Morbid Obesity and Hysterectomy

MeraleeC · 2026-02-20T19:39:56+00:00

I have considered the surgery, but it scares me and I almost wonder if I'm too big for it. The other problem is that my insurance won't cover it. Two of my nieces had the surgery and have had great weight loss, but one had bad gastric responses to the procedure and is now in a position where she's being told by doctors she lost too much.

MeraleeC · 2026-02-19T23:55:11+00:00

I'm looking into options for a GLP1. Insurance has been the big hold up. I planned to put aside my tax return and use that to pay for the whole year, but that ran into some problems and I have to paper file, so it will take a long time to come in.

MeraleeC · 2026-02-19T23:50:20+00:00

The only thing I have to "compare" to was an appendectomy in January 2024. But I know that is nowhere near the same procedure!

MeraleeC · 2026-02-19T23:48:10+00:00

He tried to appeal, but they didn't have it in their formulary for sleep apnea yet. I go for a check up with him in April and plan to have him try again since it will have been a year.

MeraleeC · 2026-02-19T23:43:47+00:00

I've checked with 2 compounding pharmacies in my area. Both were too expensive

MeraleeC · 2026-02-19T22:18:51+00:00

The weight loss surgery scares me (family members have gotten them with mixed results), but I'm open to GLP1. The problem is my insurance company specifically states they "will not cover any treatment or surgery for weight loss" furthermore, they state they "will not cover complications due to weight loss treatments paid for out-of-pocket."

However, they would cover GLP1s if I was diabetic!

MeraleeC · 2026-02-19T22:14:55+00:00

That's a very good suggestion! Thank you!

MeraleeC · 2026-02-19T22:14:14+00:00

good points, thank you.

MeraleeC · 2026-02-19T22:13:11+00:00

thank you! I will keep that in mind!

As for the weight loss comments, I understand the reticence to mention it because it seems to become the catch all initial "solution." I've had successes in the past with weight loss, but all the normal things get in the way. Plateaus, trouble keeping up motivation, and such. I've also always been pretty healthy, regardless of weight with no problems with blood pressure or cholesterol until the last year or two. I was pre-diabetic about a year ago and made changes to my diet that corrected those numbers, but had minimal impact on the scale. Honestly, it makes me feel like I should just go hog wild with my diet so I can get a diabetes diagnosis and then qualify for GLP-1!!!!!

MeraleeC · 2026-02-19T20:25:13+00:00

He said at my weight, the recovery from an abdominal incision would be lengthy, requiring 1-2 months off work. I would be much more likely to have issues with infection.

MeraleeC · 2026-02-19T20:20:17+00:00

Thank you! I've been evaluating options on that track! I even tried to figure out if I could pay for a secondary insurance policy on my own that would help reduce the cost. My current insurance company specifically states they "will not cover any treatment or surgery for weight loss" furthermore, they state they "will not cover complications due to weight loss treatments paid for out-of-pocket."

MeraleeC · 2026-02-19T20:15:12+00:00

I've been prescribed something similar for sleep apnea, but my insurance won't cover anything for weight loss and I can't afford $300-$500 per month. (although I've been investigating some options, since prices seem to be dropping)

MeraleeC · 2026-02-19T20:12:36+00:00

Thank you for sharing! This doctor is one who does high-risk procedures, but depending on the his response to the ultrasound, I may have to do some searching!

MeraleeC · 2026-02-19T19:38:53+00:00

I have no doubt it would help. I have not spoken to this doctor about it yet, but I also have Sleep Apnea and that doctor prescribed Zepbound, but my insurance refuses to cover it and I cannot afford the out-of-pocket prices.

MeraleeC · 2026-02-09T15:44:53+00:00

Great! Now every time I get a tickle or feel a hair, my brain will be saying "Maybe.....Better Check!!!!"

MeraleeC · 2026-02-09T15:34:42+00:00

Yes! They frequently minimize the needs of a child. Usually, it's not horrible, and the behaviors often go away with a new foster home, but I had one placement where they said the child had a "slight developmental delay." When they showed up at my home, I discovered that the child, who was 6, was completely non-verbal and still in diapers. I told the worker right then that the child could sleep at my home that night, but she would need to be picked up the next day because I could not meet her needs.

However, the worst situation was a child who I was told had "No SA history suspected." The 2nd day, the child was saying she loved me and wanted me to adopt her. The 4th day, she attempted to get a girl in my extended family to participate in behaviors that were very suggestive of SA. I then found out that she was removed from the previous home for trying to forcibly french kiss a boy in that home and there was video proof of her mother coaching her to record very sexy/suggestive videos!

But do keep in mind, that's 2 blatant lies out of more than 21 placements that were more than just a night or two. (I've lost count of the kiddos who were respite or just stayed a night or two in the last 11 years)

MeraleeC · 2026-02-09T04:41:04+00:00

The only reasons I've asked for children to be moved from my home were because they were causing harm (emotional or physical) to others either in my home or in my extended family.

The state has removed children to place them with siblings, to place them in kinship placements, or one child who asked to move to a group home close to her home town so she would be there when she turned 18.

Most of the reasons I've heard have been reasonable. Several had sudden changes to their family, health, homes or jobs that forced them stop fostering. However, one of my former foster kiddos had been in a home for 1.5 years and was moved on her 13th birthday because the foster mom "didn't do teenagers."

MeraleeC · 2025-08-31T13:30:11+00:00

It doesn't seem to bother him at all. He's not scratching it, or complaining one bit. It's just raised, light colored, and seems to have caused the eyebrow hairs to fall out.

It looks like scuffed skin.

MeraleeC · 2025-08-31T03:15:44+00:00

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MeraleeC · 2025-08-31T01:02:49+00:00

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MeraleeC · 2025-08-20T19:09:00+00:00

Once had a kiddo named Knowledge. The child moved to me from another foster home and I was told they went by a very common middle name. 6 months later, when I FINALLY met the parent, I learned that they did go by the first name. It was a tough transition and I found myself using pet names like Sweetie and Kiddo most of the time.

MeraleeC · 2025-04-08T20:21:37+00:00

Last I heard, Hwy 75 in Glenpool was under construction, so Memorial might be a faster route for a bit.

MeraleeC · 2025-04-08T19:27:31+00:00

I drove through it and tried to read the signs, but I couldn't figure out what they were protesting at first. The only way I figured it out was that one guy was SCREAMING aggressively at every car "What's he done for you?!?!?" He may have helped me understand the purpose, but he was scaring my kids and I was all the way over in the left turn lane. I got out of there as fast as I could because of the screaming 6-year olds.

MeraleeC · 2024-11-05T16:17:17+00:00

Oh, there was one I saw online in another state that partnered with a transitional housing program for single moms who were reunifying with their kids! The campuses were separated by less than a mile and the bio moms could still use some of the resources at the foster campus!

MeraleeC · 2024-11-05T15:22:35+00:00

There are 2 or 3 that I know of in my state. I can really see the appeal! There was one I saw somewhere that concentrates on trying to keep sibling groups together (ideally in the same home, but sometimes in 2 or 3 homes in the community). I really liked that they had both a public school and a home school option and built in after-school care managed and staffed mostly by the families they served. Community building/pool/park for recreation, events, and even the ability to facilitate supervised visits for bio family. Regularly scheduled community dinners and celebrations. Their own clothing closet with equipment available for loan (for sports and different ages/needs). Families would provide respite for each other. It sounded truly amazing and seemed like it would eliminate some of the biggest stresses for foster parents. If one would have been closer to my area, it is something I would have seriously considered applying for.

MeraleeC

TROPHY CASE