Jessica.O

I had RNY with private insurance. The total hospital bill was $20,500. I would estimate that I paid $4,000 out of pocket (hosp bills, cost of appts, insurance deductibles, etc). I live in Northern Virginia. My insurance does have bariatric coverage with a six month nutrition, psych eval, and surgical clearance prerequisite.

I agree with Chelly. Whenever I've taken pain meds I feel so happy and floaty for two or three days then start to get very weepy and sensitive. If it goes beyond a pain med side effect you should seek medical attention.

My surgery was July 1 and I'm down 29#. The first three weeks were tough as I had such little energy and stamina, I could barely stand up for five minutes! I'm feeling great now and am even taking care of a friend's farm this week. Talk about a boost in energy. This past weekend I saw my profile in a shop window and for the first time I saw myself looking smaller. It was a good feeling and I can't wait to lose another 29#!

Way to go Nairobi! You should be so proud. You look beautiful.

I had my period during my surgery, too. I wore big comfy undies and used the maxi pads from the hospital. They are enormous and I felt like i was wearing a diaper but there was no fear of leaks!! You'll be all drugged up and spend most of your time in bed, it's not so bad. I will say though, I am glad I brought some Charmin wipes with me to the hospital. I felt so much cleaner having those.

Thanks for the link

I think it's at 6pm.

Oh, is anyone planning to go to the support group meeting on the 18th at Fair Oaks? It's open to all WLS patients. I missed it last month but plan to go to this one.

My surgery was there on July 1. Everything went totally fine and I had no issues with any of the staff. My only complaint was that the regular unit for post-op bariatrics was full so I ended up in the ICU for my first 36 hours. It wasn't medically necessary, it was just where they had room for me. The staff was great I just felt so guilty buzzing them to help me get to the toilet every two hours when I knew all their other patients were so critical. That was my internal guilt though, none of the staff ever made me feel like a nuisance. I got sufficient care there but it was kind of a shame since the ICU nurses aren't used to bariatric patients. I could tell the difference when I was moved the medical unit because the nurses were more diligent about making sure I was I drinking enough, sipping slowly, and getting up to walk. I don't recall anyones names but there was an Eastern European nurse who spent some time talking with me and told me she thought my WLS decision was very brave. That will always stick with me.

My rings still fit (surgery six weeks ago) and it is important to me to wear at least a band every day. When my rings get too loose I plan to wear them on a necklace and get a cheap band to wear on my finger. I'll be so gorgeous I'll need to alert all the men to my married status, lol

I also itched on my belly, both on and not on the incisions. It went away after a couple of weeks.

Wow.

While we are all trying to help each other here it is always best to follow medication and nutritional recommendations from a medical professional you knows you and your medical history. Each doctor has different recommendations. You have put your faith in this person and their team to help you succeed through this process. I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to be on the medical side of things and have patients picking and choosing what instructions to abide by and telling us what they read online. Often you can find what you want to hear online and it becomes easier to accept that than your doctor's directions. The doctors don't make stuff up for their own amusement, they are trained and experienced and we turn to them for their professional advice and wisdom. Bariatric Pal is a great place for support and practical advice but not a credible medical resource.

I cut back, then used an ecig, then quit. It was very hard but I told myself I didn't really have a choice. I wanted this surgery more than I wanted cigarettes. This the same mantra I tell myself about hair loss; If someone told you that you could lose 100# if you quit smoking you would do it, wouldn't you? Of course you would!

I took too much stuff with me. All I ended up using was: my pillow chap stick my slippers (with good tread) Iphone/headphones Undies Loose dress to go home in Insurance card, ID, credit card Hairtie As far as Gas-X, most hospitals will not let you take any meds that don't come from their stock.

I am also a vet tech and have pretty bad anesthetic anxiety (for me, not my patients). I was telling my therapist about my fears and my past history of going into surgery in a panic attack and then of course waking up in the same panicked state. It's just like dogs, I told her. The crazy, anxious, scared dogs go under like that and wake up like that. The big, happy, kissy dogs go under happy and sweet and wake up happy and sweet. So she asked me what breeds tend to suck, anesthetically, and I told her huskies and German shepherds. I said labs are the best. She told me my mantra should be "be the Labrador." So surgery comes around and I've been premeditated and am being wheeled into the OR, I am soooo high. I was weepy and scared but not panicking or hyperventilating. I tried to explain through my tears to the doctors and nurse about "being the Labrador" and they laughed. My surgeon asked me what breed is the worst for anesthesia and I said "Huskies f*#&ing suck!" He then asked me about German shepherds because that's what he has. Even in my drugged my state I was aware enough to know this man was about to cut into me so I just said "They're ok." Way to go, me.

I was on the three day clear liquid only diet pre-op. I definitely had diarrhea but it wasn't with great urgency and I never had any "close calls." I agree that you probably shouldn't take Immodium. It was nice not to worry about BM's after surgery! Sitting and standing were tough for a few days and any abdominal pushing or straining would've been uncomfortable. Gross, I know, but I wish someone had told me!

My energy didn't start to pick up until about week three. I'm five weeks out now and although my energy is much improved I'm still struggling with stamina. Our incisions are so small, I don't think they give us a tangible idea of the amount of work that was done internally. This is major surgery with multiple incisions and general anesthesia, take the time you need to recover! Some advice- the first couple of times you go out make sure you go somewhere with places to sit! My first outing was to Homegoods... perfect because there are chairs for sale there. The Apple store, not a single seat.

Hass- did you remove it yourself?? I hope not. Those catheters have a balloon on the end that is in your bladder. It is inflated with saline after placement to keep it from falling out. You could have done some physical damage to your "parts" if that wasn't deflated before removal. Imagine pulling a grape through a coffee straw....

I've been thinking about putting the batteries for my scale in a different part of the house to prevent me from weighing myself too frequently. If I know I just have to pull the scale out of a closet it's too easy. If I have to get the batteries and take them up two flights of stairs to the scale I might not weigh myself so frequently!

My doctor said to wait six weeks for wine and liquor. I'm five weeks post op and had a half a glass of wine this weekend (naughty girl) and honestly I didn't feel any differently than I did before surgery. My surgeon said it would hit me hard but I didn't appreciate any difference.

I'm so jealous! Lol. You look fantastic and should be so proud of your success!

I'm so jealous! Lol. You look fantastic and should be so proud of your success!

Many pizza places offer pasta. Could you get that instead? I haven't tried pizza yet. I'm hesitant to try new foods away from home in case I get sick.

I had to do this for three days before surgery and it was hard! I avoided places that had food or food smells (mall, movies, etc) and spent my time at the pool or at home. My husband ate all his meals out which helped a lot! I was grouchy and tired and wobbly but I did it because I knew I had to in order to get my surgery. BTW no one warned me about the diarrhea.... consider yourself warned! It is tough but in the big scheme of things it's such a small blip of time and it means your big day is coming. Stay strong.