anonynurse

Generally speaking, if there is no rider, there will not be coverage. It works a lot like flood insurance on a house. An adjuster can come in, acknowledge there is damage, that the house is flooded, that it is inhabitable and needs to be fixed.....and shake their heads at the shame of it because if that kind of coverage has not been purchased, they are NOT going to pay to fix it. Period. They can look at all the health information, see where the patient would benefit from the surgery, see the obesity, the health problems, etc....but if the coverage isn't paid for....they are not going to pay for the surgery. Anecdotal stories pop up once in a blue moon, but 99.99% of the time, no bariaric rider - no coverage. Period.

Dr. Nick in Plano, Texas charges $12,200. This includes him, the hospital fees, the anesthesiologist and follow up visits for life. He accepts Care Credit (www.carecredit.com) and all major credit cards. The path to self pay was about three weeks from first consultation to surgery itself. Nice and fast. Any preop testing is covered.

My PCP is awesome. Just saw her today in fact and told her about my revision from Lap Band to sleeve. She was supportive when I had the band put in and is supportive now that I have been sleeved. But she never once told me to lose weight, even when I was near 300 lbs at 5'2 and 3/4".

It is standard even if there are no symptoms of reflux or a slip. It lets the surgeon know what condition your stomach is in before getting you opened up.

Well, think for a sec. Lots of things are at play. You aren't getting your "fix" anymore, whatever that meant in your case. Whether binging or sugar or just eating too much on a regular basis etc, you can't do it anymore. That means lots of things that had been comfortably food-numbed aren't anymore. On top of that, many many hormones are fat soluble. As you lose, these get released into the blood stream. It is not unusual for a woman's cycle to be pretty screwed up for a year as this all gets flushed out. It can also affect mood, temprament, etc. Stay well hydrated, keeping folloiwng your postop instructions, do what you can to think about how much you value your relationships (to help with the urge to be irritable) and know it will settle down eventually.

I like what KellyL said. She sounds scared - both for you and for herself I suspect. Have a good heart to heart with her. You doing this may open her mind enough that someday it helps her move forward too.

I have yet to see a postop diet that says grilled cheese would be ok two weeks after surgery. That stuns me.

You will probably be the only one in your group to lose weight on vacation instead of gain it. It WILL be worth it. Hang in there! You are doing a wonderful job of taking care of yourself.

Well, it sounds then like your body is telling you pretty clearly what IT is ready to do and handle right now. Stick with the goals. You may fall short of them until you are further out from surgery. Focus on hydration first, Protein second. And get rid of the "30 lbs in 30 days" stuff. 20 lbs in one month is awesome. Last year at this time I am betting if someone told you that you could drop 20 lbs in one month, you would have been ecstatic, not disappointed. This is a long haul marathon, not a sprint. Relax. You are doing well. Let yourself be happy with where you are TODAY. :hug:

Wow, good job!

I had/have the EXACT same pain. It is really disconcerting and at times excruciating. Does yours get worse with activity/standing up? Mine does - radiates around into my back. I talked to my surgeon and his PA about this. They said it is due to a stitch put in to help prevent a hernia and when the stitch dissolves the pain will resolve - takes about three weeks. I am a week and a half out from surgery and it is getting a little bit better every day.

You may or may not be okay to beat your deductible. The end of the year is the busiest time for the surgeon, as everyone is pretty much thinking like you are - trying to get it in before the deductible rolls over. The surgery schedules are PACKED in December and usually are full for that month by the middle of November. (I worked for my surgeon doing this for years before going to nursing school). This rush at the end of the year for surgery approvals (All types, not just bariatric) also SLAMS the insurance company and tends on average to make approvals take longer to get. If you do make the schedule, it will likely be around or after Christmas. It is worth noting that most surgeons will not put you on the schedule until approval is in hand. I know this isn't what you want to hear......I am only telling you this so you are not livid/upset/disappointed if your approval doesn't get back in time to be on the schedule for December. It won't be the surgeon's or their office staff's fault if this doesn't come through in time....that time of year is insane for any surgeon's office. The up side if you don't make it in time will be having your deductible most likely met for next year very early on. I wish you luck and hope it all works out.

Dr. Kim is one of the very best surgeons out there. You are in good hands.

That is great and you are very fortunate to have found a surgeon willing to take your care over. Fantastic!

Have you tried doing 100% no sugar added juice, severely watered down? It will give it a little bit of flavor, not enough calories to figure in and might even help get the plumbing moving again if it hasn't already. I was amazed but since being sleeved a week ago, EVERYTHING is too sweet except for natural juices - those watered down are just delicious. My favorite is no sugar added grape juice watered down. Hang in there. Every day after about the fourth day really does get a smidge better and better.

Well, today is one week since surgery for me. I still have mild to moderate pain in my left side through to my back. I found out today my surgeon put an extra stitch to prevent a hernia and that this is the cause of that pain. It is pretty debilitating and had me worried until I found out what was causing it. Otherwise my pain is pretty much gone. I was swollen until around day five. I started passing the gas and had a functioning bowel system again by day four. The first two to three days were pretty much miserable. I had a drain at the hospital. They removed it before I left. I had an On-Q pain ball that went home with me. I removed it myself when it was empty. I am on thin liquids for three weeks. So that means two more to go. And yeah. It is hard and it sucks. That being said, every day my scale goes down a little bit and that is great. I would not feel ready to return to work yet, but my work is very physically demanding. I probably could go back to work if I worked a desk job. Good luck with your decision. Hope this helps.

Try to see it from his side of things. You have probably tried, like all of us, a billion different things to lose weight and spent a ton of your collective money in the process and not been successful. This is the newest thing on the assembly line by his reckoning I would think......and not only is it expensive, it is risky and it will affect his life as well while you recover. He's been bruised by your obesity too, just like someone living with another individual with ANY disease is affected by it. I would suggest you put the brakes on your rush to surgery. When is the NEXT seminar and can he make THAT date? Can you acknowledge his concerns, the expense, the sacrifice it will be to him as well as you and agree to delay going forward until he attends the seminar with you...and TELL him that so he knows you aren't just flying off half wild on the next new thing? I am probably in a minority here, but I do not think it is okay to put your foot down and lay out there that you are doing it with or without him with money from joint checking accounts. He should have the opportunity to get more information and the opportunity to have his say. And no, I don't think he should have to do the research on his own. This was not his idea. I am not saying you should have his permission to go forward. But yeah. How would you react if he told you he was going to go buy a motorcycle with joint funds whether you like it or not? Or any other thing that you would view as a hairbrained, dangerous, expensive, selfish idea? He probably sees this as all those things. Go forward, but do it gently and give him time to catch up. And if he doesn't come around, start quietly putting whatever funds are your portion away in a separate account until you have enough to do it without taking anything away from joint property. At the very least, the extra time it takes will let him know you are serious, you aren't wanting to take anything away from him, that you have done your homework and that you are willing to do the HARD PARTS of this - including save up for it. That way, when you do go forward, he will have a fair amount of faith that you are prepared to be in it for the long haul. Best of luck.

I am so jealous! I was done the day before you but still have two more weeks of thin liquids! *insert tantrum here* It sounds like you are doing great! The tummy sounds are quite amusing!

Any surgery that is not done on an emergency basis is considered elective. Just an FYI.

It took my body about four days. Hang in there.

My sleeve isn't sensitive to anything, but I get low blood sugar VERY suddenly I am finding. I have to sip pretty regularly all day long to keep from getting some very unpleasant symptoms. I have had enough of thin liquids myself, but still have two weeks to go. At least the weight is coming off.

Glad it is going well for you. I had On-Q as well, but definitely needed (and still need) my pain meds (I am one week out). You have had a very smooth experience!

Doesn't it say on your discharge paperwork? Everything I am supposed to take between now and my follow up visit is on there.

If it is an "at will" employment state, then he is absolutely correct. He does not have to employ you and can let you go at any time, for any reason. I also agree it is a HORRIBLE time to be out of work. I would suggest you go in and talk to him. Say you could tell the idea of you taking a week off seemed stressful for the office and get a calendar out. Sit down with him, work out a time when he feels it would be less stressful for you to take this time off and come to a mutual agreement. It may not be as soon as you want, but frankly, right now, being employed takes precedence. If you took time off without permission for a nonemergent elective medical procedure it may very well be seen as quitting. Which means NO unemployment benefits. Think very carefully. You would be far better off approaching this from a "how can we make this work for us both" angle than a "you are such a prick!" angle.

Chapstick is an awesome idea.