hope2bthinr

congrats on your loss!! That's terrific!! Have a great time and loads of fun on your cruise. It's bound to be a lot more fun without taking that 50lbs with you!!

Thanks for the comments! I do feel great! Some suggestions for breaking plateaus...1. eat more protein, 2. cut out carb foods, including yogurt, bread, rice, potatoes, 3. eat green veggies, 4. drink a lot of no calorie beverages, 5. don't eat late in the evening, and if you can do this for 4-5 days in a row, the lbs get going again. I try to stick with this plan, and I stay around 800-1,200 calories a day.

I tend to lose better if the calorie level is not the same every day. I'm not always consistant on my plan, but I do get back on track quickly if I get off track. I forgive myself for my slip ups and move on. And don't stop moving. Do something everyday for exercise, even if it's just standing up longer when you're hanging around at home. Find something to do that keeps you on your feet, walking, exercising, cleaning. I'm doing more cooking for myself than I've done in 10-15 years, just so I can keep food available that's healthy, lo cal and low carb. Keeping the right foods on hand is key to my being able to stay on my plan.

I think my next habit to break is TV. Turning it off instead of watching whatever is on even when nothing good is on will probably help me be more active. So we'll see how that goes. I'll report back the first time I try it...heh, heh, heh...

1. 49

2. Yes

3. 10/19/09

4. 241

5. 199

6. 89

7. no

8. 4

9. 8

10. I am successfully moving toward a goal, one that I had stopped believing I could accomplish. I feel good that I am having success instead of more attempts followed by failure.

Well, it's been a long time since I posted here. And I have to say, I never thought I would be following exactly the same story as so many on the different posts. The first few months I was ok, patient with the process but also impatient to get the weight off. Ate a few things I shouldn't have. Tried more than once to eat a food that wouldn't go down just to prove to my brain that it was a "no go". Worried this would be another attempt and failure when I hit the first plateau.

It did move slowly but surely, in small spurts. Then I got to a plateau and stayed there a couple months, and I was hoping and praying I hadn't wasted all that effort only to lose 20lbs. But once while I was in the plateau I thought, well if the lbs aren't moving but I'm feeling smaller, why don't I take some measurements? Well, I had lost 4 1/2 inches JUST FROM MY WAIST!!!! And an inch off each thigh!! I couldn't believe it! That was the encouragement I needed at the time.

I've gotten a total of 5 fills so far. The last one was very small but effective. Some days are easier than others and I feel sometimes like I work for each pound that comes off. But I am down 42lbs so far and can't even believe it because it's been so long since I've been here!

I've been walking 3 miles 3 times a week, bootcamp 2 days a week, on the odd weekend I might wake up early and add another day of walking, kettlebell work out or wii fit. One day the bootcamp had us carry 35lb kettlebells to work out with about 1/4 mile to the park. I was so tired after carrying it that far but I was thinking, "My god, I was carrying more than that much around on my poor body. NO WONDER I felt so bad!!" That thing was so heavy! Anyway, the alternating vigorous workout and moderate workout is working to get the lbs moving and I look forward to the workouts more and more and have to talk myself into it less and less. I'm getting there.

I'm so happy I did this. I am still learning I've got to take small bites or suffer the consequences, eat slowly, give each bite the time to work it out before taking another. I've been successful at quitting soda, caffeine, sweets, most carbs most of the time. I have learned that ground turkey or chicken in lettuce wraps are very tasty and satisfying and can be found at many restaurants. (I even make my own version of it at home.) Eggbeaters can be satisfying for breakfast, a breadstick really can be enough bread for a day. Cooking a big bunch of protein food for lunches is easier than trying to find a variety of places to eat where there is actually something healthy to order off the menu. I try to vary my food choices and add green veggies when possible. Grilled aparagus is so yummy. I can't imagine I would have said any of these things prior to having this surgery so I am thankful it has helped me to make a lot of changes that have been good for my health, mind, and the shape of my body. The brain is still taking a while to keep up with the food and body changes, but I actually had a dream that I was looking down at my body and it was healthy and at a healthy weight and looked awesome so I figure my subconcious is finally getting with the program and letting me know. I am THRILLED with the progress I've made so far, even if it's slower than some.

A footnote here...I was covered by Tricare Standard for the surgery which was done in Oct 09, and they just finally settled with the hospital (6 months later) after sending it back denied 6 times for some nitpicking detail. My cost out of pocket is just over $800 and only because a surgical assistant was used that didn't have what Tricare considered the "right" credentials to perform the assistant duties for the surgery. When you schedule your surgery, make sure the Dr takes Tricare and is a Network Provider and gets preauthorization. Make sure the assistant they use is approved and preauthorized and accepts Tricare, ditto with the anesthesiologist, and same with the hospital. Each of these participants must be approved, preauthorized separately and preferably in Network or you may be stuck with more of the bill than you expected and it's up to you to ask each of them the questions and verify with Tricare that they actually are approved, Network providers, preauthorized, etc. NO ONE WILL HELP YOU WITH THAT. Then, it is up to each of those participants to file all the correct paperwork with all the exact coding to ensure they get the claim paid (I made a lot of phonecalls when I started to get nervous that the bill wasn't going to be covered). I guess the moral of the story is, if you make sure all of the participants have worked with Tricare enough to know and comply with all of their requirements, you hopefully won't spend 6 months wondering if you'll get stuck with a $43,000 hospital bill and all the dr, anesthesiologist, surgical assistant bills. I'm just so glad the claims were finally paid. Thank you Tricare!

THANK YOU MOST OF ALL, DR. SARAH J LEE FOR CHANGING MY LIFE!!

It's 12 days since surgery and I feel great. My bandages were off after 9 days and my cuts just look like small scars, except for the port cut. I didn't have the horrible gas pains most banded people talk about but I did walk,walk, walk from the first day and I know that must have been part of it. Anyway, I feel really good but really ready for the liquid stage to be over. I'm anxious for some chewablefood.

I'm two days out from surgery and although I am sore (which I expect), I feel good mostly, just a little tired after taking the pain meds. Trying to get the liquids in is a challenge. I feel like right now I'm focussed on drinking, drinking, drinking. I drank about 88oz before but trying to get in 64 oz now is diffcult. I get that full feeling and know I have to stop until I feel the fluid make it down to the lower part of the stomach. I had a couple bouts with nausea the first day and evening, but none since. They seemed to happen just when I finished walking. I think I'm past it now as I haven't had that feeling since day one.

I've only taken the pain med once so far today so that's an improvement. Anyway, I'm happy to be on the other side of being banded and moving on with the whole process.

Big WOOT!! to Dr. Sarah Lee in Tucson/Oro Valley, AZ. and her terrific staff.

I go in early tomorow for surgery at 9:00am. I doubt I'll sleep much tonight. The whole prep thing has my stomach complaining. Well, it better get used to it for a while!! LOL!! Bandster hell before the band!! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.

Ok, just a surgery date (19th Oct)....but I'm thrilled!!! I can't believe it's actually going to happen!! I go to my preop appt today. OMG, OMG, OMG!!! My closest friends and hubby are the only people I've told, and they are so supportive and excited for me. I'm so lucky to have those friends and my loving husband.

Not really related but the weather has finally shifted here and if it stays this nice we are going to have a great fall/winter/spring (all three kind of blend) and the lower temps will make it much easier to recover and get active again, quickly. I'd sure like to see some changing leaves on something other than a cactus! Will have to take some weekend jaunts to find the trees changing.

I checked the website today on a whim and found that my authorization is finally approved!!! I'm SO EXCITED!!!:thumbup::hurray::cursing::hurray::thumbup:

Thank you.

I finally got someone on the phone today that explained to me what's going on, whether I'm missing anything, whether the Dr. did what they were supposed to, etc. I'm so glad I tried calling one more time. 30 days isn't so bad when this could be something that lasts the rest of my life. I'm just going to be patient and whichever way it goes, it's meant to be. If I get an authorization in that thirty days, maybe I needed that extra thirty days. I think I had myself convinced that after reading so much about the process that I knew how to make it go smoothly. I really don't know how to work through this tricare red tape and paperwork, but I have learned more about it.

It's just been a rollercoaster, and if I had understood it all from the beginning maybe I could have avoided some of the delays. Live and learn. I'm sure there's a lesson I needed to learn from all of this.

I don't understand Tricare at all, and I now meet any definition they can come up with for the 200% of ideal body weight. I have had Tricare available and never used it for the last twenty years because I just used my other insurance and now that I ask for one benefit to be paid....I'm just so darn frustrated with this whole process!!! BUT I AM NOT GIVING UP!!!

That's great to hear!! And so glad for you. I'm Tricare Standard and it seems a liitle different. Hard to know what is going to be covered when all is said and done, IF I get authorization. I'm hoping the resubmit and my letter will make it happen. I've been trying to just get to the point of submitting (nearly 5 months) and then to get turned down the first time was pretty diappointing. If I hadn't read on here how many were turned down and then approved after appealing, I would have given up. But it's been a long haul and I'm not giving up now!! So sitting on pins and needles again....waiting...hope to have an authoriazation in the next day or two. Thanks for the comment!!

Lucky me, my surgeon's office called and asked if I wanted to come re-weigh in since it's been almost three months since the official weigh in, and if I meet or exceed the required lbs they will resubmit. BINGO!! They're resubmitting!!! It's a darn good thing I didn't start dieting before finding out if the authorization was granted. I needed every pound and then some!!

Must update the ticker!! Still haven't figured out how to make it appear with the link to the ticker factory site intact... oh well.

Just have to rant and rave here for a few...Friday my surgeon's office called Tricare and was told I didn't need pre-auth because I had other primary ins so they are moving ahead as if it's ok :wub: and even set a surgery date (they even got a pre-auth #)... but then the Tricare website today says NOT APPROVED (WTH?? ) so when I called to find out why and what was going on, I was told I did not meet the criteria for the surgery being medically necessary. :smile2: Either the 100lb over ideal weight + 1 comorbidity or >200% of ideal weight ( I met this one at 5'1" 226 and small frame). And of course I find this out right before 4PM so the doctor's office is closed. So I can't have them call today to find out what went wrong. :redface:

Anyway, I'm still trying not to get upset, that there must be a mistake somewhere and hopefully it will get straightened out in the morning. :sad: :wink2: :crying: :thumbup:

....I really want to have happy news in the morning!!

Thanks you guys. Right now I'm just going to try to remain calm and hope the surgeon can get me scheduled quickly if I get the authorization approved. And yes, I feel like feet were dragging through this whole process (except mine!) since I've been doing all of this process since April sometime. I think if I had gone through a surgical center where they could line up all the tests, nutritional meeting and psych eval in one week instead of 3 months it would have moved a lot faster. But I'm going through a surgeon my primary doctor recommended, who is not a Tricare provider and not up on their requirements, the surgeon isn't a Tricare provider either, so its all gone slower than necessary. Had I known it would be this way I would have gone to one of the weightloss surgical centers that have the routine figured out and are Tricare providers. Tricare is not my primary ins, that's why I waited for an exclusion letter from my primary insurance (which was Aetna, my employer chose to have that exclusion), like I said. Luckily, Aetna paid for some of the testing because the conditions I have warrant them whether I were to get the LapBand procedure done or not. Anyway...on with the waiting game.

Ok, turns out we had to wait a while for a letter of exclusion from my primary insurance before submitting to TriCare. That took till 8/26, then review of my file, then finally it was all faxed 8/28. Great, so I'm thinking...most of these people are getting answers from Tricare within a couple days so I was patient for a few days. Then I made the first phone call. "I don't see anything here" so I asked could they verify they received the fax and they did, then told me it usually takes 1-5 business days to process, so fine. I gave it a few more days and called again. :crying: They tell me to call back the next day. That brings us to today... I called this morning,they said well it's here, call back around three. I called back and the person I talked to finally determined that they were holding it for the exclusion letter from my primary ins. And she determined THEY ALREADY HAD IT!!! The entire week went by and they had what they needed all along!!! So I'm SOOOO mad, and I have to wait over the three day weekend AGAIN.

At least it shows on Triwest.com as pending medical review. :cryin:

I'm so mad at all the delays...uuuuggghhh!!!!! :smile2: And why did I think that just because I got every single thing they needed for all the doctors quickly that this would be fast and simple??? What makes me madder is my deductible starts over again on October 1st so if I can't get it done before then I get to pay my deductible all over again!!! CRAPPPP!! And my surgeon is a non-network provider so who knows how much is going to come from my pocket. I just want to get done worrying about all of this and get on with losing weight. Fingers crossed till tuesday or weds. :mad:

Thanks!! So far it's all gone fine, if time consuming. Like anyone who has been overweight for a long time and tried nearly everything to lose the weight, I am so ready to just find out WHEN can I get this DONE so I can get on the road with losing. I'm trying to lose now, but my metabolism is such that if I'm real strict all week and lose three-four pounds, one "normal" meal will bring it all back. So frustrating! But I'm pretty certain I'll get approved. Just wish it was sooner rather than later.

Thank you for the good wishes. I hope the best outcome for you as well.

I'm Tricare Standard, by the way, so all I need is the authorization and I'm good to go!! :thumbup:

Finally! My paperwork is being submitted to TriCare (my ins) for authorization!!! I don't know what took so long but I'm trying to be patient. First they were waiting for my echocardiogram and EGD results, then I found out only one year of records, not 5 years made it from my primary dr. to the surgeon...now they have everything and will submit! I can't wait! Here I was checking the Tricare site twice a day (like an obsessive) to see if the authorization came through and kept coming up empty. More phone calls, to primary, who says they sent the stuff, then call surgeons office, but in the end, it is all there and complete, reviewed and going to be on its way.

Anyway, I've been trying to keep busy at work so I wouldn't become a total pain in the butt. And that worked but now I want an answer!!! Keeping my fingers crossed to get an answer in the next couple days....

I had my echocardiogram yesterday. THAT was a relief! I had taken Fen-Phen for about 18 months back when that was supposed to be the magic help for weight loss, so I was glad to know my heart is in very good condition, no valve problems, no indicators of disease. Woohoo!! If you knew about all the heart problems that run in my family....

SOOOooo, thursday is my last test required before insurance will give authorization IF they will approve. :thumbup: I willwrite again thursday after the test...

One month has passed since my last post, and I've calmed down and regrouped, I have my last two appointments this week. Once I get those over with my doctor should be able to submit the paperwork. It seems opposite of what is usually done but maybe it's because there are two insurances to go through. one won't pay for the band but will pay for tests and consults. Whatever, I will go with the flow... can't wait for the week to be over!!

Ok, so today my PCM saw me as a follow up appointment, and they've had my consult information from the surgeon for a week already and was just reading it while I was sitting there!! So finally they are going to send the letter of medical necessity to the surgeon so the surgeon can request the preauth from insurance. Okay, all well and good, but the surgeon won't request preauth without a Echocardiogram and an EGD WHICH CAN'T GET SCHEDULED ANY EARLIER THAN A MONTH FROM NOW!!! And that's only because of which gastro the PCM decided to refer it to!! :thumbup:

Now, there are at least 50 other gastros on both my insurances in this town!! Surely it could get scheduled earlier through some other gastro!!! I mean this is the only hold up and I feel like I have been shoving a cart with square wheels up a darn mountain so far and this is just frustrating me to no end. Is it reasonable to request my PC physician refer to a different gastro for the EGD?? ....One that can see me sooner so I can finally find out if I'm even going to be approved?? I know other people have spent longer than this going through this process but I've done everything they've asked and more. And this isn't even waiting on insurance or even the surgeon, it's just waiting senselessly for a darn appt. They've never had to ask me for one more piece of info....that's how much I researched and prepared before even going to the surgeon. UUgghh! It's just such a tedious process. Ok, I'm done with my spoiled brat whining... but I am going to call my Dr back and try to see if they'll refer to another gastro. I don't know how I can make a whole month go by without pulling my hair out!! I could have had the Echo done tomorrow but it has to be within 2 wks of surgery, but if the gastro can't do the scope till a month from now, I'd have to get it done all over again. And I don't know why it should take a month to get a stupid appointment. You would think the dr. assistant should have looked for some other one to send me to when I'm only waiting for this to get done with everything I had to do before surgery.

Thanks for reading and letting me rant here!!

That woman must live a sad little life in her head to be so bothered by the fact that you've chosen to lose weight. Lord knows what kind of story she has going on in there!! Be strong and don't let those types get to you. That kind of ignorance isn't worth rewarding with a one minute conversation. You don't have to defend yourself. YOU know the truth.

YEAY!! GOOD FOR YOU!!! I hope I can say the same within a few weeks! Way to go!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Good Luck on everything!! I'm going through the same stuff and even though I've had no snags so far, it's a little nerve wracking. I have the beginning of the OMG feeling, still trying not to get too "up" before knowing that the ins co has actually approved me. LOL!!