Less of Jess

Hi all! I was sleeved 5/13/15 by Dr. Pohl.

HW 325

SW 286

CW 209

Everything is going well. My Iron deficiency anemia (battled for years before surgery) is gone! Off bp meds, metformin (for pre diabetes), and no more sleep apnea. At my 6 month checkup my Vitamin A level was slightly low, but that was the first time they checked that Vitamin, so who knows what it was before surgery! But my latest bloodwork shows it in the normal range.

I stalled out pretty bad (even gained some) over the holidays, but I'm back on track now and the weight is dropping again. I'm hopeful to be in onederland before my next GP Dr. visit in March, that would be so awesome!

I had mine out at VSG survey. I also had gall stones and had already passed a stone. Best decision I've made (after wls that is). The only "problem" I've had is occasional diarrhea, which actually helped my pre surgery Constipation, and helped prevent the common post surgery constipation!

@@BeckyP123, once my NUT appts and other prelims were done, they submitted my file to insurance. I was approved the next week, then an appt was made with Dr. Pohl to go over the surgery one more time and discuss any findings from the workup. At that point he was scheduling out 1 mo for the appt, then 1-2 months from then for the surgery. And I couldn't book the surgery without speaking to him first in person, so that was annoying. Since I absolutely needed to have the surgery done before July for work purposes, Mary was able to squeeze me into the pre-op appt the next week, instead of a month later. Then after the appt it took a week before they called me with a surgery date, 6 weeks out. So once the NUT appts are done you are likely looking at 2-3 months till surgery. Though I believe that they are hiring a second surgeon soon, so that may cut down on the wait time! Good luck!

@Bubbletoes that sucks! Good for you for sticking with it and dealing with their bs! It'll happen in May!!

I'm so close! 15 days till surgery!!

Anyone looking to get into the may sleevers Facebook group: it is a secret group now so invite only, message me or @CandyCrushVSG with your email address and we can send you an invite.

Eas17, there is one but we keep it on super secret mode to protect privacy. Shoot me your email and I can add you. We have about 67 members currently.

I just did pre op today! First was getting vials and going over medical history and medications with a nurse, then I got an EKG and a couple tubes of blood drawn and then Chest xrays. I also spoke with an anesthesia nurse about preop stuff like no food after midnight and washing with a chlorhexadine scrub the night before. I also signed more papers and got my admission time and directions for surgery day. I had had extensive bloodwork and an EKG done in December, so that was just recheck stuff.

Still collecting members to the may sleevers fb group! 21 members so far! If you'd like to join simply message me @Less of Jess, @jayshann, or @CandyCrushVSG and we'll get you started. Include your email address in the message and we can send you a private invite. We've got the group set at secret to project the privacy of our members, so we can't leave a general invite and you won't find the group if you search for it. That also means that all posts in the group are only seen by group members and the group is not listed in your groups list that your friends see, shhhh... it's secret!

@@bubbly_d private message me with your email address and I'll send you a link to the Facebook group! We've got it on secret mode now to protect the privacy of our members, so can only send out invites individually. Hope to see you soon.

Yes May 4th and May 13th seems to be very popular days for surgery!

Any RI peeps looking to be in a group?

Btw, anyone that wants to join the may sleevers fb group, we are now secret, so the link no longer works. Just pm me, @CandyCrushVSG or @jayshann with your email and we can get you in. 17 members so far!

I tried the Celebrate Vitamins too. I found the big ones chalky and the chewy ones had a weird aftertaste. I prefer the Bariatric fusion chewables but you have to take 4 a day. They do include Iron and Calcium though, so no need to take extra of those.

I would respond to your friend in essentially the last paragraph you wore us, that you are doing this alone and would like her support! But I understand not wanting to open that conversation again.

Hi Dragonrider! What kind of shakes have you tried?

@@breakmyelbows (or anyone else who wants to join) we decided to make the group secret to protect the privacy of the members. Send me a pm with your email and I can send you a new link to the group!

May sleevers we have a Facebook group if you'd like to join!

Come join a little support group for May  For anyone and everyone! I will leave it closed till we get some more members then make it secret so it won't show up at all 

 https://www.facebook...57588864506557/

Me too!

Looks like the high end of the ideal range for a 6' tall man is 180#. I think shooting for 199# seems like an achievable goal, why not try for it! Congrats on getting the bike. My hope is to one day bike commute to work, it's only a few miles from my house.

@@jayshann, it is literally "VSG Support Group" https://www.facebook.com/groups/566267320145324/

Waiting has been tough!

I first decided to start this journey Jan 2014 when I found out the new insurance my work started carrying would cover WLS. I needed to get a referral from my PCP first, but first I needed an in-plan PCP! Took three months to get into an in-plan PCP, then the insurance required a 6 month "i can change" program, which consisted of talking to a life-couch once a month for 6 months. I started that program 4/2014. My first appt with a surgeon was 7/2014. At that point the surgeon's office required psych and nut consults before submitting for insurance approval, then the rest of the pre-op testing; sleep, ecg, upper gi, bloodwork. I completed my Nut consult and began psych consults in 9/2014, as well as my first sleep study.

I completed the i can change program in 10/2014. Once I submitted the proof of program completion and Nut and psych consults to the surgeon's office I asked them to call me if they needed anything further to complete my pre-approval. I didn't hear anything for a few weeks, so I called the surgeon's office and asked if they'd heard back from my insurance, they said that they hadn't heard back yet. So I contacted my insurance to see what the hold up was, the hold up was that nothing had been submitted! So I called the surgeon's office and was told someone would call me back. Nothing... Called again a few days later, again told someone would call me back... Since I'd heard that before I demanded to know why my pre-approval wasn't submitted yet. Grumpily the receptionist grabbed my file and said they were waiting to get my final OK from psych (which was completed and sent to them 1 month prior!). So I called psych and asked them to resubmit it. They did and a week later, now the end of November, I get a call from the surgeon's office that my claim had been denied as the insurance required all the pre-op's to be done before pre-approval... So they were sending me info on the rest of the pre-ops.

I was able to complete all the sleep studies, ended up with a BiPAP in January 2015. My ECG and Upper GI were done right before Christmas and bloods were drawn right before New Year's. But by this point I was fed up with the lies and delays of the surgeon's office that I started researching other surgeon's in the area. I was able to bypass the seminar requirement at Dr. Pohl's office and get an appt with him Jan 21st. Since all the pre-op's done previously looked good and I had my BiPAP, all he required in addition was an abdominal ultrasound. But unfortunately in that time my insurance had changed their requirements, and now no longer needed the i can change program, but now just needed 3 consecutive months with a nutritionist... I only had one appt! So I got a new Nut, and had the ultrasound which showed gallstones.

Now after 2 additional Nut appts I finally got pre-approval and a date of May 13th, 2015, 17 months after I started this whole process, and 10 months after my first surgery consult. Though all of this has been beyond annoying, I have learned quite a bit about the process, and am glad that I have the surgeon I do now! I have come to terms with the prospect of loosing most of my stomach, and as a bonus, my gallbladder! Had I now taken all this time and effort I may have ended up with a lap band, which to my un-educated self was my first choice. I now know that that surgery was not the best for me. Especially since a co-worker of mine was able to get the lap-band done, through a different insurance, in only 3 months, and now wishes she had gotten the sleeve! Also, had I stayed with the first surgeon, I wouldn't know about the gallstones, and would likely be looking at additional emergency gallbladder removal in the near future.

In the end, this is my journey, but it was the right journey for me! Everything will be fine!

@@CandyCrushVSG I don't know of a may sleevers group as of yet. We could make one, I guess! I'm on VSG Support Group on Facebook, everyone on there has been awesome so far.

How are everyone's countdowns going? I picked up the last of my Protein shake and Vitamin supplies yesterday. Pre-admission appt in 3 weeks, liquid diet starting in 4 weeks, surgery in 41 days and counting!!

Margie, try working on not drinking during meals now, then by the time you have the surgery you'll be a pro! Good luck on your tests and insurance acceptance.

May the 4th be with you!