southernsoul

Wow, what a powerful moment. Thank you for sharing. Your daughter is lucky to have you for a mom.

Hang in there, baby girl. It's probably just a form or letter that got missed or misdirected somehow. Aetna denied my psych's claim for my testing & sent me a letter telling me she was not allowed to bill me for the cost. Turns out she just had to re-submit claim with a different code. I'll bet your denial is due to something simple & fixable. Take a deep breath & hit it again tomorrow.

Oh my God, sweetie...I'm so sorry!!!! As you know, I have Aetna, too. Maybe the plans are different, but I had a 3 month supervised diet, not 6 month. Call them up & get the precise reasons for denial. Maybe it's just a paperwork thing...maybe they needed to records to be in a certain form or something. I know you must be so frustrated & disappointed, but this does not have to be the final answer! ((hugs to you))

I have 2, one on my ankle/heel & one on my inner wrist. I don't have larger pieces, but I would think holding off might be better, just until your body settles out. I'm still pre-op, but from what I've heard thighs & knees can be tricky areas for loose skin. According to your ticker, you don't have too far to go. Good luck!

I tend to feel like you do, OnlyDown. I eat way less when I'm upset, I love to cook, I love to read cookbooks & experiment with different ingredients, and I rarely snack. I haven't eaten fast food in years. I am definitely a foodie, and I worried about losing that passionate part of me. About a year ago, my husband reconnected with an old classmate just as she & her husband were thinking of relocating to our town. They have both had DS surgery & they are even more hardcore foodies than I am. They ended up moving here & getting to know them has shown me that I can have surgery & still maintain my foodie ways. It will be different, but I'm looking at post-op life as a creative challenge foodwise. I am thinking about post-op food already, and have begun to shift my food choices to fall in line with post-op life (my surgery is June 19). I've been exploring the paleo diet principles, and am even thinking of trying to make my own low-sodium jerky to snack on for protein. So, I think it can still be fun & interesting, just with some adjustments.

LipstickLady, I totally get the business side of things, and I actually have no problem with instituting a premium fee in order to have the option to hide the ads. I also belong to one of the Drama Free groups on FB and love it. However, I enjoyed both the public and private chat features here, and am highly disappointed that we were given no notice or opportunity to offer input about the features of this site we like & use the most.

http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/80457-let-me-pay-to-not-see-ads/ Here's the link referencing a potential pay for use system. I also hate the removal of chat the way it used to be, and the removal of private chat. We all benefit so much from this...is the profit from the ads really not enough? Is it really necessary to squeeze just a bit more out of those who simple seek support while undergoing such a life altering process?

http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/80457-let-me-pay-to-not-see-ads/ I agree with you, LJ. The support we have each found here is important and a key factor in the way we adjust to the surgery. Like you, I hope all the great features of this site remain free of charge to all of us.

What a beautifully simple and sincere post! Good for you!!

Thank you so much for sharing these, and I hope they don't get taken down! I'm getting sleeved next month & I'm a 44F. I am worried about what will happen to the poor girls, but figured I would just have to suck it up & deal. It's good to know that there's at least a possibility I might be able to get a fix covered by insurance. You look fantastic!

Oooh...I will try that! I have roasted them with grated Parmesan & a little oregano or basil, but I like the spicy direction, too. Thanks!

I'm still pre-op, so don't know for sure, but I have heard post-op folks say that happens when they're not getting enough protein. Are you tracking your intake? Seems like 60-80 grams a day is preferable, maybe more if exercising a lot. Getlownurse, is right...talking to your doc is a good idea.

My preop diet is 2 weeks of very low carbs, like <25, I think. I should be receiving the detailed info any day now. I know I can have lean protein & veggies, but not sure about anything else. I will begin it on June 5th, I think, but I'm already trying to cut out carbs so it won't be such a shock to the system.

Kirk is absolutely right...it's not a fix-all magic wand, but it will help. I am still pre-op, scheduled for June 19th. Like you, I live in a small town & I'm about 90 minutes from my surgeon & hospital. I love the community on this site, and I'm so appreciative for all the support and inspiration here, but I also wanted to have a face-to-face group. Since my doc is so far away, I found local providers to do my psych eval & NUT appts. I asked both my psych & NUT to check with any other pre-WLS clients they were working with to see if they'd be interested in meeting up. I got connected with one other person that way, and then a third girl though another sleever here. It is possible to put together a local support group, even if it's just a few of you. Good luck to you!

This is very inspiring to me. I also have terrible knee and leg pain, and I limp badly. My surgeon told me I must start walking, and so I am doing the best I can. I often feel like my pathetic gimping along is not effective at all, except in the sense of making me hurt a lot. However, I have just begun to notice that it is getting ever so slightly easier...at least it seems like it. I have been wondering if I am really seeing improvement, or if I'm just imagining it. Your post has renewed my hope that it will get better, and that I CAN do it. I don't have any thoughts of running or rock climbing or anything like that, but I sure would like to believe that one day I might walk even 5K steps in a day. I do believe it's time for me to buy a pedometer!

Yay for approvals! I got mine on this past Thursday! Congrats to you!!

June 19th, and I'm ready!

That's awesome!!! Good for you!

I love olive oils and try different ones all the time. A recent great discovery is the brand California Olive Ranch. I read about a bunch of awards they had received & I was thrilled to find it at my local grocery store. Each bottle includes a harvest date, and the pressing technique they use is exceptional. I've never been much into avocados, but now I'm going to work on that. Thanks so much for this post!

I now have a new NSV goal on my list. Yee-haw!!!

Congratulations! I just got approval this week, too! Woo hoo for both of us!!!

Yes, I've been meeting with my surgeon monthly since Feb. He's monitored my required 3 month physician diet, which has just been monthly weigh-ins & a quick face to face with him. I have to do 2 weeks of low carbs, <20 per day, lean Protein & veggies mostly.

I have both my cardio & gastro clearance appts on Tuesday! Then pulmonary on June 4th & surgery on the 19th.

I just got the call from the surgeon's office & my approval from Aetna came through. Approval took about a week. I have appts next week for cardio & upper GI clearances, and then pulmonary on June 4th. I am officially on the surgery calendar for June 19th. All of a sudden, it's gettin' real up in here!