Deeply depressed

 30 years of diet failures
almost had wls in 2000
always just "one more try" c'mon you can do it! (me to myself)
now, sick of all my failures, I decide to just go for it. give it my all and don't look back.
missed seminar 2 weeks ago and rescheduled for this Tues.
just got an email from the insurance specialist at the medical center I chose.
Here's the email:: Carol,

We have not heard from you since you registered for the seminar in January.  I wanted to see if you were still interested in the surgery?  If so, have you started the 6 month diet with your physician?  Have you talked to him about the letter of support?  If you could give us an update, I would greatly appreciate it.  Thanks! 

My reply::::Hi I have a letter of support. I didn't know anything about a six month diet. Does my insurance require that? I am attending a seminar on Tuesday. I've been dieting for 30 years. Is the 6- month diet a must? Carol
------end of email----
are you fckg kidding me? I feel like a total failure in every way, that's why I am turning to surgery. No one in their right mind has surgery if a "diet" will work! I have wasted so much of my life already,, REALLY??? so let me understand this; now that I have made peace with my decision i would finally be able to have a more fulfilling, healthy life and you want me to not only do another "diet" but document in black and white every mistake, every pound regained, you want me to voice my frustrations and share my failures with another human being for another freaking half a year of my sorry life?? do you know what that would do to me? I am at my breaking point now....that's why I'm willing to have surgery that will forever change my life. I'm 52 damn years old. when do i get to start my new life???? I can't do it.. I -CAN -NOT face another failure, it would destroy me.
They have no idea  :o(

I have learned the hard way that the 6 month diet isnt really an attempt to lose weight, it is a chance to start making those life altering changes you need to be successful.  The place I am going through for my surgery was shocked that over the 6 months my primary doctor and I didnt use the time to its fullest.  We were focused on small steps and the other place normally takes big steps.  Stop smoking, stop drinking, exercise regularly, start counting your carbs, take a daily vitamin that is worth taking, stop drinking at meals, start chewing 50 times per bite... things like that are what they had in mind.  At least we got the excercise and carb counting parts down.  If you lose weight, great, but as long as your making the life changes you need you are doing wonderful.  Of course the insurance wants to see exercise and food goals, current weight, and anything else your doctor wants to note for each visit.  For the insurance companies it really is just a way to weed out those who are not fully committed.

Yes, I have to agree with the previous post. I am currently doing my 6 month "diet". It is not a succeed or fail "diet". I go, they weigh me in, they check my blood pressure, and then I listen to the nutritionist who talks to us (in a group setting) about a topic on nutrition. My last "diet" visit, she talked to us about how to read (and interpret) food labels. It was really very helpful. Last time, I had actually gained 4 pounds and the doctor did not say a word about it.

I firmly believe that the insurance companies make this requirement just to see who is willing to wait out the 6 months. A test of sorts.... if we stick with it then they think that we are more likely to stick with the lifestyle changes that we have to make after the surgery.

You also have to remember the surgery is not MAGIC---you will still have to make ALL the changes we 'hefty' people don't want to do...being on a diet will basically be a way of life after the surgery.  but yes I think all the hoops they make you jump are a drop in the bucket in the "Big Picture". If you want it, just do it...do whatever they ask you to do...My insurance made me do the whole diet, psych evaluation, support group meetings, nutritional meetings..etc..etc...then they tell me "too bad, so sad...we're not covering the procedure!" WHAT?!?!?! So believe me I'm more pissed than you are...but you know what...I'm going to look into getting it done in Mexico...I hear it's not bad at all...so please keep up the good fight and get it done--if it's what you truly want, do it...anything worth having takes work and effort. I wish you all the luck!

 

Sorry you have to deal with this.

Surgery in Mexico is not bad, not bad at all but you have to do your research.  Avoid Tijuana, juarez, and Monterrey.  Don't shop by price but skill instead.  It is probably more true in Mexico than anywhere that you do get what you pay for.

Just curious...why do you suggest I avoid those places? So far the research I've done indicated lots of positive feedback in those facilities...? Do you have any suggestions? The doctors seem to be pretty practiced. The prices are in various ranges.

any feedback would be awesome!

 

HA!  There are doctors in TJ that the Canadian govt warns about.  They have socialized medicine, when someone returns from TJ with a hack job the country of Canada is responsible for paying to fix them.  Thus, they have govt warnings about them.

Those doctors have the highest leak stats, perforations, infections, and death stats.  But, people see a smoking good price and they don't know what the actual costs are for doing surgery such as the cost of staples and such.  So, they put up with untrained staff, black market supplies, and store front clinics in a home depot strip mall instead of an actual hospital.

One of those surgeons claims he is a Top surgeon.  Top Surgeons are a US thing, not a MX thing.  It's where US doctors vote for their fav US surgeons yet this guy claims he is a top surgeon.  Impossible.

One guy claims he is board certified in surgery when in fact, he is not.  He's tried that test three times and failed it three times.  But people just listen to the coordinator and they don't research.  So... they get what they get. :o(

Well of course the governments in the US and Canada will have 'warnings' about these doctors...they're losing millions of dollars in revenue to them!  I have read dozens of reviews of actual people who have had these procedures there and I have yet to find a bad one?  You would think if it was so bad there would be dozens to find?   I never go by what a corporation or government tells me..I usually go by word-of-mouth recommendations from plumbers to dentists to mechanics and such...that is the only way not to get screwed over. I will let you know how it goes... :0)

 

HA!  I have pages and pages and pages of links and posts that have been removed.  Advertisers....  That's all I have to write.

The US, Canadian, AND Mexican govts are not warning about all of Mexico, just specific cities and most of all, Tijuana.

But if price is that important to you, go to Tijuana.  Enjoy yourself.