MsAlejandro

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Yesterday was the first of four clearances Cardiac clearance was normal. These preliminaries have to be completed before the 9th of April.  Next this a.m. is gallbladder.  Hopefully i have not stones or anything that will prevent me from a new me.  Next is pyschological who should I blame my mother????? LOL chat soon.  

Any words of wisdom, advice, or suggestions only 43 Days  to go

I could not walt to wake up this morning.  First thing to do was to call Dr. Jawad's office.  Sandra must have thought I had lost my mind, because I asked if the call I received was legit.  Was I dreaming? She was just as confused as I felt - LOL 

That office must have been on the floor this morning wondering what I was smoking.  I can only imagine, cuz I am sitting hear laughing too. 

It has been so long - I thought I would be prepared for this but I feel as if I am not.  I am afraid, confused, elated, the feelings are all over the place.  Hoping I can count on you guys to walk me through this.  

Soooo here I am again...............What is the difference? The difference is my surgery was finally approved, and I did nothing.  In December 2011 I go back to Dr. Jawad, get my package with a laundry list of things to do blood work, gall bladder, psych eval, nutritional eval,  cardio, well you already know.  

Glitch..... UHC needs 6 months of exercise and diet.... OMG... so I tell my PCP no worries.  Let's begin documenting and maybe for June or July we send in our paperwork.  Well, yesterday I got a call from Dr. Jawad's office asking how I was doing? and if I had a chance to begin all my labs? Well as a matter of fact today I pulled out my folder and was going to schedule all the test, hopefully the same day.  Can you remind me when I last saw Dr. J? sure hold on.

Odalys gets on the phone and says "Hey Priscilla you were already approved" I was what??? are you sure? because we have not sent anything.  Yes she said I sent what we had on file and you were approved - here is your pre-op, pre-admissions, and surgery dates..........................everything went silent........

My legs wobbled, my throat closed up, my eyes welled and the rest I could not understand.  My mom kept asking are you okay, what did the doctor say? are you hearing me? No I am not I was just approved for the Sleeve...........

OMG!!!! I have called, emailed and even sent smoke signals and still no response from the Doctor's office..................I feel as though this is a sign to try yet another diet, and yet I continue to put on pounds each and every day.  I know for a fact its the medication ...................... I NEED HELP

                                   

So the patient coordinator sends all my docs to the insurance company.  The insurance company calls me less than 1 week later to tell me "Your BMI was 38 in 2005, and 39 in 2007, therefore, because it was not 40 the surgery cannot be approved".... My head nearly EXPLODED.... 

As I read the requirements for United Health Care it states I need to have a BMI of at least, at least, for Pete's Sake at least 40!!!!! for that I must submit an appeal.  Let's not take into consideration the diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and the depression.  And I should fight this why????????????? please someone, anyone tell me why I should fight this.....................................

I met Dr. Jawad face to face.  What a gentle and kind man.  In any case, I was checked by him, along with my vitals.  We discussed the two possibilities since my insurance covers both (RNY & Sleeve). I still am not sure since everyone has an opinion, but what I am sure about it is the feeling of complete chaos going through my mind and heart.  I have wanted this for so long, and now I am like OMG!!!! I spoke to my mom, and she was "well sweetie if this is what you really want", I then called Tati who just had the surgery like two months ago, but she was not available. I spoke to my girl in Georgia and she was happy but was on her way home from work.  Then my co-worker called me and for the very first time my eyes welled and the oddest emotion came over me.  She said "Diva are you ready for the new you?........Am I ready for the new me? For the first time after nearly 24 years it felt like I was 126 lbs all over again....OMG......what happens next?  That is the question for tomorrow, cuz today I am not able to withstand the emotions.........

Okay so this time I know it will happen.  Many things have changed including my health insurance (United Health Care) and found that through the plan, the company I work for supports it 100% now let's hope it does.  I am calling out to anyone that has the same health insurance to please, please, please, please.....(do I sound like I am begging? cuz I am)...tell me what worked best for you.  I started this nearly 2 years ago, and am now 13 pounds heavier than when I started.  Now that is a crying shame.  I am just sick and tired of being sick and tired.......

Not sure if I want to start the process with Dr. Jawad in Ocala or Dr. Kim in Celebration.....any thoughts??????

Desperate in O Town

Thought for those contemplating or in the process of being approved, this 6 week group would be good to be part of. 
I have not been approved as of yet.  CIGNA is very stringent on who gets approved and who does not.  Today the last thing to do is the nutritional evaluation and hopefully that will be the last of it.  I have all my fingers and toes crossed. 
Love and & Hugs to all. 

 

Description:   The Laboratory for the Study of Eating, Appearance, & Health (LEAH) understands that bariatric surgery can affect more than just an individual's weight. In addition to the positive benefits of bariatric surgery, men and women may experience a number of challenges related to their new lifestyle. The LEAH Bariatric Group is designed to provide members with an opportunity to begin to develop effective coping techniques for the physical and psychological changes related to their surgery. Group topics may include: - General post-surgical lifestyle changes - Body Image - Interpersonal relationships family, friends, children, co-workers, etc. - Intimacy after weight loss - Food and eating behavior - Dealing with cravings - Dealing with "social eating" - Maximizing the results of bariatric surgery - Healthy lifestyle behaviors for you and your family - Mindfulness. The group is open, so members may join at any time. Sessions will be held on Tuesday afternoons. There is a $5 fee per session. Please call the UCF Psychology Clinic to join the LEAH Bariatric Group (407-823-4348). You will be asked to complete a brief screening prior to joining. Sessions are facilitated by Sharon Hayes and Danielle Linder, Clinical Psychology Doctoral Students, under the supervision of Dr. Stacey Tantleff Dunn, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist.

Contact person:   Sharon Hayes and Danielle Linder

Phone:   407-823-4348

Email:

Posted By:   Psychology Department

Greetings to all my beautiful friends on OH:

It has been quite a while since I was last on here.  However, know that I have missed chatting and seeing all the transformations.  You Go!!!! You guys look PHENOMENAL........ I knew I was going to see less of you when I returned - LOL.
Well just as an update I am still waiting for approval.  It has been more than 7 months.  I spoke to someone from CIGNA yesterday who told me although they received 54 pages of notes, there was not enough "clinical"  so I guess I wait.  My PCP is going to schedule a Peer to Peer in the hopes of getting this moving again.  In the meantime, I have lost 16 pounds on my own.  Decided to change my eating habits and incorporate a little exercise, so far so good.  Will try to post a new pic soon. 

Sending love, hugs and kisses to all who have had the surgery, going to have the surgery, in the process of having the surgery, and those who are in the same boat as I am waiting...................

Greetings My OH Family of Friends:

I start 2009 hoping and praying I will hear some news soon.  The insurance company finally responded with a big "NO" .  However, this provided me with some more time to make sure this is what I want.  I continue to monitor what I am eating and also drinking lots and lots of water (I am always thirsty - due to the in balance of my sugar levels).  However, I lose 4 lbs and gain 3, I lose 3 pounds and gain 6 you can only imagine.  I feel that once I stop taking all these pills I should be okay.  In the meantime, I wait. 

I do apologize for not responding to you guys but I have been down in the dumps.  I have realized that no matter what I need to continue watching what I eat and have decided to take up a little walking. 

So guess what? I am back and with a vengeance, will post a few pics of my holiday trip and will look forward to hearing from you all.  Until then,

Love, Hugs and Kisses.......mu-ah