nursejenny07

Hey there! I actually just went through this process as I'm about 2 years post op and ready for my circumferential body lift. We saved up the cash, found the surgeon...then had to push surgery off for another year because it wasn't covered for STD. It WAS covered under FMLA but for the STD portion of my claim the defined my surgery as "self inflicted/elective" and therefore not covered under my plan. I was Soooo bummed, but I get it! My surgeons office said they have had some luck in the past, but usually there is another condition (skin infections, difficulty with activities of daily living, other co-morbidities) that get it pushed through. Just means I'll be saving up my vacation and a little extra money to cover my time off when I, hopefully, get my surgery next summer!!!

I need to have labs done pre op (CBC & BMP) and also an EKG. My surgeon recommends going through your PCP. How did this work? Did insurance cover it at all? I'll be due for my 2 year post op sleeve labs anyway, which I believe will include the blood work, but I'm not sure how to go about getting the EKG ordered! Just curious what others did! Thanks!!

For anyone that had plastics, did you use FMLA or vacation for recovery? Did your surgeon have any problem filling out FMLA paperwork and how much time off did they approve!? Additionally, were you able to use short term disability during recovery? I'm planning on a body lift this summer, and am hoping to take about 6 weeks off. I know FMLA will protect my job...but disability would allow me to get paid, versus taking the time unpaid. Just curious as to what others have done! Thanks!!!

It took me a while to get used to taking vitamins. In the beginning, they would really upset my stomach, sometimes to the point I would vomit (even before surgery). Now, I tolerate them pretty well, but either take them after a meal, or at bedtime. I do best after a meal, usually about 30 min or so after I eat I take them and do well. I still, on occasion, will get a little queasy, but not too bad. Hopefully in time, as your body gets more used to them you'll tolerate them better. I currently do viactive chews for calcium, 5000iu vit D, 2,500mcg sublingual B12c and a chewable multivitamin.

I have popcorn frequently as a snack. Obviously not known for its protein content, but it's high in fiber, hits the spot as a "bedtime" snack, and is way healthier than many other options! The hard part for me is not smothering it in butter! I have an air popper bowl, so always make it fresh. I've recently started spritzing the popcorn with a little Pam spray, then sprinkling on a little garlic salt or Italian seasoning. The Pam helps the seasoning stick, otherwise it just all ends up in the bottom of the bowl and you eat plain popcorn. I learned that the hard way! It's a great snack for me, and the variations for toppings are really pretty endless. I just did a Pinterest search to help me figure out how I can enjoy my popcorn sans butter!

I really like it just plain, but it's great with fruit (my favorites are peaches, pineapple, or mandarin oranges). For a non-sweet version a little cracked pepper is great, or I also put it on top of cucumber slices as sort of a "healthy nachos" kind of thing. Probably one of my favorite things to do is add it as I'm scrambling eggs. I'll put one egg and a tablespoon or so of cottage cheese into a pan and stir like crazy. As the egg scrambles the cottage cheese mixes in and melts just a bit. Sounds weird, I know, but it's a great way to keep your eggs moist (especially important in the early post op phases) but also adds some extra protein! [emoji1]

I usually go with fage plain non-fat Greek yogurt. For flavor I'll either mix in some vanilla protein powder or a little Splenda and some fresh fruit. I also use it just plain as a substitute for sour cream. It's by far my favorite Greek yogurt in terms of versatility, flavor, and texture! [emoji1]

Both are actually really good, but if I had to pick one over the other I'd go with the zucchini. I love the taste and texture, but it's also easier to prepare in that you just have to slice it or spiralize it, and cook it. The spaghetti squash you have to bake before using it. Not bad...it just takes a little longer. I love some zucchini noodles with spaghetti sauce and turkey meatballs! A great healthy swap that will kill the craving for carbs!

After my disappointment from my first consultation, and telling the girls at work what happened, one the the RNs I work with told me about a surgeon her friend went to and had beautiful results. Her friend was great and even showed me her before and after pics. The transformation was quite amazing! I got a consultation booked with that surgeon for May 9. Due to work, I have to try to get my surgery before June 20, or I may need to wait until next year. Not the end of the world, but if at all possible I'd love to get this done sooner! This surgeon is about an hour from my house, and has his own surgery center. For a lower body lift, I was told over the phone, that the average cost is between $12k-$20k, with the upper end including other surgeries. At this time, I'm just doing the lower body lift. He has an overnight suite at his surgery center where you receive medical care throughout the night during recovery. I've read some great reviews, and of course have a personal recommendation, which really helps! I hope everything work out! I'll keep you all posted on what happens.

Well, I went to my first plastic surgery consult today. I went in with such high hopes. This is the surgeon that my bariatric doc recommends, as he has extensive experience with body contouring in post op bariatric patients. His work is phenominal, and he seems like a great guy. I had seen him once at one of our support groups where he came in and talked about plastics. At the time, he was in private practice and stated that each "phase" of surgery generally ran between $10k-$12k. That was about a year ago. Since then, he has joined a larger, very prestigious, plastic surgery firm. Today when I went in, everything seemed to be perfect. He told me I was a great candidate, and that I would have near perfect results. I was basically an "easy" patient with my current frame and needs. My husband and I were so excited and encouraged. Then, the coordinator came in and slapped a $33k estimate down in front of us. I was flabbergasted, and so defeated. I felt like all of my hopes had been dashed. I knew going in this wouldn't be cheap, but I never expected $33k!!! I thought MAYBE $20k or a little more. My husband and I have worked hard to save for me to get this surgery...but $33k is just not doable for us. Even if we were to put down everything we have saved, and finance the rest, we'd be looking at $500 a month for the next five years. As much as I would LOVE to go with this surgeon as I trust him and have seen his results, I just can't afford it. Now I don't know what to do. I'm looking for any recommendations in the Denver area. Has anyone gone to another surgeon here in Colorado and had great result? How much did you end up paying? I feel like I've been punched in the gut. I really wanted to move forward with this phase in my journey, and really wish I could go with this particular surgeon, but $33k is just way outside of what I can do. If you have any recommendations...I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!!!

The quote was for a lower body lift only. We talked about breasts and arms done together down the road, but even that quote was $23k. The estimate included surgery, OR, anesthesia, one night stay in the hospital, and all before/after care. It did NOT include preop labs or the compression garment, which were about another $500. Again, if I had that kind of money, this surgeon would have been my first choice, but we just can't justify that much, especially when other surgeons in the area charge much less. So far, I've contacted a couple other plastic surgeons and they quoted me between $12k-$23k.

This was a rough phase for me as well, especially since I have rather fine hair! My hair loss started around 4 months post op too! I'd say it continued for a couple months, then eventually it came back in. I'm 1yr 9mo post op, and my hair is just as nice as it was before surgery, and has been for quite a while. You're doing it all right. Keep up with the vitamins and make sure you're getting all of your protein in, and hopefully you'll notice the hair is starting to grow back in soon! [emoji1]

Hi All!! In preparation for my plastic surgery consult (and hopefully procedures) this spring I've upped my workouts to try and get into the best possible shape. I hate that even after all of my successes, I still let the number on the scale dictate my moods and my actions. In the past, when I've started working out harder I gave up because the number on the scale actually went UP. Logically, I know this is inflammation, Water retention, possibly not getting enough calories and going into starvation mode...anything but "real" weight gain. BUT, I let it get to me anyway and would stop working out (which of course didn't result in losing a bunch of weight, lol). Currently, I have about 5 more weeks until my consult, and I've just decided to stay OFF the scale. I don't really care what the number is (for the first time in my life I'm happy with my weight) and I know that working out and eating right will get me where I need to be. Right now I'm working out twice per day: waking up at 5am and working out doing either light cardio or strength, and then again when I get home from work, usually more intense cardo training in the evening. So far, I feel great. This is my third week into it...and I haven't given up!! When I go in for my consult in April I'll be looking to do a 360 lower body lift and breast lift. I've gotten some good advise about the lower body lift, and have learned that the better shape your core is in before surgery, the better your recovery will be. I'm going to give it all I've got, and hopefully I'll continue to see positive changes!

I absolutely love my fitbit. My husband and I got each other the Fitbit Charge HR for Christmas. I like that it takes my heart rate continuously throughout the day, giving me a more accurate count of calories burned. I can also specifically target a time for a workout, which will tell me how many calories I burned during that specific time. It has also helped me better track my sleep patterns, and correlate my resting heartrate to different events (e.g. hydration, stress, even seeing the directly correlation to a night having a couple drinks and how that effects my sleep...). It took me a couple days to get used to wearing it, as it is somewhat "bulky" but after a few days I didn't even realize it was there anymore. I also have to make sure I charge it every 3-4 days (nothing more frustrating than not getting an accurate picture of your day because the battery died at 10am!!). I also use my fitness pal and love that I can sync the two. This allows me to see what my true calorie deficit is during the day, and helps me taylor my diet. I feel like the fitbit has really helped me hone in on a few key areas and helped me better my health and fittness. I would highly recommend it! We got ours on sale for $119, and it is very much worth the price!!

Hello everyone!! I am currently about 18 months post op gastric sleeve. I've gone from 262 to 170, and am finally ready for plastics. I am scheduled for my first consult on April 8, and hope to have a 360 body lift and breast lift in stage 1. I'm trying to prepare myself, physically, the best that I can for this surgery and recovery. I've started working out twice per day (mostly cardio), and have tried to bump my protein intake and eat clean. I know this will help, but I'm wondering if anyone else did anything that they feel really helped with the success for their surgery and minimized complications during recovery? Please share, thanks!!

Thanks CBT, that all makes total sense!! I'll start incorporating more strength training to up my muscle mass a bit (hopefully, lol).

Hi guys! I'm hoping to have a 360 body lift and breast lift this summer. I was wondering how much time to take off. I work as an RN in a clinic so I'm in with patients and also do a lot of desk work. I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to pain. I was honestly thinking of taking 8 weeks to really heal and be comfortable before returning to work. Can you provide me any feedback about what the normal expectation is? Thanks!!!

Welcome!! Congrats on your success so far! It's a huge accomplishment to be able to come off meds, and your glucose ranges look good!!! Keep up the great work! This surgery changed my life, and it is already changing yours too!! ????

I finally scheduled my consult, and I am so excited!! I'm going in April 8th. Had to put it off a little due to vacation. My husband and I just hit our goal for saving for the surgery, and we'll still have a few months to put some additional money away. I'm hoping now that I can have my surgery in May or June. I'm meeting with my bosses in Tuesday to discuss things and hopefully make a plan for RN coverage at our clinics while I'm out. I plan to take 8 weeks still. Due to the nature of my job and never knowing if I'll be catching a patient who passes out or running down the hall to assist with something, I don't want to potentially complicate my recovery by returning too early! I would be a lot harder to just plan for 8 weeks than return too early and have to go back out!! I hope to have the 360 body lift and breast lift at the same time. So looking forward of getting this extra skin off my abdomen!!! I've really started working out more and it is really annoying to have this skin flopping around! Please feel free to continue to provide any input, I love hearing everyone else's experiences!

I plan on taking FMLA. I have enough extended leave to get full pay for the first week and a half (used the rest when I had my sleeve almost 2 years ago, then we stopped being able to accrue EIB) then I plan to take short term dissability, which will be 60-70% of my base pay. Enough to get me through my recovery for sure, then i'll go back full time. The only think I feel bad about is leaving my fellow nurses (there are 3 of us) to cover the clinic for 8 weeks. I know thats a lot of work...but I dont' want to go back too soon and either not be able to handle it, or end up with complications healing. I may even see if there is the option to come back part time if I'm not completely healed and feeling great at 8 weeks. Not sure if that would be an option...but it's worth looking in to!

I posted a few day ago about how I'm pushing to get to my goal and lose these last 25 lbs. I was feeling discouraged because even though I was watching what I was eating and working out, I had gained "weight." Since then, I've stayed off the scale and stayed focused on my goal! I'm continuing to eat clean, protein packed, meals and work out for at least 30 minutes every night after work. I'm feeling really good, and starting to enjoy my workouts. I can blast my music and burn off some steam. I always feel really good by the time I'm done! I will continue my weekly Friday weigh-ins and tracking my food and exercise on my fitness pal. I know come March, when we're taking a family trip to Hawaii and when I hope to reach my goal by, I'll be at 150lbs!!!

Yayyyy!!! Congratulations!! Such a major accomplishment!

I feel like at about 5 weeks post op before I could really notice a difference. About 12 weeks in, patients and other staff at the hospital I work at started to comment on my weight loss.

I took 4 weeks off for my sleeve. Physically I felt really good at 5 days post op, and GREAT at two weeks. The hardest part was getting g used to my new diet and not having to juggle work (I work as an RN is a very busy OBGYN office) and eating/drinking was a huge benefit to me. I used those four weeks to heal, focus on good hydration and nutrition, and getting out and walking every day. I think 4 weeks was perfect!

I had my sleeve in July 2014. The first six months were great, and I lost the majority of my weight there. The second six months were a little slower...but I was still happy with my progress. I've lost about 90lbs post op (more than 100lbs from my ultimate highest weight) and am sitting right around 175. I have to admit, I'm very happy with the progress I've made, as I never thought I would actually even get below 200lbs in my lifetime! BUT, my goal is to get to 150, which is at the upper end of a healthy BMI for me. I have also set a goal of 150 before I will allow myself to go in for plastic surgery consult for skin removal surgery. I have been having such a tough time losing any weight lately. Granted, I know I have not been perfect, and I know I can make some changes to help, however, I recently got really focused, started working out, logging all of my food on myfitnesspal, increasing my Fluid intake...and I GAINED 3.6 lbs. I was so upset. I know logically that if I continue this trend, the weight will come off...but I'm frustrated none the less. Have you guys also had this experience? I feel like I've been in a stall for the past 6 months. My body apparently really likes being 175lbs, but I am determined to meet my goal of 150!! Just need some encouragement and to hear from others who went through this and finally made it to where they really wanted to be!!! Thanks guys! Jen