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wow, things in texas sure move faster than they do in columbus ohio!!! i went to the seminar on dec 15. after that it took a couple weeks to get the forms. then i had to schedule an appt with a psychologist. then i had to get an appt with a nutritionist. then i had to go to a support group meeting which only meets once a month and i missed january's so i just went this week. now i have to go to a 2 hour nutrition class. hopefully, after this nutrition class i will have fulfilled all my obligations and i will hear from the surgeons office within in week and i can get scheduled in for my first appt there. once i actually SEE the surgeon then they will submit it to the insurance company. the surgeons did want a list of all supervised diets i have been on in the last five years. i really havent been on any supervised diets. i dont think the BC/BS federal plan requires that. they told me they only need a predetermination from your surgeon that you need the surgery. but i still dont know for sure if this surgeon is going to make me go on one. maybe after this nutrition class tomorrow i will know more. as far as the general out of pocket expense--bc/bs told me they would pay 90percent if i went to their preferred provider. but perhaps Disco Diva can tell us more about that, since she is scheduled next week.

i also have bc/bs federal plan and i would like to know if they make you go on a supervised diet before they approve you.

I have federal bc/bs. I have PPO. I went to a seminar on Sat 2/3/2007and they submitted my paperwork to bc/bs on Monday 2/5/2007. Do I really have to go thru a supervised 6/12 month diet? What is the general out of pocket cost? And what general range is the timeline for bc/bs to give me an answer?

It's just the 2 weeks, was required to buy one box a week during 6 month diet which honestly I didn't do well with. The New Direction bars not so bad and chili was okay. The shakes though are horrid. I managed to choke down most of one of the lemon puddings with Fiber today then chase it with broth due to aftertaste. I think tomorrow I am going to try hunt down the Premier Protein locally because I feel like I am starving. I am making sure to get my water and liquids to not dehydrate but this is day 5 and hoping we get surgery date 8/26/19. My surgeon changed hospitals at the end of the 6 month diet so had to wait almost 2 months longer. Plus, still waiting on BC/BS with final approval which should happen by tomorrow since file was marked urgent. Then doctor order his instruments and not sure if they are in. So very stressful this journey. Thanks for all the advise!

Hi Everyone, I'm scheduled for surgery on the 17th and noone has called me to tell me the exact figures that I have to come out of pocket the day of. I just got off the phone with the hosipital and they claim that someone will call me 1 day prior to my surgery date to give me an exact total. Really!!!? How the hell is that enough time!? I'm so concerned because I don't want to get to the hospital and they tell me my co-pay is like $1500 or something. I don't have any kind of money laying around. I called BCBS and they told me it depends on how the doctor/hospital codes the procedure. I know I have a $150 co-pay per performing surgeon plus $75/day if it's coded as outpatient and 30% of the allowance for drugs... At least that's what the representative of BCBS told me. But WTH does that add up too!!? I need to know exact figures or at least a close estimate so that I'm not financially strapped for the rest of the month. UGH! Does anyone with BCBS Fed-Basic remember how much their co-pay was? Thanks for your help!

Thanks! I am genuinely so happy about beginning my new life Well my Dr has a very strict belief that what got us all to this point is carb addiction. We don crave carbs the same way we crave other food (Think back to when you were full after dinner.... until you saw the cheesecake... then magically had room for it???) It made a lot of sense to me, and i really like the support the office gives... because for me i am just not strong enough to have a bite of one cookie yknow? or a single small serving of pasta? I am allowed to have any normal sized meat, or fish, as many veggies as i want, and generous portions of fats like cheese, and some fruit. I avoid Banana's and oranges bc both are so high carb. I do sometimes eat other things, but when i do eat any kind of carb its always with extreme moderation. I have sugar free ice cream from time to time, but i never have bread, pasta, or rice of any kind. As far as being filled, i have a 6 or 7cc band and i have between .5 and 1cc... so i have VERY little restriction, which really stinks... im hoping that when i go in during the first week of October that i can get a bit more.... right now i can eat damn near a whole meal... its frustrating... but yknow, its still working so i cant be too upset! Last night i wore a pair of skinny jeans that were a 14 and it was actually big in some places!!!! yey!!!! ANy suggestions on food???

I too have Blue Cross...they told me today they needed old medical records...btw, I sent them to my surgeon's office. The customer service rep was super nice...she said she had bariatric surgery in February and reassured me that bcbs is quick to approve surgery bc they understand it's better in the long run! Fingers still crossed!!!

Hi all, Im 37 and injust got my MGB revision 20 days ago. I was sleeved 10 years ago and never reached my goal weight. After babies and hormonal BC i gained a lot back. I feel surprised now tho. I feel i havent loose much these days. I just started Phase 3 and where i live (Middle east) is very hard to find sugar free, fat free products and im wondering if is the greek yogurt (flavored) and the protein drink the ones that arent helping. Both say they dont have added sugar but have sugars at the end. Also i dont feel there is really a restriction in my stomach. Im still hungry, i can eat half cup of food, i can drink a whole glass of water with no issues... such a different experience than the sleeve. Im scared of failure. Im passing very light yellow stools i dont know why and is so painful. Sometimes i wonder if there was a surgery after all. Any ideas of why this weight loss is so slow?

It took me several fills before I really felt any restriction. A fill would make me feel 'tight' for a day or two and then it would disappear. Wasn't til I had about 6cc before I got my first stuck episode. I still could eat a fair amount between fills. I finally got to the green zone at 8.5cc in a 10cc band. I ate according the the band rules mostly in that I ate slowly, ate only a small serving and stopped after I finished my serving. I used to take out a small serving and then halve it and put one half in the fridge. I told myself if I was still really hungry after 30 mins I could go back for more. I only went back once in all the time I did that (coz it takes about 10 mins normally to stop feeling hungry, and longer if you have a band). That was a great tip that was told to me that worked for me, so consider this me passing it on. It has worked well for friends who aren't banded either. The good news is that for the majority of banders, the time WILL come where you get enough restriction in your band to only be able to eat a small amount and be satisfied for hours. If it works like it should, it should also stop you feeling hungry most of the time. When that will happen is different for every bander, though. Also I remember when I first got banded, my tummy made these AWFUL rumbling sounds all day. I figure it was because for 20 years it was used to being filled to the brim and it was grumbling at the huge reduction in food. But after 6 months or so, it settled and it nearly never growled. It got used to be being 'drip fed' food from the above all day, I guess!

Cuban chick that is EXACTLY whats going on!!!! U explained it word for word. I have gained 3 lbs but haven't posted it on here bc im so embarrassed. I can basically eat anything right now. And you called it bc for a few days right after surgery i was never ever hungry. Now im hungry all the time. I know i should be chewing my food more but i forget some bites and it still seems to go down fine. Thank you so much for posting that! U literally described what im going thru exactly thank u!!

I had half a glass at 3 weeks out. I took tiny sips and really only had it to blend in since I didn't tell a lot of people. What's funny is that I thought I'd really miss it and coffee, but I just can't "fit" either in anymore bc between the food, protein shakes and fluids, there's no space or time.

Wow - I've been Banded for a month and just found this journal area. It's really nice because so many questions I have of others are right here. It's nice to see other people who have been though what you are going though. I'll start this jounal with how I got to this point... I was young in college and thin. I could eat anything I wanted it was great. Of course you don't realize it then. I taught aerobics to put myself though college and had a weight lifter boy friend. What a life. Had I know that would be part of my metibolic issue now I might not have tried so hard then. I busted my butt to stay fit and thin but didn't diet. Soon it got harder and harder. I had to workout more and there just wansnt that much time. I started dieting but it seemed to be a downhill slope. Getting worse each time and harder to lose. I finally tried Phen Fen... It worked - Lost it all - felt great Until they took it off the market. Gained it all back. Nothing worked.... My doctors didn't believe me they said I wasn't working out enough or I was eating too much. I kept journals they didn't want to look at. I finally went to my endo for my hypoglcymia and she said most people don't really have hypoglcymia that it's in their head... she sent me home but first wanted to do a blood test. My suger was in the 50's and they wouldn't let me drive until it reached 70... and she thought it was in my head. She send me to a dietian and she said cut your carbs... it was such BS! I've told a lot of people I was having this surgery and they said but you don't need it you're not that heavy. (Just diet) People don't realize I work my butt off just to stay at 220 and not go higher. Well I workout more then anyone I know, I eat less then many people I know. My mom has diabetes and heart disease. She had a massive heart attack at only 45 years old and had to have by-pass surgery. She's thin for the first time in her life and she didn't diet or change her eating at all. I swear it's hormones... why would my mom's body change so fast and now she eats way more then me. Anyway here I am - tired of fighting the fight and not going anywhere. I'll just cry if this doesn't work becuase I don't mind the work as long as I can at least see some results. It's the weeks after weeks that turn into months after months of staying on a strict diet, working out and not losing. My doctor finally said once - You're body is just "used" to your workout - you'll have to workout harder. (There just isnt that much time in a day)

BTW, 2 of my cats have a heart murmur. They are doing exceptional. I knew one had a murmur bc the breeder got it back from someone who purchased him and returned him back as defective. He is the best CAT I've ever had. He's an Ocicat. Hang in there.

On my list from the Dr. on medications to aviod is mainly aspirin and ibuprofen. Ex: Advil, BC powder, Pepto Bismol, Excedrin, Mortrin, Alieve Safe for joint pain: Vioxx, Celebrex, and Mobic Erythromycin should only be taken with caution and your physician's approval, becuase of stomach irritation.

i alwasy have said either u have sex appeal or u don't... like ur born with that inherent nature to 'work what yo' mama gave u' or not! The problem is when ur a bigger curvier women- like most of us here - society doesnt ALLLLLOW u to explore that side of urself. They basically make anyone who is curvy or overweight seem and feel unattractive and unsexual...which is OBVIOUSLY NOT THE CASE. And while it might be IN YOU (like u said u have always wanted to be) for whatever reason - psychologically- u have stopped urself from thinking that anyone would even consider u to be sexy and flirty and womanly bc u are 'heavier'. Its not abnormal to feel that way!!!! Im sure that the attention that ur getting now makes u feel AWESOME and SCARED all at the same time bc ur not used to allowing urself to feel good about urself. The thing is that u need to STOP urself from being ur worst critic... alot of times people react to US the way we react to THEM. So all these years that u have been thinking that ur friends have treated u like 'just one of the guys' might have just been bc u were reluctant and insecure about urself and thus putting up a front. One of being seen more as "friend" then as something more! do u get what im saying here? The second that u start believing in urself and having confidence people are going to instantly be attracted to that... whether or not ur 300 lbs or 120 lbs. Believe me there are mannny men that find plus size women attractive and would pick them over a skinny annorexic arm charm anyday (im guessing ur husband is supportive of u and has been thru the best and worst time of ur weight). i never had a problem picking up men even when i was at my heaviest (not to sound like im bragging bc im tooootally not) but it was alllllllll about my attitude and personality...not about how i looked. I mean i just tried to work what i had and not constantly dwell on what i didnt like about myself. That was something my parents instilled in me at a young age- they alwasy made me feel like i could conquer the world not matter what. And that just proves to me that u have to be comfortable in ur own skin in order to really allow that side of u to come out... In my opinion i get PISSED when guys that i have known for a while all of a sudden start complimenting me and saying im hot or this and that after i have lost a few pounds. I basically want to punch them in the face and ask them what the hell was so wrong with me in the first place? THAT annoys me and i think i'd rather NOT hear it then hear it...bc it just confirms the fact to me that society is filled with a bunch of superfical loosers. HAHA wow im not bitter!

I am not the OP. But oh how I wish I was a candidate for something like that. Regretfully I get blood clots from BC pills. I got them when I was only 19, was only about 15 pounds over weight and was never a smoker. I just can't take the chance with my history. OP- I have read that since the body stores all kinds of hormones in your fat cells that you can wind up with heavier periods during your rapid weight loss phases. I have read of people that were newly menopausal when they had WLS surgery getting Aunt Flo back for a bit.

Hi I am type 1 diabetic and my BS stayed in the upper 200's for several weeks. My doc also told me it was due to the surgery and it takes a while to even out.

I would introduce whey protein shakes before you go to bed to slow the catabolic state and then have one again when you wake up. Remember you want to take in as much protein as you want to weigh. So if you want to weigh 200lbs, take in 200grams of protein daily to keep your muscles fed building, instead of losing them. (200lbs is just an example.) Anything your body doesn't use it will eliminate the old fashion way, so don't worry about over doing it. Eat your proteins, introduce protein shakes again right before bed and right when you wake and that should help out alot.

I really hope you get better. Always have the same things on my mind, I'm new to this support group. My family only a few knows about it and still don't understand what I go through. I have lost the fun on food even chicken. That is great that the new doc numb you to do fills mine don't and believe me they hurt more than the surgery. I had my band on may 2010. With ups n downs as all. My band is located on top of my belly button n this sometimes is very uncomfortable. A month ago had breast redux n all my body is crazy including the band I place myself after two weeks of surgery on a light diet bc everything was hurting still is but less as time goes by, but when I stretch even my stomach hurts, my body is off so I have to take it easy. Everyone's heals diff so since I'm a little older takes longer, lol. I hope you the best I will continue reading very informative.

New to the site and my first post. My question is this I called my HR Rep and asked if this type or any weight loss surgery would be covered by my insurance Anthem BC & BS. He stated no. that was an option the group could do but it would cost to much for all the employees. Has anyone ever had this problem? If so how did you go about getting this approved thanks.

I keep posting pics bc I'm so proud ! I figure this is a great way to share my progress- I'm one month out the 4th of March and I'm down 45lbs including the 2 week pre-op diet! [ATTACH]9959[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]9960[/ATTACH]

Zicam always works for me...it's available at Wal-Mart or any drug store. It's some k ind of homeopathic thing, which I don't understand, but it will prevent a cold if you take it when you first start feelingthe symptoms or make the cold shorter and less severe if you already have one. You ocan get ta bs to dissolve under your tongue or a nasal spray gel. Good luck! Emily

@@McButterpants Yes, I agree. I should perhaps edit original post bc I think I am not asking what I want answered correctly. I am going to talk to my doc and nutritionist tomorrow (and before eating anything new) but was curious if others were as hungry as I am and craving real food this early.

Well guys, I am afraid I have no good news. Anthem BC/BS denied my appeal level 1 as “investigational”. Surprise, surprise, right? Even after I have all my papers, letters from my doctors that stated that I need to take NSAID and my surgeon office provide medical researches on my behalf, no dice. Now I am fighting with them to let me bypass Appeal level 2 and go direct to Independent external review appeal witch I believe would be my best bet. I feel that Appeal level 2 will provide the same results since Anthem is not looking at your medical problems they are just hiding behind the policy. As I read this panel have three doctors independent of insurance panel that they look @ the medical necessity only. If they rule in your favor, the insurance has to cover your surgery, no questions ask. The whole thing It’s depressing and frustrating especially when all other major insurance companies already updated their policy to include sleeve. But I am still not giving up.

Empire BC/BS covered my gastric sleeve, minus $250 in-patient co-pay. I had surgery on 06 Mar 15 at HMC-Pasack Valley and it was performed by Dr. Amit Triveti from Lap-Associates in Paramus, NJ.