Douceur72

After 6 months of pre-op classes it’s becoming a reality. The surgeon’s office submitted my paperwork to Aetna last week, and this morning I got the call that I’m approved! Exciting....right? Rewind two days… I was sitting on the couch reading when I felt something wet on my shirt. Looked down and saw a 3” diameter blood spot. Turns out it was from my umbilicus. An old wound from an abdominal surgery 4 years ago just decided to open up, out of the blue. No pain, no fever, no odor, just blood coming out of a pinhole. I poked around the area and a little more came out, maybe a few teaspoons or so. I wasn’t too freaked out, could tell it wasn’t infected…but I don’t have a regular doctor other than my OB/GYN, so decided to go to the ER and have them take a look. They confirmed it wasn’t infected and suggested that although highly unusual to occur this far out, was probably a seroma from the old surgery. It’s still leaking occasionally, a tiny amount of watery blood…not even enough to soak a band-aid.. but I keep a piece of gauze there to protect my clothes. I have absolutely no health issues and am really torqued off that this has to happen now. I was looking forward to a June surgery but now I’m not so sure. I have an appointment Friday with the surgeon who did my surgery 4 years ago. I have no idea what to expect there. And my first appointment with the sleeve surgeon is next Wednesday – that is when I was supposed to get my date....something tells me I’m not going to get it quite yet :huh:

my instructions say canned fruits are okay week 3 thru month 4, no seeds for 2 months, and month 5 and beyond fresh fruits/veggies are good if they do not have tough skin or hulls (like apples, corn).

Your post just made me feel good. Sounds like the sleeve was a great choice for you

I am waiting for final insurance approval but pretty confident I'll be a Jewel of June!! (Thought my paperwork was submitted last week, but just yesterday got an email from the nurse navigator to 'verify' my choice of doctor and surgery type before submission. Ummm YES we went over this six months ago!) lol. It's all good...I'm really excited!

Great question! I haven’t thought about it much.. maybe because I am pre-op. I don’t have wrinkles yet…but wonder if they have just been filled in with fat I’ll find out soon enough! If my legs are ever sexy enough for shorts or skirts again I might splurge on laser hair removal for them….I’ve had it done to my underarms, bikini and chin and love the results.

Congratulations!! You'll be to goal before you know it.

Nice job you look great!!! Thanks for sharing

I understand. I was shocked to hear it the first time too. It's a side effect of WLS I didn't know about until after I made the decision to go for it & began nut classes. It freaked me out for about one day....then I decided in the scheme of things it really didn't matter. The hair comes back. It will be so worth it in the end. Good luck with your decision.

Glad you are doing so well!

Right there with you! I finished my 6 months last Monday and paperwork was submitted to Aetna a few days later. For the love of Pete I am so ready for this. Hope your turnaround is quick! My nurse navigator said anywhere from 1-4 weeks, but normally 1-2.

Hi Tanya, I'm patiently waiting for my approval & date and hope to be having surgery around the same time as you. My paperwork was submitted to Aetna last week, I sure hope my turnaround is as quick as yours. Exciting!!

Trainbuff, you're lucky to have this tool so young! I started yo-yoing when I was about your age (almost 20 years ago) and think it would have been really cool to have the sleeve & been able to avoid some of my weight-related health issues. And I've got to give a huge congratulations to losing 133# pre-op. You already have proven you have determination! congrats on making the decision to kick obesity in the arse. Good luck tomorrow

This is such a fabulous thread...I'm going to read it again before my surgery. thanks Meg for opening it up and for all of the thougtful responders. Everything you guys wrote makes perfect sense and it helped me feel a little more at peace with my decision. Best wishes for you tomorrow Meg!

It'll go fast - promise! I'm in month 5. I complain about the silliness of the pre-op classes but honestly, it would be difficult if not impossible for me to swing the cash amount. so I am thankful. Best of luck!

Christal, thanks for sharing your story. I am also the only heavy sibling of 4...it's so unfair! Congrats on your sleeve - it sounds like you're rockin' it!

How exciting!!! wishing you the best. and congrats on your pre-op weight loss!

Welcome to the boards, the info you get here is invaluable. So sorry about your mom...I can relate as I lost my dad and my mom has been battling cancer for 3 years....i had to take some time off of school too to get her through treatment. You're doing a great thing for your daughters by taking charge of your health. Best of luck with your surgery and school and everything!

My last class is June 9 also. I think it's great that you get on VST during class...haha....I don't have an iPad but I do have Angry Birds on my phone

I'm happy to see some June sleevers too! Can't wait to see everyone on the losers bench

It's a very good omen....he's right there with you cheering you on. My big brother died when I was 14...it's been over 20 years but I know he's with me when I need him.....Hugs and good luck!

I haven’t posted for a while but just wanted to stop in and say how thankful I continue to be for this board. I’ve been mostly in lurk mode… killing myself with double classes to finish grad school by June and working 50+ hours/wk....so I usually pop on, read a few posts, and pop off. But my thoughts, congrats and hopes continue to follow you all through your sleeve stories! I continue to be an Aetna sheep. First let me say that I’m thankful to have insurance that will cover the sleeve because it would be difficult for me to self-pay. Next I just have to vent....the 6-month pre-op classes are pretty ridiculous. I understand their intention and agree that people should be educated before making a decision regarding WLS, but these classes do not provide any viable information. I get so much more out of this board. My classes have consisted of: December: One-on-one counseling with nutritionist and nurse coordinator. This was the only visit I found worthwhile. At this point I wasn’t sure between sleeve and band. I watched a video about the surgeries and learned about the long-term diet modifications. Was sad to learn I would have to give up diet coke, but very happy to learn that it was essentially a low-carb lifestyle which has been relatively not-too-difficult for me to follow in the past. January: Post-op RNY patient sharing his experience. Definitely geared toward the RNY patient. February: Diabetic education nurse from the hospital who talked for an hour about hypoglycemia and how to treat it in emergent situations. She took a hand count and only 3 people out of 20 in the room were diabetic or had experience with hypoglycemia. March: An HMR (non-surgical weight loss program) success story, who proceeded to tell the group of morbidly obese that weight loss is a simple matter of calories in, calories out….really? He said more than once during the hour that he was glad he had the perseverance to make the right choices and avoid surgery. Jerk wipe. April: And finally a 110-lb perkier-than-hell personal trainer who talked at super speed for an hour about the value of movement and how to work it into your day. She actually said ‘if anyone takes the elevator down when they leave here I will kick their ass!’ One more pre-op class May 9…hopefully surgery in June

Looking forward to hear how you did. Wishing for quick & easy recovery for you.

I've heard the first day of liquids is the worst. Hope you feel better tomorrow. Be sure you are getting enough fluid in.

- fish - tuna - eggs - sliced turkey - lowfat cheese - not fat free - lowfat cottage cheese - not fat free - celery with a little lowfat cream cheese - green Beans - whole wheat tortillas (check labels, some only have 2 - 4gm carbs) - Atkins shakes (I love mocha latte and strawberry) - 2gm I think - Some Soups are relatively low carb maybe ~10gm... I forget which brand, maybe Healthy Choice? I suggest avoiding fat free because manufacturers add a lot of sugar to make up for the taste. Low fat is still pretty tasty and as a general rule will have less carbs than fat free.

Congrats on your new sleeve. 25# down in a month is fantastic - keep up the good work. I agree, this is a great place to find information and support, I'm still pre-op but it helped me decide the sleeve was right for me, and gave great insight into what to expect. Welcome and good luck with your continuing weight loss!