Sharon1964

@@LadiSani Hang in there, you're going to make it. We need your heart to make it through this surgery!

I'm four months out and my plan calls for 1/3 cup food at each of 3 meals per day, no Snacks. There are 16 tablespoons in a cup, so I am eating about 5 tablespoons or so at each meal. It sounds like you are eating at most 1/4 cup, which doesn't sound like enough. Also, are you taking a PPI? It reduces stomach acid and may help you not feel hungry. I have no hunger now (although not everyone is that lucky); I eat by the clock. Also, I am drinking a lot between meals.

Here are the contracted amounts for my surgery with Blue Shield of California in Fresno County. The fee schedule in your county will be different, but not by a huge amount. Hospital - operating room plus two nights' stay: $10,288.00 Surgeon's fee: $1,267.94 Anesthesiologist fee: $778.77 Labs inpatient: $84.74 TOTAL: $12,419.45 For the sake of simplicity, let's round it off to $13,000. The only time the total cost is going to matter is if it's less than your out of pocket maximum. And remember all these numbers are for a calendar year; you don't want to start the process in November or December. Blue Shield Bronze 60 PPO: Deductible of $6,000 per calendar year, out of pocket max of $6500 (including deductible). This means you are going to pay $6500 for your surgery (and all the preop stuff) then Blue Shield is going to pay everything after that. The silver plans are similar to the bronze plans, with a $6250 to $6500 out of pocket max. That's going to be your total. The difference really comes with the gold and platinum plans. They have no deductible and a lower out of pocket max. The platinum plan has a $4000 out of pocket max, so that's going to be your total. Now, I don't know what the premiums are for your age and zip code. But let's say the premium is $100 for the bronze and $500 per month for the platinum. And let's say it's going to take you 6 months to get all your testing and preop stuff done. bronze: $100 premium per month x 6 months = $600, plus $6500 for your out of pocket max means you'll be paying $7100 total. platinum: $500 premium per month x 6 months = $3000 plus $4000 out of pocket = $7000 total. So with these numbers, you don't get more for your money with the "better" plan (platinum) - they're about the same. If you go longer than six months, the differences are greater. 7 months: bronze $7200; platinum $7600 8 months: bronze $7300; platinum $8200 If you keep the plan for the whole year (and you may be contractually obligated to do so, I'm not sure: 12 months: bronze $7700; platinum $10,600 Remember these are examples only as I don't know what your premiums would be. Now we focused on the out of pocket max because you're planning surgery. If you're looking at plans for regular day-to-day health care, there are other factors to consider to determine what's best for your situation.

Are you looking to purchase insurance, or do you already have insurance? Edited to say, never mind, I just saw your other post. Give me a few minutes and I'll get back to you.

She has her moments!

I ended up breaking off my relationship last week. I made sure to tell the person I talked about above, that it had NOTHING to do with me losing weight or wanting to find someone else!

Hang in there!

I would say put down the chicken and just drink chicken or beef broth for Protein. I wasn't allowed chicken or beef even if it was pureed until much further out than a week. My surgeon doesn't worry about protein intake until you're on regular foods at around 6 weeks. Especially if you can't eat soy or dairy. What about smooth Peanut Butter or other nut butters? You can also puree bean Soups, although I couldn't handle Beans that early. I'm at 4 months out and I feel normal - although it is a NEW normal. My new normal is to order a hot artichoke appetizer with celery sticks instead of chips, eat maybe half of it depending on the size of the dish, and take the rest home. My new normal is half of a small chicken breast. One egg with cheese. Most of a greek yogurt. Four or five small meatballs or one large one. A three-inch piece of kielbasa instead of a 12-inch piece.

I have one pair of "fat calf" boots I can wear. I bought a different pair online some time ago and I couldn't zip them all the way. I tried them on this weekend during The Great Wardrobe Cleanout, and now they zip all the way, and there is room to spare! Also, I noticed there is room on either side of me in my recliner, which has never happened!

Okay that makes more sense. It's inpatient for my surgeon and my insurance.

Almost every insurance plan requires advance notice of elective surgery. "Day of" is allowed for emergencies only.

My surgeon rarely does drains. It was one of the things I asked him at my preop appointment. Ask your surgeon.

I was walking several days a week until about 3 weeks ago. I've having difficulty with a nerve that goes into my leg (unrelated to surgery) as well as plantar fasciitis in one foot, so I've backed off for a while. I'm also 5 ft 7 inches tall, which helps me carry the weight in a "thinner" looking way. I saw some friends tonight that I haven't seen since before my surgery. I got lots of "oh my gosh, you're skinny!". I had to laugh, since I'm still in the 300's.

Then $3500 is going to be your cost. My max out of pocket is $6650. Between all the doctor visits and testing I had this year, by the time I got to surgery in August, I gave the hospital $3,000 on admission, and the balance due was less than $100, because I had met my out of pocket max.

@@TodayItEnds Any news?

If it's a Medicaid plan, which I think it is because she said "Medical" (or "Medi-cal" as it's called in California), then they have their own requirements set by the state, that have nothing to do with the regular Blue Shield benefits.

If you're on Blue Shield Medi-Cal (Medicaid), your requirements may indeed be different than regular Blue Shield. The regular plans don't have a weight loss requirement.

@@bayougirlmrsc Thank you! Yes, I'm becoming quite the "pic ho" now... always wanting my picture taken!

As I said, YMMV.

My surgeon doesn't do the "liver shrinking" diet. Recent studies show the shrinkage is so miniscule that it makes no difference in the surgery. Not saying it's like that for everyone, just saying what I read and he told me.

Call your doctor.

Have your blood sugar levels been checked?

I had the same thing. I'm four months out now, and it's been a couple of weeks since I've had one of those dreams. I wasn't gorging, but I was eating things in my dreams that were definitely off-limits.

WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! I did it! Four months and two days... ONE HUNDRED POUNDS DOWN! My next goal is a short four pounds away - to be in the two hundreds!