Ready4success

I swear I've never had so many doubts/concerns/worries/anxiety about anything in my life, including marriage, childbirth, a mortgage, graduate school, or anything else I can think of. This decision has been a culmination of 4 years trying to decide if WLS surgery was for me, and after deciding, I just want it done already. I've never been the type of person to analyze something so much. I'm typically a go getter, and as I get closer to surgery, I've skipped over anxiety about the surgery and I'm now fixated on what I can do ahead of time to make my recovery the best recovery ever. I know it sounds crazy, but I can't stop. This surgery is consuming my life, and I don't even have approval yet. I feel like I'm about to bust out of my skin, with anxiety and anticipation.

Were your liver function tests or LFTs elevated? Did you have an ultrasound of the gallbladder done? These are the usual reasons for a biopsy. If you did have an ultrasound, they may have seen something on ultrasound that they want to check out, by sending a biopsy to pathology. PLEASE call your doctor and ask him to explain it to you, so you can feel at ease with what is going to happen during and after surgery. Good Luck!

C-diff is a bacterial infection that originates in the gut. People don't usually know that they have it until they are given antibiotics, and immediately start having diarrhea. Most common in long term care facilities, but it does occur in hospitals too. The most important thing to remember about it is that using waterless hand sanitizer will not be effective in preventing the spread of it, you have to wash your hands with soap and water to prevent the spread, so make sure to tell your health care providers to WASH THEIR HANDS.

I see the OP hasn't replied since yesterday, so who knows, they could've had dinner last night and be on the mend. I do agree with OTR in that she never once said she was ready to be done with him, she just wants him back (whether he's prince charming or a ******). I do have to comment on that they were together for 6 years, doesn't anyone find it strange that they never got married? If this relationship was the greatest, and he was price charming, wouldn't she have wanted to snag him? He was a father to her son, he was financially responsible, he sounds like a catch. Did he want to be snagged? He could've been "playing house" the whole time. Either way, there were problems long before the surgery, and they didn't just start during the "manic female pre-op stage". Also, who can find a place to stay in that short of time, unless they went home to mommy or had a hottie waiting in the wings? Either way, when you "move in together" without being married, you may not be legally responsible for the bills, but you're morally responsible for handling the situation like a "man", not like a "little boy running away." I speak from experience, my ex-husband left in the same manner, "because I was fat and he felt he deserved better". He had a hottie waiting in the wings, and I had a pre-nup, so vengeance was mine. :-) To the OP, it gets better, and fortunately, you won't die from a broken heart. Get off the couch and go for a walk in the sunshine, do something to make yourself feel better. Everyday gets a little better. Go spend some time with your son. Most of all, reflect on whether you really want this "man" in your life, teaching your son to become irresponsible too. Good luck, and let us know how you're doing and how the weight loss is going. Hugs

Also, keep in mind that if you have healthcare flexible spending accounts, it can be used for all of these charges, even if you decide to go to Mexico.

To not have to turn sideways and get on my tippy toes to go through a turnstile.

Hi, I know you're frustrated but try to calm down and think a few things through. If insurance was submitted and approved, then I think you should escalate the issue up to an office manager? Supervisor? There has to be someone to talk to besides the co-ordinator. Also, all those pre-scheduled people won't have their co-pays, or pre-op requirements completed for a date this soon. Doesn't Medicare have a co-pay too? Anyway, let the office know that you want to be notified of anyone canceling, or pushing their date back. One last thing, FILE a formal complaint in writing to the office about the way your case has been handled. It sounds like the co-ordinator is purposely not being helpful. Good Luck!

I totally agree that moms will be moms. A lot of my mom's co-workers had gastric bypass, so she started selling the R-en-y to me before I decided to have WLS. Now, since I decided to get the sleeve, she's always asking me, "Are you sure you're doing this right? So and so lost 100lbs with the other surgery." So, it doesn't matter, they'll always have something to say to remind you that they're the mom, and they know best.

I'm an OR nurse so I'll always tell the truth about what goes on in surgery. Do gallbladders sometimes tear and spill yucky bile inside the abdomen during surgery? Yes, it happens all the time. When it does happen, the surgeon irrigates the entire cavity to the point that it's all washed out and the fluid including the bile is sucked out. Honestly, it's in the patient's best interest to remove the gallbladder during WLS surgery, because they're usually back in surgery within 6 mos because of gallbladder pain. The only bariatric surgeon I've ever worked with that didn't remove the gallbladder during WLS knew the patients would be coming back, and it would be more money in his pocket for the additional surgery. Tell your surgeon you would like your gallbladder removed, and they'll usually do it unless the insurance company lists it as an exclusion during WLS. Good Luck!

I had a run-in with those myself. It was not pretty since I suffer from dumping after having had my gallbladder removed. They are very tasty, though.

Hey! I'm still pre-op myself, but I just wanted to welcome you to the board. I live in Texas too, and I'm an RN also. There are a few groups for Texas sleeves and one for nurses too. Welcome!

I've told everyone who talks to me. Amazing, the more people I tell, the more people admit to considering it too. Two of my co-workers are going to my bariatric surgeon, and I never would've known had I not thrown it out there first.

Congratulations everybody. I'm hoping to be an August sleever. Yay us!!!!

Thanks everybody!!! I can't help the feeling that it's going too easy. I hope it keeps going that way from approval to recovery.

All the worrying I did was for naught. I went to see my PCP for the letter of medical necessity and I was deliberately evasive about what type of WLS I wanted. In past appointments, she would always talk about the lapband. Today, she asked if I had considered the sleeve. I could have jumped up and kissed her. I had 3 journal articles showing statistics about how the sleeve is better than the band. I didn't have to prove anything. She said she didn't know much about the sleeve, but several of her other patients have done very well with it. By this point, I had zoned out, and was doing the "happy dance" in my head. I had an example letter (courtesy of Sandy) and my PCP said it was perfect. Yay me!!!! The icing on the cake is that I lost 6lbs since my visit last month. I have my last NUT appt tomorrow and they'll get everything ready to submit for approval. Excuse the lack of grammar and punctuation, but I'm so happy, I don't even care. I feel like I could work out for 5 hours, but I'm usually dying after 30 min.