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I have the Aria scale, yes. Love it! Honestly I'd be so damn out of my mind this BS gain/lose rollercoaster if I wasn't continually seeing that body fat number drop.

I scheduled a gyn. Appointment shortly after my surgery for this reason. But I do not want an IUD. I don’t like the idea of having that in my uterus and I have heard too many horror stories from friends/families. I hope to continue with the good ole pill form of bc.

@@LisaMergs I am right there with you and let me tell you, when that weight comes off and you realize that all that loose skin is pulling on your body, plastics is a must. At least for me it is. I started with a 5950.00 Brachioplasty and I just took a 19 week project to cover the cost of my Abdominalplasty and breast lift with augmentation. That surgery is going to cost around 18K total..... I started my new project yesterday and I swear as every hour goes by I have a secret smile on my face knowing that I just paid for part of my surgery. I think it stinks that insurance does not cover any of it. For Peres sake, obesity is a metabolic disease. And guess what, it is a disease that can and will end your life early. Why then is reconstruction not covered? I just simply don't agree with that. As I sit here all trussed up in my spanx that hold my tummy in....... It is BS and it needs to change. Just my two cents......

I am with you Possum!! I am stressed out and tired and fed up with being overweight. The person I am is not the one I see in the mirror. I want them to match.

I was told by my NUT that it can push the food you have eaten down so it allows you to eat more bc you don't feel the fullness like you would just by eating. But I have heard a few different reasons.

Hello everyone, My name is Heather Conrad and I live in Nashville TN. I am 43 years old and have battled weight for most of my life. However, since my back went bad, my weight has completely gone out of control. I am only 5'1 and currently weigh 213ish. I know that number does not seem super big but, on a tiny frame such as mine, it feels terrible. I have tried every diet known to man and I only end up yo yoing. I had back surgery one year ago and since packed it on. I used to be really active and led such a healthy lifestyle and I feel this surgery is my chance to have that back again. I am currently on many pain medications, and hypertension medication. My goal is to lose this weight and get off all meds. I just wanted to share a little about myself and I would appreciate any support I can get. Oh yeah, my first appt., is this Th. I am going through Vanderbilt. Does anyone have experience there. I have federal BC/BS, and they require a 3 month supervised weight loss which I think is ridiculous. I have my last two years of weight loss tries documented but, whatever it takes. At least it is not 6 mos. to a year like I have read on some other insurances. I am interested in the VSG. Any comments are welcome and appreciated. Thanks Heather

Not bad but a little wishy washy. Drop the "I believe" for "I will" and replace with "I do" or "I am". Swap "I recieved a BS" for "I earned...". Not "IF" you are hired "when" you are hired. You've got to make it sound like YOU are the only qualified person for the job and hiring you is a no-brainer, a done-deal, without sounding arrogant. Lastly, you might mention why you want the job, other than that you are qualified and it serves academic purposes. Say something that expresses your interest in the organization and its goals, mission, etc. Pull some information from their website or other sources that shows you have gone beyond reading the job description in deciding this is the perfect job for you and you are the perfect candidate. Good luck. :redface:

VSGAnn....thank you for this! I have read lots of your posts as I try to decide between RNY and sleeve.....I worry that there's not enough data on sleeve and that there is the opportunity to cheat the sleeve AND THEN I read your posts and I realize that if someone is committed and responsible like you, it could be the perfect tool. Your success and very committed attitude gives me hope. My BMI is 49 and I am 48 years old, so some doctors are suggesting RNY bc of those factors but again....I think of how well you did and I wonder if the sleeve might be enough of a tool for me, without the fear of nutritional deficiencies and rerouting my insides... Thank you for all your insight on these forums. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

My psych appt was in and out probably 10 min and I did this 3 times bc I was scared of surgery so had to redo paperwork multiple times

Now I don’t want to make anyone else jealous, but I just finished my psychiatric evaluation over the phone and it took all of 15 minutes. That’s it. No paperwork. No questionnaires. Done over the phone. No sweat. Granted, this did cost me $400 and it is not covered by my PPO. There was also the option of doing it via skype but since I'd have to do it during work hours and i can't use my company laptop for personal use, so I opted for phone. We arranged for a time for me to call her last week so I called her right on time as planned. She first asked why I was pursuing the surgery. I explained that while my eating has not gotten out of control, my various ailments including a bad back that may require surgery, arthritis in my shoulders and bone spurs in both big toes have made it difficult if not impossible to exercise without pain. I have not been increasing my portion sizes over the last few years as my weight climbed, but without the ability to burn off the excess calories I just kept getting bigger. Next, she asked some medical history questions (I never drink to excess because I’m allergic to alcohol and I’ve never smoked or taken illegal drugs) then asked if I was an emotional eater, a binge eater, a habitual eater or a miscellaneous eater, i.e. problems like portion control, which we’d already covered and I’d already identified myself as being. We went into a little detail about my current eating habits and previous weight loss attempts, which had mostly been successful when I could exercise freely. She asked about the kind of support I’ll have for the surgery and during my recovery at home. I explained that my daughter (who graduates from college this Friday with a BS in psych and a 3.7 GPA, thank you very much) will be taking me to and from the surgery. That’s because when I have it in late May/early June, my wife will still be recovering from knee replacement surgery. So, my kids (my freshman son was nominated by a professor for membership in an honors society that only admits 15 kids from each graduating class at his school, again, thank you very much) will be taking care of both of us. We consider it only a tiny portion of the payback they owe us for putting them through a private college. Finally, she went into a little detail about the required post-surgical changes in habits, such as measuring and logging food and sticking to the prescribed post-surgical plans, and asked if I thought I’d be able to handle. Having read through this board, some FB groups and all the literature I got from the surgeon’s office at my initial consult, I repeated everything back to her chapter and verse to confirm I know exactly what’s expected of me. I also told her that I’m far too cheap to spend all the money on the surgery only to throw it all away with bad habits. She asked if I knew about the types of complications that could arise, so again I referenced this board and the FB groups, explaining I’ve learned a lot about the types of problems that come up most frequently. She asked if I had any fear of the surgery and I said I’ve had many surgeries in my life, so I’m not afraid of it, plus I know that for each person who complains about a post-surgical ailment, there are probably fifty who do not have that problem so the odds are clearly in favor of not having complications. That was pretty much it. She said the approval will be on its way to my surgeon by the end of the day. I gave her my email address so she could send me some literature she likes to send all of her patients and her contact information in case I had any further questions. I am not kidding when I say it took me twice as long to write this as the phone call itself. With this and my endoscopy both out of the way, all I’ve got left before submitting for approval is my final visit with the nutritionist and the pre-op visit with my PCP who’ll also take care of my chest x-ray and EKG. The only real problem between now and the surgery is avoiding the temptation of pigging out at my daughter's graduation party...

I'm going on six fills next Monday..... I'm super close to green .... They are stirring to fill with .2cc's now, bc they are tweaking or fine-tuning the amount. Good luck..... Remember, it's a JOURNEY!

Hi I know this is going to be a crazy question but I need to know which surgery I had. I had my surgery in 1979 when I was 18 years old. It was done in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at Mount Sinai Hospital. I am now in my late 50s and my health is failing. I guess the reason I never knew which surgery I had was because I never had great medical care beyond the day I walked out of the surgeon's office. I spent years of throwing up my food and not losing much weight. When I asked other doctors about malnutrition they just laughed at me and asked if I had rickets. They made me feel stupid so I never pursued it further. I didn't have great medical care beyond that. I never had the energy or stamina that other people had, I just thought I was lazy and I pushed myself harder. Other people thought I was lazy too, and they never understood my eating issues. My teeth started breaking off and became painful in the back from all of the throwing up I was doing, which impeded my eating habits even more. I got pregnant several times and became very ill and I was not offered any medical help to get through the pregnancies. My husband was very upset about how sick I was he did not want lose me to not getting any help and did not want me to go through with them. My final pregnancy I spent 7 months hospitalized and tube fed because of malnutrition. That was 25 years ago and after I had my daughter again no doctor would presued the malnutrition issue they just told me that pregnant women had worse issues in third world countries. I went on from there to live my life until the last 4 years when I started getting too sick to even go to work. Finally I got social security disability but because you don't get actual medical insurance for two years after you start disability I did not get medical attention again. I am told by other people that the malnutrition issue is well-known however it seems to be unknownby any doctors I am seeing. So anyhow back to the original question all I know about the surgery is I have a large scare from the top of my abdomin to my belly button, I was told they had to take my stomach out to work on it, the staples show up on x-rays or scans and something was done with the opening to the intestine, I think it was moved to form scar tissue to slow down the emptying of my stomach. I have attended seminars given by bariatric doctors and when I pose the question to them about which surgery I might have had they tell me they can't help me. So what was the name of my surgery and what was done to me? I hope someone can give me some help here.

I am doing great i've lost 15 pounds so far since march 19 and i''ve had one fil already. which was done on may 3rd. The only problem that i have is no restriction yet. I still can eat a considerable amount of food, less then before but more then i thought i would be able to. My insurance took about 2 weeks but i have empire bc/bs good look and keep in touch

If you're watching your carbs (I say that bc of the mostly protein and veggies you're eating) the vodka won't hurt ya too much )) Drink it with diet drink or something

Thanks ya'll for rallying behind me :obama fist bump::cool2: Tammigirl you are on point! I would not want to get into a legal tango with you.:smile: It's a shame that you have to get stressed out for nonsense. Update: This morning my phone rang me: hello new she: Hey April I just got to work but I wanted to update you me: Yeah , this thing has had me worried. see i am a private person and it disturbs me that my information is somewhere willy nilly new she: I know it bothered me last night that's why i called you first thing this morning to let you know that we are working on it me: yeah well i am still looking into hippa vioalations someone needs to be held accountable she: I promise you that the person over the mailroom is taking this very seriously me: in the mean time what can we do to expedite this? mailing will take another 10 days and I have already spent 7 months jumping through bc bs hoops so 10 days is a life time. she: i understand, you could always bring a copy of the missing photos up here me (thinking)-what , that's an option , oh hell yeah me aloud: absolutely she: Bring it in the morning and put it to the attention of the medical review board: i will call them and tell them it is urgent me: I will do it 8 am she: talk to ya later me:too mentally exhausted to do or say anything else pray for your girl and that's on the real

I'm done. I just really don't think I have it in me to deal with MY emotions and fears let alone his BS!

I have Horizon BC/BS of NJ. I'm getting banded on 8/1 by Dr. Ewing from Hackensack Hospital. LOVE HIM!!! I used the Nutritionist they recommended (much easier that way) and she cost $100. I went for a Psych eval from a Psychiatrist and that cost $30.60 (after being submitted to ins). The surgery will be fully covered once it's approved, which hopefully be in the next few weeks. Please look into Lap-Band Associates in Hackensack, NJ. They are wonderful! They are a practice with 3 great doctors. Let me know how you make out!! Good luck!

Hey guys. so the day is almost over. tomorrow i will have been on th liquid diet for 1 week and i have 1 week to go before my surgery. god i am sooo excited. ive been jumping around with joy all day and keep singing the line from that song that goes "i'm so excited and i just cant hide, im going to lose control and i think i like it!!!!" today also starts the 10 days straight that i have to work. ugh.:biggrin: that im not looking forward too. my husband is out of town on business so its hard when hes not here bc the bed is soooo cold. but he comes home on thursday or friday and when he gets home i will be able to go get a pedi/mani since i cant treat myself with food. i actually got on th scale today and i lost 7 lbs. i immediately emailed my friend to let her know. i kind of boycotted scales a long time ago but my friend made me get on the scale to see how much i have lost. everyone keeps asking me how can i do it? arent you hungry? oh i couldnt do that!!! my answer to them is yes i am hungry but this process is making me realize how much control food had over my life and my mood. i realized that i can be happy without certain foods. of course im hungry and EVERYTIME i smell bbq i want it. but im not starving. im not starving myself and it took my body 5 days to realize this. i just keep my mind on the prize at the end of this journey and my new life that is going to start. this site has helped me sooo much. i was about to quit the second day on the liquid diet but then i found this site and this feeling of happiness and accomplishment fell over me. i made this decision, i took the first step and yes i feel accomplished even though i havent finished myjourney yet. but i will get there. thats how i do it and make it through each day. we eat to live not live to eat. im making so many plans and gathering soo much recipes that its not even funny. besides my income tax comes in this week and im gettting a new cell phone!!!! (im addicted to technology :thumbup:). so day 6 almost gone and day 7 here i come.....8 more days untill i have my surgery.....

Hey guys. so the day is almost over. tomorrow i will have been on th liquid diet for 1 week and i have 1 week to go before my surgery. god i am sooo excited. ive been jumping around with joy all day and keep singing the line from that song that goes "i'm so excited and i just cant hide, im going to lose control and i think i like it!!!!" today also starts the 10 days straight that i have to work. ugh.:thumbup: that im not looking forward too. my husband is out of town on business so its hard when hes not here bc the bed is soooo cold. but he comes home on thursday or friday and when he gets home i will be able to go get a pedi/mani since i cant treat myself with food. i actually got on th scale today and i lost 7 lbs. i immediately emailed my friend to let her know. i kind of boycotted scales a long time ago but my friend made me get on the scale to see how much i have lost. everyone keeps asking me how can i do it? arent you hungry? oh i couldnt do that!!! my answer to them is yes i am hungry but this process is making me realize how much control food had over my life and my mood. i realized that i can be happy without certain foods. of course im hungry and EVERYTIME i smell bbq i want it. but im not starving. im not starving myself and it took my body 5 days to realize this. i just keep my mind on the prize at the end of this journey and my new life that is going to start. this site has helped me sooo much. i was about to quit the second day on the liquid diet but then i found this site and this feeling of happiness and accomplishment fell over me. i made this decision, i took the first step and yes i feel accomplished even though i havent finished myjourney yet. but i will get there. thats how i do it and make it through each day. we eat to live not live to eat. im making so many plans and gathering soo much recipes that its not even funny. besides my income tax comes in this week and im gettting a new cell phone!!!! (im addicted to technology :tt2:). so day 6 almost gone and day 7 here i come.....8 more days untill i have my surgery.....

I told my family and friends that I see in person. I told everyone ar work bc they are like an extended family and we support each other and one of the girls even said she was considering it as well. I did not announce it on social media bc I have come this close to unfriending ignorant people over this topic. I had someone post about how she lost 60# and didn't cheat and take the easy way out by having surgery that she went to the gym every day to lose the weight. I was so posed and commented about how weight loss surgery is not cheating, it's a tool and some people cannot physically perform exercises at the gym and with co-morbidities surgery may be their only option over death. This was before I even had surgery but it kills me that purple can be like this. She then either deleted the whole post or blocked me from seeing the post of that's an option idk. But I figure I don't see these people they don't need to know the intimate details of my life. But I feel comfortable telling everyone else especially if can help someone else to change their life for the better.

This is happening to me too. I am one week post-op. I am freaking out bc I do not want to deal with this.

I am still pre op, May 13th is my day....I have been researching WLS for the past 3 years and I have been on VST for over a year now and from what I've seen is if you work hard and follow the directions you are given you can losse very close to the same as a person with gastric bipass. I chose the sleeve bc I have 4 kids and want to be able to be a "normal" mom. I feel like a prisoner in my fat body and don't want to be a prisoner in my skinny body! For example, I want to eat a small peice of my kids b-day cake and not get sick bc of dumping syndrome! I am always on the side line and I want to fully participate in life!

I know you posted a while back, but I just wanted to jump in and say "breastfeeding is not the best thing you can do for your baby" :biggrin:. The best thing you can do for your baby is be a good mom. If you're losing nutrition by breastfeeding (and in turn this is harmful to you), then just don't. It sounds like the milk mafia (lol) has convinced you breastfeeding is the only way. Breastfeeding advocates made me feel like a horrible mom when I couldn't teach my daughter to latch on. As long as your baby is being fed and is healthy, that's what matters. Formula isn't poison. It is often a child's only way to survive if their moms died during childbirth, or if they can't latch on, or if their mom's milk supply is low. People are formula raised all the time and are decent people. lol.

I am from Vancouver, BC and was banded Feb 9th at False Creek Medical

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.