Who'sThere

Well, at my appointment on Monday, the lady who files insurance said that it would be Friday (today) before transcription was back and my file could be submitted to insurance for approval. She told me that UHC is usually pretty quick, anywhere from 10 minutes to three days. I was hoping to find out something next week. Well, guess what?!? I got a call today (same day paperwork was submitted) at around 1, and I'm approved! My surgery will be July 7, and I couldn't be more excited!!!:thumbup:

I have chronicled most of my journey in my blog here on LBT. To get to it, I think you just click on my photo. If not, post and let me know. I'll try to figure it out.

Congrats, Bandsters-to- be! I was approved last Friday and will be banded on July 7. My insurance was really quick. It was submitted and approved in the same day. The lady that files insurance for my surgeon said that I have really good insurance. Since I am a teacher, I suppose that is the upside to being so underpaid. :thumbup:

Paulette, I also notice that our BMI's are pretty similar, too. That will be really neat to keep track of and compare. I am going to send you a friend request so we can message back and forth. If you would like, accept me.

I'm scheduled for July 7th, 10 A.M., with Dr. Michael Hodge in Johnson City, TN! I too start my pre-op diet on the 27th. It will be really good to have someone with which to compare notes. Have you been to the July 2009 forum? Juniper is compiling a list of all the July surgery dates.

Congrats on the approval AND the quick turn-around.

What a great story! :blushing: Luckily, I won't have to worry about buying smaller clothes. Through the years I have kept Rubbermaid containers of basics in various sizes. I'll get to pull those out. Since I haven't seen them in so long, they'll feel like new clothes. Many of them that had been purchased after weight loss didn't fit for very long before the dreaded regain anyway...

Ok, no haters, please! My copay is $25 for the surgery. I have also had to pay a $20 copay for my psych. consult, and seven $25 copays for my six preop visits. Add to that $35 in copays to my PCP and a $25 copay for my EGD, and my out-of-pocket costs will be a whopping $280. There is one pill that I will have to take the morning of my surgery (Emend, anti-nausea med) that my insurance might not cover. If it doesn't that will be over $100, but it will be well worth it. I feel very blessed! I guess there are some perks for being an underpaid school teacher...good insurance!

I start my 10-day pre-op liquid diet on the 27th. I'm hoping to lose ten pounds, but I'll be happy with any loss because with this "Last Supper Syndrome" that I'm suffering from, I'm sure I've put on some pounds since my last appointment on the 8th. Shoot, even if I weigh in the same, I think I'll be happy!:wink:

Surely they are confident you will be approved or they wouldn't have given you a date. Keep your chin up! I'm sure things will end up okay. (But I would certainly be pissed too...)

I am not banded yet, but I will be three weeks from today.:wink: Anyway...I plan to make my Bandiversary be the same as my surgery date.

Eviebell, your tag looks pretty cool, too! However, feel free to "steal" mine. Anyone is welcome to it. I really wish we all had the same one, whether it be mine, yours, or anyone's....but that's just me. I like being united. I just did this one because I was playing around and found the red, white, and blue sparkley text.

I posted this question myself a little while ago, so, of course, I don't think it's a silly question. One fella posted a reply something like this... I was actually fully clothed during my surgery. However, the surgeon and all the OR staff were stark naked! I have a really sarcastic sense of humor, so I really liked it. Just thought I'd throw that out there to supply a few more giggles!:tongue_smilie:

My heart breask for you as I read your posts. I had a miscarraige at 7 1/2 weeks five years ago last month. There were no words that comforted me. The best thing anyone said to me (which was still of little help) was, "That really sucks!" Simple and somewhat crude, but they were the best words anyone said to me. I think I just really appreciated someone not trying to make me feel better because that wasn't going to happen. This friend just wanted to express her condolences, and I appreciated that. After five years, I wish I could tell you that time has healed the wound completely, but it hasn't. I don't think it ever will. As someone else said, it is harder around the time our baby would have been born and when we lost Bailee. We did name our baby, and that has been one coping strategy that has helped. Since we didn't know the sex, we chose a unisex name, Bailee (spelled with "lee" instead of "ley" because Lee is a family name). We also have a garden in the back of our house that we call Bailee's garden. My mother-in-law tends that (she lives with us) as her means of coping with the loss of her only grandchild. One more thing we do is each Christmas we pick out an ornament together and have it engraved "We love you, Bailee 5/26/04." I have heard of other things such as writing a letter to your child and sending it off in a helium balloon and other things, but we have done what seemed best for us. There is nothing I can say that will make you feel better, but I thought I would share some of the things we do to help us cope. Otherwise, I'll leave you with these parting words of wisdom, "That really sucks!" Hugs, thoughts, and prayers...Amy

Well, by the time I have my surgery (July 7) my journey will have taken 13 months. I went to my PCP last June. He said he thought I would be a "great candidate" which really surprised me since he is usually very conservative. He said he needed to do some bloodwork, though, before he could write my referral. He said I would need this for the surgeon. Well, I found out that I need thyroid meds. It took two months from that point to get my thyroid under control with medicine. So, it was August before I got my referral. I didn't hear back from the surgeon's office for several weeks, and during that time, I did some homework on the surgeons in my area. My initial appointment was in October with a surgeon in Kingsport (about 30 miles away). However, I didn't even end up going to that appointment. I talked to some people in the office and between their evasiveness and the surgeon's required program fee (which is bull in my opinion) I decided he was NOT the surgeon for me. I chose to go with Dr. Hodge in Johnson City (about 45 miles away) but I couldn't get in to see him until December. I took him being so busy as a good sign, and I decided it would pay me to be patient. At that appointment, I found out I would have to do a 6mo. doctor supervised diet for both my insurance and the surgeon. He wants to know that his patients are willing to follow instructions before committing to the surgery. The wait has really been a good thing, though, I think. During the time between my first consult with my PCP and my first appointment with the surgeon, I did a lot of research about the band and surgeons in the area. During my six month diet time, I did all the required "homework" for my surgeon. That consisted of a psych evaluation, two support group meetings, a nutritionist appointment, getting five years of weight records from my PCP, writing a letter from myself to the surgeon, and getting a letter from my PCP recommending the surgery. (I would also have had to have an X-Ray of my gall bladder if I still had one.) Since my approval (Friday) I received a packet of information about what all I will need to do in the next few weeks. I have to have several other blood tests, and EKG, a chest XR, uranalysis, and even a MRSA nasal swab. However, these are all scheduled for the same day, so it should go pretty smoothly. Other than waiting to see the surgeon, it would take at least six months from start to surgery with my particular surgeon because he requires the 6mo. pre surgery diet of everyone, self pay or not. However, that does vary greatly depending on your surgeon. Good luck, and don't get discouraged if it isn't speedy. Just take that as a time to get mentally and physically prepared.:tongue_smilie:

Jessica and Maggie, I'm jealous! It's awesome that y'all will kind of know each other going into this. I wish I knew someone who I would be going through this with, but NO ONE seems to post on our local thread. Apparently I'm the only one in my area that has heard of the Internet. :tongue_smilie:

Too freakin' funny!!!:tongue_smilie:

I haven't been banded yet, but I'll explain what I think it will be from what I've heard. Basically after you heal from surgery but before you get a fill, you have no restriction and feel like "what the hell did I do to myself?" This is the point where you really have to work maybe the hardest, and it can get discouraging. At least this is what I have gathered from reading on here, and it's what I'm expecting. I'm sure experienced bandsters can explain it better.

I am in graduate school, and I am scheduled to do a 40 minute presentation on the Saturday after my surgery on a Tuesday. I could reschedule the presentation for two weeks later, but I have two one-hour presentations that week! My professor will allow me to sit during my presentation. Do you think I'll be able to do it? I will have to make my decision by class on Saturday so that I can trade dates with someone else if I do decide to reschedule.

Well, I went ahead and asked my PCP's office to fax over a heavier weight. As of Thursday (the request was Monday) the lady who submits to insurance at my surgeon's office had not received the documentation of higher weight. However, my paperwork was submitted AND approved on Friday (talk about fast). So, I don't really know what was submitted, and now I guess it doesn't matter. I'm scheduled for surgery on July 7, and I couldn't be more excited!!:tongue_smilie:

I found a glitter text generator that had red, white, and blue glitter. What do y'all think?

So, I guess it's official...Freedom Fighters we are!

Great! Thanks for sharing!

Restlessmonkey is right. My doctor specifically says NO SlimFast, Boost, or Ensure. I have tried several, and my favorite so far is Cookies and Creme flavored Body Fortress Advanced whey Protien from Wal-Mart. It has 26g. of Protein in one scoop, and I put that in the blender with 8oz. of skim milk. Yum! Yum!