Ready4success

Wow......you look 10 years younger. Keep up the good work!!!!

Wow!!! You look amazing! Keep up the good work.

I have Cigna OAP, and I have my PCP visit Wednesday morning for clearance, and my last NUT visit on Thursday morning. I'm really hoping for a mid August date. Fingers and toes are crossed that I get approval on the first go round.

Good Luck! Get well quick!

Thanks Dorrie. My biggest fear is that my behavior is a sign that I'm not ready. Will I be honest with myself and listen to the sign, or just go forward and fail even with the tool. I didn't have any of these doubts before this past week. Now, I don't know anymore.

Ok, so I came to this site and got all hyped up about losing weight before the physician imposed pre-op diet. True to form, I lost 15 pounds in 3 weeks doing high protein, low carb...then TOM. I used that excuse as to why I had to have a jalopeno cheeseburger with large fries from Whataburger, Domino's pizza, a strawberry shake from Jack-in-the Box, peanut butter M&Ms, etc, etc, etc. I have sabotaged myself with stuff I never eat (a strawberry shake? Yuk). The worst thing of all is that I decided to do this right before my last PCP visit (Wednesday) and last NUT visit (Thursday). I really wanted to impress them, and I blew it, again. It's like I'm so anxious and nervous about getting approval for surgery that I'm eating everything in sight. Why am I doing this? I feel like I have no control. Hell, I didn't eat that bad in when I was at my worst. Of course, I feel so low today that I'm just going to have shakes and replacement meals for the rest of the week, but that won't help with my appointments. I feel like a big fat loser, and not the good kind either. Anybody else go through this?

Thanks, Nancy. Now, I'm afraid that they'll make me wait longer before submitting for approval. Maybe I need to wait. I don't know what's wrong with me.

Good Luck! You're going to do great!

Hey everybody, I have been stressing over how to approach the subject of the sleeve with my PCP who is a huge advocate for the band. I've come to the end of the process and the only thing standing between me and insurance approval is the freaking letter of medical necessity for Cigna. Here are some ideas I'm thinking about on how to sway my PCP at my appt next week: 1. Bring the surgery packet my surgeon gave me that outlines the differences between the two surgeries, and show her how the sleeve is better for me(I have Type II DM and HTN and as far as I know, the band doesn't do as well of a job resolving these issues as the sleeve). 2. Type up a letter as a guide (i.e. listing my height, weight, bmi, co-morbidities, stating the surgery is medically necessary, and that I'm cleared from a medical standpoint for surgery, yada, yada, yada). I sound like a really anal person, and I'm not, but I just have a gut feeling that since everything in this process has been so easy, this will be the part that gets screwed up. What do you guys think? Should I just let my PCP do her thing, and HOPE that Cigna will be okay with whatever she submits? Thanks, Kim

Congratulations, on the weight loss and the new bundle!

less pain in joints, half the dose of blood pressure meds..... No doubts at all! Those two things alone makes it all worth it. Every night, when my hip starts hurting after only working a few hours, I think about getting my sleeve. I'm ready to do this!

You look amazing! You also look taller, lol.

I don't know about the protein count, but they sure are tasty, lol.

It's sad that people can't just keep their opinions to themselves if they don't agree. I've not had that experience, but I know it's discouraging. Don't let them stop you from getting healthier.

I know exactly how you feel. I have Cigna too, and I feel like the original 6 month requirement would have helped me come to terms with this major decision.

Bmooney, I've had two previous laparoscopic procedures, so I have a total of 9 poke holes in my belly. No one wants to see this belly that looks like it's been shot 9 times, lol. I'm excited about the spider because I hope it can shorten my recovery. I'll be looking for you to let us know how everything goes next month. Good Luck!

Angela, Make sure you're not overdoing it. It's ok to walk, but moms tend to find things to do around the house when they're supposed to be relaxing. Walk, sip, rest. Anesthesia takes a huge toll on your body, regardless of the type of surgery, so make sure you're still taking it easy.

That does sound yummy!

Good job getting a head start. I'm an OR nurse and I'm only here to help you by telling you not to shave your abdomen. In the OR, we use clippers, not razors. The reason is that clippers don't cause trauma to the skin like razors. When you shave with a razor, it causes nicks, some you can see and some you can't. The nicks can cause entry points for bacteria thereby causing infection. Also, the clipper blades used in surgery are single use blades, so everything is surgically clean. If you want to get clipped at home, make sure your clipper blade is clean and free of any hair, and douse it with alcohol before use. Using the hibiclens to shower the night before, and the morning of surgery is ideal. Good Luck!!!!

Hello everybody, I'm hoping someone can give me some info. I know it seems like TMI, but I'm worried about this. Here's my story: I had my gallbladder removed in '09. Since then, I have to go to the restroom as soon as I finish eating. Literally, take my last bite, and head to the restroom. I've tried changing my diet (doctor's suggestion), but nothing helps. I even have to go right after drinking a Protein shake, and that's not even real food. I'm able to conveniently plan my meals so that I don't have any emergencies, but that's based on 3 meals a day (sort of). When I start my pre-op diet and have to drink 5 shakes a day, I will have to go after each one. It will be weird at work, and I'll be dehydrated before I even have the surgery. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had this problem, and did it continue after surgery? Thanks, and sorry about the topic.

I've had laparoscopic surgery twice before, and I'm scheduled for single incision VSG in early August. Everyone keeps saying how this surgery is so different from any other surgery. My other surgeries were lap gallbladder removal, went back to work in 4 weeks in '09. The other was robotic female surgery back to work in 2 weeks in May of this year. I'm an OR nurse and did a double shift my first day back and I felt fine. I'm only planning to take 3 weeks off because the surgery last month was unexpected and I had to use the PTO I was saving up for VSG. Can anyone who has had laparoscopic surgery before VSG tell me how it was different, besides the fatigue?

Thanks Lissa. We have a pretty good team who don't mind helping each other out. I just don't want anything to stop me from having it done as soon as possible. I'm too impatient to wait until I build up my PTO again to take more time off. Thanks!