Infernored

I would totally go to mexico if I could. I live in new york, my insurance covers it if I jump through a million hoops for them. so I will. out of pocket here is $29,500. ridiculous! My husband would freak out of I went to mexico since he's very worried about safety and risks.

The surgery cuts out 85% of the stomach, including the area of the stomach that produces the hunger hormone, Ghrelin. Also, you will need to eat more frequently anyway, you just won't have that urge to overeat since you'll be full.

Yesterday, I did so well with my diet. only fruits and vegetables. We are getting a storm tomorrow, so I stopped at the store on my way home from work this morning and I shopped HUNGRY. I go monday to hopefully get scheduled for the surgery. I will just accept what happened and move on. What kind of liquids do you take in on the liquid diet besides Water?

My husband is against it too. There is no way he could fathom how this feels. My husband is tall and skinny. He is mostly scared because it's a voluntary surgery and why take unneccessary risks. Well, nothing else worked, and if I don't do this now, I may not be here very long. He has learned to respect my decision and we agree to disagree.

Yeah, I've totally stepped up my exercise. I do 20-30minutes of just dance 2, then I do walking or weight exercises. I may have to do that mag citrate thing. They give it to people for colonoscopies sometimes. lol. yeah, my surgeon is no-nonsense about the weight loss. he said I need to do my part for him to do his, or else forget it. it's the hardest thing I've ever done.

I'm going back to see my surgeon on monday the 28th. I want to be sure I'm down enough weight where he will approve me for it so I'm going to start a liquid diet. no pop, no carbs, and extra protein (shakes). Has anyone else ever done this? I need to lose about 4 pounds, but would like to lose a little bit more just in case their scale is WRONG! lol, I wish they could just take my word for it. and if I was smart, I would have loaded my pockets with weights on the initial weigh in day. lol

I'm not too coordinated right now (hopefully will be more after surgery and weight loss!), and the wii sensor isn't very accurate. I am holding on to it for the future.

You look awesome!

WOW! I cannot believe the difference in the requirements between doctors! I know alot of people go to mexico and the process is relatively easy, but in the US it's alot different. Many insurance companies require 5-10% weight loss before surgery, and psych eval and bloodwork and mine required a personal letter of intent. I would love it to just be self-pay and get it over with since I'm having difficulty with the presurgery weightloss, but self pay for my doctor is nearly 30K. WTF!

I haven't lost enough weight either, and my meeting with my surgeon keeps getting delayed. My ob-gyn says I have PCOS and that makes the weight even harder to come off. I've been doing no-carb (or very little carb) since last november. This sucks and I'm having trouble staying focused. Besides that I'm just anxious as to what might happen if I go back and not lose enough weight. I feel like I need this soooo much.

oh my god, you are doing awesome!!!! I LOVE hearing such good news!

My carrier, Independent Health does cover Vertical Sleeve, and my BMI is certainly high enough (50+). They do require a pre-surgery weight loss of 5% starting weight. Last time I was at the surgeons office he gave me a hard time because I barely lost anything. I am journaling, exercising, and have been eating right. I keep getting depressed because I'm so afraid that when I go back on february 17 that he'll put me on the backburner and make me wait forever. Self-pay for this surgery, including the hospital stay and necessary consults is $29,000. If I can't lose this 5% by then (it's been 3 months of dieting like this), can I ask him to make a petition to my insurance company to see if they will cover it anyway? I've been jumping through hoops for this surgery since May 2010.

Thank you for posting this.

I'm 29 and I can't tell you how much I regret not doing this sooner. I looked into it 4 or 5 years ago and got talked out of it by my hubby. My only hope is this surgery now and I try to imagine how awesome the rest of my life will be and how much more I'll be able to enjoy it.

WOW!!!! I have been jumping through hoops for the doctor and insurance companies since last may!!! Maybe if I told them I'd pay for it things would go faster. How much is it for self-pay?

Thanks Caliblonde! I can always use a buddy!

I'm a nurse at a hospital and we crush meds in applesauce or pudding. and then wash it down with water or something.

I am having that problem too. My doctor says he won't do the surgery until I lose 5% of my original weight. I need to really lose another 10 pounds before february 17. my weight normally fluctuates about +/- 8 pounds day to day. uuuuughhh... I am having such a hard time. I basically follow southbeach phases 1-2. Halp!

Yeah, I can totally see how he is out of his element. He is 6 feet tall and 175-180ish. My gram calls him a "tall drink of water" or something like that! I'm just going to stay motivated and keep forward. I'm still working on losing my 5% before the surgery is scheduled. I have to be about 320 on the doctor's scale, and I went up over the holidays. But I'm doing better than ever now.

The first 10 pounds are the fastest to come off due to water weight. If you've struggled with your weight for a very long time, then I would say to consider the surgery. Many insurance companies require you to lose 5% of starting bodyweight before getting approved. I'm working on that now and it is so hard. Good luck!

I'm 29 years old, I am a Registered Nurse, I am married, I have been fat my whole life. I went to a WLS seminar in 2006, and walked away from it because I thought I could really do it myself. 4 Years later I went back, heavier than ever. I have everything done for my Surgeon besides losing a few more pounds to be approved by the insurance. I go to see him again in 2 weeks. My brain is on fast-forward. I'm dreaming about a year from now.

My husband, Tim, and I went to a counselor for an outside opinion on monday. She is a very good listener and I like her. I had to go to her for my pre-surgery psych consult. (I'm sane apparently!). Anyway, she said we're just going to have to agree, to disagree. He will support me, but he's not happy about it. I think he'll feel better when it's done and I start feeling alot better. I have my next appointment on february 17 with my surgeon. I have to lose another 3 pounds by then, and it sounds easy, but I keep hitting 325 and then I bounce around a few pounds above it, and go back. I am aiming for at least 5 more off since doctor's scales are wacky.

Yeah, but that was high school. we all used to look odd. hahaha.

I took adipex in 2004 for 3 months. my primary doctor was very wary about it, but I went in frequently for checkups while I was on it. #1, it makes your heart beat faster, like double your normal resting, and even higher when exercising. #2 you have no appetite, probably consume only a couple bites each meal. #3, almost no sleep and it makes you very jittery. I didn't have too much of a problem with all that and along with exercising 2hours a day , 5-6 days a week, I lost about 55-60 pounds in 3 months. I also gained it back rapidly after taking it. I asked my doctor about it last fall, to assist in losing weight pre-op, and he said he wouldn't ever prescribe it to anyone again due to health risks.

I don't want to sound conceited, but I rarely complement myself. All I can say is I can't wait to see what my face will look like. I can make fat look pretty, at least somewhat from my chin up, and I'll feel so much better afterwards. I've been very self concious of my droopy chin too, so that will be great! BTW, the picture on my profile is an old picture of me, about 120 lbs less than I am now.