2goldengirl

Now you're going to have to quiz your surgeon simply because we're all dying to know the rationale!

Congratulations! What are you doing to celebrate?

Parsnips. OMG, people, parsnips. Especially good with carrots. I know this cause we're eating our first roasted veggies of the season, it's been too hot here. Today it's cool and rainy. The beets are still in the oven, they always take longer. I parboil the parsnips and potatoes for four minutes first.

Be very, very proud of what you've accomplished - which includes totally rocking the plaid shirt!

Medi-cal does cover bariatric surgery. To get a copy of LA Care's criteria for bariatric surgery, here's the info from their website: "UM Medical Necessity Criteria, including how to obtain or view a copy UM criteria and UM procedures and processes are available to L.A. Care practitioners, providers, members and their representatives, and the public upon request. To obtain a copy of any L.A. Care UM criteria, UM procedure or UM process, practitioners, providers, members and their representatives, and the public may contact the L.A. Care Member Services Department at 1-888-839-9909 or the L.A. Care UM Department at 1-877-431-2273 and ask to speak with the UM Director or UM Manager to make the request." Ask for the criteria for bariatric surgery, or weight-loss surgery (depends on how they title it). Good luck!

As a lifelong cook (and yes, I DO know my way around pulled pork, and set up a charcoal snake in my Weber kettle for it), I can offer this. Mind you, I'm pre-pre-op, so this is based on that. I'm a big baker, especially at the holidays. I make lots and lots of things I won't dare describe here so I don't set up somebody's carb jones. I have Swedish roots, and it's in my DNA. And I nearly never have a bite of it. I love the doing of it. I love the smell of yeast and spices and the alchemy that turns a wet mass of goop into something lovely and delicious, but it's in the doing, and the giving, that I get the most pleasure. I make it all for the kids (OK, they're in their 20's and married now) and the neighbors and dear friends. I love planning and preparing special meals for parties and company, but it's the sharing and the company that I enjoy more than the eating of any of it. And the wine. You most definitely have a point there with the wine. And my fave is champagne. Yeah. Gonna be a long time postop before I can be in the same room with my drug of choice again. But I don't think the part of you that loves the doing of 'cue has to change. It's a skill, and one that's best enjoyed in the company of others. Cooking is part art, part science, part dance, and part love. I don't think hunger, or lack of it, has to be part of that equation for you to love doing it.

OK, I'm having trouble with the concept of ketchup with quiche. And mind you, I'm pre-pre-op, so I could do this right now if I'd a mind to. Sorry! Ketchup with scrambled eggs, now I used to do that, then I switched it up to salsa years ago. or Tapatio sauce. And Tapatio sauce always on frittatta, which is the lazy cook's clean-out-the veggie drawer standby. But on quiche? OK, quiche is kinda scrambled-eggy, but I sm still bamboozled. I wonder what other dearly-held food combinations are out there?

I'm afraid you're out of luck if it is a specific exclusion. An appeal can't create a benefit where none exists. That said, if your insurance is employer-sponsored, once you've got your BMI down to a healthy level and are off medications, etc., go to your HR benefits people and show them how much less you are costing in health care costs now that you're healthy. Alabama is a state with a very high rate of obesity, and obesity-related illness. Things won't change without input like yours. You may be able to help others in the future. Nearly 20 years, ago, I was in a meeting and our Chief Medical Officer was going on and on about diseases we needed to focus on managing to make a positive effect on long-term outcomes. As you might expect, they were things like diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and I forget what else. I worked for a health plan at the time. I stuck my hand in the air and said "So, what you're really saying is, if we focused on treating obesity, we'd have better outcomes for all of those." He flat out told me "well, that isn't going to happen." Ha! Guess who was right?

Wouldn't you have access to counseling even though you paid for surgery privately? It sounds like you're in the UK. I'm a Yank and no expert on the National Health, but don't you have access to counseling for any issues you have? It's a loss of a significant relationship and hobby, if you will. I don't know how far out from surgery you are, either. I'd definitely look for counseling if it's available. Just because you gained much from the surgery doesn't mean it doesn't mean loss, as well. I hope this helps.

Good for you! Isn't it nice to have something awesome to look forward to?

I don't have a sleeve yet, but can I just say how entertaining I found this post? Well played!

You can't take liquids unless you check luggage. Pick them up in San Diego.

Not a veteran, but experienced with online forums. Is it possible to put these as a "sticky" so they are always at the top? And let me just throw out there that the very first topic, in flashing lights (preferably with sirens) is "things you should call your doctor about immediately". The healthcare professional in me has gotten very alarmed over a few posts.

Raise the head of your bed on a couple blocks, or use extra pillows or a wedge pillow. That can help you sleep in addition to the PPI's, which are often prescribed twice a day. Check with your surgeon about increasing the dose.

I think the difference is in the defintion of "healed". Different tissues in the body regenerate at different rates. And everyone's body has a slightly different capability to heal than someone else's. Generally, the younger you are, the faster you heal, with some limitations. The inmost layer of your stomach is the same tissue from our mouth to the other end. It turns over very rapidly, so it heals first, that is, it makes new cells to replace the old ones. The rest of the stomach takes a little longer. But it has a good blood supply, so it can heal over and you can have new tissue all along the outside of your staple line (the side that's facing your other organs) in four to seven weeks. Then scar tissue forms along the cut edge. That takes the longest. In general terms, parts of your body with a good blood supply heal fastest, areas without one, the slowest. This is why tendon and ligament injuries take so long to heal, tendons and ligaments have no blood supply.

You don't say which state you're in or what kind of insurance you have, nor your BMI. I'm asking because Blue Shield of CA has changed their requirements for *** members and no longer requires the six months. That said, part of the purpose of the six month period is actually designed to set you up for success. It provides time for you to develop the tools you will need post-op. I hear you on being ready when you're ready. Some of us have been fighting the weight loss/gain battle since the 1960's. Sometimes it seems like waiting even another day is wasting time. But the truth is, working on the mental part of having surgery can, and should, start at any time. My surgeon referral got delayed two weeks after I found out my insurance had changed requirements. I'm learning all I can in the meantime, and spending time tracking my intake and really monitoring my hunger against when I choose to eat something. Sometimes I am convinced that those of us who eat for reasons other than hunger have trouble delaying gratification. If I'd figured this out decades ago, I might have had different outcomes. Good luck to you, I hope this helps!

You're on Day 13, so I might try adding some protein powder to your yogurt - the unflavored kind. You can get a nice protein hit that way.

Late afternoon to early evening can be a tough time for me, too. I think it's partly that I get hungry - it's usually twice as long between lunch and dinner as it is between Breakfast and lunch. Add to that trying to muscle through the last part of my workday and my commute, and it's a time of day when I'm most likely to deviate from my plan. I learned something by accident the other day, though. I got the 3PM munchies, and I really wanted to stay out of the Snacks that are always around at the office. I had some vanilla Protein powder with me, and I put it in a cup of decaf coffee. 25 gm of protein totally did away with my munchies until dinnertime! Now I bring some in my lunch bag every day. Working on your relationship with food (and with yourself) is a must-do for success. While you're doing that, something like a protein-heavy snack at your vulnerable times may help you. I'm pre-pre op, but I figured I may as well spend the time between now and the next stage learning a few things. I wish you success!

I am gobsmacked. What an accomplishment! I'd love to hear more about the changes you made in your thinking along the way - both about yourself, and about your relationship with food.

This isn't something to bring, but something to do. If you are a coffee, tea, cola, or Mtn. Dew drinker (that is, you use caffeine), decaffeinate yourself BEFORE surgery. This is easiest to do over a few days - either cut back on how many cups of your caffeinatated beverage gradually, or change the mix of caff/decaf in your coffeepot. Caffeine withdrawal can give you a wicked headache that pain meds often don't touch, and can make nausea postop worse.

The headache may be caffeine withdrawal. Have you been a coffee, tea, or cola drinker preop?

Self-funded plans can determine benefits outside the "norm", depending on which state you're in. I did have one County employee plan I managed for that didn't cover any bariatric surgery. They considered it a cosmetic procedure, despite being one of the counties in CA with the highest obesity rate. Go figure. They self-administered. I'm in a self-funded, but not self-administered, plan. It's a school district. They bought health plan coverage and administration from Blue Shield, but my pharmacy plan differs from other Blue Shield plans. A lot of school districts are self-funded, at least here in CA.

@@Pillar2butterfly, I just want to say, this is a totally awesome post! Thank you! We are human. We will never magically avoid making mistakes once we get WLS. They don't sprinkle fairy dust on us in the OR and magically change all our former habits while we're under anesthesia. It's a process. One we keep learning each day. And there is a powerful lot of unlearning we have to do as well. Under stress, humans have a huge tendency to regress to old, familiar patterns, our internal auto-pilot. It takes less resources than more recently learned behavior. That said, having learned what behaviors not to repeat is wonderfully valuable!

I think you should do something to celebrate! Buy yourself flowers or have a pedi or a new pair of shoes. This is a big deal!

Congratulations, that is a fantastic achievement. What are you doing to celebrate?