Manda87

Ouch. Watch the all CAPS. On the internet, when you use CAPS it shows that you're yelling. You don't need to yell. :wink:

Mine was supposed to be in March also. I also started the whole process in January. I found it's hard to find patience. But April is coming up!

Good luck! I found that waiting for approval was the scariest thing. I had a fear that they wouldn't approve my surgery, but they did. The woman that had my case even talked to me personally. She was so nice. I wish you the most luck!

I haven't had my surgery yet, but I called my doctor and asked how long should I take off. I needed to know this so I can give my work a lot of notice. I am a certified nursing assistant. I'm on my feet and very active the whole day. I do a lot of lifting. My doctor said that I wouldn't have any lifting restrictions, and only suggested 14 days off. Hmmm... I'm confused. So, I guess I will tell my work that my surgery is on the 7th of April and I'll be coming back on the 27th. Any suggestions?

Mine went very easy. I have a past also. I was hospitalized a couple of years ago; however, it wasn't because I wanted to hurt myself. I told the therapist about that. She questions like "do you take medicine?" do you know why you want this surgery?" "do you have any health problems?" stuff like that. It really wasn't bad. When she asked a question, I answered it but didn't go into much detail. Also, I think it's safe to assume that people overweight are more likely to suffer from depression than those who are average weight. I think you will do just fine! :redface:

It really depends on your insurance. I had my first consultation with my surgeon on Jan. 7, 2010. I finished my last pre-op appointment on Feb. 8. I was approved Feb 17. My surgery is on April 07, 2010. The reason why my surgery is in April because it works around my schedule and my mom's schedule. I could have had it in two weeks from now, but that's not the case.

My family isn't supportive. The only good thing that I have heard from them was from my sister who said "I'm happy for you." I think I will remember that for the rest of my life. My parents haven't really said much. It's mostly "Sooooo.... you're really gonna do it?" I've noticed with other people who have overweight people in their family do not get much support. (I'm not sure if your in-laws are overweight.) I think jealousy gets a big part of people being unsupportive. I really hope things get better for you.

My date is April 7th! It seems like forever away. I was hoping to get it in March, but the approval came to late to notify my work.

Who is your surgeron? I'm working with Dr. Scott Bovard. I had my psych eval with Carolina Partners, which was in my network. I had my diet eval with Rex Hospital's Wellness Center. It did cost me $55 for 30 minutes. The lady said that it would be free for those with BCBS. Anyway, I would ask your doctor about your psych eval. I'm sure they can do something...

Now what? My dr.'s office said it can take 3 days for in state BCBS. I have out of state Empire blue. I'm confused as to why my insurance is out of state. (I'm using my parent's insurance) I'm so frustrated right now because the only thing I can do is WAIT. I hate waiting. I have a fear that this will take up to 4 weeks and be passed the surgery date that I want. Does anyone have Empire Blue? Can anyone tell me how to deal with this craziness of waiting? I feel like exploding! :scared2:

Good job Spartan! Some people just don't "get it." I think a psych eval and psych appointments need to be required for all weight loss and plastic surgeries. I think it could have saved Micheal Jackson's life...

Wow. This is a crazy thread. I know a lot of nice skinny people and nice larger people. I also know mean skinny people and mean overweight people. For example, I know this overweight person that I have to work with who is very mean, lazy, and bossy. However, I know a lot of skinny people who I wish were my family members because I love them that much. Honestly, I think when an overweight person talks about skinny people in a mean way, I think they are jealous. We got ourselves this way. No one put a gun to our heads and said "Eat that donut or I'll shoot!" I mean, really? Focus on yourself and don't worry what others think because others aren't living in your shoes. Also, don't ever talk mean about someone because it always comes back around.

I would get a second opinion, and it looks like you're going to. I just got a bill from the hospital where I got all my pre-op tests done: Upper GI, EKG, Chest x-ray, and labs. The total balance was $2,212. Blue Cross picked up $1,718.542, and my responsibility is $493.48. I also paid for my nutrionist appointment which was $55. My original consultation was a co-pay of $20 and the psych eval's co-pay was $20. However, for the total surgery, I was quoted $2,050. So, it lookes like a little over $2,500. I hope it stays that much, and I wouldn't mind it going lower! lol

I was supposed to have all of my pre-op appointments done in January. However, things were cancelled, rescheduled, cancelled, reschedule, etc. Today I am finally done with my last pre-op appointment. I haven't bene in contact with my doctor in a couple of weeks... so I have no idea what to do next. So, I know how you feel. It's frustrating!

I know how you feel. I haven't even got to my pre op diet. I'm still doing pre-op appointments. I had to reschedule my nutritionist appointment, and finally got that done. However, I was supposed to have my psych eval on Monday, but that was cancelled due to the weather (I'm in NC and we had snow. We can't handle snow in the south, lol.) So, now that is scheduled for Feb 8th. It's so frustrating... and then I have to wait for the insurance to approve it. I know how you feel, trust me. If it's not one thing, it's another.

You won't win a lawsuit because you show lack of commitment. It's not working for you because you have no faith in it. You're probably overeating and not following the rules. You've only had one fill, and you are not restricted. You need to have more than one fill. If you really want something, you would save up your money. What insurance does not pick up, I will pay for myself ($2,050). I don't have that kind of money coming out of my butt, so I have to work extra shifts (Yesterday I did a 12 hour shift pretty much on my feet the whole time) and I have been saving. There aren't any specialized foods. With Jenny Craig they give you "specialized" foods. You need to eat healthy. Instead of a Big Mac... eat a turkey burger without the bun. Is that hard? Probably not... You don't seem committed and you just want to place the blame on someone else.

I tried some on in a store back in December. It's like walking on rubber. I didn't like the feeling. Also, I figure I could put $100 into a gym membership instead of shoes...

You can gain weight with both surgeries. With the bypass, you can actully end up streching the pouch so it's not longer a pouch, but a regular sized stomach. The lap band is a lifestyle change. A person with the bypass can eat whatever and still lose weight, so there is no real change in their lifestyle. It seems like there is a battle between bands vs bypass. I don't know. I just ignore unwanted advice and do my own research.

I haven't really told anyone. I have told most of my friends and all of them are skinny. So, they really don't know anything about being over weight. They were all like "yay! i'm happy for you" but it seemed forced. My mom wasn't into the idea and she was really negative. I think she's jealous, but I'm not sure. Everyone in my family is overweight, and I've finally said enough is enough. She is neutral with the idea now. At least you have your husband. You should feel truely blessed. I hardly have a half of a person for support. I've told a bunch of people at work. If I told everyone, I would be judged more than I already am. I guess you can ignore strangers, but family members comments can hurt the most. I wish you good luck!

Wow. I really didn't know that. My doctor knows (or should know) that I'm taking medicine. Two are for depression and one is Nuvaring. No one is supposed to just stop taking depression medication.... I guess I'll email the doctor tomorrow...

Awhile back I googled hair loss and weight loss and they seem to be connected. I guess if you lose at lot of weight in a relatively short amount of time, there may be some hair loss. Is it just hair on your head? Because I wouldn't mind losing hair on my upper lip or on my hairy arms, lol.

Awwww take me with you? Lol just kidding. One of my goals is to be under 200 pounds. I know you're very happy. Have fun!

Date of Surgery: March 17 or March 18 Where Surgery will be: NC Doctor/Center: Dr. Scott Bovard of Bovard Bariatric Center Seminar date: Didn't go to one 1st consult date: Dec 30th, 2009 2nd consult: Haven't had a second one yet. Consults and tests completed: Upper GI, lab work, EKG Tests still needed: Nutritionist and Psych test How is surgery funded? Insurance Concerns? Work, if they will be understanding as to why I will be out for 6 weeks (I'm a CNA and have a very active job) and I can retrain my brain to stop thinking I need to eat all of the time... and to realize that I'm full and that I need to stop. Reason for banding? I'm 22 and 327 pounds... I think that says it all.

Ummm.... wow. That is not the test I had. Oh, you need a hug! That sounds horrible. :ohmy: The only problems I had with the Upper GI is that I could only wear a hospital gown (still could keep the pants on) and no bra. So, there was a cute guy, that I guess was training so he HAD to be there. I'm really self-conscious about not wearing a bra... lol, I know, stupid. Also the woman that was trying to draw blood from apparently didn't know how... I have a huge bruise from it but all is ok.

For some reason, my dr schedules all pre-op tests in one day. We couldn't do the psych eval because they are closed for the holiday. But I could do Upper GI, EKG, Chest x-ray, and labs and the consult with the nutrionist. I was supposed to go to one hospital in Raleigh, but when I got there the lady at the desk said I was scheduled to go to the main hospital which is on the other side of town. I couldn't see my nutriontist because she was the one that I should have gone to at the hospital that I was supposed to go to, plus I was more than 15 minutes late. UGH. I was and still am frustrated. When I called my dr. I was about to cry. So, they have to reschedule that appointment. I thought this was supposed to be happy? I'm just frustrated and stressed out. This is the hardest thing that I've ever done. I'm alone in this process. My family isn't supportive and when I talk to them they get negative. I mean, really? They see how big I am, but apparently they don't care? I remember a couple of years ago they cared. I know there are support groups and the such, but it will not replace what I should have. Sorry to rant...