I've been overweight since I hit puberty. I've tried diet after diet to no avail. In 2009 I decided to try surgery. I was told my insurance covered it, so I started the process. After tests and appointments they came back and said it was NOT a covered benefit. I was devastated. Not only that, but I had racked up some hefty medical bills. I continued trying to lose on my own, only to let myself down each time. Things began to change in the fall of 2011. My boyfriend and his sister were both sleeved in October of that year. Seeing their weight loss, I was motivated to try weight watchers again. I did, and lost about 30 lbs. I was the happiest I had been in a very long time. Things went down hill from there, and I gained it back- plus some. Seeing how successful those two have been with their sleeves, I finally got the courage to look into having it done once more. I changed insurance plans as of 1/1/13. I attended the informational meeting the beginning of January, and had my first appointment on March 18. I received fantastic news at that appointment. BCBS (MI) now accepts weight watchers as your 6 month diet! FANTASTIC!! I was set. My behaviorist & surgeon appointments are March 27. It is feasible I could get a surgery date next week, and be sleeved in May. I am SOOO excited!!! (And nervous!) I hope to document my journey here, not only for you- but for myself too! I am not telling many people, so I don't have many people to talk to about it. I am so glad to have found this board. Best of luck to everyone!

That's awesome.. Glad you didn't give up! You seem to have the right mindset to get things done.. Congrats and good luck!

Good for you! I wish I had BCBS, I have priority health(MI) they are much more strict about it. Who are you going with for surgeon? I have a couple months before I can submit mine but if all go through I will use Dr Foote in grand rapids.

Adargie, I'm going through McLaren in Petoskey. They're the same office you're using. Dr. Baker did the seminar I went to, and he's also the surgeon I am seeing next week. I'm not sure if I will have him, or one of his partners. It all depends on what dates are available. My job is flexible, but the first week of the month is off limits. We'll see!

Right on. I too am having surgery soon. Why did you choose the sleeve over bypass?

I choose the sleeve, because to me it seems less invasive. The way I see it, with the sleeve they are removing your stomach. With the bypass, they are doing that AND rearranging things. During the seminar I attended Dr. Baker actually talked about how he'd recommend the sleeve over the bypass for most people. There were a couple reasons he'd suggest the bypass,but I'm healthy overall and none of them apply to me. It also helps that I know people who have had it so they can tell me what to expect.

Today I met with the surgeon and behaviorist. The surgeon was happy with everything and said I'm a perfect candidate. Yay! He also told me because I have a lower BMI I will only need to do a 1 week pre-op diet. That was good news. The behaviorist was happy with everything as well. She only suggested that I get a letter sent over from my PCP saying that I am stable on one of my meds. Now, it's time to wait. They're supposed to call me to set up surgery. I'm happy, but not over the top yet because I still don't have a date. I'm sure it will be a few days before they call. Time for the infamous waiting game!

Best decision i've ever made... Congrats and good luck! i'm two weeks out and down 15 lbs since surgery and 37 total adding in loss from pre-op diet

This week I had my pre-op appointments. We met classroom style with someone from exercise, as well as the dietician. Exercise talked about why we need to start now, and the steps we will go through. Nutrition was a TON of information, as well as the purchase of the pre-op diet food. For two weeks we have an 800-900 calorie diet we have to follow. Then we talked with the PA about surgery. We're supposed to go back for another appointment the week before surgery, but I can't take any more time off work, so the PA did that exam as well. It was just a basic look over, and then went over all the surgery stuff. She gave me all my paperwork to sign, and the hospital info, everything. I also had to purchase my 2 week post-op food. So, 3 bags of groceries later, I AM READY FOR SURGERY!! Diet starts Monday. Two weeks from Monday my new life begins ! YAHOO!