suszie
I have tried every diet known to man!!!! When I was young, I was a skinny child, at about 10 years old, I started to put on weight, and felt like the Fat Kid in school. The summer of my 12th birthday, puberty set in and the weight came off. All of the sudden I had curves and "BOOBS". It was great. I could eat anything I wanrted and not gain weight. I was 5'3" @ 106lbs with a body to die for. This lasted until I was 22 and my childhood asthma set in. The Dr's put me on high doses of steroids, and there went the perfect body. I now looked like a fat blimp with "chipmunk cheeks" and a face shaped like the moon. At 23 I was getting married for the first time, and was off the prednisone for about 6 months. I went on OPTIFAST and lost 60lbs. I looked great at my wedding. I kept off 40 lbs of it until I got pregnant @25. I gave birth to a 7lb 6oz baby, and I weighed 200 lbs!!!!!. I breastfed my son and it was like a miracle , the weight melted off, and I was down to 121 lbs. I was so HAPPY
!!! Then back comes the asthma and the prednisone. This was 1986 and this was the only way Dr's knew how to treat Asthma. In 1989. I went on a study for another liquid diet HMR500. I went from 200lbs down to 150 and we had to move (Family problem) from NY to Florida. I was no longer eligible for the study and came to Fl. "cold turkey". I tried to watch my weight, but all I did was watch it INCREASE. Then I got divorced and of couse like most of us, I am a stress eater so even more weight came on. I tried Phen-Phen, Redux,Weight Watchers, LA weight loss,Jenny Craig,Bontril, Phendentramine (I think I spelled this wrong), Slim Fast, Dexatrim, And the old version of the new ALLI (the one that makes you have diarrhea). I got married again in 1997 and again right before my wedding, I STARVED my self to make a semi-decent looking bride. That didn't last long as I got comfortable, on piled the weight. I have gone up and down between, 230lbs and my now 260lbs
I have been looking into weight loss surgery for the past 2 years, but my insurance excluded it until January of 2007. So that was the day I started my plan, I am going to do what ever I have to do to get this surgery and change my life. While on this plan, I found out, I have Barrets Esophogus,Severe Sleep Apnea, and hyperlipidemia. All of these factors, made my decision to go for the surgery even easier. My son is getting married in Feb of 2008, & I want to LIVE to see & play with my Grandchildren. I went to see a surgeon in Tampa,(45 minutes away )to get the ball rolling, but after looking into the costs, I found out that he wanted me to spend approximately $1100.00 (not covered by my insurance), for an extra "Program" that he required, above and beyond the deductible, I have to pay for the surgery. I did all of the requirerments with Dr's in my plan and it cost me $125 for all the copays. When I called to say that I had everything ready, and I wanted to schedule my consult for surgery,his office said I still had to go through their program. EVEN THOUGH I HAD EVERYTHING THEY REQUIRED. The next closest surgeon was in St Petersburg( 1 1/2 hours away), I called that office and told them everything I had and they said that I didn't need to do anything else, and they scheduled an appt. Three(3) days letter I get a letter from their office telling me about my co-pay(which I knew from talking to Cigna & was prepared for), and an additional $1000.00 for an assistant surgeon they use who will not bill insurances, and I could not get reimbursed for. I then called Cigna and asked if all bariatric surgeons have "hidden expenses", and they apologized, stating they have been getting complaints lately and will look into it. They asked if I was willing to drive 2 hours to see a Dr Jawad in Ocala. I got their # and called their office. I was probably snippy to the girl, because I was frustrated and asked what their "hidden fees" were up front. I explained what I had been through, what documentation I already had, and basically said that I was about to give up because I was not rich and had been saving since January to pay what Cigna told me I'd be responsible for . As snippy as I was, the girl on the phone was sweet, kind and understanding. She set me up an appointment for my orientation, which was today 8/14/07. It was done very well, and I feel more informed now then I had been for the last 2 years. The staff were all friendly and courteous and made me feel at ease. The insurance girl looked through my documentation and said that I just made her job a whole lot easier and that as long as Cigna cooperated, I should be able to get my surgery soon. I originally thought I wanted a lap band, but with my medical history, the ARNP explained that the bypass would be better for me and discussed it in detail, until I fully understood. He said the final decision is of course mine, but I think I am going to follow his advise and have the BYPASS. SO thats my story
WISH ME LUCK!!!!!!
