2goldengirl

Depends on what kind of storage space you have. We have attic storage, so I took a bunch of my stuff and boxed it up and it's in the attic. Our weather can get unpredictable, and I don't have my date yet, so I just put it in the attic. I plan to have lots of fun tossing things that have been too small because they're too big, y'know?

That's just awful coming from your own mother. I'd pull out the snark: "Thanks Mom, how nice you seem more concerned with my looks than my health".

@@MeFirst, your health plan likely has different criteria for revision (which is what you're seeking) than for a first bariatric procedure. I'd ask for criteria for revision, you may get better info that way.

Congratulations! What will you do to celebrate (after month-end is over with)?

Is your BFF overweight? What did she say when you told her you'd be getting surgery? Is she someone who makes her health a priority? She may be jealous of your success, or she may be over-interpreting the effort you've put into your outstanding success a negative simply because you've owned that it hasn't been easy. You have changed, and for the better. If your BFF has reasons for wanting you to stay the same, that will inevitably make her uncomfortable. And she may not even be aware of it. Congratulations on your loss!

Call and ask to speak to the Office Manager and explain your concerns. Be polite, but be clear that you have a narrow window to plan for your surgery and recovery. If you have the dates and names of people you spoke to, so much the better.

At your height and weight, you have a BMI of 40.2. I can't speak for BCBS of NC, or for your particular plan, but with a BMI > 40, there may be some pre-op requirements, for instance, six months in a supervised weight management program, but the "magic number" for plans that do cover weight loss surgery is a BMI of 40 or more. Here is a link to their Centers of Excellence: http://www.bcbsnc.com/content/providers/bdc/bariatric.htm Google "BCBS NC weight loss surgery policy" and you can download a copy of the policy. Criteria are on page 5 of the PDF.

Blood work needs to be recent to check for anemia, clotting times, and to assure that you don't have an active infection. Chest X-ray to assure that you don't have TB, pneumonia, or other infectious lung issues. These are protections for you. Believe me when I tell you that you want to be as healthy as possible before undergoing the stress of surgery.

The OP flounced off in a snit back on page 1 or 2. A shame, she could have learnt a lot here!

I think the other things that can be alarming about this kind of behavior in others is that we all know people who are all too ready to believe that WLS is "the easy way out" or "you'll just gain it all back, my sister's brother -in-law's cousin did". We want respect for our choice to have surgery and respect for our efforts to be successful pre and post operatively. We work damned hard at it, and seeing people treat their surgery in what appears to be cavalier fashion undermines that respect, or seems to, at any rate.

Some payers don't require a weight history; others do. It's all about your individual insurance requirements. Don't rely on your surgeon's coordinator for this info, contact your insurance company and ask for their criteria for weight loss surgery. If you are in CA, this information os often available online without a login or password.

Your doc may want to gradually reduce your dose, or cut one med and keep the others. Don't be surprised if that's the answer. Man, will they surprised when you show up at work in clothes that fit and see your success!

There are folks out there who will do anything to avoid taking a good, long look inside. She sounds like one of them. And so does the OP's friend's MIL. Psych evals pre-op are to rule out major things that would preclude surgery (though I'm amazed at the esample of eating disorder that did get approved). It's a health plan requirement that has been present since the early days of WLS. My HP just changed their criteria and no longer requires it, though the surgeons do. What amazes me is that we don't get more education on how our bodies work. We get one body to do us our whole lives (though the option exists to exchange a few parts if they wear out). We have instructions and warning labels on everything, but we aren't taught how to take care of the most valuable machine we own. I think basic anatomy and physiology out to be required - folks would be less susceptible to internet legends if they were.

You nailed it - sinking blood pressure would be my guess even before you strapped on the cuff. Did you take your meds today? If not, try holding them and see how you feel. The half-life of most of them is such that you'll likely have some carryover effect anyhow. If the doc doesn't call you back today, I'd definitely hold them til you hear back. You will likely want to be checking your BP daily to see how it trends. Good luck!

Beautiful story, beautifully told. Congratulations on owning your success, and your health.

First, con't compare yourself to others. Second - be honest with yourself. Are you writing down your intake, and yes, we mean every. single. bite. Unless you are tracking your intake, your "nothing major" may end up being something quite different. Are you exercising at all? Focusing on proten first, veggies second? Are you getting enough Fluid? Take a good look at what you're really doing, not what you guess you may be doing. You may find some answers there. Good luck!

I love my Fitbit Flex, which I've had for nearly two years. I do find it accurate. It syncs with my phone or my laptop, and also with my Sparkpeople account - I live the features on Sparkpeople better than the fitbit food tracker, just a personal preference. I did have an issue where my first one just died on me, and they sent me a replacement very quickly, no questions asked. I wear mine on my wrist, though for formal occasions I stick it in my bra and still get accurate readings. I can also put it in a pocket. Someday I may get one with more bells and whistles, but this one does everything I ask it to.

That depends on two things. First, what your insurance requires. Second, does the clinic require a referral from your PCP? You can call the clinic and ask, and tell them what insurance you have. Thoey will probably know what yoru insurance requires. They will definitely know whether you need a referral from your PCP first. Good luck.

Annnnd Dub is winning the internet again today. Whatever shall we do when he goes back to work?

The symptoms you mention aren't indicative of H. pylori infection, why do you think that's it? The majority of people who harbor H. pylori in the GI tract neverr experience any symptoms at all. A small percentage develop symptomatic gastritis or gatric or duodenal ulcers. A much smaller percentage than that develop gastric cancer. I'd definitely call your doctor about your symptoms. They could have many causes.

In the ten years I was a hospital nurse, I took care of more postop females than you can count. I guarantee you, if you reschedule, you will then get your period within 24 hours of surgery, whether it's scheduled to be then or not. Honest. The other posters are quite right, we have seen it all, and dealt with it all, and nothing out of the ordinary. Don't give it a second thought.

I can't speak for the peer-to-peer process, but I can tell you with a BMI of 36, you are barely meeting minimum BMI criteria of 35 and above. Getting approved at between 35 and 40 can be problematic, and usually depends on how your particular health plan sets criteria for that BMI range. It's true that none of the comorbidities you mention are considered life-threatening, This is not to say they aren't serious - they are. Life threatening comorbidies could be something like severe sleep apnea, diabetes not well controlled with medication/diet/exercise, that kind of thing. Just hoping to help you understand how the process works. I hope this is helpful.

You don't say what state you're in, but I do know that here in CA, the health plans all have specific hospitals they stipulate as Centers of Excellence - they are the facilities where the volume of surgeries done and the outcomes reported are better than in other facilities. I just can't believe that your surgeon's office didn't know this up front, this is the sort of thing that anyone involved in getting these approved knows backwards and forwards.

It's hard with anxiety to sort out "possible side effects from " "Oh no, that's gonna be me, I'm gonna get every last one of them and it's gonna be a nightmare". However, what you need to know about reported side effects of any medication is this: during the course of testing a drug before it goes on the market, trials are done in real people. ANY symptom they experience during the trial, ANY symptom, whether it's actually related to the trial drug or not, has to be reported as a possible side effect. So take the reported side effects with a grain of salt. I agree that the effects of depression and anxiety are far, far worse than the chance of side effects. Your doctor will surely take you off anything that isn't helping you.

Thank you all, for what has become one of the most entertaining threads ever. Thanks to you (especially @Dub), I nearly sprayed coffee all over my keyboard. At the office. Where I'm supposed to be, you know, working. Carry on.