acadiamom

Hi everyone! It's so exciting to see us all on the other side now.....although a few of us have experienced some bumps, all in all, it looks like we're doing great. Look at those weight losses!! :wink_smile: My surgeon is pretty conservative about the whole food thing. I'm still on purees until later this week when I'll transition to soft food. I still have no hunger or appetite and have to set timers to eat. How about others? Are you experiencing anything like this? I was banded on the 19th and also had a hernia repair done. The surgeon had a little surprise there....much more extensive than the scans indicated and in a tricky spot...but I'm all "repaired" now! My recovery has been uneventful, although my port incision is still kind of scabby. The pain was pretty minimal. I'm exploring a new form of exercise for the winter....I got a mini-trampoline which should keep me moving when the weather here in the northeast is nasty (like to day when it was 9 degrees!!) Best wishes to all! Let's keep up the great work.....

Hi Harold.....are you ready for tomorrow? That's our big day! I'm on clear liquids all day today....how about you? And as far as the medic alert thing goes, my surgeon recommended getting one. They give their patients a pretty comprehensive booklet on what to expect before, during and after, and this was in the special discharge instructions....there have been some pretty good points made here....the NG tube is a case in point. Good thinking!

Heather, we're all thinking of you today and hope everything went well! I'll be in your shoes tomorrow morning.....like you, I'm ready to be on the banded side of my new, healthier life! Good luck to you and be sure to let yourself rest, recover and walk!

Good for you, sistasassy! These posts from all of you who are "post-band" are really helpful. I go in tomorrow morning for my surgery--and thanks for the warning about the hernia repair....I'm getting that done too! I plan to follow that walk, walk, walk advice......

Yup....tomorrow morning, bright and early.....I can't believe it's finally here! I think my DH is more worried than I am, however.....I'm looking forward to being on the other side...good luck to all of us!

You are in my prayers....I hope this finds you home and ready to begin your new banded life! I'll be right behind you next Wednesday (the 19th)....

Hi Trayrenee...I'll be joining the bandster world on the 19th too! I'd love to buddy up with you. As you do, I have a friend and colleague here at work that was banded a few years ago. She's a wonderful support person....but having someone else who's at the same point would be great!

MT you have a real flair! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your experiences...not because you had some bumps along the way, but for the entertainment value. You have a gift! You also have a wonderful outlook, which I'm sure is going to serve you well in the coming weeks. I'll be joining the world of bandsters on the 19th!

Hi Cappy! I'm just so glad to finally have a date after my insurance hassles that I'm actually enjoying the preop diet...sick, huh? It's feeling good to be losing weight and feeling full after a small amount of food or a protein shake. I think it's going to be good preparation for the real thing. My surgery is on the 19th....coming up FAST now! I'm so ready....:rolleyes2:

Hi there, I have UHC and am scheduled for surgery on the 19th--I'm telling you that right off 'cause that's the good news! The bad news is that it was a struggle with UHC since I did not have a BMI over 40 for 5 years. The first thing you need to do is review your husband's insurance plan booklet (paper or online) and see just what is stated for WLS coverage. I had the standard NIH guideline coverage (BMI 40+ for 5 years or 35+ with any of the listed comorbidities (e.g. diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, etc.). I also had to show evidence of a medically monitored weight loss program.) I had all that and was denied on the first submission. My PCP wrote a letter (actually I wrote it and told them this was to let them see what UHC needed...they ended up using it verbatim) which was filed with my appeal. I was again rejected. At this point I got my corporate advocates group involved, since there was no reason UHC did not approve this request. It's been a fight, but they finally approved the surgery. If you have not yet had a sleep test, you should do so--especially if you don't have any of the standard comorbidities. Keep me posted on how you're doing, and let me know if I can help. If you want a copy of a PCP letter template, I can send it to you if you provide your email address (you can PM me). Be persistent! These insurance companies reward their reviewers for high denial rates!!! There are others on this forum who sailed through with little difficulty....but I think many more have struggled, and not just with UHC. Good luck!

Go to Quick Links (above right) and select Edit Signature. There is a place to enter the HTML code for the weight tracker and any other additions you might have. Just copy the address into the appropriate box and hit upload. It will show you a sample when you're successful. You just repeat for each additional item.

Thanks for sharing this information, Roxy! It's very helpful for those of us whose dates are coming up....mine is the 19th. If I recall some of your earlier posts, you seemed really ready for your surgery....your head was in a good place. I think that's important. I was supposed to have surgery in September and it was delayed d/t insurance problems. At first I was really upset and angry, but I've come to think all things work out for the best. Right now I feel really ready. I've been doing a preop diet and having no issues sticking to it to the letter. My head is just in a good place. Keep us all updated on your progress!! Lisa

Maggies it's so good to see you doing so well after surgery! I'm in the preop diet phase (and happy to be there after all of the insurance hassles I went through!) & doing well. My surgery is on the 19th (2 weeks from today!!!). It must feel wonderful to be in losing mode!! (And I also had to have a sleep test and wondered why--I didn't have sleep apnea, right? Wrong!! And I'm sure that was one of the deciding factors that finally got me approved....) Keep motivating us with your progress! :biggrin:

Hi everyone! Our week is coming up soon....my date is November 19th and like the rest of us, I CAN'T WAIT!!! I've started my preop diet--not that my surgeon required that--but since I had insurance hassles and my original September date got cancelled, you know the story.....I wasn't really watching my diet at all. I've dropped 9 pounds so far having high protein shakes for 2 meals and a reasonable real food meal for the third. Good luck to all of us!!!

I was denied on the first two rounds. My surgeon was the one to contact UHC to see just what they needed. I involved my PCP and had him submit a letter with the information UHC required (I actually wrote the letter as a sample for him--he ended up using it verbatim). I was still denied on appeal. I finally got my corporate advocates people involved and they worked with UHC. I was approved last week and will have surgery on November 19th. It's important to be persistent, but I found that the doctor's office will get more information than they will give to the patient. I have a sample letter from the PCP if you want it--PM me with your email and I'll send it to you. Good luck and don't give up!!!