BKLYNgal87

Indeed. I work at a university and we get visiting professors all the time, usually just for a day or two. I did tell my manager and my other boss and they were horrified. He won't be invited back any time soon. And my accountant colleague temporarily "lost" his travel receipts he sent for reimbursement . The funny part which I didn't add above because wasn't sure if it was appropriate for the forum but the construction guy paused for a moment in shock, then uttered "who could have missed that giant turban on your head". Needless to say he's my BFF now :tongue2:.

Aww hun I agree people can be horrible. Even when they're not screaming at you from a moving car. Last month I was at work, walking a visitor to one of his meetings, when we found ourselves locked out of the building. A construction worker let us in and apologized for ignoring us. Then my guest, who is a doctor from India, looked at me and the construction guy, pointed at me, and said "But how could you ignore her? She's impossible to miss." A real comedian, right? That construction worker's eyes were as big as softballs after that comment. And inside my head I was cursing him out. You should be very proud of your accomplishments and be working towards your goal for yourself, not just so you don't get picked on anymore. Living well is the best revenge, because the lives of people like the jerks you encountered are sad and pathetic indeed. Character flaws are a lot harder to shake than excess weight.

Depending on your insurance coverage [which I assume she is a beneficiary on] she may have to go through a couple months of a physician supervised nutrition and exercise program, which may eat up a chunk of those 4 months. For healing time it can take 2-3 weeks. But as others have said it's a physical and emotional journey. See, I was fat in college [and I HATED IT]. Actually, I became huge in college. There are so many opportunities to eat all day long - it's a big part of the social atmosphere. Your daughter will need support to stick to her post-surgery diet, but it's not impossible to eat properly and still make friends [which she should be doing sleeve or no sleeve - 100 lbs overweight is morbidly obese and puts her at risk for major health problems, as I'm sure you are aware]. She will need to understand she cannot eat or drink what everyone else does. Alcohol especially needs to be restricted because after the sleeve a lot of people become intoxicated quickly. You don't want her to get into situations she can't control because of drinking - there are a lot of predators on college campuses. I may not have done well on the dating scene in college, though I had a few boyfriends, but I still had lots of great friends and I really wouldn't change my experiences. I grew a lot as a person because I learned a lot and experienced so many new and interesting things. It's a choice she needs to make as an informed young adult. Best of luck to you and your daughter!

Glad to see a fellow NY Sleever! I get that totally. After signing my consent forms I got this feeling like, oh sh*t, what have I gotten myself into?? But I have built up a lot of inner strength in the last few months and I know in my heart it will be for the best. Wishing you lots of luck!

WOW thats amazing!! I am a size 22/24 now and my surgery is June 12th! Hoping I have a success story like yours!

Congratulations! I got approved by Aetna this week after 3 months of sweating through the pre-certification process! I am a 41 BMI now but yo-yo'ed between 38-39 the last few years. I have sleep apnea and slightly high blood pressure (the latter they don't consider). Looks like I'll be sleeved in June

She also probably thought it was okay to say it because you are no longer that weight. Which is stupid regardless. Were you somehow not a human being with feelings at 330 lbs? Sigh. Agree 100% with the pig farm analogy. Also, a cross section of internet commentary shows you how rude and mean people can be when they feel a sense of anonymity. Some folks are rude and insensitive enough that they don't care if they are insulting someone they are staring in the face. Since you have concerns about job security, swallow the hurt feelings for now. I guess I am lucky. Of the co-workers, not many - it's no one's business but my boss really, I told the only negative reactions I got weren't "oh you're taking the easy way out" it was more like "are you sure you want to have a risky surgery?", which is a valid question.

I can relate big time. Especially with amusement parks . I can't recall anyone ever specifically telling me I was too big, especially to participate in some form of exercise. But there have been times over the years when I opt out of doing something for fear of being too big or physically challenging activities because I either thought I couldn't do it or I didn't want the people around me to see me struggle. I was in Egypt a few years back and went on a trip to the Sinai. My tour group was scheduled to do the trek up Mount Sinai to visit the famous monastery and watch the sun rise. I didn't want my tour mates, who were all my age, skinny, and in much better shape, see me wheezing and huffing and puffing the whole way up, or worse yet - see me give up. So I pretended to have a bad headache that morning and I didn't go. One of the bigger regrets in my life. I do group class yoga. When I started at the studio I really thought I was making a fool of myself. The studio staff and class members were very supportive, but I hated that all of them had years of experience on me. So I switched from that studio to my gym, and now there are many big ladies in my class and we are all trying to lose weight. We're no yoga masters but we all have a lot more fun. The class is more oriented toward fitness anyway so it's a better fit.

Hey all, Because of projects at my work I am slated to have my surgery most likely after June 1st. I am in the 3 month pre-op diet required for my insurance. I was wondering if any of you would mind sharing how long it took you to be well enough to get back to work after sleeving (laparoscopic), absent any major complications of course. I'm just trying to get a general idea. Also, I am in a long distance relationship. My fiance is half a world away and we are waiting for him to get his immigrant visa so he can come live with me in the US. Because he's from a developing country it's impossible for him to get a tourist visa to visit me here so I can only visit him while we wait. Does anyone have any advice about how long [how many months] you should wait before traveling internationally? This is of course also absent any serious complications. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

To get to my fiance's country usually requires a 16 hour flight. Very long, I know. I wouldn't be hopping on a plane for at least the first month or two after surgery. But it's tough being so far away and only seeing each other every 6 months or so. Hopefully we won't be waiting for that visa much longer

Thank you all for your input! I'm waiting impatiently for the summer.

Oh hey you got sleeved by one of my surgeon's colleagues. If my insurance doesn't cover me I'll be going over to the hospital over in NJ to self-pay. Were you sleeved in NJ or at NYP? I'd love to know what your experience was like.

Hey everyone. This is my first post on VST. So in short I am in my mid-twenties and have bounced between a BMI of above 40 and below 40 the past few years. Now I am at almost 42. Because of this and lack of "serious" co-morbidities my insurance (Aetna) won't pay for the surgery. I do have what my insurance company considers less serious conditions because of my weight - chronic back pain, hypoglycemia, chronic fungal infections, mild sleep apnea (yet no diabetes yet, I know). My ultrasound was also negative for gallstones so I won't be getting any help whatsoever. The money for the initial surgery (I will have it in the US I think because I prefer the laparoscopic approach) isn't a huge issue. I have money saved and my parents are helping me. But my biggest concern is what happens if I have serious complications? If my insurance company considered the surgery elective and wouldn't cover it, they won't pay for the costs of medical crises that occurred due to said surgery, right? I feel very powerless because I truly believe this surgery is the tool I really need to succeed in permanent weight loss. But I couldn't live with bankrupting my parents with emergency room or secondary surgery bills. What I am wondering is - what have your experiences been as self-payers? Have any of you had complications? What have the bills been like and has your insurance company been of any help? Does anyone know of any good studies out on the rates of complications with the gastric sleeve? I know that sometimes they are preventable but other times it is totally out of one's control. Just looking for others' experiences. I know that going for surgery is always taking a chance, but I'd feel better doing as much research as possible and hearing from people who have been through it before me before I head down that road. Thanks!!

Hi iggychic, I have my own insurance policy independent of my parents, so any debt incurred would be mine alone. They are willing to loan me money in the event that the surgery isn't covered by my carrier so that I can self pay. But there still may be hope - I am having another sleep study next week after my fiance informed me that I wake up at night gasping for air (which I never remember) so my sleep apnea may have gotten worse. Not that obstructive sleep apnea is something to be happy about >_< But it's considered a serious enough comorbidity to approve surgery for those with a BMI of 35+. Also, sorry to hear you had such serious complications. Hope you have recovered fully from them. It's definitely something that should weigh heavily on anyone's mind considering WLS and I am no exception. Though I guess at the end of the day everyone tries to figure out what is right for them. I am fortunate in that I see a fairly accurate picture of my future (if I don't take control of my life) in my relatives, especially my dad. I love him dearly but it's not a pretty sight. And I know he wants a different life for me. So I did read the policy and limitations booklets through my employer and found for the most part that complications of elective surgery are well covered with some small random exceptions. But they won't pay for things like plastic surgery to remove excess skin after an elective WLS. Hopefully being still fairly young I won't need it Thank you all for your suggestions!

Thank you all for sharing your advice/experiences. Most of the reason I was scared off from the Mexico idea is my dad is an anesthesiologist and he himself does WLS cases just about every week. He is still not 100% on board with me getting surgery in general but it's more comforting to him that I have it here with a surgeon and an anesthesiologist he knows personally. But that's great to know they also do laparoscopic in MX. Blondie1007 - wow that's so great they helped pay for the removal. I am definitely going to do my reading to see what Aetna would cover. You have certainly come a long way and I feel very inspired hearing from you.