jennolsen

Any suggestions of what to do for nasal pillows that irritate and rub your nose? I always end up pulling it off during the night!

I have never had any trouble but a respiratory therapist recommended Ayr gel applied inside your nostrils. You can get it over the counter. I got some at Walmart but never actually use it. You could also try increasing the humidity to see if that helps.

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I work in a small facility and the nearest hospital with a program is 1.5 hours away so it's certainly not common for people to see. I feel that being a well educated health care provider I should be able to do this the "right" way. So I have some guilt about that. I just really need some help to get on the right track.

Hello fellow RN!!

I am a nurse working in a hospital that performs WLS. There are many staff members that have had VGS which makes it helpful.

I just completed my last of my 6 month required MD supervised diet and exercise program today!! I meet with my surgeon for my preop visit on Thursday and his RN tomorrow for teaching. They will submit to insurance on Friday for final approval.

I have a tentative surgery date of August 25th!!

I am so excited!! It's been a long 6 months. I have a lot of support from the fellow sleevers as well as from staff that know I'm having the surgery. My BMI is 40.

Where are you at in this WLS process?

Laura

I just scheduled surgery for September 14th. Thanks for replying!

Good luck!

Shopping in regular stores is certainly at the top of the list. I also really don't like looking at my face anymore because all I see is "fat face". Waaaaay too many chins. I am a nurse and I feel like coworkers, doctors and patients are judging me all of the time. We all deal with our demons in different ways. I just want to feel better. Inside and out.

September 14th is the big day! Lots of appointments between now and then. This is the first time of seems real! Here we go!

Any nurses out there pre or post op want to share their stories? I am a nurse and am a little apprehensive to share too much at work for the fear of being judged. These days there are more and more fat nurses and majority of my coworkers are super fit and have impeccable eating habits and cannot relate with my struggles. Any stories or suggestions would be appreciated.

I am preop so I can't wait to be cold! I am so tired of being hot and sweaty all of the time.

An autopap machine is easier. I use the nasal pillows too and find them more tolerable than anything else. They are less restrictive. I have never used it but I know my machine has a setting called "ramp" that gradually leads up to the pressure you need. Make sure you communicate with your equipment provider. They may be able to help adjust at settings or try different masks u till you are more comfortable. Don't give up! Just think maybe some day you can los enough to ditch the thing!

Congrats!

Congrats! I got my approval today and am hoping for surgery near your date. Good luck to you!

My paperwork was submitted last Thursday and I got a call from insurance with approval today! I started calling them Monday daily asking for a status update. I was totally shocked that that it was so fast. They answered my call quickly and I always got a polite response. The lady that called me even said she was I aware I called several times to check in so she wanted to make sure she called me as soon as the determination was made. Certainly never had this experience with insurance before! Good luck! Waiting is certainly the worst part.

No preop liquid diet for me either. I was so relieved.

Got the call from insurance and I'm approved! Next step waiting for a call from the surgeon!

Finished all of my requirements and the surgeon's office submitted my request for approval to insurance yesterday! I hate this part. With no tasks to complete, no one monitoring me and no certainty about if this surgery will happen or not I feel a little lost. Any thoughts on this waiting game are appreciated. Anything that kept you motiviated? I would love to hear about how long it took to get a response from insurance.

Jenn

I had my last required appointment today, a visit with the dietitian. Although I didn't have the 6 months of visits like I have heard others talk about I still feel sense of accomplishment at meeting all of the requirements thus far. The dietitian asked me to loose 5 lbs. over 1 month while following a low carb-high Protein liver reduction diet. I was able to lose 7! This next part waiting to hear from the insurance seems the most nerve-wracking since I don't have anything to do but wait. I would like to start preparing but don't want to do so then find out it was for nothing. If approved my insurance pays 80/20 so I need the coverage or no surgery for me!

It seems like many people are waiting two weeks or less to hear from insurance. I would love to hear from people about their wait. I have Network Health out of Appleton Wisconsin. I am working with Midwest Bariatric Solutions. Anyone have experience with either of these?

I had my last nut appointment today and hoping to get the surgeon's office gets my letter for approval into the insurance company by the end of this week. I have no idea what to expect from them on a time frame for response. I am also hoping for mid to last September due to my work schedule. Good luck to you!

This is my first time on this website and of course first post. I am totally obsessing over the details too. My insurance company is not very forthcoming with details so that makes me nervous. I am following the preop requirements from my surgeon because insurance had nothing to add. I have high expectations and am terrified that I will get denied by insurance. Also very nervous about the wait. I am glad to hear so many others are having the same concerns. I am so excited I have been talking about it a lot. I am regretting talking about it so much. I have gotten mixed reactions. Some are super supportive others tell me how I don't need it and should just be able to do it on my own. I am a nurse and have recently reconnected with a previous coworker that has bariatric surgery patients on the floor she works on. She didn't have much positive to say. Probably the most defeating conversation this far. I like that I found this outlet of supportive people to express to. Thanks you all for listening.