DaronB

I'm preop still but I know that the normal weight for my age and height is 122-164. My ideal weight according to your website is 148. I set a goal of 160 because it's about 100lbs less than where I am (265) and 100lbs is a nice round number. I want to be thinner but also look healthy, so 160 being on the higher end of a healthy BMI seems reasonable.

I live not far from Fayetteville, NC. I'm in preop right now, hoping for a late summer or early fall surgery. Where you having yours done at?

Nevermind.....did my research.

Stupid question alert.....what's a drain?

I'm still pre-op but was curious: is there really a proven way to get rid of or hide stretch marks? I didn't realize how bad mine are until I looked today and if I'm going to have a new body, I want it to look as new as possible!

So instead of PCP visits,you'll just do visits with the surgeon?

Dr Enochs in Cary. They told me in a response today that the BCBS of NC requirements are changing, but they don't have the criteria material yet so they'll let me know. I had my 3rd PCP visit today, only 3 more! What 6 months are you having to do with your surgeon??

@@lucky2014, wow that's interesting. I emailed my case worker last night because I have not heard this! If true that's wonderful because it moves me up from October/November to August/September!

Hey guys : ) good news .... at my appointment today with my surgeons office they informed me that I'm not waiting until my last six-month appointment which was going to be in December to have my surgery. ... BCBS of NC is sending out their new requirements for this year we should have received them in January for our state but they delayed it until July 15 2014 ..They are waving the six-month requirements wait for surgery here Yay Yeah Yahoo..what a great day and news for NC beginners for rny God Bless : ) I too am in NC and have BCBS, but have not heard this and tomorrow is my 3rd appointment with my PCP? Who is your surgeon, @@lucky2014?? So you're saying effective July 15, the 6 month PCP/diet visits aren't required anymore?

Is a catheter common in WLS or only in certain situations?

I met my surgeon in March and have been doing preop tests ever since. I too wonder if I'll ever see my surgeon again lol. October can't get here fast enough!

@@Ginger Snaps, That sounds A LOT like me. I'm borderline and afraid to lose any, but at the same time I feel like my PCP will not be cooperative with me if I don't at least attempt to lose some. I have hypertension, cholesterol, elevated A1C, and my BMI is hovering around 40, but I'm still afraid of being denied.

What's a hida scan? It shows how well your gallbladder is working. Some surgeons actually will remove the gallbladder during wls because of high frequency of gallstones with big weight loss. Mine doesn't bother with it but I already had mine out. Yep, mine will likely be taken out. It doesn't have stones, but it's not functioning within normal limits, which I knew from a couple years ago. At first I was told it was under active but these latest results said it was over active! Either way, they said for me to expect it to get removed lol.

Frustrating!! Hang in there and be strong. I was told insurance approval could take 10 business days. I'm NOT looking forward to that part. Not sure why. I'll flip my lid if they deny me and I've already met my $2500 deductible and am closing in on the $2000 out of pocket ($4500 total).

My preop appts included Upper GI, Gallbladder Ultrasound, Hida Scan, Chest X-Ray, EKG, Gastroenterologist, Sleep Study, Psych Eval, and nutrition appointments. Had blood work done in March and pretty sure I'll need one more round.

Welcome, Jade! I am pre-op myself, currently right in the middle of all my pre-op tests. Man it seems like so much. But I'm excited. Your surgeon will go over all your options and explain the surgeries thoroughly, but ultimately, the choice is yours. It's great that your PCP seems like she is on board with your decision. That's important. Continue to research, especially surgeons in your area, because with this type of medical event , I would want simply the best working on me! (Which is happening in my case, lol!) I wish you the best of luck on your journey!

You're definitely on the right path. Don't lose heart! Chin up and press forward. Your day will come!

Congrats to both of you! Best of luck on your surgeries!

Things happen for a reason. This could've been the Good Lords way of protecting you from something! Keep heart.....it'll be here before you know it!

Best of luck on your journey, lucky! Mine is going by fairly quick. Still have a few appointments to finish between now and August and then the remainder of my PCP visits. Getting a little anxious about the insurance approval part, though, lol.

I'm in Dunn, NC. Doing my work up with Dr. Paul Enochs from Bariatric Specialists of North Carolina in Cary. On track to finish up and seek approval in October. I, too, have BCBS and am having to do the 6 months PCP visits. Frustrating.

Thanks for your feedback, everyone! I'm definitely going to follow everything the surgeon says. I want everything to go as smoothly as possible. I just want to attempt to tighten/tone as the weight comes off.

Nicole, your initial most reminds me SO MUCH of myself! I, too, am about 3-4mos pre-op and have had a hard time finding someone that I could share my excitement with about my decision. I've told very view people because the support just isn't there so I've stopped telling people and am pushing forward anyway. My family is eat up with heart disease/attacks, diabetes, etc. In fact, I have a cousin who is 34 and in much better health than me (I'm 27) who had a heart attack this past year. I have problems myself so I absolutely feel like I'm making the right choice. You are too. It's a personal choice and your friend needs to be supportive. It's ok for him to not like your choice but he needs to respect it.

I can relate with you, Ginger Snaps. I constantly hear "you're not that big" or "you don't look big enough for surgery". That's interesting because a person my age and height should weigh anywhere from 100-140lbs less than what I do. I don't have a huge support group, but things are getting better and people are accepting my decision. I'm not turning back now, I met my deductible today LOL!

My family, mom and dad specifically, were not a huge fan of my decision. Me and my family are Christians, so we've all turned it over to God. I pray daily for Gods will. My parents are mostly skittish for 2 reasons, the main being my moms boss' daughter nearly died from major complications and to this day has many problems, but she's in the minority. Like 1 in 1,000. The second reason is that I'm on the lower end of surgery requirements. My BMI just is a 40 and they think I could "do it on my own". But I have at least 100lbs to lose and the fact that tried for 5+ years to lose it and can't is frustrating. Like I had to remind myself and my parents, we're (you, me, them, us) adults. It's our (mine and yours) decision. Diabetes, heart trouble/attacks, blood pressure etc all run in my family. I'm already on blood pressure medicine, have high cholesterol, and my A1C is elevated. It's either have this surgery and risk complications for better health, or do nothing, continue to struggle, and wait for something to happen. I basically educated my mom on the process, told her about the requirements for surgery, had her google search my surgeon, who is considered one of, if not the best surgeons in NC. Talk to your mom and tell her. I'm sure she'd much rather find out before the fact then after.