2goldengirl

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.

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.