AnneG

Yes, wishing you the best and can't wait to hear how everything went. Congrats!

Hi Bruce- Welcome

Congrats! Glad to hear that things went well and that you are home recovering nicely.

It's been a long journey and a fight every step of the way but I'm sitting here at what should be the

last bit of pre surgical ordeal. I really hope things go more smoothly.

There are some things that are important that I can't even really go into right now because I'm going to

go back after I have surgery to really take on the full scope of the situation so that I can give my full attention to it but-

I started this journey last year and went to a seminar in November of 2010. In January I called to

confirm coverage and was told I did not have coverage for any type of weight loss surgery.

That was a real bummer and set back because my company switched medical insurance companies and

we were told that our coverage would not change in any way and with our previous insurance policy we did have wls coverage.

I spent about a month back and forth with the human resources dept of my company and with the insurance company

only to get some wording issue that stated oh!- sure we have coverage but only a pcp can perform

any kind of surgical wls- this was just really over the top because we all know that a pcp can not perform

bariatric surgery and so it seemed that the wording was implemented to suggest coverage but not really..

Ya know? It was SO wrong. Anyway- It took another month and our company had to review regarding the medical policy coverage dept about the small print of our insurance policy and they got it all sorted out and I was notified that I did indeed have

coverage. Thank God! I can't begin to express the amount of time I spent going back and forth trying to

get to the bottom of that situation.

After that was cleared up things went pretty quickly- I went in for my consult, scheduled lab work,

a light scan, and psych eval, support group meeting, and classes with the nutritionist and an exercise class.

I was notified that I had h.pylori. I'd never even heard of it. Have no idea how I might have contracted it-

and never had any symptoms relating to it. Not even one. I also was told that I had a serious Vitamin D

deficiency. I thought that was odd because I'd been taking Vitamin D supplements for nearly 2 years and

thought I was probably right around target area for that.

H. Pylori was a 6 week set back because I had to take the PrevPak for 2 weeks and then wait for 4 weeks

to be retested. My test came back negative at the end of 6 weeks. That was a relief.

I also felt much better after taking the Vitamin D. 50,000 iu per week. I hadn't realized how crappy I'd been

feeling relating to that issue. I'd been getting sick really easily for some years which is why I initially began

supplementing. I also had a lot of muscle and bone type pain which I attributed to arthritis but it's really

decreased significantly since I've been supplementing with the prescription vitamin d. I'm finished with the

prescription doses they gave me but you know, to be honest, I'd like to stay on it for a while longer.

I'm supposed to get my levels retested soon so that will give me a clue regarding if I'm back up to

normal levels just yet.

I'm really glad that I had that test and found out that I was in need of higher dosage of supplements- its

made a huge difference in how I feel and I've not gotten sick in months- not even once.

After doing all of the pre surgical requirements there was an issue that I was concerned about and

mentioned to my surgeons office and they seemed to not be too concerned about it.

I don't want to go too much into detail- just yet but- it was a really serious thing that happened-

I had a problem with a health care professional NOT related to my surgeons office or staff-

Needless to say, this health care person- caused a huge problem for me due to some issue on her part-

and it caused my insurance to deny me. She actually did it intentionally and it really upset me-

It didn't just upset me- it appalled me- I can't believe someone would or even could do something so terribly

unprofessional and just wrong! Anyway- the bottom line is I'm not one to stay down long when someone kicks me.

I'm pretty good at working through problems- resolving things over the long haul- I'm consistent and dedicated.

I'm a great researcher on my own and very willing to listen to the feedback of others to learn through their

experience and implement advice given to me.

And so, of course I did not give up when I hit this unfortunate obstacle. But I'm not finished with it by a long

shot. No. I'm not finished with it for so many reasons. But mostly I'm not finished with it because I can't

sit back and not address it because I know this person will do this again to some unsuspecting poor soul-

and the next person might not know how to work through the blow- It's not right and it's not fair.

So, after I have surgery, I'm definitely coming back to deal with that issue very indepth and I probably

will write it all up here in detail.

In the meantime I worked very hard to undo the damage and spent the past 3 weeks writing very long wordy

essays on my behalf and enlisted other medical professionals who stood behind me who did the same. Which was very liberating

and definitely gave back some of the strength and confidence I'd lost with that last battle which did kick my butt- no doubt about it-

But that's ok- I'm ok if I don't win every battle..but I WILL WIN THIS WAR. Yes, I will.

I've come too far to back down and I will have a successful surgery, recovery, and reclaim my health which

is my goal.. that IS WINNING THE WAR!

So- I'm sitting here this week, waiting to see if my insurance company will approve my surgery- after having

denied it. My surgeons team has been awesome- I feel very confident and know I'm in good hands.

I just really hope- the insurance finds things in my favor with approval now and that we can go forward because

I'm ready.

Some people have had great success with the e-cig.

You can get e-liquid of varying mgs of nicotine to help step down over time-

all the way down to 0mg.

It worked for me.

I'm in Hampton Roads- anyone else local?

20lbs! Way to Go! Congrats! :party4:

I'm jumping through hoops too. Seems like that's all I've been doing from the get go.

I'm hoping I'm nearing the end- I'm just waiting for more info to be sent in to resolve my insurance denial-

some days it's hard to keep going..but I know it will be worth it in the long run and hopefully we will all be able

to sit back and remember the journey from a much better and lighter angle in months to come.

Hang in there and just keep putting one foot in front of the other- staying on track.

That is fabulous news for you two! Not too much longer.

Fantastic on the weight loss!

Way to go!

Congrats on completing your 6 month diet and all of the pre surgery requirements. Almost there!

Hoping you are doing better and keeping you in prayer. I'll check back for updates.

Yes Great idea- thanks so much and adding that to my list right now.

Where did you purchase that?

Hope you are doing well- update us when you get a chance.

I saw my surgeon for consult on March 4th and went through the list

of things he required lightening fast. The only thing I have left to do

is the Psych eval which is this Tuesday. My labs came back positive for

h-pylori and showed that I'm Vitamin D deficient. My level was 15.

So, now I have to hold off 6 weeks on getting my approval submitted to the

insurance because they said I have to do the 2 week prevpac for the h-pylori

and then 4 weeks later I must test negative. If in the event I test positive for

elevated levels again- then I have to do another regimen of treatment which

I gather is at least yet another 6 weeks. Previously I had no symptoms-

It was news to me that I had an issue.

Has anyone else experienced this situation?

I hope more people reply here because I just tried one of those whey Protein Drinks and I feel very sick- my stomach is really upset and I definitely need to find something alternative before surgery.

Good luck, hope everything goes really well for you and cant wait to hear

your updates.

Welcome

I'm out of recovery and have been in my room for 2.5 hrs. Doing good. Some soreness but no nausea or dizziness. Actually feels better to get up and walk. Ice chips never tasted so good. Might leave tomorrow since I am doing good. Oh yeah, fhey repaired a umbilical hernia that I didn't know I had. Talk to you later when I get home. Going to take a nap.....

Fantastic! Glad everything went smoothly and well and looking forward to hearing from you when you get home.

Hope your surgery went smoothly and that you are doing well.

Let us know when you get a chance.

Best wishes and speedy recovery.

hi everyone!! just found this site and have abandoned my homework to read sleeve stories i'm having the sleeve surgery in 5 days and i could not be happier! can anyone tell me what to expect the first week after surgery? how long did it take everyone to be up and about??

surgery will be done by Mark Fontana in Norfolk, VA. hoping to lose 101 pounds!

Mark Fontana is also my doctor! I'm a newbie here-

but wanted to say hi and good luck this week with surgery hope to read your surgery story- and I'm taking notes here.