Search the Community

i havent had time for appts bc im trying to get my mom into a nursing home and now im looking for a new job. I really dont want to start this whole process over 😳😧😩

I'm also a fed and I have GEHA. Any idea on total out-of-pocket costs for BCBS Federal? My out-of-pocket costs are adding up quickly, and I'm still a few months away from surgery. For example: - Initial surgeon consult co-pay: $30 - Dietitian/nutritionist pre-op visits (not covered): $350 - Psychologist eval (not covered because annual ded not met): $360 - 6 post-op dietitian visits: $350 - primary doctor pre-op clearance, ekg, and other testing: $? - final pre-op appointment w/surgeon or his PA: $30 - 4 post-op visits w/surgeon or PA: $120 - surgery/hospital/anesthesia costs: 15% of ~31,000 or $4600 Total cost to me: $6000 or so. This seems somewhat shockingly high now that I've added it all up, and I'm not even sure my list is complete. How does BCBS Federal compare?

I am 35 BMI with a few health issues HBP & High cholesterol. I just got approved the anthem BC/BS. Surgery date set for June 5. My experience with life is you can lose but hard to maintain. I have fluctuated my entire life ... I look forward to having a more permanent tool to help. Best wishes with your journey!! Keep us in the loop!

Hi Stacy, Yes, my doctor doesn't submit the paperwork for approval until everything on the checklist is done. They were waiting for the approval letter from Fed Blue to give me a surgery date. Impatient means I didn't want to wait. Fed Blue snail mails their approval letters, but if you email them through the website they'll upload it there so you can download it. Just a tip, if your doctor submits the paperwork on any day other than Monday, Fed Blue only uploads paperwork into their system on Mondays. My paperwork was sent in on the 27th, put into the Fed Blue system on 4/2 and then a decision was made on 4/3. So they were pretty quick once they had the paperwork uploaded in the system. Good luck!! Felicia

Hi, So did you doctor already approve you? I have Fed Blue as well and currently in nutrition courses and waiting to get an approval letter, or simply when I'll get one. Also what does impatient mean? (Sorry if my questions are coherent, a newbie at this) Thanks in advance for your response! Stacy

I have surgery soon and am at my high weight. My current clothes should be fine for a moment, then I have a few things in the hopeful/someday corner of my closet. I don't have much bc I never bought myself much thinking "I'll only be this size for a little bit" Well a little bit turned into a few years. But . . . . . SOMEDAY is almost here!

I'm with Fluffy Chix! This sounds like total BS. At 2 weeks out with this list of food this person would be in the emergency room! Surgery is pretty drastic if you have no intention of trying at all.

I too feel that way. I think it must have a lot to do with what we are putting in our bodies-we are so hyperaware now bc we have to be. I’m also working out with weights now and I think that has a lot to do with it. Congrats on a fabulous loss!!! Sleeved 8/7/17 HW: 256 SW: 248 CW: 188 on 3/7/18 5'7" GW: 150

Hey @frust8 There are still foods I love! I went to a restaurant and ordered tuna carpaccio - 6 thin slices of raw tuna seared a little around the edges (seared before slicing) with 6 slices cucumber, tiny dots of wasabi mayo, tiny dots of shaved red chilli, and drizzled with citrusy ponzu sauce. It was a pants-down-party in my mouth!! But - even though each slice was maybe 3 inches x1 inch and very thin, the first two were great, the next two nice, and the last two were “I need the protein”. I suspect even back as a champion eater, I only ever really loved the first few mouthfuls - but then in the BS (before surgery) days I didn’t realise I wasn’t loving the meal the same until I had eaten three cups full and felt pogged!

Hello, I experienced the same exact thing. It seemed everybody healed by the first week except me. And I was still very tender and even getting sharp pains on my right side. It was really annoying bc I wanted to start strength training by the 6th week but was still in pain. I could stretch or reach for anything without being in pain. I’m on my 8th week tomorrow. It’s better but still get that side pain if I bend down to get something. Hang in there

I'm going through the same thing you are. My surgeon wouldn't do it all in one surgery unfortunately, but that's okay. I've had my band since 2010, had issues with it for years, they unfilled it and I'm back to pre band weight and then some. Had my band removed in Feb and now I'm going through the motions to get the approval for the revision, but from what I know and I've talked to insurance and they said as long as it's needed I should get approved. I have Fed BCBS too and I've not had any problems getting anything approved before, so I hope that's the case this go round as well. Good luck!

I have 2 friends who have preceeded me to WLs, one sleeve and one RnY, seems strange in a city of 18,000 there aren't more. I can tell you in my own city and county there are MANY who could profit from bariatric surgeries, we tend to,be "corn fed" I would love to lecture them on the wisdom of Bariatrics then I remember I would not have appreciated it before. I took suggestions of weight loss as a personal attack, after all I was good enough a person already. I think you have to come to the decision for yourself, it is not something you are ordered to do!! My thought: You reach a point where surgery is less fearsome than continuing to live obese, sad and feeling society's rejection everywhere you turn. You are at best 2nd class citizens, bullied and reviled for nothing more than taking up more space in life than they are willing to grant you. Often they do not see the "you", they see a fat shell instead.I don't think I've been normal sized since puberty, and before that? Pudgy ,on the high side of average at best. Shoot at 1 year.I was 36 inches& 35 pounds, I was drafted into obesity before I was old enough to enlist. I was always "Big for Her Age" until puberty when the kindness stopped and I became only the Fat Red-headed chick on the outside of every group and clique around. I seldom dated,no guy wanted a girl who weighed more than them, not even the football and wrestling teams. And they all missed out,because even then size be d*****d I was and still am a wonderful person to know,smart, witty yet kind-hearted, if they had only given me a chance! But still I went on, if I couldn't be pretty, cute and perky,I could,be smart so I buried myself in books where I couldn't be misjudged. Anybody looking for someone who can recite the US presidents, name the 88 Ohio counties and tell an important fact about each one, recite the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence? No one else did either. At one time I could recite every Ohio Governor from territory through statehood and quote the length of term. But dance? The only ones willing to dance with me were my girlfriends, when a guy finally asked,me to dance I had an embarrassing tendency to Lead, well I always been the tallest so....... One said to me' Stop trying to lead", my answer was" One of us has to and I'm not too confident of YOUR ability!"Needless to say I was on the side lines, with all the other wallflowers soon. Now,after all the dings of life, bearing more than few scars , I present myself at the altar of Bariatric Surgery,begging to be granted an audience and the surgery I so earnestly went. Will I have success? I have every intention of it, a wise woman, I believe it was@ proudgrammy, said "There is only Do or Not Do, there is no Try! " So I move forward with the hard won courage of my life toward the Target, not running but firmly stepping each step to the conclusion.[emoji13] I can but hope there are others who will cheer me on but if not-- I am still,persevering . And I will be the very best ME I can be for at the finish,this is truly My Own Victory[emoji304],[emoji573]alone. [emoji13][emoji295] Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

If you have Fed Blue, if you login to your account and send an email via the website, they will email you the approval letter!! If you're impatient like me, I know this is a big deal! Good luck, everyone!

That is some bs... hope everything works on your favor . 🤞🏽

Congrats AShlop80!!! That's AWESOME!! I'm glad Fed Blue was on it and got these decisions done quickly! Did they give you a surgery date?

Hi! So sorry to hear of your troubles. I had a good run of 16 years..well at 14 years I made that fateful decision to just a checkup and found the esophagus expanded...if I never did that checkup, I would probably still have the band. But of course the esophagus was a problem..otherwise, I was maintaining my weight at 150 for years..didn't have any pain or issues..the real problems didn't start until I got that fill at the local surgeon down here who I believe infected me..that started the trouble with the port and tubing and then this last infection..but my doctor said it was probably time anyway..I got banded a few years after it was approved here in the states..so not many people banded much longer than me..at least that I have found.. Does your insurance company require you to do two separate surgeries and jump through all the hoops in between? That was my problem here..I could have had it all done for free but no way was I going to do two surgeries, wait at least three months in between and have to do all the psych evals and other dietary BS that the newbies have to do and should do..but being banded 16 years should mean I am way past that!! Insurance sucks here!! But I also wanted my more experienced doctor in Mexico to take care of this and took a chance that all was fine and I could get it all done at once. So happy it turned out that way!! Best of luck in your journey for revision..hope it all goes smooth..would love to stay in touch with other band to sleevers here..we are definitely different than the first time patients...hard to relate!!!

@Sunnyday25 I find it interesting how people "count" meals. So let me understand, you have 3 meals of "food" per day, but you ALSO have 2 nameless eating events comprised of: 1 protein drink and another one consisting of a protein bar? So to me you are having: 4 meals + protein bar (unless that is a meal replacement bar in which case I would call that 5 meals). LOL. Me personally? I eat 5 meals right now (6 meals if I don't get all my protein in earlier in the day). Technically it's 3 meals + 2 snacks, but honestly the meal sizes are still so close to the same at each meal, I don't differentiate yet. B-Protein drink in coffee 6-8oz PP MS-egg scramble L-protein + salad AS-protein + salad or fruit D-protein + veg + avo/tom BS-only if I didn't make my protein goal for the day of minimum 60g protein

Nutritionist are nuts! Don’t get me wrong, many are good. But many also go by that stupid “BOOK” and what the book says your height and weight should be. What they say every single person should be is BS!

Yes guys can be D-Bags at the gym! Either they think their all big badass’s or they stand there and just stare at you like lost dogs. Every time I’m in the weight room I enjoy yelling at guys for be D-Bags! LOL! Anyway, a personal trainer can be very helpful. They will hold you accountable and help you with everything you need! Honestly to tell you the truth...I was completely against weight loss surgery for years! In my profession I always thought with hard work and dedication...you can lose weight! Well that’s BS!!! Cause I can gain all the muscle in the world but I also gain fat too. I can work hard and lose weight, but I can NEVER keep it off. I realized I have an eating problem. A problem that my knowledge and skills can’t fix. So I decided I needed help. So I looked into Bariatric surgery and decided that it’s an amazing opportunity for me to help me with my eating problem. I will be able to lose the fat Iv been packing on top of my muscles and keep it off. I can be healthier and live longer! I’m am now 100% for Bariatric Surgery!

My professional advice...LIFT WEIGHTS! Your booty will be amazing!!! Every person is different. Every body is different. The way everyone is made is different. I’m not a believer in the BS written on paper for every single person that is a certain weight or height. Not every woman is the same nor built the same way. And not every man is the same nor built the same way. And yes! Thick girls are way cute!!

Well you are going from "corn fed" to a lean mean athletic machine, don't know,if you'll get down to football[emoji458],weight but the Day you hit the goal weight I want to see a picture of you in a Husker sweatshirt or jersey.[emoji13] Deal? Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

It's funny bc I gained 1.8 lbs that I attribute to salt as well. ugh!

Lucky you, after softball and basketball practice they fed us salt pills. Yucky little b*****'s,seemed like they stuck in my esophagus half way down[emoji20]Guess what positions I played? Center, power forward because when teacher or coach wasn't around we played boy rules. And considering I now have 2 knee replacements- catcher. Yep good enough I was on a traveling team,very minor league but we thought we were the greatest thing since sliced bread[emoji12] Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

Just a heads up, I called BCBS fed today and they said if paperwork gets sent AFTER Tuesday it takes a week for them to get it in the system!! So out of the 30 days, it takes them 5-7 days to get it put into their system!!

I don't understand how you could have been fed in hospital? Protein shakes? I was sleeved 1 week ago and I'm on only clear liquids, no yogurt, and only 6 ounces of protein shake a day that's about half a small container. Water, chicken broth, ice pops, that's it