Ladiec2

I'll be subscribing to this thread. Thank you for bringing this up. I am pre surgery but I have an interesting prospective. I have been feeling a bit like an imposter my entire process for getting qualified for surgery. This, WLS, is supposed to be the like the last house on the block. We were supposed to have tried and failed miserably at the weight loss thing and never had any long term success at losing weight, but this has not been my exact story.
In 2005, I lost 140# without surgery. I discovered that I have a sensitivity to gluten and sugar and I stopped eating junk food. I didn't exercise but the weight literally fell off my body. I was lighter than I had been my entire adult life. I went from 320# to180# in about 8 months probably averaging about the same clip as a bypass patient I'm imagining. I had some feelings of euphoria, but mostly I felt like a live electrical wire. My comfy fat, my safe place to hide from the world was suddenly gone and I felt as if I was practically electrocuted if I would even brush by furniture too hard. I had trouble sleeping with the new sensations of my knees, ankles and toes rubbing together aching for their familiar cushion and I felt horribly uncomfortable if anything including clothes touched my newly discovered clavicles. I cried at random and inconvenient intervals. I stayed at this low weight for a VERY short time and hovered comfortably at 200 for many many years.
I was never prepared for and have never heard ppl taking about how to just be and reside in a body, newly formed and considerably smaller. How do we really listen and hear and feel in a body with new sensations and dimensions? How do we become like the normies I call them, those people who never ever gain weight while we constantly were ballooning up and dieting down the scale?
What were/are we to do with our one life outside of food? I know I have the tendency to want the newer, sexier, more interesting route to any destination, like success with even WLS can't just be about plain old (following the prescribed) diet and exercise, can it? I'm still wondering if the surgery is just the newest thing for me. I switched my surgical consideration from sleeve to bypass for this very reason. Because if I'm going to do it, I need to go old school. With me it had to be vegan, raw, paleo and Crossfit. Zero to sixty. Never just walking, always training for the half.
What happens when the proverbial dust settles and it's not about the food anymore and the weight is lost? When the life I thought weight loss or this surgery would fix is still going forward unchanged? Sitting in this empty space with myself without support and resources or a clue is what made maintenance so elusive and probably so for most people who've lost massive amounts of weight with or without surgery and gained it back. Will having had a glimpse of being thin for a while make me a better bariatric patient, more compliant? Perhaps, or maybe not but at this stage in the game I can't take anything for granted but these are the questions that are clearer in hindsight and that I need to formulate a plan for now on this side of surgery.

@@Sara Kelly Keenan LC Thank you for this topic. At my support group everyone was all champagne and roses and I know life isnt like that. I am a planner by nature so I like to think thing through and plan for the good and the bad. I am scared and overwhelmed at the possible path of my new life. I want to hear all kinds of stories...both good and bad so I can know what I am getting into. I know I will struggle greatly at loosing my best friend (food) so the more I can work through it now the better. My final appointment to submit to insurance is about 2 weeks away. Thanks

I have to agree, though I can't say I always did. I used to think it was a risk not worth taking, but now that I'm on the other side and fighting with 10 pounds, I see it. I spent most of my adult life being obese and not fully enjoying my life. I missed out on so much of kids childhood because of it....we all have our own struggles and journeys. So, if I could have done this with a BMI of 35 instead of 52, I think that would have been WAY better!

I am saving up my paid time off. I am planning to take 2 weeks starting the day before I have surgery. I am not telling my employer what I am doing during my time off and will not tell then once I return.

Using Bluepoint. Dr. Moazzez on 11/4. Sitting in cardiologist office right now to get my cardiac clearance. I need it because I'm 50. This is the last test thank goodness. An earlier poster mentioned getting tests done too early. If your using the faifax office call Pam she will tell you which tests to have pre approval and then post insurance approval.

It's not that I'm ashamed at discussing this with anyone. I decided not to tell anyone because it's nobody's business. My personal health is very private and I also don't want to be the topic of discussion at everybody's table. People will then be watching what I eat, what I'm drinking. I've never discussed any previous surgeries and certainly don't feel the need to let everyone in on this one either. I've always been private.

I checked out the Fair Oaks support group last night. They had two plastic surgeons there talking about options after you reach goal weight. It was pretty informative and they had a bunch of before/after pictures that were motivating.
I also won a weight loss surgery cook book, they gave away three with the door raffle. There were close to 50 people in attendance. The plastic surgeons are only there once a year, so looking forward to seeing a non-presentation support group meeting.
My insurance paperwork for the sleeve should get submitted next week.

. Pre op tests- not years- sorry.

OMG I am so confused it is the FIRST Thursday of the month! So NOT this week, next week! Sorry Y'all! Hmmm all my preop stuff was super fast bc I was self pay so I can't really remember and I was Woodbridge at that point so I met with Dr. Halmi each time! Are you meeting with Tiffany? If so she is WONDERFUL! I usually dread seeing PAs would rather just see my doctor, but she is really so sweet and kind and I always feel great when I leave an appt with her! Super positive and supportive! I had EGD, Ultrasound, Bloodwork, Chest X-ray and I think that's it!!! They gave me a sheet that I had to complete I think within two weeks of the surgery which for me was I had two weeks to do it all bc I booked one month from my first appt! Craziness! Have you met with the psychologist yet? That's another preop appt. Also nutritionist and John the Exercise dude! All are super nice! I'd love to help out in anyway I can bc I was blessed to meet a gentleman at support group who was super supportive through my surgery (he had his a couple months before me) He and his wife even came to see me in the hospital! It was so nice to have someone who had been through it all! I'm here for anything so ask away! I hope you guys can make it to group next week! I really look forward to it!

It's not that I'm ashamed at discussing this with anyone. I decided not to tell anyone because it's nobody's business. My personal health is very private and I also don't want to be the topic of discussion at everybody's table. People will then be watching what I eat, what I'm drinking. I've never discussed any previous surgeries and certainly don't feel the need to let everyone in on this one either. I've always been private.

So this is probably a dumb question, but do you need his approval? I've never dealt with Candadian healthcare, but is there any reason you can't just go to Mexico and have it done on your own? If you're paying for it, I see no reason you have to tell your family doctor...what business is it of theirs? It's your decision, so if there isn't any legal requirement, who cares if your doctor likes it or not.

I really wish that I had measured myself everywhere for comparison. Oh well... Also have a great last meal!
HKMOM

@@bridget1015 Congrats, I am envious. My records got submitted to insurance yesterday so I am trying to be patient and play the waiting game. It's not easy when you have been working so long to get to this point and to know that it may have all been for nothing, you are at the mercy of the insurance company. Oh well, keeping good vibes going.
OMG right after I posted this the Dr. office called and I was approved!! December 2nd is my day!! I have an appt. for my endoscopy at the end of this month and one class and some labs and my pre-op physical in November and then my 2 week liquid diet starts Nov 18th and I am on my way to the losers bench! So excited!! I hope everyone else gets approved this fast, I am blown away!

Hi! I will be at Fair Oaks, too! My surgeon will be Dr. Moazzez. I don't have a date yet as I'm still in the insurance requirement process. Pam at Bluepoint said probably October. Right now I am reading and learning as much as possible about RNY.
I had an EGD two days ago at Fair Oaks and the people were all very nice.

Ok...so I had my 1st appt Thurs with the Surgeon..We went over the procedures, met with the insurance person and was given a list of what was required by my insurance and what's required by the surgeon. Discussed my thyroid issues...everything ok there. I have AETNA and am going with the 3 month cycle, therefore my surgery date should be some time in Feb. 2015 or late Jan. I am so excited!!! I hope all of my tests go well. I also need to make sure that my PCP has 2 years of overweight history. I could be on the borderline as some point, but I hope to find out today. My BMI is 35.6 with comorbities.

Welcome, I'm a newbie as well. I had the seminar and have my 1st appt. with the surgeon and the insurance coordinator tomorrow. I also have an appointment in a couple of weeks with another surgeon (totally different office) and from their I'll decide who I'm going with. I want to have the sleeve too, but I'll wait to hear what they have to say. My insurance requires a 6 month and a 3 month program. I want to try to make it happen in 3 months. Good luck!

Yes, I am going in with eyes wide open and it is very scary.
I draw a parallel on this to childbirth. I remember as an expectant mother that other mothers, including recent ones all came up roses as well. When asked "how your delivery went?" Every single person said it went really well. For me it was the most horrible gruesome thing I had ever gone through and mine was a fairly normal delivery. Really well, is not what I would describe childbirth as. Yet, I would do it again. But I felt lied to by everyone, even my own mother, who probably was the most honest of the bunch. Everyone seems to think everything is wonderful and rosie. It is odd to me, as I am not wired that way. If you ask me I will tell you the truth. It will be a balance answer about pros, cons, and what the expect. After that experience I tend not to trust others assessments. I read between the lines and have to dig a hole to China for the truth.
I fear I may not be able to cope and that I will be miserable all the time more then anything else. But the alternative is just as bad. Obesity kills and robs you of the chance of having a normal life. So, I have to give it my best shot. It is a leap of faith into the great unknown but it is also a leap of HOPE, one that I do not possess in my current situation. I hope things will workout in the end just like having a baby. Mothers do die in childbirth, some have horrible complications but we all know it's worth it. Many before me had WLS and they ended up okay. Look at everyone on this site post surgery. They are real and their stories inform our futures. You can't grow (in our case shrink) unless you try.

YAY! I had my surgery yesterday. It occurred at Des Peres Hospital in Des Peres, ( St. Louis) MO. I know everyone will have different experiences based on where they have the surgery, but here's what I experienced:
10 AM REGISTRATION: Registered (even though I pre-registered the day before on the phone) and made a payment on my portion after insurance 10:45 PRE-SURGERY PREP: The nurse took my vitals, reviewed my medical history, took urine, and had me change into a gown. 11:30 HOLDING: I laid in a bed in an area called "pre-surgery". It was kinda awkward because there were 7 other people in the room waiting for various surgeries. Some were staring at each other. You could here all of their machines beeping. Some were moaning. I asked for magazines to avoid getting nervous. The anesthesiologist came and asked me a bunch of questions and explained the process to me. Then Dr. Minkin showed up and answered any final questions I had. 1:30 SURGERY: I was wheeled into the OR. I was given some medicine via IV and was out cold within seconds. 3:00 RECOVERY: This was the worst experience ever. I woke up and though I was having a heart attack. (I must state that I was not aware that they put gas in your stomach to make room for the surgery.) The gas was all up in my chest and I truly thought I was dying. My throat was so dry that I was begging for someone to help me. They finally gave me some wet gauze to suck on.: 4:30 ARRIVAL IN ROOM: I arrived in my room ( all rooms at Des Peres are private). My nurses got me all set up, took my vitals, and gave me pain meds, nausea meds, and pepcid. They also hooked my legs up in some cuffs that would help with circulation and prevent blood clots. NIGHT TIME: It's impossible to sleep. Nurses and techs are in your room all night checking on you. MORNING: I went for my swallow test where they give you shots of dye and take X-rays to make sure there are no leaks. 11:00 food: My lunch arrived. It consisted of a bombpop, broth, crystal light lemonade, Jello, and an Optifast shake. I took it very slow and ate the lunch over 2 hours. I took very small sips. 1:30 ROUNDS: Dr. Minkin made his rounds and told me everything went great with surgery. He answered any more questions I had and gave me verbal post-op instructions. He then released me. 3:00 DISCHARGE: The nurse came by with my discharge paperwork and instructions. TIPS:
Walk as much as you can. That's the only way to get rid of the gas. It's almost impossible to fart (odd, I know) so I mainly burped a lot. The gas is no joke! Don't forget to take something to wear under your gown the next day (sweats/undies) to make you more comfortable while cruising the halls. I gained a couple of pounds while in the hospital. I think it was from all the fluids being pumped into me. Overall, I had a GREAT EXPERIENCE! I am so proud of myself for taking this step to improve my health and life. I am also so proud of all of you for making this choice too!

its good youv already put into the practice your new lifestyle. keep it up. I know what your going thru on the psych part. of course I had to see the staff affiliated with my surgeon as well, when I got to my app with their psych fortunatly she was very nice an easy to talk to. of course going thru their questions I was honest, an I told her I see this other one full time have been for yrs an I really like her to. she says they do these evaluations to see if we honestly realize what we are going to go thru the difficulties emotionally an mentally that this will cause an they have to make sure we are stable in those areas. and of course i told her I had been thinking about this off an on for over 10 yrs, an it got to the point 2 of my specialists referred me to have this done. I didnt have a problem with her but I had to get my regular psych dr to release me ...so she faxed the release papers to her an my dr agreed to everything except she made a notation at the bottom saying that at our last visit which was 2 months earlier that I "seemed" upset or on edge or uneasy. well the staff called me an told me she knew if she submitted this release to my Ins with the rest of all my paperwork that they would deny me..so I told her DO NOT send that in yet I will call an get into talk with her an see WHY she wrote that lil note. so I called that day got an app that next wk and went in and talked to her.. I convinced her I was better an that I am looking forward to this life changing step an that I am very excited. she then told me she would be happy to release me..sure enough she did . They just have to touch all bases...an yes eating disorders are a question as well. but It has been some what of a struggle mentally an emotionally the first month. it was brutal. some ppl do great some ppl struggle. I struggled some. as far as the Vitamins an etc to buy from him, if its costly I would talk to him an tell him what your prepared to do, I didnt have to do that. I get mine at whole foods or a natural living. But if I was you , I know its hard to get into psychs youll need a referral, call the office an have them refer you to another one, if they dont have another one they use, or if you dont have one you personally see regularly, go to yur primary an have them refer you to one. there might be one closer. if your stuck with the one you already seen I would make another app with them asap an get in there an have along talk an ask why they or he or she said what they did. thats just me. but I would jump on this quickly it takes time to get thru this process. wish you the best..hang in there..it will happen..

Hello, my insurance (BCBS) required the 6 months supervised weight loss plan. I am on month 3 have 3 more to go. I think my last check in will be around January 21, 2014; which means once they submit all my information to BCBS I will be looking forward to a February surgery date. I have everything done but my medical letter from my physician and the blood work. If it wasn't for this 6 months requirement I probably would have been sleeved before the end of 2014. But that's fine and I am patient; I have gotten this far no need to rush things now. Plus all the holidays will be over and done with. The only thing is, I think my husband and I will miss our annual trip to Pigeon Forge, TN with our friends; but this will be worth it. Just looking for someone I can talk to about this journey we are all looking forward to taking.
I keep telling myself, you made it through summer 2014 as a big girl. The summer of 2015 will be wonderful, I will healthy, full of energy and don't let me forget....I will be FINE....lol!!!!

I checked my weight loss center account and seen where they sent my info to the insurance company yesterday. I talked to the insurance company, Humana, and was told that the nurse has 14 days to approve or deny. According to the list Humana sent me at the beginning of this, I have met their requirements. When I had my psy. eval, the doc said he didn't see any reason, psychological, that I would be denied. I had the correct understanding and mindset. Sooooo....we'll see.

I too have sleep apnea and RA. I too was impatient but had to do the 3 month preliminary process to qualify for my insurance. It's no big deal since it takes that long to jump through all the required hoops. They want you to do a diet to see how well you follow a diet plan and to help your liver shrink to make for a safer surgery. Just do what they ask and it will make your life easier. Get yourself a little notebook and write down questions and concerns you have so you can refer to those when you get a chance to talk to the doctor one on one. Otherwise you will never remember what you wanted to ask. Write down what the doctor, nurses, nutritionists tell you so you can refer to it. There is a lot of information thrown at you in a very short period of time and you can't remember it all so best that it be written down. The doctor will have you start some of the preliminary testings etc.. It's a long process so don't be too impatient. Just start organizing your life to get ready for this awesome process. Are you getting the sleeve? I love mine and I wish you lots of luck.

Just had my info submitted monday! I had to do everything mentioned as well. 3 month supervised diet, met with NUT, psych, etc and had a bunch of tests done. Found out I had sleep apnea during testing. It's a lot of appointments.. But the time flew by fast! I lost a total of 25 lbs with the diet and exercise. ..Now I'm just waiting lol. I think this is the worst part!

I participated in a webinar last night and decided to go with that Dr. He was very informative. I've gone to others before, but just kept putting it off. I really wished I had done this last year, but I kept telling myself that I didn't want to wait 6 months and I figured I could get the weight off during that time. Well I haven't made any progress on my own so now and its been a year so now it's on. No more procrastinating...its time to put my foot to the metal and complete the requirements. I'm a very impatient person. I have AETNA and they have a 3 month or 6 month program. I want to see if I qualify for the 3 month program...not sure of the difference. Just made my first appt. with the surgeron for Oct. 22. and we'll go from there. If anyone has any advice as to what I need to be doing in the meantime, please let me know. I am right at the borderline of my BMI beging 35.2. I have sleep apnea and rheumatoid arthritis. Thanks in advance for any advice!

What can I do before my appointment to speed up the process?
Speak to your insurance company. Ask them to specify if bariatric surgery is a covered benefit in your policy. You will need to provide them the surgical code CPT-43644 for gastric bypassor CPT-43775 for sleeve gastrectomy and to receive this information. Not only insurance companies vary in their coverage of weight loss procedures, individual policies may also vary in their nature. Some policies may have “exclusion clauses” and may not cover bariatric surgery. It is very important that you ask your insurance company to be very specific about their company’s policy and your own policy as they pertain to bariatric surgery. Gather all of the information your insurance company may require. This may include diet records, medical records, medical tests going back at least 2-5 years depending on the insurance company. This reduces the chance of being turned down because you failed to provide necessary information. Letters from your personal physician and professionals supporting the medical necessity of treatment are particularly valuable. When several physicians report the same findings, it may confirm a medical necessity for surgery. Choose a primary care physician if you don’t have one already, and establish a relationship with him or her. Work with your physician to ensure that your routine health maintenance testing is current. Results of diagnostic and routine screening for co-morbid conditions such as type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol can be necessary for documentation of medical necessity. Make a list of all the diets you have tried (a diet history) and take it to your doctor. Bring any relevant medical data to your first office visit, including reports of special tests (echocardiogram, sleep study, etc.), or a hospital discharge summary if you have been in the hospital for weight-related health problems. Bring a list of your medications, including dosage and schedule. Quit smoking. Surgical patients who use tobacco products are at a greater surgical risk. Talk to a doctor for help with this. When you send your letter, call your insurance carrier regularly to ask about the status of your request. Your employer or human relations office also may be able to help you work through any issues. Be sure to write down dates and the names of people you speak with and keep notes about the conversations. When possible, get them to fax you copies of the policies they are quoting. Make sure your primary care physician is documenting your weight loss efforts and your weight in your medical records at every visit.