nalasmom

I did actually and jennifer his patient coordinator said that because i have no comorbidites that they wont be able to help me get covered and I dont have that kind of money to pay out of pocket even though I am covered by both mine and my moms insurace policies. Super weak:(

Omg! Thanks for sharing your experiences the doc:) i now feel extremely more confident that i got the right man for the job! Im just waiting for the date to come... Its taking soooooo long!

So im going to try and go back to work after 8 days. Im hoping that because im fairly young , 24, that maybe i can do it. But you know how when you are stressed and your body goes into flight or fight mode n all the blood gets shunted to the priority organs? I think this is what causes me to get stomach pains during my shift. Im still getting the hang of things at my new job. Luckily i told our lift team bout my surgery so they have a heads up on my needs for turning a pt. omggg... I told a few coworkers im going to have surgery so they can also help me n they all asked what kind of surgery it was and i said a cholecystectomy! I couldnt think of anythinggg! I wasnt prepared for them to ask! But i told them to keep it a secret. I dont know if gallbladder problems arise in 20 somethings. I just dont want problems to arise wen i need to ask for the time off ( schedules not finalized yet).

Mederma helps with the discoloration ( not much from my experience) but usually only if youre diligent about it and the scar is new. Trust me ive had a keloid since i was 13. Im 24 now. I didnt try to do anything til i was probable 16. And it grew!! If u wear anything that irritates that scar it will grow and protect it from sunlight. If ur wearing a bathing suit get gooood sunblock. You can also purchase pressure bandages from the pharmacy.. Kinda expensive and they help smooth out the scar but again, diligence. If you get cortisone shots, you must try to get them every week! Many doctors will not cut out the keloid because for 90% of people, if you have one, you are a keloid former and the scar may just come back bigger and angrier! One plastic surgeon wanted to try cutting it out and then doing radiation to stop the skin cell growth (keloids are when your skin believes it needs to grow more tissue to help you heal but doesnt know when to stop), i know it sounds radical but can you guys imagaine.. I have one huggge one right below my clavicle in the DEAD center of my chest!!!!! Soooo believe meeee buddies.... I will try everything!! My keloid started out as probable 1 cm... It is now 3 x 4 cm now. I have this complex now about it???? when people meet me, they immediately look at my chest n then back at my eyes trying to seem as tho they didnt just give my keloid a second glance thinking "what the hell is that?!" as you can see i know bout these scars so if you guys have any questions pls dont hesitate to ask☺

These are called keloids. Some people are more susceptible to them than others. You should go to the dermatologist office early so they can give you cortisone shots to bring down the inflammation while the tissue is still soft.

I hate protein shakes. But the myoplex chocolate fudge shakes are really good.

Has anyone been sleeved by Dr. Ortiz? My surgery is scheduled for August 1. Im going to him because his facility is a center of excellence. I was going to ho with dr. Aceves originally but his office does not call or email back. I dint like that. Also, if you have surgery in mexico, when you go back to the states to have your labs done, etc, will your insurance cover it? Or if i have complications will they treat me? Should I tell my PCP? She would not refer me here in the US because my bMI is 38. Her and my therapist are against mexico. But i want to be able to tell some kind of health professional you knw? In case theres an emergent issue.

My kaiser PCP wont refer me because i have No comorbidities and my bmi is 38.5 I want to change PCPs now. I go to kaiser vallejo. But doesnt kaiser make u do a 6 mo program or something as well? Honestly im thinking about going to mexico with dr. Ortiz (been on oprah, and the doctors, and facility is a center of excellence)... But everyone (friends and family are still scared bc its mexico. I dont want to have to go alone. I dont want to have to try and gain 10 lbs (im a bridesmaid for my cousins wedding in june) so that i can have a BMI of 40 AND THEN still have to do a 6 mo program. Even my therapist is being unsupportive. I already have a surgery date on 8/1... Ill pay outta pocket but its faster and i dont want to waste another minute being this size. *sigh*

you guys think medical insurance will pay for surgery in mexico?

texarkolina, thank you for your advice:) really i appreciate it. one more question. do i have to provide them with a letter from my PCP because I don't have one. The one at kaiser (thru my dads insurance) refuses to refer me because my BMI is 38. And I dont yet have a PCP with my insurance thru my job. should i find a PCP really quick, tell them whats going on, and ask that they refer me so i have a letter to submit to HR? because the doctor in Mexico never asked me for my BMI or anything like a referral letter. so i never thought to get one before this. watcha think?

So you qualify for short term diability. Do you have to provide a doctors note to your actual manager? Or would you supply it to the workers comp or some other adminstrative office that will not tell your manager. And is bariatric surgery covered under short term disability? Bc im going to now tell my supervisors an manager but i dont want to tell them why. I dont care if i dont get paid to be off (i mean it would be nice) but im fine with jst getting the days off. I just dont want to get in trouble if my manager or the company (UC Davis Medical Center) thinks this is an electie surgery (ugh!). Ya knw? I just dont want to have to supply a note to the manager with the doctors name (ariel ortiz) and the hospital (obesity control center) on the note bc obviously its not like a back surgery or something more emergent such as a heart attack (even tho i think so an in no way mean to offend others). Its just other ppl, like my family, think this is an elective surgery and im only doing it bc im too lazy to do it the "normal way".

Fat2handsome, I honestly dont want anyone at work to know. I could tell maybe 1 person but she wont be working with me every night u know? Hmmm. Are there any restrictions on bending up or down? I could probably do with the turning of patients. Its not like ill be carrying them on my back. Hmmm... I guess im trying to use every excuse to make sure i get vsg done. Ive been waiting a year. If i dont do it now ill nvr have the balls to do it later. Also, i dont want to waste anymore time being this depressed.

i work on a neuro unit where most of my patient cannot turn, walk, and talk. we have a lift team that comes around every so often and sometimes i can ask my coworkers but how long after you had the surgery did you guys go back to work?i dont want to tell my coworkers about the surgery. theyre all nosy and gossipers as it is. after reading this thread its kind of discouraging knowing because i work night shift that i will retain the weight and my progress will be slower:( i have yet to have the surgery because the money but also because i need to request the days off first. i work three 12s a week so i can probably get 6 to 8 days off in a row. im going to dr. ortiz at the occ in mexico so i believe its one day hospitalization and 2 days in a hotel. then its off home.

how long did you guys have before going back to work? whats it going to be like going back to work after surgery? is it painful? i hardly have time to drink Water during a shift now. i too work 12s.

The FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave. Eligible employees are entitled to: Twelve workweeks of leave in a 12-month period for: the birth of a child and to care for the newborn child within one year of birth; the placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care and to care for the newly placed child within one year of placement; to care for the employee’s spouse, child, or parent who has a serious health condition; a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the essential functions of his or her job; any qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent is a covered military member on “covered active duty;” or Twenty-six workweeks of leave during a single 12-month period to care for a covered servicemember with a serious injury or illness if the eligible employee is the servicemember’s spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin (military caregiver leave). So the above is what I found under the US Dept of Labor website. I don't think they would consider my surgery as a serious illness. I mean I would like them too but I think I'd be pushing it, ya know? Yeah, its a serious illness to me. This has seriously been putting my life on hold for the last 11 years. I'm just tired you know?

What do you do for a living, if you dont mind me asking. because i want to know how much time i have to take off before going back to work. im new at my job and i can only take maximum of 8 days off but im sure its more like 6 days off. even after the 6 or 8 days, is it ok to go back to work? im a nurse and will be on my feet for most of my 12 hour shift. help:(

I am going to call their office tomorrow. OUt of all the questions I asked Carolyn, the patient coordinator, I forgot to ask this one very important question. Hmm..thanks for the reply shangefan:)

I was pre-approved for some financing through medicalfinancing.com's alternative "no patient's left behind" program. I read soooooo many bad reviews about it though. I guess they put several EXTREMELY HIDDEN AND HIGHHH fees on top of the loan. So when the agent emailed me, I just said No thank you. I went on a few other forums that say the that "fundmydr.com" is a good customer relations and clear and honest financing firm but there's not alot of information or reviews on them out there. I have inquired on their website for further information so I'm awaiting the return email/phone call. Does anyone else have any experience with "fundmydr.com"?

thats unfortunate because ill never get a few weeks off

ok, so I work 3 days a week. So I cant request 4 days off in a row, and sometimes 8 days in a row but the latter is usually more difficult to get approved for. And being that I am still under probation at work, I don't want to push my luck. When people say they go back to work within a week, is that after the surgery or after the hospital stay? Im a nurse working 12 hour shifts and on my feet 80% of the shift. I am constantly moving and turning patients. Is it possible to go right back to work. By the way, I'm having my surgery in Mexico with Dr. Ortiz at the OCC. Can anyone else tell me what the optimal recuperation time would be before going back to work. Thank you.