Ready4aNewLife

Hello everyone! I'm new here. This website is a really great place to find out everything I need to know about the vertical sleeve. I was first interested in the lapband just because it seemed a lot safer. But now that I have spent hundreds of hours reading all about WLS I have decided that Vertical Sleeve is by far the best choice for me. I went to a seminar only to find out that they didnt take medicaid. I finally found a place that does and my orientation is set for May 16. I am so excited to finally be working my way to actually being able to live my life. I am a 19 year old female college student. I am 287 lbs. I have been overweight literally my entire life. Even when I was in kindergarten I was a lot heavier than the other children in my class. I am very embarrased of how I look and I feel disgusted of myself everytime I look in the mirror. I am so depressed right now. I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea yesterday..so this doesnt help at all. Hopefully starting my CPAP machine will help me feel a little better. I remember being in 5th grade...that's 9 years old and being on the Atkins diet. The other kids would ask me why I wasnt eating bread and I was embarrased so I told everyone that I was allergic to bread. I yo-yoed dieted literally my entire childhood and am currently still trying to lose weight. I am just so sick of being unhealthy like this. All of my friends are skinny and I hate walking on the treadmill next to leave sweating my butt off while they are next to me running and not even dropping a sweat. It just makes me want to quit. But I know that I cant. I want to walk into a room for once in my life and people to look at me and think how pretty I look or how skinny I am. I just hope that my insurance will cover it since I am a college student and cant afford much right now. I have BCBS and medicaid so Im hoping that BCBS will cover most of it and my medicaid will cover the rest and my deductible and copay. SInce I am under 21, I don't have to pay any copays or deductibles, my medicaid covers that for me. I am so excited to get a chance to start a completely new life! I mean I am so ashamed of myself and the way I look that I dont even talk to people anymore...just walk and stare at the ground. I'm afraid of seeing the dirty looks on peoples facing when they look at me and just thinking that they are thinking how gross and fat I am. I don't want that for the rest of my life =( I have lived this way for 19 years...and I'm only 19 years old. I can't wait for this opportunity and I pray that I get accepted by my insurance companies.

I wouldnt say that he is only attracted to chubby girls. He has only had me and his ex that was, the rest were little skinny minis!

He left and walked out on me....havent heard from him since... but we haven't officially broke up yet.

hahaha good one!! I told him the exact same thing!! He just said that it's something that me and another guy on here would have in common and thats how we could relate. Blah Blah BLah !

My boyfriend and I have been together a little over a year ago. And my boyfriend's ex girlfriend apparently had gastric bypass years ago when they were together. They were together for 6 years and she left him after she got skinny. So this is why my boyfriend isn't very supportive. He is afraid that it will happen again..and I understand that must of been hard but I really need him to be supportive of me through this whole thing. I mean it's not like he's mean about it or anything it just worries him that he's gonna have to go through the same exact heart break over again. I love him more than anything in this world and he is the one that I want to make my husband. How do I get him to understand that I'm not going to do this to him? Has anyone else had a similar situation?

We have been together a little over a year now.

I am getting the VSG and I was wondering if I should tell people that I am having WLS? Or should I keep it to myself? Did people treat you differently because you had WLS to help you lose weight? I am wondering if you told people about your WLS and if you regret it? I am thinking about keeping it a secret besides telling my parents, boyfriend and best friend of course. I might not even tell my other friends because I'm afraid of what they might think of me.

My insurance company says I have to have at least a BMI of 50 to be considered for VSG. Was it the same requirement for you?

Well I have called both my insurance companies already and I know that my BCBS and Medicaid does cover bariatric surgery. I was just curious if anyone knew how things worked when you have a primary insurance with BCBS and medicaid as a secondary insurance. How does the coverage work for medicaid as a secondary insurance? Will medicaid cover all of what BCBS wont cover or just a certain percentage?

My BMI is literally 49.5 at the moment

I have read a lot of places that say that the sleeve is usually only used as a 2 step process, first getting the sleeve then having gastric bypass later. Is it always a 2 step surgery like this? Or did you just have the sleeve done?

Thank you! I am 19 years old and I'm so happy that there is something out there to give me a chance to begin a new life! I am also greatful that I found this opportunity sooner than later!

What is a bougie?

I can't wait to be prettier and healthier =) And I especially can't wait to stop hiding from the world!!! I can't wait to have my first appointment with my surgeon!

Wow do I hope so! Thank you =) It would be amazing to not have any out of pocket expenses except the pre op diet!

I know that my BCBS and my medicaid covers the surgery. My surgeon also takes BCBS and medicaid. I was just wondering how the insurance works when you have two insurances like that,

I am a 19 year old female that weighs 284 lbs. I have been overweight my entire life, ever since I can literally remember, I mean even in my kindergarten school pictures you can tell how much more I weigh than the other children! I am so sick of tired of being this way. I wake up and look in the mirror every day just to think how disgusting I look. I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea yesterday and it really scares me. I need to do something about this. I have been on so many yo yo diets but just keep gaining more weight back and then some. I have put at least over 200 hours in researching all about weight loss surgeries. I think that getting the Vertical sleeve would be the best option for me but I really cant afford to pay larger out of pocket expenses. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield of michigan through my mother and I have Michigan Medicaid throught the state. Since I am under 21, Medicaid pays all of my copays and deductibles. Does anyone know how the insurance thing works if my BCBS is my primary insurance and Medicaid is my secondary insurance? Will BCBS pay a certain percentage and then my Medicaid pay the rest? Do you think that my Medicaid would pay my copays and deductibles that BCBS wont pay? Did your insurance pay for your pre op liquid diet? Does anyone else have a primary insurance and secondary insurance or know anything about this to help me?

Well I have called both my insurance companies already and I know that my BCBS and Medicaid does cover bariatric surgery. I was just curious if anyone knew how things worked when you have a primary insurance with BCBS and medicaid as a secondary insurance. How does the coverage work for medicaid as a secondary insurance? Will medicaid cover all of what BCBS wont cover or just a certain percentage?