blessedbeauty85

My pills are capsules and they go down very easily. Fresh out of surgery, I was horrified to take them, so I tried opening them up and pouring the powder in my Crystal Light (bad choice). My stomach didn't like it, and I was in pain lol. So finally I mustered up the courage to swallow one, and to my surprise, they went down just fine.

At the time of surgery, my BMI was 46 (5'1 245 lbs.) I'm 5 weeks out, and my BMI is 42 (5'1 222 lbs.) Everyone goes through what you're going through, it's normal. I have an almost 2 yr. old and was terrified of something going wrong during or after surgery. But needless to say, I'm here, I'm alive and well :-) like you said, you're in good hands, so you will be just fine...After surgery, make sure you get your rest. The first couple of weeks are the toughest, but it will get better. This is the best decision I've ever made for myself. Good luck!

People that are going through their insurance, may have a wait time of anywhere between 3-6 months. During that time, the insurance company wants you to do a documented Dr. supervised diet. Some insurances will also let you get by with just providing the documentation, if you already have it within a certain time frame criteria.

Now since you're self pay, I think it would just depend on whatever the Surgeons office's requirements are, as well as their availability. So with that said, as a self pay patient, you could definitely have it done within the next few months depending on the surgeon. But if you have not already done so, I would suggest that you do a lot of research on your own, and attend seminars if possible. Good luck to you!

Thank you guys! I just sucked it up, said a quick prayer and swallowed it and it when down like a charm

I had surgery on 1/4, and my doctor prescribed me gallbladder medication (Actigall/Ursodiol) to start taking on 1/12. I'm terrified because its in capsule form, so I can't split it in half. I tried opening it and mixing it with food, and it made my stomach hurt really bad. Has anyone had any experience with this? Thanks!

I'm having surgery tomorrow (1/4) at 10:30am....So my day before surgery diet (I didn't have a pre op liquid diet) is a light Breakfast, Soup for lunch, Clear Liquids for the rest of the day and nothing after midnight. I'm told that this is because they want your stomach as empty as possible to lower the risk of infection. Can I take magnesium citrate today to make sure that I'm "empty" or will that interfere with the surgery?

January 4th!!!!

I was off work for 4 weeks' date=' since my job is not a desk job. My FMLA paperwork that the surgeon signed was for 4 weeks. They suggested that time frame at my first appt with him. As many people will say here, 2 weeks is good if your job is not too physical or strenuous.[/quote']

I just do a lot of driving and I see on here a lot of people complaining about being tired or exhausted going back to work and I don't want to place myself, or those in my care at risk operating a vehicle.

Well those of you who had more than 2 weeks off, did your surgeon ask you if you were ready to go back to work at your first post op appointment and you requested more time? Or were you just given a certain amount of time from the beginning?

My surgery date is 1/4/13, and when I was reading over my pre op information packet, it said that they only grant 2 weeks off of work for FMLA. My question is....is 2 weeks just a standard number that they throw out there to give you an idea of your estimated down time? Because what if my body feels like I need more time off? I know everyone recovers differently.

@enuff_is_enuff Wow that's awful, but congrats on your approval!....Thanks for the encouraging words :-) I'm trying to get sleeved this year, so hopefully everything will work itself out in time. When are you looking to have your surgery?

I've waited so long to be able to make a post saying that I was approved, and that day is FINALLY here lol...The insurance company called me this morning and told me that I was approved for surgery, and that they faxed the letter over to my surgeons office :-) I waited ALL day for the surgeons office to call me to schedule my date, and I've heard nothing! I called the insurance coordinator and left a message, but i'm just confused as to why they wouldn't call me as soon as they received the approval. Has anyone had this same situation? If so, how long did it take for the surgeons office to call you and schedule a date? Thanks!

Good question ::bump:: I'm in the same situation. My paperwork was just submitted, and I got a phone call saying that my Vitamin D was low. The doctor prescribed me a Vitamin D to take, but I'm worried it will delay the process.

Anyone in Phoenix or the valley?

I'm in Glendale, and I will be getting sleeved by Dr. Swain at Scottsdale Bariatric Center. I haven't got my date yet, but I have 2 more doctor's visits.

Yes. I'm using the VST app from my iPhone. Thanks, I will try from my desktop.

I tried to go into a couple of the special interest forums and it told me that I needed a password and to contact the administrator.......I'm confused. Any suggestions?

Thanks do much kczar! You're so helpful because not many people know about PCIP insurance so I really don't have anyone to ask. Did you do your whole 6 month supervised weight loss with after you got approved? Or had you already started the process?

Mrs.E' date=' are you going to use the nutritionist at your surgeon's office? If so, they should have a form that will be sufficient. If you're going through your PCP, they're going to need to give fairly detailed information for each visit. The ones mine used included:

My name

Date of visit

Current weight

Approximate times when I ate Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Examples of what I ate at each meal

Exercise - How often, how long, what kinds of exercise

Vitamins/supplements taken

Was I avoiding fats, fried foods and sugar?

Was I complying with the diet plan?

Doctor's signature and date

I switched from my surgeon's nutritionist to my PCP midway through the process and he just used the same forms. I called PCIP today and they have all the paperwork and I will hopefully have an answer by next week. I've seen several people on the board that have gotten approval first time around with PCIP, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Good luck to you![/quote']

Before applying for PCIP insurance, I had already started doing the supervised doctor visits. I don't know if they will be as detailed as this, but I know we discussed my weight and what my problem foods are (if I hadn't lost any weight). So my questions are:

* if my doctor's forms aren't as detailed as this, will that delay my approval?

*is 6 months of visits with a nutritionist required as well as 6 months of visits with your PCP?

Thanks in advance!

This is SO true; you read my mind in so many ways lol. I do the same thing to myself, that's why I've carried this weight for so long. You think to yourself "Oh I carry it well, so it's not that bad". But it is....and pictures tell it all!....I've seen pictures of myself and wanted to crawl under a rock somewhere and hide because that image is not the person that ive made myself believe that I am. That image is reality, and it hits hard! But that's is why we are here; because we have finally come to terms with it and are standing up to do something about it. GREAT TOPIC!!!

Great story from start to finish!....thanks for sharing! It gave me insight on a lot of things.

Has anyone decided to keep their surgery private? I personally am only going to tell a select few people until after I've had the surgery. I just don't want other peoples opinions or negative energy making me doubt my decision.

Also, once you've gotten the surgery and people ask you what you're doing to lose the weight (assuming they don't already know), what are you going to say? I knew a girl who was a little over 300 lbs, and all of a sudden weight just starting falling off of her. When I asked her what she was doing to lose the weight, she told me "diet and exercise". To make a long story short, I later found out that she had the lap band done and I thought to myself, "why didn't she just say that?". Do some of you guys know what you're going to say when this comes up? ( because I know it will).