Luvin_Life125

I am so sorry your surgery was denied. Unfortunately, it happens more often than it should. Appeal the denial all the way. Your best bet when you appeal is to first get a copy of your plan's bariatric surgery coverage guidelines. Make sure you read and understand the guidelines. Also, get the exact reason for the initial denial from your insurer not the doctor's office. Once you have all of this information write your appeal using the coverage guidelines as a blueprint to show you meet a,b,c,d, etc. Keep the appeal factual and without emotion. Your best bet is to fight the denial with logic. Good luck and please let us know how the appeals process goes.

I am trying to work up the courage to attend my first yoga class at the gym. The women are so petite and flexible, unlike me. I think I will bite the bullet and just go for it on Friday. Thanks for having the courage to give it a try and to tell us about it !!

Drinking is tough for the first couple of weeks. I am just 4 weeks post op and wasn't able to regularly get in 64 Ounces of liquid daily until last week. I still come up short on my fluid goals once in a while , but it only happens every 5 or 6 days now. It is so hard to retrain yourself to constantly be sipping on something. Once you get used to always having something on hand to drink you will get closer and closer to your goals. Good luck!

Woo Hooo! Wonderful NSV!

You will be nervous the day before or day of surgery and that is normal! Don't let those last minute fears talk you out of a surgery you rationally decided to have and have worked for months to get to. Nervous is normal because it is a big change. Also, the first week after surgery you likely will not be able to meet either your Protein intake goals or your Fluid intake goals and likely both. Do the best you can to work on both every day. Every day it will get better but don't panic if you can't get x grams of protein or x ounces of Water. Your primary goal the first week is to heal and get enough fluids to keep hydrated enough. Sip constantly when you are awake and as long as you are really trying to stay hydrated, you probably can stay hydrated enough. You will be tired, have little stamina, and probably be frustrated by it. Remember you just had major surgery and your priority is to heal. sleep (especially extra sleep) is almost as important as fluids. Cut yourself some slack and let your body do what it has to. Constipation is a common concern after surgery. Please work on easing the problem sooner rather than later. If you need ideas to help ease the constipation do a quick search on these forums. The subject has been discussed many times and there are some great suggestions available to help. Remember we are all here to support you! If you need anything ( support, questions, to vent) ask here or reach out! Good luck and can't wait until you join the loser's bench!

I am 4 weeks post op. The first photo is the front of my belly. Please disregard the stretch marks I have had 2 huge babies. The second photo is of my drain site that was left to close on its own with no stitches and no glue.

Congrats on the approval!!!

Not vain in my eyes. I think I was so unhappy with myself that I did nothing for myself for so long. I just joined a gym and have an appointment scheduled for a haircut and perm. I have also started buying makeup again which I haven't done in a few years. We just haven't done much beyond the basics for ourselves in so long, it feels weird to be buying things and doing things to make our selves look and feel better.

I am very open also about surgery. I haven't posted it on Facebook , but I don't post much on there. I will be completely honest with people when they ask how I lost weight. I will also be sure to tell them about the strict diet and the hour plus I spend in the gym 6 days a week too. I would never want to mislead anyone about what the sleeve surgery will and will not do for you. I know not everyone is comfortable sharing that much info and that is ok too. Different strokes for different folks as my Granny used to say! Good luck finding a middle ground that is comfortable for you. You look wonderful. Great job

2 nights for me. The doc wanted to send me home after the first night but I was having trouble with pain control and getting enough fluids in orally. I asked for the 2nd night because I live over 3 hours from the hospital. I was really glad I stayed the 2nd night because it made a world of difference.

I drink smooth move tea regularly because my sleeve, iron, and daily narcotics do a FABULOUS job of stopping the works up effectively . I have never had a problem with it causing cramping or explosive issues. The tea is one of the more gentle methods I have found to help alleviate the constipation. I hope your experience is not a bad one! Please keep us updated as to what your experience is.

Good luck! The first appointments are just to educate you, set up expectations, and discuss options . Please don't be nervous. Ask any questions you might have that you haven't found an answer to or that are specific to you and your medical needs. Please let us all know how it goes.

Congratulations to you both!

My husband thinks I was in there for close to 4 hours. Of course, I didn't know and didn't care

Take it slow and keep working on fluid and protein. You probably won't hit your protein and fluid goals for a few weeks yet and that is fine. Your #1 priority right now is healing. Give yourself time to heal while getting as much protein and fluid in as you can. It gets better everyday and your intake will gradually improve too. Don't be too hard on yourselves! Keep up the great work and congratulations on your surgery!

You should submit every claim along with your primary insurers EOB to your secondary insurer. You never know what they might cover or what balance may be written off by the secondary payer due to their contracted allowed amounts. Absolutely worth the try!

Do the best that you can with your fluids and protein. Chances are you won't be able to hit your goals yet and that is ok. It took me until about 2 weeks post op to hit my fluid intake goals and another week to hit the protein goals. The first couple of weeks are about healing and recovering. You will be able to get more fluid and more protein in every day and it does get better . Give yourself some time. You are doing great and keep up the good work!

I was surprised by how little I would actually be able to eat. I know the quantities would be small after surgery and have seen in mentioned many times. However, actually having it happen to me after eating half of 1 scrambled egg was a shock to the system. Compared to how much I was able and did eat before surgery to what I eat now is shocking!

Congratulations and I will keep you in my prayers.

I have had to wear fleece leggings under my pants daily since surgery and still want a blanket when I am sitting around the house . I will take cold over fat but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Check your local walmart for fleece leggings. Ours has had them for a while and they are $9 a pair and by far the best money I have spent in a long time.

Today was my 3rd workout and I am really enjoying it! I have dropped 5 pounds in 3 days and I will take that any day. I am also sleeping better at night which hasn't happened in years! I also found out my gym has an aqua massage table and that is definitely going to have to be tried. If I like it I can pay $25/ month for unlimited access to it. The gym lady says I could even use it 3 times a day if I want to and if it isn't booked.

I haven't found many protein mixes that I do like. Even some of the favorites on the board weren't doing it for me. The only one I love and look forward to is Syntrax peanut butter cookie! I mix it with unsweetened vanilla almond milk or skim milk and it actually tastes like a peanut butter cookie. Nashua Nutrition website offers the widest selection of samples I have found yet. I highly recommend ordering samples and trying them before committing to a large and expensive tub of protein powder that you might not enjoy.

Congratulations! I am so happy you feel better and get to be home.

I am so glad you are home and feeling better! I hope the results are what you want. I am going to schedule my reduction once I have maintained my weight for 1 year. I am interested to hear how everything goes for you.

I am 3 weeks post op and my nutritionist allows up to 1/2 cup per meal. However, I can barely get 1/4 cup down in a sitting which requires me to eat 6 times a day. I am still having a hard time eating more than 4 times a day, but I try everyday to get more meals and more protein in than the day before .