bellabloom

* Anthem Blue Cross of California Share your experience with this insurance and let's help out each other! There is nothing so stressful as the beginning. 1 what was your doctor and hospital 2 do you have Anthem Blue Cross covered thorough a covered California Plan? Or through a work plan? 3 what medical requirements were there? 4 what medical tests were required? 5. Did you have to do a supervised diet? 6 how long for approval? 7 what was good about them? 8 what was bad? 9 what should we know to watch out for if anything.

What does a leak feel like? Can you tell you have one physically?

It's more than two pounds a week. So it's not that slow! Some bodies just lose differently. Just think if you hadn't had the surgery you wouldn't have lost it at all!

Wearing heels!! Wearing short dresses! Tucking my feet up to my chin Hip and collar bones No more back pain My choice of men Feeling beautiful My eyes got bigger and my feet got smaller Not spending a fortune on food Did I mention heels??? This is worth it!!

It's been 6 months since my original gastric bypass, which I then had reversed to a sleeve about three months ago. I still cannot eat without vomiting and pain. Sometimes, some days, I can do yogurt or a pretzel. I sometimes can handle cheese and Soups. But there are many days I can't. I haven't had more than 300 calories a day in six months. With the sleeve everything hurts and feels like it gets stuck and I have to make myself throw up to feel better. Anyone else experiencing an inability to advance their diet at three months?

My BMI and blood work still comes back okay, for now. I'm losing about 2-5 pounds per week. I can only lose another 15 pounds max before I am going to look skeletal. I do take some Vitamins which is helping but most of them I can't take because they make me sick with no food in my stomach. It is so difficult for me to eat!!! I'm heading to an appointment with a new bariatric surgeon today because the one that did my surgeries is a dick.

Here I am. 6 months since original surgery. I've actually lost more since the last photo. I'm almost too thin at this point!

Hey everyone. I've been meaning to get on here and share my story and ask for advice. The condensed version is that I had gastric bypass 6 months ago, ended up in the hospital for almost four months in extreme pain, had my gallbladder removed, another diagnostic surgery, and finally opted to have my bypass reversed and converted to a sleeve. Doctor suspected I had roux limb syndrome, and rare and painful condition where the intestines don't work. I had sleeve surgery 2.5 months ago and I have not been able to advance my diet. I have lost 100 pounds in 6 months and am very near to my original goal weight, which may actually be less than I want to weigh. I am already very thin. I can only eat yogurt, some cheese, broth, liquids, and sometimes I can eat hard pretzels. Protein shakes give me diarrhea now and I can't tolerate anything sweet. When I try and eat other things my stomach hurts like crazy and I have to make myself throw up. Sometimes even yogurt makes me sick. I struggle constantly with dehydration as Water also tends to bother my stomach. I feel like I am in prison with these restrictions going on for so long. I am desperate to be able to advance my diet and get in meats and veggies. I am also feeling very hungry a lot more now, a sign to me that my body needs and wants more food. If anyone has any advice for me I would greatly appreciate it. Am I just expecting to be able to eat more than I am ready for? Its been about 10 weeks since I had my sleeve surgery.

Or she might as well have. She told her best friend about my surgery who loves to gossip about other people. My mother might as well have posted it on Facebook. I asked her, no I begged her, I made her SWEAR to me that she would not tell a soul. I let her tell her husband and that was it. What does she do? She tells my uncle, my aunt, and her best friend. I most specifically asked her not to tell this woman above anyone else!!! And she DID! My mom is like a best friend to me. We talk everyday. We share all kinds of things. I trusted her. She says the reason she told is because my complications in healing were stressing her out. What a lame excuse. There are a number of people she could have called who would have comforted her. She could have called her husband or my best friend who also had the surgery. She told because she doesn't respect me or my privacy. She has zero respect for boundaries and never has. Breaking a promise of trust is more painful than slapping someone in the face.

Anyone have swelling, pain, and a hard distended lump around their belly button post surgery? I'm about one week out. Thanks!!

Very hard. I sip a lot. I can't stand it! But I've lost 70 pounds in three months so who cares if I'm cheating a little !

I've had gallstones, gallbladder removed, a marginal ulcer and gastritis since surgery dec 4th. Now I'm on a pic line and have chronic stomach pain. But I've lost 70 pounds and it's all worth it. I would do it again!!!

If someone asks me directly because they want help losing weight, I tell the, in private and ask them not to discuss it with others. This surgery is a gift I want to share with others that need it. But gossipmongers can bugger off as far as I'm concerned. I just tell them I went "gluten free and raw food!!!" Haha what a joke

Use senna liquid. Ask your doctor. It's time for a laxative like milk of magnesia, use every other day. Add Fiber and Water to your diet Don't let this go or you can get a blockage. You can also get a fleet enema from the store but make sure to be near a toilet it works fast

I would not tell anyone outside of your close family and friends. People can be really mean and negative about it. Which is so stupid as this surgery is much harder than a regular diet

Why is it so hard for me to cut him out of my life? I wasn't raised in an abusive situation. My parents were very kind to me although my siblings could be mean at times. We fought like normal siblings. I was a chubby kid and it hurt my self esteem, mostly the way it was handled. I admit I did have low self esteem. By the time I was in my 20s I had an eating disorder and my self worth revolved around men. I didn't value my looks although I was beautiful and I didn't have any self confidence when it came to men. I had several nice boyfriends but still ended up with a man who was withholding and controlling of me. I am struggling because verbal abuse is so gray area. When is really "abuse?" My ex of seven years and the father or my kids would use words as weapons and then he would blame it on me. When we got together I was bulimic. I was quite thin and even so he said I was to big for him. That hit a chord in my brain so that all I wanted was to prove I was worthy of him. I became bulimic and I got what I wanted at all cost- him. Eventually the dam broke however when I became pregnant. It was then i started to realize what a mistake is made- he wasn't that important. This baby and me- that was important. This was my life! He could be so charming at times. He could weave the idea of a beautiful life, he could turn the tables on me and make it seem like it was my doing that I was unhappy or that he put me down. It was true I had no money, I gained a ton of weight pregnant with my son, I didn't have a good job and I had low self esteem. He would pick those issues to get me down even lower. I think I wanted a life with him as a fantasy. I even stayed long enough to have my daughter, seven years in all. I never wanted to be a single parent and I was always in love with him or at least the idea of it. When we were together he would corner me and scream at me, flip me off, his favorite thing to call me was "you f**king b***h". He would tell me I was lazy because I didn't want to workout like he thought I should. I was constantly reminded of my weight. He would say I walked too loud, my feet were too big, my clothes repulsed him, he was embarrassed of me. He gave me ultimatums about losing weight and basically said I was a mess. He would lose his temper and even threw things at me a couple times. During our relationship my weight went from 140 to 240. I was also pregnant three times with two babies. He would say I have let myself go and other moms don't look like me and it's just an excuse. I tried to diet so many times and he would get angry at me for that too. He wanted dinners and desert every night. He believes all I needed to do was get up and go to the gym every morning and the weight would fall off. He used to say I should become an exercise bulimic. That it had nothing to do with food it was just my lack of activity. To my credit I used to be very active when we first met. Pregnant took a real toll on my body and raising babies was exhausting. I like working out but it hard to make it a part of everyday life and I would honestly eat so much crap it just felt impossible to lose weight that way alone. He always said it was just his way of looking out for my health. He wanted me to be active and healthy and sometimes I think- well maybe he was right. I am totally messed up right? I'm obese and I can't stop eating and I don't workout like I should. I could be much better to myself and he is just trying to give me a kick in the pants. How tolerant are we supposed to be of our spouses actions towards us? How accepting are they supposed to be? Everyone has flaws- was it right of him to strong arm me to improve my life? Was he being abusive or just honest? Was it right of me to leave because he was trying to get me to lose weight and be healthier physically? I started over the years to find I didn't agree with him about myself. I would find myself saying no to him in my head. I wasn't a failure, I wasn't lazy or weak. I was like most other moms with full time careers- coping with food a bit, having trouble finding time to workout. Most of the time I ate pretty healthy, I just had a weakness for sweets and I was tired a lot. I relied on sugar to keep me going. I didn't think I was a lazy pig. I felt like- just give me a break. One second of unconditional love inspite of me being fat. Just one time say I love you, no matter what. That never happened. My ex keeps trying to get back together. He says he didn't mean the things he said, they came out wrong. He says I didn't give him enough sex and affection so that he had to be mean to me because he was sexually frustrated (we had sex 2-3 times or more a week) He says it was his job stress. He says he is sorry but never why he is sorry. Just that he was trying to help me. Do you think I was in an abusive relationship? Or is that just how they are??? Because I've never been sure if it wasn't just how marriage is? Is that just how people act when another person lets them down by gaining weight? Are there relationships where couples don't care about appearance so much? Would I be wrong to expect that he would have been kind about the weight I gained with my first pregnancy? Do you think I might meet someone who doesn't care about my appearance that much? This has been on my mind a lot lately. He keeps trying to get back together and I feel so unsure because I wonder if in just being to hard on him. Maybe no one wants to be with someone who "let themselves go" although I never felt like I did that. I always dressed up nice for work and cared about my looks. I'm feeling really confused today. Do ALL men care so much about weight??

The paramedics thought I was drunk because I had ketosis so bad. Hahahaha. Lame

I threw up blood the first night. Normal.

I love my mom, she is a wonderful mom and wonderful person and helps me so much I don't know what I would do without her. I'm very grateful for her and all she does for me and my kids. Sometimes I think about her getting older and I totally freak out because like I said, she is my best friend. Honestly I was so mad about this when I wrote the post above. I'm still pretty upset. It shocks me that she thinks it was her right to share my private information to anyone especially the biggest gossip she knows. It's unfortunate that she can't keep secrets. My mom is my confidant and I love her with all my heart. She knows all my secrets and never judges me and that's what I love about her. She is a wonderful kind person with a huge heart. I understand that she was terrified for me and needed to talk to a friend about it. But there were many other people for her to talk to. It is too bad that she didn't make a better choice. I don't know wether her friend will tell people or not. My mom isn't a very private person, she shares a lot of herself with others. I myself am not shy or a closed book, but in this matter I desperately wanted to keep it between us. I never thought for a second that she would tell people! I am shocked. I know that our relationship will heal but it will take time because this was a breach of trust. I am so grateful that my mom went through hell and back with me during the last two months. She has given up so much for me in her life and continues to do so, because she is a wonderful mom. I would never have made it through this surgery without her by my side. But in regards to my weight she has never respected boundaries. She feels it's okay to comment about it and really hurt me throughout my life in terms of my self esteem. I know it comes from a good place, that she wants me to be happy. But why can't she see that being happy is about being unconditionally loved by your family? There is such a thing as wanting the best for someone but people need to hear that they are okay just the way they are. And no, just because someone is your child, it does not make it okay to make comments about their physical appearance and health. That is for their doctor to do. And people's physical appearance is their business no one else's. My mom needs to try and see beauty in everyone no matter their weight. I forgive my mom for what she did because I love her. I just hope that she looks at herself a little harder over this and realizes how much breaking a promise can hurt. I am sorry she has to go through all of this stress and give me so much of her time this last month. I never thought this surgery would be so difficult for me or for her and I should have asked for help from others, it was too much for her to handle alone. Hopefully with some space between us this rift will heal. And hopefully, I am praying that her "best friend" will keep her mouth SHUT about it too. I'll never really know who she has told if anyone but there is nothing I can do about it. If people question me on how I lost weight I will simply say "through a lot of blood sweat and tears." And change the subject.

That's a pretty interesting question. Personally I would not have had this surgery if it did not induce weightloss. My health was fine before surgery. The only things I had going on we're back pain ( which could have been addressed with physical therapy and will still need to be) and fatty liver, which from what I understand is not immediately life threatening. So rerouting my intestines just for a small fix on those issues wouldn't have been worth it. My energy levels were poor and I felt very uncomfortable, but I wasn't going to die from that. Why do people think, especially thin or average people, that it is so criminal to want to look better and be the most attractive people we can be? Why is there shame in wanting to lose weight, considering every American standard of beauty revolves around size? Yes, you can diet. Just make sure it's the hard way, not the easy fix way or you won't deserve it. That's such an American mindset. Things don't have value unless they require hard work. Well they just don't know how hard this surgery really is! My ex husband used to give me shut about the wanting to be thin all the time. But yet he hated my weight! It's like damned if you do, damned if you don't. The truth is that 99% of people want to lose some weight! And yet we aren't supposed to want to be attractive or we are labeled as superficial. I did this surgery for the weight loss and the associated perks of feeling and looking better, clothes and shoes and dates and everything in between. I wanted my children to have a beautiful mom they can be proud of and my daughter inspired by. It is a huge additional benefit that weight loss will also cure my fatty liver and help my back, energy levels, etc. But I wouldn't have found giving up eating for life worth the risk to fix those. It's been painful as hell and I've now had two surgerys and five trips to the er for complications. But I still believe it was WORTH IT. So maybe I'm a superficial person. But I'm going to be dancing at my sons wedding one day and have the energy to do it, AND LOOK HOT.

I'm in the er again. Six weeks ago I had rny and last week my gallbladder out. Now I have an ulcer and they think it may have perforated my intestine. I'm so discouraged and just feel defeated. I have been in pain everyday. I have barely eaten in over ten days and can barely drink Water. I feel generally terrible with no energy at all and I barely sleep. My medications are a mess and my surgeon is three hours away and he is a total ****** bag who could care less about me. All he says is "most people are doing fine by now this surgery is no big deal " maybe he is afraid I'm going to screw up his statistics. I was never put on medication for ulcers or gallstones after surgery. I asked and he said I didn't need them. And now I have an ulcer and no gallbladder. I don't smoke or drink and there is no reason I should have gotten an ulcer. I'm feeling really low and like a human pincushion. And at this point I feel like I'm living out of a hospital. Is didn't have much weight to lose, and now I'm thinking this was a mistake and I should have done it the safe way or maybe just accepted my weight as it was for awhile and gone slow. Today I entered one-der-land but it doesn't feel very wonderful to me.

Omg I'm back in the er AGAIN! Fifth time now? My stomach still hurts like hell, it feels like a cats claws are raking the inside, and it burns like crazy. Even the strongest pain meds don't get rid of it completely. So I am back at the hospital where I had my surgery hoping they will admit me at least for the night. I didn't want to leave until this is dealt with because I love three hours away. I started having fainting spells driving a few days ago and almost when of the road! I haven't been able to drink more that 8 ounces of Fluid in two weeks, and I haven't eaten more than a egg size portion of food in three weeks. When I drink I get such horrible burning pains in my belly or I throw it back up. My nausea is so bad, in spite of the nausea medication they have given me, that I can't stand to eat more than a bit of anything. My doctor says I have gastritis and a small marginal ulcer. I just can't go on like this I need to get better. Prilosec isn't working for me at all. I feel no relief except with massive doses of pain meds. They have me on a pain med that the nurse told me is like taking heroin. Omg I'm scared and I just hope my doctor is getting sick enough of me to get to the bottom of what is going on.

I bought some new clothes today! Clothes I would have never worn before and they were on regular sizes. I'm done with plus size forever!!!

I know it's not a huge difference but I'm jazzed all the same. That was about a week ago and those jeans don't fit anymore. Sweet!! I'm six weeks out and I didn't lose anything before surgery. My start was 240 and I'm at 200-202 ish. It makes me happy to see my old self coming back. And I feel like I'm walking on air!!

Milk of magnesia is a laxative. Don't take it every day! You could have an ulcer I would get to a local doctor