former_vbg

That is fabulous! What a way to kick off 2012!!! Just think where you will be come 2013!!! It only gets better baby!!

My one week check in. I did quite well this week, but have been on all liquids to kick start my stall. I moved from the Obese BMI category to the Overweight category. 10# to get to goal as of this week. Surgery weight: 271 Starting V-Day Challenge weight: 179 Current weight: 170 Valentines goal weight: 160 Final goal weight: 135

Well, I don't think there are many Dr.'s who encourage soda- but several have different reasons for doing so. My Dr. said it was because of the carbonation and the air it would create in our stomachs. He does not believe it stretches the sleeve, says its physically not possible. I am a Diet Pepsi Wild Cherry addict (before surgery and now). I have about one 20oz Diet Pepsi Wild Cherry per day and it has not affected my weight loss at all. Now before surgery, I could drink several bottles or cans of that stuff, now it takes me an entire day to drink it because of the carbonation. I do drink some Water, but usually more crystal lite. I don't like coffee, tea, etc.... so my choices in healthy things to stay hydrated are limited. Anyways, do what you feel works best for you and of course follow your Dr's orders. What I am doing works just fine for me. 101# down in 6 months and 1 week, 35# more to go.

PM me your email address and I will try to get those to you in the next few days. I'm in the middle of a bathroom remodel, so things are a bit hectic at the moment.

Well, that does suck with a capital "S". Before you start thinking you would be better off with self pay, you might check to see what the contracted rate they have for the Sleeve. Depending on the area, I'm going to say the Dr.'s only get around $8K, but then you also want to think about all the ancillary charges like the anisthesiologist, the overnight (or 2 ) at the hospital, etc, etc.... Everybody puts their hand in the pot looking for money. Not to scare you, but I have Aetna PPO who approved me pretty quickly. I saw the EOB and Aetna was billed $83,000 for my hospital bill (2 nights) and I had absolutely no complications or special needs (they were "only" paid $52,000). Then, there was a bill from the Dr. for the surgery and I want to say he billed something like $15K, was only paid $8K, then there was misc bills for blood work, anisthesiologist and I can't remember what else. If you want to see my EOB's, I am happy to share them. I will omit any confidential information, but that can give you an idea of what all is billed. The other thing to consider since you have no cap is that if there are complications, you won't know that until after its all done. I would say just do your research on all your options and then decide what you are most comfortable with. I know some people have said they have purchased some sort of post-op care insurance for U.S. patients that covers them if they paid a set price for their surgery and then encounter complications. It's been quite some time ago, but I want to say it was like maybe $250. I have a friend who had the Sleeve the same day as me, same hospital, different Dr. and paid $12K for the whole thing. Don't ask me the desparity on that one because it made no sense to me except they know how to work the insurance companies. Good luck!

Thank you for the support guys, it means a lot!

Thank you!

Thank goodness for soft squissy office chairs! I am afraid I might "toot" on the way to the bathroom. LOL

Kind of silly to Celebrate being "overweight" using the BMI scale- but today I moved from being obese to overweight!!! I'm going to ask a friend to take some pictures of me next week. VERY few people know I had surgery and I'm still self-concsious of having photos taken, so will ask a friend who knows I had the surgery. And, 2# away from 100# weight loss

Like Catie said, every plan is different. Just to share my experience, I had Aetna PPO. I did not need a referral from anyone because I had and still have a PPO plan (does not require referrals for anything). I was sure to be familiar with their policy bulletins, talked with customer service to be sure I understood the bulletins. Also, bonus was I did not have to do a supervised diet for the approval (thank GOD!). Good luck to you on getting a speedy approval!

Ok, I'm scratching my head on this one. A way I have found recently to combat these long stalls and the weight loss that has slowed dramatically in the past months, I have gone to doing all liquid diet (mostly just broth, crystal light and sometimes diet pepsi wild cherry). It's been working to break the stall. Please no lectures that doesn't support long term healthy eating/ maintenance. I have a long history of sabatoging myself when I do really well on weight loss only to have it come to a grinding halt short of my final goal and puts me into a vicious cycle of lose/ gain/ lose/ gain. Yes, I am seeing a therapist and have been since before surgery. I am getting so close to my final goal, I can't bear to go through any sort of lose/ gain cycle. So, here is my question that baffles me. Normally, I only get gas if I eat chocolate, Beans or pepperoni slices (don't understand that one). But, anyways, I find I have an abnormal amount of flatulence while doing the all liquid diet. They don't have an odor, just small noisy ones. Anyone?

That is AMAZING!!! Congratulations!!!

I'm in!!! I have a habit of setting the bar a little too high as well, but like you Forensikchick it tends to make me work harder. Plus, I bought my ticket to go see my friend in Germany at the end of March and I really want to rock this sleeve! Surgery weight: 271 Current weight: 179 Valentines goal weight: 160 Final goal weight: 135

Almost everyone goes through the 3 week stall. It appears to be related to your body moving from the liquids/ mushies to solid foods and your body is adjusting. Just stay on the program and you will break your stall- I promise. Hang in there!!

I am just barely 6 mths out and the weight loss has really really come to a slow. During the past couple of weeks, I actually gained 4# with the various treats non-stop at the office. I think I can gain weight just looking at bad food. Thankfully, I got it under control and lost it now. It's time to crank it up a notch and loose the last 45#!!! Winter time is much harder for me because it forces me inside more. It helps when I can be outside doing the mowing and other things that help burn the calories.

Well, I didn't quite make it. I fell short 4#, a bummer, but just going to keep going. Surgery weight: 271 Starting Halloween weight: 195 Current weight: 179 Xmas Goal weight: 175 Final Goal weight: 135

I feel fortunate I never had to do any sort of pre-op diet, only 12 hrs before surgery. As for worrying about the 1 or 2 wks of liquid diet after surgery- not to worry. Your body goes through such a major change, between your recovery process and adjusting to your new stomach, you will not have issues with with the liquid diet. Good luck!

I am 40. The surgeon told me the implants are not forever and I have seen research that seems to back this up. That the implants will have to be replaced likely within 10 (maybe 15 yrs). I'm not interested in that. She said if you don't do that, the implants can become hardened and make it difficult or impossible to detect breast cancer and possibly create other health issues. That's assuming the implant doesn't rupture or leak and while technology has improved, it is still taking on a known chance it could happen. Yes, my insurance will be well aware of my VSG- but so would any other insurance company. There is a file just like your driving record that ALL insurance companies have access to on this type of information. I used to work for Quest Diagnostics and there isn't hardly anything they can't see with or without your permission. HIPPA does play a part, but there are backdoors that allow insurance companies with much more information than what we might expect. So, as far as approval, really I see it as a bonus that they know really. I am documenting the heck out of all the things that I know will assist in getting approval. It can be done. I still have about 40# to loose before I do anything at this point. THey also recommend being stabilized in the weight loss for at least 6 mths- so I will just continue to document the issues and deal with the approval process when the time comes. My question was more back to everyone about my expectations of the surgeon and her general lack of displaying confidence about what I could expect. Like I said, I am not trying to become some Barbie- but if I end up paying $7K on having the girls lifted, I want to know what I can expect and not just a "wait and see" attitude.

Ok, so I just got back from my first consult w/a plastics surgeon. I'm sort of on the fence whether I like her or not. I understand that all surgeries carry a risk, results not guaranteed, blah blah blah.... I just couldn't really get a sense of confidence from her that I would be happy with the results. All she really could say with confidence is that I would look better than I do now. They did take pictures (ugh!!), but I know that's important for documentation purposes. I don't have some preconceived notion that I will look like Barbie or some silly thing. But, I want my "ta ta's" to be taunt. I'm ok with waiting until I get to my goal and my weight has stabilized- that's fine. I know that will lead to better long lasting results. I just can't help but feel like the surgeon should have more confidence in the outcome and be able to tell me they will or won't be able to "stand to attention" instead of like the flat tires they are now. I do plan to visit at least one more plastic surgeon just for another opinion- had planned to do that anyways. But, just want to know if I have the right expectations going into this. Oh, and she quoted me just a tad above $7,000 for the breast lift (no implants). I'm not really wanting implants, I fear leaks or other things down the road. She told me I would be looking at having another surgery in 10 to 15 yrs to redo them just because of the body's changes that go on as we age. That's enough for me not to do implants. Am I being unreasonable?

I'm going to go out on a limb here that by the decreased number of people posting their progress, people are maybe struggling meeting their xmas goal. So, imo- the sooner the better. I personally had a good break through, but then all this past week I've been struggling with all the goodies at work and soooo... I'm up 3# from where I was. It's nobody's fault but my own. Thank God this sleeve keeps me from doing too much damage!

Welcome back Tiff!! You have been missed. Have a safe trip and a wonderful Christmas!

Definitely count me in!!!

I do very little make up to be honest, other than foundation and eyeliner. Long eyelashes would bother me personally, but they do look pretty on other people. The only issue I have for hair growth is right under my chin, no side burns or anything. I will check around when I get closer to goal for someone to do laser treatments. What is PCOS?

Congratulations!!! You deserve a special treatment at the spa!!! Or, at the very least some special for yourself...whatever that is for you.

Ok, so just so help me understand. I'm light skinned caucasion, but have dark chin hairs. I have to shave every other day which is highly annoying. And, talk about embarrassing if on a date and there is even a slight "5'oclock shadow".... Would laser removal work for me? Years ago, I tried some treatment where they did this treatment where they put some clear gel or something and then moved a pulsating device over it for like 10 or 15 minutes, can't remember. Was worthless!! How long do laser treatments take per session?