Just an update!

Hey gang, I met with Dr. Jeff (psychologist with Dr. Fuzz) and that visit went well....soon it will be Amber and then I can start my 3mo Aetna required regime!  Anyone else have to do the 3 mo thing before paperwork was submitted for insurance approval?  I'd love to know how that worked out for you and how long it took after you finished to get approval!   Talk to you soon ! I don't regularly post on the message board but I do update my blog regularly!  If you need some comical reading, stop by and check it out!

Hi, TJ! Congrats on a good psych appointment -- that really sets the ball in motion with our insurance companies. I didn't have to do the three-month regime for insurance approval, but I know many here have had to do several weeks (or even up to six months) beforehand.  Maybe you could think of it has spring training for your post-op eating.  I used the weeks before my Lap Band surgery to practice several things: not drinking liquids with my meals, sampling many different types of protein supplements, walking even when I didn't really feel like it, etc. One thing I did that I'm so glad about was ordering a protein pack from bariatriceating.com.  It arrived in a festively packaged tote bag and was a lifesaver for me to find my way through the bewildering maze of protein supplements.  Knowing what I liked and what I found convenient before my surgery made things sooooo much easier afterwards! Good luck with your approval process and the new eating regime, and keep us all posted along the way!

Thanks for the heads up about bariatriceating.com, I'll have to go check them out ( and I always love a nice tote bag)!  I love it.....Spring Training!!!! Good spin to put on it!

Hi TJ -

Congratulations on your positive psych eval.

Each insurance company ... and policy have different requirements. My experience is with United HealthCare Secure Horizons. Because they are a medicare replacement policy, they have to follow Medicare requirements whi*****lude a 6 month documented weight loss attempt. I met with my PCP each month to create and implement a plan for my weight loss. At each visit, of course there was the obligatory weigh in, but we also discussed what I'd been doing the past month, what worked, what didn't work and plans for the following month. I also was referred to a dietician and in my case, we tried phentermine, which did prove helpful. I lost about 30 lbs prior to surgery. My husband is in the midst of his 6 month documented attempt to lose weight. Because of other health issues, phentermine is not something that he is using. He hasn't lost much over the past 3 months, but we he sees his Dr, they will look at what he has been doing and consider making some changes to see if he can get some improvement on the weight loss. He lost about 100 lbs a little over a year ago and has maintained about 75 lbs of that loss, but hasn't been able to get it down again ... Like many of us, this is just more of the same and the reason that he's pursuing the surgery.

One of the things that I found when I was working on my 6 month weight loss regimine, was that it was a good precursor. I tried eating as I would once I got to a normal weight ... I'm there now ... I have to say that I think it's helped. I can have a 'treat' now or then, but for the most part I am careful about what I eat. I also really track everything I eat, so I eat more mindfully ... That is something that I started when working with my Dr. before surgery and it's probably one of the most helpful long-term things that I did or will do. The reason I mention this, is to let you know that this won't be a 'waste of time' ... That you may very likely take some of what you will learn during this time and be able to apply it to your longterm success.

Wishing you every success in your journey,

Barb

Thanks so much Barb! I've heard others talk about Phentermine, none of my docs have mentioned it to me......yet!