Sleevie WonderLand

I'm going through alot of emotions right now because this surgery thing isnt looking so definite for me. According to my doc, I'm 100 pounds overweight, but according to the BMI calculator and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield (EPO), I'm not big enough to qualify for VSG. I dont quite meet the 40 requirement and because I have no co-morbidities (blood tests show that I'm "pre-diabetic", I'm not a viable candidate, unless i'm slowly dying in my sleep. So now in addition to world peace, I have to pray that my sleep apnea study will be so horrible that I'll qualify for surgery. I'm pissed off because the whole point of losing this weight is to get more healthy, but yet the insurance co isnt willing to let me have access to this tool that has proven to be the best method for someone like me to get the weight off and possibly keep it off for a long time. So now after 2 years of retraining my fat brain to make healthier choices (which helped me to lose a little weight, but nothing significant) I have to go back to eating junk and lots of crap so that in six months time I can have a 40+ BMI and therefore qualify for surgery. I dont go for my apnea consult until July 5th; they will then schedule the actual study which I hope will be sometime soon after. I've only been on this quest for WLS for about a six weeks, but already Im tired and getting increasingly discouraged. Anyone have any advice? Apnea tips/tricks that'll help qualify me (lol)? Suggestions?

I was just being NOSEY. Saw the letters M-A-S-T-U-R and my fingers clicked on the link before I could finish reading the title...:001_tongue:

See? So many people walkin around with hernias not knowing. I had a bout with chest pain some years back, the doctors never found anything and eventually the pain subsided (or maybe I just learned to cope with it). I do get a weird stomach cramp/spasm thing at times when I do a deep bend (to tie my shoe or something like that) and have to lay or sit down to ease it. I'm definitely thinking I probably have some sort of hernia.

I just googled (images) "hernia" to get a little more insight. Yikes. Double yikes.

Ditto what everyone else said. You're a fricking VSG Master!

Duh, that's what an upper GI is huh? Sorry, no need for a response on that last question. I suffer from dingbat syndrome from time to time.

So if I have one, will they see it when I have my endoscopy?

*bends and curtsies* Why thank you Tiffykins! I had no idea they were so common until this forum. Every other person mentions it in their post, so I was just wondering.

So many people are saying they will be having a hernia repaired during their surgery or that they've had hernia surgery at one time or another...why is this hernia thing so common? Could I possibly have a hernia too an not realize it? *semi hypochondriac*

I cant thank you enough. I'm beyond happy for you, glad to hear you're coming along, even with the craziness of the liquid diet. I'll be sure to look up TIffykins, cant wait to hear/read what she has to say.

The main question I asked myself when pursuing WLS is about sacrifice. Am I really ready to sacrifice just being able to put anything in any quantity in my body for the rest of my life? Am I ready to deal with just having a small portion of my favorite foods rather than overfeeding myself just to satisfy my bottomless stomach and hungry brain for the rest of my life? Hell to the YEAH! If it means I'll be improving mine and my family's quality of life, I'm so ready to do it. I know there are alot of physical and mental changes that will have to come with this surgery to make it work, and I'm committed to make them all. Surgery is nothing to play with. It's definitely a decision that you should carefully make and know the "goods" and "bads" that come with it. In this case for me, the "bads" dont really seem that bad. If you're not ready, then dont do it. You wouldnt marry a person that you werent 100% sure that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with (thru good and bad times), so look at this surgery kinda in that way. Could you live with your sleeve till death do you part? I wish you the best of luck either way!

Hey Jess! Im stickin with NYU. I think the surgeons there have enough experience with all the Bariatric surgeries, I'm confident that things will turn out fine. I've already kinda started my paperwork with them, I havent found a good enough reason to switch surgeons at this point. I will definitely be asking Dr. Ren about the size of my tube, it's on my list of questions to ask her when we meet on the 22nd! I just started a NY Group here on VST when you get a chance, please join. I'm hoping that eventually we'll have a large group of local Sleevers that we can share info with possibly in person, or just on the boards in general.

I feel like such a dork for asking you all those questions in that "conversation" we've been having. You practically answered my questions days before I asked them. SMH Dr. Fielding conducted the info session that I attended, and I too was impressed by his success with bariatric surgery both performing them and experiencing it himself. It is pretty cool that he can totally understand the fat person's brain. I chose to go with his wife, just because I kinda wanted a woman's touch during my surgery, AND because Dr. Fielding's calendar was super booked for this month. Figured his wife would be the next best thing. I'm so happy your surgery was successful and that you're doing well. Cant wait to tell my tale. Although I did my research about the hospital, I still wanted to hear first hand from a patient how the hospital and it's staff were during recovery as that's pretty important to me. I am still curious though, how was the pain? I've survived 3 c-sections so I'm imagining that this is probably along the same lines, probably even less, but I'd still like to be prepared (yeah, I know, everyone reacts to things differently). If you were in pain, what did they give you - morphine? Liquid pain relievers? Just curious. Thanks for taking the time to give me the great "closing argument" (trying to use attorney talk , hee hee) as it helped me greatly. I live in Westchester, but have no qualms about meeting fellow sleevesters to sip and talk about our experiences. Hopefully I'll get to meet you at a support group meeting at NYU in the near future? In the meantime, STAY IN TOUCH!

Can you believe I'm just seeing this? I gotta get the hang of this VST site!

Hah you doowin? *Wendy Williams Voice* I've only started this WLS research process since last month. In that time I've scheduled myself to attend a truck load of Info Sessions, but only attended one last week at NYU. I'm scheduled to attend a session at Lenox Hill Hospital tonight, but after reading some not so nice reviews on the hospital and one of the surgeons, I think I'm gonna stay with the NYU team. I'm scheduled to visit Dr. Stiles who is a PCP there on Friday. I originally started with the intent of getting banded, and quickly learned about the other WLS out there. I was really interested in plication, but since it's not readily covered by insurance, the sleeve is definitely the option for me. I have become OBSESSED with WLS in the past couple of weeks; I think I've watched at least 20 to 30 YouTube vids concerning the sleeve and the people who've had good and bad experiences. I'm also finding that time seems to be slowing down all of a sudden, seems like my appointment on Friday will never get here, and my appointment with the surgeon and nutritionist that are scheduled for 6/22 seems like eons away. I'm really concerned because my BMI isnt quite at the 40 mark (38.3). I've been trying to gain weight to increase my number just so there's no issue with me getting approved. I have no co-morbidities as of now, maybe the sleep apnea test will show that I'm in need of this surgery. I'm also concerned about out-of-pocket costs. Trying to anticipate what will not be covered by my insurance Empire BC/BS. So far it seems as though they're pretty easy to deal with, I cant wait to speak with the Finance Coordinator at NYU to figure out what my damage can/will be. *deep sigh* I was hoping that writing a little something in this blog would kill some time, but no, Grandfather time is still just moseying along. smh I just read this whole thing back and laughed at the part that said "I've been trying to GAIN weight". Irony is such a comedian. Anyhoo, if you're from NY and or you have Empire BC/BS and/or you just wanna share your experience with me, I'd greatly appreciate it. I cant find many reviews on the stay at the NYU Langone Center, so I'd like to hear it first hand from someone who's had theirs done there with those surgeons. Is it just me or is this site a little hard to navigate at first? Do I have to put up one of those ticker things or will I be looked down upon? Why isnt there a group for NYers? We are the most awesomest city ever...smh *deep sigh again* toodles.

I've done an info session at NYU Langone and so far am intrigued by the surgeons there and hope to have Dr. Ren do my VSG. I'm very anxious to know if anyone has had surgery done by any of the NYU Langone staff and what the experience was like from day one to surgery. I'm also really concerned about the hospital stay - how long did you stay, and did the staff seem attentive (that's a big deal to me). I'm scheduled to meet with Dr. Ren, and the nutritionist on 6/22.