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I think everyone considering this surgery should read your story. It hasn't made me change my mind but I went to the doctor with a list of questions based on your posts. It helped me a lot to discuss these things and know exactly what the risks are. I am a diabetic with heart issues and asthma already. I've been pretty active, cardio 40 minutes a day 5 days a week, weights 3 days a week and yoga almost every day, for the past 6 years. I've also done every diet under the sun but always get stuck in the same spot. My situation is different than yours but I still needed to read what could happen and I thank you so much for sharing. Even though it didn't change my mind that this is right for me it really helped.

Just make sure you research both before making a decision. I am non-insulin dependent diabetic, for now. From the people I've talked to and what I've read both procedures should get me to the same place but at different speeds. Given that I would rather go with the procedure where they don't have to reroute things and create additional side effects. I do have a friend who had the RNY 6 years ago and my sister-in-law had that same procedure 3 years ago. Both have done great. It really worked for them. They also started out at a much higher weight and BMI than I'm at. What was right for them I don't feel would be right for me. Each person needs to examine their own situation and make their own decision.

October 30th here. It will be the ultimate trick or treat!

Excellent post. You really put things into perspective. From everything I've read this procedure is a lot less risky than many others, and I don't mean weight loss surgeries but all surgeries. People have a tough time seeing the odds of dying from obesity because it's something they've lived with for a long time. That doesn't meant that it isn't there or isn't significant. It's very important to understand the risks you are taking at this very moment and weigh them against the risks of having WLS.

I'm right behind you on the 30th so make sure you tell me how it goes

Everyones situation is different. You need to make a decision based on yours. Where I am it would not be smart to let people know. I have no problem with my family being told but anyone in town and especially at work needs to be kept in the dark. I live and work in the New York area and giving out too much information is bad for your career.

What you do is take care of yourself. He may grumble but he loves you so he's going to have to deal with it. Come your 5 year anniversary he's going to be grateful to have a happy and healthy wife.

I won't lie to you 6 months is a long time. I know for many here it wasn't and they couldn't believe how quickly it went but that wasn't the case for me. You need to look at this 6 month wait as a test. WLS is not a quick fix or an easy way out. It's a tool just like any other. You need to be mentally tough enough to use that tool properly. Going through all those tests and staying focused on the goal will put you in the right mindset to do that. If you want it enough to go through all this you are not going to be so quick to cheat on yourself. Good luck and stay strong

It took 9 days but I finally heard from the doctor that it's approved! Thank you everyone for your support. I feel like I've been waiting forever after 6 months of NUT visits, a ton of tests and way too many doctors. October 30th that all comes to an end and I get started on the real challenge. Bye-bye 240's. Bye-bye diabetes. Hello 190's, cross country mountain bikes and the ability to finally move on to power yoga!

My mother-in-law started Medifast January 1 and to date has lost 50 pounds on it. She's a real fanatic about following the plan. I don't even think she's eaten a meal that she didn't order from Medifast in the past 10 months. I have no idea what her long term plan is. Every time I ask her she tells me how she went from 180 to 130 at age 62 and if eating just Medifast is the way to stay there that's what she's going to do. My wife and sister-in-law started January 1 with her. My wife lasted about 2 months. My sister-in-law made it 6. Neither followed it as religiously as my MIL and neither lost significant weight. If you are someone who can really stick to it you will lose weight. However, you better be committed and follow the plan. Do that for 2 years and you'll lose the 120 pounds. If you can't stick to it though you are better off not spending the money.

They used the Da Vinci for this? That's pretty cool. It's the most advanced robotic surgical tool out there. It's also the most expensive. Guess they are billing high to pay for it.

No luck with day 8 The insurance company keeps telling me that these things take 2 business days. I tell them 2 business days was last Thursday but the representatives are only able to go by the information they are given. They tell me to call every day with the reference number they gave me but unfortunately it's the same story. At least I'm not reading anything negative into this. I think it's more a function of dealing with a bureaucracy than any issues.

Regular exercise and getting enough sleep at night is the key to energy. That's true no matter how heavy you are. Get your heat rate up for a half hour every morning and you will be wide awake all day long.

Good luck. Dealing with insurance companies is never easy. I wish there was some sort of way to get in touch with a person who knows something but there never seems to be. You're going to have to just keep plugging away and have your doctors office do the same thing. The doctor doesn't get paid unless they get this approved. It's in their interest to help too. Keeping hitting both.

Unfortunately those comments are not going to change. Unless people research they will always feel that it's the 'easy' way out.

October 30 as long as the insurance approval comes in. I called them since it's been 7 days and it's still pending

I'm hoping to join you at the end of the month. Thanks for sharing the experience. A little lemon pledge smell is something I can deal with. Quick recovery to you

Great job! Keep it up!

I have Oxford which is owned by UHC and follows all the UHC rules. They told me it has to be medically supervised which means no WW. I was told I could combine WW with medically approved nutritionist but WW on it's own was out. They need doctors notes to go along with the monthly weigh-ins.

I'm not planning on telling them anything. Nothing good can possibly come from telling them. They're not even going to notice for 6 months anyway.

Thanks for sharing. It's always great to hear from someone with long term results. I hope to be doing the same thing the end of next year.

Sounds interesting. What is it called?

So far everything has been covered subject to my deductible and copays and co-insurance. I've made sure though to do it all in network. The nutritionist is employed by the surgeon and her services are included in his bills.

See you on the other side. Good luck and a speedy recovery

All the best. Just hang in there and you'll do great