BrittneyMarie

The hospital charged right at $30,000 for just my surgery and there were additional fees for the surgeon, anesthesiology, etc. my insurance knocked it done to half. If I had paid cash, I'd of been given the exact same half price.

I had to pay half on the day of surgery.

I had to have 5yrs of weights. I got them from my primary care doctor. BCBS-TN only paid 50% of my surgery. My price with insurance ended up being the exact same amount if I had paid out of pocket. Looking back now, while I loved my nutrition classes, I wish I had just paid out of pocket and didn't go through all of the insurance hoops. I would talk with your surgeons office, the hospital, and BCBS-TN to see if you'd end up paying the same amount whether you have insurance coverage or not.

You got this! Good luck with everything, I know you'll do great

How much post-op water are y'all getting in a day?

Day after surgery was rough! Day three has been much better. I've been walking as much as possible to help with gas pain. I keep telling myself that this is going to be so worth it. We've got this! Keep sipping!

Everything went smooth for me today as well. Recovery time was smooth sailing and I was also up and walking shortly after sx. Nausea and gas pains have been the hardest thing to work through. Good luck to all those going in this week! ❤️

Ok April 11th beauties, today is our day!!! ????????????

Nothing wrong with some butterflies . We have got this! I can't wait to wake up tomorrow with my new sleeve ????????

I have a 6am check in time tomorrow. Anyone else have an early check in time?

It gets so much easier. You'll get to the point where you aren't tempted by things anymore. Just stay busy

My Instagram is Brittney_.Johnson for those that would like to keep in touch with me. It's my personal though. Creating one for our weight loss journey is probably a really good idea!

Thank you so much! It has been quite the journey. I'm so proud of our liquid diet group. Everyone is being so supportive and strong. We've got this!

I've been working on this moment since 2014. It still doesn't seem real! I can't believe it's almost here!

I get my soup from bariatricadvantage.com and I also purchase it at my surgeons office (The Davis Clinic in Houston). It's so nice to have something savory, that is approved by in this low calorie/low carb liquid diet, to break up the monotony of the sweet protein shakes.

It will get better! The first few days are tough, but once you make it through those you'll feel much better.

Ashlie, that's hilarious! ???? I'm liquid only, less than 50g carbs per day, and 700-900 cal per day. It was definitely hard to adjust to not chewing.

I'm from Texas! The liquid diet gets better! As long as you muscle through the first couple of days, it quits being miserable. My Bariatric Advantage vegetable Soup has been the best thing. Being able to eat something savory with a spoon has mentally made it so much easier. Plus, I'm stuffed after a small bowl of it.

Yay for supportive husbands! I have been using Protein powders/drinks from Bariatric Advantage. I have really enjoyed the vegetable Soup option as something savory, plus being able to use a spoon make me feel like I'm "eating". They also have a ProJoe drink which is already made for you. I pull mine out of the fridge for a quick meal on the go. I think the large amount of Water I've been drinking has helped with any bad headaches, but I am tired often. I'm so excited for everyone! Stay strong!

I can never have too much support! I would love to keep in touch and know how things are going for you. I'm fortunate enough to have a supportive husband as well, who even is doing a liquid diet with me (at least around me ). Prayers for strength during this two and weeks for your surgery!

We have the exact same surgery date! I am also on day two of my liquid diet. Drinking tons of Water and eating ice has really helped me. Wishing you the best of luck! Brittney

I had 6 full nutrition visits, not 7. Good luck everyone! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Things I wish I had known about my insurance going into my initial appointment with my surgeon: 1. BCBS TN requires 6 months of nutrition classes ( 1 per month) 2. 1 Psych eval that is good for only one year 3. Your nutrition classes have to be done through a doctor other than your surgeon 4. BCBS TN will deny you if you submit nutrition classes that were done through your surgeons office 5. Your primary physician must have some documentation of you wanting to learn about bariatric surgery and/or nutrition 6. If your BMI is over 40, no proof of premorbitities are necessary, but they can always help your case 7. You don't have to lose 10% of your body weight before submitting applications to your insurance company > The insurance department woman working with me initially told me that she couldn't do anything until I lost 10% of my total body weight If I didn't lose 10% of my body weight, proving that I was serious about losing weight, the insurance company would deny me THIS WAS ALL COMPLETELY FALSE!!! Her saying what she did, pushed me back almost a full year 8. If you are denied, file a grievance AND make sure your surgeons office files a grievance too! I hope this helps someone not have to go through the ups and downs as I did. After a year and a half of trying to get my approval, I finally got it and am scheduled for April 11th! Good Luck and BIG hugs! - Brittney

I started out with similar issues. I had excellent success by eating smaller portions. I used a very small bowl that fit about a cup of food and ate that over 20mins. I told myself I could go back for seconds if I felt hungry. I was never starving after my small bowl and that was all I ate at that meal. Also, I took that bowl with me everywhere! Hope this helps and good luck!