Cat C

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Even though I have yet to be approved by my insurance, I feel confident the surgery will happen. 

I still have to see several MD's and yet another sleep study, but I can see the possibility of June surgery?

The Dietician was really nice and quite informative. This was a pre surgical evaluation ( very key to insurance approving me) She will write up a report and send to insurance. I was told they would decide within 3 weeks or so. Maybe this thought is what made me smile all day. An answer in 3 weeks...

In the meantime I will be seeing my surgeon, the pulmonologist, get the Psych Evaluation done, and of course another sleep study ( get used to the CPAP machine) back to dietician once approved and I think a few seminars on saturdays.

My boss is trying to help me by allowing me to take half days on the doctor appointment days, I will likely have to go on FMLA for the surgery, due to having zilch in my PTO account.

Curious what the average time taken off from work is?  I have heard maybe 5 days? small matter in the whole scheme of things.

I have began to eat slower and micro chew my food, in anticipation to a new life of eating this way. Well, it is true what they say "slow down and chew food properly and one will eat less." I find I can't finish a whole sandwich at times. I think I used to inhale all my food. No wonder I would get stomach aches!

 

When it comes to insurance issues – don’t give up! CIGNA has finally loaded my benefits correctly and now it shows that I have coverage.  This of course took 2 more phone calls and my MD office being told again I was not covered.

The doctor’s office sent in my paper work to insurance , and now I am moving forward with Psych evaluation, pre-surgery dietician visit, and the 8hr sleep study. I have a Doctor’s visit with Dr Kane for early May. I hope this will be a pre-op visit, but of course this depends on CIGNA – praying for approval!

They asked me to attend another seminar, so I will be doing this tomorrow. I guess they like to have recent paperwork and well why not.

I tell myself it’s too soon to get excited and still so many hurdles, I half expect CIGNA to deny and make me fight them on this. Well bring it! Tell me what you want and what I have yet to do and it will be done.

Just don’t give up, the process forces one to truly decide how much one wants the surgery. 

Latest news, my doctor’s office was checking with CIGNA about coverage on the Gastric Bypass, and was told I have none.

Now I know this is wrong, so I email the doctor’s office what mycigna benefits page shows online for me. It shows covered 10% in network and 30% out for GASTRIC BYPASS.

They call and again are told no coverage. So I call and demand to speak with supervisor, I speak with really nice lady who tells me “no coverage” –  they advise me to go to the HR person and see what they can find out about the policy. Now this is not acceptable, I after much pushing get her to look at my policy- she puts me on hold for awhile, she comes back on the line she says “great news! You are covered” apparently my benefits were loaded into the system wrong and they will be fixing this.

She agrees to fax the coverage position signed by manager “that I am covered” to the MD office.

Really this is the fight before my request has even been submitted; hopefully they smooth out the errors before they receive my paperwork.

Next I get call from MD office telling me I need to schedule Psych evaluation and Dietician visit, I also need to do 8 hour sleep study ( I had 6 hr previously) this study will be done with a  c-pap machine. I think there are a few other MD visits and tests needed – I am kind of nervous to get my hopes up and end up being denied by insurance. I am expecting to have to do an appeal, seems standard for CIGNA these days.

Really I need a checklist; I also made appointment to see Dr Kane as my GERD has returned suddenly.  I have one more appointment with my Internal Medicine MD on my supervised weight loss, this was her wish. She has softened a bit and is on board with me getting the surgery. She wants me to drop more weight prior to submitting the paperwork. Does anyone know what amount of weight one is supposed to lose prior to surgery? I seem to recall they hope for 10% ????

My Omron pedometer. This is my third little buddy, the first one I bought was the regular digital model, this is a fine pedometer overall. When I needed a new battery I went online and saw that they have a new model that has software that allows one to upload the data. So I purchased the newest model. This one is so great because it differentiates steps into two categories, steps and aerobic steps.  So easy to use, and with the ability to set goal and run reports.

Who knew it would motivate me to walk more to get a smiley on my chart! 

 To see an example of the chart and get other info you can check it out at amazon ( search Omron HJ-720ITC Pocket Pedometer with Advanced Omron Health Management Software)

I get a kick out of products that work well and motivate.

 

  Well I did say number 3 was just purchased right? Oh that is because I stupidly washed a pair of pants with my lil motivator still leashed on.

The leash is a great thing as it keeps the pedometer attached as one bumbles along (and stays attached when needing visiting the RR - if you have ever flung yours across the floor from a stall- this feature is handy)  

The price is about $33.00.  My charts revealed how my desk job affects the overall lack of movement. I began to take a walk on my 15 minute breaks; this helped along with parking farther from the work entrance.

 I saw also that maybe I averaged 3300 steps and that was very far from the 10,000 steps a day needed to drop weight.  I feel rewarded when I get on the treadmill and log 60 minutes of aeorbic steps!

 

Update on my "Seattle Sutton" diet.

I chose the 1200 calorie meals, I started on week 5, followed by week 1. ( they rotate the menus)

The cost was 120. per week or 21 meals, picked up from the franchisee office on monday and wendnesday.

The food was overall tasty, seemed like they used a lot of cheese. I liked having food ready to eat - well after a quick zap in the microwave. I did not really like the any of the breakfasts.

Importantly I did lose weight, I lost 2 pounds, and this was with some supplementing during the day at work. Ususally a yogurt and some light microwaved popcorn.

I stopped as I felt like if I would just organize myself I could create meals that were more to my taste. I don't care for cheese and hate to waste my allowed calories on it.

My trip to the doctor was a real downer. I brought my food journals, and two weeks of SSH food menu and calorie break down, She was not happy that I lost so little.

She was really mad and said I waste her time, I should be losing 5 pounds a month. I defended myself and told her I was proud to have passed up birthday cake three times in the past month. ( birthday cake is my all out favorite food)

I have one more month with her and I am not sure I can do it. I mean she is really a nightmare. I have been fat for 23.5 years, it will take some time to be a model patient and lose 5 pounds a month as she demands. HELL I am happy I am not gaining weight!!!

Other updates, I dragged the BOWFLEX home gym in from the garage, it has a new home in my son's room.  He is away at college and won't mind. I have been using it mostly on my arms and back. I sleep better and feel stronger, I feel like this is the direction I will need to go, certainly after surgery I will need to use it daily.

This week I am going to have a chat with the  Insurance girl at my MD's office, I want her to submit my request and see what insurance comes back with, After all I have been doing this for nearly five years, most of it documented. I may also go back to the nutritionist I was seeing last year for my final month of the "doctor supervised weight loss phase" She never expected a 5 pound weight loss per month.

Would love any suggestions, and please forgive me if I come off so whiney, it was just humiliating having the doctor fume at me, all I could do is cry and get out of there as fast as I could, and of course I headed to the grocery store.

I have two and a half weeks until I see my MD again. She is expecting some weight loss this month. In an attempt to try something new I have signed up for Seattle Sutton's Meal plan for a week.

In my area it is $115 a week for 21 meals, picked up from them.

Nicest thing about the plan is it is all written up with nutrition data, I can print menu and data and give to the md. I have to journal all the other days I have been on diet, this will be a nice break.

Anyone else tired of jornalling every morsel that passes the lips?

Hopefully I am on track and I should have a 3 pound weight loss this month. I am nearing the finish line on the 6 months of MD managed weight loss plan. I hope this will be suffient for the insurance company.

I pick up the first set of meals Monday the 14th. Until then it point counting (weight watchers)

 

I am in month 4 of the diet / supervision of MD phase. I am doing this to obtain insurance approval for the surgery.

I have previously have gone 4 months to the MD then stopped. This time my MD wants to quit on me. 
She is frustrated I am not dropping weight. I know she expects that I lose 5 pounds a month and I general drop only 1.

Has anyone had this problem?

If I could lose 5 pounds a month, would I be electing to have major surgery?

I made my next month appointment , I need to drop more than the usual 1 pound. 
I am required to do this for 6 months - I can see the finish line fast approaching. i hope that the records I kept and MD records will satisfy Insurance Company. I  really want this.

I have the new omron pedometer that c, which one can upload the data pc. The Software is easy to use seems to motivate me. One weird thing about the numbers is they steps on the pedometer do not register the miles I calculate I walk on the treadmill. I do 3 miles on tradmill and pedometer registers 1.5, perhaps the stride I set is off...