Sonja

Handsome!

To tell or not to tell?

& to answer my own question... I've told quite a few people. I tend to be very open in general, so it just felt natural to share my concerns & excitement with my friends, family & nursing classmates. (Our nursing class is very close & I consider most of them good friends) Everyone has been nice about it or quiet about it... so that works fine for me. I am doing this for me & nobody's opinion is going to change that at this point. I just let my light shine!

I got approval for the surgery from BCBS North Carolina!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SO FREAKING EXCITED!! This is ALL going to be REAL now & not just "if insurance approves me". I called my insurance company directly & they told me that I was approved. I haven't heard from Dr. Pirrello's office, so not sure about my date... but I am hoping for Nov. 23rd. (day before Thanksgiving... how symbolic!) SO glad I found this site! I think I am a lot less anxious than I was a few weeks ago, before reading all of your stories. Now I am just ready to get going on the rest of my life!

So, this whole concept of goal weight has me baffled. According to BMI charts, I believe they estimate that I should weight less than 179 to have a BMI of 25. That seems really low to me!! I am 347 right now, but my thinnest as an adult was 260 & I felt OK there, although there was a definite want to lose more weight. I am tall & I do have a large bone structure. My feet are a size 12. My fingers are longer than my husbands. I know that when I get sleeved (come on insurance!! ) I will gauge my success on lots of other factors besides weight.... but it is nice to know what you are aiming for!! How did you guys pick your goal weight??

Hiya! I got my scheduled surgery date today! November 23..... LESS THAN 7 WEEKS FROM NOW!!!

I am curious to see who watched a video of an actual VSG before you had the procedure? I am a nursing student & have had one surgery prior to this when I had my gallbladder out 10 years ago. I wasn't afraid of surgery & the procedure went fine. Since then, I have been in the OR a few times in nursing school & have seen open heart surgery while I was 2 ft from the patient's open chest. Now that I am (hopefully) getting the VSG, I found myself feeling nervous about the procedure in a way I had not before. I went back and forth with the idea of watching a video of the procedure to take the mystery away. We fear the unknown & all that I finally decided to watch one last night & I am SO GLAD that I did. I already feel better! AM I NUTS!? The consensus among my friends was to NOT watch it. They all thought it would be scarier. What do you guys think??

Wheeeee! Surgery is scheduled for Nov 23!! I am so stoked!!!

FEEL good again, physically. My legs hurt a lot & I am always tired. Ride a roller coaster with my 5 year old. Dance 2 songs in a row (or 4) when I am out with my ladies! I can barely do 1 right now. Fly somewhere with 0 anxiety about my size Graduate with my nursing class in August 2012 & NOT BE OBESE! Hike Crowders Mountain Roller Derby! I have wanted to do this for so long!! Be physically comfortable when I have sex. (just keeping it real!) Look like the audacious & happy person that I am!

I WOULD like to one day be in one-der-land , but we will see once I get closer. On an awesome side note.... I GOT APPROVED THROUGH BCBS TODAY!! sooooooooooooo excited!

I have an IUD, so I should be good! I had it put in last month because I know that I do NOT want to get pregnant for at least 18 months after my surgery. Have you considered trying the IUD? Forgot to mention that most women have an extremely light period or no period at all! It lasts for up to 5 years but you can take it out earlier than that.

Yep! Same here. I am waiting for insurance approval & I am reading the site daily

Hi everyone! I heard from my surgeon's office (Dr. Pirrello) that they are submitting my packet to insurance for pre-approval TODAY! I am so excited & nervous! I don't see many posts about bcbs- North Carolina, so I am hoping somebody will step up & share their experiences with getting approved. The assistant said that it normally only takes 2-3 days to get approval from them, SO HERE IS HOPING FOR GOOD NEWS MIDWAY THROUGH NEXT WEEK!! Is there any reason that you WON'T get approved if you meet the requirements ( & have for the last 5 years) & it is a covered surgery on your policy? I am just curious if they can deny you even if you meet the requirements & are in good health to have the surgery. THANKS!!

I just had my psych evaluation with Jeff Lorence in Charlotte last week. He was great! I hope you get this straightened out.