SqueakyWheel&Ethyl

FANTASTIC!!!

Cerenatee, I admire your courage. And thank you for sharing this with us.

My sleeve was Apr 17 and I went back last Thursday (because I had used all my time off I had accrued). I was too soon. I made it trough the day, barely. But I haven't been back. I am determined to go back tomorrow. Desk job and great boss and coworkers. They prop me up. So, I'm going to do it!

How did you "find out" you had a leak? What were you feeling? What symptoms? And what was done to correct it? More surgery?

<sniff> <sniff>. Ah, sweet memories.... Brought a tear to my eye. That was my favorite thing in the whole world. Last night I dreamed I was making these HUGE cylinders formed out of milk chocolate. Imagine a chocolate bunny... Only it was a cylinder that stood 4 feet tall and I was filling it with M&Ms, Kit Kats, and whipped cream. Where the heck did that come from?!? I haven't even been yearning for candy!

Good days. Bad days. High energy enough to go shopping. Next day, can barely get out of bed. A few days later, walking in the park, pushing a wheelchair, feeling really good! Then another funky day. It's an ebb and flow. The extremes get less and less, though. Our bodies are going through a DOUBLE shock, you know. Recovery from surgery is big enough. We are also piling on a huge change in the familiarity of how our bodies are nourished. Blood sugars are probably thinking, "What the hell?!?" And, that plays a part in our spirit. This, too, shall pass.

Thank you, thank you.... I'm here til Thursday. Tip your waiters.

I figured you meant me and never took any of it as snarky. You are my Sleeve-Sister! GIRL POWER!

There are credit companies that specialize in financing medical procedures. Google it.

They wouldn't let me even have an ice chip until after the upper GI done the next morning to confirm no leaks. Then, they had ice, water, jello, broth all available.

Oops, my bad. Brain fade.

If he'd rather spend double to stay in the US, then ok! Stop worrying about the $. You are making a brave and courageous choice and, being who I am, I'd tell him so. I'd also tell him that I need his support and encouragement, and if he can't give me that, then I need his silence. Negativity is poison to the soul. You can't afford that while recovering.

Find the good Mexico stories on here and read them aloud to him. Just, "Hey, listen to this....." And let him "learn about it" with you.

I used to think that, too about going to a foreign country for surgery. But after reading all the stories here, I'm considering Mexico for tummy tuck and breast augmentation after I lose all the weight, because I KNOW my insurance won't cover it.

In the end, she admitted they cover up to a limit of $12,500. My surgery total will be about $18K. But, I have insurance through my husband's company that picks up the rest.

MOST insurance companies say it isn't covered, but if you have qualifying conditions, I think that sometimes they HAVE to. I'm no insurance expert, of course, but I know that there is a huge industry for bariatric surgery advertising that their expert can get your insurance to say "yes" so there must be loopholes. I went straight to my Medical Director's office and got on a first name basis with his nurse. She resisted at almost every turn. I kept asking for a step by step list to follow. She refused to cooperate, instead, choosing to give me ONE piece of info at a time, hoping one of them would trip me up. I documented everything and will blog all of their requirements (which were tedious) for others to learn from. I got mine covered, tho!!

When I first started Protein I was told to get in AT LEAST 30 gms but shoot for 60 gms or more, as tolerated. My first few days it was hard to hit 30. Do you know about double milk? Mix 1 cup skim milk with 1/3 cup powdered non-fat milk. I mix up a pitcher at a time (4 cups milk + 1 1/3 cup powdered non-fat milk). It doubles the protein content of your milk. Use it in any preparations calling for milk. Cream Soups, for example. 1 cup skim milk is 8.4 gms of protein. Double milk makes it 16.8 gms! I drink Atkins Advantage Milk chocolate Delight protein shakes. At first, it took me a whole day to finish one, but I got in 15 gms of protein with it. The rest was filled in with cream of chicken Soup or broth. Good luck!

I also learned that our insurance company's Medical Director and his nurse have annual bonuses tied into how much they can deny coverage for WLS surgery. I talked with a nurse from my secondary insurance carrier who KNOWS my primary insurance company's Medical Director (the one with final approval). She said they are nice folks, but are under pressure to block these approvals to save $$. But, they have a heart and will probably approve if everything is in place. It was. They did.

I'd still call and question it, just to be sure. They said No on the phone to me at first, but when I pressed further, they admitted there are SOME circumstances in which they would cover it, but they were getting angry with me for painting them in a corner. It is so obvious they don't want anyone to know they do cover SOME. I'd ask, "what if you're 100 lbs overweight? What if your BMI is over 40? What if there are medical conditions and doctors advice to have it?" That's how I broke through. If the answers are all "no" to those questions, then ask them to send you that in writing. THEN, close that door.

Yes, are you CERTAIN it's excluded? When I called my insurance they said it isn't covered and tried to end the call right there. But I said, "what if I'm 100 lbs overweight? Or what if I have other medical conditions that warrant it?" They said, "you're asking us to bend the rules for you." "No. I'm asking you what the real rules are so I can see if I qualify." I work for a county. Before this, EVERYONE I spoke to who also worked for the county said it wasn't covered. I found out by PUSHING and demanding info in writing, that they DO cover it if: 1) Patient is 100+ lbs overweight, or 2) Patient is 80+ lbs overweight with at least two qualifying health conditions (diabetes and high blood pressure, for example). I would double check your insurance now. They don't volunteer this information. You have to really dig for it. If they blanket exclude WLS - no exception, then that's a closed subject. Also, where in the US can you get sleeved for $10K? It's usually double that. I see lots of folks having really good experiences doing it in Mexico for less than $5K, all travel expenses included, including hotel and airfare.

My surgery was 2 pm.. This is what I wish someone would have told me. Nothing after midnight last night, right? After surgery, it will continue to be nothing until tomorrow morning. Not even ice chips. You will be on IV so you won't dehydrate, but the inside of your mouth will feel awful. I begged for ice chips. I even told a nurse, "I'll give you $1,000 for ONE ice chip." I couldn't even bribe my husband. But, I did get a little relief. The pre-op nurse who prepped me for surgery was a sleeve patient herself (with my surgeon even). She showed me her before pics. 80 lbs lost in 14 months and she looked like about a size 8. She said her husband got a wash cloth wet and wrung it out good. She put it in her mouth. Wiped out the inside good and just let the cool moisture of the rag make her mouth feel better. So, my hubby did that for me, too. It made it a LOT easier to wait until the next day for a drink. Good luck! And Happy Birthday! Today is your NEW Birthday!

And, you need his emotional support. THANK GOD we have the sleeve option. Diets FAIL US. We don't fail them. Sleeve doesn't fail. I hope he becomes more emotionally supportive for you. I bet he will. He will sure be proud of you as he sees it working!

I ate way too fast and could slam high volumes before I felt it, too. Only I DID make poor choices, too. After WLS, my body talks to me much more than ever (I call her Ethyl) and she tells me things like, "OK, just take two swallows... Now wait. Yeah, feel that in the middle of your sternum? That's saying thanks for not taking three swallows. ... Now, take another bite..... Lets wait about five minutes.... Ok, you can have another bite now...." When you give that "voice" it's own personality, it makes the experience even funnier. If your husband is so concerned about you having surgery, maybe he should be more concerned about the dangers of see-saw weight loss. People (like us) who go up and down a lot with our weight are at much higher risk of stroke than people who maintain morbid obesity. Luther Vandross is a good example. My husband is rail-thin and never has a weight problem either. But, he has studied my health conditions enough to have compassion and support for this decision. I'd tell your husband that undergoing surgery and giving up an entire lifetime of eating like he does is NOT an easy way out and he will see that himself. It will be the BEST gift you give yourself. Good luck.

It's a new life. The shadows of the past will linger, but I'm finding they are slowly fading. This surgery truly is life changing. You will naturally adapt your behavior to conform to what your body needs. And, you will be able to hear your body talking to you more clearly than it ever did before. You are going to do great! Just cut yourself some slack during the healing process. Tell yourself, 'This, too, shall pass.'

Im still on Full Liquids, too, for 3 weeks. When I want to chew, I eat Campbell's Bean and Bacon Soup. The soft beans in it can be chewed up really soft before swallowing. Beans=protein, too. It satisfies my urge to eat chewy food without making me sick. I know I'm cheating, but I couldn't go three weeks. I started with a scrambled egg. It's on the Puréed Diet list. It took me 1/2 hour to eat 1/2 of 1. Now, I can eat a whole boiled egg in about 20 minutes and I feel great! I know I'm not ready to eat meat yet, but when I am, I am so looking forward to taco meat!