brittu

I'm a freezy girl too. Exercise really helps warm me up for several hours. I love my hot Water bottle and fluffy socks too. Britt

Chewable benadryl worked wonders for me. I always get itch with narcotics. Britt

I found some really cute little white Corelle dishes at the local Fred Meyer. Little tiny bowls, some cute square plates, etc. Grown up looking dishes that match what my family eats off. Britt

If you're past clears almost anything can be blended and watered down. I had wonderful chicken tortilla Soup blended. And when I got to mushies I had blended chicken Pasta in a restaurant and even a teriyaki hamburger. I was really creative :-). Britt

Hernia repair works well too. When I've said stomach surgery not a single person has asked me what or why. Go figure. I don't think you'll have too much trouble keeping it simple. And then change the topic :-). As for why you're losing weight the honest reason is because you'll be dieting (or cutting portion size) and exercising. The sleeve is just your helper, not actually what makes you lose weight. My husband is pretty private and didn't want me to tell anyone (which annoyed me because it's my choice, not his). But it's been pretty easy to not disclose in a way that keeps me honest. I have explained in greater detail if I thought a "teaching opportunity" was necessary - like the person was biased or I could tell they were considering WLS. Britt

I was sleeved by Dr. Aceves last week and was totally impressed (it was my 7th abdominal surgery so I had a little experience for comparison). My husband and I decided it was actually a blessing that I lost my insurance battle and had to self-pay. My surgeon here is great but I think Dr. Aceves is better. I loved the fact that I had a spinal instead of just a general. I've had absolutely no pain. I also liked being in the hospital for 3 days. I couldn't imagine going home the same day like my doctor here does. The care was fantastic as is the follow up. I had a year to do research and I couldn't ever find a negative thing about Dr. Aceves. For me, it was well worth it. Britt

Oh I soooo understand. I was just sleeved with Dr. Aceves last week and right up until they were pushing the medication in in the OR I wondered if I'd wake up. And of course I did :-). It was my 8th abdominal surgery so I've gone through that fear with each surgery except for the c-section because I was still awake. I actually get so scared that I write a "just in case" letter to my family. So I'm kinda way over the top when it comes to anesthesia fear. It all went well though. I had a spinal too which was amazing - never once felt pain in the entire week since the surgery. And I'm not hungry either which has made the liquid diet far easier than I'd imagined. Congratulations on your plan, you'll be happy you did it. And when you wake up in the recovery room you'll be just like me, wondering why you were so worried. Britt

Count me in! I'm flying to San Diego on Tuesday with surgery scheduled for this Wednesday the 9th. I'm a band to sleeve revision (my band was removed in October). I was almost at goal when my band went kaplooey and I regained all of my weight while fighting the insurance denial. I'm just planning to let that go and be excited about returning to the wonderful world of restriction. Scared and excited both... Britt Anyone with new dates should copy this post and add their name to it..... For those who have had it already, I hope it all went well... for those of us soon to...I wish you all the best of luck, and may everyones recovery be smooth and without problems. 1 ? Laurel80, Willbesexyboytoy 2 ? Kat1018, Gardinerwife, Nannieg 3- Lessofme2010, Steve-0 4 ? Dsarg1 5 ? 4meandmygirls, Rollermom 6 7 Kimber29 8 ? Avilda, NadiaLinISgoing2beThin, Texaschick,Mommyof4 9 ? Zephra, Tlynnles, Determined, Terry Frances, Brittu 10 ? Sparkle, Nsalex75 11 ? Ntvtxn, Ads, CGshrink 12 13 14 ? BandMomsRock, Lotusflwr80 15 ? Chellebelle0880, Delawaregal, Sam30204, Syry180, Sunnyinaz, Bigkahuna, Cottoneye 16 17 ? Jenni80, Bryan2088 18 19 TDL 20 21 ? Jdavid, Asiancajunmom, Kalex21211, Songbirdkay, Dixienorco 22 Educationrulz, Anniegg 23 - Swany 24 25 26 27 28 ? CurvyJudy, Forcarolynk, MP8BTPC 29 Beentherewasthat 30 ? Greenize,

My band slipped. I tried an unfill for 6 weeks. Any time it was filled I got dilation again. I had to have it removed and am revising to a sleeve this week. I realized that, even though it worked and I lost weight, it didn't feel great. food getting stuck, sliming, even just normal eating wasn't too pleasant. So my doctor recommended the sleeve and after some reasearch I decided that was the way I wanted to go. Time will tell I guess. I'm not looking forward to another surgery but I'll be happy to have restriction again. Britt

I'm heading down to have a sleeve with Dr. Aceves this week. I've heard nothing but good things about him. Hope you get the info you need as you make your decision. Britt

Federal BCBS covers VSG as of 2009. But since each state has a different administrator some can be behind the current policy. If it helps, I included a bunch of info on the 22 approvals I found for Fed BCBS and other research on a blog. My Revision Appeal: From Lap Band to VSG Britt

Medicare and many insurance companies cover appeal with out any requirement but failure of the first procedure. And the policy of the ASMBS (American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons) says the same thing. If it helps, I posted my lastest appeal letter containing my research on revision coverage at: My Revision Appeal: From Lap Band to VSG Britt

Wow, a spinal sounds great. It sure helped with my c-section. Another reason why I prefer Aceves if I have to self-pay. I also like that he oversews - to me that seems much more likely to prevent leaks than just a staple line. Actually, I'm wondering if I shouldn't just go with him anyway. I'm scheduled for Saturday but the OPM is reconsidering my appeal this week. My life would be easier if they'd just call and tell me flat out "no" today so I can get this done and move on. The 7 months of waiting for an answer day after day after day is killing me. Britt

If it helps, I've posted all my appeal letters on a blog site. I was able to convince Regence that VSG is not investigational. Now I'm just fighting to get them agree I don't have to regain all my weight before they pay for the revision (grrrr). Britt My Revision Appeal: From Lap Band to VSG

Hi, Well my 14 month appeal is over - I lost. Now I finally got to do what I should have done months ago: schedule my surgery. I'm all set for surgery on the 29th with Dr. Aceves. For those of you who had surgery in Mexico can you give me a little advice on what to take and what to do (and not do) while I'm there? I thought there were posts on that but couldn't find any. I'll do a bit more searching while waiting for your replies :-). First off, I'm planning to fly first class home. San Diego is about a 3 hour flight to Seattle and I thought it would be nice to have lounge privileges while I wait and a bigger more comfy seat. Does that makes sense? My husband thinks I'm crazy. Will I be able to drive myself home from the airport? My flight down is at 6am so it'd be much easier to drive. I'd think I could drive home 3 days after surgery but I'm not sure. Do I need my laptop? Or can I live just fine with my iPhone and Kindle? Is it a standard 120v plug for recharging? Am I ok to go alone? I figured it'd be fine and that in some ways an extra person could be a bother when I just want to rest. How long do I get IV meds? I have survived some pretty painful surgeries but had a rough time with my lap band. I'd like to be as pain-free as possible. What all should I take? I was planning on reading materials and my phone. Two sets of clothes for down and back and comfy PJs for my time there. Normal toiletries like toothbrush, shampoo, etc. What am I missing? Do I need a hairdryer? Do I need to take Protein with me? Or is that all taken care of? That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure I'll think of more as soon as I press "post"... Thanks! Britt

Hi all, I'm in the final stretch of my legal appeal. If I win, I have surgery at home with a surgeon who staples only. If I lose, I head down to Dr. Aceves who oversews the staple line. For those of you who've suffered leaks, any idea whether it was a staple only or staple plus suture surgery? Thanks! Britt

You should be just fine. I've been fighting the OPM for many months over a revision. In what they've written to me it's pretty much a done deal with a BMI 40+. They've even indicated if I gain to 40 they'll change their minds bout my revision (grrr). I don't think you'll have any problems at all. Britt

So I'm thinking about giving up on my insurance fight and just switching to self-pay. I had a slipped band over a year ago. It took 6 months to get the insurance company (Fed BCBS) to finally agree to remove the band but they denied a revision to VSG stating it wasn't medically necessary because my BMI was under 35. I submitted an appeal to the Federal Office of Personnel Management in October for what was supposed to be a 60 day appeal. They "lost" my case and had to start over. Then they closed it because they didn't understand I was asking for a revision and not some sort of random partial gastrectomy. They finally sent it out for review but it sounds like they didn't select a bariatric surgeon because the answer last week came back that it isn't medically necessary because my weight isn't over a 40 BMI. The told my attorney to wait for the report and then call and talk to the nurse but I haven't heard back yet. At this point it's been almost 7 months since I submitted the appeal. This has been going on for so long I'm almost back to my original weight. If I had it to do over again I'd have done a self-pay revision with Dr. Aceves right from the start. Heck, I'd be at my goal weight by now. I just don't have it in me to keep this up. I went ahead and requested a surgery date with Dr. Aceves and put first-class airline tickets on hold on my miles. I can't think what hoops the insurance company would have next. They just don't get that the standard of care for a revision doesn't require you to regain all your weight first. I could go forward with the surgery and then sue them after the fact but I'm not sure it's worth the mental energy after all this. I had some old Microsoft stock lying around and it's almost enough for the surgery. I'm thinking that I'll never miss the money and can just get on with my life. I don't want to self-pay up here because it's really expensive and they don't cover complications like Dr. Aceves does. I could be down there next weekend having this done and just moving on. Thoughts? I could use some additional input... Thanks! Britt

Thanks everyone, for your good input. I'm hoping the attorney will call me with news one way or the other and I can move ahead. I've left another message for them today. ouroborous, how did you reconcile the risk of complications? I wanted to have my surgery with Dr. Billing at the same clinic you went to but Amber (their insurance person) tells me that complications aren't covered. Even if I could get a reasonable price for the surgery, I just can't risk catastrophic costs if I had a leak or other serious complication. Britt

My insurance paid for it (Federal BCBS) although they fought me on it. Mostly they fought because I wanted a revision to a different kind of surgery. But eventually I won and they weren't the original insurers. Britt

It's not quite the same but I got a denial for lap band removal (mine slipped) within 5 days. I appealed and it took 9 months for them to approve removing the band. Then it's been another 7 months since I appealed to Washington DC for a revision. Appeals are supposed to be closed within 60 days. So in my experience they've been super fast on the denials and criminally negligent on the appeals. Britt

Sorry you have to go through this, Bernadette. It's so hard when you have an experience that brings you around to the truth that most human beings put themselves first and that true loyalty doesn't really exist when it comes to the workplace. I spent 13 years at a certain software company just south of where we live (I'm in Mill Creek too) and was asked to take a poor performance score to balance out the curve for everyone else because I was part time and had had great reviews and bonuses up until that time. They felt I could be loyal by "taking one for the team". Well my answer was "see ya" and I "retired". I've come back on my own terms as a consultant free from all that - able to work when I want and say what I think without worrying about it's impact on my "permanent record". Making that change freed me up for a lot of new things in life. I'm now thinking about expaning my business and adding some new ventures. I never, ever thought I'd have the energy or confidence for being self-employed and now I'm wondering why I didn't make the change long ago. I don't want to be bound by other people's perception of me or their silly workplace culture. All I'm saying, in long-winded fashion, is that life takes you places you don't expect. Taking the bumps as opportunities to learn who you are and kind of throw off what other people tell you to be can be exhilirating - especially at this time in our lives (I'm only a few years behind you). I'm rooting for you and whatever you decide is next. Britt

I'm still fighting. I hired the Lindstroms at Obesity Law to represent me on this final round that bounced my case from the local Regence office back to Washington DC. There has been one delay after another (the DC office seems to have lost my case and has had to start over). At this rate, 1 year since my slip, my weight has gone up so much I'll be back at the original qualification for non-revision WLS in no time (she says with grim irony). I am not feeling hopeful that I'll win. I did prevail on band removal, that's out, but I need the VSG. I'm disappearing again under a layer of fat. It makes me too sad to talk about really. One way or the other I hope it'll be over soon and I'll know whether they're paying for the surgery or I am. Best of luck to you. I'm glad to have the band out, after it slipped I was in pain for months on end while I fought to get it out. I strongly recommend the Lindstrom's, they've been amazing. Just having someone fight for me after fighting the first two rounds myself was worth the money. And frankly, I think they have incredibly reasonable rates. Take care, Britt

Well my advice is to keep fighting and go for the appeal. The BCBS plan statement actually has to be administered uniformly across the country but some local companies doing the administration (like Regence here in Washington) are disregarding the benefit guidelines and denying it. I had a slipped lapband and was told that VSG and band removal are both covered. VSG is supposed to have been allowed as a gastric restrictive procedure by Fed BCBS as of January 1st 2008. (My lap band was originally covered by my insurance because I met the >35BMI + 2 comorbidity requirements.) Even after both the doctor and I were told the revision would be covered, the local Regence office sent a denial letter. They appear to know nothing about weightloss surgery or the lap band, much less the VSG -- they were so far in the weeds they actually denied removing the band and claimed they couldn't remove it because my BMI wasn't high enough any more (huh?). And they denied the VSG revision under the investigational claim. They even denied letting me have it unfilled so we could get the pain and vomiting under control. They said fills are only covered when your BMI is over 35 too. That's going to be news to lap band patients everywhere - don't bother contuing to use your band once you lose some of your weight. That was such a stupid thing for them to do all I could do was laugh about it. They backed off that pretty quick, after hassling me about it they suddently stopped mentioning it and just paid the claim. I ended up appealing. For the first round of my appeal I wrote my own letter and won the band removal portion only but they denied the VSG again. They dropped the investigational reason and their denial to being because I don't qualify for weightloss surgery with a <35 BMI. Since I did qualify for the original lap band surgery that's kind of dumb. The standard of care with revisions is not to treat the revision as if you're starting over pre-WLS so it makes no sense. You don't give someone a knee replacement and then when it breaks and the doctor needs to replace it with a different type of artificial knee that the patient is out of luck - you only get one shot a knee replacement. My BMI is back up to 33 so they won't have to wait long until I qualify again . Although the surgeon and I wanted to do the removal and revison in a single procedure, I went ahead and just had the lap band out in October. The insurance company gave me four weeks to have it out from the date of their appeal decision so I just needed to get it done. And I was miserable. I can't believe anyone would force me to keep a slipped lap band in for over 7 months - that's crazy. It's great not to be in so much pain. But it's scary to no longer have any kind of restriction. I went ahead and hired Walter and Kelley Lindstrom to handle the appeal from here. Well worth the money just to have someone fighting for me after going it alone for so many months. We'll see what happens, I should know what the Office of Personnel Managment in D.C. wants to do next in a couple of weeks. I'm going to take it all the way to the end to make sure this gets their attention - that some state administrators are making up their own rules that go against the benefit statement. I posted the letter and addendum I used for my first appeal in case it's useful to anyone else. All I know is that it did seem to get them off the investigational part of the denial. Best of luck! Britt vsgappeal: Appeal Letter

Hi all, Well thanks to the great help from folks on the boards, I've got my appeal letter ready to ship off to BCBS. Anyone want to take a look? Offer me some advice? I've posted it here: http://vsgappeal.blogspot.com/2009/06/introduction.html ...and would love to get your in feedback. Thanks, Britt (forgive the multiple posts, not sure which areas get the most traffic)