Andrew0929

You're right. The "complications" part of my story isn't a good idea. I will stick with the "gallbladder surgey" and then just say "dieting and exercise" and hopefully that will satisfy all of the inquisitions.

Both my nut and surgeon said that coffee and caffeine are not a problem. I'm still pre op but hoping to resume shortly after surgery.

I am hoping to keep my upcoming WLS a secret from most people. I hate lying but can't tolerate hearing everyone's opinion Do you think it's believable to I'm having my gallbladder removed? Then when I start losing weight I was going to say I had some complications with the surgery.

Many of us are in a similar situation. I'm planning to tell very few people. Will tell my boss I'm having gallbladder surgery. When asked about weight loss I will say I eat like a bird and run like a deer, which will hopefully be true. Andrew

Thanks .... Dieting has not worked for me; the chances of health complications worsening is very likely; and being obese is definitely interfering with my living life the way I'd like to. That said - I probably have no choice but to go through with the surgery. I'm just scared as hell ....

You're completely right about considering the risks of remaining as I am now. I'm 53 years old with a 53 BMI. Perhaps my age and BMI will continue to increase together, which would be likely lead to some serious health problems. I have lots of them now but all are under control. I hate being fat and hate that I can't participate in many activities because of it. Andrew

Thanks for the frank advice. I'm surprised you'd be willing to go through with this, given the extent of your complications. I like your idea of writing down all of the things I can't do now and then determine if the risks are worth achieving these. Thanks, Andrew

Met with my surgeon yesterday for last appointment before submitting to insurance. I asked if my risk for a leak was higher due to my BMI of 53 and he said yes. My wife and I are freaking out now. I am self employed and have a kid in college. If I were out of work for 5 months my life would be ruined. My wife, who had been completely supportive, is now asking if I should just try dieting again. I'm on the fence now .... Please help.

coffee is an important part of my life. I roast my own coffee and have a commercial grade roasting machine in my garage. My hobby is modifying (improving) coffee gear - espresso machines, grinders, and roasting machines. One of my first questions to my nut was whether I had to stop drinking coffee. She said they used to believe coffee was a problem after bring sleeved but no longer think its an issue. I'm bringing her a bag of coffee to my next appointment and planning to continue my coffee after sleeved . I will ask my surgeon about this on Monday which is my last visit before submitting to insurance. Andrew

I have all of the same feelings of fear but know this is the right path for me. One more nut visit and my case will be submitted to insurance. Still pretty effing scared ... Andrew

Congratulations and thanks for sharing your story. I'm hoping for a surgery date before year-end and really need encouraging stories like yours to keep me on track. Andrew

I feel exactly the same way. I'm pretty confident that I'll lose a significant amount during the first year, but worry that when the restriction subsides I'll plump up again.

Went for my cardio eval a month ago and the cardiologist found something questionable on the EKG. Followed up with an echocardiogram, which eliminated questions in EKG and had good results. Then, he recommended a nuclear stress test, due to my family history and weight. That was a 2-day process and I was a little nervous about them finding something. My brother, who is in great physical condition, had a blockage at my age (surprised everyone given his slender physique and good eating habits) and needed a stent. Luckily, I received my results today and they are normal. Also, he said he's clearing me for surgery. Now, only one Nut visit left before submitting to insurance. Getting frighteningly close to actually going through with this. Hopefully I won't chicken out ...

I think it's time to move on .... Nothing worse than a mooch and it sounds like that's exactly what this guy is. This will only get worse as time goes on. Andrew

I'm hoping to have my info submitted to the insurance co in about one month.

Unfortunately I could polish that off very easily ... I need to be sleeved.

Congratulations! I'm hoping to have my info submitted in less than 1 month. Almost afraid to get approved because I'm still a little freaked out about getting sleeved but forging forward nonetheless.

I'm still pre-op but told 2 siblings and 1 close friend. My 2 siblings were completely supportive but my friend has been a tough sell. He is overweight and tries every fad diet, with limited success. Although his intentions are good, worrying that I could die or have complications, he has been relentless in trying to convince to not go through with this. I've not told anyone else and am still uncertain as to whether or not I will. I hate keeping secrets but even more so hate uncsolicated advice.

The insurance person in my surgeon's office could be better. First, I had to decipher rule changes shown on the CIGNA website for her, and she agreed with me eventually but did so with a tude. A few weeks later, I received a mailing from her announcing the rule change I'd just explained to her. Still, no big deal - I'm sure they were just informing all CIGNA patients of the change. My problem has to do with her interpretation of a different rule, which states that I need to see the NUT for "3 consecutive months (i.e.>= 89 days)". My issue is related to the fact that I went to the NUT on 6/27 and then on 8/2. The insurance person told me that due to no appointment in July, it's in violation of the "consecutive months" rule. I told her the appointments were 36 days apart, but she didn't give in. I called CIGNA and had the customer service person speak directly to the people that approve/deny. They said this wasn't an issue as they don't specify the exact number of visits during that period, but only that there is continuous activity with a NUT during that period, which I thought was reasonable. They agreed that the rule wasn't meant to imply calendar months but instead a block of time. I called the Surgeon's insurance person back and she said that in her experience they would deny this due to no activity in July. I told her what CIGNA said, but she said it doesn't matter and that the Medical Director that reviews this case will make that call. She said she'd send it in (after all other requirements and 2 more NUT visits completed), but didn't think it would be accepted. She said if we send it in and they don't like it, they could send it to the appeals process which could add an additional month. They may also just ask for one more nut visit and allow resubmitting in a week. What do you think? Should I do the 5th Nut visit to be extra sure or try my luck and send it in with 4?

Last week, I went to a cardiologist to get a clearance for surgery. He did an EKG and found something questionable. He said it could be nothing or that I could have had a mild heart attack in the past. He immediately did an ultra-sound and that indicated it was nothing. He said that sometimes obese people can have the false positive results on their EKG, as was the case for me. He said it's very common, so this could be the same thing you're experiencing. He gave me clearance for surgery but did schedule a nuclear stress test for next month, due to my family history and risk factors. Don't worry - you probably have the same false positive that I had.

I have the same question. My nut said it is generally recommended to avoid straws due to excess air, but she said if its not bothering you don't worry about it. I actually think I take in more air drinking out of a Water bottle, than with a straw, but probably just the way I drink. I will ask my surgeon about this at my next appointment.

I'm thankful that we have so many nurses in here. If this were not the best WLS procedure, the nurses would know that. Being pre-op, it's reassuring that I've chosen the right path.

Thanks for sharing your amazing story Lou. I needed to read something like that as I go back and forth on whether to go through with this.

I am an Enterprise Architect with 30+ years of software engineering experience. I work as a contractor and have been self employed for 18 years.