sunkiss1979

I kept trying to find the ultimate coffee drink that truly satisfies my sugary iced coffee cravings. I tried the caramel Premier Protein shake with a double shot of espresso over ice like a lot of people suggested. It was just meh to me. So earlier this week, I bought a jar of Maxwell House instant Decaf and added some to my caramel shake, mixed well and over ice. It was like the heavens opened up! Oh, so good!! I like a nice strong coffee flavor. I also like the Maxwell House French Vanilla powder - sugar free and Decaf. Strangely, I don't desire hot coffee much at all since surgery. One of those weird things that happens to some of us with no explanation.

It is worth it to do the treatment in order to help qualify for insurance! You may be able to stop using it after significant weight loss. I’ve been using a cpap since Feb when I was diagnosed with severe obstructive apnea. I tried the nose pillow mask and kept feeling like I was going to suffocate. I use the regular nasal mask every night now and have gotten very comfortable with it. I tried switching back to the nasal pillow one, but NOPE! Can’t do that one. Other thing to consider is if you get a sinus cold, it would be nice to have the full face one. They are expensive and my insurance only covered 2 options in the first 6 months. Oh, and as a tip to get you through the compliance, you can put it on and watch tv or read for a while when you’re awake. It doesn’t seem to matter on the usage data on mine!

Hello everyone! I’m beyond excited that it’s finally June! I am 40 yrs old, 5”3” tall. HW 242, SW 236, CW 217. I’m married and have 2 boys ages 7 and 10.

In the last year, I have been diagnosed with hypertension, insulin resistance, obstructive sleep apnea and GERD. I’m currently medicated for all of this including sleeping with a CPAP.

I was approved for RNY May 23rd and I’m scheduled for 5:00 am check in, 7:00 surgery on June 24th. I began the process Jan 8th this year. My instructions are to begin clear liquid diet morning of June 21st and nothing after midnight June 23rd.

I cannot wait for a fighting chance with the tool I need to change my life. I’m ready to commit to a new way to eat and live and to be healthy enough to give my family the very best version of me I can be! Here we go friends!

Oh, and I have to begin clear liquid on June 22nd, then nothing after midnight the night before surgery.

Finally have my date! June 24th baby! This was such a lengthy process and I had I believe 17 appointments total. (Includes psych, labs, EGD, etc, etc.

I’m having RNY. I started this process in January and am sooooo excited to finally have a date to begin the countdown. Wishing everyone luck and very happy to join others on the same journey.

I’m not planning to tell anyone besides my husband right away. He agreed to keep it between us. I’m an open book most of the time, so we’ll see how it goes.

Thankfully, the surgical center I will go to has private rooms. I have been there before with a shoulder surgery and it felt like a resort! Personally, it would be worth the extra expense even if I did have to pay more for a private room. I’m a very private person and it would drive me crazy to deal with someone else’s noises the whole time.

3 hours ago, anonbaribabe said:

My policy also has something similar to this, but this is separate from the supervised diet I had to do. For this I had to list other ways I had tried to lose weight in the past: Weight Watchers, behavior modification, diet/exercise, Beach Body programs, etc. My PCP and I discussed these and then she signed off on it. This was to show failed attempts, but for the supervised diet I was required to lose a certain amount of weight. Your surgeon's office should be able to interpret it for you—I found my patient coordinator through my surgeon was more knowledgeable about these requirements than the insurance customer service reps.

I brought with me a spreadsheet of my last year's daily calories, exercise and weekly weigh-ins. (We have ongoing biggest loser challenges at work with a payout) I also had a whole list of all the diets and methods of attempted weight loss for the past several years. Gahhh... I can't wait to get this ball rolling already!

ETA: I agree, the customer service reps both acted like I was asking something they'd never been asked before.

3 hours ago, WeGettingThere said:

I have a year of document attempts too! I hope you're good to go!

Oh man, I hope so too!!! I'm such a planner and can't wait to start preparing and stockpiling things I'll need later. I gotta reel it in a little bit! LOL! I've been researching and watching videos like a crazy lady.

I'm obsessing over this right now. I've had a first doctor visit Jan 10th and did an overnight oximetry test last night at home. On Jan 29th I have 3 appointments. First is a consult with the surgeon and metabolic testing. Second is a DXA scan and third is a nutrition consult. At the first appointment I had, I expressed my hope to get this done ASAP since my line of work gets extremely busy after March. I called my insurance Co. (Capital Blue/BCBS) and asked two different times to find out if there was a 6 month medically documented weight loss needed and I was told both times that it didn't appear so and that it depends on the surgeon. I feel like it could go either way based on the wording in my policy. This is snipped directly from my policy:

"The patient must have documented failure to respond to >6 months of conservative measures for weight reduction prior to consideration of bariatric surgery, and these attempts must be reviewed by the practitioner prior to seeking approval for the surgical procedure. Some centers require active participation in a formal weight reduction program that includes frequent documentation of weight, dietary regimen, and exercise."

I have almost 2 years of documented weight loss attempts and a whole list of things I've tried. I'm crossing my fingers and toes that it's enough, but won't be shocked if it's not.

I have about 100 to lose for a healthy BMI. I'm going for my first appointment tomorrow and am beyond anxious to get this going. Following this post to see what others have experienced!

You can do it! Good luck!

Thank you for your replies! The good news is that my primary is at the same group practice. I have documented weights for several years but nothing recorded as far as what type of diets, etc. I’m crossing fingers that it could possibly happen before May. If not then, I’ll have to wait until winter because of my job. I wish I’d have started the process sooner, but I’m happy to get on the right path anyway!

Oops... would help if I post the wording. Ha

"The patient must have documented failure to respond to >6 months of conservative measures for weight reduction prior to consideration of bariatric surgery, and these attempts must be reviewed by the practitioner prior to seeking approval for the surgical procedure. Some centers require active participation in a formal weight reduction program that includes frequent documentation of weight, dietary regimen, and exercise."

Hello! I was just wondering if the following wording from my insurance policy would suggest that the 6 months of documented weight loss attempts can be my own record keeping? I have over 12 months of my weight loss/gain tracking. I'm sure it's been asked 42354877925 times, but hoping someone will know. I have attended a required seminar and have my first appointment on Thursday. I have been scouring the internet for months and am so ready to get this ball rolling!