southernsoul

Bella, I would think your surgeon's office might be able to help you figure out the appeal process & maybe how to word the letter. Even though they don't handle it themselves, they surely have had other patients who have to appeal an initial turndown & they may know what worked for those folks. I have Aetna also, but I was approved on the first request. I know Aetna has different plans, and I don't know what the differences are between them. Was there a reason listed for the denial? If they just said something general like "does not meet criteria" see if you can find out the specific issue(s) and go from there. Good luck!

No, I'm not working out. We just started a once a week yoga lesson which I will have to skip for a few weeks post op. However, when I went to class yesterday, it felt like I wasn't limping as much as I usually do & I didn't have as much pain. My ortho doc said that for every 10 lbs of weight off, it's 40 lbs of pressure off my knees. So I've just taken almost 80 lbs of pressure off! I'm hopeful that I will be able to start working out soon, at least a little.

My pre-op diet is also high protein & <20 carbs a day, but no restrictions in portion size. I started it 3 days early, just in case I missed the mark on carbs at first, but I didn't have a problem. I have been on it for 8 days & lost 18.5 lbs (!!!). I almost fell off the scale...didn't even know that was possible. I made my hubs get on to make sure it wasn't broken. 320 to 301.5 in 8 days...complete shocker, and I still have a 9 days to go.

You look fantastic!!

put some oil on your finger & under the ring & see if it will slide off that way

Good luck to all my fellow June brothers & sisters being sleeved this week! Can't wait to follow you next week!

Best of luck to all of this week's June folks! May your anesthesia dreams be sweet and your sutures be strong!

Congratulations!! I'm having surgery on the 19th, so maybe by October I will have matched your 100 in the other half of the year! Good luck on the rest of the way!

It is overwhelming to go the insurance route, no question. I have wanted to jump through the phone & strangle a variety of folks along the way, but I just tried to tackle one step at a time. This site has been a godsend in terms of questions, information, hearing about the experiences of others, and support from fellow sleevers. Good luck to you!

I called my insurance company first to find out 1) what exactly my particular policy covered with regard to sleeve and 2) what surgeons they covered in Atlanta Like you, I'm in a small town about an hour away from the city. There's one bari surgeon in my town, but he only does band & bypass. Aetna has a long list of bari surgeons on their website, but not all are designated as a Center of Excellence, and my plan only covers those docs. If I had not called first, I might've wasted time checking out a doc who I couldn't use anyway. Most of the hoops we have to jump through are due to insurance, not the surgeons themselves. My surgeon's list of requirements was very short, Aetna's was a whole other ball of wax. I needed to have this covered by insurance, so I strapped on my best hoop-jumping shoes & now I'm 2 weeks away from surgery.

I am so sorry you're going through this. As hard as it is, everybody else is right...the little bit of wait time will help get you in the best possible shape. Also, what's a few weeks in the big picture of the rest of your (sleeved) life? It will happen, girl!

Mine was just on Tuesday & my surgery is on the 19th. I was very surprised at how fast it went. There was a clock in the procedure room that I glanced at when the nurse gave me the anesthesia. It was 11:20. I woke up to see my Mom sitting there & asked what time it was...she said 11:33. What??? Seemed crazy to me!

I smoked for almost 30 years & quit for this surgery. Like a couple of posters mentioned, it wasn't going to happen til I was ready, and I was just finally ready. My insurance company required it, as well as my doc. I quit with a combination of Chantix and a rechargeable & refillable e-cig type nicotine inhaler (a vape). I showed it to my doc & he said it was fine. His issue is not the nicotine itself, but the junk created by the burning tip of a cigarette. I used it for awhile, but haven't used it for weeks now.

Mama, so glad you are doing OK!

Thanks for this, Nik. I have been on this site since April, and I have gotten so much good information from the sleevers who continue to post when they are post (pardon the pun). My date is June 19, and like you, I intend to keep posting and paying it forward to the next ones.

The new pix look really good!!! They look good even now, but it's easy to see how great they will look with a little more time. Thanks again for sharing this with us.

Oh, and here's a thread with a list of all the June folks, if you're interested: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/79098-june-2013-sleevers-the-list/

Haha, mine is the same day!! Yay for the June 19th peeps.

OMG, 3 weeks is a long time! My preop diet is 2 weeks of very low carbs, lots of lean protein & veggies. Did your doc tell you that you had to lose a specific amount of weight?

Good luck to all the June peeps who are starting us out this first week. Good healing vibes going out to all of you!!

Good for you! I posted a note about it the day after my 49th birthday. I haven't received one single negative comment, but don't even mind if I do. That's a problem with the other person, not me, and I would ignore it. You go, girl!

Yay!! I am 2 days later, on the 19th. Supposed to start preop on the 5th, but have already started ramping up to it. Mine is low carb only, not all liquid. What's yours like? Also, there's a June Sleevers "The List" thread here: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/79098-june-2013-sleevers-the-list/page__st__100

I haven't taken any on purpose yet, but I got a couple of doozies recently. I had to go to an event & there was somebody taking photos. They got 2 cringe-worthy shots of me, including one from the rear....and I first saw them on Facebook!!! I was appalled at first, but then I thought what good before pix they would make. In fact, I think I'm going to take after shots from the same angle, just so I can watch my big 'ole butt get smaller. I uploaded them to my profile here already, and now I need to print them out for me to see at home.

Thanks, everybody, for the kind words. I am so thankful for this site, and for the opportunity to share and learn from each other.