KellyL

It depends on which State you live in I think? At least it is that way for Medicaid. I have seen some states have begun covering it under Medicaid, but a lot still haven't. I would try to find out from the Surgeons office you are interested in or contact your States Medicaid/Medicare office.

Yes, I am an emotional person anyway, commercials can make me cry. I mean silly ones lol. But I did have more of an emotional rollercoaster ride immediately post op. Part of it is hormones, but part of it is just adjusting to all the changes. It's definitely not easy in the beginning to channel our emotions without the use of food if you have done that previously and for a long time. But it gets much better and levels out. And yes, I do get teary eyed even now when I think of how grateful I am at finally being given a fighting chance against obesity and becoming healthier. The Sleeved life is quite amazing!

Sorry you are going through all this frustration with your insurance company. It is truly ridiculous and many of us have made the choice to go to MX. I paid under $6000 for my surgery, stay, and flight. Good luck to you on your weight loss journey, I hope it all works out well for you and you are able to have the Sleeve. The best thing I have ever done for myself, and I am very happy.

Alexis, you look amazing!!! Congrats to you on reaching goal. Your hard work has paid off and the boots look great by the way. I love boots lol. You're success is very inspiring. The pics are great, and you are just beautiful. :cheer2:

3 oz of turkey breast is around 21g of protein. It can be a little different depending on if it's turkey breast, turkey deli meat, ground turkey, etc. I use myfitnesspal too, it's super easy and has a huge database and also a scan function that you can scan any bar-code of a food product. It keeps up with your protein carb and calorie grams and much more. You can add your exercise and water intake also. And as others have said you can add friends. It has a website and app too. I love having it on my iphone cuz I always have my phone with me everywhere i go.

Don't worry they will begin to notice soon. They may have actually noticed and just have commented out loud yet, not knowing how you would feel about your weight being brought up. But as you become smaller and smaller, people will notice more and will probably comment more. Congrats on the weight loss, you are doing great!!

Kim, That's so fabulous, you are truly rocking your sleeve!!! Congrats to you on your weight loss and your wedding. How exciting to get to be married at a much more healthy and slim weight! It will make the memories so much more special and happy for you, not to mention the pics!! I'm very happy for you! :cheer2:

Everyones recovery and pain level is so different post-op but I didn't have problems with my stairs in my home. It wasn't 4 stories either. But just take it easy and be careful. Have all your supplies and liquids and everything in your home before surgery so you won't have to worry about going up and down for a while, and if you do need something, maybe a friend or family member can assist. Good luck!

I don't take extra Iron, just what is in the multivitamin, which I take 2 a day now. I think theres 18g in each multi. I have seen others mention taking extra, but I don't because I don't have periods. I have had a hysterectomy. The multi has 15g of Zinc in it, so I am getting 30 in my 2 multis per day. Good luck!

You probably shouldn't lift anything heavy for a while after surgery, so you may want to consider checking you bag on the way home. It depends how heavy it is I guess, but I wouldn't take chances. I also used a bag on wheels so I didn't have to carry anything. Good luck, you're dates not far off at all!!

Has anyone used Vanilla protein powder in these? It's the only kind I have, but it definitely needs to be put to use lol. Let me know what y'all think.

This is an article in PDF format, it's kinda long but it has a full list of all the PPI's and a lot of info on their names/generic names and how long it takes to be affective. When you get the time, maybe you can look over it and see if it lists the PPI you saw mentioned. http://www.consumerreports.org/health/resources/pdf/best-buy-drugs/PPIsUpdate-FINAL.pdf

Oh hey! I just responded in the other thread suggesting you start a topic, and now I see you did! Sorry I didn't see this first. I have only read good things about Dr Joya, but it's been a while since I researched him. I hope you find other Joya patients that can share their experience. Good luck and welcome to the forum!

:welcome: Hi and welcome to the forum! Sorry you had to witness some differences in opinion. I have heard good things about Dr Joya, but not sure if his patients will see this under this thread. Can you start a new thread entitled Dr Joya or anyone use Dr Joya? That way maybe more people will see it and people who used him might see it. I remember a lot about Dr Joya over on obesity help too, it always seemed positive. It doesn't hurt that he is in a nice area of MX either. Good luck to you on your journey!

I'm sorry to hear you are struggling with hunger, it sounds horrible to try to fight it all the time. I've been blessed with my hunger being greatly reduced. Did you have the Sleeve or the Sleeve Plication?? Cause I thought with the Plication you still retain much of the grehlin hormone? I've read it can help reduce it some, but not go away completely. I'm not sure how far you out from surgery you are, but sometimes it can also take a while. You could try to switch PPI and check to see if it's safe to even double up on them. I have read it is better to take on an empty stomach and wait an hr before eating. There's a lot of different PPI's like Prevacid, Prilosec OTC, Nexium, Zegerid, maybe more. You should be able to google to get a full list. I hope you feel better soon and get it under control!! Good luck!

That does indeed ROCK!!! Congratulations!! :rockon:

I just started losing some hair a couple of wks ago. So at the 4 month mark. For a wk, it was pretty bad and scary! I did notice my multivitamin didn't have Iron in it, so I switched and am now taking 2 multivitamins w/iron a day. One in the morning and one at bedtime. I don't take these with my Calcium. I had read that Iron deficiency can cause hair loss. I took Biotin way before surgery, and while it helped on some regrowth from previous hair thinning I had, it did not prevent the hair loss I am now experiencing. It might help with the regrowth phase later. I also take Zinc now. I also just added Evening Primrose Oil, Flaxseed Oil, and CLA to see if they help with either the hair or weight loss situation and some other benefits, but it's too early to say whether they are doing anything. I am on quite the kick of vitamins and supplements right now lol. But I realize that it's most likely due to the surgery, anesthesia, and weight loss. The hair loss has slowed down a little but I am guessing I am not finished losing. It will grow back, but that doesn't stop me from obsessing about trying to prevent it or at least slowing it down hahaha.

Wow what a phenomenal weight loss in just 7 months, you are truly rocking it girl!! And what an amazing transformation, you are absolutely gorgeous. I love the before/after pics, they are so inspiring. Thanks so much for sharing your success. I am very happy for you. :cheer2:

Hey, we had the same surgery date! I can totally relate to what you said about your feelings. I have a lot to lose still, and technically according to everyone else, I should be losing way faster since I started as a higher BMI. I have to constantly remind myself we all lose in different ways and at a different pace. While the scales are moving slow as molasses for me, my clothes get looser all the time, I feel great, my blood sugar glucose is within normal range and I'm off my Type 2 Diabetes meds, my mobility has improved so much it's unreal to me to be able to go into stores and be able to walk around as much as I want, and for as long as I want without being in pain. This has been an amazing journey and I love my sleeve. I enjoyed your post, you are doing great, congrats!!

Cheers to the sweet sleeved life my friend!! :Banane34: :success1: :party4:

I packed light with clothes, you really won't need much. I did take my Netbook, but it's a tiny laptop and doesn't weigh much. I took headphones/ear buds so I could listen to music or hear something on my netbook if I wanted to. I used a large duffle bag that has wheels on it, it seemed lighter than my rolling suitcases. I did the carry on thing, but I had someone to help me with lifting it into the overhead compartment on our return flight so I didn't have to worry about that. You might want do carry on on your flight there, but then check your bag on return so you don't have to worry about the lifting. I also used a messenger style bag that doubled as a handbag, laptop bag, and also put my small camera in it, along with my passport, money, chapstick, etc. I didn't want a bunch of different bags to have to worry about. Good luck!

Yes agreed, everyone needs to check the records/complications of ANY dr they consider, including YOUR Dr. Who is your dr and what is his/her complication rate? You eagerly bring other drs complications up, insult other peoples intelligence and research skills, while avoiding your own experience with your own dr and avoiding their leaks and deaths. If you want to discuss drs and their complications, you should at least mention your own drs as well. Attempting to manipilate others through fear is just wrong.

I didn't go alone but I think I would have been fine. I was willing to, but my sister insisted on going with me. But I also have a coordinator who is right there in MX who visited me and took care of anything I needed. She also came to the hotel and would have taken me shopping but I felt good so went home a day early. I see a lot of people on the forums going alone.

yes I agree with the others, you may get dehydrated if you're not keeping water down. They will be able to give you meds for the nausea, and see if they need to do anything else. Feel better!

It may still hit you yet, but don't worry about it if you don't get nervous. Maybe you are just peaceful about it and ready. Good luck on your upcoming surgery, and hope you have an easy speedy recovery!!