kewlshort1

I'm scheduled for surgery on December 15th. Good to know someone that will be going through it at the same time as me! I have a tendency to carry my weight in my belly too, which is a new thing. I have always been overweight, but proportionate. I've always hated buying jeans because while I was overweight, I had a smaller waist. I've been on steriods multiple times due to Lupus and Rheumatoid arthritis, and it's really changed my physique. Not only has it caused me to gain additional weight (oh joy) but I've become more beach ball shaped. Not attractive. I'm so looking forward to this next step and the changes that will come!!

Wait... they DO work! I'm just not observant enough to notice they popped up at the bottom of the post LOL

Once I get used to it, I'll probably like it. I'm just trying to get used to it still... so far my emoticons don't work. It is definitely a brighter look though!

I called the insurance company, and they were very helpful. Apparently my surgery date is scheduled for December 15th. The "pended" status means they are still in the process of approving it. The woman I spoke to was very helpful, and updated all my demographic information, because she said if they hadn't been updated fairly recently, it will reject the claim. Not sure if that is true, but anything to make sure it doesn't get rejected for something stupid! My surgery will be on a Thursday, which I'll need to take off. I think I will take the extra time off, but because of how my schedule falls that will mean that with two days off I'll be able to be off from the day before surgery until the next Friday. The main reason I'm hoping to get back as soon as possible is that we have a number of people out on medical leave already. I work on the OB unit of the hospital I'm having surgery at. I believe we will have 4 people out on medical leave at that time! I'd like to NOT add to the scheduling nightmare any more than I have to. Of course, if I don't feel up to it, I will be able to stay home. Either way, I have to be cleared by Employee Health to go back. That will give me the option of either returning or not. I'd just really prefer to not miss more than necessary.

My surgeon's office submitted for approval after my visit last friday. I've been checking Humana's website for the approval status, and today it was listed as "Pended" with an effective date of 12/15/2011. I'm not sure what the effective date means? I'm sure hoping that maybe that's a date they submitted as a surgery date? I would LOVE that. I've actually been hoping for a Thursday surgery date, because that would make it so I only have to request one day off. When I work Thursday, I am off Fri, Sat and Sun. I'm hoping to be able to go back to work on Monday, if I have surgery on Thursday. I work at a hospital as a clerk, so the bulk of my job involves sitting on my tukus. I'm thinking that will work well with my recovery So anyway- anyone else have any insight to an "effective date"??

Got my date! December 15th it is! That just so happens to be the date that I had picked out as being the "best" as far as my schedule goes, though I had not shared that with the surgeon. The way my schedule falls that week, I will only need one day off of work. It will also mean that I'll be past my 1 week post op liquids and into mushies, and may even be able to have a few bites of mashed potatoes with my family. We have somewhat of a tradition of fighting over who gets to sit next to the mashed potatoes I only have one week of pre-op low calorie, low carb diet, so I'll be able to have some turkey on Thanksgiving as well. Not that those things were the most important, mind you. It will just make it a little easier to work around LOL

I had labwork, sleep study, esophagram (done twice because he wanted to look again because I apparently have a delayed swallowing thing going on), cardiac clearance (EKG only), Psych eval, and six months of nutrition counseling. I finished my nutrition counseling last friday, and he submitted my info to the insurance. I'm just waiting to hear the word from the insurance company. I've got my fingers and toes crossed!!

No treadmill here! I never had to do a stress test. All I had to do was meet with a cardiologist and he did and EKG. It was quick and easy, and he cleared me for surgery.

Add me to the group please!!! I'm under Fanchon Hardy in Illinois. I'm willing to bet I'm the only one that pops up LOL https://www.facebook.com/fanchon?ref=tn_tnmn

I'm so anxious and excited! I just checked Humana's website again, and it is now showing the submission for approval and the status is "Pended". I'm excited that it's at least showing something! My last appointment was last friday, and it was submitted after that. I've been told it has been taking about 10 - 14 days or so for approval. I can't wait to find out! I'm probably going to be checking it incessantly until then!

Holy crow!! That hurts to think about. I'm afraid if my insurance didn't cover it, I would be unable to afford it. My policy says that WLS is excluded, but then says unless authorized by Humana. I initially thought it would not be an option, but then found that our hospital performs the surgery. That's when I did some more digging and found that it really just meant "excluded unless you jump through the hoops". I used to work for Motorola, and had BCBS of IL and had several coworkers that had the surgery with nothing out of pocket. At the time, I had no children, and had just lost 80 lbs on my own, so it wasn't even considered. Unfortunately, I gained it back and then some Those of you that are self pay, are you able to get credit to cover this? Or are you having to come up with it all in advance?

I am having my surgery done at the hospital I work at. Because the surgeon and staff work at the same hospital as me, they are familiar with our insurance coverage and what is/isn't covered, what the requirements are, etc. As a result, I never bothered talking to the insurance company themselves about the requirements. After looking at my insurance website yesterday (Humana), I found they have a bariatric department that deals with all weight loss options. I called them today to get the specifics on my plan, and found them extremely helpful. Not only did she verify everything with me over the phone, she emailed me the documents as well while we were talking. She also sent me their links to Humana's educational videos that covered a lot of information: comparisons between the various weight loss surgeries, as well as specifics on each one. Obviously, I had already researched myself, but I still found it quite informative. The best part was my coverage though. First, I never knew exactly how much the surgery would cost me out of pocket. Stupid, I know. I knew the insurance would cover surgery, at least in part, and that was good enough for me. Frankly, I'd beg, borrow and/or steal to afford this! BUT that won't be necessary... my insurance (not know for being all that great) covers my surgery 100% with a copayment of $200. I was giddy when I was told that I'm so anxious to get my approval! Especially now that I know I'm not going to be stuck with a huge bill, I sure wish I had done this 2 years ago before I gained the 80 lbs I've put on since my ex walked out on us. That would have put me just that much close to my goal. But, alas.... then again, I've had that extra time to really soul search, research and prepare myself for this. I'm definitely ready now

Amazing! Love it! I'm glad to hear things went well, and that you aren't finding it too painful. This is a procedure I will certainly be looking into eventually (I have to lose the weight first ) I'm glad you shared your experience with us!

I have Humana, not BCBS, but my policy specifically excluded Weight Watchers (and some other similar programs) because they were not "physician-directed". I would guess you would have to verify it with your specific plan to make sure they don't have a similar wording.

I went to my last appt yesterday and got all my pre- and post- op info. I am so excited about my pre and post op diets. They are definitely doable IMO. My dr is apparently NOT as strict as many are. One thing I noted is that he does NOT recommend Protein shakes. My one week post op liquid diet lists Slim Fast High Protein, Myoplex Light and Zero Carb Isopure as acceptable liquids, however after a week of liquids I move onto mushies and pureed foods as tolerated. At that point, he wants his patients to get their protein from lean meats and foods. He has listed Protein Bars as an option, if I am not able to get enough protein, but recommends avoiding the drinks and shakes. He feels that the drinks will slide through and not provide the same "full" feeling as getting the protein through food or even bars. It was sort of a relief to me, as I have never found a shake I could stand. On the other hand, it means I will have to be conscious to make sure I am eating high-protein items as much as possible. Changing my eating habits is the point of this process though, so that is doable to me too. I'm anxiously awaiting my approval and starting the next part of my life!!

Wait, what?! Hiccups?? How did I miss this important information?? I get the worst hiccups now, when I get them. It winds up being painful. And you're saying I'm going to get them more? Man... If I had known this before, it might have been a deal breaker. (not really ) But still!

For mu 6 month supervised nutrition appointments, I met with the nutritionist at the surgeon's office. He also happened to be the surgical coordinator, so he would verify the things I needed to complete for insurance approval. I would bring in a log of what I ate, we would discuss the better choices and things that I needed to add more of to my diet. He would ask what I did to work out, and how often/how long. We also discussed the surgery, the long term diet afterwards, and questions I might have. It was a brief visit, usually about 15 minutes. I thought initially that the 6 months would take forever, but it has flown by. I don't think I really learned anything I didn't already know (I know I don't eat enough fruits, for example) but he did definitely prepare me for the lifestyle change. Being able to discuss my habits and patterns, and how they were going to need to be altered to be successful was very helpful. I'm glad I chose to use their nutritionist instead of my PCP for that reason alone.

I copied this from the December bandsters thread. It's about my pre- and post- op diet specifics. Just wondering how similar it is to anyone elses? It seems very lenient to me. (Thankfully ) I had my last 6-month nutrition appointment today! Yay! He will be submitting to the insurance hopefully today- he's still got to get the report from the psych eval, so he's hoping to harass them enough today. We went over my pre- and post-op diet info. I'm SO lucky, I think! This is sooo much less restrictive than what I've seen others have to do! The pre-op diet is a low carb/low calorie diet for 7 - 14 days pre-op, with the purpose of shrinking the liver. It consists of 10 oz lean meat (70 grams protein), 2-3 cups non-starchy vegetables, 3 tsp fat, and all calorie free liquids. Post op is only one week of liquids that are thin enough to pass through a straw. During this week, avoid carbonated drinks and caffeine, but after that I can have them if I want. Acceptable drinks: Skim milk, low fat drinkable yogurt, cream Soups that are strained, sugar free hot chocolate, slim fast high Protein, myoplex light, zero carb isopure, propel, crystal light, broth, gatorade G2. Chewable Multivitamin and chewable Calcium. A week after surgery, I will have a follow up appointment with the surgeon. Provided an "uneventful recovery has been confirmed" I can move up to all solids over the next few weeks as tolerated. I can do this! The nutritionist said he doesn't get real strict on the diet unless you reach a point where you aren't losing. I'm relieved that his plan is so doable. I'm so excited I can't stand it!

I had my last 6-month nutrition appointment today! Yay! He will be submitting to the insurance hopefully today- he's still got to get the report from the psych eval, so he's hoping to harass them enough today. We went over my pre- and post-op diet info. I'm SO lucky, I think! This is sooo much less restrictive than what I've seen others have to do! The pre-op diet is a low carb/low calorie diet for 7 - 14 days pre-op, with the purpose of shrinking the liver. It consists of 10 oz lean meat (70 grams protein), 2-3 cups non-starchy vegetables, 3 tsp fat, and all calorie free liquids. Post op is only one week of liquids that are thin enough to pass through a straw. During this week, avoid carbonated drinks and caffeine, but after that I can have them if I want. Acceptable drinks: Skim milk, low fat drinkable yogurt, cream Soups that are strained, sugar free hot chocolate, slim fast high Protein, myoplex light, zero carb Isopure, propel, crystal light, broth, gatorade G2. Chewable Multivitamin and chewable Calcium. A week after surgery, I will have a follow up appointment with the surgeon. Provided an "uneventful recovery has been confirmed" I can move up to all solids over the next few weeks as tolerated. I can do this! The nutritionist said he doesn't get real strict on the diet unless you reach a point where you aren't losing. I'm relieved that his plan is so doable. I'm so excited I can't stand it!

I was told that my Dr **MAY** be approved to do it at my hospital starting in December. I've been researching this as an option, and discussed it with my nutritionist/surgery coordinator at my last appointment. IF he is able to perform it by my surgery date, and IF my insurance will approve it, I will have to decide whether I want it or not. I'm still on the fence. I am definitely not willing to put off my surgery for it though. I need to get started as soon as I possibly can!

Oh noooo! I'm so bummed for you that it was cancelled. That's totally MY luck right there! Did they give you a new date yet? How frustrating!

Best of luck to you! I can't wait to hear about your experience with this. I know I will need it eventually (can't wait to get to that point!), and my BFF has been talking about it for herself. She lost a ton of weight on her own (from a size 22 to 8), and now has the crazy batwings as a result. She wears sleeves all the time in public, which will make me sad LOL

I have a similar issue- I work on an OB unit, and I post the surgery schedule for the following day because we often get gynecology surgical patients on our floor. As a result, everyone is able to see the entire hospital's surgery schedule for the following day. I have told a number of coworkers about it already, partially due to that reason. Also, I have two coworkers that have had gastric bypass, and have enjoyed "learning" from their experiences. I also have a couple overweight coworkers that are interested in my experience, and may consider lap-band themselves sometime in the future. It has been a very pleasant experience for me so far. My mom knows as well, as do a couple of my closest friends. I think I will share with more people after surgery, particularly the family members that I haven't shared with, and other friends on facebook maybe. We'll have to see. So far I haven't had any negative responses, but I'm sure someone will change that LOL

I go on 11/11 for my "final" nutrition counselling appointment at my surgeon's office. He will be submitting the paperwork following that appointment. I will also be going over all my pre-op and post-op instructions, etc on that day, as well as scheduling my tentative surgery date. I chose to do my nutrition counselling with their nutritionist instead of my PCP so that everything was in one place, and because he is the one with all the info on what the insurance requires and what the procedures and processes are as far as the surgery. Since he works with the surgeon and does all the paperwork for the insurance, he was able to answer a number of questions for me.