majorsmama

You have a great attitude. As disappointing as it must be, you're not whining about it or getting pissed off, you are losing the weight! Good luck!

Fwiw, I don't believe in starvation mode either. Not in overweight or obese people. If we limit our caloric intake, our bodies will burn our excess fat for energy. Starvation mode may apply to very thin people with low body fat, but from the research I have read, it does not occur in overweight people.

I am sure it's mostly for your safety. I think I've read that people with sleep apnea are more at risk during anesthesia so while frustrating, it probably has something to do with keeping you safe.

I thought dumping did not occur with the sleeve?

If you've already gotten your insurance approval, what are you worried about? I can't imagine with an insurance approval in hand, your surgeon would cancel your surgery because you gained a few pounds. That would be ridiculous.

I would call your insurance company and ask them specifically if getting below the qualifying bmi would disqualify you from surgery. But yes, you should be losing weight in this time and working on changing your eating and behavior habits.

Aetna it does have to be consistent. They ask for the last 2 years.

Has anyone else had their job affect their surgery or throw a wrench in the plans? I have one more appointment for medically supervised weight loss and I am probably going to have to delay my surgery because of my job. I recently was offered a new job within my company that I start on April 27th and the training lasts until July 17th. My last weight loss appt is May 14th and if all goes smoothly, I SHOULD be having surgery in early to mid-June. But now with this training situation, I may have to push it back until training is done. I won't know for sure until I get into the new job, see what the training consists of and meet my new manager. I have waited so long for this opportunity to have surgery and in the scheme of things, another month isn't a big deal. But it's a real bummer. I also don't know how to explain it to the new manager. I don't know if I should say "I've been trying to get approved for this surgery for "x" amount of time" or if I should just let them know "hey, I have to have this surgery so I need some time off". I really don't want to have to explain what surgery I'm having to someone I don't know or trust. Technically, they can't make me wait or not let me have the time off that I need, but I also don't want to make a bad first impression. I'm just not sure how to handle this.

I've recently spoken to the bariatric "guru" at Aetna and she explained that despite changing the wording in the bulletin, they are still looking for a 2 year weight history and are requesting two years worth of weights from your PCP. Do you have any co-morbidities? If so, it shouldn't be an issue.

I just had my 3 hour nutrition class today and I will be required to complete an extremely strict 2 week pre-op diet. Broth, protein shakes (with water only), sugar free jello and popsicles only, for two weeks! They explained it's required for two reasons. To shrink the fat around the liver to make surgery safer, and to put the patient into ketosis which will kick start weight loss post-op.

There's a forum specifically for pregnancy on here. You'd probably get more info by reviewing old posts on that board. I'm also wanting one more baby post surgery, so I frequent that one.

I am currently doing my 90 day diet for Aetna too, although I have managed to lose a significant amount of weight. I believe the bulletin reads that you cannot have a net gain over the 90 days so I would be concerned. If they deny you, you can always appeal and maybe cite the PCOS as a reason you've had difficulty losing weight? My nutrition told me to cut out starches and I've has success (I have pcos as well). Best of luck. Sounds like you haven't gotten adequate support from your nutritionist so I would bring that up at your next appt.

I'm taking my nutrition class next week and I am still within my 90 day supervised diet. I don't see any reason why they can't put you into a class prior to those tests. I'd call the office manager and find out why. It's a class, so unless the class is full, why can't they get you in? Remember that YOU are the only one advocating for you in this process!

Hey @@MoMo12onTheGo any updates?? Did you lose the 5lbs?

Mine is protein shakes, broth, sugar free jello and popsicles and water. Those of you who are allowed a meal of food are very lucky.

My surgeon said he really only recommends gastric bypass for his patients who have type 2 diabetes because something about the bypass is better at curing it. But the sleeve is basically what he suggests for 90% of his patients because it doesn't re-route the stomach and it's easier on the patient and works as well for weight loss.

While you may have overreacted, I'm sure many people would have done the same if they had been given the same info you had about constipation and keeping hydrated. Diarrhea strips your body of hydration. I can understand that being scary. And you are justified in your reaction to the doctors comments. What he said was harsh and uncalled for. Some doctors just have lousy bedside manners and I've learned after having a child, that many of them really don't like being bothered during their off time. I'm sorry you had a negative experience. If it's still bothering you, I would recommend giving feedback to the office manager at the bariatric practice. It may not going anywhere, but it might. Follow up care is important, so don't let that experience discourage you from continuing with it. Best of luck!

Holy judgmental lol. Congrats on your success, first of all. But I can't help but think the rant part of this post was completely pointless and inappropriate. Maybe the people who come here and post about their struggles and failures don't have a strong support system at home to talk to. Maybe they were under the impression that this was a safe and supportive place to come to discuss the hard times. Maybe they are feeling alone in this journey and just want to connect with someone and feel like they're not alone. Why do so many people on this forum have to knock other people down rather than lift them up? I hate Protein shakes. 90% of them taste like crap. Does having that opinion and coming here to ask for advice on others to try, make me not love myself and want to succeed? No. And I don't even know how you arrived at that conclusion. Until you have seen one of these posters truly fail at losing or maintaining post-op, you have no right to assume they will fail. I make mistakes and I will likely make mistakes after I've had surgery. But that doesn't mean I don't love myself or that I want to fail. I'm human. We all are. We all have strengths and weaknesses. I want to see everyone succeed with this surgery. I wish this forum could be a safe place to come and vent, rant, cry, share accomplishments and seek advice. Not be torn apart. Sometimes i think that maybe this isn't the right place for me. Most people are supportive and understanding but there are a few holier than thou types who are like a dark cloud on certain threads. And this post makes me believe that you're joining that club. I guess I had a rant of my own.

Hi all. I have Aetna insurance and they recently changed the verbiage in the weight loss surgery requirements from a 2 year history of Obesity, to a "presence of persistent obesity". One of the requirements I have through my work is to get annual health assessments and in turn, I get $500 off my insurance premium. So my question is, would my weights taken FOR Aetna at these health screenings be acceptable documentation of my weight? I feel like it's a silly question and surely they would, but I have never been through this process before so I can't be certain. Anyone know? I have my consultation with the surgeon on 1/7 and plan to call my insurance company in the near future, but thought I'd ask here too.

To the people who are 6 months+ post op and have lost a large amount of weight (with no plastics)... how do you feel about your body now? Do you love it? Are you still critical of it? Does the excess skin bother you? Do you feel more or less confident when you're naked?

I didn't actually cancel, I just rescheduled.

@@MoMo12onTheGo I totally hear ya. Have you lost weight over the course of the last 3 months? I don't understand that 5lb number unless you have not lost any weight the past 90 days. I would be feeling uneasy too and the most frustrating part is that nobody can explain WHY they require the extra appointment. I'm thinking about bringing it up to Dr Chen if I see him at my next appt but I know he doesn't like getting involved in the front office stuff. I just want SOMEONE in a position of power to know that we are frustrated.

Wowza! You look at least 15 years younger!

I just canceled my April 1st appt so I wonder if they gave it to you lol. Did they say why you need to lose 5 lbs? They have never pressured me to have a certain loss at any appointments. I agree that doing the pre-op diet is a good idea. I know Banner had a strict one compared to some, so maybe do the two Protein shakes and one low carb sensible meal. Or go full gung-ho with Protein Shakes, Jello and sugar free popsicles. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

That's exactly what they told me! Gosh, we are getting the same exact run around. According to them, while the insurance may only require 3 month, their practice requires 4. It's a crock.