Im going thru my 6month insurance wait for the VSG at Christiana hospital and should get surgery sometime in Jan 2011. My insurance coverage will be changing Jan 1, and my 6th months wont be up until Jan 12.

Currently my insurance pays for almost all of the cost, but my plan is being dropped down to only 50% coverage for WLS. I know everyone plan is different but if you had to pay out of pocket for any portions what did you have to pay? I know the hospital can only bill so much and Im just looking for anyone who may have been in a similar situation. If your insurance only covered 50% how much did the hospital make you pay?

Any advice is appreciated!

Hi everyone, my name is Joe and I am three months out today. My RNY surgery was 6/21 at Christiana under Dr. Wynn. I live in Newark by the University and have been here for 3 years.

I weighed in at PMRI in January at 514 lbs. It was then I started a three month plus liquid diet with Optifast to try to get to 450 because that's where they wanted me for surgery. (I think it had something to do with the weight limit of the operating table)

Insurance was great. They covered pretty much everything and I had 5 weeks out of work of which 4 were paid by short term disability. I really was lucky.

On the day of surgery, I weighed 448 and change. That was a victory before I even got into the OR!

Basically I've had an ideal sort of three months. My last weigh in last month, I was under 400 for the first time in memory. I imagine I weigh even less than that, but my home scale only measures up to 350...so that's a pain in the butt. I just bought a new scale, though, so that should fix that problem.

The post-op road has been pretty easy for me. I got sick like three or four time the first month, but nothing really major and not much since then other than a little discomfort occasionally. It helped teach me how to go about things and what I tolerate.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @inturnaround and I am Joe Coughlin in Delaware on Facebook. I'd love to friend you all. Hopefully I'll see some of you when I attend my first support group meeting at Christiana tonight. :)

ETA: Happy anniversary, Kris!

Morning everyone.

This has to be a quick one as I am headed out the door for the 1st of my last 3 days of physical therapy for my shoulder...  I truly can't wait for that to be over.  After PT it's home to do some cleaning and a quiet dinner with my husband tonight.  Baked Stuffed Sole...  MMmmMMMmmm.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day.
Kris.

Alrighty guys and gals.  We have seen faces new and old here recently and although the Delaware Boards are not as active as many others let's say we give it our best shot to get to know one another.  Let's introduce ourselves.

I guess considering I posted it, I should start, huh?

My name is Kristi, but please call me Kris.  I am from Bear, DE and had Lap RNY on September 9, 2009.  I'm married to a wonderfully supportive man named Robb.  We have been married for 9 years this September 21st and have been together for 11 years.

I too was was heavy all of my life.  You could possibly say from birth, since I was nearly and 11 pound baby.  I struggled with weight all of my life, trying every diet known to man and more, all with the same results.  I would lose a small amount of weight, start to feel good about myself, hit a plateau, get frustrated, quit, and gain everything back I had lost and more. 

This started in elementary school and continued all the way through primary, middle, and high school and even college.  All of the weight issues were complicated with a dislocated hip and many subsequent complications my freshman year of high school and a another 18 years walking with the aid of either 1 or 2 crutches.  Through those years I continued to gain weight.  Finally in 2003, after years and years of doctors denying me a hip replacement due to either my age or my weight (mostly my weight) I had a doctor take a chance on me and did a total hip replacement at my highest weight of 394 pounds.  Over the course of the next 6 years I lost about 20 pounds landing at a solid weight of 376.  In 2006, just after my mom passed away I really started to consider the options of WLS.  My mom had struggled all of your life with medical issues and weight, just as I had, and it was complication from those issues that contributed to her death and I saw myself heading down that road .... and that was exactly where I didn't want to head.

I tried to start the process for WLS in 2008, but my insurance wouldn't cover the surgical fees, and unfortunately $6000.00 was way out of my budget for out of pocket so I continued to try to lose weight on my own, again failing miserably.  In early 2009 a friend of mine had the Lapband done and that's when i found out that my surgeon's office decided to go in network with my insurance .... which was my  dream com true.  At that time I started the procedure and five and a half months later I was taking the first step into my new life.

So now here I stand just over a year out from my surgery 137 pounds lighter than I was when I started the process.  The decision to have this surgery is the best decision I have ever made.  I am not quite where I want to be, but like everything it's a process and I will work hard to get there. 

Since the surgery I have had several complications (not related to the gastric bypass).  In March I had a revision of my total hip replacement and in June a left shoulder arthroscopy that are both still giving me some issues.  I'm not going to say that the road to get where I want to be isn't hard... it is.. but you have to take the bumps in the road to make it though to the other side ... so to speak.  But in light of all the complications I have managed to make a success of my weight loss with the help of my tool ... and I couldn't be happier about it.

Anyone who wished to can add me on Facebook, I'm under Kristi Adams Lyall.  So if you want to friend me feel free.  You can also reach me via email at [email protected] or via cell at 302-312-5412.

Hope to get to know everyone better very soon
Kris....

Come late if you don't want to miss the class. ((HUGS)) Elissa