highschoolfigure

Ha! So We're leaving out of Bayonne on 10/21 and my date is 10/1! I'm a travel agent, so October is when we normally travel to keep our costs down. Hubby and I are headed to Bermuda on a 7 day Royal Carib cruise. Yay! I'm a lil nervous, but excited.

Congrats!!

Congrats!! I can't wait until my turn!!

This scares me...I'm not the most regular now...

I didn't have anything documented either and I was fairly new to BCBS, so I didn't have my previous weight records. I literally started from scratch in Jan...they made all 6 nutrition appts for me, I used their psych person. They made it easy. My surgeon is over an hour from my home, so I've decided to do the labs locally and have them faxed to the office.

Hi everyone. I've only made on other post and that was my welcome post. I have Carefirst BCBS and live in MD/DC area, my starting BMI was 40.5 & I have sleep apnea. I got a call from the ins coordinator the day she was submitting to BCBS for approval that it's policy for folks getting the sleeve to have 50+ BMI. I was floored, but I told her to submit any way and asked if they would help me fight the battle. She assured me the office believed in lower BMI folks getting sleeved. Initially it was denied, and they decided on a peer-to-peer review...well guess what? I was approved! I was so ready to battle...collecting information -- and ready to write a thesis! I've scheduled for 10/1 so that we can get our kids in their school routine and have my dad come and help my husband out with the kids while I'm recovering. Still in shock! O yeah -- we're going on a cruise 21 days post-op...One week to Bermuda -- I'm a travel agent and fall travel is so reasonable! Thanks for reading and posting such great stories! I've learned alot from you all.

Thank you...I'm a bag of nerves. The thought of not having all this weight excites me! But I'm nervous about maintaining my weight...I dropped some weight since I started with my surgeon in Jan and they said if I can maintain it until surgery day I won't have to do the liquid diet...so hoping I don't have too...

Good Evening...I have a dilemma. I'm a travel agent and there's what we call a seminar at sea 3 weeks after I'm post op with my sleeve. It's already booked and paid for. Matter of fact I just sold 3 rooms today on that same itinerary to someone I know and I'm hoping I'll be able to avoid him and his younger crowd -- I didn't tell anyone about my surgery. It was so cheap so he just decided to ask a few of his friends to tag along once I told him that there were ports he could catch a cruise on that was within driving distance of MD/DC. I'm scheduled for the sleeve on 10/1, the cruise is 10/21-10/28. Any ideas how I'd feel at that time? Any of you travel within your first month? Any suggestions? I'll have a couple of seminars to attend on board and we'll be docked in Bermuda for 3 nights. I'm nervous and very glad for the break.

I'm actually there to re familiarize myself with this ship -- Explorer of the Seas for a large group I have booked next year. Also I have a lot of inquires on Bermuda since the fare is dirt cheap. I planned to check out a few hotels and villas while we there but every time I put thought to it, it's looking dim. I sure hope I'm on setting myself up for failure! I'll have my hubby who's super helpful and he's fairly new in the travel biz, so it's a learning experience for us both.

When is yours??

I thought my last appt was last month. I have to get a bunch of labs, gall bladder ultrasound, EKG, Chest x-ray, bloodwork, pcp approval for surgery, 2 hours class at the hospital, and a pre-op visit with my surgeon! I think there's more and I've forgot

I didn't have too much resistance...so hopefully you can read some of the other posts...some folks had to seriously jump through hoops to get approval.

Don't oversleep!! J/K I'm awful with getting up early -- so my greatest fear is showing at the hospital late. Good Luck!

Thanks!! Just arm yourself with knowledge and be prepared to fight, should they initially deny.

Kat's right...the policy for my Carefirst BCBS in DC/MD is 50, but I made sure to use a surgeon who's affiliated with a Bariatric Center for Excellence and the team in that office is wonderful. My ins coordinator fought for me...I'm sending them an edible arrangements once I'm post-op...they were great. Again I was ready to put up my dukes...It just make sense to allow lower BMI patients the opportunity for the sleeve. Also, don't forget your employer can opt to not cover any bariatric procedure. So many factors!

Congrats! I had a small fight...I was approved thru BCBS after a peer to peer review.

Best of luck to you too...I'm not sure about more babies. The pregancies wore me out! But I will take my blessings should they come...I plan to remove the Mirena 2 years post-op. My hubby hates the idea of a foreign ojbect in me...nothing I could do...he's got a sure shot, so I had to try something.

We're so blessed! I just need to find the patience to last until 10/1.

Hey everyone...I'm scheduled for the first sleeve of the day on October 1st!!

Same here...my brother died recently and my family is having a memorial service in Jamaica for him near where he was born...no one knows I'm getting sleeved...this will be interesting!

I feel the same...I have a Mirena to ensure I don't get preggo within the first 18 months. Both of our girls were not planned!!

Hello folks, This is my first post, although I've been lurking around since the end of last year when I met a woman at my hair salon who was 8 months post-op from a gastric bypass. I just happened to mention that I've tried all that I could with my weight and felt helpless, then she let me in on her secret. I'm an owner operator travel agent and I'm originally from NY living in the DC area. My family is from Jamaica. I'm married with two lovely girls who will be turning 2 and 5 soon. My husband and his family are all tall and slim. Thankfully our girls look like they've got dad's genes. I have PCOS, but luckily enough, we never had a problem conceiving. Hubby says he has the "rod of correction" -- yeah he's very into himself! I haven't told many people that I'm planning to have surgery this fall. But I have prepared them for my lifestyle change. I started some of the guidance given to me by my nutrionist and I've dropped 20! 248lbs confirmed at my last nutrition appt yesterday. My coworkers have noticed already. They'll be freaked when I really start shrinking. I'm pretty far in my process. Just waiting on the ins required psych eval to be sent to my surgeon's office and we're on to insurance sunmission. I've had a lot of ups and downs in life but I've always prevailed. No matter what I can solve issues and that's why my family nickname is "Champ." The only thing I can say I really failed at was my weight. The last time I was in the 260's I had balloon up 40lbs and was diagnosed shortly thereafter with PCOS at 25; I'm 32 now. I've been fighting this fight a long time and I never felt successful. So bad that I was thankful to be 38 weeks pregnant during my 10 year high school reunion -- hoping they'd figure it was baby weight! I know it was alot for a hello, but I'll be here for while! This is highschoofigure and I approve this message!