Happy Sunday

well i guess i will start the day off .i couldnt sleep so any longer this morning and thought i would see if anything new was here . i have my first dr visit done as well as my nut visit, i am on my way but i want it to go so much faster but i can wait ( since i have to ) lol . i was wondering if anyone knows if i have to pay the out of pocket part of my insurance firstr or if they bill insurance then i pay it? i had my other half take some before pics last night, talk about feeling strange, standing there letting someone take pics to show how big i am . when a camera comes out i normally hide or am the one taking the pics. i smoked my last cig last night and even have the other half talked into it as well but he will take abit longer to stop then i did. he admited the only reason he is stopping is because he loves me and knows i can be around it before surgery( even tho i dont have an approvel yet he is going to start )he talked to his HR people last week about taking a week off to be with me and even tho we are not married but we have lived together for a very long time they told him to let them know when and they will set it up.i told him that all i think i need is a week till i go back to see doc at one week then i should be ok bar no problems. well i have rattled enought i wish everyone a blessed day . to all vicki

How you pay prolly depnds on your insurance, and the hospital you'll be at. I knew with my insurance that I had to pay the first $1000, and then they made their payment, then we paid what was left over (which was like $150). St. V just sent us a bill for it.

I have anthem bc/bs and am going to st v's. I think my total out of pocket is 2000. That would rock to only have to pay half of it now then payments on the rest. Then I wont have to put it off for long at all. I have almost 900 saved . I guess I will just have to wait and talk to amy at st v's about it all once I get approved. But I have faith I will be.

Good Morning! I too couldn't sleep any longer which is really strange. I don't even have my kids this weekend and I've been dosing off and on since about 5:30. So, I decided to get up and start drinking (er, sipping ;)) I managed to get some additional calories in and ALL of my fluids yesterday and I feel so much better today. I went to the Y yesterday and did my walking and then soaked in the hot tub for about 25 mins. Well, let's just say that I've decided that I should not get in the hot tub unless I've had a good amount of water and food for the day (I went at 9:30). When I got out, everything started to go dark. I managed to get into the shower and get some cooler water running on me and brought my body temperature back down slowly while I sat on one of the stools in the shower---pitiful. I had only had 2oz of cottage cheese for breakfast and 3oz of the protien bullet after walking. Luckily I had brought some water with me and I drank 32oz before I got home. I think I was a little dehydrated ;( So, today I'm not going until this afternoon and make sure I get in at least the 32oz of water and breakfast and lunch first. Meanwhile, I think I'm going to start painting my kitchen today. I've had the paint for over a month, just no motivation. I'm going to take it slow and probably will only get my half wall and another small wall done today, but at least it's progress. Later, Tania

Good morning all! Vicki...I have Anthem bcbs through Lilly's. It does depend on the insurance but also who the insurance is through. I didn't have to pay a dime. I now have to pay 20% of my follow-up visits, but I can handle that $25 every 6-12 months. You all have a great day! Sherri ps...I'm working on angel stuff today. Anymore last minute folks out there that would like to participate?

sherri i have anthem bc/bs i also work for them here in indy . that would be rather awsome if they bill everything then let me make payments i guess i will wait and see. after you had your consult and nut visit how long did it take st v's to get the info to you to send to insurance? just wondering cause dr diaz said they send to us to send to our insurance cerdified (sp) mail but i work right there and can send it inhouse mail. or even walk it to them personally. i want to add a letter and some photos just to ad a lil some some to my case. i dont think i will have any problems but i just want to make sure they know i have been big all my life and want to get healthy. cause in the long run it will cost them less to approve me then to not.

sherri , I would like to know if I could still be in the angel pals ?, I sent you my info a few days ago email .Did you recieve it..thanks

Sandy, You have mail! I'm waiting on some additional information from some so that I can send each person a little bit more than just their person's name. If everyone gets their info to me pretty quick, I'll get the emails right out. Sherri

Vicki I have Aetna plus Tri-Care as a secondary insurer and did not have to pay anything up front. I know that the Insurance carriers negotiate a settlement with the hospital. Glad to hear you are on your way to the stop smoking challenge. That was the hardest thing from me pre-op, but I did manage for 60 days before surgery so that Dr Cacucci would do it. I hope you are not as dumb as me, because I had a cigarette on the way home from the hospital. I am 63 and have smoking since I was 15 so I am hooked real good. With all my back pain problems right now, quitting is not something I can think about doing right now. Be sure you do not get tempted to smoke between now and surgery because they can tell and will cancel your surgery. Of course try and stay off them after surgery. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers that all goes well with your surgery and recovery. Dan

dan i have given myself one more week then i put them down for good. i have slowly been cutting back and ma down to less then half a pack a day. lol dont know if i will pick them back up after or not but i hope not . but like i have seen from many that things sometimes dont teaste or feel the same after surgery so i hope if i pick one up and try that it will not be what i think and just never do it again. and as far as being tempted after i stop before surgery i wont because i want this so bad as well as need it. i wont do anything to prevent my surgery in anyway. i was wondering if anyone has a drink every now and then, not that i am a drinker but from time to time we have a glass of wine with dinner and wondered how that works for others. i can take it or leave it doesnt matter to me but just a thought i had. vicki