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Good luck. Wishes sent your way. Speedy recovery.

I will commit to riding 100 miles on my bike. Between now and September 30. I think it is a great goal for you and also for me. Good luck with your upcoming surgery as well. Is there a place where we can track our progress?

I have UHC and had already met my $500 deductible so did not have to do that. I started this process on 7/31 and so far the tests, visits and bills for anesthesia and biopsy from endo total $11,300. I have paid around $400.00 out of pocket for co-pays. My insurance cover hospital at 90-10 up to $1,000 out of pocket. The hospital give you a price based on what they estimate the insurance will cover. I have heard and won't know for sure until I have my surgery, that the hospital where I am having my surgery, will keep any money you have paid for procedures based on their estimate and then apply it toward your surgery bill. My endoscopy was over $7,000.00 for the procedure, but I had a bravo chip put in to monitor esophagus acid. There was a $500,00 plus bill for anesthesia, my doctor's fee was about $675 and there was a biopsy charge of about $350.00. I believe that I will have about another $500 out of pocket and then should be good. If I do not have surgery before the end of the year, I get to start over in 2014 with a deductible. Next year it may not be $500 but $1,000 and the coverage might be less. It all depends on the contract my employer works out with the insurance company. I am really hoping that I am able to have surgery in 2013.

Laura welcome to the world of cycling. As Butterthebean said a pair of cycling shorts is worth their weight in gold. It takes a while to break into a seat each season unless you ride in all seasons. Even if you switch off to a spinning class during winter, you still have to break into your saddle again. Another thing if you are going to start riding on a regular basis, invest in some chamois butter it helps with the chafing and reduces friction. Also you might want to get some socks that have wicking capability to remove the moisture. Remember the phrase "cotton is rotten." when riding. I hope you wear a helmet when riding. It amazes me when I ride to see so many people riding without helmets.

Sorry this happened, but glad they found it and will get it taken care of so you can start off your weight loss journey healthy.

Luvnumbers, Your efforts on the diet give the insurance company more proof that the surgery is necessary for you. It can be a long process, but it also prepares you better for your life after the sleeve. You have already started making changes in your diet and exercise which will help you post-surgery. If you hadn't started making any lifestyle changes, imagine how much more difficult it would be to have to do them all at one time. Good luck. I also am waiting on an insurance company decision. My doctor has submitted my claim early due to complications. However, if they deny the request, I will have to finish the six month supervised diet. I know I will be approved after the 6 month diet for sure since I met my ins. co.'s initial criteria. Hang in there, it will be over before you know it and you will be on to the next step of slimming down and becoming more healthy.

I hope you feel better. I agree with most of ScottsGirl's quote, but I have to disagree with her about pain medicine slowing down healing. The pain meds are there to help you if you need them. If you are in pain, you may not move which is very necessary after sleeve surgery. It may also prevent you from getting the rest you need to help heal.. There are many sites that discuss pain medication and the healing process, but the one listed here is from the Mayo clinic, which in my opinion is a reputable source. http://www.mayoclini...cations/PN00060 While I have not been sleeved have had several surgical procedures and have used pain meds on most of them. Hope you feel better soon. It won't last and every day will get better.

Sounds like it will be a lot of fun and very pretty scenery. Please post photos when you have time. How fortunate that you caught the last early opening of the season. Good luck on your weight loss journey. Very happy to hear you have family support that helps so much.

Pain is a very subjective to each individual. What is a 4 to you could be a 8, 9 or 10 to someone else. There is no way to know what your pain will be until you go through the experience. While I have not been sleeved yet, I have had several other surgical procedures. Another factor involved could be if you are a revision patient and are having a lap band removed at the same time, this results in a longer surgery. I am not sure but it seems to me that the longer the surgery takes the pain level could be higher.

Carole, you should be able to appeal this charge. Like Mkak said you had no say over who your anesthesiologist is and they are providing services in an in network hospital. I would also ask them what the payment would be if it was in network then see if the ins. co. will pay that amount. I run into this a lot at one of the hospitals where I have x-rays taken. The bill is read by an out of network radiologist, but they always accept the amount that my insurance pays because like you I have no say over who is going to provide read and write the x-ray report. Good luck.

The level is tied to your reputation. It is determined by the number of likes you receive on the posts you make on the forum. i believe the level order is neutral, good and then excellent. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/33450-green-box-with-number-inside/page__hl__reputation#entry292688

If it's any consolation, the Mariners are losing right now 2 to 0. You'll feel better and will soon be able to go and do a lot of things.

PB2 and chocolate PB2. It is powdered peanut butter that you can use in shakes and protein recipes. A lot less calories and more protein.

I have been asked that many times by people and I would look at my watch and answer at 5 p.m. tonight when I pick them up from the baby sitter. The look on their face was priceless. The best one was when I was at the gym working out and I was talking to a lady next to me on the treadmill. We were talking about the hot tub and she says you shouldn't use it, and I asked her why. She says aren't you, aren't you. I told her no, and she proceeds to tell me something is wrong with me and I should go to the doctor because I had a tumor in there. You have done great and keep up the good work. You will be slim and she will still be clueless.

I am not sure where you are in your weight loss journey, but even without that you have two of the biggest stress factors already occurring. Looking for a job and moving. This site rates stress factors in people's lives http://www.mindtools...e/newTCS_82.htm It is easy to get upset and take things personally when you have a lot going on. Try to relax, take deep breaths and take control of the things you can. For things beyond your control, try and determine what your plan will be if it goes one way versus a different path. For example, I don't know if you are moving into a completely different area, but if you are, it is difficult to know how much you can afford etc until you know where your job will be and your income. This knowledge would help alleviate a lot of stress on you and help you make a more informed decision on where you move. You would know the location of your job, income and be able to better determine where you move and the amount you can afford for your rent or mortgage payment. Sometimes I find it helpful to write things down to get a clearer picture of all the issues and decision choices. I hope this helps you and good luck. Good luck

I have a friend who is almost two years post-op and lettuce is only one of two things he experiences problems with still. The other is bread. Everyone is different. What one person may have a problem with another can eat without any difficulty at all.

Houston, The only way you will know for sure is to check with your insurance company for your coverage criteria. My insurance is through United Health Care and for WLS they use Optum as a coordinator. My case manager from Optum told me they use your initial weight, and if you lose weight during your six month medically supervised diet you will not be disqualified from having surgery if you drop below the minimum BMI required per policy coverage. The coverage criteria for my employer requires a minimum BMI of 35 with one comorbidity and if you are at a BMI of 40 or greater no comorbidity is required. Good luck to you.

Brownrek, I hope you succeed at your goal of weighing less while being on a cruise. Maintaining, in my mind would be a victory. I hope you enjoy your Alaskan cruise. It is stunning. I went on one last year and plan to go back in 2015 and do the cruise and the railroad tour into Denali. Enjoy.

LeanMeanFightinMachine, Go with the sleeve. I currently have a band in and am waiting to have the sleeve performed. I have had my band since July '07. I was successful by lap band criteria as I lost 50% of my excess weight. For the last three years + I have been on prescription medicine for heart burn. I did not have this condition before I had my band. I had to have an endoscopy performed before the band and there was no irritation of my esophagus. I have experienced esophageal dilation of my pouch from my band being too full my band has prolapsed I have esophageal motility issues from my band that can only be fixed by the band being taken out. I had blisters inside my esophagus from irritation of the band due to heartburn I have thrown up more times in my life during this time period than I have for the other 40+ years I have even thrown up on Water My issues are not as severe as several who have posted here. I saw my doctor on Monday, August 19th, and asked him if I would be at a higher risk of heartburn from the sleeve since I currently experience it, and his reply was that "about 5% of his patients experience heart burn post sleeve." You do not lose as much weight as quickly with the band. Another factor to consider is, does your insurance company has one weight loss surgery criteria? If so, if you have problems later with the band, you might run into problems on getting approval for revision surgery. You want to make sure you choose the best option for yourself. Good luck with your decision and weight loss journey.

jmonique this link might be helpful to you. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/10081-the-official-what-you-will-need-for-your-gastric-sleeve-surgery-thread/ There are others in the forum. Good luck with your surgery and weight loss journey.

It depends on the location of the stone and size. You wouldn't want it to get stuck and require a procedure to have it removed during your healing process. I would definitely let your surgeon know so he can decide if your surgery needs to be postponed until the stone passes. If he says it is okay for surgery, the fluids you get in the hospital may help it pass. The post-op pain meds should help with your stone pain. If your stones are from drinking iced tea, you probably have Calcium oxalate stones. Hope you get some relief and good luck with your surgery.