Douceur72

At the seminar my surgeon said most of his sleevers stay one night, home the next afternoon/evening if they have no problems with pain/intake/output. But he also implied he wouldn't discharge anyone if they met those goals but weren't comfortable leaving that soon. I'm hoping to be a one-nighter as I know I'll be able to relax and sleep much better at home.

I was diganosed in 1998 as a newleywed. I remember at the time of diagnosis I had been bleeding every day for a year. I have taken metformin ever since and have low-carbed on & off through the years however at 38, my cycles are still pretty irregular. Fast forward to Dec 2010. At my first nut visit while I was in the waiting room, there was a poster on the wall with a picture of the human body with arrows pointing to all of the body systems and the % reduction of ailments people experience with WLS. _% reduction in asthma, _% reduction of joint problems etc....I was so excited to see 100% reduction of cycle irregularity due to PCOS! This was a huge sign for me that I was doing the right thing. Knowing that I'd suggest you start knitting baby booties

This is a GREAT post and thank you for sharing! I love hearing the hour-by-hour stories. JP drain - major eww. I am not sure if my surgeon uses those, or if it's more of a case-by-case basis. Sounds like it went well overall. Wishing you a speedy recovery! ps - as a former night nurse, I concur that hospitals SUCK for rest & recovery!

You should be able to call your insurance and find out the requirements. Or talk to your the surgeon's office as they are usually very familiar with different insurances. I know how you feel though, my surgery won't be until at least June and summer will be half over before I get my groove back. Then again, it took me years to decide to do this. it's all good

that is great! I am so jealous - still 3 months of preop to go! Although you're right, the waiting period is a great opportunity to learn everything you can. Good luck, hope you're date comes quick.

Mine would do the same thing. It's not like he's trying to sabatoge, he probably just has no idea how it's affecting you. I'd suggest telling him exactly what you need right now, he's supportive guy so he'll catch on.

Yaay! that is great news. I am still 3-4 months away from submission but will need to remember that persistence is important! thanks for sharing

Depends on your insurance. I am currently going thru the six-month pre-op dance required by Aetna. It seemed like forever at first, but is actually going pretty fast. And thankful to have insurance that covers it so will do whatever it takes. Good luck!

I wasn't looking forward to it but other than the hand cramps from the personality test, I'd say it was a good experience. The psychologist was very kind and listened to me talk for the first hour about my life in general as well as past weight loss successes and failures. She was very encouraging about my past weight loss, since I had kept it off for years at a time that I probably have the mental tools to overcome challenges with food - geez I hope she is right, and that adding the sleeve will help me eliminate these challenges forever! She works a lot with wls folks and in her experience, if someone can keep maintain a healthy weight for 2-5 years post-op, they are generally over the hump and are much more likely to have a healthy weight forever because the good habits have become ingrained. She said for some its helpful to continue to visit her (or another method of support like OA) every 3-4 months post-op for a while, that during the rapid weight loss/honeymoon phase it's easy to forget to address the mental component. She also has seen sleevers fail, and it's usually within the first 2 years and because they did not have a replacement habit for food. One suggestion I liked was Make a "self-soothing box" that has items that help you get through the tough hungry/anxious moments, just simple, meditative, fun activities like nail painting, sodoku, beading, etc. From a handout she gave - Common issues that come up as people lose weight: - Anxiety due to feeling 'naked', like a layer of protective clothing has been taken away - Feeling uncomforable with attention the world gives them - "I'm the same person inside, why are people responding differently just because the outside changed?" - Plain old grief due to missing the comfort of overeating - Irritability (just like a smoker or drinker who is trying to go cold turkey, ther will be cranky moments) - Remember 12-36 months out is often the most challenging time for people because it is the maintenance period when new healthy habits either 'stick' and become lifelong, or the person feels like 'the diet is now done' and they fall back into the old patterns - Some of these things may come up, come may not, your job is just to deal with them openly if they do. Talk to trusted people; read; journal; just don't sit along withe those feelings. They are comon and they are workable Anyway. Just thought I'd share!

Fantastic!!

Great thread. You sound like me, I've struggled with weight regardless of my mental state, happy, sad, whatever, just have always made bad choices and rationalized them away i.e. I don't have time to cook tonight - burger king here I come. And I know I can overcome the mental block as I've lost weight and kept it off for 2-5 years. I just had my psych eval today and discussed all of this with her, I really struggle to understand why I make such poor choices...I never thought of myself as an addict because I don't drink or gamble etc. but she said even if the emotion or situation isn't pinned down I need to come up with ways to fill the void after surgery (I'm about 3 months out). She gave me some good reading and ideas, I really do want to get this handled (maybe not figured out, the mind is so complex it may never be possible to figure out, but HANDLED) before my surgery. She sees many WLS patients and says usually when people fail it's because they didn't have a plan in place to fill the void.

Happy beautiful day indeed!!! Congratulations to you on losing 100# that is incredible and what a perfect birthday gift! Thanks for sharing, this is so inspirational to us pre-oppers!

I am excited to see the gherlin levels stay down, I had been wondering about that since I've made the decision to do this. Sounds like ppi's might be in many of our futures..but small price to pay for overall improvement of health. Thanks for posting!

No I haven't, but...run with it!! The surgeon probably knows the routine well enough to know you won't be denied. I'd be so pumped. Anyway worst case scenario, you reschedule. Best of luck!

I am starting to lose my connection with food too, and I'm still 4 months out. Don't get me wrong I'm no health food fanatic, but over the last week or two I've found the foods I used to crave, binge on, hoard, and drive out of my way for are now just kind of "eh...."

Oh Mindy, I loved reading your story, it was so honest and well written. Although it's mostly about how weight has been a limitation, I feel so much hope coming from your words! Good luck and keep us posted.

Hopefully your insurance company can clarify which weight qualifies, they seem to have different requirements. At my first weigh in I landed right at BMI 40, and was told by the nurse navigator that I would still need to be 40 five months later (the last weigh in before surgery) to qualify. So basically I'm going to the nut classes as a poser. Frustrating because as I get pumped for surgery I'd like to begin the process of losing weight...I'm starting to mentally disengage from food and would like to begin some cardio. But I'm afraid to lose! After a lifetime weight struggle it sounds ridiculous to even say that. And to avoid losing I've apparently gone a little overboard...at my weight in last week I had gained.

When people ask how you are losing, just say you got some help from your doctor. Hopefully that would be enough to satisfy their curiosity. If they want more details (as I remember sooo many times when I've lost weight before - i.e. "omg- tell me your secrets!") you can say, "ya know, weight loss is very different for everyone...if you want to lose weight I'd suggest going to your doctor to discuss the best method for you."

Mike too bad about the blood clot, but glad it's the 'friendly' kind - as blood clots go. Not sure about the abdominal binder (I think most people get them while still in the hospital) but maybe someone else knows if you can buy them at a drugstore or something. For the ticker, just click on someone else's....it will open a window to Tickerfactory where you can create your own. Then you just have to copy & paste it into your profile by going into settings/change signature. Congrats on your success so far! keep it up!

lmao! a great one!

thanks for listening to my vent, I know it's trivial. I'm blessed to have insurance coverage although sometimes I wish I had enough money to just get it done now! especially when the insurance requirements are a joke.

Class 3 of 6 today. I drove an hour each way to hear a lecture on diabetes and how to treat hypoglycemia. A yawn if you’re not diabetic…and only 2 people in the class were. I am thankful I have insurance coverage, but would think the topics would be more universally geared toward all patients. It’s just so hard to wait when I want my sleeve NOW! 3 more classes and hopefully I’ll get a date!

It'll be so great to mark all those things off your list! I posted a similar list when I joined the board a few weeks ago, went something like this: 1. ability to hike/walk/swim on vacations without limitation 2. doctor will take me off meds for polycystic ovaries if I get below 200# 3. save money on fast food 4. shopping & clothes...feeling good about my size & how I look in them 5. to bike like I used to with friends I cannot wait to look back on this list and check-check-check them all off!

That is so cool! I cannot wait to do those things again after I'm sleeved! Thanks for sharing.

Dawn, thanks for sharing. I'd bet almost everyone here has a story like yours of the amusement park, a moment which sticks in our mind as to why we HATE being fat. Mine was on a recent trip to San Francisco...it's a place I've always wanted to go, and overall I had a great time but was frequently annoyed with how tired I got while walking around and how my feet/ankles/back hurt. I am pretty sure my thin friend was a bit annoyed too, although she didn't let on. Best of luck to you!