Ready4success

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.

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.

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?

Good Luck! You're going to do great!

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.

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

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!!!!

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!

That is phenomenal! Truly inspiring to us just beginning this journey. Thanks for sharing your story.

I'm 36 years old, an OR nurse and I just became an acute care nurse practitioner. I'm a single mom with a soon to be 16 year old special needs daughter. She is the reason I'm the person that I am, and I credit God for giving her to me. I live in Cypress, Tx (a suburb of Houston) and I own my home. The man of the house is a Schnauzer and he takes his job seriously, lol. I love to read and watch ID. Life is good, and it'll be even better after surgery.

Thanks everybody for replying. I'm going to try that protein first plan. I'll admit the protein shakes have made it really easy to snack on bad stuff between meals, but maybe a few slices of deli turkey will work better. I'll know soon enough if it doesn't, lol. Thanks!

I'm an OR nurse and acrylic nails are fine. I would recommend a lighter polish because there is a device that is put on the end of your finger that shines a light through your finger nail. It's used to measure how well your tissue is being oxygenated. If the polish is too dark, it's harder for the light to shine through the tissue. Make sense? Also, after surgery, wash your hands well before touching your incision sites. False nails are a breeding ground for bacteria, which causes infection. This is the reason nurses are forbidden to wear false nails. GOOD LUCK!!!!