southfloridasleever

south Florida

West palmbeach fl

West palmbeach fl

Go on youtube and follow Jennifer Martinez she is very thorough and knowledgeable and she is from new York love that girl!

Went and saw the surgeon for the 1st time last Friday. He gave me a check list to complete prior to my next appointment in March...basically I have to get clearances from my doctors, bloodwork, psych eval and nutritionist (only one NUT session though). I had 5 months of supervised weight loss done so my pcm will do this last one so I can submit it as well.
My March appointment will be when we submit to the insurance for approval so please send some approval vibes, prayers and thoughts my way please

Hi all..wow there are a lot of strong opinions about mj! I am a nurse and I smoke mj in moderation to reduce anxiety and stress, its helped me more than any pill can..mj has actually been used for thousands of years for its medicinal healing properities! It is not at all like smoking tobacco not even close! I am quitting now because I'm having surgery in 2 wks and want my outcomes to be the best they can possibly be! I don't plan on smoking after surgery for at least 3 months..I just think people should really do their research about mj before commenting and or passing judgment on someone else!

OMG , im laughing so hard at work at you guys , im having all those sams feelings eating ,nervousness, the unknown and on top of that i quit smoking for this surgery! i go on Tuesday to meet the surgeon, coordinator, and the nutritionist and i want to know so badly if im going to be on a 6 month diet so all week i have been eating all of my favorite foods just in case they put me on a strict diet !???? Ugh i hate this waiting game!

I'm also starting my process must meet with my nutritionist and the surgeon this coming Tuesday, feeling pretty excited, wishing us all a safe a happy journey! ????

I'm also starting my process must meet with my nutritionist and the surgeon this coming Tuesday, feeling pretty excited, wishing us all a safe a happy journey! ????

I have Medicare and just started my journey 1/21. I have to get the letter from my new PCP and I go to see NUT 2/18

I have seen my psychacitrist and he said he'll appove me. One less thing to worry about.

I just started my 6 month supervised diet today. I have Medicare. Good luck everyone.

Great! ???? Hope all is well with you , im new to this posting stuff so bear with me lol

@, Yes i would love to keep each other on our journey, I just recently got my referral from my PCp, i have an appointment with the surgeon, coordinator, and nutritionist on Tuesday so hopefully i will have more info for you!????

Hey guys! I've been lurking and enjoying reading everyone's post and approvals! what a way to start the new year
Got diagnosed with sleep apnea - never been more excited to hear I have a disease LOL.
Well now with sleep apnea qualifying me for the surgery, I officially have a case manager and will speak with her on Friday to get more information about this procedure, next steps, etc. The UHC Bariatric resource services representative was very helpful too - nice to get information and all of that good stuff with no pressure.
Woooot! Totes excited and hope this is a relatively quick process!
Just wanted to share that lil tidbit...

Doing my 1st week of 6 month supervised diet.. Not self paying for surgery this time, Insurance is covering the surgery after I meet the last and final requirement of a 6 month diet. Hopefully the time will pass quickly. so far so good!

I'm also starting my process must meet with my nutritionist and the surgeon this coming Tuesday, feeling pretty excited, wishing us all a safe a happy journey! ????

Welcome. you will do great. I'm 6 weeks post op from gastric sleeve and this sight has been a godsend. Everyone is very supportive and any question you need answered you can find here. From the standard questions to the not so standard. Enjoy the journey.

This is my first time on the site. I'm very excited to read everyone's stories and get some advice on mine. My story in some ways is a long one, but my journey to surgery has been relatively short.
I have struggled with weight my entire life. When my doctor asked me when I first struggled being overweight, or when I went on my first diet, I honestly couldn't answer. I don't remember a time where weight wasn't an issue for me. Now, I am not a "sad" fat person. I have never struggled with depression, I have never honestly felt that down on myself. I have had fairly normal romantic relationships, am confident, and have an active social and family life. I have had the same struggles as everyone as far as airplanes, restaurant booths and vacations. The way I dealt with those situations was to "outsmart" them. I obsessively check the seat map when I'm flying (which is often). I change my seats constantly to try to get an empty one next to me. I carry my own seat belt extender so I don't have to ask for one. I will upgrade to first class, even if it's expensive, and I always try to have a travel companion, even if that means I have to pay for the ticket. Typing all of this out feels very strange. I have never ever told anyone about these secret behaviors. It feels shameful almost, but this is how I dealt with normal things. At a restaurant, I arrive first and request a table instead of a booth. Always plaster a smile on my face, with the thought that if I am extraordinarily nice to people, they won't notice I weigh almost 400 lbs. I suppose I have not come face to face with my weight in quite some time. My friends and family would consider me a happy and well adjusted person, and I am for the most part. But I have been micro managing the way my weight affects my life for as long as I can remember. Smile, look pretty, don't draw attention. I am funny, people like me. But they have to, right? You want everyone to like you so they don't notice the weight.
In October, I began to have horrific nosebleeds. They were happening a few times a day, and they were terrifying. It was taking 30-45 minutes to get them stopped, and I felt as if I were bleeding to death every time. It was awful. Finally on Halloween, I had a family member drive me to the ER, I was in the midst of another nosebleed, and I was certain something was wrong with me. The doctors there were pretty passive, said that it's winter and dry and having bloody noses is not abnormal. They did say my BP was very high, but chalked it up to the stress and told me to follow up with my Primary Doctor. Thing was, I didn't have a Primary Doctor. I hadn't been to the doctor for years. I think as the weight came on, the more nervous I was that I would have health problems, so I avoided it. So of course, I did not follow up on the blood pressure.
About two weeks later, I went to Target on my lunch hour, and there, right in the middle of the store, I had an episode that is still very hard to explain. I became extremely dizzy, I had to steady myself on my cart. I was hot, my ears were ringing, and I had an overwhelming urge that I needed to get out there, and fast. I drove myself home and sat down for a few minutes. I felt a little better, but still uneasy. I drove back to work, still unsure of what had happened. A coworker asked me a few minutes later if I was okay, and I most definitely was not. My eyes would not focus, I felt short of breath, and I was dizzier than I have ever been in my life. She asked me if I had taken any kind of drugs. She later described what I look like to someone that was going through a drug withdrawal. My skin was grey, pupils were the size of pins, and I couldn't communicate clearly. All I could tell her was, "Something's wrong". She drove me immediately to the hospital. When I arrived there, I was feeling somewhat better, but still not myself at all. I couldn't really describe how I was feeling. My sister in law met me there, and I could tell by the look on her face that she was scared. My first blood pressure reading in the ER that day was 194/126. They immediately did a urine test to see if my organs were failing, luckily they were not. My BP went down some as we sat there, but not significantly. The doctor told me I had to get this addressed immediately with a primary doctor, or I was going to have a stroke. I made an appointment the next morning.
The Thanksgiving holiday fell between my ER visit and my appointment, and it was the worst holiday I have ever spent. I was having racing thoughts, horrible anxiety, and fairly sever discomfort. When I checked my BP, it was always skyrocketed, which lead me to think "worst case scenario" every time. I was sure I was dying. My mind went to how my family would find me, how they would feel. I considered how hard it would be for the paramedics would get me out of the house. I was miserable.
I met Dr. Thomas on December first. She was the MD I could get in with first, and I feel that was a gift from the universe honestly. I unloaded on her and rattled off all of my issues and symptoms. I am fairly certain I sounded like a crazy person. She believed what had happened to me at Target was a Panic Attack, and she felt I was suffering from extreme anxiety as a result of exceptionally high blood pressure. I went on Blood Pressure medication that day. She also prescribed me a rescue anxiety med in case that part of things became an issue. I had never met a doctor that listened to me like she did. I felt she was my peer, not my doctor. I was so comfortable talking about everything. She ran every blood test possible, and amazingly, Hypertension was my only diagnosis. A1C, thyroid, and cholesterol were totally fine, which was incredible. It was at my second visit with her that I asked her what she thought about weight loss surgery. She gave me a referral, and honestly that day was the first day of the rest of my life.
I realized, going through all of these things, I HAD to have a major change. Dealing with my high blood pressure, and how it made me feel was the scariest thing I have ever been through. As my blood pressure got under control, so did everything else. I didn't feel crazy anymore, I was having the racing thoughts or the fears about dying. I was starting to be me again, but I knew this was just the beginning. I called the Weight Management Clinic very soon after that and started my process.
My insurance will not even consider covering the Sleeve. I was very disappointing to hear that, but I did luckily have another option. My dad expressed that he would gladly foot the bill if I was serious about this, and it's what I wanted. That was a very tearful conversation. I have never asked for help from my parents before, so it was hard to accept. But I will forever be grateful to him for giving me this gift.
So here I am, 2 months into this journey. I've completed just about all of my steps, I have one more group next week, and then my exercise evaluation next week as well. I have an appointment with my weight management doctor next Thursday, and then I will hopefully be able to schedule my surgery consult. Not dealing with insurance has made the process a lot quicker. I am hoping for surgery in February, although I am told that sometimes the surgeons have other steps they want you to complete.
I am a little scared, I can't lie. I am nervous for the pre and post op parts. But I am so looking forward to the future. The thing that has been the most amazing to me is, every single person I have talked to about it has been super supportive. There has not been one single person that has said "You know, I think you should wait", or "Are you sure"? It's incredible. I have carried this weight and this burden with me for 30+ years. I am beyond ready to shed it and move forward with forever. I am so grateful that I am as healthy as I am, and I am so thankful that I had these things happen to bring me to this place. I know it will be a long journey, but I couldn't be more excited. And after all, that's what it's all about- the journey, right?
Good luck to everyone that's starting this journey, this is just the beginning of our story!