jessiquoi

@@JustWatchMe this place keeps me sane daily too! and that may be why i have problems on the weekends, i'm not as comfortable with the tablet app (at home) as i am with the web version that i use at work. i think i have to work on that and get onto the forums over the weekends as well. thanks for your reply! @@lisacaron, thanks for your thoughtful post. i appreciate your words.

duh. just looked at a map. i'm northEAST of baltimore. sorry.

no no no! first, i am not approved. i have my last weighin tomorrow. i've also had about a gazillion tests and procedures because of my age and comorbidities as well as requirements. here is the excerpt from the looooooooong document that refers specifically to vsg. hope this helps: Policy Note: Most Aetna HMO and QPOS plans exclude coverage of surgical operations, procedures or treatment of obesity unless approved by Aetna. Some Aetna plans entirely exclude coverage of surgical treatment of obesity. Please check benefit plan descriptions for details. Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB), Laparoscopic Adjustable Silicone Gastric Banding (LASGB), Sleeve Gastrectomy, Biliopancreatic Diversion (BPD) and Duodenal Switch (DS) Procedures:Aetna considers open or laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), open or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, open or laparoscopic biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) with or without duodenal switch (DS), or laparoscopic adjustable silicone gastric banding (LASGB) medically necessary when the selection criteria listed below are met. Selection criteria: Must meet either 1 (adults) or 2 (adolescents): For adults aged 18 years or older, presence of persistent severe obesity, documented in contemporaneous clinical records, defined as any of the following: Body mass index (BMI) (see appendix) exceeding 40; or BMI greater than 35 in conjunction with any of the following severe co-morbidities: Clinically significant obstructive sleep apnea (i.e., person meets the criteria for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea set forth in CPB 0004 - Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults); or Coronary heart disease, with objective documentation (by exercise stress test, radionuclide stress test, pharmacologic stress test, stress echocardiography, CT angiography, coronary angiography, heart failure or prior myocardial infarction); or Medically refractory hypertension (blood pressure greater than 140 mmHg systolic and/or 90 mmHg diastolic despite concurrent use of 3 anti-hypertensive agents of different classes); or Type 2 diabetes mellitus For adolescents who have completed bone growth (generally age of 13 in girls and age of 15 in boys), presence of obesity with severe co-morbidities: BMI exceeding 40 with one or more of the following serious co-morbidities: Clinically significant obstructive sleep apnea; or Type 2 diabetes mellitus; or Pseudotumor comorbidities BMI exceeding 50 with one or more of the following less serious co-morbidities: Medically refractory hypertension; or Dyslipidemias; or Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; or Venous stasis disease; or Significant impairment in activities of daily living; or Intertriginous soft-tissue infections; or Stress urinary incontinence; or Gastroesophageal reflux disease; or Weight-related arthropathies that impair physical activity; or Obesity-related psychosocial distress. Member has attempted weight loss in the past without successful long-term weight reduction; and Member must meet either criterion 1 (physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program) or criterion 2 (multi-disciplinary surgical preparatory regimen): Physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program: Member has participated in physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program (including dietician consultation, low calorie diet, increased physical activity, and behavioral modification), documented in the medical record at each visit. This physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program must meet all of the following criteria: Member's participation in a physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program must be documented in the medical record by an attending physician who supervised the member's participation. The nutrition and exercise program may be administered as part of the surgical preparative regimen, and participation in the nutrition and exercise program may be supervised by the surgeon who will perform the surgery or by some other physician. Records must document compliance with the program; the member must not have a net gain in weight during the program. Note: A physician's summary letter is not sufficient documentation. Documentation should include medical records of physician's contemporaneous assessment of patient's progress throughout the course of the nutrition and exercise program. For members who participate in a physician-administered nutrition and exercise program (e.g., MediFast, OptiFast), program records documenting the member's participation and progress may substitute for physician medical records; and Nutrition and exercise program must be supervised and monitored by a physician working in cooperation with dieticians and/or nutritionists, with a substantial face-to-face component (must not be entirely remote); and Nutrition and exercise program(s) must be for a cumulative total of 6 months (180 days) or longer in duration and occur within 2 years prior to surgery, with participation in one program of at least 3 consecutive months. (Precertification may be made prior to completion of nutrition and exercise program as long as a cumulative of 6 months participation in nutrition and exercise program(s) will be completed prior to the date of surgery.) or Multi-disciplinary surgical preparatory regimen: Proximate to the time of surgery (within 6 months prior to surgery), member must participate in organized multi-disciplinary surgical preparatory regimen of at least 3 months (90 days) duration meeting all of the following criteria, in order to improve surgical outcomes, reduce the potential for surgical complications, and establish the member's ability to comply with post-operative medical care and dietary restrictions: Behavior modification program supervised by qualified professional; and Consultation with a dietician or nutritionist; and Documentation in the medical record of the member's participation in the multi-disciplinary surgical preparatory regimen at each visit. Records must document compliance with the program; the member must not have a net gain in weight during the program. (A physician's summary letter, without evidence of contemporaneous oversight, is not sufficient documentation. Documentation should include medical records of the physician's initial assessment of the member, and the physician's assessment of the member's progress at the completion of the multi-disciplinary surgical preparatory regimen.); and Exercise regimen (unless contraindicated) to improve pulmonary reserve prior to surgery, supervised by exercise therapist or other qualified professional; and Program must have a substantial face-to-face component (must not be entirely delivered remotely); and Reduced-calorie diet program supervised by dietician or nutritionist. and For members who have a history of severe psychiatric disturbance (schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, suicidal ideation, severe depression) or who are currently under the care of a psychologist/psychiatrist or who are on psychotropic medications, pre-operative psychological clearance is necessary in order to exclude members who are unable to provide informed consent or who are unable to comply with the pre- and post-operative regimen. Note: The presence of depression due to obesity is not normally considered a contraindication to obesity surgery.

hi, @@lexi710! i'm in Perryville, in Cecil County. i'm still pre-op. i go to monthly meetings at Harford Memorial Hospital in Havre de Grace. I'm not sure if that's near you or not... there's also one in Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air. i'm still kinda new to MD, and i have no idea where you are in comparison to me. are we close?

@@cutlass6521, i absolutely love you. @@nora72814, thanks for sharing. i only buy healthy food at the grocer, and i'm too lazy to go out and buy crap when the mood hits me. but when the demon takes over, i order in, and sometimes i do it practically in my sleep. it's like i'm in a trance, or actually inhabited by an evil spirit. seriously, that's what it feels like. the only way to stop myself is to sleep it off, and the hunger and cravings are so bad i have to sometimes medicate myself to sleep. i want to be post-op so much!

please send good vibes to me for the next two days. i have my final weighin tomorrow before submission to insurance, and i kind of had a (really) bad weekend food wise. i have been counting on having surgery in october, and will be very sad if i have to put it off.

i also have aetna POS, and only need a 3 month supervised weight loss bc it is done by my surgeon and not my pc. i called aetna and had them send me the requirements... they require no net gain during the supervised weight loss period.

@@Bingcherry, I've been thinking about doing that. I am going to wait until tomorrow morning, to see how much comes off before then. If I'm not comfortable, I will definitely reschedule for a week later.

I have started "shopping" at GwynnieBee.com. It's a clothing rental site and I think it will be perfect for me as I go down through sizes. You keep the stuff you rent as long as you want, paying a monthly fee, and then return it free shiping and get the next thing you've put in your online "closet". I recommend checking it out if you haven't already. I can't afford to buy work clothes in every size I'll need between here and there... I've been big so long that all my clothes are worn out and ready, SO ready to be replaced.

@@Mick, thanks!

Ken S., it's all good now! it is definitely an updated version i'm looking at.

@@esskay77, i'm on a low carb high Protein 1500 calories/day meal plan for three months. I eat "normal" food. I've always had great nutrition, also... I love healthy food. I just eat too much of it too often. Ugh. I hate posting negative stuff. I'm generally an incredibly optimistic person. I am so much harder on myself than anyone else. If I read this post from someone else, I would be all rah rah let's go you can do it. I wish I could blame it on my period, but I lost that excuse when I hit 50. thanks, Butterflyhigh for your post. I think I posted this mostly for me, and not for the replies. I feel better after dumping it out of my head.

You know, @@LipstickLady, I'm not really sure. You always ask the hard questions! I think I just wanted to say it out loud, and I deserve whatever replies I get. I am an overachiever, and a successful person in every area of my life except for weight loss. I'm always the person who motivates, educates and comforts the world, and it's so very very hard for me to be not good at something. It is incredibly humbling for me to admit in public that I screwed up without having a solid plan for fixing my screwup. I am afraid of failure. I hate being afraid more than anything else.

all i can think about is getting my sleeve. all i want to do is read and write on the forums. the only things in my calendar that mean anything to me are the appointments for my pre-op tests... everything else is a waste of my time. is my obsession unusual? i'm finding myself less than engaged at work, which is a first. i usually forget everything else while i'm at the office, i've always been very good at compartmentalizing. i resent the time spent doing anything that does not lead toward my surgery. can you relate?

@@Ken S., i'll check when i get home to be sure. stay tuned!

wishing you strength and an easy journey!

wow, that's the first i remember reading about smelling bad! thanks for sharing everything. you look wonderful!

you look magnificent, and i bet you feel even better! congratulations.

@@Ken S., i still didn't see an update button, BUT i am now able to get in the app and everything is working fine today. thanks!

@@Ken S., i'm not sure what version i'm using, i'll check when i get home (tablet's there). here is what happened: 1. i opened the app on my tablet 2. i got the message from you saying i needed to upgrade, click here for android users. that's the only page i can access at this time. 3. clicked there and was brought to google play store's bariatricpal page, saying that it was installed, but showing no upgrade to install 4. that's where i'm stuck. can't find any upgrade anywhere, and can't get past your message on the app. thanks for any help you can provide! i'll check for version in about 3 hrs from now.

i use the app on my android tablet, and since i got the notice to upgrade, i can't get it to work.

y'know, three weeks isn't really THAT long. it sounds like going to the wedding is a definite, and i'm sure that if it's that important to you, you would rather have a good time dancing and socializing with your friends and family instead of feeling off and worrying about the way you feel.

you were beautiful before, and now... wow!!! fantastic job!

the last time i tried to access it on my tablet, it told me an update was required, and since then, nothing works. i'm bummed, now i can only use it when i'm at work and on a "real" computer.

it must be so frustrating, but try to remember that all of these tests are truly for our own good. wouldn't you prefer something be found before surgery and treated rather than during surgery where it caused a problem? the waiting game sucks, i know... i'm still in it too... try to focus on the end result, and how much healthier you will be after your surgery.