Carrie D.

Here's the policy that I looked at. I don't think it's specific to TRS, but I'm not sure to be honest. Hope this helps :cursing: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas Obesity Management Web Site for Members

Woohoo! I hope to be a Jazzy June too. I'll know soon :cursing: When's your surgery date?

BCBS of Texas (TRS Active Care) is what I have. My insurance does cover it. There are all different kinds of BCBS of Texas and it depends on what options your employers choose...that's my understanding anyway. If you have BCBS, give them a call and ask for a copy of their policy.

I'm having trouble understanding something. My nut told me that we shouldn't be eating Soups because they wash through the stoma too quickly. I also understand that cream soups can be loaded with extra calories. What I don't understand is that when I eat homemade chicken Soup with lots of veggies, I'm seriously full for a long time. I'm not banded yet, but I fail to see why still eating soup would not be good. After all, with the homemade, I'm getting Protein, electrolytes, and lots of veggies for not many calories. So why is soup bad? :woot:

You know, I'm going to go with what I know about myself this time over the nutritionist, but I will be careful. I like healthy soups like chicken & veggie, lentil, 15 bean, taco soup, etc. All of these soups pack a big nutritional bang for my calories. I posted the same question on another board and I got very similar answers to what you all are saying. One was particularly good...said I could drink the broth, wait 30 minutes, and then go back and eat the chunks of whatever. I think it's a worthy compromise if I have to do that. Thanks for taking the time to share your answers

My doctor doesn't require a pre-op diet either. I've talked to a couple of people who have used him and they've said that they had no problems. I think some doctors put their patients on a pre-op diet to shrink the liver. I was a little concerned about this as well, but I'm just doing my own thing and probably going on liquids on my own a week before surgery. Hope this helps a bit.

*raising hand* Yep...that would be me. Drowning biscuits and rolls in butter...lots of it.

Thanks! I'm going to go search for the book right now. I know I need some help with the head hunger. Had a perfect example of that the other day. Had a 4th grader who made me madder than a...er...hornet. Of course, I can't really vent my anger, but I was dying for something really, really crunchy...and I'd just eaten lunch!

I don't really think so. I believe...at least with my insurance...you have to have a BMI over 40 or if it's under 40, you have to have comorbidities like blood pressure, diabetes, etc. It should state the qualifications in your insurance policy. You can ususally access the information via the internet.

I've heard elsewhere that some insurance companies do not require the 6 month supervised diet if you go to a bariatric center of excellence. Does anyone know anything about this? I have BCBS of Tx- TRS Active Care (teacher insurance). I do know that they have centers of excellence, but I don't know if this applies. I call them almost every day with more questions. I just thought I'd put it out here and see if anyone knew anything.

Hmmm....thanks. I wonder if I can do that. There may be a difference though. I guess I'm going to have to break down and call my insurance company for the upteenth time. They're going to hate hearing from me by the time this is over :eek: Thanks for answering me. I'm going to check it out. Did you go to a free standing bariatric center versus a hospital? The reason I ask is because the hospital that I want to go to is listed as a bariatric center of excellence. Not sure about my surgeon.

Okay...I'm getting hugely frustrated here. Yesterday, I spoke with a customer service rep at BCBS TX. I asked about the 6 month diet thing. The customer service rep said that she didn't think that the diet had to be consecutive 6 months...just a total of 6 months within 24 months of the surgery date. The Blue Access website isn't much help either. I just says that there needs to be 6 months of supervised diet...but doesn't specify whether or not it has to be consecutive. WHAT THE HELL? WHY CAN'T THE INSURANCE JUST SPELL IT OUT FOR ME AND OTHERS?!?! :angry Furthermore, I got my welcome packet from Tyler Bariatrics and it states that BCBS wants 6 months continuous dieting. :faint:Why, oh why am I getting such conflicting and confusing information? Anyone able to offer some words of wisdom?

I found a good Soup recipe on another site. I made it last night and it was FABULOUS! I didn't have quite everything I needed, but this is what I did. In a blender: 1 large can of peeled tomatoes 1 medium to large, peeled, cucumber 1/4 c onion 1/4 c cilantro 1/4 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp chili powder garlic to taste...I like a lot a few dashes of hot sauce 1 tsp of lime juice Chill and eat. Yum....it's sooo good. The only ingredient that I did not have was a bell pepper. I think it would be a great with the addition of the pepper. I figured it up. It made approximately 24 ounces of soup...can eat it all for around 200 calories.

My parents first turned me on to Lentil Tacos...just seasoning and using the lentils in place of the meat. My kids love it too! I haven't thought of putting the corn bread on top though...will definately have to try it! Thanks

Okay, I mixed the vanilla Spira-tein powder last night and set it in the refrigerator overnight. My first visual impression wasn't that good...it was foamy and had a green tinge to it. However, my first sip was okay...not too much of an aftertaste. The kids liked it. This morning, I sipped on the remainder. It's really not too bad. It had thickened up overnight and had a shake-like consistency. Not much aftertaste this time. Hope that helps

Good suggestion I think I just might try that. I am not banded yet, but I know I will still have to deal with all of my issues afterwards. I know that it won't just go away...the head hunger. Thanks

I just bought some Spiru-tein from the health food store. I got a package with a mixing cup that you shake and it came with 7 samples of different flavors. I haven't tried it yet...will do tomorrow and let you know. I hope it's good, but I'm also pretty picky.

Wow...this is a fabulous thread! I actually had to go over this question with my PCP when I went to her for a recommendation letter for my bariatric doc. I think the main reason I'm fat is because I medicate myself with food. I am an extreme emotional eater. Unfortunately, this includes ANY emotion....like depression, sadness, happy, joyful, boredom, etc. It's not good when you Celebrate and console yourself with food. I also think that I have some real issues about being afraid of not having enough food. For instance, if my pantry or my bank account gets below a certain point, I truly panic. I believe this is because I lived through a time, after my parents divorced, when we were very poor. I remember that we would eat butter on crackers because we had nothing else. We also lived off of Vienna Sausages & Tuna (which was waaayyy less expensive then). It was always a real celebration when my mom would get paid and we could have something different to eat. *sigh* Kind of sad, isn't it? I know I'm not the only one who has this experience or problem. I also have no clue how to deal with it or fix it. Any suggestions?

sandahlia... Congrats! I'm a bit confused...how did you complete the 6 month supervised diet in 3 months? Were you already seeing your PCP for the weight loss? I have TRS BCBS too and am trying to get approval from the insurance comany.

Hi everyone... I am new here. I am living in Texas. I have TRS Active Care BCBS of Texas. I know that I have to have a 6 month physician supervised diet & 5 year history. I don't have any problem documenting the 5 year history through my PCP. However, I think I might have to go through the 6 month diet thing with my PCP. My question is, does the diet have to be an uninterrupted 6 month period of time? I'm questioning this because when I went to my PCP the other day, she asked if my 4 months with Weight Watchers and working out would count towards the 6 month requirement. I'm not sure, but I really hope so. That way, I'm thinking that I'll only have 2 more months to document...all of wh Which would put me right on track for my desired surgery date during Spring Break. Does anyone have any experience with TRS Active Care BCBS? Any suggestions or things to watch out for? Thank you in advance... Carrie

Hi bigbaby... It sounds like the insurance company is wanting the 6 months to be consequetive. ARgh...that's a problem because I only went to Weight Watchers for 4 months. Well, I've also heard on another board that the 6 month diet history is not necessarily set in stone. Hmmmm....guess I'll just have to wait and see. Thanks for the response Oh, and what happened with your port? I noticed that you had a revision.

Hey Alisha... I work in East Texas too. Chapel Hill ISD to be exact. I have an appointment with Dr. Babineau on December 26th. It's the group meeting/individual consultation. I'm going with another teacher friend. She was hoping to have things done over the Christmas break, but we couldn't get in for an appointment until after Christmas. I'm hoping to have mine during Spring Break for two reasons...time off from school without taking personal days and tax refund money to pay my 20%. I've heard that Dr. B's insurance coordinator is fabulous and can get approval when you think there's no hope. I'm just a little impatient. I'm one of those people who that when I make up my mind about something, I want it done yesterday It's good to meet you too! Have you chosen a doc yet and do you have a surgery date?