southernsoul

I know how you feel, hugiloo. I am 4 days post-op. My surgery was Wed & I came home Friday. My hubs stayed with me at the hospital on Wed til around 8:00 or so, and was back around 8:00 on Thursday morning. He could have stayed overnight, but I didn't want him to do that. The sleeper chair thing in the room would have killed his back & I needed him to feel good so he could help take care of me. I was able to wear my own gown & robe, which somehow made me feel better. He left a little earlier on Thursday, once they decided to keep me there another night, and was back again Fri morning around 8:00. I had to do the bowel cleanse the night before surgery, so I was awake most of that night pooping. I took a shower in the morning before surgery & didn't take another one until Sat morning at home. I could have taken one at the hospital, but I just didn't have enough energy to deal with it there. My hubs had to help me in & out of the shower & he dried off my legs so I didn't have to bend over. My abdomen is still very sore when I move. In general, I feel pretty good, but if I move weird my belly definitely lets me know. Good luck and happy healing to you!

You won't have to miss any of those foods, at least not forever. The thing is, you won't be able to eat as much of them as before, but you can certainly have a couple of bites & feel fine with that. There may be certain foods that no longer agree with you, but that can happen to anybody. Some people develop allergies to things as they get older, or start getting heartburn from something they used to eat with no problem. Adjustments are a part of life, and this is certainly a big one. Seeing a counselor is a great idea, although I have to admit I am biased. I'm working on my masters degree in clinical mental health counseling, so that's definitely not an objective opinion. Do everything you can do to help ensure your own success.

Congrats!! I'm 3 days post op & have felt a little better each day. I'm still sore, but don't need pain med as frequently, and I'm sleeping way better at home than in hospital. Good luck to you!

I'm just 3 days postop. While it's not exactly like I imagined, it hasn't been bad at all. Good luck to you & please keep us posted on how you're doing!

I'm 3 days out & having the same issue. I had to do the laxative cleanse the night before surgery, so a little of that may still be in my system, too. I am on clears for 2 weeks & then fulls for 2 more weeks, so I can't even start purees until 5 weeks out. Ugh...I was expecting poop to be somewhat different post-op, just not quite this different!

getlow, I keep wondering when that will happen to me. I'm positive it will, sooner or later.

I was sleeved yesterday, 6/19. So far, I think I'm doing really well. I have some pain & nausea, but the meds are helping that. I'm walking well, and not having any particular issues. I have slept off and on, but not more than 3 hours consecutively. I hope they decide to let me go home today!

Tomorrow is the big day for me! I'm excited, nervous, and just glad I survived the last couple of weeks. Good luck to all the others going tomorrow & the rest of the month. It's ON, y'all!! :-)

Good luck to you! I follow you on Wednesday the 19th. Yay for our days finally arriving!

There's a big variety, so find out what your surgeon requires. Mine is generous...high protein, very low carb (<20 g/day), no portion or calorie tracking. I can eat meat, green veggies, eggs, cheese, and nuts. I have been on mine for 9 days now & have lost 18.5 lbs, which totally shocks me. Some are all-liquid diets for 2 weeks, which seems impossible to me, but people do it. Good luck to you!

Bella, I would think your surgeon's office might be able to help you figure out the appeal process & maybe how to word the letter. Even though they don't handle it themselves, they surely have had other patients who have to appeal an initial turndown & they may know what worked for those folks. I have Aetna also, but I was approved on the first request. I know Aetna has different plans, and I don't know what the differences are between them. Was there a reason listed for the denial? If they just said something general like "does not meet criteria" see if you can find out the specific issue(s) and go from there. Good luck!

No, I'm not working out. We just started a once a week yoga lesson which I will have to skip for a few weeks post op. However, when I went to class yesterday, it felt like I wasn't limping as much as I usually do & I didn't have as much pain. My ortho doc said that for every 10 lbs of weight off, it's 40 lbs of pressure off my knees. So I've just taken almost 80 lbs of pressure off! I'm hopeful that I will be able to start working out soon, at least a little.

My pre-op diet is also high protein & <20 carbs a day, but no restrictions in portion size. I started it 3 days early, just in case I missed the mark on carbs at first, but I didn't have a problem. I have been on it for 8 days & lost 18.5 lbs (!!!). I almost fell off the scale...didn't even know that was possible. I made my hubs get on to make sure it wasn't broken. 320 to 301.5 in 8 days...complete shocker, and I still have a 9 days to go.

You look fantastic!!

put some oil on your finger & under the ring & see if it will slide off that way

Good luck to all my fellow June brothers & sisters being sleeved this week! Can't wait to follow you next week!

Best of luck to all of this week's June folks! May your anesthesia dreams be sweet and your sutures be strong!

Congratulations!! I'm having surgery on the 19th, so maybe by October I will have matched your 100 in the other half of the year! Good luck on the rest of the way!

It is overwhelming to go the insurance route, no question. I have wanted to jump through the phone & strangle a variety of folks along the way, but I just tried to tackle one step at a time. This site has been a godsend in terms of questions, information, hearing about the experiences of others, and support from fellow sleevers. Good luck to you!

I called my insurance company first to find out 1) what exactly my particular policy covered with regard to sleeve and 2) what surgeons they covered in Atlanta Like you, I'm in a small town about an hour away from the city. There's one bari surgeon in my town, but he only does band & bypass. Aetna has a long list of bari surgeons on their website, but not all are designated as a Center of Excellence, and my plan only covers those docs. If I had not called first, I might've wasted time checking out a doc who I couldn't use anyway. Most of the hoops we have to jump through are due to insurance, not the surgeons themselves. My surgeon's list of requirements was very short, Aetna's was a whole other ball of wax. I needed to have this covered by insurance, so I strapped on my best hoop-jumping shoes & now I'm 2 weeks away from surgery.

I am so sorry you're going through this. As hard as it is, everybody else is right...the little bit of wait time will help get you in the best possible shape. Also, what's a few weeks in the big picture of the rest of your (sleeved) life? It will happen, girl!

Mine was just on Tuesday & my surgery is on the 19th. I was very surprised at how fast it went. There was a clock in the procedure room that I glanced at when the nurse gave me the anesthesia. It was 11:20. I woke up to see my Mom sitting there & asked what time it was...she said 11:33. What??? Seemed crazy to me!

I smoked for almost 30 years & quit for this surgery. Like a couple of posters mentioned, it wasn't going to happen til I was ready, and I was just finally ready. My insurance company required it, as well as my doc. I quit with a combination of Chantix and a rechargeable & refillable e-cig type nicotine inhaler (a vape). I showed it to my doc & he said it was fine. His issue is not the nicotine itself, but the junk created by the burning tip of a cigarette. I used it for awhile, but haven't used it for weeks now.

Mama, so glad you are doing OK!

Thanks for this, Nik. I have been on this site since April, and I have gotten so much good information from the sleevers who continue to post when they are post (pardon the pun). My date is June 19, and like you, I intend to keep posting and paying it forward to the next ones.