jessiquoi

Thanks for sharing. You both must be very disappointed. Your turn will come... it was so considerate of you to give your guy your appointment! Soon enough, you'll both be here telling us how your surgery went and how you're healing.

ok, i'm glad you feel it's just a pulled muscle. your yr old will just have to deal with being inside, because taking care of you is the best way to make sure you can take care of her AND that 3 month old! feel better soon.

woohoo!!! safe surgery and speedy recovery, and don't forget to let us know when you're on the other side.

where in nj are you? isn't there anyone who can help you get to the surgeon's office? you should not be driving in that much pain. i'm almost tempted to come and drive you to the doctor (lol -- i'm in MD now but i'm an ex-jersey girl).

oh honey that sucks! i think you have been around the forums enough to be able to judge what is a normal amount of pain post op and what is not... of course everyone's different, but have you had anyone tell you that they've been doubled over in pain also at this point post-op? please use your best judgement and if you need help being tough, remember we're here for you. maybe you can go to a walk in clinic locally?

@@HalloweenBaby24, i don't think i'd let anyone tell me to suck it up if the pain is as bad as you say. if you called your pcp, call your surgeon now. they may have a different reaction. or just tell that nurse practitioner that you want an appointment to come in. don't let them stress you out, ok?

@@Ken S. on the android app i now can't see that menu line that used to appear on the bottom of the screen that allowed me to see all the items that appear on the web version, ie, notifications, messages, etc. is this the intention? all i can see now is the actual forums.

woohoo!!! good luck, let us know how it goes. wishing you a speedy recovery!

best of luck to you! isn't it awesome that with technology today we can keep in touch with our support groups even while we're in a hospital bed??? speedy recovery!

what's your height? any comorbidities? what does your doctor say? how long have you been trying to lose weight in more "conventional" methods? only you can know if the decision is right for you... and your doctor has a lot of say in it too.

hey, @@nervous46! there are at least two threads i've been posting on that are filled with people who are having surgery in October: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/317812-october-2014/page-10#entry3609591 http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/315503-any-october-dates/page-7?hl=%2Boctober#entry3609556 join in those and you'll find a lot of people who are in the same place as you are! i'm hoping to be October also, and i'm happy to be a buddy, feel free to message me if you want. try to keep positive!!! think about changing your screen name, it may be a self-fulfilling prophecy xoxoxo, jess

best wishes for a safe and speedy recovery!

well la-di-da! i did it, i lost 4.5 of the lbs by quasi-fasting yesterday. going to keep my appointment today (3pm EST), and keep the intake low, and with the additional strength of all your words behind me, going to keep my chin up and give them hell if they give me any grief. i love these forums, and i love every one of you that replied to my post! thank you from the bottom of my heart for the nurturing, supporting, education, and tough love. i'll let you know how i did tomorrow. xoxoxo, jess

@VSGAnn2014... so... i continue the therapy i started just before i started this journey. i continue to practice the better behaviors as often as possible. i look forward to the time when i lose just enough weight to allow me to get back to being the gym rat i used to be before my body became too painful to move. what can i say? i believe i will be successful, because i don't know how to believe anything different. i have to believe that the honeymoon period i've been reading here about will give me the time to cement the successful behaviors. i refuse to believe that i don't stand a chance because i am still struggling pre-op to overcome my addiction. i can't give up, and this is my last resort. if i fail, i will not live as long as i want to. i don't expect the head hunger or cravings to go away, i really don't. i expect to experience anguish at facing the things that make me eat now, as i do most days when i am successful in my eating. i expect to mourn the almost immediate anaesthetic effect eating gives. and i expect i will survive and get through it... maybe with a little more trouble than most, maybe a little slower or less successful than others. but i'll get through it.

Think about pre-cooking some of the side dishes prior to surgery and freezing them? I feel your frustration. I've been counting on surgery in October also, and I won't get my date for another couple of weeks. I am planning a trip to Arizona for Thanksgiving, and would like to be able to be a willing participant at the gathering. Good luck!

i totally understand the way you feel... i believe that my mom doesn't always come clean on dishes she cooked when we used to both count WW points... and i believe that my boyfriend truly thinks he knows better than i what to eat because he lost over 100lbs without surgery... that being said, i also believe that trust in such an important relationship is vital. a relationship without that level of trust is not as healthy as it could be. therefore, i look at my lack of trust as a fault of mine and write it off as paranoia. because they LOVE me, so why would they do anything to sabotage me? do you think you could get to that point of view? because she LOVES you and wouldn't do anything to sabotage you.

I agree, @gowalking. i'd be lost without the people on the forums. you all rock!

@@JustWatchMe this place keeps me sane daily too! and that may be why i have problems on the weekends, i'm not as comfortable with the tablet app (at home) as i am with the web version that i use at work. i think i have to work on that and get onto the forums over the weekends as well. thanks for your reply! @@lisacaron, thanks for your thoughtful post. i appreciate your words.

duh. just looked at a map. i'm northEAST of baltimore. sorry.

no no no! first, i am not approved. i have my last weighin tomorrow. i've also had about a gazillion tests and procedures because of my age and comorbidities as well as requirements. here is the excerpt from the looooooooong document that refers specifically to vsg. hope this helps: Policy Note: Most Aetna HMO and QPOS plans exclude coverage of surgical operations, procedures or treatment of obesity unless approved by Aetna. Some Aetna plans entirely exclude coverage of surgical treatment of obesity. Please check benefit plan descriptions for details. Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB), Laparoscopic Adjustable Silicone Gastric Banding (LASGB), Sleeve Gastrectomy, Biliopancreatic Diversion (BPD) and Duodenal Switch (DS) Procedures:Aetna considers open or laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), open or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, open or laparoscopic biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) with or without duodenal switch (DS), or laparoscopic adjustable silicone gastric banding (LASGB) medically necessary when the selection criteria listed below are met. Selection criteria: Must meet either 1 (adults) or 2 (adolescents): For adults aged 18 years or older, presence of persistent severe obesity, documented in contemporaneous clinical records, defined as any of the following: Body mass index (BMI) (see appendix) exceeding 40; or BMI greater than 35 in conjunction with any of the following severe co-morbidities: Clinically significant obstructive sleep apnea (i.e., person meets the criteria for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea set forth in CPB 0004 - Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults); or Coronary heart disease, with objective documentation (by exercise stress test, radionuclide stress test, pharmacologic stress test, stress echocardiography, CT angiography, coronary angiography, heart failure or prior myocardial infarction); or Medically refractory hypertension (blood pressure greater than 140 mmHg systolic and/or 90 mmHg diastolic despite concurrent use of 3 anti-hypertensive agents of different classes); or Type 2 diabetes mellitus For adolescents who have completed bone growth (generally age of 13 in girls and age of 15 in boys), presence of obesity with severe co-morbidities: BMI exceeding 40 with one or more of the following serious co-morbidities: Clinically significant obstructive sleep apnea; or Type 2 diabetes mellitus; or Pseudotumor comorbidities BMI exceeding 50 with one or more of the following less serious co-morbidities: Medically refractory hypertension; or Dyslipidemias; or Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; or Venous stasis disease; or Significant impairment in activities of daily living; or Intertriginous soft-tissue infections; or Stress urinary incontinence; or Gastroesophageal reflux disease; or Weight-related arthropathies that impair physical activity; or Obesity-related psychosocial distress. Member has attempted weight loss in the past without successful long-term weight reduction; and Member must meet either criterion 1 (physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program) or criterion 2 (multi-disciplinary surgical preparatory regimen): Physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program: Member has participated in physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program (including dietician consultation, low calorie diet, increased physical activity, and behavioral modification), documented in the medical record at each visit. This physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program must meet all of the following criteria: Member's participation in a physician-supervised nutrition and exercise program must be documented in the medical record by an attending physician who supervised the member's participation. The nutrition and exercise program may be administered as part of the surgical preparative regimen, and participation in the nutrition and exercise program may be supervised by the surgeon who will perform the surgery or by some other physician. Records must document compliance with the program; the member must not have a net gain in weight during the program. Note: A physician's summary letter is not sufficient documentation. Documentation should include medical records of physician's contemporaneous assessment of patient's progress throughout the course of the nutrition and exercise program. For members who participate in a physician-administered nutrition and exercise program (e.g., MediFast, OptiFast), program records documenting the member's participation and progress may substitute for physician medical records; and Nutrition and exercise program must be supervised and monitored by a physician working in cooperation with dieticians and/or nutritionists, with a substantial face-to-face component (must not be entirely remote); and Nutrition and exercise program(s) must be for a cumulative total of 6 months (180 days) or longer in duration and occur within 2 years prior to surgery, with participation in one program of at least 3 consecutive months. (Precertification may be made prior to completion of nutrition and exercise program as long as a cumulative of 6 months participation in nutrition and exercise program(s) will be completed prior to the date of surgery.) or Multi-disciplinary surgical preparatory regimen: Proximate to the time of surgery (within 6 months prior to surgery), member must participate in organized multi-disciplinary surgical preparatory regimen of at least 3 months (90 days) duration meeting all of the following criteria, in order to improve surgical outcomes, reduce the potential for surgical complications, and establish the member's ability to comply with post-operative medical care and dietary restrictions: Behavior modification program supervised by qualified professional; and Consultation with a dietician or nutritionist; and Documentation in the medical record of the member's participation in the multi-disciplinary surgical preparatory regimen at each visit. Records must document compliance with the program; the member must not have a net gain in weight during the program. (A physician's summary letter, without evidence of contemporaneous oversight, is not sufficient documentation. Documentation should include medical records of the physician's initial assessment of the member, and the physician's assessment of the member's progress at the completion of the multi-disciplinary surgical preparatory regimen.); and Exercise regimen (unless contraindicated) to improve pulmonary reserve prior to surgery, supervised by exercise therapist or other qualified professional; and Program must have a substantial face-to-face component (must not be entirely delivered remotely); and Reduced-calorie diet program supervised by dietician or nutritionist. and For members who have a history of severe psychiatric disturbance (schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, suicidal ideation, severe depression) or who are currently under the care of a psychologist/psychiatrist or who are on psychotropic medications, pre-operative psychological clearance is necessary in order to exclude members who are unable to provide informed consent or who are unable to comply with the pre- and post-operative regimen. Note: The presence of depression due to obesity is not normally considered a contraindication to obesity surgery.

hi, @@lexi710! i'm in Perryville, in Cecil County. i'm still pre-op. i go to monthly meetings at Harford Memorial Hospital in Havre de Grace. I'm not sure if that's near you or not... there's also one in Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air. i'm still kinda new to MD, and i have no idea where you are in comparison to me. are we close?

@@cutlass6521, i absolutely love you. @@nora72814, thanks for sharing. i only buy healthy food at the grocer, and i'm too lazy to go out and buy crap when the mood hits me. but when the demon takes over, i order in, and sometimes i do it practically in my sleep. it's like i'm in a trance, or actually inhabited by an evil spirit. seriously, that's what it feels like. the only way to stop myself is to sleep it off, and the hunger and cravings are so bad i have to sometimes medicate myself to sleep. i want to be post-op so much!

please send good vibes to me for the next two days. i have my final weighin tomorrow before submission to insurance, and i kind of had a (really) bad weekend food wise. i have been counting on having surgery in october, and will be very sad if i have to put it off.

i also have aetna POS, and only need a 3 month supervised weight loss bc it is done by my surgeon and not my pc. i called aetna and had them send me the requirements... they require no net gain during the supervised weight loss period.

@@Bingcherry, I've been thinking about doing that. I am going to wait until tomorrow morning, to see how much comes off before then. If I'm not comfortable, I will definitely reschedule for a week later.