educationrulz

Stacey, It sounds like you're in the right frame of mind to make the trip by yourself and there is some great advice here and on some of the other threads. I remember seeing some others threads about traveling to Mexico alone with some other great suggestions about what to pack. The hibicleanse sounds like a good idea. I've had docs here in the US have me bathe with that the morning of a surgery even though they sanitize your skin in the OR. If I wasn't able to get insurance to cover this I would definitely be making plans to go to Mexico for surgery. Knowing me, I would probably end up doing it solo. I can see the point that several people have made that it would be nice to just sleep and rest without worrying about what your companion is doing. I hope everything goes smoothly for you and I can't wait to hear about your progress post-op.

WOW! 49lbs! Great job. Congratulations and welcome.

Hey Jen. I too am sending good thoughts your way. The great thing about this forum is that when we post the problems we're having, it forces us to think more logically about what we have been doing. Clearly you're already doing that now. In terms of the gallbladder surgery, it might actually be a positive thing. Assuming you have insurance here in the US, there could be some difficulty with getting sleeve complications paid for since it was done "off-insurance". So, maybe if you proceed with the gallbladder treatment as a totally separate issue (with your PCP's cooperation and creative documentation), you can probably get treatment on the side for your incisions and any other sleeve issues you're having during that treatment. Just make sure all of your visits are documentated as treatment for the gallbladder and then get those incisions taken care of and monitored. Let us know how you're doing.

Hey Sassie, I think this all depends on your doctor and your payment status - insurance vs self-pay. It seems like the self-pay sleevers tend to get scheduled pretty quickly after consultation assuming their financing is already lined up. I actually was able to request a tentative surgery date pending insurance approval, but I don't consider it an official date. I've handled most of my interactions with the docs office over the phone since my consult a coupld of months ago. I'm hoping everything will fall into place and I can keep my tentative surgery date. Good luck with everything.

Hey VV. I haven't been through the fire yet, but I feel your pain. I can only imagine how it must feel to sit around people and not be able to eat any of what they're having. I'm really worried about that. But, try to keep in mind that very soon, you will be able to eat small amounts of what everyone else is eating. And from what others here say, you'll be satisfied with that small amount. Counseling or joining an existing WLS support group should help you develop some good strategies to deal with these kinds of situations. I'm doing individual now and might switch to a support group post-op. I personally think scales are evil and should be avoided in the early stages of weight loss. Any weight gain or lack of weight loss can send you in a downward spiral immediately. Instead of weighing yourself, keep focusing on the change in how your clothes fit and let your weigh-ins happen at the docs office. Also, please continue to be careful with your diet. It sounds like you're doing a really good job with that or you wouldn't be so frustrated. :crying: I'm nobody to preach about good eating habits, but better safe than sorry. I would consider contacting your surgeon's office to see if someone can review your diet with you. Maybe there's something you could be eating that's more satistying but it just hasn't occured to you yet, or you forgot about it. I've heard of people being blamed for post-surgical complications, like leaks, because supposedly they ate something they weren't supposed to early on. I personally think that's rubbish in most cases, but we know it's a possibility. Why risk it?

Nikki, I might as well jump in the boat with you because I know that once my mom finds out about my surgery (I won't be telling her until afterward), she's going to feel the need or right to tell everyone my business. I guess that's another reason I've decided to get over my strong desire to keep it private after the surgery. Since other people might try to gain attention or whatever by telling my business, I'm going to take some control over the situation by telling people the way I want to tell them, not the way someone else wants to tell them that I had surgery. I know that my mom likes to feel important by being able to tell people this kind of stuff. I don't think she means any harm - I guess she just wants something interesting to say sometimes. So, I'm already prepared to be embarrassed. :blushing: I definitely don't think this is something that needs to be shouted out at the gym. You don't owe those people any explanations. It's not like telling your friends or co-workers. I've decided to tell mine so I don't have to deal with the same questions every day about how I lost weight and why I'm not eating. Once the word is out, they can all leave me the heck alone and let me do my job. I do think you should make sure your mom knows how you feel and that it's your business to tell people, not hers. Maybe you could try cancelling some trips to the gym or other places with her until she takes you seriously.

Do we have to take an antacid forever, like the vitamins?

I tend to agree with seaview. Although I watch lots of medical shows and operations on tv, when it gets close in time to me a having a specific procedure, I don't want to see it performed anymore. Those youtube videos are way more in your face than watching it on tv, so I know I can't handle that. But, I don't have any problem reading about it and continuing my research right up until the big day. Just say no to the graphic videos and stick to the video blogs by WLS patients.

Here's another one I came across today. I don't think this was mentioned yet. Not necessarily as scientific as some other sites, but still interesting. I particularly liked the articles on one page about single incision lap WLS and the ROSE procedure, which is related to stompaphx. I wouldn't take these articles as verified sources since there are no true references, but each article seems to list the original source of the info, so these are a good starting point for some more intensive research. I also clicked on the home page to view other WLS info. Weight Loss Surgery News Weight Loss Surgery News

AHHH!!! The new battlecry for VSGers...Lookin' so cool wit yo pants on the ground. Lookin' so slim wit yo pants on the ground. Love it!

You look GREAT Tiffy! I know from your posts that it was a hard journey to get where you are now from the complications with your revision, but I can tell you appreciate your success sooo much more because of how difficult it was. I agree with everyone that you are a marvelous inspiration. I can't wait for next spring/summer to wear some cute dresses. Like you, I have never experienced that. Oh the little things in life...:tongue_smilie:

Hey Anna. Congrats on your upcoming surgery date. Most doctors seem to feel that it's important to shrink the liver as much as possible before surgery, and my understanding of that is that low carbs are the key. My doctor requires a two week (I think?) pre-op low carb diet, while others require liquid diets. Some seem to feel that it would take longer than 2-4 weeks to shrink the liver, so they don't require a pre-op diet. Personally, I don't get all the differences in pre-op and post-op diets, but I guess as long as you do what your doctor is comfortable with, you'll be fine. You've got a good month before surgery, so I would work on that if you want to be proactive before surgery. At least it will give you something to focus on while you wait for the month to pass. Keep us up to date on your progress.

I keep coming across some great websites and articles accidentally as I click on various links. I generally avoid doctor's websites because that feels more like a sales pitch to me, even though there may be some good info there. I also like to read the research articles on the medical data related to WLS but that's not enjoyable for everyone. I know that a regular poster here, Tiffykins, has some great links to research articles about WLS and VSG. Since your insurance will probably require some months of hoop jumping before they will approve your surgery, you should have plenty of time to make an informed decision. I'm in my 5th of 6 months and I've found that the information out there has pretty much strengthened my desire to have the surgery. Good luck and welcome!

I think that's a great way to get around the insurance issue by submitting it as a two stage procedure but only getting the VSG. Be careful about this though. I remember reading somewhere that there was a surgeon who did this with a lot of patients and the insurance company caught on and there were some kind of sanctions. I don't know that they'd go so far as making you pay for the VSG if you didn't go through with the second stage, but I guess anything's possible. It seems less likely though that they would push the issue since more and more insurers are approving the procedure. Kaiser, Tricare, UHC, and now Aetna have general approvals for the VSG. Those are just the ones I can think of. I can't remember where I read that about the surgeon getting caught not doing the second stag of the DS, but maybe someone else out there will recall seeing that info. I think in your position I probably would take my chances since the other alternative would be to be a self pay, so I'd end up having to pay someone anyway.

I can only imagine how excited you are. It's great that you'll have your husband there for support. I hope you have an uneventful surgery and are able to log on soon after to let us know how you're doing.

Hi everyone. I have been on the VST and OH forums since December, but I primarily post on VST. I don't participate much on OH, but I do enjoy the blogs there - I guess because they are continuous and not individual links for each blog. But, I feel more at home here on VST, so I've decided to post my first blog here. I'll probably go there at some point and post a blog also. My journey is still pretty much in the early stages, so I feel a little scattered at this point. I have struggled with my weight since late elementary school. Considering the fact that I have hit the big 4-0, that's a long time to be struggling with something. I've never been a really successful dieter, but have had a couple of points of good weight loss that never lasted more than a year. When I look back on those episodes, I can never pinpoint when and why I fell off the wagon, or how the weight seemed to creep back up on me. All I know with any certainty is that I'm tired - and tired of it. Something clicked in me after I turned 40 and I decided it was time to do something BIG for myself. Up until this time, I had never given WLS for myself more than a passing thought. I toyed with the idea of the lapband a couple of years ago, but let the thought slip away. Then, in December 2009, I just suddenly decided that I was going to do something definitive about my weight and stop the diet roller coaster. Initially, I went back to my earlier thoughts of doing the lapband because I couldn't get comfortable with the thought of the bypass. In the process of researching the lapband more intensively, I "discovered" the VSG. WOW!! I felt like the heavens had opened up for me. I knew immediately that this was the procedure for me and that I was about to make a positive change in my life that would have far reaching benefits. This time I didn't hesitate long and contacted the Bariatric Resource Center through my insurance (United Health Care). Once I got the ball rolling, it was pretty much steady and smooth. I was NOT happy at first about the 6 month song and dance they put us through to get approved for the surgery. I was especially irritated about the supervised diet since it was clear that if I lost too much weight and went under the BMI requirements I would be denied for surgery. What a bunch of BS! What's the point of making people diet for 6 months and then penalizing them for losing too much weight? No matter...I just decided to not put too much energy into the dieting aspect of things. But, after a little soul searching, I decided to embrace the idea of the required psych eval and 6 months of counseling. After reading some of the stories on the forums, especially here on VST, I soon realized that there was going to be WAAAYY more psychological impact from WLS than I could ever have imagined. So, I elected to do individual counseling instead of support groups. My personality tends toward excessive privacy and I would never have participated fully in a support group. But I have found that I am very engaged in the individual counseling process and actually look forward to my sessions. Since my sister is the only person I have told that I'm having surgery (and she's out of town), I really don't have anyone to process things with - especially the things I come across on the forums. Discussing these things with my counselor has been very beneficial because I'm developing concrete strategies for how I'll actually handle some of the difficulties of life post-op. Each month, we discuss what has been most pressing in my mind in relation to the surgery (among other things). At my most recent session, we talked about how I plan to deal with all of the attention my weight loss will generate. This may not be a big deal for some people, but for someone like me who does NOT enjoy being the center of attention - especially when it's related to my appearance- this is going to be a big issue for me. I'm sure this is mostly because of my weight and being self-conscious about it for most of my life. But knowing where the tendency comes from doesn't change the fact that it's there. Overall, we both agreed that I'm going to have to suck it up and deal with it because I'm going to get lots of attention with the amount of weight this surgery will allow me to lose. I'm also going to have to be more gracious about the positive attention that I get and learn to embrace it. I think this has been sorely lacking in my past weight loss efforts - the attention and my graciousness for the little that was there. I've come to the recent conclusion that this is a big part of why I've never been able to maintain previous weight loss. I think at some point, I felt like it wasn't really getting me anywhere, so why keep struggling with my body and cravings. I know this is kind of a wierd conclusion since I said I don't like attention... So, here I am in my 5th month of the 6 month program for WLS approval. It seems like just yesterday that I made that life altering decision. Like most others here, I wish I had made the decision a long time ago so I could have enjoyed more of my life at a normal size. But, I think it happened at this time for a reason. For one thing, I clearly wasn't ready before. Now, it seems like the logical next step. I also made this decision right after the VSG became an approved procedure with my insurance company. Although I would definitely self-pay if that wasn't the case, I can't ignore that the timing for me was perfect. As I sit here writing all of this, I can see why blogging is so popular. Although I've discussed all of this with my counselor, there's some added benefit to just getting it out in writing. I hope to continue adding to this blog as I go through the final stages of my insurance approval process and my pre-op diet and testing. Hopefully I'll be able to post some things in the future that are informative. My tip for this particular stage would be to stay in contact with your surgeon's office to make sure that all of the records they will need from other doctors have been received. Sometimes it takes several requests to get the records there. If you are on a very specific timeline, it could delay your insurance approval and surgery date if you don't ensure that your records have been sent as requested. I'm sure this is not really a problem if you use providers that work closely with your surgeon, but I didn't go that route so I'm having to stay on top of things a little more so that I can get the surgery approved and done when I want to get it done. Thanks for reading and I hope to be back soon.

Congratulations! Let us know how you're doing when you feel up to posting.

I'm not a diet coke addict. I'm a regular coke/pepsi/pibb addict! So that's even worse because in addition to the fizz I'm getting the calories and the carbs too. I decided three days ago to switch to diet sodas so I could at least start ditching some carbs before I have to hit the low carb pre-op diet in May. This decision was triggered by the fact that I pulled out some of my spring capris and found one of my favorite pair to be tight in the stomach. I almost freaked out! :001_smile: I REFUSE to buy any bigger clothes before I have this surgery. I don't care if I have to wear the same three pair of pants to work from now until June. Anyway, I can't believe I haven't been aware of all the carbs in regular soda before now. DUHHH! I'm a fairly intelligent person, so clearly this was selective attention on my part. I've only had one or two regular sodas in the past three days (as opposed to two or three a day), so that's a major victory for me. I think I'm seeing some progress already because I tried those capris on again and was able to fasten them without drama. I'm going to stick with the diet sodas until I can decrease my cravings more and then start weaning off of them closer to surgery. Tea is a definite replacement drink for me. But being as I'm from the south, I only know how to order it as "sweet tea". :tongue_smilie:

Hey Deb. Welcome to the forum. Hopefully you'll get some replies from someone familiar with your insurance. But, if not, just be prepared to do a lot of web searches and make a lot of phone calls to the insurance folks. Good luck!

Did you ever investigate whether an ortho consult would help with establishing a comorbidity?

Fingers crossed! :tongue_smilie:

Not sure about this one Stacie, but I wanted to pop in on this thread to find out how you have been doing. Has your healing improved since your posts in February?

Congrats valleygirl! It's always comforting to hear about others getting this surgery approved through insurance since it still seems to be relatively new for most insurance companies. I've got about a month of pre-op requirements to go before my paperwork is submitted. I'm basically on the edge of my seat at this point. :crying: What all did you have to do for your plan in order to qualify?

It's funny that I came across this blog today because I actually talked to my WLS therapist today about how I'm going to deal with the extra attention I'm sure to get after I start losing weight. I'm definitely stressing about this in the back of my mind because I've never been one to like too much attention from others, especially when it comes to my appearance. It sounds like you've come up with some good techniques to deal with this kind of stuff. I'm thinking about running away to a whole new state and starting a new life as a normal-sized person where nobody thinks anything about what I do and what I look like. Then I won't have to deal with the food police, weight police, exercise police, and whoever else rears their ugly head. (Heavy sigh!) Guess I need to get through the surgery part first before I start worrying too much about the after-effects...

Jen, I am so sorry to hear about the problems you're having. I am glad that you are up to posting here on the forums because you don't need to be alone in your head at a time like this. There are definitely people around the forums who have had these experiences and can help you get through it, so keep talking to them even if you don't always post on the public forums. I'm also very happy for you that your doctors are working with you and not turning their backs on you like we hear of with some other people who had issues after surgery out of the US. It sounds like you're getting great follow up care. Stay on top of things and do your research so that no stone is left unturned. We're all wishing you a speedy recovery.