former_vbg

I actually had a size 30 bougie, but I think that's the smallest most surgeons go. I have heard of a size 28, but it just depends on your circumstances I guess. Most surgeons stick to one size though.

Keep watching because I had my surgery almost 2 months ago and most of these charges with the exception of my surgeon's fee just showed up this past week. Aetna gives them 120 days to submit charges. If that's all that shows up, that's great though!

I am doing well thanks, although I would NOT go back to Forest Park for surgery. It is a new facility, about 2 or 3 years old, but they do not follow standard medical care practices, their nursing staff in post-op are poor and their in-house Dr.'s don't even take the time to read your chart before coming to your room. The in-house Dr.'s are there to "cover" for your regular Dr. during your stay. The in-house doc came into my room and starts talking to me like I had the DS, thinking she was going to be the one to discharge me that day. I was furious that she couldn't take 30 seconds to read my chart. My surgeon didn't bother to come and see me until TWO DAYS after my surgery. Now, I did have surgery late in the day, but I did expect him to come visit me the next day, but he had overbooked his office visits and according to his office staff he just didn't have time. Fortunately, I had no complications, but I was by myself out of state and it was a bit nerve wracking to have all these concerning things happening with nobody communicating what was going on, or just wrong information. I told my surgeon's office that I will not be coming back for any post-op visits as this surgeon doesn't believe there is any reason to "see" you once you are done w/your surgery. Talk about "Sleeve'm and Leave'em"......

First, thank GOD I had insurance and was pre-approved, but I am appauled at what they charged. Forest Park actually sent a bill to Aetna for more than $83,000 and then it was reduced to the contract rate. They have billed on top of that several thousand more for things like the anesthesia, blood work, and some other charges I can't tell what they were for. What bewilders me is I know someone who had the EXACT same procedure, same day, same length of stay, no complications, same location and was a self-pay. She paid around $11,000 which INCLUDED the surgeon's fee. Yes, I know self-payers get a discount- as they should but the disparity between the two actually angers me because the cost of insurance keeps going up. The hospitals and doctors bill for sometimes double or triple what they KNOW they are contracted to be paid so they can write it off on their taxes. I sure wish I could do something like that on my taxes. Yeah, I didn't choose that profession, but nonetheless. Part of me wonders how much my doc gets of that hospital bill since he is one of the owners of that Dr. owned facility. Sure, it's no skin off my nose in theory, but it's the bigger picture that bothers me I guess.

For what it's worth, I will throw my 2cents in. As a single female, I have made the decision to not date until I get a little closer to my goal but that is a bit of a two edge sword here. If/when I meet someone at a more healthy weight, I will probably always have in the back of my head, "would he still like me at the weight I was?" Always having that fear of the food demons haunting me "what if I fail and gain it back, then will he run?" Mind you, I have no intentions of gaining anything back, but I can't predict what the future will look like in 5, 10, 20 years. Yes, your spouse/ partner is supposed to love you for who you are... but there is a realty that most of us know is not always the case. I know of one woman who had WLS and got down to a very slim size. It was about 2 years later when she left her husband who was still a bit overweight, but carried it well for a man. I don't think what she did was right, but she became very critical of him. On the other hand, if I were to start dating now, I also feel concerned about being distracted from reaching my goal. I have very little spare time as it is and it takes a lot of effort for me to get in exercise in the little time I do have and if I felt like I was having to make the choice to either go on a date or exercise, I would probably become resentful of that person. I don't think it's realistic to ask that person (particularly in a newer relationship) to exercise with you. I really hate dating for the most part as a heavier person because I can tell you I have experienced where you meet them for the first time and you can see in their eyes or body language, "oh, you are THAT heavy"..... Most of the time they are polite, and then you go on your merry way.... So, I guess I have become discouraged with the dating scene for now and at least for me, I have decided to wait for a while longer. Since you have already met someone, like others have said, if you feel like you can be honest with her about what lies ahead for you- then do so. If not, then I would not encourage the relationship to progress any further. Only you will know what feels right.

I'm just going to give you my opinion on this, but the medical reason Dr.'s tend to require the pre-op diet is because it helps to shrink the liver prior to surgery which helps reduce complications during surgery like nicking the liver and also giving them just a little more room to work. I think I have also heard that it makes the liver less "slimy", but I don't know for sure on that one. My Dr. was from Dallas and he did NOT have a pre-op diet, except to stop eating the night before. As for why some docs require it and others do not, personally I think it comes down to experience/ skill with working with the conditions I mentioned above. I never asked my doc why he didn't require it, but knowing him, he would probably have said it doesn't really make much difference. I think another reason some docs like their patients to do it is because they believe it will help prepare them for life after surgery and to get them mentally and physically prepared for what is to come. I am glad I didn't have to do the pre-op diet, although I know others were glad they did have to- so it comes down to a personal choice/ preferences.

I'm not wanting to risk anything. It has to do with finding stuff that I like to drink that "fits the bill" without giving me a BIG $$ bill in exchange. I really don't care to pay $1 plus per drink, but might buy a few to supplement here or there I guess. The thing is I LIKE carbonation, and I'm looking for others to give their input on their experiences who have drank this. I am drinking more Water than I ever used to, but I still need something else to break up the monotony.

Ok, I will be two months out from surgery on 8/22 and I have noticed my weight loss has REALLY REALLY slowed down. I know its natural to go through stalls, etc.... I have watched my food choices and keep my carbs to usually less than 15 or 20 per day. Probably the one thing I have done that has been against the NUTS (from the surgeon's office) advice is about drinking Diet soda. I have not drank a lot, but I was getting really sick of crystal lite, do not like tea, needing something different than just Water. I also found this stuff at Walmart that I don't know if it is classified as carbonated water or diet soda. It comes in a liter, and has ZERO calories, ZERO anything. But, it is REALLY good and satisfies that sweet tooth. I'm just wondering if others have noticed drinking diet soda has affected their weight loss. I guess it doesn't make sense to me because its zero calories and it's not causing me to crave foods I shouldn't eat. Anybody?

I understand you are anxious, but the first 6 to 8 months are the most critical for you to reach your goal. Most who are out 12 months or better talk about how much more difficult it is to loose the weight. And, if you get pregnant you will need to gain weight for the sake of the baby. Personally, I would be afraid of not ever getting to goal getting pregnant this soon- particularly with only being halfway to your goal. That's just my opinion. You should PM Tiffkins on this as she is now pregnant, but I'm pretty sure she waited not only until after she reached goal but for a period of time after that. She is an excellent source of information on this site.

Just an FYI- to be aware of this facility. I had my surgery there at the end of June. I had VERY poor care by the nurses post-op. I would push the button for pain medicine, they would send an LPN to my room to ask me what was wrong- I would tell them I was in pain and needed meds and I wouldn't see anyone for an hour. I asked for one of those trapeze things for above my bed because I was having trouble getting in/ out due to the abdominal pain and the nurse says to me, "just reach up at the top of the bed arms and pull yourself up". I'm like WTF??? Then, very few of them wear gloves when they draw blood which is an OSHA violation. When I said something to my Dr., he acted like it was no big deal. I just shook my head. Oh, and then get this. The in-house Dr. that comes to check on you? They don't bother to read your chart before they walk into your room. They just assume the kind of surgery you had based on the Dr. you have. Some docs are notorious for DS, others the Sleeve, etc. This in-house Dr. walks into my room and starts talking to me like I had the DS and how she was going to discharge me that day. And, I was like I don't think so. I didn't say this to her face, but wanted to. If she couldn't take 30 seconds to read my chart before walking into my room, she has NO BUSINESS discharging me. I complained to the charge nurse later and all she could say was, "well, she is very busy". I'm like I don't care if she is busy or not. It is HER JOB to at least read a patient's chart before she walks in the room. It is a new facility, but honestly it looks more like a glammed up car dealership to me.I will say this, I was visited by a patient advocate before and after surgery and I did mention some of my concerns to her and she was awesome- but to be honest their nursing care post-op is RIDICULOUS!

They were only prosecuted because they lied to become QUALIFIED for the student loans- not because of how they spent the money. Find me a case where someone who legally obtained their student loan money and chose to spend it on something other than school related expenses.

To be clear, you qualify for student loans based on the criteria for the loans you apply whether they are private or federal- period. There are no "student Loan" police that ask you to prove how you spent your money. It is NOT fraud people. If it was, then people would be required to prove how they spent the excess money they received above payment of their tuition. I regularly borrowed more than my tuition because I needed it to live on while going to school. It is a PERSONAL choice what one does with that money. Personally, to spend it on something like this over blowing it on buying t.v.'s, electronics, beer, etc.is by far a better choice.

I can relate, I gained 2 or 3# around that same time frame too and it came off within the week. Be patient and keep doing what your doing.

Program fees are just another way for the Dr.'s to collect more money- that is the simple answer. Now, no surgeon would EVER admit this. So, these program fees cover a variety of things depending on who your Dr. is. I've heard everything from a year of support from their nutritionist, newsletters, a year of post op visits, access to their support group, etc. Basically, they have to come up with "something" to make you think you are getting something as long as it doesn't cost them much or any extra money because these Dr.'s think they don't collect enough money from your insurance company. Personally, I think they should not be allowed to do this. I know of NO other area of medicine that Dr.'s do this. They know we want these surgeries so bad that most people will find a way to come up w/the extra money. :rolleyes4:

Update: Going a little slower than I hoped, but still progress nonetheless SN........................Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.......Lbs to Goal former_vbg................271.................231.............190............41 ORIGINAL POST

You can still do it CT!!! Make it a goal along your WL journey!!!

I asked about the bougie size because it does impact how the Dr. sews the new stomach.

Just curious, do you think your carb content in foods has increased because you are eating more "slider foods"? Meaning foods that don't hurt or get stuck going down? I ask because I had that happen with my first surgery (VBG- vertical banded gastroplasty) 13 yrs ago and I also regained weight- but I didn't realize the 2 issues were related until it was too late. I have since revised to the sleeve and know to watch for this. I take a daily PPI. Do you know what size bougie your surgeon used?

Congratulations!!!

Thanks for the reply Tiff, Penpen and Disney. I am not complaining about not having the appetite, I just don't want to be careful i guess that I don't cause my body to think its starving. Tiff- Good to know things change down the road in terms of the appetite. Penpen- Yes, it seems to take forever for things to go down for me too which is why it seems to be more of a pain to eat and becomes annoying. I'm only eating mushie things and I chew those things, but it seems like if I drink 30 minutes before I eat, then it takes at least another 30 minutes to eat, and wait awhile after that to drink that a person would have to set a minimum of 3plus hrs a day just to eat. I think that's where it seems like too much of a bother to try to eat as much as I should. I'll just have to work on it I guess.

Thanks for your response. Yeah, not complaining- just worried that my body will think its in constant starvation mode and slow up my weight loss. I also don't feel like I have quite the energy level I should have. I can't stand the protein drinks, so that is out.

I have been on mushies for about 2 weeks now and for the most part have been handling food w/out any issues. The past week I have been finding myself just not interested in food. I'm on a PPI and so not experiencing any problems with that, but food is just loosing interest for me. I think part of it is I get so full so quickly, that it seems like a bother to prepare anything. I eat a half of a scrambled egg and don't feel like eating the rest and am full for most of the rest of the day, but even then my appetite doesn't really come back. I don't have any stricture, no nausea, or vomiting.... I know regular eating is important- just curious if anyone has experienced this.

Can you describe what a typical day is that you are eating? Are you monitoring carb/ calorie or sodium contents? What about TOM? Just throwing out some things to think about.

My Dr. said NSAIDS are ok in moderation, including Ibuprofen. I don't want to tell you not to follow your docs orders, but one of the MANY reasons I chose this WLS was because all the research I found was that NSAIDS were ok.

My suggestion to you is to move forward with your sleep study and the GI process, those things if found to be abnormal can only help your approval process. In fact, I wouldn't have your request sent to your ins. company until after those things are done. You want AS MUCH documentation as possible to support your request.