triplenmomma

You look wonderful! Does she offer financing? Did you fly into San Diego and they picked you up there? Did she make you separate the surgeries or was that your choice. I will need neck, boobs, 360 tummy, butt and thigh lift.

Can you stray longer than a week if you had more done or by choice? Thank you!

My surgeon says no straws and I miss them! My nut said it's the air in the empty straw at the start of each sip that is bad for you and will stretch your stomach. It seems like such a small amount to me though.

Yes, I had to get everything done before they would schedule. They had to have results from all tests and medical clearance first. I got my date the second they received all the results.

Pictures are tough. I have some picures in my gallery from when I started this journey last Feb. I will be taking more during my pro op appointment. I've thought about blogging my experience. It would help keep me on track. Excited and nervous! There are many of you in earlier Feb, so I look forward to hearing about your experiences.

I started looking at my Protein powders and Vitamins last night. I think I'm going to go with Celebrate at first, only getting 30 days worth to be sure that they sit well with me. I need to find a Fiber I like as my doctor has me on that also. I hate the Fiber drinks, and can't imagine drinking that thick stuff after surgery. I take fiber capsules now due to my Crohn's, so maybe I'll just mix them with pudding or something.

Syntrax is on sale on vitacost right now, but I found Amazon to be cheaper than even the '45% sale' prices. I think I'm going to do Syntrax nectar in lemonade and fuzzy navel, and then Premier Protein RTD for my Protein shakes. I need to find an unflavored that I like to mix with broth now.

That's my plan. What is everyone doing for Protein?

Heather

Hello! Can I join in on the fun? Got scheduled for February 24th today. It's finally happening! It's been a year of struggle. Finished my testing today and will see my pcp for medical clearance next week! Do not have my pre op appointment scheduled yet, but I am just so excited to finally have a date. This is happening! I'm ordering some sample packs of Protein and Vitamins tomorrow. My pre op diet starts 2/10. I need to get ready. It's great to 'meet' you all.

Heather

So excited for all of you! Due to insurance error at the start of the year ams lack on communication from my doctors office, I just found out the opposite, that I have to do the diet when I thought I didn't. I loved reading the excitement in this thread though. That will be me one day! ☺

Good advice. I'm concerned abort this also, and ask my husband daily if he's still going to live me when I've 'melted'. (My way of verbalizing the hanging skin.) He always says yes. My plan is to do what is suggested above while keeping my skin will hydrated.

When I first started on this journey, I was obsessed. I've had so many delays though, that my obsession comes and goes so that I don't drive myself nuts worrying. I do have an obsessive/planning /type A personality though. I remember doing weight watches years ago and becoming obsessed with food and points, etc. It got to the point of being unhealthy. I'm trying to obsess in moderation now. If there is such a thing. ☺

Since I have several long-term medical conditions, my insurance company assigns a case manager for me. That way, when something flares up or I need surgery (like with my knee replacements), the case manager gets involved. Since it is in their best interest, too, for things to proceed smoothly and quickly, I get support from their end when my medical providers cause a glitch. She makes calls for me to get providers off their a** and informs me of what I need to do to meet their requirements. She has called me to find out if my physical therapist is doing their job and how thay are treating me and do they keep their appointments with me, etc. etc.

Does your insurance provide anybody like that who can help you? The medically supervised diet is not so bad. You will learn how to have a more heathy relationship with food and gain new skills for successful maintenance for the rest of your life. I am so sorry that you have had so many struggles with this process. Just remember that delay is not denial. Hang in there and don't take NO for an answer. I wish you good luck and good health. (I just typed "good lick and good health!") LOL

I've talked to my insurance a couple of times. The issue is that they had the wrong info at the start of the year. They changed from a 6 month diet to a 4 month diet, but their system erroneously dropped the requirement completely. Then my doctor's office failed to communicate that to me due to the staff turnover. They do not have a case manager for me. I'm still figuring out my options. I am going to call them next week to see how to file a complaint.

That is awesome for you though to have someone watching over both of your interests.

I'm sorry you're not in a position to go anywhere else. I had similar trouble at the hospital where I first planned to go (I don't even know who my surgeon would have been because I met someone new every single time I went there), so after I finally FINALLY got approval, I switched hospitals. Luckily my insurer didn't care as long as the hospital had the same level of certification, which wasn't hard since I live in a big city.

Are you sure there aren't any other places your insurer would cover?

I am sure. My husband and I have both been in this field for 2 decades. It is somewhat common for hospitals to insure themselves or only fully cover themselves. They will pay for out of network procedures for most things but not bariatric. I have to use their own services if I want any coverage at all.

I guess I didn't expect so many to have such flexibility on their coverage that so many of you can and do suggest to start over. That is eye opening. I can only work within my options though. Thanks to those that offered their support.

I will be ok, I'm concerned about the diet part, but agree that it will be good to get my head back in the game so to speak. My insurance sent me their guidelines and I have to show the inability to lose greater than 2 bmi points to qualify. I don't think I could do that if I tried in only 4 visits. My current bmi is so high. Hopefully this is the final hurdle though. Now, no more just switch your surgeon talk. I can't do it. I can give up completely, but I refuse to do that! I'm down but not out.

Yeah. I wish I had the money to just go where I want, but I don't. I am going to file a complaint with the health care company, but at this point just need to jump through their hoops. I've gotten this far and don't want to start over and pay out of pocket. It sounds like many of you have more than one option. I wish I did. Filling a complaint is my only recourse at this time. Thanks for your thoughts.

Just wanting to vent. I've been on this Journey since last January with my first MD appointment on 2/7/14. We discussed surgery in May and the MD said that was doable. I was told that all I needed to do to get my surgery was the Psych eval, EGD, and one pre surgery class.

I got my Psych eval done in mid March 2014, and waited to hear from the MD office. In early April, I started emailing and calling the office and didn't hear back. I've been an RN myself for 18 years, and just couldn't believe that I was being ignored. My the end of April, I had given up on my May surgery date as I had never spoken to anyone from the surgeons office since my appointment in early Feb.

Out of the blue, in June, I received a phone call from a nurse in the office that stated that she was new, and saw my emails and voicemails, and didn't see where anyone had gotten back to me. She was nice and apologized, and stated that they had had major turmoil in the office with almost all the staff leaving. I got lost in the shuffle, she was apologetic, and sympathetic to my voicing my frustration and anger. She stated that she would talk to the insurance 'people' and have them call me with the next steps.

I never heard from anyone again. In late July, I called again, and left a voicemail stating that I would really like to schedule my EGD and finally move forward. I was actually called back within 2 days, and scheduled the EGD for the 9/2/14, and my class on 9/8/14.

On the morning of the 8th, I call and talk to my patient care coordinator that was just put into her position 2 weeks ago. I ask her if there is anything else I need to do because by the information that I was given in Feb, I was ready to be submitted to insurance for approval. She comes back and tells me that I have to do a 4 month supervised diet now.

I am so discouraged. I am so ready to have this surgery, and I've gotten nothing but the run around from this office. I can't afford to pay for it out of pocket and it's the only place that our insurance covers. (My husband is an RN at the same hospital.) So, while I've sat around for months waiting for the office to call me back, I could have been dieting but they neglected to tell me that my insurance had this new requirement. Ugh.

So, now I'm hoping to have surgery in late Dec/early Jan. Anyway, thanks for listening. My journey continues.

Any tips for the diet? What if I lose too much? We'll see what my PCP says about it next week.

Congrats and rest up!

Congrats! Rest up and enjoy some pampering.

Hello!

I'm new to these parts also. Just have my initial consultation yesterday, and am aiming for a May surgery date as well.

I also started off thinking of getting the band, but switched to the sleeve after the information seminar. My doctor group won't even do bands now. I'm comfortable with the decision, and anxious to get things started.

Just wanted to say hi and good luck with your journey!

Heather

Thanks everyone!

CowgirlJane, you are beautiful, and agree with your thoughts on staying at the upper end of a healthy BMI.

I was watching a youtube video last night, and the person was talking about how family pulled her aside and told her that her weightloss was too extreme. She was my height (5'4") and 127lbs. She didn't look unhealthy, but I can see how her family would think that as they were not used to seeing her at a healthy weight for so many years. I too wieghed in the high 120's in high school, and it was perfect at that time, but I feel that change might be too drastic at my age. I'll just have to see how I feel and look as I lose. Haters will hate, and so I need to go by how I feel.

You all have made me look at this differently, and I thank you for that. Now that I think about it, the friends that were saying the winner looked bad were all of my overweight friends. I'd love to hear what some of my healthy weight friends think. It's all in perception. Just something else I need to work on before May! I'm loving this journey so far.

So what you all are saying is that I am the only one this stressed about it. Lol. I hope I can afford to have things fixed later, but don't know. I need to keep in mind the health aspects yes and research some great skin elasticity treatments. Thanks for the reality check.

Exactly, doing it for health here also, but I don't want to age faster either. Thanks for sharing what you are doing to help. I need to start looking into it.

Yes. You should look it up. Then you'll be glad to have it. Well she send you home with it? I'm a little jealous that you get that.

I think so. When she said I'd have it I was like wtf is that. Lol. And then she described what it does and said "you'll like it. I promise". Lol

Maybe your roomie, if you have one, is interesting. Like an old woman that used to be a flapper and knew lots of gangsters and tells you awesome stories. Hey, it could happen...

Yes, if it's the On-Q system, you will love it!

I love your imagination about the roomy. Lol. A person can dream!

OK, so it was driving me nuts not remembering the name. On-Q post op pain management system is what I'm thinking of. It worked really well for the patients that had it.

After the finale of the biggest loser, I heard many say how much older the winner looked after her weight loss. This is a huge concern for me. I know there is no way of knowing how my skin will react, but I hate the thought that I'll have a wrinkly face/neck/arms/legs. My thighs are horrific now. I can't imagine how they'll look after the weight loss. I'm seriously thinking that I'm going to have skin rolls hanging over my knees from my thighs after I lose the weight.

Anyone worry about the unchangable and unpredictable results of the surgery? I'm already staring at 40, and don't want to look like I aged 20 years instead of one.

Not much for you to say, it would just be nice to know that I'm not the only one obsessed and crazy.

I'm a little obsessed also. Well, as obsessed as I have time for. I love watching youtube videos. They are very encouraging for me also. I watch and think about my future. I can't wrap my head around the fact that I could truely be skinny(ish) again. It's been 20 years, and I can't even remember what it feels like. I can't wait until May!

Congrats of quitting! My MD will not do surgery on smokers either. You will feel so good and healthy on the other side of this!

The hospital I'll be going to only has private rooms, so that's a given. I'm so glad to not share.

The pain pump thingy sounds cool. There is a more technical tem for it, I'm sure. I've had them on patients before. It was like a little ball and tubes that sent the med to the source. It worked really well for the orthopedic patients I've cared for. I'll only be in the hospital for one night, and liquid pain med for me.

Thanks for the warm welcome and advice everyone! I really appreciate it.

I was so nervous this morning for my consult, but it went really well. I picked a surgeon from my husband's hometown, and they knew lots of the same people. It put us instantly at ease. He said that he would take good care of us. My husband used to work with his uncle a neurologist, and anyway, it's a small world.

I am going with Dr Emil Graf at Banner Gateway, just outside of Phoenix. They will soon be opening up the program on the west side at Banner Estrella and I hope to have my surgery there, as my husband is an RN on the floor I'll stay on. I've already picked out my nurses.

So, here's what I found out:

• No Drain or Cathetor
• No Blood Thinner Shots at home-just orders to walk a lot
• He does an EGD in the OR, and fills my stomach up looking for leaks from the inside and the outside. His leak rate is lower than his peers.
• 2 week liquid pro op diet follwed by 1 day of clears, then 1 month of fulls, then soft
• He thinks the sleeve is the perfect choice for me
• NO diet or consultations needed. My insurance is awesome, and covers it 100% after a $2000 copay with no hoops to jump thorugh. No diet, or classes, or consultations required. Yay!

I also met with the nutritionist, and honestly, did not like her. She giggled and made jokes through the whole thing. I actually did not feel comfortable asking her questions when she asks them this way. : "I'm sure you're just dying to learn about viatamins....just kidding, I won't bore you with that stuff." Actually, yes, yes I would. I am waiting for the other center to be up and running and meet with the NUT there, and hope I click with her better. I'm all for joking and having a good time, but this is serious business to me. I need to learn what I need to do.

I scheduled my Psych eval for 3/5. That's the next step. EGD, and then surgery. My insurance is awesome and has no hoops to jump through. We are aiming for late May for surgery. I'm excited now, and not nearly as nervous.

Thanks again everyone!

Heather

Thanks so much! Great suggestions. Keep them coming. I will let you all know how it goes.