Izuri

Yay! Congrats on your approval!

My weight loss mission. That sounds good =) Or maybe My weight loss quest! It sounds like you're doing great =) You've come to the right place for support and friendship.

Welcome to VST! It is a long and sometimes frustrating process, but totally worth it. Don't hesitate to ask questions or talk to people, it is a lot of fun getting to know everyone on here and the support is awesome =)

Woohoo!! You're gonna turn around and it's gonna be here!!

Congrats!!! What a nice surprise after getting home =)

It sounds to me more like eating too fast. Symptoms of a stricture include: persistent nausea /vomiting, inabilty or gradual inability to keep anything down including liquids. Post-VSGrs w/ strictures also report: liquids backing up in their esophagus, foamies, heaving, fatigue. If you are having these issues, you should probably talk to your doctor. You may want to talk to them even if it's eating fast, just for peace of mind.

I have heard really mixed reviews on Care Credit. Maybe try Googling Care Credit reviews and read through some of them? I have heard that they have been turning down more people because of the economy, so they're more strict on credit scores.

Depends on your body. You will continue losing though, so even if it slows down, don't get discouraged! Some weeks are better losing weeks than others =)

Most of mine are in places that do not shrink/stretch all that much. I'm hoping they don't change much! If they do I suppose I'll just have them covered or touched up =) Not a huge deal.

It depends on your surgeon. Some surgeons will have you do full liquid diet for longer than others. My surgeon has me doing a week of full liquids and then moving on to puree. Usually the sequence seems to be full liquids => puree => soft foods => regular foods from what I've seen.

Different strokes for different folks. I hope it goes well for you =) Good luck!

It sounds like Cigna is a frustrating insurance company to deal with. Whatever you do, don't give up. If this surgeon's office will not do it, see if you can go through another surgeon and have the claim approved somehow. On the other side of the topic, I haven't worked through a surgeon's office, but I can tell you that insurance companies are just as difficult for medical facilities to deal with. They give the doctor's office just as many run arounds and inaccurate information as they give the patients they cover. It's all around a load of bs. That's not to say your surgeon's office is not at fault for not being willing to do the review, just keep in mind it's hours on the phone for them and the insurance company usually gives them a lot of crap too. I hope you do get things sorted out. And if they don't get it to go through, try the appeal process. But before you do, get in writing (and copy the person's name who gave it to you) exactly what you need and in what words so that you can make sure that they can't pull a fast one on you again.

My surgeon did say that he recommends waiting 2 years until weight/body has stabilized before getting pregnant. Which is fine with me because I'm not planning on it anytime soon. Like you, I am glad to know that I will be able to have kids eventually.

It sounds like things are really going your way now! Worth all the difficult times =) It must feel awesome to be fitting back in regular sizes. I'm sure your family is happy that you are so much healthier and happier now.

You get massages once a week through you benefits? I'm am jealoussssss! That sounds awesome. I'm going to look into this. How much do you pay each week?

Good luck! You will do awesome =)

Have you tried changing up what you're eating? Taking anti-nausea medication? Eating slower? Maybe you have something in your diet that you're not tolerating well, like dairy products? Are you eating too little throughout the day? Too little Water? There are many things you could try changing up to see if they have an effect. I hope you feel better.

I always thought this was goofy too. My scale tops out at 320, which always really annoyed me.

I'm sorry to hear that you're having trouble with straight water. I'm having a hard enough time staying hydrated and I can drink straight water. Do you have a fridge/freezer at work? Maybe you can freeze some stuff and drink it slowly. I just got a new stainless steel water bottle. It's made by the company Bubba. It keeps ice slushy and icy for longer than any water bottle I've had. So maybe getting a good bottle like that and making a slushy drink every morning?

That's really lame that your PCP's office left out your dieting history. And that today was your tentative date =( It sounds like you are motivated though, so as long as you are on their butts they can still get the correct information in to the insurance company. I'm rooting for you! Let us know how it works out.

I'm sorry to hear that you have to go through so many hoops to get it covered. How frustrating! I'm glad to hear Xavtay's story though. I'd follow their directions exactly and document everything you do, including the names of everyone you talk to. I find it's much easier to get things to go through insurance companies if I can provide some backup of who I talked to, what they said, and when. Good luck, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

I would not be looking into starting any new medications soon before surgery, but that's just my 2 cents. You never know how a specific medication is going to affect your body, and some people tolerate different types of birth controls differently. I thought about this same thing before surgery, because I used to be on birth control, but I have worked in the medical field and I've actually met a few young women who have had blood clots related to being on the pill. It was enough to make me certain that before surgery is not the time to take it. Especially since immediately after surgery you'll be laying around more. It would be a bummer to have your period on/directly after surgery, but I guess that's just part of life.

Congratulations! How exciting =) The time between now and then will fly by.

Justine, How're you feelin today? Any better? You're sounding more positive, which I'm glad to hear =)

I am not going to lie. I hate Mondays. And it's not just Mondays, it is really just whatever day starts the week off. I have had Mondays off here and there, but this is the first Monday I have been able to relax, kick back, and enjoy me. No worries of work the next day, no chores around the house (I finished those pre-op!), no school work to start. I have just been able to focus on my health and supporting my new lifestyle. I walked around the yard a number of times today. I got to take in all the flowers that are blooming - although sadly many of them have died due to the lack of rain. I got to listen to the birds, watch my dogs run around and have fun, and get in some good old sunlight vitamin D. I am not having as much pain as I had been having. I realize I have not updated this blog since I was still pre-op. I will write a synopsis of my immediate post-op experiences later on, as I am currently battling sleep. I am able to move up and down out of the chair easily now. I only am waking up once or twice a night, and not every time needing pain medicine. I am really taking the time to enjoy my foods. I don't know how long it has been since I made a meal really last. Today I had some homemade chicken soup broth and it lasted me like 45 minutes for just a small 4oz glass. It really was incredible and I felt totally satisfied afterward. Before surgery that would have been down in a matter of minutes and I would have been wanting more immediately. Even after a whole bowl I may not have been satisfied. I guess I just wanted to take a minute to share that even in just the first week after surgery, I am appreciating my life more. I am only looking forward to all the great things I will continue to rediscover in my life =) I hope everyone is doing well! I'll update more later.