SarahLovy

$6000

I had to take the liquid hydrocodone every day for 2 weeks (but only at night after the first week) and occasionally for over a month after surgery. My largest incision was incredibly sore- I could manage during the day when I could be careful about how I moved, but at night when I would shift in my sleep it was unbearable.

I have Anthem PPO- I had to have 6 months of consecutive visits (So I was able to complete them in just over 4 months- I had one at the end of February, one in March, April, May, June, then one the very beginning of July, it did not have to be a full 183 days) that included medical supervision, nutritionist visits, and exercise counseling, and I had to be cleared by a psychologist. I also had to be medically cleared, but it was a very generic requirement- they did not require any specific tests (although my dr did). Anthem seems to vary a lot, lot from plan to plan.

How long did you have between insurance approval and surgery? I know it is going to vary largely by clinic, but I am trying to get an idea of what I can expect for my timeline. I am in a serious time crunch, and my office is not being particularly proactive in getting me scheduled...

@@thinner-me I am also playing the "try to get it done before school starts" game (although on the student side). I am going totally nuts with the waiting! I have insurance approval, I am just waiting for my bariatric center to get their act together. Good luck with getting yours approved in time!

Have your height taken barefoot and chug a bottle or two of Water right before you weigh if a pound or two will make a difference.

Once I get my surgery approval and date, I intend on starting to lightly shop sales- just tshirts, yoga pants, workout clothes. Things that aren't season specific, and that will have forgiving fit as my body shape changes. I am able to wear comfy clothes the majority of the time though. I am hoping to have surgery in the next 6 weeks or so.

I am still preop, but have lost 20 lbs so far. I have lost exactly 0 inches from my waist- it is all in my hips, thighs, and calves. Drives me nuts!, but I know it is just how it is. Better to be losing there than no where at all!

My daughter gets semi-regular endoscopies and is billed around $5k each, all in, but that is at a surgery center associated with a pediatric hospital.

It seems like most have some pre surgery requirements, If you google 'bariatric surgery' and "your insurance" you may find their policy. My dr also has some pre-reqs- psych, 5% weight loss, lots of dietician and related appts.

With the psych I saw, those things would not have necessarily prevented you from getting clearance, but you may have had to receive counseling for a while prior to receiving clearance.

Did you ask your dr why he checked no and if he understood the implications of it? 1500 calories is a serious restriction for long term pre-op- I am a woman with similar stats, and my calorie goal set by my dietician is 1800-2200 calories a day, and i have been losing about a pound a week for the last two months keeping my calories around there.

I think most people who are talking about being on a liquid diet are talking about the 2ish weeks before surgery, not long term before surgery. I have to lose a little more than 15 pounds before they will submit to insurance for approval, then I will have a 1 week liquid diet (to help shrink liver) immediately before surgery.

Is it the insurance company or the doctor's office that has the 6 month wait? I have Anthem as well, and for my policy there is a 6 month requirement from Anthem. There is no way around it. If it is the policy of your doctor's office, it is up to their discretion if they will waive the 6 month supervised diet.

As long as you are not sick, or something weird and new has popped up it should be no big deal.

Mine was just under an hour, and I was sent home with some testing materials to do. Easy peasy.

There are a bunch of flavored broths you can purchase- some of them are pretty good!

I have 6 months required as well. I should have my last appointment in July- my goal is to try and get it done the first week of July. I view it as a chance to get my head in the game before the surgery, and give another 6 months to make sure I want to make this life altering decision. It is frustrating to put it off, but I am trying to embrace the positives.

It depends on the agreement between the hospital/doctor (or their negotiating entity) and the insurance company, and it varies a lot. The negotiated rate for my son's ear tubes was almost 90% of what was billed, but for my c-section it was only about 30% (different hospital system). There is a place on Anthem's website where you can look up the estimated cost of a procedure at a given hospital- some places aren't on there, but you can get a general idea. I personally am just assuming I have to pay my OOP max of the year (I have a $2000 deductible, then 80/20 coverage with an oop of $6k).

And don't forget that 199 can look very different depending on your body composition. If you just lose the fat and don't exercise hard, 199 might look "soft," but if you are exercising hard 199 and muscular looks very different. I think starting with "onederland" is a great goal, and once you get there, you can fine tune it a bit more

How long of a pre-surg diet did they require you to do?

I am sure I will hit my out of pocket limit of 6k for the surgery. I just hope there is not too much not covered