Bob_350lbs

Yes, my PCP and insurance company. Their policy is that unless you have co-morbidities, a lower BMI of 39 (mine) didn't qualify me. That is ridiculous. The 1# cause of death in America is heart disease, directly caused by obesity. So, really obesity is the leading cause of death in America. Just because I haven't had a heart attack or stroke yet, doesn't mean morbid obesity isn't going to kill me. That is why I had to be a self-pay. Dr. C will do the surgery w/o comorbidities, if you are at least 70 lbs overweight. Oh, and guess what? My surgeon's post-op report revealed that I have a fatty liver, that can cause serious problems, and even progress to non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, if weight is not lost. And, I had a large sliding hiatal hernia that went undiagnosed until my VG. My father died due to kidney failure caused by diabetes. He wasn't supermorbidly obese, just obese, and wasn't dx w/diabetes until after his triple bypass, at age 50. They ended up paying for 2 coronary artery bypass surgeries and a kidney transplant, but WLS? Out of the question. I knew if I didn't do this, I would have ended up just like my dad. I have that abdominal fat, which is the worst, and strongly indicates insulin resistance, which is a step away from diabetes. Diets rarely work, so this was close to my only hope to get my health back. I will be 52 in a couple weeks. I wish I would have done this sooner.

Sometimes, I am tempted to drink coffee to get things moving down there. My old trick of ice water on an empty stomach doesn't work anymore. I used to be the person that went 3xs a day, cause I ate so much fiber. Nothing works anymore, not benefiber, greens, and MoM gives me the runs so bad, I can't go anywhere for 2 days. *sigh* I really am full of s***, literally.

Wow, that's so disturbing, how trained professionals could miss something so serious. But, the patient has to take some responsibility if they never return for follow-ups with their surgeon. That kind of behavior can cost you your life. When I worked at SNMH in Grass Valley, if anybody came in with a suspected DVT, they were immediately put into a w/chair...no more walking! An US was done of LE immediately. If there wasn't a tech on hand (small rural community) they would call on in. If there was a clot, they were admitted for IV anticoagulants. But, that was in 1997. The biggest fear they had was that the clot might travel to the lungs, then it is called a pulmonary embolism, which can kill you. I remember working with a gal who went in to have her first baby, at age 30, and died because of a pulmonary embolism. That was the saddest day ever. I can't believe that I doctor could confuse a clot w/dehydration. But, I guess incompentence can happen anywhere. Yes, it pays to speak up for yourself. My PCP was so ignorant of what a VG even is. I took the illustration and literature from LapSF to show him, and he still confused it with intestinal bypass. He was so against it and told me I would probably gain the weight back later and then be stuck with malabsorbtion. I tried explaining to him, this would never happen with the VG. I am looking to find a new PCP within my network. A doctor with an open mind would be a good start.

Yes, or find a therapist that specializes in bariactric surgery patients. There are some out that that can help you. We have Tara at LapSF and she does phone coaching. I really like her and she keep me grounded.

The only thing that caused me to vomit, was when I got home from the hosp the first night, I crushed one of my meds and added to the top of the liquid pain medicine. My new stomach didn't like that and wretched about 5 times. If you wretch too much, it could disrupt the staple line, so you have to call your doc if that happens too much. My mom was so good to me, I moved to the chair in the living room, and she slept on the couch, near me, until I felt better. Sometimes, there is nothing better than family.

That's pretty funny, I will try to fix it.

Does anybody watch The Biggest Loser? There is a lot I don't like about that show, but it is the contestants that make it all worthwhile. They are heros to me.

I think you will find that everyone is different. For the first three days, all the supplements I sampled and bought prior to the VG, made me gag. For some odd reason, my stomach want to wretch anything with artificial sweetners in it. The only I could take in was Water, clear broth and 2% milk for Protein. Then on day 3, my body must have adjusted to the trauma it went through, and I was able to drink the supplement that came with my package deal. I prefer the non-milky shakes. I liked the Healthwise drinks in fruit flavor and the WonderSlim Soups. Now, I really prefer to buy the bullets and dilute w/32 oz water, a little Crystal light and take it to work with me in my water bottle. But, I am on week 7 now and variety is the spice of life to me, I prefer to have 6 small real food mini protein Snacks and the bullet to get in all the extra protein we need so we don't have muscle wasting.

Okay, I get it, iphone is the way to go. My font is bigger than yours, Susan's, and is the same as Tiffkins, so I don't understand why you can't read it. Does anybody else have this problem? I really don't want to make bigger, then it takes up too much space in the message.

I really liked the way the Sketchers felt when I tried them on, great arch support. The price was a little high and the style I wanted wasn't in my size. I went to Zappos.com to buy the pair I wanted and started reading the testimonials and a couple people recommended the MBT, and their shoes have great ratings. Does anybody own either? They are both pricey, especially the MBT, but I have plantar fasciitis, so I usually buy Danskos, you know how expensive those are.

My signature shows my VSG surgery date and pratice. Dr. Cirangle performed it, assisted by Dr. Jossart. Dr. John Feng was w/LapSF since 2002, until he opened his own in 2007, Crystal Springs, which he just recently closed. I got a letter in the mail last week from him. You can research Dr. John Feng on OH and find out that information for yourself. There is not one bad word written about him. Most testimonials are glowing. I was debating between LapSF and Dr. Feng, strickly because I was not comfortable traveling a long distance for major surgery. I was willing to pay the extra to be driving distance from home and for a top notch surgeon. I did research, I was just trying to share information regarding the surgeons that I personally spoke to or met inperson. There has been one death at LapSF, it is in their own literature I rec'd prior to surgery from their practice. You got the same literature and forms that I did. It was a pt 10 days out. But, you have to look at the whole picture. If a surgeon has perfomred 5,000 bariatric surgeries and has 1 death, that is much lower compared to a surgeon that has done 1000 surgeries and 1 death. And, you have to know the circumstances regarding that death. Was the patient compliant to the surgeon's post-op instructions? Before I had my surgery, I had to fill out a 25 pg questionnaire regarding my surgery and explain in my own words how I interpreted it, using at in least 10 words or more. There isn't much room wiggle room for a lawsuit. And, you sign a document that you will settle through arbitration only. Of course, if you want to go to court and sue, you still can, but it might not hold up with that massive legal document you signed. Believe me, they are not stupid. As for my surgeon, he will kick my butt if I don't lose wt! That is very motivating, he doesn't just hand you kudos without really deserving them and working your butt off. This isn't a "magic bullet" and you still have to comply to the program and exercise to lose weight. If you don't comply to the diet in the first couple weeks, eating regular food could put you back in the hosp and maybe even cost you your life. I don't blame him for being tuff about it. His reputation is on the line. I really like my RD and counselor. Since I didn't have any complications whatsoever, I didn't need to email or call my surgeon once. But, if I did, they are avail 24/7 on a pager. and, I could have easily traveled to their office in SF if necessary. They care about their patients, because that is what they do for a living and they have a good reputation to maintain. I am sure that I would have been fine going to Mx w/Dr. Aceves, but I know traveling back would have been miserable for me. Everybody has their comfort zone.

I should ask my doctor, but has anybody heard of complications past 8 wk?

Tee Hee, good for you Mac. I have always been a bitch, but now I will be skinny too JK..I used to stuff my anger when I overate, now it just comes out, so maybe I will be a skinny B too :drool5: Anway, welcome back, how was the waves to wine? You must feel great!

Thanks Susan, that answers that question! No wonder why my nephew is willing to give me his blackberry, cuz he want the !phone. I can hardly wait to get one now, just have to find the best price. All those apps sound pretty good to me, thanks so much for the info. That IS your language, girl.

Okay, I finally decided to upgrade, cuz I want to connect to the internet, have a phone, a great camera, MP3 player, TOMM, and applications that help me track my diet progress and nutrition, all in a handy PDA. Any suggestion/advice out there?

Wow Mac, how do you get all the knowledge? It's fantastic. When I first was researching the sleeve, Dr. Feng impressed me by calling me personally from my inquiry via the internet, and he called me after hours, when I got home from work. But, then I thought, maybe he isn't as busy for a reason..He even said he left LapSF, because he *cares* about his patients. And, that made me wonder about a falling out between them. But, he was very honest, and told me I would need 3 weeks off work, not 2, because it is major surgery. And, he was right. I could not have gone back at 2 weeks, in my case. And, after I voiced my concerns that I had, he mentioned that one of his pts would soak potato chips and eat them during the soft food phase. I felt that he almost seemed a little desperate for patients. But, he was very friendly, and told me that at a lower BMI of 39 I could expect to get down to 130 lbs. I felt he was very realistic. But, he has closed his practice Crystal Springs and joined another group in the East Bay. Anyway, I wish him well. And, I think he probably is a very good surgeon, but I haven't found many pts who had him. Thanks again for your wealth of knowledge, it knocks my socks off, how you know all this!

Cindy, 9/24 will be your new birthday, congratulations on your brand spanking new life! We have about the same starting weight and goal wt, so we are gonna get skinny together~ P.S. I can't update my tickler, but now it's at 25 lbs and I am wearing 16WP not my old 22WP. Yaaay!

Nana, I know exactly what you mean in regard to the bathroom issue and the stall. I feel like jumping for joy when my bowels finally move! When I eat solids, I include greens as much as possible and add benefiber to my shakes. My water intake is always over 64 oz too. And, those gall darn stalls.......I stayed the same one whole week, but the next dropped 5 lbs. I think constipation could be part of it too. I have been lucky and never vomited anything. If I eat too fast or a new food my stomach doesn't want, it goes right through me. But, I can tolerate all foods so far, nothing makes me throw up.

Dr. John Feng told me that he taught the VSG to "those guys" at LapSF. I wonder why he isn't on the list as an *expert*? Maybe he couldn't make it.

Janette, here's to the new you! I am excited for you too! Blessings.

I have only told my family, because I need their support, but I haven't told anyone else. I guess I am afraid of be judged and watched. Maybe, a little fearful, that if I fail, again, then everybody will know I failed. After this is all over with, then I will tell people, but right now, I don't want to. Later, if I can help anybody else, I will tell my story.

Hey SoCal, you are so right about family being supportive, they can make or break you. It's kinda like an alcoholic recovering in family of drunks. LapSF believes that their pts will not succeed without the family cooperating and keeping the junk out of the house. I live alone, and it has helped a lot, when I spend the weekend with family, if they are cooking and eating high carb foods, like spaghetti, mac & cheese, choc chip Cookies, it is so much harder to comply with the program. You have to put your foot down! But, the good news is that the first two weeks on liquids are easy. It is nothing like before. This time you have no appetite and you stomach is swollen from the surgery, so you just have to sip, sip, sip, to get in your fluids and Protein. The first day home, I was super-sensitive to artificial sweetners and thought I would fail, because I couldn't literally "stomach" my Protein shakes. The nurse told me to drink milk, so that is what I did until day 3. Then miracles of miracles, on day 3, I could drink my protein shakes, and by week 3 was on mushies, and by week 6 eating reg foods. I have had no complications, except constipation, diarrhea, which is normal in the beginning for a lot of us. But do not under any circumstances consume anything but liquids for 2 weeks, or whatever your surgeon recommends. There have been pts that have eaten one bite of broccoli during phase one and ended up in the hospital for over a month after the did that. Don't mess around. My only problem is learning to eat slowly. You must take 30 min to consume your meals. If you don't, it hurts real bad and you could hurt yourself. If you don't have time for a 30 min meal, drink a Protein shake. Anway, that is all for now.

You go girl! Tell me you secret for your long eye lashes, you look gorgeous! Is it Latrisse?

Man, I have never had that problem when I eat too fast, but by golly I have suffered a lot of a pain and diarrhea if I eat to fast - my body cramps down and I have to head to the toilet pronto!

To go out and do things, feel good about myself and not feel embarrassed by how I let myself go. When invited somewhere go, not stay home and be withdrawn, because I am ashamed of myself and to not be judged by my size. To care about having "cute" undies, instead of just ones that fit. To walk into a clothing store and actually try clothes on in front of the 3-way. To make better eye contact, because I like who I am. To apply for that promotion and know that I have an equal chance as my thin, attractive coworkers. To have pride in my appearance. To be able to look at myself in the mirror. To have more energy. To take the energy and live my life, travel, attend events, plays, movies, family gatherings, office parties, volunteer, and pick up a sport for a new hobby. Learn to Tango, swing dance, ride a bike again, roller skate, and play like a kid. There is so much good stuff out there for us, my family of VSGer's!