GreginMI

I have a divot where my drain was. The doctor said mine wasn't as bad as most and it will go away as I lose weight.

I didn't have to do any pre-op diet other than the 8 days low fat diet before surgery. What my insurance company meant was that I had to fill out a form in the surgeon's office and write down the years and types of diet attempts. i.e., 1988 Richard SImmons Deal-a-meal, 1993 Weight Watchers, 2001 Slim Fast, 2006 Nutri-system, etc. That's all I had to do for my insurance to approve me. I guess what it actually means varies from insurance to insurance. You should call your insurance person at your surgeon's office. She should know. They have to find out that kind of stuff. I would think if yours is like mine then all that stuff you mentioned would indeed count.

I've been getting some of that kind of attention lately too and I must turn three shades of red when I do!! I'm not complaining, though!!

I had my drain removed after a week. It was a pain in the butt for sure. Don't be scared about getting it removed. It was a really funny feeling coming out but there was little to no pain. It's great to get it out, trust me!!

I too have lost 55 lbs and people are telling me I look great, even though I have 75 lbs to go. It's so exciting because I KNOW this is going to happen! YAAHHH HOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

My previous doctor wouldn't even TALK about bariatric surgery with me and guess what? He was about 400 lbs himself! So I found a "fit" doctor who was more than pleased to refer me. I honestly don't see how a doctor can eat that unhealthy and then be able to help you with your weight. So if yours won't refer you, like everyone else said, find a new one! I did and my sleeve is awesome! I'm 55 lbs down (including 8 days pre-op diet) and 75 to go after 6 weeks post op!

I know my follow up care includes blood work to make sure all my levels are okay and monitoring on weight loss and meetings with the nutritionist to make sure I'm eating right. It's quite helpful.

I grew up in Adrian and graduated from there. I live near Saline now. I know where the Barix clinic is in Ypsi. I had mine done in Livonia at St. Mary's hospital with Dr. Zeni but I know some people that had their surgery at Barix and they were happy. Good luck to you, neighbor!

Are you sure you have to wait 8 days for your disability to kick in? That's the way mine is UNLESS you're in the hospital the first day of your claim so mine paid from day 1 because my first day of disability was my day of surgery and I was hospitalized. Maybe something to look into.

It took me such a short time to get my surgery date that I was shocked! I went in for a consultation with the surgeon and THAT DAY I got my surgery date. It was April and they said they still had some openings in May if I wanted it but I said I'd wait until June 6th. Even that date wasn't very far off. I did all my tests and pre-requisites in 6 weeks. It couldn't have gone any smoother. I have Michigan BCBS.

That's why I didn't tell anyone before my surgery. I didn't want to deal with people trying to change my mind or hearing about all the WLS horror stories they'd heard about.

Your stomach is healed, some of your internal parts might still be sensitive to the surgery you had. But if your stomach wasn't fully healed, they wouldn't let you exercise or eat solid food.

Is that all you talk about is food? There's more to life than FOOD!

I haven't said anything on Facebook nor do I go around with a bullhorn announcing it, but if someone asks me, I'll tell them.

Thanks greeneyedmamma!

Glad it's all worked out for you. Yes, it is an individual decision whether to tell or not and it isn't for everyone. If you're lucky enough to work with a bunch of positive supportive people who love you then it's a great decision. If you're a private person and barely know your co-workers on a personal level then maybe it's not the best idea. I've worked with most of the people I'm talking about for almost 20 years. I've seen their children born and went to high school graduations of those same kids, went on vacation with them, etc. I spend more time with them than I do my family.

Thanks Paul! And to you as well!

I take Benefiber every day. It's Fiber that dissolves in any liquid without taste. It keeps you regular. It's not uncommon to only go once a week. It seems most of us have bouts with constipation. You just have to do things to counteract it.

It's no fun. But it will get better. Just follow your doctor's orders and you'll be bouncing back in no time! Congrats on getting sleeved. Welcome to the loser's bench!

Thanks Kelly! I've been following your posts and it looks like you've been doing great and educating a lot of newbies on this site. Good job!

Wow, that's awesome. Thanks for the invite and if I get down there I might just stop in for that meal. It just makes it easier for me to have my co-workers know because we go to lunch and things and now they know why I'm only ordering a small cup of chili or not drinking beer or doing things out of the ordinary. I just wanted to be able to do what I have to do without having to explain things away all the time like not drinking during eating or not eating the pizza or donuts the boss bought for everyone. The "I'm on a diet" will only go so long. It will make it a lot better in the workplace.

That's great! I know that some people work with some not-so-nice people so it probably isn't good for everyone to do, but it was right for me and I'm glad now! Glad it worked out for him!

I decided even before my surgery that I was going to tell the people I work with about my surgery. I know a lot of people on here have kept it a secret and that's fine for them, but for me it was important to feel like I wasn't hiding anything. I wasn't sure if I would be judged or not but at the same time I didn't care either. There would be no whispering and talking behind my back when the weight started falling off. They would know why I was losing weight. I told a few of my friends from work after my surgery and told them to let the people at work know where I was going to be for the 4 weeks I was off so most would know by the time I returned. So 2 days ago was my first day back to work and I have to say it's went better than I could ever have imagined. I work at a big 3 auto plant so there are a lot of people there. I got so many hand shakes and welcome backs that it was almost overwhelming. They asked how I was feeling and asked how much weight I had lost and I told them about 50 lbs. and they all thought it was great. Even my boss said I looked great and said they were all proud of me for doing it. I have to say I work with some great people. If there have been negative reactions or remarks I don't know about it and that's fine with me. People have even been approaching me and asking all sorts of questions about the surgery and if I'm hungry and what can I eat now. I've become somewhat of a tutor to those that want to learn about it. Most people don't know much about it I've found. Hey if I can help somebody start their journey then it was worth telling people. I'm pretty happy about the situation as you can tell! So whether you tell or not is up to you. It is a personal issue. I'm just the kind of person that can't leave that kind of thing inside.

Yes, thank you.

The other day my girlfriend was saying she heard that for every 50 lbs of weight loss you get another inch of penis because the fat at the base of the penis goes away. We had always said our sex was probably so great because my penis was exactly the right length so that the end hits her G-spot when we have sex. Well losing weight would make the penis be able to go in farther and might shoot right past her G-spot and our sex might not be as good. So what did she say to that? We might have to throw a couple donuts on it as a "stop" if that happens. Hahahaha I laughed my ass off at that!