Wheetsin

I've had 4 surgeries with Dr. Hoehn during the last 6 years: band in, GB out, band out, and sleeve. Feel free to send me a message with any questions that you have.

Ok so I'm kind of out on the whole prayer thing, but please ask any questions you have. I'm good at info.

Water was hard freshly pre-op. I relied on ice chips for a while. While I could maybe do only 1/4 oz water, I could do ice chips almost non-stop. Have you tried them, and/or having any luck? Also, try varying the water temperature. The "foaming" happens with the lapband, too, and I know that for a lot of people tolerance had to do with the water temperature. I always did best with very cold water (and do with the sleeve too), but an awful lot of people (especially newly post-op) have to keep water at room temperature or warmer. When I'd have a new bandster contact me for help keeping water down, the first thing I'd do is ask if it was cold. Almost always it was, and almost always switching to warm helped. HTH

Here's a link to a site with good info. Nothing new, but at least it can confirm some of what you're being told. http://www.fairhealthconsumer.org/reimbursementseries/whybill.aspx Unfortuntately the hospital being in network has nothing to do with it, it's about the individual physician. It's an unfortunate sort of loophole that leaves people "screwed" all the time. If you fight it, have your insurance company act as your advocate. You're paying them. Also see if the hospital has a patient advocate. I had a billing snafu with the anesthesiologist a few years ago (not a network issue, but a technicality in how it was billed). I was getting nowhere fast, after months and months. I let the hospital's patient advocate take a stab, she was "friends" with someone in my insurance company's office, and the whole thing was resolved in 2 weeks. You might want to call the phsyician's billing company (on your statement, not necessarily the hospital) and tell them you're appealing the charge. They can note that on your records and withold you from collections (most will give you a decent grace period).

I'm 5 weeks out from my band - sleeve revision. It's really night & day, in a good way. I'm not going to say you will love it, there are certainly some things not to love, but I will say it's way easier to live with than the band was on its best day. And if you're like me, and have significant scar tissue from your band insertion/removal, you might find an unexpected bonus of relief once that gob of stuff is removed. I'm now rid of pains I wasn't really registering before (occasionally), but now definiely notice that they're gone.

Oh also, I don't know what you're referencing with 3 month interdisciplinary vs. standard 6 month, I'm guessing a provider requirement, but if your 3 months were documented that documentation is usually portable, i.e. acceptable to other surgeons.

Wow, I would definitely complain about that. If their expectation was weightloss, you should have been told specifics. How much, and in what timeframe, etc. Honestly, most pre-op diets are required by the insurance company, and are a way to ensure you're going to pay premiums for X amount of time before they pay out an expensive surgery. You may be the first person I've heard from whose program (rather than insurance) required it. One of my life's mottos is that you cannot expect people to meet your expectations if you do not share your expectations. When people violate that, it really does not sit well with me, and I make sure that I am not a bite that goes down smoothly. Sounds like your program is in big violation of this, and I would fight it. Hard. Document the changes you have made in a letter, and include the benefits you are seeing from them. Make the point of asking which is most advantageous to ensure compliance and success with VSG - losing some weight in 3 mos, or changing behaviors? If they have a PsyD on staff this isn't even really a question, so make sure you copy him/her on it. Hit on the fact that you were not told up front that there was not a loss requirement, and you thought you were supposed to focus on behavioral change. If you have any documentation from them that supports this, scan it in and highlight the relevanet parts as you address them. It's hard for someone to refute something they wrote, that's being quoted to them. Also emphasize that you did not gain for 3 months. That's really an accomplishment for the MO. If you'd known there was a loss requirement, you could've jumped on a low carb program a week ago and lost weight.

BTW, I'm totally getting that shirt.

Ah yes, I've seen this more times than I can count. Very recently a friend of mine had preemie twins. The babies were sent to a NICU, which was approved, but the actual staff members at the NICU were not. She assumed that if the facility is approved, then the people who work there are too. Not the case. They were in there for 4 months and then hit with a bill for hundreds of thousands of dollars. I'm helping her work through it now, but she is going to end up with a significant OOP loss. You can appeal it. They will likely tell you that you should have coordinated with the hospital, found out who their staff anesthesiologist would be, and ensured that person was in network. That's what they say, but in reality, who actually thinks to do that? It's silly. You can also pursue "reasonable and customary" reimbursement. Unless your policy has something specifically saying they won't, even if you use an out of network provider, your insurance company should reimburse the lower of the actual bill, or what they deem a reasonable and customary charge. They have big tables of charges and these reimbursements are non-negotiable. Usually an out of network provder charge is more than the R&C charge, but every now and then it is not. BTW, here's the UHC policy on OON/R&C reimbursement. http://www.uhc.com/l...rk_benefits.htm

Look at this post/thread, it may help: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/32625-rejoice-medicare-medicade-coverage-for-vsg-is-currently-under-medical-review/page__p__285036#entry285036

Truly, don't worry about it. Enjoy it while it lasts. And remember that in the first 1 - 2 weeks, a large percentage of weight lost is not fat, it's fluids. Right now that's what you're losing more than lean muscle mass even... Water, reserves, etc. In my first week I lost about 40 lbs. IF ONLY it was all fat! The energy will come back. Mine took about 3.5 - 4 weeks to fully restore. Your body just needs to find a bit of equilibrium before you quit feeling the effects of the sudden changes.

We do too. I won't go there, it's a soapbox topic with me and irritates me to no end.

Cngratulations! BTW, I can't believe you're 137. You look tiny. I mean like size 0 tiny or smaller.

BeneFiber is indeed a bulking agent, and can drastically make the problem far worse if you are not able to get enough fluids. More than you'll ever want to know about different laxatives that I posted earlier this week. Today was day 2 of Miralax taken with apple juice and I was finally able to go, after more than 2 weeks. I had to work at it, but - phew - at least things are moving. Whooz - absolutely follow whatever your peeps are telling you, but aside from that, it kind of depends on how you're dissolving your fiber. I put mine into apple juice. Low viscosity fluids like Water and most juice swill be out of your stomach (assuming everything else is OK) pretty quickly. Your stomach contracts to grind/clear contents about every 20 seconds. Things like water can be pushed right through. I would not add a dissolvable fiber like Benefiber to something like Cereal, or anything that had to be ground up (they hang out a lot longer). Benefiber also doesn't thicken like some of the others do, hence it's the preferred fiber additive for RNY patients. HTH!

Also keep in mind that home scales are not precision instruments. Especially if they're on flooring with any give (carpet, vinyl, softer woods, anything with an uneven texture, etc.) And most home scales are never calibrated. When I owned a scale (got rid of mine) I could weigh 5 times in a row and get five different numbers. I would suggest am, naked, after going to the bathroom but before doing anything else. I would also recommend weighing yourself three times and taking either the highest or lowest number of the three. It doesn't really matter which, but choose the same each time you subsequently weigh. In your case, at the same time of day you weighed 297 and 299. Pick one and go with it. But if you pick the lower, always pick the lower, and vice versa. Keep in mind the body can easily fluctuate 10 - 15 pounds, just based on what's going on. I gain 11 - 13 lbs during PMS. I haven't pooped in over 2 weeks, and I don't even want to think about what that's doing!

I had about 17 questions, most of mine were around the experience of being a revision patient. Just in case you don't know, boughie is pronounced boo-zhe. I don't mean to imply you don't know, but many times I've seen a word, yet had no idea to pronounce it... and between my pre-op classes, waiting room time, etc. I can't tell you how many times I've heard it called "boo-gee" or "boogie." (When I did my defense for my MS one of the theoreticians covered had a last name of Gagné, pronounced "gone-yay" - and one of the people on my panel kept calling him "gag-knee"... drove me NUTS!)

Another post in the same thread that may also help.

Yes but only the expenses that exceed 7.5% of your AGI (Adjusted Gross Income). (SexySlim, income and AGI aren't the same, so come tax time make sure your accountant doesn't calculate it based on income. This is one of the audit flags the IRS uses.) Assuming you itemize, which if you have an accountant, is a pretty safe assumption. Here's more info I've posted on this, including example calculations.

I went back after 4 weeks. It took most of that time to feel "myself" again. As a matter of fact I returned on a Wed, and it wasn't until the previous Thu that I felt anything close to 100%. My job is largely desk. I dn't do any lifting (I have minions for that!), just walking to and from meetings, etc. I could easily do my job at 4 weeks out but if I had to lift like a person there's no way. And that's two fold. For one, DD is about 40 lbs and my access incision (left side) still tweaks just from lifting her. For two, my strength/stamina is so low compared to what it used to be... it's now hard for me to lift her, whereas it was not just a few weeks ago. Glad you got 6 weeks. They "should" ask how you're doing around 4 weeks, and maybe again at 6 weeks. If you don't feel ready to return, they will usually negotiate additional time off. The Drs don't really care, and if you have STD benefits as long as you aren't nearing your 12wk FMLA cap -- take the time and enjoy it. When I had my lapband removed I was given 2 weeks, but about a week into that I developed a pretty decent infection in one of the incisions. I was ready to return to work regardless, but when I went in for a wound check they informed me they'd called in another 2 weeks because it was winter and the nurse didn't want the waistbands on my pants to rub the infected area (it was EXACTLY where my waistband hit).

I'm only 5 weeks out but have already "had to" go to 3 business outings. I've been ordering Soup, or a side like mashed sweet potatoes. Once I ordered trout and just kind of picked at it. I did the same with my lapband. Soups, or a sweet/baked potato side dish or seasonal veggies... salad was a hit or miss but I'd go for a soup/sandwich or soup/salad combo. I always order a to-go box as I order my meal. If anyone has questioned it (rarely) I just say that I'm not very hungry & know I won't eat it all anyway. I don't really do appetizers because they tend to be the crappiest choices, nurtitionally speaking -- although I have done a sashimi appetizer. I'm talking about the fried this & that, this & that nachos, this & that creamy dip, etc. kind of appetizer. Same with kids meals - they're largely crap foods like fried chicken srips, mac & cheese, hot dogs...

Sounds kind of like dumping, although you're missing a few key symptoms (like normally when people dump, "nothing" isn't what happens on the toilet!). I agree with others that it could definitely be GB. GB attacks vary so widely there's really nothing specific to look for. Contrary to popular belief, they can come after healthy meals (lots of people think only fatty meals will trigger them). One of my worst attacks came after I'd eaten tofu. And I had several attacks when I hadn't even eaten. And although it's not the most common presentation, mine would always feel like a stomach thing, like I had to poop or something, but not exactly (and sometimes they did give me diarrhea) - and the area that was uncomfortable would move around, almost like gas. Partly due to this, it took about 2 yrs to correctly diagnose it as GB. I kept getting tested for ulcers & other stomach malfunctions. I didn't sweat or get light-headed during my attacks, and I didn't have intense pain, but I would have enough pain/discomfort that I couldn't get back to sleep (mine always seemed to strike around 2 in the morning, and last for hours & hours) and I was constantly very uncomfortable. I basically just sat in bed and rocked myself until it would subside enough that I could go back to sleep, or it was time to get showered for work. If you have your GB still, def. talk to your doc about this. GB removal is a breeze. And it's super common for WLS patients to need theirs out.

My surgeon usually gives +2 weeks for open procedures vs. lap. You could always have it done through the vagina. I don't know why you may not be a candidate for lap, but can I ask if it because of something to do with you, or your surgeon? (e.g. not all surgeons are laparoscopic surgeons, so they may only do open procedures... and some patients prefer open because they like the idea that the surgeon can really see what's going on, etc.).

LOVE this idea! Easier than measurements, and so much better than a scale. (Sorry, I'm terribly anti-scale during weightloss, but rather pro-scale for maintenance). I keep my jeans that I wore the day before surgery, and won't wash them (don't want to be able to attribute anything to shrinking/stretching). I only wore them for 2 or 3 hours, and will only be putting them on for a min, so it's not as gross as it sounds.

That's a great tip, plus it makes exchanging a lot easier. And you can try the stuff on. When losing and I see something that I love for some event that's coming up, I buy it in 3 sizes - what I'm currently wearing, and the next 2 down. That way whether I hit a stall or not, I'm covered. Then I can simply take back the 2 that don't work. I gave up on trying to guess what size I'd be at any given point in time. I never even came close to being right.

As others have said pre-op and post-op are completely different. It will be hard post-op to get basic liquids. You just won't have the capacity. I'm 5 weeks out and am just now starting to feel tiny flashes of hunger. You'll be drinking constantly, but not making much progress because you can only drink small amounts at a time (I can now pull in and swallow 3 small mouthfuls in a row, but any more is uncomfortable). My pre-op diet was for 2 days, so it wasn't hard at all. I just gorged on Jello.