Hey chickies I know I've been SUPER slacking on you guys and I feel horrible... but my life has been soooo hectic.. and your always sooo sweet to me and completely understanding so I'm gonna go into depth on whats really going on with me I'm not gonna post anything about nails so if your not interested you can move onto the next post :)... although I was missing I did my nails quite a few times and bought lots of stuff but I was really good about taking pictures so when I was finally able to I could post them on here for you viewing pleasures! lol
OK SOOOO.... as alot of you know Ive been dieting, exercising and going to a gazillion doctor visits since the end of February (02/27/2012 to be exact)and I'm proud to say I've lost a total of 33 lbs(as of 05/07/2012). At this very moment I'm pulling all my documentation together to be sent off to the insurance company for my "Qualification Process" {SO CROSS ALL YOUR FINGERS AND TOES... lol]. If everything comes back OK and with a Stamp of APPROVAL ill be having a VSG Surgery in July sometime sadly June was completely booked :( but I've come to learn everything is better later then never especially when it comes to something like this that I've been waiting for for about 8 years. I'm sure all these terms are throwing your mind into an effing tornado so to go into a better explanation:
I'm going to have VSG (Vertical Sleeve Gastectomy) its a WLS(Weight Loss Surgery) and is a variation of Gastric Bypass where the stomach is restricted by stapling and dividing it vertically and removing
more than 85%. This part of the procedure is not reversible. The stomach
that remains is shaped like a very slim banana (as you can see in the picture) and measures from 1-5 ounces
(30-150cc), depending on the surgeon performing the procedure. The nerves to the
stomach and the outlet valve (pylorus) remain intact with the idea of preserving
the functions of the stomach while drastically reducing the volume.
By
comparison, in a Roux-en-Y (which is the technical term for Gastric bypass), the stomach is divided, not removed,
and the pylorus is excluded. The Roux-en-Y stomach can be
reconnected (reversed) if necessary but there are . But there is no intestinal bypass
with this procedure, only stomach reduction. The lack of an intestinal bypass
avoids potentially costly, long term complications such as marginal ulcers,
vitamin deficiencies and intestinal obstructions that are found in Gastric Bypass. Which is why I've decided on the VSG. besides the statistics that show 34% keep off the weight long term where as for VSG the statistics said 61% keep the weight off.
I have a ton of people asking me what exactly I had to go through (PLEASE REMEMBER EVERY INSURANCE AND PLAN WILL VARY ON WHAT YOU WILL HAVE TO DO THIS IS JUST MY EXPERIENCE WITH MY INSURANCE) So here goes:
1) I went to an Information Meeting
-where you get every question you could think of answered and meet other men and women who are thinking of having some form WLS. You also usually get to meet with the Surgeon and his staff. mine included-- Dr.Paul Wizman(Surgeon), Gwen(RN), Jodi(Nutritionist), Maria(Office Manager).
2) I spoke with my insurance(Aetna) to see what was covered and how many months of prequalification information they needed.
-I needed 4 months of all 3 doctors a
PCP(Primary Care Physician): i.e. your regular doctor you would go to when your sick, or need a check up.
Psychologist:you do not need to have a past psychologist if you have no past it will not affect your qualifications just try to find someone that deals with "Bariactrics","Eating Disorders" or has had multiple"WLS" clients its just that much easier when it comes to you final paper workup they'll know exactly what to put where as someone who knows NOTHING may miss a few things.
Nutritionist: like the psychologist you don't need to have a past with a nutritionist all though it does help when trying to qualify it gives them a better platform to build a "Case" on. My surgeons office like I said before has a full staff that he works VERY closely with and he does have a Nutritionist that he works with so I've been seeing her to get to know the women ill be interacting with when it comes to the actual surgery, as they will be in the room with me both pre and post-op.
*and the #1 question I get asked is how much is it going to cost!!! its sooo hard to answer that because it really depends on your insurance and the hospital you go to and which surgery your getting
Here's the $$ break down FOR ME:
My insurance is going to cover 90% of the costs of course excluding my doctor visits. the hospital price was rounded down because there will be tax and stuff that I cant include because I wont know exactly till I have the bill in my hands...
Aftercare:$300 (this is special to my surgeon not all offices provide this)
Surgeon:$250 without insurance $2500.00
Hospital:$2100 without insurance $21000.00
Deductible & Copay:$250+$200=$450
3) I went to all my doctor visits where I was prescribed Adepex and instructed to change my eating habits and I lost 33lbs :)
4) now I'm sending off my qualification packet and awaiting an approval
5)next I'll set my surgery date and start doing my final post qualification but pre-op doctor visits they are "minor procedures" ex rays and stuff like that...
6)Day of surgery will be Monday I'll go check in and have the surgery and be in the hospital till Thursday.
First day I'll only be able to drink water and eat tiny ice cubes.
Day 2 I'll be allowed liquids: Broth, Jello, Water, etc...
Day 3 they I'll have "Puree Protein": baby food, eggs, chicken, etc...
Day 4 Finally I'll be released and hopefully able to eat a few solid foods
then I'll be on the fast tract to "Onederland" its a term WLS patients use when they reach under the 200lb mark I'm super excited thank you for all the support if you have any questions or would like more info on my surgeon please feel free to contact me
NOW! THEN :(
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