justhere4theshow

My thoughts exactly!

Normally those are comorbidities that require unsuccessful treatment attempts, but your insurance may not require that. Call your insurance company and ask for the requirements. They will probably just read it to you from your policy documents, but it's a good place to start. Doctors may be able to influence their decision if it's "iffy". Good luck!!!

I don't see why they wouldn't do surgery the Friday before a holiday Unless your surgeon is taking time off, of course. I hope you get a quick approval!! Good Luck!!

I had the exact same type of experience. My insurance was pre-authorized and told me AND the bariatric clinic that I had to have six months of pre-op appointments along with all of the other standard hoops to jump through in the meantime (nutrition classes, psych eval, upper endoscopy, classes about how to exercise properly, bloodwork, etc) At my third appointment with the bariatric nurse practitioner, I had completed everything. She told me that she thought BCBS was wrong about requiring me to have three more months of weigh-ins, and she made a phone call. I didn't even get excited about it, because I figured I would have to wait three more months after all, and I didn't want to get my hopes up. It was the end of the day, so I didn't wait around to hear if she got anywhere with BCBS; she said she would let me know. Two days later, an insurance rep at the hospital calls me and says "we need to collect your facility fee of $275 for your upcoming surgery". I said that's fine (still thinking it would be three months later)...But, when the rep gave me the confirmation of the payment, she then said "I'll contact your surgeon and let them know you're ready to go!" I asked exactly what that meant; "Ready to go when?"...and she said the magic words: "Your surgeon can schedule an OR for you as soon as you can do your pre-op diet." Still confused, I asked if she was talking about September/October...nope! I was in the OR two WEEKS later. Turns out my policy requires six months for bypass, but only three months for sleeve. So, it pays to have someone from your surgeon/program to help you with insurance requirements. If she hadn't double checked, I wouldn't even have had my surgery yet. So even though my recovery has been a comedy of errors (on my part), and I am losing slowly, I am glad she made that call to BCBS to get me ahead three months!

I think it's just surprising to me that my tastes have changed so much. I think I just lost my "obsession" with salad. Wow. It was the only healthy habit I had before surgery, haha...but I have also lost my taste for bacon, and I am now in love with melon of any kind. Before surgery I wouldn't have eaten cantaloupe or honeydew unless I was being held captive and that is all I had. Now I am in love with honeydew! I think what I have learned is that if I am not passionate about it and/or it isn't good for me, then it's just not a part of the way I eat anymore. Interesting. I am so grateful for this tool. It has helped me to make changes I never thought possible.

I chose the sleeve with my surgeon's guidance. I take a lot of meds, and I have a history of inflammatory bowel issues. It's not bothering me now, but could in the future. So, I didn't want malabsorption because of meds, and my surgeon said it would be better to leave my intestines alone. Sometimes there is no one deciding factor if you're young and have no co-morbidities, so it comes down to preference. Do lots of research from sources who have no vested interest in your decision. If you still can't decide, maybe your surgeon would have you lean more in one direction than the other based on your medical history and circumstances. Best wishes on your journey!!

I was dying for a salad for sooooo long. I hadn't had one since before mother's day (my last day before I started pre-op liquids). I thought I would never be the same without salad. I have been doing pretty well with most everything I have had a taste for thus far, and tonight I got up the nerve to have a salad. Hubby wanted hot wings from Zaxby's, so I ordered a side salad and a single chicken finger. I cut up the chicken finger and ate it first. I had room for three bites (small bites) of salad, and then I was just completely disappointed. I don't care for it because it seems so empty and useless. And now I am hungry after about an hour. Has anyone else concluded that salad is just a waste of our time or do you still enjoy it? I would rather single out a couple of my favorite veggies and have that with my protein. The lettuce is just not useful. Although I think I will try some baby spinach next time and see if it's better. What are your thoughts on salad?

@@JazzyV it is very overwhelming. For me, I think it was one of the hardest things I had ever done related to my eating habits and relationship with food in general. It helps so much to find out how tough you are as you go along in the process.

Eggs are tough for some people for a while. I still can't bring myself to even try an egg and I am almost 3 months out. You seem like you're getting a good handle on things; I hope it gets better every day!

Follow your doctor's order first, always. I have been taking about 8 pills in the morning and about 10 at night. I take them all together with a sip or two of a protein shake. No pain, just nausea that lasts about 2 minutes and then passes...my surgeon said I could take capsules and smaller coated tablets from day one, but anything big or chalky needed to be crushed and mixed with yogurt (thinned with milk) I have none that fit that description, and have done fine since right after surgery. My doc recommended the sleeve because I take so many meds; the bypass would affect absorption. This is just my experience. Always be safe and follow the rules from your doc

It will be a distant memory soon...I am so sorry; I hated my liquid phase. The only thing I can really say is that it will be worth it!

I agree that this behavior is dangerous and should not be validated. BUT, it's not a reason to talk about someone like they aren't present. That was incredibly rude. We'd all be of more assistance to each other if we deal with facts, not emotions. Yeah, it pisses me off to see someone squander a chance like this, when they can achieve better health and move away from self-destructive behavior, and then willingly choose to be non-compliant, but I don't think it helps to express that rudely every time I read something on here that I don't like or agree with. Why does everyone feel the need to be judge, jury and executioner? State the facts and leave it alone. We are not doctors and we are certainly not responsible for anyone but ourselves, so to get all shocked and act like that diminishes your credibility. These things happen. Edited for clarity.

I was sleeved 5/23/16, and I was on liquids for 2 weeks prior to surgery and 3 weeks post op. I thought I would lose my mind, but I didn't and now I barely remember it. Just keep reminding yourself of the trauma that your stomach went through, and it needs TLC for a bit. It takes a while for swelling to go down. Lots of healing going on. You will get through it, and it's so worth it. Seems like a small bump in the road now that I look back on it. Hang in there; you'll be advancing your diet soon enough. I know it seems like forever!

@@serenaud, I am perimenopausal and plan to ask my doctor about it for sure. It has gotten better, but I generally lose weight everytime it gets bad, so I am learning to roll with it. I religiously take my vitamins and hit my protein goals every day, but I do have to limit my carbs or I don't lose. I have hotly debated this issue with my NUT, and she finally agreed to let me go low carb with her blessing because I am painfully aware of my body's low tolerance for carbs. I do eat fruit daily, so I get some. I can't eat anything white or heavily processed. I am finally getting into a good groove, so I probably won't worry about it as much as I did when I first posted this. Thank you for taking the time to post a response! I am grateful for the support I have received here!

My stomach didn't hurt. My incisions had minimal pain; like @@higher I just felt soreness, really. The larger incision where they took out my stomach was the only one that really hurt at all. I am one of the unlucky ones who had a good bit of nausea, though. I never threw up, but I wanted to at times. But they have really good meds to turn that around if you have it. Mine kind of held on for a while, but it got better each day. I had to experiment with temperature to be able to get my Water down. I had to drink it not as cold as I like for the first couple of weeks, since the ice cold water made the nausea come around. Happily, I am back to my beloved ice-water. I had better luck with broth right after my surgery; the Protein drinks were too sweet at first. I also hated the Protein powder that I had used with great success prior to surgery. My tastes changed somewhat after surgery. I no longer like bacon, which surprised me a little. I love melon of all kinds now, and i never really did before. Everyone is different, but these are a few of my experiences. Walk as much as you can as soon as you can--that's one thing that holds true for everyone. It will help your soreness and the gas. Plus it helps prevent blood clots. Best wishes, and don't be too nervous. You can do it!

Dirty *****!!!! That was w h o r e. OMG I am dying...stop it before I get a girl crush on you!!!

LOL, I just had to tell her! Those are some good lookin' results!

@@LipstickLady This is totally irrelevant, but I just saw your pics (on your older post from the thread that shall not be named) and, I just have to tell you: You. Are. STUNNING.

It's a personal thing, and I think everybody has their own comfort level with telling others. We all have our reasons to tell or not tell, and I think it's completely fine to do what is best for your situation. We don't owe anyone any explanations.

I told EVERYBODY, because I wanted them to know that I wasn't going to accept my obesity any longer. They all knew I had tried for two years to do it alone...So I was excited for a solution.

Oh gosh, I forget my iron all the time...I'm glad you mentioned it!

I understand. It's kind of weird, but I often try to imagine what some of the ladies must eat...when they eat ice cream or something else on the show, I wonder if it makes them crazy to eat that way even for one moment. I wonder if they have to work really hard to stay so thin. So I kind of look at a lot of people on TV and wonder if it's harder for some than others. It's about me, not them. I am kind of screwed up about my weight and other people's too.

My surgeon must have done the dye test while I was still "under". I am so grateful!! @@KristenLe, I hope you get your surgery date soon! I know you have done your homework and helped a lot of people...I know you are ready!

Please don't get me wrong--I truly admire him and everything he has been through. I don't just see him as the gastric bypass guy; I truly appreciate what he has shared that may have helped many people. I like his affect, his sense of humor, and I only thought about not seeing him eat because they do have unhealthy foods quite often on the show. I think it's great that he seems to know very well what works for him, and he can choose how he wants to feed his body regardless of who might be watching. He's kind of one of my heroes...and I do see more than the surgery when I look at him.

How funny! I have never seen him eat on the air, either. I read an article about him in a magazine a couple of years ago, where he confessed that he pooped his pants at the White House!! Poor guy, what a trooper. I suspect it must have been somewhat soon after his surgery, or he experienced dumping. I really admire him for the success he has had after his surgery, and I love that he was so real about his experience in that article.