So many great forums and groups to link up with I’m new and already a little addicted to this app as well as everyone’s story and journey. My journey began early January and my projected surgery date is in May. I love to link up with others who are dates are close to mine just to encourage each other. I’ve already talk to some awesome people in my short time on here. I started vlogging my journey on YouTube right from the beginning so if anyone is interested check it out https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoDS8UYKi9Wu1__0j9qJ8rA

I plan to continue sharing up to and well after surgery all my feelings and experiences. Hopefully it helps someone like me or not like me at all. I’m So happy for everyone taking charge of their lives! We are incredible people.

I started my journey in January and I am hoping for May date, but due to my insurance if it is anywhere between May/June/July I will be happy....praying for May though! Good luck everyone! (from New Jersey)

I watched a gastric sleeve surgery on YouTube and now I am bit scared of the surgery. My Dr will be using the Davinci Robot to conduct the surgery. What if the electricity in the hospital goes out? What if I wake up? I ask myself these questions. Anyone want to chime in?

There is a Davinci thread somewhere in the last few days here on Bariatric Pal. I do know your incisions will be smaller and heal quicker than average. And the one person I knew personally said she had a lot less pain than average. Barring a failure of the East Coast power grid the lights won't go out. I drempt one night my surgeon got hiccups, not your worry, robots don't get hiccups. The last person I heard of waking up during surgery was in Readers Digest, ain't gonna happen. You'll go into a nice peaceful sleep, when you wake up you'll have nurses and surgical techs watching over you in recovery. My friend Tammy said her post surgery was less than the day her 5 year old head-butted her in the belly. Thought he was a goat, if he had been mine I would have cut his little horns off before they got bigger. Probably a good thing God didn't send him to me! Hon, you're going to be just fine, I'm certain of it.

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The day of Surgery. Depending on the program also they might weigh you 2 weeks before your surgery when you start your liquid diet. They normally weigh you every time you go in for any appointment with them. In regards to before insurance approval they weigh you after everything is done and they review their information with you and then submit it to insurance where it can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks to hear back. I heard back from my insurance within 3-5 days.

Wow, that was fast.... I wish it could be that fast for me....

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On 2/17/2018 at 11:28 AM, BeckyVSG2b said:

Hi there... I am in Jacksonville Fl!! I will be done with my last Nutrition Visit in April with a projected surgery month of May. No exact date yet but I can’t wait to get closer and find out

Hey Becky,

I have my last nutrition visit in April too and we have the same name!! Wooo hoo. April 2nd is my last nutrit. and paperwork submital date. My weightloss coordinator suggest on 4/02 I start the 2 week pre-op liquid, so by the time I get approved for surgery I would already be on the liquid diet and could schedule surgery date as soon as early as possible. Im excited to be on this journey and can't wait!!

Hey all!

I am booked for the 5th of April! Whilst surgery is soon can I say just for reading the forums what an extensive list you have to get through the actual surgery and a credit to you who manage to ride it out.

Medicare does not require Prior Authorization.

yes the psych eval can sink your ship.

Hey Becky,
I have my last nutrition visit in April too and we have the same name!! Wooo hoo. April 2nd is my last nutrit. and paperwork submital date. My weightloss coordinator suggest on 4/02 I start the 2 week pre-op liquid, so by the time I get approved for surgery I would already be on the liquid diet and could schedule surgery date as soon as early as possible. Im excited to be on this journey and can't wait!!

Yayyy!! Has your insurance requirements been pretty strict? I know everyone experiences have been different but I know we all have the same thing in common..”Determination”!! We are going to do what we need to do to reach our goal and succeed in this journey!

5 hours ago, BeckyVSG2b said:

Yayyy!! Has your insurance requirements been pretty strict? I know everyone experiences have been different but I know we all have the same thing in common..”Determination”!! We are going to do what we need to do to reach our goal and succeed in this journey!

I have Aetna and it was actually even hard for me to get approved for my initial consultation with my bariatric surgeon. I got denied twice, and took it up with the state (requested an external review). The external review overturned the decision of my insurance plan!

Im doing the 90 day multi-disciplinary regimen which requires the below. Luckily, im not required to go to my PCP's office every time to get a montly weigh in. Its nerve wrecking around this period because supposedly you cant gain weight or lose too much.

1. Psych eval
2. 3 x Nutrition visits (Once a month)
3. 1 Support group meeting

Once approved for surgery, you have to scramble to get the below done in a timely manner:

1. EKG
2. Chest X-Ray
3. Pre-op Blood Work

I've heard of Aetna denying people for random stuff before surgery so im getting ready to take it up with the state again. I don't even mess around with insurance. I learned if Insurance is giving me a hardtime, to just file a complaint with a DMHC. Insurance is in the business of denying people to keep their money.

I have Aetna and it was actually even hard for me to get approved for my initial consultation with my bariatric surgeon. I got denied twice, and took it up with the state (requested an external review). The external review overturned the decision of my insurance plan!
Im doing the 90 day multi-disciplinary regimen which requires the below. Luckily, im not required to go to my PCP's office every time to get a montly weigh in. Its nerve wrecking around this period because supposedly you cant gain weight or lose too much.

1. Psych eval
2. 3 x Nutrition visits (Once a month)
3. 1 Support group meeting

Once approved for surgery, you have to scramble to get the below done in a timely manner:

1. EKG
2. Chest X-Ray
3. Pre-op Blood Work

I've heard of Aetna denying people for random stuff before surgery so im getting ready to take it up with the state again. I don't even mess around with insurance. I learned if Insurance is giving me a hardtime, to just file a complaint with a DMHC. Insurance is in the business of denying people to keep their money.

Oh wow I have Aetna too (POS II) I am also doing the 3 month multi disciplinary program. In order to get the initial consultation I had to see a quality of excellence center. So the first original Bariatric center I went with they would not allow me to move forward with because it was not a quality center of Excellence. So I had to call Aetna and get the locations in my city that were. Since then I haven’t had any issues and I really hope I do not run into any. My requirements are pretty much the same as yours. 3 month Nutrition Visits, Psych Evaluation, 1 support meeting and PCP medical clearance.

Oh wow I have Aetna too (POS II) I am also doing the 3 month multi disciplinary program. In order to get the initial consultation I had to see a quality of excellence center. So the first original Bariatric center I went with they would not allow me to move forward with because it was not a quality center of Excellence. So I had to call Aetna and get the locations in my city that were. Since then I haven’t had any issues and I really hope I do not run into any. My requirements are pretty much the same as yours. 3 month Nutrition Visits, Psych Evaluation, 1 support meeting and PCP medical clearance.

Also at my pcp appointment I got my EKG and blood work done. I haven’t gotten a chest X-ray but if it’s necessary I will do whatever else needed. I have done a few other test requested by my surgeon as well.

I got my surgery date this week! April 18th for me.

3 minutes ago, shawnananananana said:

I got my surgery date this week! April 18th for me.

So lucky!!! Im crossing my fingers for a date in April!!

Hi all. I'm on schedule for mid-May, no date set yet, but it's looking like I might have to push it back a little bit because my wife is going to have a knee replacement in late April or early may herself. We have to wait until the kids are home from college so they can stay with her while I'm at work. I'll probably wait until three weeks after her surgery before I have mine, so we'll be laid up together for a while.

Neither of my kids drive, so my daughter will have to take me to my surgery in an Uber. It's going to be done outpatient so she'll have a long day sitting in the surgical center. I'll probably have to explain to the staff multiple times that while my daughter looks 15, she's already 21. Also fortunate is that since both my wife and I will be laid up together, both my kids can cook.

As for what I'm looking forward to after surgery, mostly it's not having to do my laundry every few days because I've refused to buy any more clothes once I figured out how much I've spent in the past two years as I continued to expand. I don't want to go out and buy new clothes, I just want my old ones to fit again. (Also, as a guy, I'm fine with ordering shirts and pants on Amazon, so it's not like I'm going out to buy them now either.)