Dulce_jtrivera

I was sleeved yesterday! Surgery and recovery went so well that I was sent home less than 24hrs after surgery. I'm not in any pain just a little nauseous. I so happy with my decision!

I also have PCOS. 3-6 months between cycles typically pre surgery. I have been about 5 weeks and very predictable since surgery. Initially, I was VERY emotional with my periods (probably due to hormone fluctuations caused from rapid fat loss). But that has improved significantly. I am starting today (4 months post op) and I felt that I ovulated 2 weeks ago and predicted for the third time in a row the onset of my period! I'm 41 and NEVER had this experience. I have very mild cramps and very little emotional symptoms (maybe prone to slightly unusual annoyance and tire slightly easier)... but really uneventful overall.
This surgery had a mad a huge dif in all of my pcos symptoms (except facial hair!!! arggggh), but totally worth it. I'm off metformin and feel great.
Good luck to you!

Guess who got a letter? ..... ME!!! I am so relieved and ecstatic! I can't stop smiling Woohoo! Just wanted to update everyone and share my happiness with someone. Yay me!

That is amazing @@DeniseNCC1701, I love reading about how successful this surgery is! I can't wait to get a surgery date! I am so excited to be on the other side...lol!

That is amazing @@DeniseNCC1701, I love reading about how successful this surgery is! I can't wait to get a surgery date! I am so excited to be on the other side...lol!

I have a BMI of about 39 and when I went into my surgeon required pulmonary appointment, the nurse said "Why are YOU having weight loss surgery? You're so beautiful!" I just rolled my eyes and said, "It has nothing to do with "being pretty". Once you take my blood pressure you will see WHY I am having weight loss surgery".
After my reading of 149/94 she shut up. Funny thing is, she was very overweight. It seems the most criticism I get are from overweight/obese people when I tell them I am getting the surgery! What is THAT all about??

Awesome job! Can you believe that there are medical professionals out there that refuse to embrace this opportunity for their patients? Just eat less and move more, they say. It's like a lifeguard standing 20 feet from a drowning person and telling them to just swim harder!

That gets me compliments all the time. lol oh you mean because of weight loss. Oops!!

Hello everyone,
I just wanted to share some good news. I had lots of bloodwork done for my 3-month post-op and I reviewed the results with my PCP this morning:
I'm diabetic, and my A1C at the end of January was 12.2%. One month post-op I was 9.6%. Now I'm at 6.4% and that's with being able to cut my medications by over 65%. My doctor thinks I'll be cured by the end of the year. I'm skeptical, but am very hopeful.
My triglycerides dropped by 50% and are pts away from being normal. Much to my surprise, my total cholesterol didn't budge. My doctor says my body is still trying to figure things out, and to give it more time.

In January, my liver and kidney enzymes were elevated, not a good sign of what my future held. Now those numbers are normal.

THAT's WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT!

And as of this morning, I'm down 78.4lbs. If I'm lucky, I'll hit 80lbs down by the time I see my surgeon Thursday next week.

Thank you for letting me share.

Be well…

I am in the same boat you are in. I want to my consult appointment on Monday and the only thing standing between me and a surgery date is this letter and the 5 year records of weigh-ins. I am the kind of person who doesn't really go to the doctor unless it is necessary, so as far as a PCP I don't really have one. I have scheduled an appointment with my OBGYN and I am going to take the sample letter and ask for the weigh ins, but I am scared that they won't give it to me. I have never been on a medically supervised diet, I've always just done my own thing. I'm glad I am not the only one with this concern. Nice to know I'm not alone in the boat! Good Luck!

@@Dulce_jtrivera
Just an update.
Went to the OB today and she was more then happy to fill out my letter of medical necessity.

@@Jenelle
You are doing great! Some people do lose weight slower. Don't be discouraged by a slow moving scale... have you checked your measurements? A lot of people who lose slower tend to lose inches. Be proud of your success!!!

@ Dulce_jtrivera
Yup one step closer!
I have my OB appointment next Tuesday, I'll keep updated and let you know how it goes!

So just an update.
Just got out of my pcp office and she was super cool about everything and told me she would do the letter for me no problem.
She said she would include childhood obesity to it and the list of diets/meds and gyms I had for her.

@
I am kind of relying on the written letter from my OB, Especially since I was just in there for a "Missing Period" and problems conceiving for a second time. She told me to lose weight and try again, so that's the plan. Though an OB is not a "Primary" Dr it is a Dr and I don't think the insurance will have any problem with who they get the letter from.
I see my OB a lot more then my PCP..

Yes do whatever you have to, even if it's longer than 5 years. All the best!

@@LilMissDiva Irene

That's the thing that is holding me back, I contacted WW and they were unable to help me since my account was over 2 years old and from another state. I'm almost wondering if it would be worth my time to track down my medical records from when I had my gallbladder removed in 2007. I live 3 hrs away from the hospital that preformed the surgery and the pcp I had at the time?, well I haven't seen her or stepped foot in her office in 9 years.
I'll let everyone know how it goes tomorrow!

I know I've asked about this topic a few time's now, But I finally have appointment's this week with my PCP and OB in which I plan on bringing up the letter and my plans for WLS with them while I'm there. My PCP I've only been with her for about 3years and have seen a handful of time's so I thought it was important to sit and talk with her about thing's instead of just faxing over the letter and expecting her to sign it. My OB should have records from my last Dr which date back to early 2009 so I'm hoping she has no issue in signing it for me.
I guess my worry here is that the "Sample Letter" my surgeon gave me to give to the Dr's list a whole slue of thing's they won't be able to provide like 5 year's worth of weigh-ins (My OB yes but the PCP no), one part say's "I have personally supervised Mr/Ms.______ in his/her efforts to lose weight thru diet and exercise" (And obviously neither Dr has done so), and it goes on to ask for a list of diets and exercise..
I'm hoping both Dr's agree that the VSG is the right solution to my weight, But neither have known me for a long period of time or long enough to know I've been overweight since I was a child so I worry they will be against it. How important is this letter regarding the insurance approval and should I be worried that I don't have 5 years of recorded weight from my PCP, or records of me ever going to her with weight related issues?
Appointment with my PCP is tomorrow at 9:20am, Wish me luck!

I too am in the same boat. When I have my weight under control I have no problem going to the doctor. When my weight is out of control the last thing I want to do is see and doctor and have to get on the scale. I hope to hear from Dr. Welle's office tomorrow that they sent everything to my insurance.

I am in the same boat you are in. I want to my consult appointment on Monday and the only thing standing between me and a surgery date is this letter and the 5 year records of weigh-ins. I am the kind of person who doesn't really go to the doctor unless it is necessary, so as far as a PCP I don't really have one. I have scheduled an appointment with my OBGYN and I am going to take the sample letter and ask for the weigh ins, but I am scared that they won't give it to me. I have never been on a medically supervised diet, I've always just done my own thing. I'm glad I am not the only one with this concern. Nice to know I'm not alone in the boat! Good Luck!

So, I've gotten some great advice & learned from some great mentors here on BP. This is what I I follow...
The best advice I've ever received (and I live by it):
1) UNDER-EAT YOUR SLEEVE
..... "I can eat 1cup of rice. Is that to much"... Well, yeah. If your doc tells you 1/2 cup of food, why are you even putting a cup in front of you???
Other great advice:
2)Water Water WATER
3)you aren't a naturally thin person, don't try to live like one.

Lately, I have had a few people send me PM's with this question and it is an oft posted thread to which I usually reply with a summarized version of this, but this has been my basic plan over the last 3 years, so I thought I would post a recent reply to a PM here:
As far as the few days after surgery, I'm not going to lie to you. It is tough. The whole first month. You are drinking your meals for the first couple weeks and then soft foods after. I often whined to my wife, "I just want something with texture in my mouth!!!" About a month out, like so many others, I questioned, "What the HELL have I done to myself!!??" But, for me, the bottom line was to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and do the next right thing. These feelings subsided as the scale began to move and I adopted a new method of eating.
As far as what I have done since then ... well ... that is a huge question with a very lengthy response. If you are viewing from a web browser, you can hover over my name and a pop up will show. From there, you can select My Content and read the hundreds of threads I have responded on. But in a nutshell, I followed the guidelines closely. Those are:
Don't drink just before, during or immediately after eating (it is difficult at first, but you get used to it)
Take smaller bites
Chew ridiculously well
Put the utensil down in between bites
Evaluate how that bite felt. How does my stomach feel? Stop eating one bite before you are full. You are going to learn a new definition of what being full means, so you need to take the time to figure this out.
Exercise. Find something which will get your heart pumping up in your target heart range for weight loss. If you are going to take the time to exercise, then make it worth your while.
Only weigh once a month. If you can't do that, then no more than once a week. DO NOT WEIGHT DAILY!!! This only leads to disappointment as there is no way to lose everyday. You will have stalls. This is a normal way your body is going to react to the drastic reduction in caloric intake. So many folks get discouraged and cry over a tub of ice cream. Self sabotage is our killer.
Don't eat processed foods. Take the time to learn how to prepare nutritionally balanced meals. Only eat things which are nutritionally relevant. Use a food tracking software (MyFitnessPal) and track everything that goes into your mouth until you find your groove.
Understand your motivation for everything you put into your mouth. Why am I eating right now? Is it because I am hungry or am I eating for some other reason? Bored ... tired ... angry ... lonely? Try to only eat when your body need nutrition.
Get the sleep your body needs. If is so much easier to make the next right move when our bodies are well rested.
Stay active in a support group, whether here on BariatricPal or a local WLS support group. It is easy to forget where we came from once things start going well and we may fall back into old habits.
Remember that you are important. Give yourself permission to make yourself a priority in your life. Sometimes, at the minor cost of someone else. Don't make things more difficult by not setting yourself up for success.
Do I do all of this perfectly? No, but these are my guidelines to which I strive for. I've been maintaining for over 2 years now and this has been a lifestyle I feel I can maintain.

Oh I forgot one more thing...I made a goal. My birthday is at the end of July and I'm hoping to be in onederland for that day.

I am so glad that I found this post! Jenelle, thank you for the step by step process. The details are great and it gives me some great insight. I go for my first consultation with the surgeon on Monday and I have started to psych myself out. I keep saying, what if I go through this life changing surgery and don't lose.... crazy huh? I know that this is going to be the best thing I could do for myself and your story has helped to make me excited about it again. Thanks girl!

My daughters birthdays are coming up in June and September so I'll be busy planning their parties and doing ALLLLL these doctor visits lol. I'm sure I should be shopping for Christmas bc it's so close, lol!!