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10. I love that I'm resourceful and try to be positive in every situation. Squats and Crunches check! Also did a 30-minute run and got my steps in.

Hello I'm scheduled to have surgery in June 2019 on my Washington State and looking for Buddies in my area.

Just scrolled back to this to reminisce. My surgery was 10/22/18.. so it's been a little under six months and I'm down 94 lbs since surgery.. although I had a bit of a rough patch month three through five where I was eating alot I shouldn't have.. I've recently regained some semblance of control over my eating and am eating alot healthier. How are other October surgery peeps doing? Hw: 496 Sw:476 Cw:380 Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi Mine will hopefully be done April 29th 2019 if I get clearance from a cardiologist!! So excited too!! Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

OMG...the dr's office called back and said they called CIGNA and were told that I had to do the 6 months, ,consecutive, yada, yada, yada and this is why it is best to 'let them handle these things' as I don't know the right people to 'talk to'. EXCUSE ME? I don't know the right ppl to talk to? I didn't call for 'basic coverage'. I called for the legally binding policy COVERING what their REQUIREMENTS ARE. Like you, I think/feel that these people should be very experienced with making these calls but the way she tried to read back policy 0051, I could tell she was very very very very confused! And she's saying to cancel the appt with the nutritionist for this month and 'just go' next month. She wants me to go back to my primary and get more 'notes' even though he wrote a letter detailing everything! I SO do not want to have a bad relationship with my doctor's staff! I never want anything like this. I just DO NOT BELIEVE this one person is truly comprehending how crazy all of this is..not even saying 'hey, this doesn't make sense...we should be hearing the same thing...let's do a conference call (which I suggested). I feel like I'm alienating them and I'm just at my wit's end here. I also feel bad for them and us as this is obviously something VERY VERY STRANGE related to CIGNA so we are all having to go through extra struggle and frustration because BOTH of us have had this same..."interpretation issue". I can't wait to hear how yours goes! I'm rooting for you. I also need to think how to...let my dr's office know..this is NOT personal and I'm not trying to argue. I am genuinely confused and I have dealt with Cigna so much in the past decade plus I work in a software industry that deals with healthcare, insurance..so I'm not a complete newbie. Am worried they now think I'm some desperate person that doesn't want to do what is required. All I have ever wanted to do was 1) Do what was required but more importantly 2) ensure that this decision was right for me and that I was 'right' for it. Right as in ready. Right in my head space, right in my willingness to work hard, right to meet and EXCEED the requirements from CIGNA as this was not an easy decision and I"ve spent 4 yrs exploring all options and am at peace with the work I've put in, where I'm at emotionally and mentally and the agreement and research with other specialists and doctors I've seen. 1 You reacted to this × Quote KarenLR75 Intermediate Member Pre Op 5 24 posts Location:TX Height:5 feet 6 inches Report post Posted just now Just got off phone with CIGNA. They reviewed MY specific coverage and stated that this Is NOT one of their requirements. We stepped through ALL of the requirements for their current policy which is effective thru 7/15/19. I have a downloaded copy of the specific and current policy regarding bariatric surgery. The CIGNA rep on the phone was mystified as to how the dr's office feels that the 'six months with a nutritionist' is a requirement. I called Dr. Dyslin's office staff back and was chided a bit for 'calling the insurance' which honestly upsets me. The young lady was nice but she is NOT proficient with reading/understanding medical verbiage and what it means. She said she and her office manager are confused YET they are looking at the same policy (policy 0051 for me) and they don't understand IT!!!! Said they will call insurance to check again but advised that I NOT CALL the insurance to 'get things confused'!! CONFUSED??!! I've been studying this for four years and since I am end up hospitalized every other years for the past several years I've become very INSURANCE PROFICIENT. I like Dr. Dyslin but if his staff is so GREEN they can't interpret to me what is CLEAR AS DAY to both myself AND CIGNA....I'm a bit concerned I may need a different office..and I really liked the doc!! HERE is the part they are hung up on which CIGNA said doesn't mean 6 back to back meetings with a nutritionist and I AGREE A thorough multidisciplinary evaluation within the previous six months which includes ALL of the following:  a description of the proposed procedure(s)  a separate medical evaluation and/or a recommendation for bariatric surgery from a physician/ physician’s assistant/nurse practitioner other than the requesting surgeon or associated staff  unequivocal clearance for bariatric surgery by a mental health provider  a nutritional evaluation by a physician or registered dietician surgery

Yesterday my husband and I went for a hike in the local mountains to see the wild flowers which are absolutely spectacular this year, due to lots of winter rains. The weather was perfect, the birds were singing, the flowers were stunning (including some I had never seen before) and I just couldn't stop. We kept on going and ended up hiking 10 miles. This is the farthest I have been able to go in years, due to weight and joint pain. It was amazing. NO JOINT PAIN! (I have already had a total knee replacement, arthroscopic surgery on the other one, and multiple steroid injections in my hips - all for arthritis brought on by 5 decades of being overweight.) This is so wonderful. I feel like I am actually getting my life back - the life I used to love and then lost. Having 50 pounds off made such a difference. I cannot even imaging how great it will be with another 50 off. I am going to need a rope to hold me down! I took a friend out to see the flowers this morning - only hiked 4 miles, but still felt so good to be able to get up and go with no pain. This surgery has opened a whole new chapter for me, and I hope for the same for each of you.

You ABSOLUTELY NAILED IT. I posted before I saw your reply. WHERE/HOW/WHY ARE our dr's offices coming up with this requirement when it is NOWHERE IN THE POLICY AND CIGNA THEMSELVES SAYS "WE DO NOT REQUIRE THAT?". You don't happen to be in Texas as well do you? Honestly, going thru the policy with my dr's office person was PAINFUL. She was having trouble understanding what the 'WITHIN' 6 months part even meant. Then was told I shouldn't call...i shouldn't what??? If THEY Are confused, I HAVE TO CALL. Still mystified as to how both of our doctor's office are hung up on something that is NOWHERE in the stated policy which for me is policy 0051 which is currently in effect from 10/9/2018 to 7/15/2019. STUMPED BEYOND BELIEF. I thought it was usually a fight with insurance NOT with the doctor's staff!!! Medical Coverage Policy: 0051 Effective Date: 10/9/2018 Next Review Date:7/15/2019 Coverage Policy Number: 0051

Just got off phone with CIGNA. They reviewed MY specific coverage and stated that this Is NOT one of their requirements. We stepped through ALL of the requirements for their current policy which is effective thru 7/15/19. I have a downloaded copy of the specific and current policy regarding bariatric surgery. The CIGNA rep on the phone was mystified as to how the dr's office feels that the 'six months with a nutritionist' is a requirement. I called Dr. Dyslin's office staff back and was chided a bit for 'calling the insurance' which honestly upsets me. The young lady was nice but she is NOT proficient with reading/understanding medical verbiage and what it means. She said she and her office manager are confused YET they are looking at the same policy (policy 0051 for me) and they don't understand IT!!!! Said they will call insurance to check again but advised that I NOT CALL the insurance to 'get things confused'!! CONFUSED??!! I've been studying this for four years and since I am end up hospitalized every other years for the past several years I've become very INSURANCE PROFICIENT. I like Dr. Dyslin but if his staff is so GREEN they can't interpret to me what is CLEAR AS DAY to both myself AND CIGNA....I'm a bit concerned I may need a different office..and I really liked the doc!! HERE is the part they are hung up on which CIGNA said doesn't mean 6 back to back meetings with a nutritionist and I AGREE A thorough multidisciplinary evaluation within the previous six months which includes ALL of the following:  a description of the proposed procedure(s)  a separate medical evaluation and/or a recommendation for bariatric surgery from a physician/ physician’s assistant/nurse practitioner other than the requesting surgeon or associated staff  unequivocal clearance for bariatric surgery by a mental health provider  a nutritional evaluation by a physician or registered dietician

This! This is what I found when I was trying to 'check off' that I met all the requirements and yet at my appt with my bariatric surgeon yesterday they said CIGNA REQUIRED SIX MONTHS OF BACK TO BACK VISITS WITH A NUTRITIONIST and they MUST be sequential back to back visits or you start over!!!???? I have a year of supervised medical weight loss with my primary dr, a BMI of over 50, pysch eval clearance letter, even letters from other dr's like ortho's who said my knees must be replaced but I need to be at a BMI of 40....and yet I was told that Cigna didn't care about the supervised weight loss. They want me to meet with a nutritionist for SIX MONTHS to do WHAT? I AGREE I need to see a nutritionist although nutrition was always the topic of discussion with primary dr.....but for SIX MONTHS? That's a more rigid requirement than the weight loss and I worked on the weight loss for a year as I wanted to be very sure of things. Why do we get so many different answers..I have Cigna 90/10 plan (I pay extra for higher coverage as I usually am in hospital for 2 weeks every other year...why keep paying a 50K to 100K hospitalization bill for me when we can treat SOME of the underlying reasons and keep me OUT of the hospital?). I'm afraid to even call them. My bariatric surgeon is experienced...not sure about his staff as I just met them and he is building out a new office so they are co-sharing office space with an OB-GYN (like that wasn't uncomfortable)...should I call CIGNA myself or let dr handle? I really am now feeling leery of his staff

#10 Tell yourself what you like about yourself. Self: Everything. Self: Right back at cha.

10. I love that I love myself and can tell myself lots of good things. Squats and crunches completed.

Day 10 - had a little chat with myself while walking in the rain. Also managed to get some blood work and an ECG done this morning. Feeling very productive. Off to do my squats and crunches.

And the latest update, had my plate and 12 screws removed from my upper left arm. That part wasn't Too Bad, but when he got in there he found the rotator cuff on that arm was pretty well shot. So he fixed it, and it is " kicking my butt" pretty bad. Oh he suggested I stay around home and recover a week and come in for a post surgical appointment on the 17th. Have I stayed home like a good little trooper? Oh you all know me better than that, had some paperwork to turn in to JFS, things I didn't want lost or misslaid by the US Postal System. Like to Little Girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead, when they're good they're very good but when they're bad they can be horrid. Returned paperwork once to my attorney in Columbus, took a full week to travel 50 miles. Where was it in the meantime? Well they are not giving out that knowledge. okay, the next part of the saga- I got to the office, they are doing remodeling in the rear parking lot. Now when I travel on our local transportation system, county- wide so its name is Knox Area Transpirt, well I avail myself of the mechanical lift, the one they use to load/unload wheel- chair dependant clients. With 2 semi- bionic knees and an ankle that needed surgery and didnt receive it,my days of mountain climbing are at a finish! So the driver thought she had gotten me close enough, went to step off, she had left me maybe 6 inches of sidewalk, went over the curb edge, topsey- turvey, and onto the arm that had just been repaired, and there I laid, bawling because did I hurt it worse? Luckily a Sherrif Deputy happened to be coming out of the building, called in on his shirt Mike to dispatch to get me the Emergency Squad because I couldn't get myself up to a standing position, Yeah FAT LADY DOWN! And I was a little frightened also, if I had been planning a fall I would have landed on the healthier side of my body. When they got there,they stood me up by one lifting under my left arm, the other 2 by lifting me by the waistband of my jeans. God Bless you, Levi Strauss, you do weave a strong fabric! And off I go to the local hospital, known in Columbus as the "band aid station", one of the few things they don't screw up badly. So why do I occasionally frequent them with such a reputation, convenience, pure convenience, baby! So off I went to the hospital, 4 days after having my arm operated on, multiple x-days and much maneuverings, many of which I cursed through, no breaks, no cracks, I guess at 232 I got away with some massive bruising, at my high weight of 365+ I would have crunched that rascal but good! Another benefit of weight. loss nobody mentioned. Well I also mentioned my 💩 was residing in my lower colon and unwilling to move. So I got a bottle of adorable Cherry Mag Citrate, took it when I got home, should work 1/2 to 3 hours later. Proceeded to wait, visited the porcelain chamber, a little came each time but no sense of relief. And so went my evening, decided to go on with what I should be doing, let the bowels take care of themselves. Well maybe not the most perfect choice, that and excessive pain pills got me in this predictament. So this morning at 5 AM. I got back up and drank down the chilled remains of yesterday. Finally after all this, at 10:30 am I gave birth to a 2 kg softball, felt like it was like a small bowling ball, probably will be brown and loose the rest of the day, hey NBD the LUMP resident,at the anal opening, is now gone gone gone! Tried some skim milk this AM , came right back up, maybe I wasn't that hungry and needed it? Well. Ms Precious Pouch, she made the dicussion for me. When things settle down I will take the Zofran I missed at 8 AM, Yeah still troubled with emesis and such at 7 months. But then I am so special. a case I hardly can stand me at times. It will straighten out,by the end. And poor Doctor Doolittle, he tried so hard to make my arm appear so,pretty despite they surgery , now it looks like somebody twisted my arm severely, bruising on top of bruising. Isn't too pretty now and will be uglier as the bruises turn green and yellow while they heal up. May try to take those papers down, but sure going use another entrance if I do. I don't want to give my body to science until I am truly done with it!

20 squats 25 crunches done. #10. Done, although I felt a bit like Stuart Smalley!

It's only been a week.. you're ok. Trust me you wont be able to eat in any way or fashion the calories it would take to keep weight on. Just listen to your body and focus on healing. Results will come. Hw:496 Sw:476 Cw:380 Sleeved 10/22/2018 Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Welcome and best of luck to you! I was sleeved on 4/4/19 and never experienced pain. Apparently, I don't know how to sip liquids and am always introducing air into my GI tract. :-) FYI - don't introduce air into your GI tract.

So I am 10 weeks now and have tried a few different drinks at different times .... white wine- i can have a full glass and it does nada but makes me tired (so that is out) red wine- one glass and I am definitely tipsy but also tired i had one truly spiked seltzer ( i know it's not the best cuz it is carbonated but I did let it get pretty darn flat)- this was my favorite drink i have tried but also made me tired last night i had vodka/water with extra lemon- this was my go to drink before wls anyway - one shot of vodka in a really really big glass of water and a glass of water on the side and i add more water as I go. got a little tipsy quicker than any of the other drinks and TIRED after...like so so so tired. And thirsty as hell today and I drink a lot of water normally So the moral of the story for me is that alcohol makes me so damn tired and I won't be drinking regularly or anytime soon again. I hate feeling exhausted tired like that.

Everythinganna: Wow! Your story is so inspiring. Stress is an awful thing and it’s amazing how much it has to do with our everyday health, weight, sleep and existence. I’m so happy for you that things are on track for you. Btw, I am so sorry about the loss of your Mom. I hope that 2019 continues to be positive for you and you have continued success in all you do. I just had my first salad this week. It was the most refreshing delicious food I have tasted and I was so happy I was able to handle it. It was a treat and I had to make sure I got through my protein before I enjoyed it. Also, I don’t seem to have problems with spicy foods so far. Actually my only problem so far has been how slow the weight is coming off. What has your weight loss progress been? I know we are all individuals but it amazes me how we are all doing basically the same thing and our results vary to such extremes.

Insurance hardly covered anything for me. I still had to fork out over $7,000.. I did not have to lose weight for insurance. I lost 14lbs on the liquid diet before surgery. I did have to give at least 5 yrs of weight history from my primary dr. Not a problem I had been over weight for more 28 yrs since I gained 100lbs with my pregnancies. I start my weight loss journey in January 2018. I just had my 1 yrs Anniversary for surgery March 22. I was 270lbs at 5’2” I reached my goal 145lbs at 10 months. I go today for my yearly with the surgeon. Good luck to you on your journey it is the first step to a healthier you!

10) done! I gave myself a great pep talk 😎

I had surgery January 14, 2019. I chose Dimitri Baranov because he was, without question, the best possible surgeon. His bedside manner, demeanor, compassion and personality, were just a few of the reasons I would never go to anyone else. He 100% goes above and beyond for his patients and there is no doubt his patients are his top priority. His staff are amazing as well. From the receptionist to the nutritionist, you will not find a better candidate.

Hi! I had the sleeve at a lower weight. I'm 5'4" and my highest weight was 233. When I started my preop liquid diet I was 216. Weight was 202 on surgery day - Aug 6 last year. I steadily lost around 10 pounds a month and currently weigh 132 pounds. Went from a size 18 to size 6. Surgery was a great success for me. I was one of the lucky ones that never had any problem tolerating any foods, no heartburn.

Having My Sleeve Done On April 18.2019. 2 Week Liquid Diet Before Surgery & Today Is My 6 Day On PreOp Liquid Diet. It Has Been Kicking My Butt But Im Hanging In There. Goodluck To Everyone On There Wls Journey!! [emoji122][emoji120][emoji123][emoji3] Sent from my LG-TP450 using BariatricPal mobile app

Mines 4/18/19 Sent from my LG-TP450 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello all of you February 2019 fellow surgery friends. I have been reading your post just kind of sitting back and comparing your experiences to my own. I had my surgery on 2/15/19. I am a 63 year old woman who is 5’6” and my HW was 228. My SW was 225 and my CW is 202. I have always hovered around 205-212 and in the best of times or the worst I cannot loose weight no matter what program I try. To be honest, as much as I would love to be thin my main reason for having this surgery was because of extreme sleep apnea. I went through a sleep study and got on a CPAP which I tried for a year and a half. I woke up every night with a horrible stomach ache that would last 2-3 hours. My doctor and I went through every type of head gear and face mask they make. Long story short, nothing worked. I wake up in the night gasping for air and anxiety which sends my BP off of the charts. I thought if I could loose the weight that would possibly cure the apnea and hence, the anxiety and finally keep the BP down. In August of 2018 I called the Bariatric doctor to schedule a consultation. At that point I weighed in at 205. My insurance required my BMI a minimum of 35. I just missed that. As ridiculous as it sounds, I deliberately gained enough weight to qualify and I started my journey. On 2/15/19 my weight was 225 so my first 20 pounds was going to take me to the weight that I was when I made the decision to have surgery. I got back to 205 on 3/24 which was just a couple of days past 5 weeks. That’s when I started to get excited. Now everything is gravy and real weight loss from this point. So today is April 9 and I am at 202.6. It has taken 16 days to loose 2.5 pounds. Yikes!! So slow! Especially when I read others journeys. I am doing everything right as far as protein, water, activity, etc. I’m hoping that my body sat at 205 pounds for such a long time I’m just sitting on a hump with a bit of a stall. I love reading all of your stories and hope I can join you in the winners circle at some point.