ScentsyLady

Hi! I'm Sonia from Kalamazoo, MI! I am in the last 2 months of qualifying for insurance coverage. It went slow at first, but now things are moving right along. I am hoping to get a date for the end of July , first part of August. I am having Dr. Verseman do it at Borgess Hospital. It has been a long road. I like wanted it yesterday, but BCBS is tough on the requirements. I love this board for just about any information or inspiration you might need. It is awesome to come here and share everyone's experiences, good or bad. Thanks everyone for all your stories! Sonia

I hope so! I am so ready to do this. I am on this forum all the time, gathering every scrap of info I can read about a lot of things that I wanted to know ahead of time. And, the people here are awesome!

Hi! This is a very daunting journey after making the decision to do it. So many hoops to jump through with the insurance requirements and surgeon requirements,etc! But I am determined to make it all the way through. Progress so far: Called the insurance company and found out that I must call the Bariatric Resource Service center and participate with them while meeting all the other requirements during the rest of my PCP visits. Check. Had that phone conversation this week with their nurse. Check. On March 17th, had my 2nd PCP visit, 4 more to go!!! Check. Have my first group appointment with my surgeon on March 24th! Check. OMG, what else? Oh, have to call the insurance company back to ask them questions the Bariatric Resource Center nurse asked that I had no answer for. Can I scream yet? Thank heavens for this forum! It is nice to know what experiences others have with pre op diets and post op progress. I am addicted to this site now while I wait and jump through more hoops during the coming months. thanks for letting me vent a little! You guys are the best!

Thanks! I am so happy for you! I have been lurking on this site and gathering courage from the posts of people who have actually done this instead of listening to the skinny naysayers who don't have a clue what it involves. This site seems to give you the good, bad, and ugly of it all. That is very helpful to us pre sleevers as a lot of accurate information is better than a lot of naysayers just spouting "what they have heard" to you. I would rather hear it all so I know what I can expect from someone who has "been there and done that"! Best of luck on Tuesday!

Thanks for the post! I am fascinated reading the pre-op diet posts and the less than 4 days out posts. I have a ways to go yet, 4-6 months, and this really helps me realize I am doing the right thing. I want to know the good, bad, and ugly of it all. Thanks, and keep us updated, OK?

Thanks for your story! I have a fascination just now for the pre-op diet stories and the less than 4 days post-op stories. It really helps to calm the nerves being able to read what others are going through, no matter if it is good or bad. keep posting! I have another 4-6 months to go. It seems like forever right now.

Hi! Just starting my journey and am confused. You have to lose weight before you can be approved? If you lose weight before surgery using a diet, won't they deny you because you lost weight the regular way? It seems contradictory! How much will you be required to lose on average. It would seem they would figure that you couldn't lose weight using a convention diet and that is why you want bariatric surgery. Thanks for any clarification you guys can give me. I will be getting my first appointment with the surgeon soon, and I had my first PCP supervised weight loss visit, so I have at least started.

Hi! I am currently 248 at 5' 1/2" tall. I have started the 6 month qualification with my PCP, and will be getting my first consultation with the surgeon. I can hardly wait the 6 months! I am ready to do it in 2 weeks! I love this forum and have learned a LOT more than I ever wanted to know. But that is good because every scrap of knowledge I get from you ladies first hand will get me prepared and ready to do it to the max. I will be armed with knowledge that will help me post op and I can always come here and ask you guys. You're the best! I love you all!

Can someone tell me why I would have to lose weight before I can have surgery? Will it keep me from being approved for sleeve procedure? 6 months seems such a long time to wait! I love this forum and spend a lot of time reading some amazing stories! Thanks!

Thanks to you all for answering my question. I guess I will take it one step at a time and see what happens. It does seem silly to require a certain percentage of weight loss cause if that is all I had to do was get serious about it (I have been serious and it didn't work!) I would have been a toothpick. I am glad for all your input. Every tidbit of experiences I read here is just going to help me more to navigate this insurance/surgeon thing. I love this forum!

Thanks for your reply! I guess I am just scared that I will go through it all and then have them tell me that oh well, if you can lose weight the regular way then you don't need the sleeve. I am so ready to do this and the thought that losing some weight could end my dreams of seeing this journey all the way through would come to a crashing halt. I will do what is asked of me and keep my fingers crossed that I won't get denied. Has anyone out there been denied after losing the weight for the insurance company or the doctor? Just wondering.

Hi All! Today is the first day of the rest of my life, so they say! I went to my seminar, and I have everything I need to start this journey. I have my next to do list, and then the ball will really start rolling! Has anyone out there had the experience of being happy and excited about this decision, and then have your significant other, family, or friends bombard you with negative comments? Comments that make you feel ashamed that you can't just "eat less and excercise" to lose that weight? Don't these people understand how much we all have struggled and tried and failed with the regular weight loss tactics? And, especially when a thin person says those things, it hurts even more! How in the world would they know? How have you overcame these things? Is there a way to get these people to respect your decision and support you anyway? I hope it gets better, because I am determined this time. Thanks for any advice you can give me!

Hi! Could you please send me a booklet? My email address is WarmingCandles4You@gmail.com Thanks very much! You are awesome!

I know exactly what you mean. I started this process last year by going to a seminar. Everything was ok until the seminar. Then my husband guilted me into changing my mind. I have regretted it ever since. My mom lives with us and is 88 and eats like a bird, so her advice every day is just "eat less"! LOL, as if I have not tried that a million times. Well, I went to a seminar today and I have decided to move forward no matter what. I told my husband he could drop me off at the hospital and pick me up when I am discharged. Of course, he has became supportive, but this is just because he thinks I will change my mind again. Little does he know how determined I am. He is overweight with Type 2 diabetes which is under control with pills, so he doesn't understand why I can't just be the way I am as I, like you, have no comorbidities. I am happy with me, but I am not happy with my body. And, I want to be done with everything that hasn't worked for the last 15 yrs. I am ready for a lifestyle change, not just another diet. I am glad I found this site so I can talk to people who will not judge me and try to talk me into yet another diet and excercise program. Thanks all!