Lexigurl82

"I would rather lose the weight than to have someone cut on my body" "All you have to do is eat vegetables and fruit" "What kind of surgery is that and what are the side effects?" (Instead of asking me positive questions) Even though I have been asked/told these things I still decided to tell my husband, daughter, immediate family and friends. At this point in my life I do not care what someone thinks I should or should not do. I have struggled too long with obesity and I'm ready to be healthy and fit. I have a supportive husband and daughter, that's all that matters. One minute people will tell you not to do it and the next minute they're going to ask how you did it. Remember that...

congrats!!!

so sorry to hear this...use this time to take all that anger and sadness into eating right and going to the gym...like the person above me said, revenge is one day running into him or someone he knows and you look so good he would wish he never left...dude was no good for you and he didn't sound very supportive. you don't need that negativity in your life so it's probably for the best. just continue to love yourself and one day you'll find your ace, someone who will love and support you.

OMG...you could have the surgery in Mexico for way less...no way should your out of pocket be $18,000, especially when you have insurance. Please keep us posted!

Definitely talk to your doctor. My surgery is 12/2 and my surgeon told me to take chewables, not gummies post op. He did tell me once the stomach heals I can take Vitamins in pill form.

My surgeon who is board certified said to me no sodas or any carbonated drinks unless you're willing to drink them flat. I hate flat drinks so he said just leave them alone for good. Like someone mentioned above, think of the reason you're having this surgery. Sodas are sugary and have no nutrients. This surgery is for us to change the old habits and develop new and healthy habits. As a soda drinker myself (I'm pre-surgery) I realize that I won't be able to have another carbonated drink and I'm ok with that. I hate being overweight and I'm looking forward to doing right this time.

be careful about not eating right...weight gain could delay your surgery

oh yeah I am learning that too...I looked at the checklist and the surgeon made it clear not to have food funerals because if you gain weight prior to surgery then they can postpone the surgery. I'm working on losing more weight before my pre-op on 11/30 ..I cannot afford to have my surgery rescheduled because it is holiday time and I need to use my insurance this year before the $800 deductible starts over on 1/1/2016

goodness no...that's pretty steep for an information session...was it required by your insurance? I wonder why they billed your insurance if it were free...I would call the hospital and ask them why they billed your insurance...

@@rking my approval took a week. I was really surprised that it was so quick because Aetna told me it could take 15-30 days for a decision. Good luck and keep us posted!

I would say switch surgeons. As soon as my surgeon's office received my approval they called me to schedule my surgery. The only thing I haven't gotten yet was pre-op instructions but I won't bug them since my surgery is 6 weeks from now. Before you switch, call your insurance carrier and make sure that the switch will not interfere with the approval you already received and explain to them as to why you are making the switch. Make sure you get the first name and last name initial of the reps/supervisors you speak to and a reference number if they have one. I work in insurance and authorizations... this is to protect you in case someone says later down the road says that they never told you that you could switch, etc. Good luck and keep us posted on what happens!

I have Aetna but I never knew of a deadline...are you sure that was the real reason for denial?

it depends on your insurance. I had my first visit with the surgeon in July. Needed 3 monthly visits with my NUT. The surgeon's office gave me a list of what I needed, which was a psyc eval, chest x-ray, EKG and pulmonary function test. I received my approval from insurance on 10/23/2015. I scheduled my surgery for December 2nd. I could have had the surgery before Thanksgiving but I have to prepare things financially before I could do the surgery.

Can you give us an update on this? My surgery is scheduled for December 2nd and I too do not know any costs. I've met my deductible for the year already. Did you have to pay anything up front before surgery?

I have Aetna and it took a week for them to approve me. My surgeon has a wide open schedule and could do the surgery as soon as next month, however I have a lot to do as far as preparing for the surgery financially, therefore I scheduled my surgery for the 1st week of December. Good luck!

if all else fails, try going back to the doctor you saw years ago for the sinus infection. The reason I say that is because the PCP who is writing my letter, I have not been in their office for at least 2 years. I went back to her and explained that I was reconsidering surgery and I have an appointment to come into the office for bloodwork on next week. Her medical assistant said once I come in and do bloodwork, they will send my surgeon a clearance letter for surgery. Good luck!

@@acyum2008 thanks! have you heard back from Aetna? Don't be afraid to bug them...I called them every 2-3 days and no one ever called me to tell me I was approved. I got the call from the surgeon's office who said they received the approval. Aetna was supposed to call me with an approval but they didn't. I was told they are supposed to mail it.

I have Aetna and I was approved on yesterday for the gastric sleeve. It's very important that you do not gain weight during the 3 month or 6 month program. I did the 3 month process and had to have one psyc visit, 3 visits with my NUT, 4 visits with my surgeon, a sleep study, chest x-ray, EKG and PFT (Pulmonary Function Test). I don't know if Aetna requires all these exams but it was on the checklist that my surgeon's office gave me. Call Aetna and have them email or mail you the requirements for your plan because every plan is different. Good luck!

You can try looking for other insurance that does cover it...it's about that time for open enrollment so I would consider that. If not, going to Mexico is another option.

NSV for sure!!! I cannot wait until I have that same view when my husband goes "downtown"

I read that a period after weight loss surgery is normal, however I would say call your doctor to be sure. It could be your body adjusting to the shock from having surgery but it won't hurt to get checked out.

@@Elode @@thisfathasgot2go thank you so much! I am so happy!

I just received approved today from Aetna and it took a week. Weird because I called Aetna yesterday and they told me a decision was still pending. I called them every 2-3 days.

I haven't had VSG yet but I did do some research regarding the gallbladder. What I read is that most surgeons prescribe a medication called actigall which helps prevent gallbladder stones/issues after VSG. It seems that a lot of people end up needing the gallbladder removed after VSG. I am going to ask my surgeon the next time I see him if he will prescribe me something to prevent gallbladder attacks/gallstones after surgery. Good luck to you!