2goldengirl

@@Mom26, I think you will love your FitBit. I love mine. Do you have an body fat monitor scale? That might meet your needs better than one that measures pounds only. For now, I need to weigh daily because it's too easy for me to tell myself stories about what I have or haven't eaten, and the scale is one of my reality checks. It's trends I pay attention to, once I'm postop I may well ask my husband to hide it somewhere for the first three months or so.

I'm just about to order a couple more of those. I've had one at my desk at work for my coffee, because a vendor gave us these wonderful mugs that are so big it would get cold before I could finish it. Now I'm getting one for my desk in my home office (I work from home twice a week) and next to my living room chair.

You've gotten a lot of good advice here, the only thing I have to add is to be open and really, really listen to what your surgeon has to say about the pros and cons of each for your particular body and situation. Each of us will, we hope, have only one of these surgeries in our lifetime. Your surgeon has a LOT more experience to draw on. The fact is, both procedures lead to dramatic initial weight loss. How much weight you lose ultimately depends on you and the choices you make post op over the long term. That weight loss and the effect of either procedure on your body can resolve issues with many obesity-related issues, such as sleep apnea, diabetes, high cholesterol, GERD, and joint pain. Whichever procedure you and your surgeon determine is right for you, your long-term success is really up to you and the choices you make, one choice at a time.

Originally, the sleeve was the first stage of a two-stage surgery for individuals with a BMI > 50. Results were so positive that use of the sleeve as a single procedure has made it the choice for many, especially as longer-term results for the lap band have been disappointing. The two procedures not only differ in how they're done, but the way in which they change the way your body handles food afterwards. Postop recommendations also differ for many surgeons. Listen to what your surgeon has to say about each of the procedures for you - he or she will have a reason they prefer one over the other for your particular situation. Good luck!

That's great news! How are you feeling, recovery-wise?

You HAVE got a lot on your plate, and a lot of change to adjust to. And the changes with the loss of your mom and your husband's health are changes that have been thrust upon you, and completely out of your control. If you are not already getting some counseling, I'd really suggest it would be a great investment in your health.

Totally and completely normal. You're changing your life dramatically in a single day. No matter how much preparation you put into it, you're smart enough to know that anticipation is not the same as reality. You're well-prepared and you will be fine. You'll have your bumps in the road, everyone does. Good luck!

Have you tried switching up your exercise routine? Add intervals, lift heavier weights, change the activity you're doing and/or the frequency and intensity. Try a different routine.

Don't worry! Postop is a whole different thing from preop. Promise!

I'm the odd one out here - I don't LIKE Halloween candy. Too icky sweet. Bleah.

If you go to Tanita's website, you can compare different models for their features. Mine is about eight years old, and it stores info for four different users, set for gender and age of each user. As I remember, it was mid-range in price. I did a weight loss program at a clinic once, and they had this awesome Tanita that measured lean mass, fat mass, and total body Water, then gave you a printout. I loved that thing because I had those printouts each week. But those are more than $1000 and won't fit in my bathroom

I've only tried one, but both Huz and I are happy with it. Isopure, which I order from Amazon. We tried a 1-lb bag first.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_11?url=search-alias%3Dhpc&field-keywords=tanita+body+composition+analyzer&sprefix=tanita+body%2Caps%2C196 good ole amazon!

An electrical impedence scale (Tanita makes them) can be purchased for as little as $40. I've had one for years and love it. You get a more accurate measurement of body fat weighing in the middle of the day, but the great thing is that gives you a great feel for trends. For example, I can readily see that if my weight is up (or even the same) dayover day, the BF % tells me whether it's Water, which weighs as lean mass. They have some with more features that will also tell you your total body water percentage.

You won't regret getting your anxiety under control, though. The purpose of the psych eval is to identify whether you have issues that would be barriers to your success. Anxiety would definitely do that. Work hard with our therapist, and keep up with the visitis with your nutritionist as well. Good luck!

33% is a mighty high interest rate. You may be able to do much better with a loan through your bank or credit union - or seek self-pay in Mexico.

I replied to your other post also. The five-day period also applies to Medi-Cal. Blue Shield hasn't any Medi-Cal plans, you would have to be Blue Cross.

I also answered your other post. If you have Medi-Cal in Los Angeles County, it would be from Blue Cross, as Blue Shield doesn't offer Medi-Cal plans. Once your packet is submitted to your health plan, provided all necessary information is included, the plan has five business days to make a decision. In the event more time is necessary in order to obtain additional information, that timeframe can be extended up to 14 days. Here is a link to Blue Shield's policy: https://www.anthem.com/medicalpolicies/policies/mp_pw_a053317.htm I hope this helps.

It isn't quite clear from your post which insurance you have. In CA, Blue Cross and Blue Shield are separate health plans. Are you Medi-cal with Blue Cross? HMO with Blue Shield? Once an authorization request is received (provided the required supporting information is all there), in a CA HMO plan, a decision must be made within five business days of receipt. HOWEVER, it can take another few days for your packet to get assembled by your surgeon's office and submitted to the plan. If there is insufficient information submitted for a decision to be made, you will be notified in writing, so don't worry. I hope this helps!

You didn't say what state you're in, nor what kid of health plan you have, but generally speaking, the timeframe a health plan has to process an appeal gives them the time to do a through job of gathering data, including sending records out to a third party MD for review. All this actually works in your favor. In truth, health plans far prefer to resolve appeals in the shortest time possible. Nobody wants a huge queue of work to plow through. Part of the timeframe will be determined by how clear the plan's requirements are for the surgery, and how well the documentation submitted meets those guidelines. This is much simpler for bariatric surgery than many other kinds of procedures with less-specific guidelines. Another factor will be how many appeals your plan is dealing with at the same time. Do what you can to focus on taking care of yourself since the timeframe isn't something you can control. I'm pretty sure you won't be waiting 60 days for an answer. Let us know when you hear back from your health plan, OK?

I wouldn't worry. The policy is that you adhere to the program, not that you lose consistently, or in fact lose at all. I know in five years, I can't remember anyone denied for gaining on a weight loss program. We can't because the policy doesn't stipulate weight loss, only adherence to a program. I hope this makes you feel better.

This is a topic I'm glad to see, because it's something I wonder about. I enjoy a glass of wine (one!) with dinner most nights, if I stay up later, it may be two, maybe three at the outside (I have a non-drinking spouse to drive me home). I have a friend who is 10 months post GBP and she hasn't had any alcohol yet. I have another who is 2.5 years post sleeve and she waited about three months. I don't have a surgery date yet, but I wouldn't plan my first drink for a big holiday dinner or other event - I'd take it slow and see whether the surgery (and also my period of pre and post-op abstinence) had changed my body's response. No sense making a bigger fool of myself in public than I have to

With a BMI of 52, you will qualify in terms of BMI. Call and ask what other requirements need to be met, Your PCP's office will be able to help you with this - that's where you start. The county plan may have other requirements, including assessment by a Registed Dietician and a psychologist. They may require that you follow a plan monitored by either your PCP or the dietician for a period of time. You will need to attend an orientation session and you may have to travel out of county for visits to your surgeon and your surgery. Your PCP will be able to tell you which surgeon(s) are part of your network. The surgeon's office will be able to tell you at which facility they do their surgeries. Yes, some people do get denied, but the most common reason is for low BMI, You won't be. Just follow the requirements and you should be fine. Good luck!

This. Every positive step you take deserves applause. It takes nothing away from your succees today to know that you still have a ways to go. If you were in college and did well on a chemistry exam, would you turn away complements knowing you still had two more semesters to go? A compliment is a sincere effort by someone to acknowledge you. Smile and say thank you. You will be getting lots of practice

The page with the specifics about bariatric surgery won't load, but your member's handbook does say that surgeries (other than emergency) require prior authorization. You don't mention your BMI or any other medical problems you have. What sorts of questions do you have?