sassyfrass23

You're more than welcome @@jenn1 !

I wouldn't mind if my surgeon was that attractive. Maybe then I wouldnt dread the monthly appointments as much. ???? haha!

I had never heard of " Fat Doctor" until I saw it on BP. I found the episodes on You Tube as well and started watching them about a month ago. I like them but I wish he would feature some patients who have had VSG surgery but now I think about it I think he only does bypass surgeries. He is very compassionate and nonjudgmental towards the morbidly obese. Wish there were more of him in the world...

Yes! Compassionate is the perfect word to describe him.

I have seen him do the lap band a handful of times, but primarily the bypass. I wonder if VSG isn't practiced over there yet with how new it is in comparison? Now I'm intrigued.

It certainly did shock me to see him perform the procedures as open surgeries until the 3rd season when he finally switched to laproscopic.

Heyyyyy....didn't even think of that @@wannaBthinsoon ! Good thinkin!

Did you watch them?

I just searched and Netflix didn't pull any results

@@heather5565 maybe! I haven't actually looked though!! Hulu is $8.00 a month and you can upgrade to $11.00 a month for no commercials, if you're interested. Totally worth it and it offers quite a variety from what Netflix does.

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

Sketchy....

I'm so happy for you! Will be praying for a quick and pain free recovery. Please update us as soon as you feel up to it! Seeing all of your preparation post are exciting!

Thanks for reassuring my obsessive phone calls, @@RNYDawn ! And to be honest, I called again last night (gasp!) to inquire about the Psych eval amount I was billed. While on the phone, I figured it was worth asking about the status of my file and if it'd been received yet. The nurse advocate also read off my dang requirements again. I almost want to join in with the reps everytime they do since I practically have them memorized. And because...well...I'm curious... I asked her how SHE perceived the additional 6 month wait. She was flabbergasted. Said that out of all the policies she reviews DAILY, that was the first she'd ever seen. She really couldn't believe it. Much like many of us. She gave me hope in saying that if it's true and required that I could have my surgeon submit an appeal to override the wait. So as the days go on...I honestly do feel a little better about everything. I didn't hear back from Dari today, but hope to by tomorrow or Friday at the latest.

Stay strong! This will all work itself out and for now control the things you can. Be as ready for surgery mentally and physically as you can and it will happen!

Thank you! And yes ma'am. The more time I have to prepare mentally and physically, the better. I actually had a moment of panic last night when I thought about everything I would be giving up for this procedure. I know without a doubt that the mental challenge will be the worst, but I know it will be worth it in the end and that really is all that matters. I have to save my life.

You and me both, @@bellabloom !! I must say that patience isn't my strong suit either.

Thank you, @ ! I certainly do appreciate all the prayers I can get ????

As the initial shock has worn off...I have come to have more at peace with waiting if I have to. That may be another story if I hear later in the week that I FOR SURE have to wait until August. But I'm not allowing myself to panic just yet!

Quick update: Dari emailed me today and said her UHC rep asked that I give them 1-2 days to investigate this whole situation. I'm very grateful that they appear to be taking this seriously and want to give me a FINAL answer rather than guessing like the customer service reps were so quick to do. My file should have been submitted today or will be tomorrow according to what Tonya said yesterday. Progress!

I appreciate all of you talking this out with me and allowing me to rant/obsess/freak out! I'm sure my husband enjoys the break

Junkin! I absolutely love to find old pieces of furniture and repurpose them! Pallets = my obsession! My sister-in-law & I are heavily discussing opening our own "antique/junk" store and I'm tickled pink about it! And also a bit of a geek myself...so I do play a fair amount of video games on my PS4. Had to back off from that a little because I was spending TOO MUCH free time on it. ????

Once I lose my weight and rebuild my stamina, I plan to join the women's soccer league. I played in high school (lettered my freshmen year in a 5A school)...could have and would have received a nice scholarship to a great school but chose puppy love instead. I've kicked myself in the butt for that for many years. So this will be my way of making it up to myself.

Ah crap- it won't let me post the link. If you go to YouTube and type in robotic bypass surgery, I believe it's the second video.

@@Renkoss It's laproscopic but my surgeon sits at the robot to move/control the tools. Like this video:

Gosh...even $35k is more than I could imagine spending

Idk if this makes a difference, but my surgeon will actually perform a robotic surgery on me. Maybe that's where the higher cost comes into play? I'm curious as to what the self pay price would be.

You're my inspiration! I just got excited as if this was my own personal NSV!!! I'm so happy for you!

I hate to hear yours was denied @@jantra12 ! But so glad you can still go through with it.

Unfortunately- self pay for the bypass is not an option for me. $70,000 - $80,000 is just not a realistic expense for me

$70,000 - &80,000? Who in the world is charging $70,000 - $80,000?

My friend had the VSG by the same surgeon at the same hospital and her hospital bill alone came out to $50k. Not including the surgeon or anesthesiologist fees. And she only stayed over night 1 night. With RNY- I'll have to stay a minimum of 2 nights. So I was kind of guessing in that figure which may have been a little more but not too much more I wouldn't imagine?

With that being said- I've wondered how some of these folks I've seen on here get/got VSG for around $11k. Maybe it's based off of location? The hospital I'll be going to was ranked #2 in the state behind mayo. Maybe that has something to do with it?

You'd think they would train these people better. smh.

Right??? One would think....

On the topic of shaving in general, this is a great big non scale victory for me! Since losing all my weight it is a pleasure to shave my legs!

If I wanted to shave my lady bits, I could do that too, just some loose skin in the way but I can see it!

See, look what you all can look forward to!

I can even shave my legs standing in the shower! Who knew life could be so good!

Funny topic though and love all you guys!

What is this nonsense you mention about seeing your lady bits? *gasp* ????

HI, @@Renkoss ! I really hope that Dari's rep will provide exactly what we need to figure everything out. Even if it's not the answer I'm wanting...I'm just ready to know and quit guessing/wondering. I believe the unknown is what bothers me most about all of this. I can't prepare myself mentally. I can't prepare my boss. I can't prepare my family who will be taking off work to stay with me in the hospital those two days and any help I may (hopefully not) need after.

As far as the difference in each patient's insurance, I completely agree! I posed that question to Tonya from the very beginning when I asked her about this waiting period, and she said that she'd never heard of it before. To which my response was "Is this something specific to my individual plan?" But because we never could find it in writing, she didn't think it was true or applied to me. I understand that most reps at insurance companies read what is on their screen with little understanding of the information they're relaying. After all- it would be almost impossible for them to learn and understand each policy. You would still think they'd have a better way of handling all of this to make it less convoluted.

OH! I forgot to mention- when I called last Thursday evening before I posted this original thread, I was told by the second rep I spoke to that night, that I didn't even have bariatric surgery coverage. Talk about your heart dropping to your stomach!!! My dead silence more than likely gave away my shock and disbelief. She basically asked if I was okay after hearing that. I pushed a little and told her that the guy I spoke to right before her confirmed my coverage so how did things change in a matter of minutes?? Which was then when I asked if she was looking at "Bariatric Resources" which is NOT covered and I was already aware of. Yes- she was looking in the wrong section and misinformed me.

Apparently they told Tonya the same thing on Friday. Two out of the four reps told her that. But she was able to confirm on both of those calls that the reps were not looking at the correct information when stating I wasn't covered. Just another example of them not knowing whether to wind their a$$ or scratch their watch

@@Nurse_Lenora yes...they have had HUNDREDS of patients with United Healthcare! But never one with a plan that specifically states this. Which is why they're just as confused as I am. It's all become kind of funny to me. Yes, still stressful and upsetting. But entertaining nonetheless. ????

Second update from today:

As stated above, I reached out to the HR department and requested a copy of the CC. Dari's response was :

"A certificate of coverage just shows that you have coverage under our plan. And you are listed so there is no reason why they would need that because you are already in their system."

Dari is great and I have known her for years and prior to my husband joining that company. I wrote her back and explained in a shorter version of what is going on and how UHC is not providing reliable/consistent answers and that we (surgeon's office & myself) have yet to locate the exact wording of my plan/requirements for Bariatric Surgery to know what is EXACTLY expected of us.

With that, she said she would go straight to her UHC rep who will have the information we are looking for and more definite answers. Dari forwarded my email directly to the rep so we'll wait and see what they have to offer. I feel much better having Dari involved and reaching out to her sources for additional information!

I was so badly hoping that I would be writing the happiest post this morning after talking with Tonya. It's not a terrible update...but more of a confused one, I suppose.

Apparently Tonya spoke with 4 different reps on Friday. One from the Precert Department and the others from the Customer Service department. Tonya explained that neither she or I have been able to locate the 6 month waiting period that is being read off to us on each phone call and are wanting to see it in writing. And of course- no one could provide it for her. So they told her to have me get with my husband's HR department and request a Certificate of Coverage (CC) or Summary Plan Description, which I have done as of a few minutes ago. According to UHC, this "CC" will list the EXACT requirements based off of my specific plan. Tonya went on to say that once they submit my file, if they receive approval on Friday for example, she will call back in with the authorization number and ask if she can go ahead and schedule the surgery or if she has to wait until Summer.

So...still no clear answers. This is frustrating beyond belief. We discussed the SMALL possibility of them trying to get the waiting period waived depending on if Dr. Nguyen can send in a request for it. I'm not too hopeful for this as I don't have any life threatening or major issues going on from my weight. My biggest complaint would probably be weight bearing joint pain. My job requires a ton of walking daily and by the time I get home, my legs are stiff as a board and my ankles/feet swell up like balloons.

Let the waiting game continue...... *sigh*

All thoughts and prayers going out to you sassyfrass23. Hope you hear nothing but good new Monday.

Thank you! I plan to call the office as soon as the doors open tomorrow. I will update soon after!! I feel much better today than I did Friday. In higher hopes I suppose. Trying to keep the "positive thoughts equals positive results" mindset. That really works, right??