I started this journey by filling out a form from a local surgeon and going to an informational meeting. I have Humana insurance but there is an exclusion written by my employer for weight loss surgery. Tricare is my secondary, and their requirements are being 100 lbs overweight with a comorbidity, or being 200% over ideal weight. I knew that I was borderline with the 100 lb overweight requirement, but I jumped into it anyway. Took the test, was poked and prodded in every orifice of my body. Went to meetings and researched and read everything I could get my hands on. Once my surgeons office submitted the paperwork, I felt pretty sure that I would get approved. I was just a few pounds under. Then I get the big fat DENIAL..and the letter stating that I meet the comorbidities, but am 6.5 UNDER their requirement! So, I have eaten everything I can get my hands on! I feel bloated, greasy and FAT...so I went in today and reweighed...and weighed 6.6 lbs OVER their number! YES!!
Here I go again...the waiting...the checking the Tricare site every hour.
My new diet and lifestyle starts today, with or without the band. I pray that I get approved and can get banded soon. Would love to get off of blood pressure meds and off of that darn CPAP machine!
Will it be just another diet, or will I get on the bandwagon?
:party:
I am one month post op. It started off very rocky. I ended up back in the hospital postop day 2 and stayed for a week. It was either a reaction to the band or something used in the surgery or an infection. Anyway, everything is much better. I am 32 lbs down and feeling great!
I have had to struggle with the old fat me and the new "getting healthy" me. I have resisted the chips, cokes, candy etc that my family and coworkers eat. I have also added exercise to my daily life. My CPap was turned down, and now I have been going with out it.
First fill is Wed. Hope that takes care of the desire to snack. Thankfully I have stocked the fridge with sugar free low calorie snacks.
This has been a two month journey. The appointments have been made and kept. I had my psy exam and passed with flying colors. My gallbladder has been scanned, and my esophagus has been probed. I have gone to meetings and researched the heck out of this...now is the time to wait....wait...wait.
Waiting for everything to be submitted to insurance and for insurance to give the final decision. I am border line of what my insurance requires for Lapband surgery (the 100lbs overweight) only being a few pounds over their low end. I have 2 comorbids (HTN and sleep apnea). I am sooo ready to get this done!
As I begin this journey, I am doing a great deal of soul searching.
In my 20's I was 120lbs. I can remember a boyfriend that I had (at the time he was a professional Baseball player). He said he could not date anyone that weighed over 140 lbs. I asked him if he would still love me if I lost an arm in a car accident? If I lost my sight? If I had a baby and gained weight? Needless to say, I dumped the conceited jerk.
Over the years I gained weight. I was a waitress at a fabulous restaurant while in school. Then, studying all of the time, I snacked all of the time. After graduation and becoming a nurse, I found that I had to cram food in my mouth IF I had a lunch break. Many times after a 12 hour shift and no eating, I would stop at a fast food restaurant and eat a big juicy cheeseburger and a supersized coke. I worked long hours and the last thing I thought when I got home was working out. And I stressed over my husband being overseas.
Then I had the hysterectomy...yikes, 25lbs in a year!
...and here it begins.
to be continued.....