shrinkingkimber

I lurked for just over a year before joining!

Time after Time - Cyndi Lauper ???? 80s baby!

It's the surgeons preference. My surgeon uses drains.

Bougie is a fun word...just throwing that out there. Bougie.

A recent statistic I saw in the sleeve said the possibility of death was 0.08% which is less than 1 in 1000. Which is much less than knee surgery or even gallbladder surgery. Side effects from being obese are more likely to kill someone than any Bariatric surgery.

I live in VA but the my surgeon and hospital are in TN. I'm still pre-op but looking to get the sleeve.

Oh no. So sorry.

I don't have MS but I do have another autoimmune disease, Ulcerative Colitis. (I am also planning on getting the sleeve, not bypass) I have done lots of research by googling my disease and weight loss surgery. You could google "Multiple Sclerosis and gastric bypass" and should get some results. I was able to find clinical studies on the NIH website that I printed. I read that morbidly obese people who have UC and lose weight saw a reduction of flare ups and were able to control symptoms better. I also found that while having an autoimmune disease used to be a contradiction for Bariatric surgery it's not anymore as long as your disease is managed well and not flared at the time of surgery. I've been on and off steroids for the last 5 years and started Remicade last year which has me in remission but I would eventually like to get off of Remicade due to the dangerous side effects that can be acquired from the drug itself. I haven't been able to find many people here who have my disease (or Crohns) and have had surgery so I know what it's like trying to reach out to others dealing with your situation! I hope you find some more info! (I'm in the pre-op phase as well! Oops never mind. I see your surgery was last month!)

Ditto all this.

Hi there! I'm in the beginning stages of the process too. I have my first class on Thursday. My surgeon sent out a packet of paperwork today. When I fill that out and fax it back in then they will schedule my consultation. I've already checked with my insurance (the surgeons office has also verified) and they will cover the surgery and they do not require any supervised diet or anything before besides proof from the surgeon that I'm morbidly obese. I'm hoping to have a surgery date in late March or early April!

Do you mean the IUD embedded in the uterus? Because it's supposed to be in the uterus. I have a mirena and love it. No issues at all.

This thread has some of the realest comments I've ever seen here (I'm a newbie at posting but have lurked for a long time!). Pre-op people like myself need to read this kind of stuff. I scoffed at the thought of going to a therapist pre-op but seeing the struggles has definitely opened my eyes. Like the sleeve or bypass or lap and or whatever, it's another tool that needs to be utilized and looked at seriously on this journey. Thanks for being so real and honest.

I had my mirena inserted in October. The insertion process is a little uncomfortable but after it's in it's easy to forget about it. I have only had one period since and it was super light. I recommend taking some pain medicine right before you go. I was a little crampy that day but otherwise it was good. I never delivered vaginally (had 2 c-sections) so I heard it can be a little more uncomfortable but like I said it wasn't too bad!

I'm so glad to see this! I was trying to think of what it should be called the other day and this is just perfect. Lol I can't wait to reach Twoonerville one day!

Lol oh my gosh. Smegma. I haven't heard that in forever. I dare you all to google that if you havent heard of it. lol

I've been referred to Dr. Kramer. Any other patients of his around?

Is there a particular part of this website where users can start a journal of sorts to keep track of their journey? (I have yet to see my surgeon so I don't fit into any particular type of WLS though I suspect due to other health issues I have I will end up with the sleeve.) Thanks in advance!

Awesome! Thanks Alex!

No, just a thread that I can continually update and have fellow Bariatric Pal users give their input or feedback as I go along my journey.

Good to know!

Yes I'm over 21 I signed the papers did the online stuff the hospital did everything right. I just never planned on actually doing it. Just was trying to teach my mom a lesson but Now I'm stuck with it. The hospital was actually great they did do a good job taking care of me Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk Mind if I ask "when" your surgery date was? Your profile states that it was in November of 1999. So I'm confused, trying to catch up =) thank you! I'm a newbie here, for some reason when I edited my profile it wouldn't give me the option to leave the surgery date blank, therefore mine says November 1999 too but I haven't even had surgery yet.

Hi everyone. I'm a newbie here. I'm preparing to approach my PCP about WLS. I have Ulcerative Colitis, which is currently in remission, but I am expecting some push back because of the condition. My BMI is 56 (350 lbs) and I am otherwise in good health. I am pre-diabetic and have weight related joint pain in my hips and knees. My insurance does cover WLS, I am not sure of the approval process though. Just curious if anybody else here has had WLS with UC or Crohns. Thanks!

Hi. I just got the referral from my PCP. Waiting on the phone call to schedule my consultation with the surgeon.

Hi everyone! I am approaching my PCP tomorrow about getting a referral to a bariatric surgeon. I have spoken with my insurance provider and have confirmed they will pay as long as my BMI is over a certain amount (mine is 56.5) and they said my particular insurance program doesn't require the proof of a medically supervised nutrition program, or the other hoops some insurance companies require you to jump through first. When I go to my consultation with the surgeon, can I specifically request the gastric sleeve? Based on research I have done over the past months, it seems to be the best option since I have Inflammatory Bowel Disease. I have been preparing myself mentally for the last year, and building the courage to ask for more help. Over the last 9 years, I have tried Weight Watchers, L.A. Weight Loss, counted calories, taken Phetermine, Belviq and Contrave. I lost anywhere from 30-50 lbs with each program/medication only to gain it back. I have spoken with my supervisor at work and she is behind me 100% and has already approved any time off I need. I am hoping to go through with the surgery before July since I have already met my deductible and out of pocket for this year (my insurance runs July 1 - June 30). Thanks in advance for any information you can give me!

Thank you so much for all the information. The surgeon that I am seeing requires a psych consult and visit with the in-office NUT before surgery. He also requires attendance to a support group, then a class that goes over everything from pre-op diet, the actual procedure, to post-op diet. I have lurked here for months before actually signing up to ask questions. I have been researching WLS since Dec 2014 when I was saving money and planning to be a self pay patient, then I happened to get promoted in July of 2015 to full time (which includes awesome benefits), so the fact that I have insurance now that will cover and everything else in life just seems to be right, that is why I have chosen to move forward now. Thanks again for the insight from everyone, I will keep an open mind and make sure to consider everything my surgeon suggests, but I will let him know that I am most interested in the VSG.