JerMcBear

Sleeved this morning, I only had one wave of nausea that subsided fairly quick. I told my son that it feels like I'm uncomfortably full, not pleasant, but tolerable. And I don't feel hungry at all. We'll see how it feels tomorrow, I start taking pills vs IV and start clear liquids. I'm pleased with how it went, glad people will start seeing less of me! =)

My surgery at 7:30am,10 hrs away. I'm excited and trying to not be overly optimistic. I'm looking forward to the journey and new lifestyle!!

Hi, I'm Jerry and I'm scheduled for my VSG a week from today, on September 9th! I was originally scheduled to get sleeved last year in December, but my insurance at the time (UHC) denied me because, as I say, "I wasn't fat enough for long enough". The policy my employer had through them had a special clause that required I have a BMI over 40 documented for 5 years -- and, unfortunately I had dropped below that 4 years ago during a doctor visit (it was like 39.8 at that time). Luckily, I changed jobs later in December and my new insurance, Aetna, is covering it without a problem. Frankly, the timing worked out great -- had I done the surgery last year, I would have been starting the new job almost immediately after the 2 week recovery. Also, as it turned out, my brother passed away the morning I would have been scheduled for surgery, so it was all meant to be. I've got that combination of being a bit nervous, but also very excited. I think my nervousness is more about the recovery time, I want to get back to my regular schedule ASAP. My journey into this has taken many years. My brother had bypass surgery in 2002 and had an amazing weight loss -- he was over 450lbs, and lost about 180lbs the first year. Although I wasn't that big (I was taller, and was at 325 at the time), I knew I had to do something, but I went with serious diet and exercise at the time. That transition did get me into the healthy habit of regular exercise, which I continue to this day. However, not changing my eating pattern has caught up with me. I'm now back where I was in 2002, even though I exercise 6 days a week. My body has adapted, and I don't put out the effort I did back when I started. I also used the fact that I exercise so much as an excuse to overeat, and to tell myself I need more than anyone else my size. My doctor encouraged me to look at this as an option for the past 3 or 4 years, seeing that I had the exercise part down, but was gradually gaining weight and developing co-morbidities that come with the territory. Last year, I finally came to the conclusion that I needed the help that the surgery could offer me and decided to go for it. I know that the sleeve will get me back into a healthy eating pattern, so for that I'm excited and hopeful! Jerry [sharedmedia=trackers:tickers:18077]

I saw my doctor on the 28th of July, and they were going to start the process then. My approval came in officially on Monday (August 25th), so, 3-4 weeks was my turnaround time. I was starting to wonder, given I was two weeks away, but everything is ready to go for September 9th! Best wishes for a speedy approval! Jerry