Menelly

I've had 3 csections, and I'm just trying to see how the pain and recovery compares? I did well with my csecs so I'm hoping I'll do OK. Thanks!

My BMI was 38.3 I think, (somewhere around there) and my only comorbidity was sleep apnea and I was approved, so there's always a chance!

My surgery is June 24th and I'm finding myself having LOTS of "lasts". Definitely not good for the scale. I need to get back on track too. Maybe I'll do a 14 day preop diet instead of a 10 day.

I'm June 10th and I am nor doing Protein shakes pre-op. I've been doing 3 oz protein, Vegi's, and a starch for the past 5 weeks. I've lost 20 lbs so far. I have Kaiser insurance and they don't do protein shakes even post-op. It's clear liquids for 3 days, then blended soft foods for a week, then slowly adding textured foods. This sounds way different from what other doctors and insurance require. Does anyone else have Kaiser with a different food plan? I don't have Kaiser, but I have a similar post care food plan. Day 1-3 clear liquids only Day 4-14 Full liquid diet, which strangely includes things like yogurt and string cheese. (Those are liquid?) Day 15-4 weeks Soft food diet, everything should be moist. Including cooked veggies, deli meats, canned chicken or turkey. Weeks 5-12 is protein first, then vegetable. 70% protein, 30% veggie. And mine says "do not use protein supplement shakes unless recommended by your surgeon. Dietiicians and trainers are not your surgeon!" So sounds like we have a similar post op diet?

My dad's west coast too, and with it kind of the "hippie" fear of regular doctors and western medicine. It's really annoying. I'm bipolar and he likes to tell me I don't need my meds. (I've tried that, it lands me in the hospital repeatedly.) So Hi, sleeve sister!

I'm June 24th. My preop diet isn't too bad. It says "a high Protein, low carbohydrate diet, consuming no more than 1000 calories per day." I'm allowed to even use Lean Cuisines and stuff! I only have to start liquids at 3pm the day before surgery. I'm getting really excited! I've told my husband, my mom, and a few friends. I don't think I'll ever tell my dad. He's so judgmental.

RMAP has a pretty lenient diet protocol IMO, from what I've been reading on here. It's only half a day clear liquid before surgery (starting at 3pm) and by day 4 after they have you on stuff like light yogurt, cottage cheese, strained Soup, etc. By day 15 you can have soft moist foods. So yeah, it's gotta be the most "liberal" of the diets I've seen! (Including the 10 day preop diet. That's just a 1000 calorie diet with a Protein shake for Breakfast, lunch, and a Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice meal for dinner. So not bad at all!)

@@jas84047 (Midvale?) I was told I only have to do 10 days cause my BMI is under 40. But I wouldn't even have time for my husband to get time off by then! I'm kind of hoping for the 1st. Gives me time to get everything together and ready and have reliable babysitters for the kids.

I only got insurance approval yesterday, so the scheduler should call me within the week. They only do LDS hospital on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Wed of the month, so my guess is June 17th or July 1st given that info. (I would THINK it's too close to the 3rd of June to get in that day!) I'm so excited! I hope you get everything worked out soon!

Dr Cottam What part of the process are you at? Their office staff is a JOKE! :/ Kind of glad I'm doing RMAP then. I have Dr McKinley. They had my approval (through Select Health Advantage) in 8 days!

I've always giggled at Gabriel Iglasias' "5 levels of fat". "Big, Healthy, Husky, Fluffy, and DAYUM!"

Not at all. The insurance is only billed for the hernia repair. The patient is billed separately at a vastly reduced price for the WLS portion of the surgery. This is an option that several people here have been able to take advantage of when insurance has excluded WLS surgery. It is simply a variation of self pay.To OP, good luck! You've worked so hard. I hope all the arrangements can be made ☺️ Fair enough! Your system is baffling to foreigners!!! I think mainly because of different companies doing different things - there has just been a thread on this very topic on another U.S. board I go on and everyone there was saying it couldn't be done! Hope the OP gets it this way! Don't worry, our system is baffling to most of us too. :/

I'm trying to figure out the requirements to have VLG (I think that's the abbreviation?) covered by Medicare. Anyone familiar? Thanks!

I went to the informational seminar the other night, and they mentioned you can never have soda. Ever ever again! I'm actually doubting my decisions because I love soda so much... He said that probably 90% of his patients that gain weight back admit to soda use. That's not worth it to me, but... still... What do you miss most now that you've had surgery done? Is it possible to live life without soda? What else are you living without that you truly miss?

And I kind of want to cry. Anyone care to proofread and critique before i send it in tomorrow? Would really appreciate it. Describe the limitations morbid obesity imposes on you in your daily activity: So, today I was dancing with my daughter. Turned on the music, singing, dancing, laughing. I lasted about 4 min before my hip and knee gave out, and I was horribly out of breath. My adorable two year old is going "mama, dance!" and I can't anymore. I'm in too much pain. I go to get dressed and none of my clothes fit anymore. I'm stuffing myself into things two sizes too small because I don't want to admit my real size. My sister completed suicide last December. I promised her I'd take up running, like she'd always done. I told her I'd run the NAMI Walks 5k in her honor. But how can I? I can't even dance for 4 min. I can't run for 30! Even trying Couch to 5k hurts too badly. I have a flap of skin where I've had two c-sections, and I have a nasty rash there regularly from sweat and skin and yuck. It itches and burns and frankly smells horrible. I hate looking at myself in the mirror now. I know, buried deep in there, is the girl I once was. The one that loved to dance. The cheerleader. The former military girl who was in excellent shape. She's in there, I know she is. She's buried under a fat girl that can't seem to lose the weight. She's tried every diet she could. She's counted calories, she's counted carbs. She's exercised, she's paid for HCG shots. And still the fat girl looks back at me in the mirror instead of the girl I want to be. So far, I'm pretty lucky. For a fat person, I'm fairly healthy. But I know it's a matter of time. I know I'm a time bomb, waiting to go off, where I'll get worse as time goes on. And I tell myself I'm relatively health as my knees give out. As my hip gives out. As I struggle to sleep at night and struggle to wake up in the morning. As I deal with severe depression. As I spend every day so tired I don't want to move. As I deal with fibromyalgia. But I know others have it worse, so I deem myself "better" and "more healthy" so I can ignore what my weight is doing to me and how unhealthy it truly makes me. I hate that I'm discriminated against in life for being fat. I hate that I'm discriminated in healthcare. This essay requirement alone is proof of that... would you make someone write an essay on why they need a knee replacement or a pacemaker? Or is it just fat people that need to convince an insurance agency to pay for what's covered under the policy they pay for? The discrimination we face as fat people is so pervasive and endless that we just put up with it. We do what we're told. We deserve it, we're fat. I want to be in charge of my life. I want control over food back. I want to run that 5k in honor of my sister. I want to dance with my baby. I don't want to hurt. I want my life back. This surgery can help me in that goal. Thank you.

For the Horde indeed! Anyone need a pocket tank? This made me giggle, not because you suffered and had to deal with all those things as I can relate. But because I could relate to playing video games until 2am and eating. I was wondering if there were any other munchies/gamers amongst the boards. Don't get me wrong in the evening I do still stay up and play video games until 2am >.> I just don't eat now! I don't even think about food when I play. Liberating! For the horde!

can you PM me your email?

Thanks all! The number of you that have nothing to regret and were soda addicts make me feel so much better! I'm very interested in the surgery. I actually can't wait till I get everything done and ready for it! I'm just wondering what life will be like afterwards.

And your band size is WHAT YOU ACTUALLY MEASURE UNDER THE BUST. No adding of inches or measuring over the boobs like VS likes to do. The old +4 method was done back when bras were actually pretty rigid and didn't have the stretch modern elastic does. Stop adding inches. Measure your underbust, measure your chest (without a terribly fitting bra on!) and do the math. Do not be surprised if you end up in the G/GG/H range, that's actually closer to "average" than C is. If you end up with a "WTF where am I going to find a bra in THAT size" size, try: www.herroom.com www.figleaves.com Zulily has good sales. Amazon and Ebay are great. So: Don't add inches. Don't measure over your bust. Measure tight, the band is supposed to do 90% of the work. It needs to be tight. And don't suffer sticker shock when you realize your D's are really G's.

(Sorry, my inner bravangelist is coming out here.) Most women are wearing the wrong size bra. If you think a DD bra is big, you are one of them. If you think C is average, you are DEFINITELY in the wrong size. If the band on your bra rides up at all, you're in the wrong size. If the underwire isn't touching your ribcage at ALL points, you are in the wrong bra size. If you have underwire touching breast tissue, you are in the wrong size. If you have weird gapping issues while half your boobs spill out, you're in the wrong size and shape. I hope I can link to other forums here without getting in trouble. But go read www.reddit.com/r/ABraThatFits and look at the information on the sidebar. There's information on how to properly measure and size for a bra. The right size bra can make you look 10lbs thinner and end your back/neck/shoulder pain. Seriously, take the 10 min to measure properly! I promise, it's worth it! </end my bravangelism. Couldn't resist.>

Aww that's still a bummer. Must be really hard to get asked and have to turn it down. Good on you for thinking of your health first, however!

I'm in the process of doing research and stuff on whether or not I'm going to get surgery, and I've already noticed this. My healthy weight friends and family are all "if it helps you be healthy, go for it! Get healthy girl!" My overweight friends look at me like I'm a cheating heathen to even consider it. It's so weird to me.

I mean... that's not my reason for getting WLS, my BMI is 40. I (should) qualify. I'm just curious if my history is going to prevent me from getting the surgery. Has anyone else had this problem? Also, what happens if you're on the border like me? I don't have high blood pressure, my blood sugar is tolerable, etc. I don't have a medical reason, I just have the 'over 100 lbs overweight' reason and a desire to have my life back. If they put you on a medical diet and you lose to below 40, can you still have the surgery? Or are you SOL? Has anyone had surgery under a medicare HMO? It *looks* like I only have to pay $250/day in the hospital, which almost seems too good to be true. I wonder if anyone else knows for sure? Am I crazy to be considering this with a BMI of 40 and no real medical reasons? Thanks for any/all help!

Some of you make a really good point on "what will pop up". I'm lucky enough to still be relatively healthy for my high BMI. (40). I don't have many of the comorbidities that happen with high weight. That said: Why should I wait until I'm diabetic with high blood pressure and other assorted issues before I take control of my health? Why not start now, because I can, because I want to? No one tells someone to wait till they're even more unhealthy to diet and exercise, so why is this tool different?

Thank you, Roo, that gives me hope! I'm not on Warfarin for life, because we know mine was induced by the Nuvaring, but I assume I'll be on Coumadin afterwards to make sure everything is good post surgery. Thanks for sharing your story, and I hope all is good now!