animallover1247

The skill and success of the surgeon is the most important factor, but the office and support staff are important as well. You will typically meet the surgeon once or twice before the surgery, and then possibly never see him again after the procedure depending on how he structures his office. Most all of your follow up care will be delivered by his staff. Being comfortable with the support staff, including scheduling, billing, post-surgery care staff and nutritionists is very important to the overall success of your procedure.
Basically what I'm saying is that if you aren't getting good overall care before the surgery that should be a red flag as to what to expect after the procedure is done.

Im having my own issues with my surgeons office so I get it. Today they called me at work when I specifically put on my application NOT to call me at work. We have caller id. So much for me trying to keep this from my coworkers.
Could you please clarify what the doctor told you about your hair loss and Protein? I didn't quite understand what you were saying. Did he tell you because you didn't follow Protein guidelines it resulted in the Hair loss?
I hope you don't have problems finding another surgeon.

Im having my own issues with my surgeons office so I get it. Today they called me at work when I specifically put on my application NOT to call me at work. We have caller id. So much for me trying to keep this from my coworkers.
Could you please clarify what the doctor told you about your hair loss and Protein? I didn't quite understand what you were saying. Did he tell you because you didn't follow Protein guidelines it resulted in the Hair loss?
I hope you don't have problems finding another surgeon.

The sleeve will give you time - Portion Control and lessen hunger (removal of the areas of stomach that produce the hunger hormone ghrelin) to get your mental issues with food worked out. If you don't use the "honeymoon" period to get your eating habits under control and reteach yourself how to eat, you will risk failing.
Everyone will lose weight in the first year or so, even eating total crap and fast food all the time. But once the honeymoon is over, your body will adjust to the amounts of food you eat, and if all you're eating is nutrient poor crap food, the weight will come back. That's why it is so important to relearn how and what to eat ASAP. Your sleeve won't fail you, but you can easily eat around or eat slider food (foods that are easy to eat like ice cream or Cookies or crackers - that "slide" right down) and can fail your sleeve.
Don't compare yourself to others. As long as you are following the dietary requirements (Protein, Water, exercise) you will lose weight, but your body will decide how fast.
Stalls will happen, and often. Weight will not drop off on a steady rate. You will see days, sometimes weeks where the scale doesn't move. This isn't failure. Make sure you're eating enough calories (eating too few can stall weight loss) and sticking to your requirements, but otherwise it may just be your body trying to decide if you're going to stop eating/exercising like this or does it have to keep giving up its precious fat stores.
Take measurements in the beginning as sometimes when the weight isn't dropping, you might be burning fat and building muscle (a pound of bulky fat takes up way more space than lean muscle).

I agree with the above reply. There's many people who have similar issues and are cleared for surgery. What they are looking for is to make sure you are stable and addressing your problems...and you are through therapy and medications. The psychiatrist or psychologist who performs the psych evaluation may ask to talk with your therapist since therapy is ongoing with you, or they may not.
There really is no reason to stress yourself out over it. Now if you had those issues and were not doing anything to address them, then I would say you should worry but that's not the case

I agree with the above reply. There's many people who have similar issues and are cleared for surgery. What they are looking for is to make sure you are stable and addressing your problems...and you are through therapy and medications. The psychiatrist or psychologist who performs the psych evaluation may ask to talk with your therapist since therapy is ongoing with you, or they may not.
There really is no reason to stress yourself out over it. Now if you had those issues and were not doing anything to address them, then I would say you should worry but that's not the case

If my chair ever breaks at work again (I didn't break it) I don't won't need my boss to spend more company money on a "plus size" chair!!!

Every surgeons office is different as to when they schedule your surgery. Unfortunately mine does not schedule before the insurance is approved. If this was the case, I would have a date right now My surgeons office said it could take up up FOUR weeks to hear from the insurance. I think that is an exaggeration. She probably told me this so I wouldn't call and bug the crap out of them! So just call and ask them.
I'm conflicted as to how much time I need to ask my employer to be off work. What about you? I'm sure whatever time I ask for I could end up needing more.

Nerdyscared1 I can related to many things you said in your post. Why do you think the insurance will deny you? I think you should qualify based solely on your BMI. Do you have any co-morbid conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, or sleep apena? If so and you jump through the hoops, you should not be denied. I am anxiously waiting for a decision from my insurance at this moment although I am not too worried. It would definitely cost them less money in the long run by not having to pay for all of these meds due to my obesity. The 6 months absolutely goes by fast. Use the time to research and learn as much as you can.

Nerdyscared1 I can related to many things you said in your post. Why do you think the insurance will deny you? I think you should qualify based solely on your BMI. Do you have any co-morbid conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, or sleep apena? If so and you jump through the hoops, you should not be denied. I am anxiously waiting for a decision from my insurance at this moment although I am not too worried. It would definitely cost them less money in the long run by not having to pay for all of these meds due to my obesity. The 6 months absolutely goes by fast. Use the time to research and learn as much as you can.

What are you doing wrong?
--not realizing that virtually everyone stalls for a few weeks starting at about 3 weeks out
--having unrealistic expectations regarding how weight loss works -- it isn't a continuous process, you will have times where you stall or even regain a little
--placing too much emphasis on the scale and letting it stress you out instead of putting the scale away and having faith that if you follow your program correctly, the weight will come off, just not at the smooth, rapid pace that you want
As long as you are sure your calorie intake has not gone bonkers (you are tracking, correct?) then put the scale away for a few weeks or more and keep going. You will get there!

Have someone hide your scale or throw it away (seriously).

So let me get this straight....your doctor wants your to lose 38 lbs a month?! You are already losing 25 lbs per month and that's not satisfactory? I really hope you don't let this get you down. I'm sorry but that doctor is damn insane!

When they ask how much weight have you lost just say "I'll forgive you for being rude by asking me if you forgive me for my rudeness for not answering you."

When they ask how much weight have you lost just say "I'll forgive you for being rude by asking me if you forgive me for my rudeness for not answering you."

Well Nurse Leonora I think I'm going to be a February sleever. I am waiting on my insurance to approve me. I dont think it will be an issue as i have several co-morid conditions. I will let you know! i don't know exactly when/if they have submitted it but I will be calling the insurance company later today to check.

I really hate to hear posts like this. Unfortunately, for reasons I can't understand, WLS and even weight loss without surgery, tends to bring out the worst in people and their "true" side comes shining through. Any life changing event can bring out the worst in people. My friend had been married for a few years ended up having breast cancer. She needed chemo and radiation. She seemed to have a seemingly good relationship with her husband, he seemed like a good guy. It turns out that wasn't the case, he left her while she was in the middle of chemo (and not for another woman). He certainly didn't abide by the "in sickness and in health" vowel.
On the bright side, if there is one, you are finding out about this now rather than later. You can get over it and move on with your life!

I agree with the other posts...run like hell and never look back (unless he's divorced). And one more thing...if either one of you guys are questioning whether anything being said/done is inappropriate, here's the test...if what you are saying/doing to each other is NOT something you would say/do in front of his wife, then it's inappropriate.

This is why I keep my WLS to self..,ignorance is rampant.

So glad you have been able to go off your insulin! That is really great news.
I hope I can go home off my insulin. I have been able to decrease my fast acting insulin by changing my eating habits. Yes, it would be great to not have to shoot myself with a needle multiple times a day...it would also be nice not to spend so much money on being obese!

When they ask how much weight have you lost just say "I'll forgive you for being rude by asking me if you forgive me for my rudeness for not answering you."

When they ask how much weight have you lost just say "I'll forgive you for being rude by asking me if you forgive me for my rudeness for not answering you."

I have been discussing this with my therapist for a while and I really don't want to tell my coworkers but I am going to. Drastic weight loss coupled with time off from work..doesn't take an Eisenstein to figure it out. I initially just wanted to tell my boss i needed off for one week (with no explanation) but then what if I need more time? Also considering my profession my coworkers are going to need to cover for me while I'm gone. I'm a private person. It's killing me I have to tell them but I figure it will come out sooner or later. I don't know if they will be supportive or not, i feel like they may be with the exception of two coworkers. I know once I tell them it will spread like wildfire but I will be asking for them to keep it confidential. Fat chance that will happen though. Outside of work, I have told two people.

Okay so I haven't had the exact same concerns but trust me I've had them. For me it is was the hair loss (because I already have permanent hair loss), complications, and what if I become disabled and cant work because I support myself. I could not live on disability with my bills! So I just had to talk to myself and what i said to myself was GET THE HELL OVER IT! I can no longer live like this anymore. It has taken a toll on me physically, emotionally and financially. I know what my life will be like if I don't do this. If I do, maybe I'll have complications, maybe not. It's a risk I'm willing to take so I can have a better life.
If you review the requirements of your insurance, you shouldn't be denied and even if you are, you can appeal. The surgeons office can help you with all that stuff. I've never known anyone who didn't lose weight because the surgeon found something wrong during surgery. You will likely have a lot of testing before surgery anyway.
Lastly, you hit the nail on the head so to speak...find a therapist to help you work through this.

When they ask how much weight have you lost just say "I'll forgive you for being rude by asking me if you forgive me for my rudeness for not answering you."