macadamia

I get what you are saying and I'm glad it will work out for you. I have student loans and a car loan, so my budget will not support anything like that at this time. I'm very lucky with the insurance I have. I know not everyone has great insurance, especially with the ACA crap. I have a pre-existing condition and it is covered by my insurance. I'm extremely lucky that this is the case. The medicine alone for my condition is extremely expensive. I plan to elaborate about my medical history, but I'll mention part of it here. I have Crohn's disease. I've been on medication since 1990 for it and have had three major abdominal surgeries to deal with diseased sections of my intestines. I've taken many drugs, but the only ones that seem to work (for a while, anyway) are the biologics, such as Remicade (taken for over 10 years; now I have antibodies to it), Humira (taken for just over 2years; now I have antibodies to it too), Cimzia (did not work in over a year of taking it) and now Stelara. Stelara is the second most expensive drug sold in the United States, behind Harvoni (for hepatitis C). The way Stelara is administered is the first dose is given by infusion at the doctor's office. It is given intravenously over the course of several hours. Attached is the explanation of benefits from my insurance company. Since the infusion, I have received the first self-injected dose (I give myself one shot every two months until it does not work any longer (or I lose my insurance)). I've heard these are $20,000 per shot! I'll post the explanation of benefits once it is paid by the insurance company. Without the insurance company paying for the surgery, I would have to opt out and find another way to lose the weight. Notice the "Amount You Owe" column. I met my deductable and out-of-pocket for this year back in March. Everything for the rest of this year will be covered at 100%. The second image is what they pay every six months for my C-Pap supplies.

That's awesome! and welcome to the thread. Good luck with your pre-op phase! BTW, I do not do FB so I will not be joining you there. Have fun!

Welcome! Good luck with everything for your pre-op phase. I cannot even imagine trying to go the self-pay route.

Sweet! one after me! Welcome!

Awesome & welcome!

Congrats! and keep us informed! Keep up the good work!

Welcome! Thank you! and good luck to you too on your journey! We're all in this together.

Thank you so very much for the kind words. I appreciate it! (and I was only teasing)

Fage (pronounced: fa-yeh!) 0% plain Greek yogurt is what I used in my morning smoothies, although I only use 1/4 cup instead of a full serving of 1 cup. Here is a screen shot of the nutrition information. I also eat it with sliced fresh strawberries and blueberries, and only 1/2 cup of yogurt.

Welcome! and Congrats! It will be here before you know it!

Awesome! and Congrats! I recommend that you go easy on pre-purchasing a ton of stuff before surgery. I've heard a lot of people say their tastes and tolerances are much much different after surgery. Pre-buying a bunch of stuff may seem like a great idea, but if you have to throw it all out because you cannot stand it or tolerate it after surgery, it will be a waste of time and money. I personally am going to wait to get most of my things. I will pre-make a couple of chicken puree dishes and freeze them prior to surgery, so I have something I can just defrost, heat-up, and eat after I get home. Then, I will venture out and buy small quantities of things I want to try and incorporate into my diet. That way, if I have issues, it will not be a great waste. Good luck!

I'm not sure if this is meant to be a compliment or not... I'm going to take it as a compliment! Thanks!

Congrats! Don't worry about what other people are having (tests) or are doing (diets). Follow YOUR program. Your surgical team has been successful with their program. You will be successful if you follow it. Maybe based on your age, weight, and other factors, your team deemed some of the tests unnecessary. It does not mean anything. And, the CT scan is never part of the normally scheduled test regime unless there is something else that makes the surgeon order it. In my case, (which has extenuating conditions that I have not shared with anyone yet) the endoscopy showed something that the surgeon wanted to make sure was not an issue. He ordered the CT scan to double check, and it came back unremarkable, which means, in doctor-speak, normal. It did confirm that I have a hiatal hernia, which he will repair when he does the surgery. Good luck to you!

Thank you!

Welcome! and good luck!

So, I was using my surgeon's office scale as my official weigh-in device. Since I will not be visiting their office again until after my surgery (it is in Salt Lake City, UT, and I live in Ammon, ID), I have decided to use the certified scale in the medical office where I work. I am in the same building, so it is convenient. My last official weight at the surgeon's office was 355.9 pounds on August 3, 2018. Today, on the work scale, I weighed 351.2 pounds. I weigh in the same way as at the surgeon's office (empty my pockets, remove shoes), except I do not remove my shoes. For the weight trend, this will ensure I am going in the right direction.

Way to go! My gastric sleeve surgery is on September 6, 2018! Good luck to you!

You are very welcome! Almost everyone here is willing to help. I'm still pre-op and I have a hydration timer going so I can get used to it. It is every hour right now, not every 15 minutes, but I can still drink larger quantities. You've got this!

Thank you very much! It was a relief, to be sure!

My NUT suggested that I set a timer that repeats every 15 minutes. Every time it goes off, drink your 2oz of water. Increase the amount if you can, but drink at least 2oz every 15 minutes (except when you are not supposed to drink, of course). Eventually, your body will be able to tolerate more and more fluid and the 64oz/day will be obtainable. I have other health issues that require me to consume a lot of water each day - I average over 90oz/day, sometimes as high as 160oz/day. I mentioned this to the NUT at my final appointment and that is what she suggested. Slow and steady wins this race! Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Good luck!

Welcome! Do not be jealous - the time really flies by. And if your surgical team is anything like my team, they already have preliminary approval with your insurance, or they would not be pursuing it. They obtained the preauthorization from my insurance company before they even called me to schedule my first appointment. They knew my coverage upfront and what I needed to accomplish to meet the insurance requirements before I set foot in their office. Once I meed all of their requirements, the final "approval" is a formality. I hope yours is too!