It's been a week and I think this stuff is finally out of my body. I've actually had more and better sleep since I've been off it than I remember having in years. It's a spooky drug--probably fine for short-term use, not so much for long-term. It's been a hairy week, though; I basically lost the last several days to extended insomnia followed by many hours of crashing sleep. I had about a three-day, five-alarm migraine up until last night.
The good news is--now that I rode this withdrawal out--I feel more human and ultimately, more productive. I have a couple of jobs I'm going to go turn in paperwork for tomorrow, I scheduled a mammogram (I'm 40 now, have to do it, going to start bugging all my female friends who just turned 40 to do it too), and I'm trying to settle in for the six months of documenting what I eat. It's only been a couple of weeks. Sigh.
I am really trying to change my habits prior to the procedure, and I think even that is a big step in the right direction. I have to find more sweet things that don't have actual sugar in them, and I have to give up soft bread, which is really, really hard for me. I looooove fresh bread.
I'm thinking about this stuff all the time--how many calories is in this or that, how many calories have I had today, the smaller bites, etc. The sweets thing is what I'm the most worried about. For years I've said (only half-jokingly) I would go to rehab for my sugar addiction if I could. If the only way to satisfy the cravings were to shoot it into my veins, I am 99.9% sure I would do it--and I hate needles. I'm going to see if I can find some information on sugar addiction and read up on it a bit. Hopefully there's a good book available with some tips for how to shed this particular monkey from my back. It's not going to be easy.
Showing posts with label Ambien withdrawal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ambien withdrawal. Show all posts
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Official denial letter arrives amidst Ambien CR withdrawal
My official hard copy of the denial letter arrived from insurance today. Basically, I meet all of their medical necessity criteria, except the six months of supervised diet and exercise, which I knew--and apparently, that is their sticking point.
Their criteria for deeming bariatric surgery medically necessary is as follows:
Age 18 years or older;
Body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater or a BMI of 35-39.9 with at least one co-morbidity including but not limited to cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, or pulmonary hypertension;
Active participation within last two years in one physician-supervised weight-management program for a minimum of six months without significant gaps that includes monthly documentation of the following: weight; current dietary program; exercise program.
Recent evaluation by a multidisciplinary team including all of the following:
A recommendation for surgery for treatment of morbid obesity by a bariatric surgeon;
A separate medical evaluation recommending bariatric surgery;
Clearance for surgery by a mental health provider;
Nutritional evaluation by a physician or registered dietician.
I assume these criteria are typical requirements for any health insurance that actually covers bariatric surgery.
The letter wasn't alarming in and of itself, but did include a passage that stated no services denied as medically necessary would be covered per their contract. I am hoping that doesn't mean all the preliminary appointments listed above that have already been completed, because I will fight tooth and nail if they try to deny those things--I only did them because insurance required them, after all. Since the providers call before every appointment to see if it is covered--and since they have said "yes" every time--I doubt the charges could be denied for any of this stuff. Given my past experiences with this insurance, however, I notice they have to be called and reminded someone is reading their policies, statements, and correspondence in order for them to actually fork over the dough.
***
It's been a weird few days--this is the first time in about ten years (save a day or two here and there) that I haven't taken any kind of sleeping pill. I am glad to be getting this stuff out of my system, because if the way withdrawal feels is any indication, I doubt it was doing anything good in there. I couldn't sleep at all for the first three days, then I crashed for about 12 hours. The past couple of days I have been sleeping in long blocks of time--today I could barely rouse myself at all. I've had cottonmouth and tingling hands, and the dreams I've had have been really vivid and intense, like being in the middle of 2 or 3 movies mashed together.
Their criteria for deeming bariatric surgery medically necessary is as follows:
Age 18 years or older;
Body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater or a BMI of 35-39.9 with at least one co-morbidity including but not limited to cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, or pulmonary hypertension;
Active participation within last two years in one physician-supervised weight-management program for a minimum of six months without significant gaps that includes monthly documentation of the following: weight; current dietary program; exercise program.
Recent evaluation by a multidisciplinary team including all of the following:
A recommendation for surgery for treatment of morbid obesity by a bariatric surgeon;
A separate medical evaluation recommending bariatric surgery;
Clearance for surgery by a mental health provider;
Nutritional evaluation by a physician or registered dietician.
I assume these criteria are typical requirements for any health insurance that actually covers bariatric surgery.
The letter wasn't alarming in and of itself, but did include a passage that stated no services denied as medically necessary would be covered per their contract. I am hoping that doesn't mean all the preliminary appointments listed above that have already been completed, because I will fight tooth and nail if they try to deny those things--I only did them because insurance required them, after all. Since the providers call before every appointment to see if it is covered--and since they have said "yes" every time--I doubt the charges could be denied for any of this stuff. Given my past experiences with this insurance, however, I notice they have to be called and reminded someone is reading their policies, statements, and correspondence in order for them to actually fork over the dough.
***
It's been a weird few days--this is the first time in about ten years (save a day or two here and there) that I haven't taken any kind of sleeping pill. I am glad to be getting this stuff out of my system, because if the way withdrawal feels is any indication, I doubt it was doing anything good in there. I couldn't sleep at all for the first three days, then I crashed for about 12 hours. The past couple of days I have been sleeping in long blocks of time--today I could barely rouse myself at all. I've had cottonmouth and tingling hands, and the dreams I've had have been really vivid and intense, like being in the middle of 2 or 3 movies mashed together.
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About Me
- Salted with Shadows
- Seattle, WA, United States
- This blog focuses largely on a personal journey to and through weight-loss surgery. It's also about reading, writing, animals, photography, love, humor, music, thinking out loud, and memes. In other words...life.
