reallyrosy

I'm not blaming anyone else for my weight or my self sabotage. What you are saying is you got this therapy and it enabled you to become healthy. So why are you getting a sleeve? If you "got it" and know how to control yourself, what's the sleeve for? Why can't you just use this knowledge to further your own healthy living abilities? Many people who 'struggle' with our emotions also "get it". But we still are struggling, we realize our weaknesses and it is frightening. I keep thinking "who's going to plant the tree I will hide under when I find that even with the sleeve and wt loss I still can't live a full life with people." I don't want to have the surgery and then find myself telling my shrink "I told ya so! I can't handle it." So I congratulate you on your newfound ability to recognize and pursue a healthful life style. Just because I'm scared out of my mind and worried @ how I will deal emotionally doesn't mean I haven't also made similar discoveries. It doesn't mean I haven't been I therapy nor does it mean I haven't met the right therapist. I gotta admit I find messages of the kind that most people use to respond annoying and sanctimonious. Someone in one of these forums told me "just because we lost the weight doesn't make saints out of us". Agreed.

I'm concerned @ reflux after vsg. I've read that the size of the bougie and the way the surgeon follows stomach curvature are two causes of this complication. I meet my surgeon 11/1. Can you please tell me how to ask him questions @ it. Do I say " I know there often are reflux complications following vsg. What can you do to help avoid this?" What's the politic way to ask this question? TY in advance.

I have the same concern and get the same answer: maybe this isn't the ight time for u or you need therapy. To which I respond *&^%-t! I've been in therapy since I'm a teenager. There are some people who say they were full time into all these emotions prior to surgery but took off and never looked back after. I'm 66 now. If I don't try this, I may never know if I'm able to have a real life. I'm gonna try. Not trying means giving up now. I want to at least have a peek at a different life. You???

What about seltzer? No sugar and no artificial sweetners.

That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said here. Thank you. I'm going to read this several times.

Can u have caffein after the sugery? (Not immediately)??????

so take Vitamins at nite????

Can u have it afterwards? America runs on donkey donuts...love iced coffee

Hey, guys.... I just heard from my providers office that 1. They "didn't know" I had secondary insurance (I have copies of 2 prior emails & some faxed info wth this data on it) and 2. Medicare will be approving it (she didn't say when) --she got word from afscm??? quoting from memory. So now I may need to repeat psych and nut evals but hey, what's the rush? I'm only 66. I got at least 40 years ahead of me...nah, no hurry. GRUMP! Monty, how do u like being sleeved? Worth the agony, worry etc???

Like I said, I have special coverage from bcbs anthem from my state. If it is pre authoized /certified, they will cover even if medicare refuses. So I need to explain this to the provider. Wish me luck

I have a special with my state...state employees have mecdicare primary and anthem secodary. I just got off the phone with the state and then with anthem. It requires pre authorization and that requires the surgeon's office to call anthem....I have a feeling I'm going to get my head bitten off where it won't grow back again....ugh

So I would have to add kaiser permanente? What if my docs aren't in this plan? I don't even know whom to call....yes it gives me something else to think about, bettyb. I'll call somebody in the state to try to figure what's up....but why would the hosp flat out say medicare won't cover....????

Yes and that's what drove me batty last year and the surgeon's office staff got mad at me. So now I am with another hospital not exactly close by but at least in the same state and a cheaper quoted rate. Medicare kept saying the surgeon knows what he has to provide and the surgeon's office kept saying "no, they won't cover it." One year later, back at the farm, I don't even bother calling medicare. The new hosp said upfront medicare won't pay for vsg. They, at least, didn't try to 'sell' me rny or anything else that is covered. So I don't feel like i'm at war with the people I'm entrusting with my well being. I just hope I have enuf to cover any 'unforseen' events. Scary stuff. Huh?

The part I don't understand: they have a code for it. Why? It sounds like a huge conspiracy! Like we need this as we decide getting 86% of our stomach's removed. If I were younger, i'd probably wait.

I'm in awe of your success. I wonder if the disability has anything to do with the approval. I have a secondary insurance tht tells me I am approved and if I call medicare, they say I am approved but once the docs and hosps etc get into it, according to them, medicare says I am not approved. My head is spinning . Will see surgeon in nov. Still waiting for bill quote from hosp. Good luck to you!

Thsnk you! Your story is a true inspiration and it gives me courage to continue my search. I'm glad that it is still available to read. Would you still recommend the sleeve? I. Eas there's a lot of time and science since u wrote. My cardiologist would like the band (just because he knows more people who have that) but is there any negative press on the sleeve now? I'm going to be self pay at yale new haven...if I get past the first interview that's being scheduled now. Thanks for sharing

I like this and I've lost 127# on the south b***h diet with phentermine and I don't mind the diet at all. I can cut cravings for carbs by not having them around. Maybe I would be more successful with the sleeve....hmmmm. did u get sleeved yourself?

Thanks for confirming.

I'm surprised. What a nasty reply! Seems out of character from what you initially posted.

Curious as to rep of dr. Duffy. If you had sleeve here, please advise.

Really, Jane? I have read so many horror stories @ dangers of being depressed post surgery plus people writing how they messed up and are stuck or actually gaining weight. I understand @ the Fluid wt build up immediately post surgery, but later on? It looks like one does revert back to old habits. That he old habits don't get surgically excised and this scares me. If I'm fat because of habit that I'm unable to modify now, what magic will the surgeon implant? Should I risk giving away 85% of my stomach for an uncertain outcome which may not be any better than I've got now? Look, I'm 66. I'm retired. I want to be able to DO things...anything...go on a short trip for r&r. Get up in the a.m., dressed, and walk the dog more than 1/2 block etc. Later, I want to ride a horse. Right now, I exercise 5-6 days /wk improving slowly, but outside of the personal training and individual practice, I function worse than some 80 or 90 y/o women. Hard for me to walk down one step. Always looking for aomething to hold onto for support....just losing wt is going to make this go away? Why do people regularly write those horror messages if they hvent some truth to them? Thanks for your response!

This won't be the first time I've lost weight and the way I lookand the new clothesdo make me happy but I'm here and facing a life threatening decision. Clothes isn't the reason for surgery. I need an exorcist. I've been in therapy since I'm 18. I don't see it happening. I don't see myself moving like I am confident on my feet...I don't see me getting past the first time I fnd myself alone in the house watching tv and what? Sucking my thumb? What the he!! am I going to do? I wonder if I can ask the surgeon if HE thinks its the right thing for m. I can't even find anyone who will comment on this guy...you'd think a Yale surgeon would be well known but nobody on either forum will comment on dr duffy. WHY????

****. My whole life has been food addiction and depression and now I'm going to hace to deal with it again fter being sleeved. Oh I'm this close to getting approved and I don't know if I'm so sure about it now. If I could pull upmy big girl panties and talk myself out of this, why can't I do it without surgery? I think I'm using the surgery to punish myself for wasting my life til now. I'm 66. I'm gonna change? Ha! I don't believe anything good can happen.

Ok but it seems to say that the pcp needs to be aware of this eventuality. How many of you who are sleeved have PCPs who know anything @ nutrition and /or sleeving??? We have to be our own advocates...big time

Would any pts of yale university's dr. Duffy care to share experiences? I'm about to have my file presented to him for VSG. Any feedback welcome.