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There are some that never quit smoking and do just fine. You should perform some forum searches and read the threads. I suggest you make a serious effort to stop. Yes I know it is difficult but it can be done if you sincerely want to. I smoked since age 17 but had no choice but to quit as my doctor requires it and also tests prior. I made a decision to have this surgery and change my life and decided to go all the way.

Your body (and mind!) is about to go through some major changes, why not give it help instead of hindrances?

I tried a lunch years ago and it was very tasty. The company visited my hospital support group last week, giving out a sample of food and BOGO coupons. The food this time was delish as well and I plan on using that coupon soon.

I don't blame the government at all for this. I blame greedy CEOs who would rather spend their money on race cars and bowl games which costs millions.

Honestly, it's a mixture of both. The new health care rules are increasing costs for the greedy CEO's and nothing will stop them from having their mad money which means cutting employees.

Let you body lead you in this. My surgeon has a schedule for patients to follow, I tried it but my body was not ready so I returned to liquids for an additional week. After that everything was fine.

And yes you can/may gain sure the time of the month. It should fall right back off once it's over.

Okay my fellow singletons, not sure if it has been mentioned here before but there are a couple of groups on Facebook that might be of interest. The first link requires approval for access but I think the second does not. The groups do not appear to be sleeve specific, just WLS.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/514586185246349

https://www.facebook.com/groups/WLS.Dating.Love.Relationships

If for some reason posting this is not allowed here and the links are removed, just message me and I will pass them on again.

Oh and I am beyond single, 45, childless and in Texas.

Everything does look very good! Continued success on the healing process and hope those drains come out soon!

Then I had to learn to walk differently. I realized I was walking with my legs too far apart after I got skinnier because I was used to having fat on my inside thighs. That took a little work! Also had to work on my posture because I walked a little hunched over from carrying the extra weight. And my necklaces got too long. I wasn't expecting that. I had to buy shorter chains for my pendants.

Lynda

This is very interesting Lynda. Hope did you work on your posture? Mine is currently horrible and I've been thinking about purchasing a corset to help force the issue.

Well I called right after I posted and they told me I have an exclusion on my insurance for this type if surgery :/

Sorry to hear this. Maybe if you and/or other employees appeal to your employer they will consider covering it in the future.

Congrats to you! I remember getting into those old jeans from the back of my closet and how exciting it was. The day I can comfortably shop at a Kohls or other regular store will be something major and I cannot wait!

Congrats, awesome pics.

The barium test is a standard practice among surgeons who specialize in gastric surgeries. It is the best way to ensure there isn't even the slightest leak. It's done within the first 24 hours this way if anything is even detected they can fix it asap instead of waiting for the problem to come up later on. I knew about having the test before I had the surgery it was explained to me ahead of time.

This is no longer true. My surgeon performs the leak test immediately after creating the sleeve, while the patient is still on the table. There was no barium test after as there is no need for one. I have seen many others here say the same.

If you are not having any problems, there is no reason or need to be scoped.

I'd lean towards the Y. You will have access to a variety of machines, possible a pool (depending on your location) and different classes. I think it will offer you much more than a Curves location.

.. Am I making the right decision?

Having WLS is a very personal decision, no one can (or should try) to answer this question for you. Do your research, look deep inside of yourself and come to a final decision concerning this life changing event.

Good luck!

I had both of those issues prior to surgery and it was fine. My surgeon fixed my hernia at the same time as the vsg.

Same here!

Well i just called and their service is very limited for me. Only really to prevent "clinically severe obesity" patients from having surgery. Diet talk, etc. No help with UhC. But thanks anyways for telling me. I'm still wondering what the PHI info is that they should be sending me.

Surprising but every employer plan is different. Good luck with everything!

One of my favorite Snacks is a 1/2 apple and slice of (Tillamook) cheddar cheese... yummy!

Tillamook cheese is the best I have ever had!

WOW! I'm so mad now. I was never told about this at all from Uhc! I just literally read through a 500 page SPD and found the info.

I wasn't told about it initially. I accidentally found it while googling about UHC and bariatric surgery.

I have no problem with including apples in my diet. I'd rather have the natural sugar and the overall benefits that fruit provide my body.

Ok what is Optimum Health. My UhC never told me about them and they don't have bariatric resources but i received a letter in the mail from them saying I requested privacy documentation. I called and just was told it was bariatric complicated cases team. I filled out paperwork but have no idea who they are.

Optum Health is a care coordination service for long term medical issues, pregnancy, cardiac, kidney, bariatrics, asthma, that sort of thing. I am not sure if every UHC plan has it but mine did. They verified my coverage and sort of pre-qualified me. They were willing to provide me with a list of surgeon's but I went in with a name. In addition I had a RN case manager who contacted me every couple of months just to check on how I was doing. She was the one to call me with the final authorization before my surgeons' office could. I have nothing but good things to say about my experience with them and recommend getting in touch if it is available.

Ok so im guessing it depends on the company u work for? I am under my dads insurance so idk

You need to start by getting details about what dad's insurance plan will and will not cover. That really is the best place to start so you'll know how much money will be needed out of pocket.

In addition you need to find out what type of rules the plan has concerning surgery, most of them have some. My UHC plan required a six month diet/nutrition program prior to surgery. Don't let that scare you, it went by very quickly and ended up being more helpful than I realized.

Once you find out the basics and select a doctor, their office should handle dealing with the insurance company for authorization and such.

Hi my name is amber im from Houston tx 19 years old been overweight my whole life. I am on my own with no help I have united healthcare i was wondering if anybody had advise for me a need a good doc and low cost and want to know ppls success with UHC?? CAN ANYBODY HELP ME?

Not sure what part of Houston you are in but check out the doctors at the methodist hospital/medical center. I had great success with them. Also if your version of UHC has access to the Optimum Health program - use it! It made everything a breeze for me plus if you really have no idea for a surgeon, they will give you a list of ones in-network.

Good luck!

I am currently suffering from vertigo, diagnosed after an urgent care and er visit. This is the wildest thing ever and I do not like it. I have an follow-up appointment with my PCP next week, she will probably run labs and we'll see if there is anything wrong there. This must stop, I cannot continue on like this.

Almost 6 months out and find myself cold more often than not. It is very strange because I've been the warm/hot type since childhood.

I find it ironic that there's this thread right here wondering why people do these things, followed by a bunch of "you don't know or understand" and "you're not being supportive!" posts...and just a few threads down on this board are a bunch of people reaming out another person for wanting to start solids before their surgeon allows it.

Look, being a food addict doesn't give you a free pass to do stupid things. And yes, it's not nice or PC to say it, but it's absolutely a stupid thing to trust a surgeon to slice your body open and remove most of an organ, and then to decide on your own to just eat what you want despite the fact that he/she gave you a diet specifically geared to prevent life threatening complications.

YOU CAN DIE FROM A LEAK. Do you know why the complication rate is low with the sleeve? Partly because our surgeons give us post op diets to follow to prevent complications!

I'm sorry, but if you are not in a place where you can mentally withstand three weeks of a liquid diet and would rather risk your life eating Cookies and hamburgers during that phase, you should probably get some counseling prior to surgery. I am not being cruel, I am saying this as nicely as I know how to say it. There is no shame in needing support. However, it would be a real shame for someone to risk their life and undergo serious pain and follow on surgeries because they were not prepared to exercise willpower long enough to heal.

We all have food addictions and bad habits - every one of us. Some people cope better than others, certainly. But nobody here has an easy relationship with food or we'd have skipped the organ removal!

And I don't care what anyone says - being supportive means being HONEST. Sure, there are nice ways to do this and blunt and harsh ways. In my opinion, the OP was not harsh or rude in any way. Certainly she said nothing out of line.

If you come here and ask the advice of total strangers on the internet, do not expect that everyone is going to give you a rainbow sparkles hug when you're doing dumb things. Sometimes we need a wake up call and gently saying, "Gosh, I don't know that eating a cheeseburger is a good idea a week post op" probably isn't as effective as saying, "Do you have a death wish?!"

People with addictions love to blame their addictions for their own choices and weakness but the reality is that every one of us can change. We have to choose to do it. Do not say "I can't stop eating" because YES YOU CAN. It's just harder to stop, that's all.

Good luck, folks. And to anyone I offend now or later on VST, I'm sure I meant it in the nicest way possible.

~Cheri

This post needs to be pinned at the top of the forum. Wish I could do more than like it.