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state of evolving, refining, adapting, enhancing… changing.
You were not put on this earth to remain stagnant. Stop just
complaining about what you WISH was different. You are
not a victim of your cir****tances. You have the power to
change your life. Today is YOUR day. Decide what you want,
create a plan, and get your ass out there!"
- Steve Maraboli

To visit LIPO (Long Island Post Ops) bariatric support group website click here: www.liponation.org
"WLS is a journey, not a destination (don't get comfortable) ... it's a road that we must travel daily to succeed". Faith Thomas
visit my blog at theessenceofmaryellen.com/
Good Luck Talk to you soon!
Cathie
ps the meeting at soch was on the 20 at either 1pm or 7pm
on 7/19/11 9:37 am
Since I am unsure what operation you are thinking about having, some of my answers will be very generic.
(A) Insurance companies will cover only specific weight loss surgery. And it will vary state to state. Example, until recently the “sleeve" procedure was not covered in NJ, while some insurance companies covered it in California and Florida.
(B) The same insurance company’s coverage can vary between different people. It depends what “type" of coverage one has. Example, I have Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of NJ. My plan covered EVERYTHING while a friend of mine who also has BCBSoNJ had to pay 20%. Their coverage was different then mine
(C) While insurance companies can/may cover out-of-state operations, HOW much they cover may vary, especially if that Doctor and/or Hospital is considered IN or OUT OF Network.
(D) Some Doctors only do one type of operation. It isn't uncommon for a Doctor to do JUST bypass, or band or sleeve.
Once you have your initial visit with the Doctor, his staff should be able to answer all your insurance questions. If they can’t, they should be able to GET the answers. If they can’t, then you may either want to (A) call the insurance company yourself (make sure you denote the date, time, person’s name/id number, and the information they give you) (B) choose another Doctor’s office which is better equipped to get the answers.
Good luck, and know we're here for you
Tom
“Nothing I will ever eat will give me the feeling I get as when I lose weight” The views expressed are based on my own experiences - and should NOT BE FOLLOWED IN LIEU OF DOCTOR’S ADVICE/INSTRUCTIONS. Only your Doctor knows your condition, and make sure you talk to them before making any changes to your diet
One of the things you will find during this journey, each Doctor/Nutritionists will have their own views. Some will say you can NEVER have “Y". While others may say it’s ok to OCCASIONALLY have “Y". And still others will say they have NO PROBLEM having “Y".
The “rule" of thumb is: you should have 64 ounces of NON-CARBONATED, DECAFFEINATED liquids. So Crystal light type of products are a good choice/start. Diet ICE is good, as long as it’s DECAFFEINATED DIET Ice tea,
I suggest speaking to your Doctor/Nutritionists before purchasing LARGE amount of products. Your Doctor/Nutritionists will explain THEIR dos and don’ts when it comes to Weight Loss surgery.
Tom
“Nothing I will ever eat will give me the feeling I get as when I lose weight” The views expressed are based on my own experiences - and should NOT BE FOLLOWED IN LIEU OF DOCTOR’S ADVICE/INSTRUCTIONS. Only your Doctor knows your condition, and make sure you talk to them before making any changes to your diet
REASON: A few of you have mentioned you’d like to get together for a dinner. We can sit around, meet each other, share our trials and tribulations and maybe a few laughs. While we want to help each other lose, maybe we can also help each other gain … a new friend or two (or 5).
EVERYONE is invited to come. It doesn’t matter which operation you had, or even if you haven’t had a procedure yet, or maybe you’re just “thinking" about it !! COME and have a good time !!
If your apprehensive in attending, let me assure you – you will have a good time. There is No judging !! We are tolerant of each other’s decisions. And if it means anything, the Food Police are banned from our gathering.
Each time we do this, I will try to “move" the location - since no one location will be convenient for everyone.
This time we’re in the “Southern" section of the Garden State !!
Place: Jakeabob's Bay
Location: 525 Front Street - Union Beach, New Jersey 07735
Time: 05:30 it is understandable that not everyone can arrive at this time, so come WHENEVER. We probably won’t order until 06:30
Menu / Website: https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100001675728441
We will be sitting outside overlooking the ocean – unless it’s bad, then inside – OVERLOOKING THE OCEAN :D !!
And this time let’s SWAP .. NO!!!!! not that !!! – CLOTHES !!! Bring items you no longer needs, and maybe someone else can use them.
In the meantime, for the “meeting newbies" here are some meeting request. I hope I don't offend anyone - it's not meant to be that. Just helpful.
(1) If you want a separate check, please let the server know prior to taking the orders. It’s a hassle to ask the server to do this later on. And some places won’t do this if the crowd is too numerous.
(2) Usually when we do a group meeting, I like to divide check by the total number of folks at the table, instead of trying to figure out who had what. (If someone brings more than one person, they multiple the total owed by the number of people they have). Now I understand if you only order a coffee and someone else has a Filet Mignon with a 5 lbs Lobster – then we can address that more diplomatically.
(3) Please bring CASH (unless you want a separate check). And please make sure you have an assortment of bills. It’s really difficult to make change when everyone brings only 20’s.
(4) Bring a CAMERA!! Even if you are like me and camera shy, you’ll still want to take some photos of the folks who are there. I don’t have one or I would.
(5) Bring “proof" of your former self. Nothing says “how far you have come" like older photos. Even if you lost only 1 pound, bring your “before" pictures (and at the last meeting we all agree we hate that word only. Be proud of any amount of weight you lost).
(6) Please feel free to post and link this on any other forum you peruse (ex. Lapband, Rant and Rave, Realize band, RNY, VBG, VSB, etc). The more the merrier !!
(7) Print your Obesity Help “Membership" card so we hand them out. If you don’t know how to do this, send me an personal message, and I will send you the instructions.
And for those who haven’t had the operation yet – you too are more the welcome to come. In fact, you are encouraged to come!! This would be a ‘true-life’ learning experience to see “life after the operation". You will be able to hear what our ups-and-downs are, and you are encouraged to ask as many questions as you want. Other “up-comers" have come, and found it interesting and educational.
Significant others and/or kids are also welcomed (however you may want to leave them behind so you can really enjoy yourself – it’s up to you)
Remember this is a GROUP effort. Please feel free to add your suggestion and/or voice your opinion on any suggestion. AND NO HARD FEELING – this is meant to be a pleasant experience.
Finally, since I cannot post on every board – please feel free to tell folks and/or copy and paste this on the boards you frequent.
Tom
“Nothing I will ever eat will give me the feeling I get as when I lose weight” The views expressed are based on my own experiences - and should NOT BE FOLLOWED IN LIEU OF DOCTOR’S ADVICE/INSTRUCTIONS. Only your Doctor knows your condition, and make sure you talk to them before making any changes to your diet