ThinkThin78

My surgeon's office submitted my paperwork (including 6 month supervised diet) to insurance and I received approval within a week... I got my approval letter, grabbed the calendar and called my surgeon's office to get scheduled... Not so fast... so anxious and excited to get scheduled but my surgeon is reviewing my chart, then I still have another NUT visit, pre-op visit and who knows what else... I need a date! My biggest fear is that we'll miss the 90 day window and I'll have to resubmit to insurance. Any one else have a similar experience? How long from approval to getting a date to actually having surgery? Also, my BMI is 55 so I have to have surgery in the hospital versus the surgical center which will require more lead time... Uggghh!

This is so awesome! I think you are my body double! My BMI is 55 and I am currently 355lbs wearing 26/28 or 30/32 - Uggghh Lane Bryant :-) Can't wait to be sleeved! Thank you so much for the inspiration!

I just finished my 6 month diet. First weigh-in appt didn't count. My nutritionist said I just needed to weigh less at the end than I did at the beginning. Make sure you get all of your other pre-surgery requirements met during this time. My 6 months flew by and I found myself still having to complete things to submit for approval. Good luck - you're on your way!

Amazing! You look fantastic! You should be so proud of yourself, hard work does pay off! Could you share your starting BMI, and before/after clothing size? I'm hoping to find a body double for motivation :-)... Not sleeved yet.

I've jumped through all the hurdles (6 month diet, psych, sleep study, blood work, etc) and am submitting to insurance this week for approval. The problem is I need to lose another 25lbs to achieve a BMI of less than 50 to qualify to have the operation in the surgical center (anesthesiologist rules). I feel like it's better to get the surgery now even if it is in the hospital and get on with losing weight for good than waiting until I can lose the weight to qualify for the surgical center. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with this scenario?

Thanks ladies for the good info. I suspect I will get scheduled earlier at the surgical center so I think I will give it a shot and work really hard this next few weeks and see what happens.

I certainly understand how you feel. My doc said I need to get my BMI below 55 to have surgery in the surgical center (as opposed to the hospital). I know it's for my own safety but seems kind of weird since I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have a weight problem. Don't worry ... As long as you get checked out, it doesn't matter where, right? :-)

I was ready to commit to a life change and move forward with VSG right away, then learned that my insurance required the six month medically supervised diet. My heart sank, but i carried on. The reality is that this six months is already moving very quickly but for some reason I just can't commit. For the last two months I have been out of control with eating! I don't know if I'm just mourning what I think I will miss later or if I seriously just have no willpower. I am worried that if I can't commit to a new eating plan for six months, how will I be successful with the sleeve for the rest of my life? I keep telling myself that the sleeve will force me to do the right thing but I know I can still fail. Did anyone else lose motivation when finding out your insurance required a medically supervised diet? Did you get back on track? How? Were you successful with the sleeve in the end? I appreciate any words of wisdom you can share :-)

WOW! You look amazing! I suspect I am similar in size to your starting weight and we're probably pretty close in age too :-). Congratulations!!!! And thank you for sharing your story - NOW I'm motivated to get this show on the road!

Thanks for the reply. I have 10 days until my 2-month appointment and I'm pretty sure I have gained. I guess it's time to get serious. I will definitely try replacing a meal with a protein shake. So, did anyone post a gain at any point in their 6-month diet and then not get approved for surgery?