6kiddos

I found out it is the 23 hr thing. I can stay that long...if needed the dr. will ask for longer then. I feel good about that because I tend to HATE hospitals and how much they bug you. My parents are coming to help with the kids....so that should be ok. (Yes, I have my dh but he works long hours and won't be able to take off work for this since he was just converted from a contractor to a Full-time Employee.) My kids are sooo excited for my parents to come.

When I lost a lot of weight before...mine became like tube socks. LOL. I am being sleeved on the 9th. We will see what they do now. I told dh to enjoy them while they last. LOL. The sweet man said..."I love them anyway they are because I love you."

I sent in ONE appt for 2008, gym record for 2009, and the 6 mo diet for 2010. I was approved with no problem other than they want it to be outpatient.

I was told the surgeon can just request when you are there for longer. That is what we will do....they had an opening on the 9th of Nov! AAAHHH!

We have self-pay ins through Aetna. I was approved last week for outpatient VSG. It really depends on your plan.

I was approved (I just found out! I had to call...was approved last thursday!) Anyway, they only approved it for outpatient?? Anyone else? :huh:

I have another email into the patient advocate to see when she submitted it. I am sooo impatient! LOL Mommy2girls - I have done the 6 mo diet/exercise, cardio (with nuclear stress test & echo), pulmonologist (with sleep study), tsh bloodwork, weight history, etc. All the ducks are in a row...now it is up to Aetna. (it is private ins so it really is up to Aetna)

So, I finally heard back from the patient advocate. After playing phone tag with the patient advocate...I finally got an email back from her. She has sent it into Aetna....waiting for approval! I am sooo nervous! What is they don't approve? I have to do this this year if I do it because I am 100% covered until the end of the year and our ins will be changing (thanks to dh's new job! YEAH!!). AAAHH! Who knows how long I will have to wait to hear. On a good note, dh got the job with Wells Fargo! WOOHOO! He has been a contractor there (computers) and the end date for him was Dec....meaning he would HAVE to leave for 6 mo and then go back if they had room. BUT he got the ONE Full-time Employee job they had open this year in his area. =) So....we will have benefits, PTO, vacation days. We have not had this stuff in 8 yrs! woohoo! We are VERY happy and relieved. Thanks for reading.

I am not sure about the VSG, but when my cardiologist wanted to do a Nuclear Stress Test (based on TERRIBLE family history with my brother having a MAJOR heart attack at 40) she did a peer to peer review also. It was approved within the day. I would think on the VSG this would be a good thing. =) What is your ins? I am waiting on Aetna. waiting...waiting...ugh.

Glad to hear someone else is going to him. Also good to hear good recommendations! Thanks! I do have a friend who had a RnY 2 yrs ago by Dr. Juarez who liked him. My paperwork should go in for approval this week! yikes! I am hoping it will go easily and I will be able to do this this year. Good to hear from another Phoenician. =)

I can't tell you from personal experience, but my mother had the same issue when I was a teen. She was better after losing weight (bypass 20 yrs ago) but then her knees were bad enough that she had a knee replacement on the worse of the two. The other one is bad but manageable. (she does have high pain tolerance though...)

What do I expect? The Pulmonologist wanted me to do one since the room air night test had a few funny areas....of course I couldn't sleep well that night. (worst night of sleep in a long time). Anyway, I am unsure what to expect. This is my LAST hurdle before submitting to ins! I finish the 6 mo diet today...then I need to get the reports from my PCP with his letter. AND then the Pulmonologist clearance. =)Hopefully I will be submitting in the next few weeks!

Congratulations! I will have all of my stuff in next week to be submitted! I am so nervous!

is Aetna requiring a Pulmonary clearance for you? I am just curious because I have left tons of messages with the ins. lady at the surgeon's office and still no call back. I have my LAST appt with my PCP today! (6-month) woohoo. I am still working on that pulmonary clearance though..sigh.

I was told I had to have pulmonary clearance and cardiac clearance also. My last appt for the 6 mo program is this Friday! (woohoo!) I have everything in except the last appt from my PCP and his letter. I am also waiting on the pulmonary clearance. (though this is unclear on whether or not I really need this...it might be for the surgeon only because I am close to the 50 bmi. I am at 45.9 after the 6 mo diet/exercise). I am worried about being denied as we cannot afford the surgery otherwise. We hit our family ded. in June ($10k!) and this surgery would be 100% covered. We'll see. =) good luck to you!

interesting... I have high bp ONLY at my TMJ specialist. (155/85 one time...went down to 145/75 about 10 min later). So, I talked to my pcp and he said it was fine...that what he would have me do I am already doing (losing weight, exercise, etc). At his office my bp is 133/72. go figure. It is so confusing. BUT I will pull the TMJ docs notes because she has it documented I have high bp. =) Might help for a documented co-morbidity.

Oh...I am soooo looking forward to NOT sweating so bad in the heat! I live in Phoenix...HOT. It is "only" 105 today. ugh. Thank goodness it is a "dry" heat.

I have to have the option of anti-inflamatories. (ie. ibuprofen, aleve, etc) for my TMJ and if I am like my mother...arthritis when I am older.

This may seem like a wierd question...BUT Is your voice different or hoarse after surgery? Does your throat hurt? I have had 3 c/s but I was never "put under". I am a singer and am curious about this. (not professional...just solos at church, etc. but I do perform a lot). Thanks. Janel

Well, I am hoping mine stays away after I have surgery. =) (almost ready to submit to Aetna). Anyway, I had an ablation done in June. Best thing ever!! No monthly visitor since then. I hope she stays away. =)

So I am working on all the things to get approval. I HAVE to get it THIS year if I want it....we have hit our deductible already so it would be no out of pocket for me. If it is next year it will be 5k. Anywho. I went to the pulmonologist for clearance (trying to make sure everything is ready...and I am borderline needing this clearance). He did some kind of room oxygen sleep test where I slept with the finger thing on all night at home. He now said that he wants a full sleep study! ugh. He said my O2 was low sometimes (not sure if he read that I got up to go pee, switched the finger thing in the night (it hurt!), and kids woke me) and wants to be sure by having a full sleep study. Everything else will be ready to submit to Ins. (Aetna) October 3rd. sigh. Now I get to hurry up and wait again. Frustrating since I feel like I am on a major timeline and I really don't want to be recovering too much around the holidays!

Glad for this question and interested in the answers. =) I have had 3 c-sections so I too was wondering about which was worse. =)

Hey Dave - can't answer your questions...but wanted to say HI to someone in the NW! I LOVE the NW. We spend 1-2 months on Whidbey Island every summer. =)

Suzette - I think I read about your situation. =) It is because of that that I have already gone to my gym. They photocopied the card they kept records on (about 4 weigh ins in 4 months) from last year. It has their letterhead on it and I have the receptionist sign it. Do you think I should do more...like from the manager? According to Aetna we only need 2 yrs history...so I am gathering '10, '09, '08. (I only have 1 appt for '08). Thanks for the encouragement. =)

I also like the Special K Protein Water. It is a powder you add to a water bottle but it has 5 or 6 g of Fiber and protein also. it really helps me when I am hungry. =) Don't feel like a failure. Take it a day at a time. You CAN do this! Hugs!