anniebanana

My insurance (Premera Blue Cross) would not waive the requirement...and I actually submitted it trying to get them to do so. It must be with a doctor or medical office, at least in my case.

My first appointment was 10/31/15. My surgery is 7/5/16. I had a 6 month insurance mandated waiting period, but because the NUTs were completely booked in November 2015, insurance didn't start counting the months until December

I have been using phentermine on and off since about January. I was originally on Qsymia, at my request, but had to go off of them after one day (really bad side effects). My new doctor was comfortable prescribing the phentermine, and it is effective at controlling appetite. The problem is that you can really only stay on it for 3 week stretches because that's about the time the side effects kick in...but that was enough for me to lose the weight I needed and I have kept it off. Good luck!

Good luck with yours...mine is June 22nd, so I can't give you any tips. Just based on what I've read, make sure you have lots of Tylenol handy when you're on the liquid diet

Don't confuse a required weight loss with a supervised monitoring. My insurance (Premera BCBS) did not require that I lose weight, but they did require 6 months of supervised visits with a doctor. Your surgeon will likely have a whole list of requirements, including some or all of the following: nutrition visits, psych eval, lots and lots of bloodwork, endoscopy, sleep study, and visits with a cardiologist and/or anesthesiologist...plus the pre surgery diet which is often 2 weeks. If you happen to test positive for h pylori, that is another delay. You surgeon will likely have other surgeries booked out for a couple of months. Maybe you have a plan and a surgeon that doesn't have all of those requirements, but it seems unlikely. I started back in October and am just now getting to surgery this month, and my journey was a smooth one with no setbacks. Also, even if you only need a week to recover from the actual surgery, I've heard so many people talk about their lack of energy for several weeks after the surgery. That's good advice above...try to plan it for one of your long school breaks rather than rush it. You need to be prepared physically and mentally. Best wishes to you on your journey

I agree with @@hazelzay no aspirin or ibuprofen or naproxen, but Tylenol is ok according to my surgeon.

You're so close! Hang in there!!!

If your insurance requires a referral from a PCP, you also might try working backwards and contact your local bariatric center and ask them for names of local doctors who are supportive of WLS. If they can't give you names, ask if they have a support group, and check with the people within the group. Good luck!

The surgery might get canceled/postponed. I know of several cases in our program where surgeries have been because of it. It's not punitive...it's just that the pre-surgery diet causes your liver to shrink, which makes the surgery safer. I have no idea how I'm going to do when it's my turn. I get horrible headaches when I don't eat! Good luck!

Yes, I did the at home study and it was awful. The strap came off at one point. I actually spent half the night awake in a recliner. To my shock and horror, they said I have very mild sleep apnea, and now I will have to use the machine for at least the next 3 months for insurance to pay for it. It's very hard to adjust to wearing this mask at night, and my one restful sleep is now disrupted by this mask. The things we have to go through for the surgery!

Me too, Mary! My son's graduation is on 6/10, and we actually have to drive to another state for it (we moved just before the school year ended! I am seriously considering rescheduling the surgery for a couple of weeks later. I don't want to sit through the graduation with the killer headache that I know I'm going to get after starting the pre-op diet on 6/8 for a 6/22 surgery. Not to mention, we are supposed to move into a new house on 6/30. I thought I'd timed this well with avoiding the holidays and all our birthdays...not so much

@@jenc427 Definitely! I know that it's going to suck for a couple of months at least. As much as I want to encourage you to move forward with surgery, you have to get to that place on your own. I was approved for surgery back in 2011, and I freaked out at the last minute. I hired a personal trainer who put me on a meal plan and workout regimen and I lost a lot of weight. I was ECSTATIC and thought I'd dodged a bullet by not having surgery. But I was still about 50 pounds overweight and putting my body through a LOT to get there. I ended up breaking 3 toes and had to stop the 10 hours of weekly workouts, and the weight came back on so fast Even when I tried to get back with the program, it wouldn't come off. So here I am, 5 years later, back where I started. My body is so incredibly achy. I tore a meniscus in my knee and had surgery but the recovery is slow and it still aches all the time. My bones and joints are sore from carrying all this weight around. Still, I am afraid of surgery, but I know that if I don't take drastic measures, I am not going to have much enjoyment in my life with the way I feel right now!

I am 51, and the excess weight is really impacting my life now in a way that it didn't when I was younger. I changed primary doctors and my new doc spelled out the statistics for me, and they are not in our favor when trying to use diet and exercise to lose weight AND keep it off. The statistics after WLS are so much more promising and your odds of success are much greater. I am scheduled for surgery 6/22 and of course am nervous about how different my life will be, but I know without the surgery I am going to continue to have serious health issues. It's a process for each of us to get there mentally. Good luck on your journey

I am so thankful we don't have to do an all liquid diet in our program! It's going to be hard enough doing 3 shakes and a Lean Cuisine type meal for 2 weeks!

It must be normal. My surgery is 6/22, and I am doing the exact same thing. I follow a support group on Facebook and all these people do is complain about one thing or another. I feel like it's better to prepare myself mentally for the negative aspects of this surgery that are bound to happen (based on what I hear nearly every WLS patient say.) I'm not quite sure how to mentally prepare for the grief that is bound to come when I can't turn to food (or coffee) for comfort anymore. I totally understand the "feeling normal" comment. I know that, at least for me, without the surgery I am facing so many health issues as a result of the excess weight, and that there are so many people who would give anything for this opportunity. I have to put my faith in my surgeon and just hope I'm not on a Facebook group complaining in 2 months lol

@@evelaine Oh my gosh I'll count my blessings then!

Good luck to you both!

Why does everyone that I share my WLS plans with feel the need to tell me about their friend/family member/co-worker/random person's horrible experience with the surgery? I can't imagine what they must be thinking to feel the need to mention that. As if it isn't nerve wracking already! Either that, or they decide to share a diet idea that worked for them. I haven't told many people, which makes it all the more frustrating, as these are people who I am close to. Does anyone else encounter this, and, if so, any suggestions on how you handle this situation?

@@evelaine You are beginning a week of shakes ONLY? Yikes!! They don't do that at the hospital where I am having surgery! 2 weeks of 3 shakes, one Lean Cuisine type meal daily.

Same here! The hospital's support group that I am a part of is very pro-bypass, so that doesn't help! I had an ER doctor a couple of years ago tell me that if I'd had bypass surgery, he would not be able to treat me. I'm not sure how the topic even came up, but that really freaked me out! What happens if you have an emergency and the facility you are taken to does not have a bariatric surgeon?

It's just nerves I'm sure...surgery is less than a month out, and just want to make sure I've thought of everything! Thanks for your input!

I've had my mind made up (or so I thought) on sleeve surgery since the beginning of my journey back in October 2015, but now I am having second thoughts. The first medical facility I was working with really pushed the sleeve. I had to move to a new state in the middle of the 6 month workup, and my new surgeon keeps emphasizing that bypass is "the gold standard," and, while he thinks my weight loss will be comparable with both surgeries, he really seems to feel that bypass is a better choice. Now I'm second guessing my decision. Thoughts?

I had my final visit Tuesday 5/24 and insurance approved the surgery 5/26! My insurance coordinator said that was record time! Premera Blue Cross. I am in Washington state.

Having my surgery in Bellevue, Washington on June 22nd!

Have you tried EAS AdvantEdge RTD? They are not as thick as some others. strawberry reminds me of strawberry Quik chocolate Fudge is like YooHoo Cafe Caramel tastes like iced coffee. Just keep trying different shakes till you find what you like, everyone's tastes are different. What about Dannon Light & Fit Greek yogurt? Yogurt counted as a liquid on my program, or even Protein puddings. Where can I find these? I had someone in my support group say the same thing, but I have been unable to find these in shake form (I can only find the Protein powder.)