Allison4283

Hey there! I am in the same boat as you are. I am a single mom and I have my first appointment this coming Friday. I am so excited, but scared and nervous about the insurance requirements-I am hoping that the nurses will have some good news regarding the vague info that the insurance company has provided. In the meantime, I have just been going through all the posts on here soaking up knowledge on every topic that I can find. There is a lot of great info here! Good luck with your journey!

Congrats!! You look great! I wish you luck on the rest of your journey!

Congrats!! You look great! I wish you luck on the rest of your journey!

Well what an awesome 3 months it has been for me. I know that deciding to have the VSG surgery was one of the best decisions I have ever made, and the very best decision for my heath.
I will list a few of my stats below since I haven't done this at 1 & 2 months. I haven't measured yet, but as soon as I do, I will update that also.
But first, I want to say Thank You for this online community. The challenges, check-in's and conversations with people really help in all of our goals! We might be able to do this on our own without BP, but it sure makes it easier to read that others are going through the same things you are! Many Thanks!!
Heighest Weight: 325.0
Pre-Op Weight: 303.8
Surgery Weight: 288.
Today's Weight 235.4
That makes a total of:
89.6 pounds lost since my highest
68.4 pounds lost since pre-op diet
52.6 pounds lost since surgery
I have also lost a total of 60 inches total!
My sizes are:
Shirt: down from a 3-4X to a 1X (Close to a large)
Pants: down from a 26 to 16
Shoes: down from a 9 to 8.5 (so strange to me!!
I am beyond thrilled with my progress and hope I can do at least HALF this good in the next three months!!
Attached are pictures of my in the fall of 2015 and just last week at work.

My sleeve was done 2/1 at St. Thomas Midtown (Baptist) by Dr. Morton. The psych dr said in all his yrs of practice Dr. Morton has had zero leaks! I also called the nurses on the floor to see what they had to say and they all said Morton! When are you planning on diving in?

So Excited, had my first consultation with my surgeon today . He was great and office staff really made me feel at ease .. They seem to know exactly what the insurance company ( AETNA) will look for and it appears they will walk me through every step of the way .... 90 days ..a bunch of appointments and ....wait for it......Remove most of my stomach and that awful hormone that makes me so very hungry!! Hello new me!

Hi there! I live in Nashville. I'm new to the site and just found this thread full of advice! Hope all you guys who sleeved in December are doing well! I just began my journey and I'm waiting on my first visit with St. Thomas Bariatrics in a few weeks. But, I am having a hard time finding reviews of people who have used St. Thomas. Who have you guys chosen, and why?
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Would you hesitate to get knee replacement if you needed it? The mortality rate for WLS is lower than knee replacement.

Hello,
I would call your insurance co. again and get specifics. Be sure to tell them it's for bariatric surgery. The rules are sometimes different depending on the procedure. Mine used to be 3 months but went to 6 months by the time I decided to go through with it. If you already have a dr. they might know as well. My surgeons office was very well informed and helped me alot. Sometimes you need to call the insurance co. several times before you get someone that really knows the correct info too! Make sure you get names and reference numbers from your call in case you need to refer back to the info you were told -very important! Good luck!
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I can understand your frustration. Perhaps you can also try contacting others in your area who have had weight loss surgery to see if another company offering insurance there has less stringent requirements, and see if you can switch insurance?

It does NOT say consecutive. The wording specifically says: "Participant has complied for at least 12 months within the 15 month period prior to the scheduled surgery in such a program, which is documented in the medical record by the attending physician who supervised the Participant's participation at each visit" Kinda sounds a little off.... So I think my next step will be to gather my records from office visits in the past 15 months. I was in a program for several months that monitored my diet and exercise, but she was not a physician. Thanks for the info!

Mine was $17500 in Nashville which included the surgeon, anesthesia, and hospital fees, as well as pre op labs, and a few post op visits.

It does NOT say consecutive. The wording specifically says: "Participant has complied for at least 12 months within the 15 month period prior to the scheduled surgery in such a program, which is documented in the medical record by the attending physician who supervised the Participant's participation at each visit" Kinda sounds a little off.... So I think my next step will be to gather my records from office visits in the past 15 months. I was in a program for several months that monitored my diet and exercise, but she was not a physician. Thanks for the info!

Hi everyone! I am new and SO glad I found this site! I have already gained so much knowledge reading through the forums.
So. I got really excited because the company I work for added the bariatric surgery benefit to my coverage this year. However, they require a TWELVE MONTH supervised preoperative weight loss program. I have been overweight since elementary school. I have tried almost every diet known to man. I lose weight, then gain it all back-PLUS MORE! I have been researching bariatric surgery for years, so I expected a 3 to 6 month required diet. I just wasn't expecting a year. Has anyone else had this as a requirement and somehow got the time frame shortened? My BMI is in the 60's and I have comorbidities of sleep apnea, and I am borderline diabetic. My medical records show a steady increase of weight over the past 11 years. Help!

Check the wording. Does it have to be 12 months of 'consecutive' visits. Your PCP should be able to put together a list of all your attempts and the meds that were prescribed. Mine doesn't say consecutive so I was able to have the doctor list all my attempts and my weight at each visit. That was enough -and- by the time you finish all the appmts and get a surgery date you should have at least two-three months at your bariatric doctors' nutritionist. See, how that makes things a little better.
Don't mind if people tell you to 'use that time to get educated'. As if you're not reading everything you can get your hands on.... It's your journey. If you want it now you want it now.

I'm 3 weeks and a few days out! The picture on left is me the 1st day of liquid diet and the second is a few days ago. I'm at a plateau with me weight loss, losing very little or no weight for the last 4 or 5 days. I'm down almost 40 pounds though! Life since surgery has sucked, it's been full of nauseousness, sensitive stomach & smell, not wanting to eat, being uncomfortable, & pain. But at least I'm losing weight & getting closer to being healthy.