Bryn

yay! congrats and good luck

thanks for the welcomes everyone!!! I have already scheduled my nutritionist consult, psych eval and my first PCP weigh in. Doctor told me to try and lose weight by supplementing one meal for a liquid Meal Replacement (suggested low carb slim fast). I'm no stranger to slim fast so I'm ok with it lol (gonna alternate between Breakfast, lunch and dinner)

Hi MrsLD!!! when i spoke with my PCP about WLS, she was for it!! I have been a patient of hers for about 5 years now; so she knows my ups and downs about weight loss. she has also told me that she has had quite a few patients before whom she has gone through the process with (the weigh ins, writing a letter of necessity, etc.) so she seems very familiar with it. and her staff are great. She was listed as one of the top Family physicians in the 2010 Washingtonian Magazine. I love her to death and she is young, hip and very personable. Her name is Dr. April Tweedt. Part of Montgomery Family Practice in Onley. Her hubby is a doctor as well (but a surgeon). only downside is she is always busy with patients, but she'll spend all the time you need with her.

today I went into 7-eleven, saw they had RTD Muscle Milk. I picked two up. one vanilla creme and one chocolate. the vanilla creme was delicious. tasted like a melted down vanilla milk shake. haven't opened the chocolate yet. i could definitely see drinking this as meal supplement and being satisfied. so yummy

If I were you, I would go see my PCP. don't wait til your next appt

I too have Aetna and was concerned about wondering if i went through everything, if i could have the surgery before the new year. my first consultation with the surgeon is in one week (made the appt. 2 weeks ago thinking i would get in asap, but that was the next available :thumbup: ) i would like to have it before the new year so that : 1) i would be on break from school and work during the holiday season so people wouldn't be suspicious 2) i wouldn't have to worry about any changes in my plan that my employer may make. not saying they will make changes (past two years they have not) but ya never know. i work in health care and come october, changes are coming in health care and employees will feel it. but if you time everything, three months from now is early december, so it is possible :thumbup: good luck!

I hate to sound mean or rude, but i thought it was common knowledge that women know that being at a healthy weight means having a better opportunity of being fertile. I mean, we all know that weight fluctuation can make your period irregular, and that if some women are severely morbidly obese, their cycle even stops. so i don't think the doctor was at fault for not telling her that (if you mean the bariatric surgeon) majority of the time on that show most of the women who didn't know they were pregnant are fat to begin with (irregular/no periods; and all the other relations between being fat and pregnant)

Even the fittest of people need to exercise. Not just fat people I am sure I has been answered but of course exercise helps. Eating less helps in the beginning but it won't last

Hi and welcome I too have aetna and i was told by my doctor and the surgeon that it can be done with your PCP or other specialty doctor that is involved in your care

Not eating anything between 11am and 6pm seems a bit drastic

Hi Chris! I too have Aetna (PPO) and I called them a week ago and they sent via email, a list of what will qualify in order for them to approve the surgery. Just give that number on the back of your card a call, and the rep can help you. mine was very helpfull. unfortunately, i can't relay the email to you because it's secretly coded via aetna lol. but yes, their main requirements is that 1) you have a BMI over 40 or 2) you have a BMI of at least 35 with any of the following co-morbidities: --sleep apnea --coronary heart disease --hypertension (greater than 140/90) --type II diabetes aetna also requires (under my plan anyhow) at least 2 years of documented weight gains/loss and documentation from PCP. or any of the documentation from weight loss programs (jenny craig, ww, etc). i heard from my doctor that aetna was one of the better insurances to have because generally we only have to undergo the 3 months of supervised diet/education vs. the usual 6 months others have. so call that number on the back of your card!!! good luck!

like Bella Luna...I use Bally's. They're the cheapest of the chain gyms in my area. i've been with them since 2006 and i started off paying $30/month. but since i've been a long time member, I pay $11/month. has a pool, sauna, and free classes as well. completely worth it

any type of exercise is good exercise, but i would shy away from curves. if you are looking to lose weight and really get into working out, curves isn't for you. they use a hydraulic system instead of actual weights so you set the resistance. and you are on each machine for about 30 seconds about 3-4 times around. total around 30 minutes to work out with 200 calories burned tops probably it's ok if a person is generally very sedentary, but i can imagine it would get incredibly boring doing the same thing each visit. you really can't personalize a work out at curves

I called the doctor's office to set up a consultation. I was hoping for day within the week, but unfortunately the latest they had was September 16!!!!! aaaah...haha. Seems far away but alas the date is set. I also called Aetna and confirmed that they covered the surgery and had them email me the requirements in order for it to be covered. Still excited! I'm also going to the gym religiously because it allows me to release some energy :tt2:

I called the doctor's office to set up a consultation. I was hoping for day within the week, but unfortunately the latest they had was September 16!!!!! aaaah...haha. Seems far away but alas the date is set. I also called Aetna and confirmed that they covered the surgery and had them email me the requirements in order for it to be covered. Still excited! I'm also going to the gym religiously because it allows me to release some energy :tt2:

wow! lol i guess i never really looked into that. that's pretty major then. very interesting thanks for that info :cursing:

wow, i'm sorry you are going through this as well as your hubby. my bf is a tad overweight, but in the position where he could lose it with in months of just exercising alone. he agreed to hop on the bandwagon now that i'm going through with this. i hope he sticks with it because i want him to be healthy as well but like the others mentioned, i'm sure it's hard on your hubby because he sees the change in you, and not in himself as much. just gotta be supportive and it'll hit him and he'll step into action

question for those who have been through the process and work at the same time: how did you deal with the pre-op liquid diet at work in terms of maybe concealing your WLS from co-workers?? also those who had to do Protein shakes, how did you package your Protein Shakes? did you take the powder and mix there, pre-make them or buy the pre-packaged? sorry if there is confusion, just wondering :thumbup:

Sorry if this question has been asked/answered before but I'm unaware of the sequence of events and how things happen. Is someone generally approved for surgery after they do all the testing? (psych, sleep study, nutritional, etc) or are they approved and then do the tests? another question which i know i should ask the doctor (but i'm in beginning stages and haven't met her yet) is if I had a sleep study done almost 2 years that diagnosed me as having sleep apnea, could they use that or would i have to get another one? thanks in advance!

As I read through the majority of the threads here, I have come across some folks mentioning that they have a more difficult time eating healthier foods (can't get it down) more so than "junk" food. does anyone know why is this?

aah, that's a really good idea saying it's a detox :thumbup: thanks for the reply!

hippocratic oath went out the window when people started to believe it's ok to sue doctors for every minor thing; hence their high malpractice insurance and a decrease in pay. i really don't blame them. to the thread starter: why can't he just have the original bariatric surgeon take it out vs. finding out the problem? seems like a last resort at this point

I find it very shocking that some restaurants will not allow adults to order from the kids' menu. If we are paying for it, what does it matter?

welcome! wow, interesting read. I guess this just goes to show us non bandsters that this is complete lifetime commitment and it's not easy :frown: I'm new here and have enjoyed reading pretty much every thread! I'm sure you will too. good luck on your journey...you did it once, you can do it again :thumbup:

I'm not a nurse, and don't work 12 hour shifts, but i work in physical therapy and i work 8-9 hours a day at times and am up on my feet pretty much 7-8 hours religiously. like you i'm pushing/pulling and i'm also on my hands and knees and doing weird movements. i asked my doctor about how much time (besides the usual 1-2 weeks for those who don't have physically demanding jobs) and she said for those with physically demanding jobs, she says 3-4 weeks, and then she will write a prescription for light duty at work for those who want it. she said we should never push it before the 6 week mark so our bodies can "heal"