Luvin_Life125

What insurer do you have? A BMI over 40 alone isn't sufficient? Have you had a sleep study done recently? If you haven't had a recent sleep study done, it might be worthwhile to do it and see if you might have sleep apnea. It is very common among the obese and just might be the ticket you need. Is your surgeons office willing to appeal the denial or do a peer to peer review? It would be wise to pursue the appeal process and see if it can get you somewhere. If your surgeon's office won't do the appeal, I can help you write one if you want assistance. I worked for many years as a billing manager for al large medical practice and have written many, many appeals in my time. Hmm, I will see what else I can think of in the mean time to help out.

This recipe is one I used when I had a guest with a wheat allergy at the holidays. This would be great baked in single serving ramekin (sp?) and frozen for the time a dessert would hit the spot. I bet you could substitute ricotta cheese instead of the cream to up the protein content. I also used 2 tbs pumpkin pie spice instead of what the recipe calls for. I hope this helps! http://www.food.com/recipe/crustless-low-carb-pumpkin-pie-104352

Does anyone know how I can edit this post to remove the link? I think the post follows the rules as long as the link is removed and I don't want to cause a problem. Thanks!

Good afternoon. I am submitting a suggestion for a subforum. I would love to see a category for sales, discount codes and clearance discounts for bariatric related products. I am very frugal and I bet I am not the only one who would love to know when a discount or sale is available on items we may need pre and post op (ie: vitamins, supplements, protein powders, etc). The supplements and other items related to bariatric surgery can get expensive quickly and sharing information to save some money would benefit many forum participants. Thanks for your time and consideration!

Hi there everyone. I am a very frugal person and try to use discounts on things I need whenever I can find them. I wanted to share this deal in case anyone else wants to save a bit of $ on some supplements we need after surgery. The sale ends Thursday, September, 11 at 9 AM EST. The Bariatric Advantage Chewy Calcium bites, 250mg, are $9.99 per bag (originally $11.99) using code NINE9 and free shipping after $49 in purchases through Bariatric Choice. They have excellent ratings and 4 different flavors. I bought 7 bags in the various flavors because I might as well enjoy something necessary after surgery. Here is the link: https://www.bariatricchoice.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/144090/ Using this link will also give you a $20 credit from what I understand. I was trying to research and make sure I wasn't violating any of the forum guidelines posting this sale information and there wasn't anything I saw. Please delete my post if this is against the guidelines because that is the last thing I want to do. I really hope this helps someone else out there trying to get their necessary supplies without breaking the bank!

I am so sorry. That is a hard blow when you are so close to and ready for a surgery you worked to get ready for. Hugs to you. It is time to use your frustration to find out what is going on. Your first step is to research your summary plan description from your insurer and your employer . This will give you a way to see the guidelines of your specific policy and what it says about bariatric surgery. Your next step is to go through the guidelines one by one and make sure you have met each requirement. If you have questions, please call your insurer customer service number on the back of your insurance card and ask every question you have. This is the only way to get to the answers you need. I know this set back is upsetting and you feel defeated. Please know we are here to support you. Please don't give up, be determined to find the answers you need. The denial may have been a mistake or may need to be appealed. I also wonder why the doctor's office didn't check into things further before scheduling surgery. My docs office won't schedule my last pre op surgeon visit, nor start my pre-op diet, nor even give me even an estimated date it when my surgery might be scheduled until they have an approval letter in hand from my insurer. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Hang in there and find the answers you need!

Congratulations on finding yourself and learning to love yourself! Truly an inspirational post for me just starting the journey. Congrats again and keep up the great job!

I love www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com I am preop but have started making some of the recipes and freezing them so I have a jump start on post op. I can't wait to see other resources posted!

I am sincerely hoping it will help. I have severe lumbar stenosis and degenerative disc disease requiring extensive pain management. I am only 36, but move slower than an 80 year old. My docs have all said significant weight loss has a good chance of helping reduce the amount of pain I have but probably won't take it away. Heck, I will take any pain reduction I can get! I hope it helps you too!

Unfortunately it is becoming more and more common for healthcare providers to collect deductible payments up front, especially in cases of large deductibles. This change is because medical bills have a pretty high rate of non payment and collection costs even though the doctor provided the services in good faith. Combine that with the fact more and more employers are switching to high deductible health plans, medical providers are spending steadily increasing amounts of time and resources collecting payments from patients. Collecting payments from insurers is easier and more reliable than collecting from patients. On the other side of the coin, families don't always have much of a choice as to which health plan they have. They also don't always have the resources to pay what their health plan doesn't cover. It is a double edged sword and it hurts both the patients and the providers. Unfortunately, there also isn't much that can be done about it but pay the amount you are responsible for. I don't know if this helps you much, but I will tell you how I prepared for the large cost. I have been making a weekly automatic payment to my surgeons office starting the first appointment and all the way through my pre-op preparation appointments. I have sent $30 every week and it has really made a huge dent in my amount due without being a shockingly large bill right before my surgery. It is definitely worth asking the providers if it possible to set up a payment plan for the balance due. They may look more favorably on a payment plan if you start a weekly payment every week right now and show them your intentions are good and you are reliable. My provider did offer to continue my current payments after surgery until the balance is paid in full because I took the initiative to start pre paying my portion. Unfortunately, there is no easy way around this. What was your plan to pay your deductible and any other balance due after surgery? Can you implement the plan sooner? Can you keep the same plan and start it when you planned to but just put your surgery off until a good portion of the balance has been paid? I know delaying surgery is nobody's ideal situation and is disappointing, but I don't know if you can find a way around it. There are very few providers and/ or hospitals that will balance bill patients with large deductibles or out of pocket expenses this day in age. Hugs and support to you because that policy should have been discussed with you before you got this far in the process. We are all here for you if you need a shoulder to cry on or someone to help you find a plan that works for you.

Please don't worry! My EGD was on 8/13/14 and I also had no symptoms and didn't expect the EGD to be any more than another line on a checklist. They found an ulcer, gastritis and many, many polyps. I was undecided between RNY bypass or the gastric sleeve. My surgeon told me after the EGD RNY was no longer an option for me due to the polyps and I was going to have to have the sleeve done instead. He said the sleeve would actually resolve the polyp issue because it would remove all of them. I suggest double checking with your surgeons office just to make sure his medical opinion is the same. Good luck and let me know what happens. Hang in there and keep working your way through the pre-surgical process. You will be joining the Loser's Bench before you know it!

I look forward to being comfortable in my skin and not trying to hide from everyone. Oh and wearing clothes I choose to wear, not being stuck with what fits. And being an active mom with my boys again!

My office requires a preop endoscopy too. I thought it would be a waste of time and money but did it because it is required to have the sleeve done. I have never had heart burn not pregnant and no other GI symptoms. Well turns out the endoscopy was not just a routine thing serving no purpose. They found an ulcer, gastritis, and gastric polyps. Now I am so happy they found all of this before surgery! I am on medication for the ulcer and gastritis. The polyps will be taken care of by the sleeve surgery. The polyps did rule out the possibility of RNY instead of the sleeve. The moral of the story is make sure all bases are covered before surgery and all preop testing is thorough. If a surgeons office blindly schedules you for surgery without going through a preop screening, you probably want to find a new office. Good luck in your adventure!

You may be in luck with the mammogram and some of your blood work. I believe with the healthcare regulations known as Obama care preventative services are covered at 100% by most policies and are not subject to the copays, coverage maximums, etc. call your insurance and ask about coverage for preventative care. I hope you can get this figured out and find a way to get the services you need. Hugs

Lol. I feel your pain. I always hated jeans because it felt like they were cutting me in the waist because my waist is the same as my hips. Apple shapes are more common than you think. For clothes to get through the few months how about trying local thrift stores, consignment stores (Clothes Mentor is great), or check with your surgeons office to see if they have a clothing exchange. I have had really good luck with Goodwill and St. Vincent DePaul thrift stores in higher income areas. You can find some really nice clothing without spending so much money you feel guilty. I have already started sticking clothes in every size from one below my current size down to size 10. Our thrift stores have been having $1 sales and they have had some hi end clothes with tags still on them for $1. I hope you can find a resource near you!

This was a big concern weighing on my mind. I don't scrimp on bras because the engineering needed to support such a large amount of tissue can't be cheap. Fortunately, I still have good bras in various sizes as I gained weight so hopefully I can get through some of the post op period without spending a large amount of cash. Thanks everyone for opening up about a bit of a private subject!

I have already started making homemade broths and freezing them in ice cube trays. Once they are frozen I store them in labelled freezer bags. I am trying to make a good variety so I don't get bored as quickly.

I use hummus as a dip for my veggies. It is made with chick peas and olive oil so you really have to watch the nutrition labels. I personally LOVE the garlic hummus and eat it with raw carrot chips or any other veggie. I have also used it on grilled chicken strips too. It does have a pretty good nutritional profile on most of the retail brands in the store. If you want more control over how much fat or oil are in your hummus, it is super easy to make your own at home! Do a search for healthy hummus recipe and it should give you a direction to start. I am planning in making some post op with unflavored protein powder and maybe make a basil or pesto flavor and see how that tastes. The chickpeas have a pretty mild flavor that lends itself to many flavor varieties. Give it a try and let us know what you think of it.

My pre sleeve EGD was done last week and I was certain it would be a routine scope with nothing to show for it. Boy was I shocked when the surgeon came to talk to me in the recovery room. He found gastric polyps, a large ulcer, and gastritis. Biopsies were taken of the polyps and other areas of my stomach and esophagus and i am still waiting for those results. He told me RNY is absolutely not an option for me because they would never leave the remnant in when it can not be easily monitored for changes. So I am definitely a sleeve patient! I also have to take a medication 4 times a day to help coat my stomach and protect it and also have to take a PPI every night to reduce the amount of acid in my stomach. He discontinued my anti inflammatory medicine that I take for my bad back. I am shocked because I never had any idea I might have an ulcer or anything else going on. The moral if the story is never think any of the pre-op process is a waste of time or money. The pre-op process is there to give us all the best chance possible to be healthy and successful!

My NUT post op plan called for the No Sugar Added Carnation Instant BreakfAst 3xs a day made with double strength milk (1 cup skim milk plus powdered milk). I haven't looked at the nutrition info yet because I haven't found them in any local stores. Protein powders are actually not part of my post op nutrition plan.

I have had 2 previous laparoscopic abdominal surgeries. The previous surgeries had very similar placement as the VSG surgery. My gallbladder was done 14 years ago and the scars are small white lines. My appendix was done 6 years ago and those scars are a pale pink line. Although with all of the stretch marks from my 2 pregnancies, the surgical scars aren't even noticeable!

Also with Cigna- check if your policy requires bariatric surgery to be performed at a Center of Excellence. If so, the hospital must be a Cigna designated Center of Excellence in Bariatric Surgery. Just because a bariatric surgeon are in network for your plan does not mean those surgeons operate at a Center of Excellence facility! The easiest way to search for a provider is to first find the hospitals in your vicinity that have earned the Cigna bariatric center of excellence. Keep in mind, the hospital may not be all that close to you depending on where you live. My closest is about 3 hours away. Once you find the hospitals, review their website to find the bariatric surgeons on staff. I mention this because there have been a few people on the boards who have chosen an in network surgeon (who wasn't associated with a Cigna bariatric center of excellence) and have gone through the entire preoperative process. They don't find out the hospital doesn't qualify until they are ready to schedule surgery. Then they have to search for a new surgeon and hospital and sometimes start the whole process completely over. Some surgeons don't want to accept the education and preparation done with another office because each doctor and office has their own rules & program.

I am working through my preoperative requirements for my Cigna policy right now. The policy from my summary plan description requires a physician monitored weight loss and exercise program monitored for at least 3 months monthly visits (>89 days) which actually means 4 visits. I also had to have a psych exam, and a few other things that I can't think of right this minute. I was referred to Cigna policy 0051 updated 05/2014 for the bariatric surgery. Good luck to you on this journey and remember there is always tons of support and knowledge here for you!

I love shopping their website! Sign up for their email list and you will be notified when the good sales like the buy 2, get 2 sales happen. The size selection and style selection is way way better online. I found out about the website years ago because they don't carry the Ginormous sizes I need in the store. It is extremely rare for me to be able to find a G or H cup in the store unless it was a Internet return. I will not buy any other brand of bras because they never fit or support me right. My hubby swears Lane Bryant must hire engineers to make their bras to support the way they do!

If you need a food scale to help keep track of your intake, Aldi has a pretty nice one for about $10. I bought it 2 years ago and use it daily and it still works like a champ!