iggychic

I must be very intimidating (at all of 4'12") because no one has said anything of that nature to my face, and given I had a lengthy complication issue pretty much everyone in town and in the other state we live in knows LOL (small town...small state). Maybe they wouldn't say it because most know I nearly died, so if that isn't an "i told you so" what would be? heh heh Anyhoo, I tell people and really, they don't say anything. Perhaps your approach is less upfront? Or not brusque enough? I just say I had surgery and move it along without room for comment.... perhaps I talk too much and they can't get a word in edgewise?

If it were the night before your surgery I'd say you made a big mistake and advise you come clean to your doc...but it's not Drink a lot of water over the weekend and tonight to flush the salt out of your system and be a good girl or boy til surgery time! Remember Santa's watch...umm oh wait that's the threat I do for my son....Your doc wants a pretty liver. Be good and drink like a fish (not tequillia though LOL)

One must wonder...why would anyone attempt to shove a rat in a sock anyhoo? Where does this type of thought come from LOL

I knew there was a vegimatic on the boards I just couldn't remember who LOL

This surgery and it's requirements are a lot tougher for a vegitarian than they are for meat eaters like me. OP I'd highly suggest you post a question with the vegetarian word in the topic so that if there are any here they can share how this works for them. I'd be specific so that you cover what you eat and don't eat (ie do you do milk, eggs? etc) so that you can get better advice that is more specific to your issues. I know that in my research I read about challenges that people who don't eat meat deal with. Its not as easy by any sense of the imagination.

my house is four story and all I could think of presurgery was how hard the stairs were after I had a c-section. As it turned out, I did go upstairs and didn't come down much the first few weeks, but that was due to weakness, not the actually stairs causing pain to go up and down them. I had a tea pot and a little fridge in the room and plenty of help if I needed food so I didn't have to go up and down them the first week. After I got back home from hospital (second surgery) they were only an issue due to my strength. I took them slowly and was fine.

Thanks Things are much better. I'm out of the woods and ready to go on with life without worrying I'll lose a stomach! I'm rather low on those so that was a concern heh heh DH wanted to add an important tip on that salad I left out (because I just do it and don't think). The romain should be washed and dried well prior to mixing in the dressing. If not it does not coat the lettuce well and you end up having a sad little salad with a puddle at the bottom of your plate. You really want to see each piece coated nicely with dressing as in the picture. I also make this and serve it immediately. It is a heavy dressing due to the egg and it gets limp fairly quickly (not a good buffet item). I normally make it tableside as Van does at the restaurant, or of course if I'm the one eating it I just whip it up in the kitchen and serve it right away Oh and I never coddle my egg. We don't have salmonella issues here in PNW and we store our eggs at the right temp...then of course as above we serve it right away. Van has to do it because it's served in a restaurant.

Liz darling, I'm so glad you are ok! And you touched my cold little heart If all that comes out of my trauma is that someone listened and takes their aches and pains seriously enough to check the out before they end up like I did...I'll feel like there has been some value to all of this

Ya know...that might be a good idea LOL I was thinking I was looking pretty snazzy in my work out gear yesterday. I'll get one today if I have a good hair day

You are insane But it sounds like you have a great husband. I personally wouldn't even have enjoyed a cab ride home, but we live a long ways away so that is part of the reason (chatting with a stranger for two hours was not in my ability level after surgery). Some hospitals will let you stay later or check out earlier if you have a hardship. I had to leave earlier than normal check out because of ferry schedules and the long drive (I wanted to arrive home before my little guy went to bed) and the docs made that happen for me. You might ask in advance if that is possible.

You might review your policy carefully. Do they actually say that complications from WLS are not covered or is it a line that says complications from elective surgery aren't covered? Do they cover complications when you enter a hospital via an ER verses a normal doctors visit to discuss possible complications? If you are airlifted or ambulanced in do they cover? Many insurance programs do cover when it's an emergency verses a normal doctors visit. But it's a valid question to ask. My complications look to be coming in right around half a million dollars or so. Secondary insurance is worth looking into prior to the surgery if you know you don't have coverage even with the ER caveat. For a few hundred, even a thousand bucks it's cheap money if you compare it to my bills

Oh liz! I too hope it's "just gas" but I applaud you for going in to figure it out hun. Too many people don't and it's a bigger issue. When you're ready to head home stop on by and I'll lock you in a room with a naked christmas tree and a gallon of eggnog (laced of course). That will either put you out of your misery or make you super jolly! Both are better than pain

LOL and odd mix...I got fat having fertility treatments heh heh It's shocking how little insurance covers! Wanna talk adoption coverage now? or boob lifts might be more appropriate

Ok before I attempt to paste a link (I can't find it in my pin's but I knew where I got it....mine is all hand scribbled from the class LOL). This recipe is truly the best Caesar salad in the world IMO. But....when Van makes it (he's a friend of ours) he does NOT use 1 tbsp of parmesan cheese....for this recipe he uses between a 1/4 and half a cup. So when you make it be sure to use more. The salad should be nice and cheesy (is that possible LOL). I make my own croutons but you can use good store bought. Use the best quality balsamic and olive oil you can afford. The better the quality the better the salad. http://www.alaskabites.com/?p=546

Honey I live a very social life with meals out at least three times a week, normally more. We eat with friends often and attend many social events. At three months out I still do this At one month out I was hospitalized and near death...so my social life was a bit slim unless you count the numerous visiting doctors starting at 6 am and ending around 3. none of them brought Cookies or wine! And there I was paying them thousands to entertain me heh heh At two months out I was starting puree and still very weak but I was back having tea with the girls since I couldn't have wine. I attended a weekend retreat actually now that I think of it and at that retreat I joined in with the group on the seven course meal with wine pairings...I just sipped a bit and ate what I could. It was no biggie. At three months out I am past fear of further complications and pretty much back to my normal life. Today I had lunch with a girlfriend then a glass of wine in my favorite shop. We plan on dinner out Saturday with our friends and then a party on Sunday, where I will eat pretty much what others do, just not as much. At thanksgiving I had turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. Just a bit of each was plenty. I enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner. That weekend we went to a french restaurant. I had escargot for an app and duck for dinner. I skipped a salad because I am not able to eat them yet, but in all other ways I was following in with the group. We had champs (which isn't allowed for me except for a small taste, which I enjoyed) and wine with dinner. I shared my dessert with the table. My social life was not altered...I just didn't have three or four glasses of wine over the long dinner and I didn't leave stuffed. Your life will be one of forced moderation if that's what works for you. I am not glued to any calorie limit nor a carb limit. I do tend to get in about 600 cals a day and am normally under 50 carbs, but my doc prefers I just focus on Protein. My social life is fine with that I just don't drink as much as the other gals and I lose weight without worrying about it.

BCBS has thousands of policies all with variations depending on the employer, the plan and the state. A requirement of five years is not uncommon.

I was attempting to share that your current situation isn't what everyone goes through and offering a suggestion for the next step. Our company is also a "large" company with all the messy levels of management If you're concerned, and it sounds like you are, go up the food chain. People do care, even in a large company. I'm sorry you are in this predicament.

If I so much smell cookie on your breath I'll whip you with a whole wheat spaghetti noodle missie!!! Fear Me!!! heh heh

That sounds yummy and I have the ingredients at hand. I think I'll try that! Thanks

Of course you can vent, but if you post on a public forum that self insured plans are a joke, expect that those of us who put these plans together might take offense to that and offer up a different side of the story. We personally have issues with the coverage or the administration on occasion, probably more than many of our staff given we've had some major challenges medically. We have used some experimental treatments or new treatments and even if you're the boss you have to work within the rules. But we use those challenges and any we are told of from staff as our guide for the program the next cycle so that we can meet needs we might not have perceived. Our fertility coverage is based on what WE experienced on a personal level. Over a hundred thousand in costs. We also looked at donor eggs, something not typically covered by many programs. We traveled the country to cure our son, and in the process we spent nearly two million dollars trying to find out what was wrong with him. That took us down the road of "Fail to thrive with unknown cause" which is a bear for insurance coverage as it does not fit in any of the typical boxes. That was a great learning process for us again when working on our plan. Vent all you want, but know that YOUR self insured plan is not the same as ours. We offer it because it offers more than we would get with a group coverage program through the administrator. We care if our staff are given the run around as you feel you are. Does your employer? Do they want to hear your story? Have you shared it with them? I know I'd want to hear it so I could make changes if they are necessary. As to WLS...mine was not covered. I was below the bmi rate in our plan so I didn't even try for coverage. I would be sure to fight tooth and nail for someone who needed the surgery to have it....but I also feel quite fine that it isn't covered for low bmi with no comorbidities. Again, my experience talking. I wouldn't want to see anyone we know and love go through what I did! But people who need the surgery should have it. Go talk with the person at your company who handles the insurance or if you aren't in contact with the owner, send them an email. If they are decent they would want to know what you are dealing with. I would.

I'm three months one week from surgery one and what...two months from surgery two (I never know which one to count LOL) I was 185 at surgery (it's a little wishy washy because my at home weight was lower as is my new docs scale) so anyhoo, I'm now 145.4. I did gain 40lbs in the hospital LOL so I'm down either 40.4 or 80.4...depending on which you want to use heh heh

We have a self insured plan that we provide to our team. It is very generous and planned carefully so that we do not exclude things which many don't have covered through group coverage like fertility treatments and WLS. Your self insured plan might be a problem, but not all are. Some employers use it as a way to entice a high quality team...and as such it's high quality insurance.

I don't think they're the worst option in the world, though I haven't had one. They do tend to be very high in sodium which I haven't been eating much of since the surgery so I'd just watch that. I think most of the ones I liked had either a sauce or noodles, so for me, the options wouldn't be great since I would only get to eat a few bites of meat (I've never seen one with whole wheat pasta). Oh wait, now that I think of it, I did buy a mexican pie (I think it was called that...ground beef, corn, tomatoes, and potatoes) which I took four days to eat LOL It's in the health food section...maybe Amy's brand? I didn't worry about the carbs and fat because I eat so little it does not matter much.