sassyfrass23

I started a tattoo on my shoulder in honor of my daddy who passed away. I want to finish the tattoo with a half sleeve but have been entirely too self-conscious to do so at my current size. Along with that self-conscious mind set, I have wanted to get my hair cut SHORT in a pixie style. I searched for ideas last night and am beside myself with anticipation/excitement. I've always used my hair as a camouflage so I'm ready to chop her off and rock a more sassy style!

Thank you, @@MsB7 ! Hopefully I will be updating next week with a March (fingers crossed) surgery date!! And thank you as well, @@shrinkingkimber !! It's been an eventful/entertaining story nonetheless. One I'm glad to see coming to a sweet, sweet end! Where are you in the process? Pre or post op??

@@Chioni.RNY my plan originally stated that I had to complete my 6 months of motivated weight loss, get approved and then I had to schedule my surgery 6 months from my approval date. So it was going to make my process a 1+ year long. Luckily my husband's HR department was very willing to work with their UHC rep and figure out what was actually expected of me. After I posted my response to @@Djmohr earlier, the HR department emailed me back and said I DON'T have to wait any longer and can go on the books as soon as my surgeon's office wants to put me there woo hoo! It's still been almost 9 months since I began :|

Not yet, @@Rolla6 ! I was hoping for March, but I actually believe it will end up being in early April.

@Dmjohr thank you! I was having a hard time believing that it would happen, but boy am I grateful! No date yet. I will have to finish out my 6 month "wait" which started from the time I first inquired about my benefits. So that puts me at having an April date. I would have preferred March but this will do no complaints from me! I will post my date as soon as I get it! I go see Dr. Nguyen again next week so I should receive a date then

You just made me feel 10x better!!

@@Chioni.RNY thank you! I can't wait to officially be on the other side. It's been a long time coming!! And congrats on your progress thus far! Those are impressive/inspiring numbers! Just curious- how long did you have surgery after you received your approval? I'm hoping for a March date. I go see my surgeon next week so I should get on the books then! Thanks so much, @@James Marusek!! I'm tickled pink

You're more than welcome @@hollybower ! It can be a discouraging process at times. But it is so worth it. I experienced a few other hiccups along the way so to say my approval was a total surprise is an understatement. I tried to remain as positive/hopeful as possible, but a little part of me was so sure I'd at least be denied and forced into an appeal or peer to peer process. Good luck on your journey and don't be afraid to reach out on this site! Lots of smart folks with terrific advice

I can't even explain the relief I feel. I knew I was stressing..but didn't realize just how much

Ladiessss! I have officially been approved! I'm still in total shock but so glad it's FOR SURE this time! My file was submitted last Friday so I was approved in 2 business days which totally surprised me! I am so stinkin excited. @@RNYDawn isn't your date soon??? Please keep us posted on your progress. I'm tickled pink for you and @@Nurse_Lenora ! @@Renkoss thank you so much! And yes- I believe the time at the end seemed to slow down drastically for me as well. Your appointments will be here and gone before you know it! Our surgery dates may be fairly close I will definitely be sending prayers your way as you await the decision from insurance! Let me know how it all goes for you

@@Rolla6 I dropped below 40 for 1 month. But...I just found out tonight that I was approved, so apparently they didn't penalize me for that. Thank God. I was definitely worried..

@@taweedeegirl did you fall below your BMI before papers were submitted??

How exciting! Congratulations I'm currently waiting to hear back from insurance. If approved, I hope to be on the loser's bench by the end of March! The wait is killing me..

@@taweedeegirl thanks! Lol. I'm all about taking care of business. Even if it means badgering people

u have to be on ur surgeons office hard cause they be slacking when it comes to certain things I emailed my benefits coordinator right after that call. I would like to think they AREN'T lying about when they submitted it...but I'm a bit suspicious. So now I've made it a point to let them know that I am monitoring this part of the process closely. I have my next appointment on the 24th and was hoping to have approval by then so we can schedule my surgery and get this show on the freakin road. I've been working on this since June of 2015....... ....so I'm ready to have an answer and get on with my NEW life already.

My file was submitted last Friday and I called UHC tonight to verify that they'd received it. According to the rep I spoke with, they still don't see it in their system.

Yay!! So happy to hear you're on the mend

I'm dying to hear how everything went. I hope you're resting well!

In preparing for surgery, every evening consists of research for me. Whether it be browsing threads on BP, watching videos on YouTube (actual surgeries & success stories, etc) , following WLS people on Instagram for meal and excercise ideas, watching My 600 lb Life, and now Fat Doctor. I just have to say- Fat Doctor hits home the most for me. Dr. Summers is my favorite part of it all! His outlook on obese patients is heartfelt. I absolutely love to listen to him talk about the obese and what contributed to their weight gain. He also discusses how society views "fat people" and the prejudice they experience. Fat shaming is a real thing and I know we have all experienced it on at least one occasion. I guess I respect this doctor more because I have been to doctors who chalked excercise and dieting up to being a cake walk and not understanding my lack of success or believing that I was fully dedicated to the program. I have PCOS and while I don't blame it 100% for my weight, it does play a significant role in my inability to lose weight. My younger brother who pitches in the minor league (very fit & healthy) thought something similar about me and my efforts. So when he was home in the off season last year, we walked every morning, went grocery shopping and cooked together (meal prepped for the entire week). He quickly realized that my body did not react to clean eating and excercise like it should and changed his entire perception. For the record, he was always loving and never disrespectful when addressing my weight. He just thought that I did not know how to determine exactly what my body needed to succeed. So, it's nice to see that Summers recognizes that there are multiple factors. I highly recommend this show to everyone! I watch it on Hulu and I'm on season 3 out of...6 I believe? It truly does show the good, the bad and the ugly (and I mean...the UGLY). It's filmed in England so it took me a quick second to get used to "stones" over "pounds." Oh....and it doesn't hurt that Dr. Summers is nice on the eyes

You look incredible!! And so much younger! Cute hair as well! When I lose weight and am less self-conscious of my double chick and FAT neck (lol) I hope to go super short with my hair! I've wanted to for many years but couldn't bring myself to do so quite yet.

They're working on this. Mine vanished as well.

It's a separate show called Skin Tight. It's about people who have lost a lot of weight having skin removal surgery. Ahhh...that makes sense. I haven't watched any of the Skin Tight episodes yet.

Wow. Apparently I have not seen any of the episodes where those surgeries were performed. That's shocking.

Eeeek!!! Can't wait to hear back from you after all has finished and you're officially one of "THEM!" (Loser's bench team). Prayers for a speedy recovery, minimal gas pains and a healthier life. You got this! Hopefully I'm not far behind you

@@JamieLogical and @@OutsideMatchInside what is Dr. Now doing other than apron removals? I was only able to watch 1 season on Hulu.