Lori Voss Green

I suffer from depression and anxiety. For me, I had a few very hard days post op. The depression came back and attacked me like a rabid dog. I was feeling frustrated and just blue and miserable. I wanted to eat real food. I was sick of soup. At my 1 week follow up. I was sure to talk to the doctor. I was assured it is normal, but I would definitely talk to them ahead of time for ideas and suggestions to be prepared.

Maybe the pain from my incision has kept me from realizing the port area itself hurts. I have the large incision, then a smaller one to the left and then the actual port to the left of it. The pain today is definitely the port.

I am 10 days post op. I have had a lot of pain/swelling/tenderness around the large incision for the port. Normal, expected, not a big deal. However, just now I was sorta holding my side and one spot was VERY sore and sensitive to touch/pressure. I know it's where the port is (I can feel it plus the nurse showed me). Is it normal for it to be sore to the touch? I am not sure if I just never really put pressure on it before now to not have noticed.

I hope you weren't on hold for 10 straight minutes without the customer service/advocate checking in with you! If we did that, oh would we be in some trouble! That's not good customer service at all. Sadly, I do know (at least where I work) that the department doing preauthorization has 30 days to review everything since they have so many things they work on. I rarely see it take that long. Hopefully they get it together and get your approval to you ASAP!

LOL Yeah, I tried her baby food. She is 16 now and I still remember how nasty that baby food was and how bad I felt for making her eat it!!

Hahhaha I chickened out. I just can't do it!

You look awesome!

I am going to attempt pureed chicken breast. Does anyone add anything to it or just the breast and some broth?

LOL!!! I guess I am not alone then?

She didn't actually tell me an amount, just said I can start trying soft/pureed and that I shouldn't be surprised to not feel like eating more than a few bites. Thank you for the ideas. I am not sure what it is about the idea of pureeing food that grosses me out a bit. LOL I actually, when I was doing low carb, used to make faux-tatoes with cauliflower all the time and loved it. I haven't tried that in forever, it's an awesome idea!

Ok, this is going to be a VERY stupid question but here goes............does pureed food TASTE the same as before it's pureed? I haven't tried pureeing anything. The idea is sorta gross to me. Does it still taste like the original food?

What are some good, soft, high in protein foods?

I am 9 days pre-op and was allowed to move to soft/pureed foods on my 7 day follow up. So far it hasn't been bad, today is just different. I think I'll try a shake and see if that helps. I am just so worried about eating MORE than a cup or eating too much.

I am feeling really frustrated today. I feel so hungry. I've had some soup and some sf pudding and some cottage cheese. I just can't get over this feeling of being hungry. How does everyone deal with it? Ideas? Suggestions? Been drinking lots of water, which isn't helping either.

One other thing to keep in mind........it is not necessarily the insurance company that does or does not cover it. I work for BCBS of IL. Bariatric surgery being covered is a decision your group (meaning who the insurance is through, like an employer) makes. We have many different groups and some cover the surgery and some don't. So, never assume because someone else has the same insurance company that your coverage will be the same. Always call to verify benefits, what is or isn't covered, what criteria needs to be met, if you have specific doctors and facilities you have to go to, etc.

The day I went for my 1 week follow up (which was Tuesday of this week) the dietitian told me I could start soft/pureed foods like potatoes. Happiest moment I've had so far!

I got lucky because BCBS of IL changed their requirements this year....so the 6 month weight loss program part was dropped. As a BCBS member (and employee!) I was SO happy when they did that. It made approval much quicker and easier.

That is amazing, congrats!

I had some serious depression after surgery. I am only 9 days post-op and it has already gotten better. I suffer depression/anxiety anyway, and I found it came on full force after surgery. My husband is an AMAZING cook & I was sitting here smelling the yummy food he was cooking for him and our daughter....and I was having broth and Soup. I wanted to give up. I am not a back sleeper either. I sleep on my side all the time. The first few days I couldn't do that, which meant not being comfortable. By day 5 or so, I was able to sleep on my side. One thing that really helped life my mood was my 1 week follow up with the dr. Incisions were all looking good, the dietitian said I could move to soft/pureed foods (that alone made tears come to my eyes!) and I had lost 16 lbs. It just really helped to remind me WHY I am doing this.

Every person will be different. You insurance and their requirements have a lot to do with it. Mine did not require 6 months of diet/nutrition, etc. I believe my first consult with the surgeon was in April, I was approved in May, and had surgery in August. I could have had surgery sooner but had to put it off in order to get the time off of work.

Thank you!

If I am still feeling icky tomorrow, I'll be calling the doctor. Hopefully I wake up tomorrow feeling better!

I think mine is mostly due to the amount of swelling I still have. The incision for the port has been pretty sore for me as well. I've been reading on here about some people going back to work pretty fast....each person is different obviously. How is your pain right now?

I have AND work for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. You'll want to ask first off if your policy covers the surgery. If it does, you'll need to know what criteria needs to be met to be approved. I'd also ask if you have to use certain doctors/facilities. Check for any pre-existing waiting periods as well. I would just call the customer service # and let them know you are interested in learning what your benefits are for the surgery, what you have to do to get approved, etc.