JUST WANTING TO INTRO MYSELF.....HI!

Hi Everyone....I am switching from the Insurance Message Board, where I've been pretty active, to the TN Board....I just finished my 6th pre-surgery appointment (I am going to have RNY with Dr. Houston at Centennial in Nashville--I was denied originally by BCBS only because I didn't have 6 months of PCP supervised nutrition  & exercise....they give 180 days to appeal, so I decided to go back to my PCP/NUT/trainer for four more appointments and include that w/my appeal.....).  I am going to do one more appt w/my NUT on Feb 2nd & PCP on February 3rd & I will be ready to submit MORE THAN ENOUGH documentation of more than 6 months supervised diet & exercise & I am hoping to have my approval by the end of February & surgery in early March!

I live in Franklin, TN--just outside of Nashville.  I am going to try & get my ticker to work after I type this...but I just wanted to say "hi" to e'one on the TN message board.

Best of luck to all of you...look forward to chatting more soon.

 

Hello, I live just down the road from you a few miles...  Brentwood/Antioch area but we are moving next week out to Madison.  First, welcome to the TN forum.  We are a crazy bunch...  that's for sure! lol

Dr. Houston is also my surgeon.  I love him very much.  He has been a tremendous instrument in my life to help me get rid of my weight, gain self esteem, and I now have a life that I would have never dreamed of living just a few short years ago.  His staff are very friendly (Cheryl, Pam Davis, and the office manager Holly). 

Sometimes he seems very quiet, but he is very observant and will study your record intently.  When I needed him after several hospitalizations, he was always there for me and worked with other physicians when the case called for consultation with other docs.  Not only this, but at times during my appointments through the past two years, sometimes I was struggling with the emotional side of wls and he always assured me that I was "OK".  

In short, I love Dr. Houston and his staff.  Again, welcome to the board...  

Hi and Welcome Three4me!

Like Melinda said, we are a crazy group!  Hang on, you are i the midst of the wildest ride in your life.  I also had my surgery at Centennial with Dr Dyer.

Good luck, and jump right in.  Ask any questions and answer ones you know!   As far as the ticker goes...It looks as if you tried to copy the code.  You need to copy the picture of the ticker itself.  Then paste it in the same place you pasted the code.  If you need any help with that, just send me a PM (private message)  and I'll help!!!

Scott--THANK YOU so much for the ticker advice & the welcome...I finally got my ticker to work!  I think that's great (except for the gulp it takes when you see your weight broadcast on the internet for all to see....lol!)....nice to meet you....talk to you soon!  Micheala.

You are right!  It is scary when you announce to the world what you weigh.  I never knew how much my wife weighed until the day of surgery.  It didn't bother me, simply because I loved her for who she was, not how much she was! 
Anyway, the picture below shows me at 365 and her at 415.  The one to the right shows us at 230 & 190.  Hang in there!   And don't be scared, you are among friends!

Oh my goodness...what a great looking couple you are!!!  And kudos to both of you for doing it together.  My husband is 6'6" tall, weighs anywhere from 240 to 250--workouts like crazy (he loves to box "for fun") & has stayed in incredible shape post a four year football scholarship to college.....BUT, he is so understanding & so supportive of this process I have chosen.  I do have to say, though, that he had NO idea how much I weigh. He's never really had any reason to worry--I am really active & I have three kids under the age of 6, so I am sure he just chalked it up to post-baby weight & figured I would lose it--and if I didn't, I knew he loved me just as much & didn't have any hang-ups with it.  I had lost 87 pounds on Atkins after my first baby (and gained it back after two more babies) and he figured I'd just do that again.  But, I tried & tried & realized that I was so insulin resistant that I was having an impossible time dropping the weight.  Finally, one night I Google searched "Weight Loss Surgery" and thought I would talk myself out of it as soon as I found out the mortality rate.  I knew that I didn't want to do something that could take me from my family.  Ironic since my weight was ultimately going to shorten my life---I was told I was on the cusp of diabetes &, well, my knees & joints were killing me when I tried to work out.

 So..that brings me to the moment of truth.  It was horribly nervewracking....and wonderfully freeing at the same time.  I wonder if your wife, or anyone else has felt the same way.  I had been mentioning WLS to my husband & he was semi-listening but, he said, he was convinced I was out of my mind and that my PCP would laugh me out of the office & tell me I didn't weigh enough for that type of surgery.  But, I had already run the numbers...over & over & over like a precise accountant....unfortuantely my "numbers" looked similar to Bill Gates'....and it wasn't my income that was rising........the BMI calculations were grave.  43 and rising.  My weight was 285.  My husband was patronizing me.  So, I walked him into the bathroom (I hear the theme from Rocky playing to this post...lol) and got on the scale.  He just didn't know what to do.  He looked at the scale & was in shock.  I had always talked to him about my weight, BUT just the last two numbers (creative, right...lol!)....so he knew that I while back I was "56" and then I was crying b/c I was "72" and then I told him that I was at "80"....he just assumed 180...nope, I outweighed my 6'6" ex-football playing husband who everyone ooohs and aaahs at when he walks in a room b/c he is so "big" by about 35 pounds.  He had to sit down.  Then he gave me a big hug & told me he loved me no matter what & that it didn't matter......so, it's all gushy & lovey-dovey from there, so I'll spare you the supportive Husband blah blah, but, it's good to hear that just one other wife out there kept her weight from her husband....and better to hear that she was able to let you know, too!

Good for you guys!!!  Take care!

Just wanted to welcome you to the TN board.  We are a great group!

                    

 Welcome to the board!  I'm a pre-op too and hoping to submit to BCBS in the next few days.

So for your BCBS insurance, did they make you have 6 months of supervised diet AND lose 10% of your weight?  I wonder if the BCBS plans vary by employer?  My plan says to lose 10% of your highest weight in order to be approved.  I'm just under 2 pounds from that and those last two are being a pain in my butt!  It's taken me about 3.5 months to do that.

I may have to go check out the insurance board.  I did have to get my psych evaluation redone because BCBS won't take the info from a nurse.  

Anyway, I am close to having all my ducks in a row and can't wait to get through the insurance hurdle!

People here are very supportive and provide lots of thought provoking posts, so I'm sure you'll enjoy it here.

Denise

Hi Denise....I just posted back to you about the Cadbury eggs...lol...thanks for putting it all in perspective for me.

 And thanks for the "welcome" to the TN Board.  I have BCBS through my husband's employer.  It is actually BCBS Pennsylvania (PPO).  They do not require me to lose any percentage of weight.  My requirements are:

BMI of >40 (got it & I have PCOS, Insulin resistance as comorbids on top of that)--they passed me on that.

18 years of age (I actually don't look a day over 18...lol...but I've passed that one too)

Parcipated in non-surgical treatment (eg dietition/nut consult, low cal diet, exercise program & behavior modification and attempts at weight loss have failed).  They passed me on this, too.

Must participate in and meet criteria of structured nut & exercise program including dieitian/nut consult, low cal diet, increased physical activity, behavioral modification &/or pharmacologic therapy documented in the medical record. Must be supervised by a physician working in cooperation w/dietitions and.or nuts for a cumulative total of 6 months or longer w/in 2 years prior to surgery - Here's where they denied me. My first appt was in July of 2007 & then my last was in September of 2008.  To me, and Dr. Houston's staff at Centennial, that was 6 months cumulative because my policy doesn't require "consecutive" appointments monthly.  But, they disagreed and said I need a  minimum of six appointments w/my PCP to discuss the six appointments I need with my R.Dietition & Personal Trainer.  So, I went to see PCP, Dietitian and had Microfit tests/personal trainer monthly in October '08 (third visit), November '08 (fourth visit), December '08 (fifth visit), January '09 (sixth visit) and will do one more on February 2nd (seventh visit!) and then resubmit from my denial.

Psych eval - Done & they approved that

Consult w/surgeon - Done & they approved that

So....since I have 180 days to appeal the denial (based on the 6 month supervised diet) I just decided to have them wait on the appeal & I am going to send the additional five months in & that should be more than enough, right?  Okay, SHOULD is the operative word....w/insurance companies WHO KNOWS what they will come up with next.  I feel like I will be approved---I can't see how they could deny me, but we'll see.

I am hoping to get e'thing to their office by February 5th & then they have 15 days to render a decision on my appeal & 5 days to mail it to me....so, I should have my answer by February 25th!!  WISH ME LUCK!!!

How is your insurance stuff going?  Are your ducks in a row yet?

Talk to you soon, Micheala.

Welcome to the board! I do not post very much but read and learn from everyone almost daily.
Wishing you much success on this wonderful journey!
Betsy