jtickle

Congrats on the approval!!!

Don't sweat it, you will be fine. In my opinion, these tests are to see about your support system, your eating habits, etc..... They just want to make sure you're mentally prepared for surgery and that you understand that the surgery is just a tool for weight loss. Good luck with your evaluation!! Keep us posted.

I know I responded earlier, but I have learned from experience that the people you think will keep your secrets won't. I was diagnosed will bipolar disorder in 2009. I told my secret keeper, who was supposed to be my bff. She told everyone who would listen. So if you don't want others to know you may want to consider not telling your secret keepers.

My anniversary is June 9th. If you read the the June dates in the preop beginner gastric bypass forum, there are a lot of people having their surgery on the 9th. Its a popular day.. Lol. I am scheduled for the 25th and my pre-op is the 19th. I am so excited. I am not nervous about it yet, I am sure I will be closer to my date. I was told no more nsaids after WLS. They can cause ulcers and stuff like that.

I went thru the I don't want to this because it is to drastic phase. Then I realized I am 34 and my health is going down hill. I have out of control diabetes, sleep apnea, and severe GERD. My GERD is so bad that I take 6 pills a day for it and they don't work. The surgeon would not even consider doing the sleeve on me. Of course, I have all the usual aches and pains of being overweight. I have also had 6 back surgeries. Hopefully losing some weight will help my back pain. My husband is doing this with me. Except I am having surgery in June and he is going to do it in fall. He is dieting with me though. I don't have any advice about your children, I don't have any. I hope your WLS journey goes smoothly. Keep us posted.

I wouldn't stress out about it. Just follow the diet guidelines. My surgeon didn't say anything about not losing, but they did put on my pre-op paperwork that if you gain weight before your surgery will be canceled. I have been on their pre-op diet since March 3rd. My surgery isn't until the end of June. So far I have lost 15 pounds. It's not a lot but it's something.

Congrats!!! On getting approved.

I think I have told everyone in four counties that I am having the surgery. I don't really care what they think. No one as of yet has asked me why I just can't do it on my own. Most people that know me real well, know I have struggled with my weight for most of my life. Telling people is personal decision that can only be decided by you.

If I understood correctly at my surgeons office, self pay is actually a discounted rate. Of course, they are going to charge the insurance more that is how they make most of their money. I have seen several people on this forum who have had well over 50 or 60,000 billed to their insurance.

Shouting on the Internet is using all caps.

First of all, no one shouted at you like you are stupid. They just simply suggested that you call your insurance and find out their requirements are. We can't tell you what Medicaid requires because it is different from state to state.

So far, I'm the last one in the group. I think. June 9th seems to be the day to get it done.

The days are going by pretty quick so far. Only 49 days to go.

My first appt was March 3rd and I had all my testing done by the time I had my EGD on the 2nd of April. I had another appointment with the surgeon's office to redo my A1c and that was it. My surgery is scheduled for June 25th.

I called my insurance company everyday, sometimes once in the morning and then once close to closing time to check the status of my case. No one ever told me not to call. Actually one of the reps told me to call as much as I wanted to.

I will admit it I am a terrible diabetic. I don't check my blood regularly like I am supposed to. I used to eat sweets all the time. Matter of fact the only time I checked my sugars is when my PCP put me on victoza. It screwed me really bad and my sugar would run about 270 fasting in the morning. I have been taken off the victoza and put on 2000 mgs of metformin a day. As usual I went back to my old ways of not checking my sugars. However, I have been on the liver shrink diet and I have not eaten any sweets for a while now. I decided I would check my blood sugar and it was 150. I am happy to say my sugar has come down over a hundred points since I started the diet. It hasn't been this low in months. I am sticking to this diet if it's the last thing I do. My surgeon's office will cancel your surgery if you gain weight before your date. Thanks for listening to my rant.

I called UHC everyday to check the status of my case. They didn't care, the reps told me to call me as much as I needed.

I have UHC and was approved in a week. They told me that it could take up to 15 business days though. Of course I did call them everyday.

After reading these post, I feel very fortunate with my insurance and surgery. I only have an expense of $75.00. That is the portion that is not covered by insurance. It is for a years worth of dietitian visits after surgery. I have met my out of pocket and deductible so my surgery is 100% paid for.

I noticed that you said you had to meet with your psychiatrist tomorrow. You may want to check with your surgeon and see if a letter from your personal psychiatrist about weight loss surgery would be accepted as your psych eval. My surgeon accepted a letter from my personal psychiatrist, stating that I can make decisions about surgery on my own and that it would benefit my mental health.

Congrats!!!!

The 9th seems pretty popular... Lol!

Welcome coralee!!!!! I am scheduled for the 25th.

I started on March 3rd. I didn't have a waiting period either. I have a financial matter I have to take care of in May or I would of had a May date. I am happy with the June date though. Gives me time to get things squared away at home and my hubby will have enough time to schedule time off work. I am so excited about this major life change. I have already been put on their liver shrink diet and I will admit, it's not easy. I received all my pre-op paperwork the other day and we are not to gain weight before surgery or it will be canceled. So now I am afraid of gaining weight, so I am sticking to the diet.

I have the same heartburn issues and nothing helps it. I originally wanted the sleeve but the surgeon refused to do the sleeve on me because of my heartburn issues. I was upset at first but now I am on board. I am so tired of the pain. Sometimes it is so bad I just want to go to the ER, but they can't fix it. I already take six pills a day for it. I know that having another surgery isn't any fun but do some research on the gastric bypass. Don't give up on it yet. Go to the bypass section on the forum and ask questions. Good luck!!!