decision I made to have the WLS (not to compare shame to others desire for privavcy) .... I have just never been a super private person and holding back is really not in my nature so i either had to own it or alter who I am and that just was not an option ...... So bring it all you "my friend/my cousin/my sisters brother aunt horror story tellers" and all those with the "easy ways out" mentality ...... I will educate you, I will prove you wrong and I will succeed ...... <wow, I sound so fierce lol> ............ With that said however, the decision to share the information is as personal as the decision to have the procedure in the first place and I respect everyones choice. Its definitaly not an easy one.

I am so sorry ..... don't give up though ....... fight ....... for your future and your present ........ I know I have read a few posts about a advocate group that (for a fee) helps you fight and appeal ..... maybe someone can post the name of that company? Good luck to you ......

I was NOT able to get my procedure covered by my insurance last year even with 2 comorbidities. My policy stated that there was a Bariatric Surgey Exclusion. My medical necessity did not matter. My company did not pay the premium to include bariatric surgery on our group policy, making it an exclusion on our policy. So no, they would not cover it and I had to wait till open enrollment to drop that policy.

Not if its an excluded benefit. Medically nesecary or not, if its excluded from your plan, its excluded. Happened to me last year.

I have a $1000 bariatric surgical fee ...... kinda out of the blue but worth it ........

I contacted an insurance broker in my area that delt with medical policies and he gathered all the information for the top 4 companies in my area. I asked for desriptions of the policies and what was and was not covered. I did have to pick a top tier policy (a Platinum policy) and I pay out of pocket every month but I don't pay for my group policy at work so it did even out for the most part. I chose BCBS and the plan I chose covers the sx if I met the guidlines and I did .... I completed the requirments and now I ma scheduled. I do have a $1000 bariatric surgical fee but I can live with that ...... hope this helps ...

Go to YouTube and search Gastric Bypass Diet. There a lots of vids there that show wls patients and their grocery hauls and diets

You can file an appeal if hey still refuse to cover it .... however you may have to go through with the initial appointment and have the authorization denied first .... the only problem there is that if the surgeons office knowingly submits a authorization just to get a denial they may not be able to help you with the appeal .... I would call the authorization specialist at your surgeons office and ask what your next move might be ....

They never said anything to me about side sleeping verse back. They told me to do what I would do at home. I found out after that I was able to bring my own pillows and blanket so that would have been nice information to have BEFORE the test lol. I also brought leggings and a big shirt to sleep in ... they ran the electrodes down under my pant legs and that helped a bit ...