pennyt

For Dr. Stephen Clark at St. Francis Hospital in Indy/Beech Grove, I had to have the following tests: 7 vials drawn for blood work Upper GI series, which involved a Barium swallow Chest X-rays EKG Because the chest X-ray showed a "shadow", I was the sent for a pulmonary CT scan, which came up normal. Since I was due to get blood work done for my gastroenterologist, I asked them to send him a copy of my blood work, and saved myself a poke. He also wanted me to have a TB test (due to some meds I take for the crohn's), but he said that the clear chest x-ray was adequate to show that I don't have TB. (I have to get tested every few years as a precaution, even if there are no signs of TB.) I had a small bowel follow-through last fall, so I also had the Imaging Center send Dr. Clark those results. I figured it couldn't hurt for him to have the info.

Thanks for sharing your story. Did the doctor want you to do 6 weeks of the liquid diet before surgery, or is that something you decided to do on your own to jumpstart the weight loss?

Whew! I had the CT scan on Friday morning, and it showed nothing out of the ordinary. They didn't even have to use contrast to get a clear picture, so no IV. Thanks for the thoughts!

:welldoneclap::thumbup::Banane53::thumbup::Banane44::thumbup::thumbup::woot::thumbup::woot::thumbup::woot: You rock!

My thoughts on the food diary are this: If you put down that you eat small portions and only healthy foods, the surgeon is going to tell you that you are already doing what you need to do, and the surgery will not help you. Either that, or the surgeon will realize that you are fibbing, and refuse to perform the surgery since you are not being honest with him/her or yourself. I'd just tell the truth, and realize that this is a tool to help you change those habits. Of course you aren't eating the right things. None of us gained weight by eating only small portions and healthy foods. We're having the surgery because we want to develop those skills and habits.

I called a psych on the list that my doctor gave me, and the psychologist said it would be $400. That person wasn't covered by my insurance, so I called BC/BS for a referral, and ended up only paying $20.

What kind of hernia did you have? Is it ventral (incision from prior surgery) or hiatal? Look at this as just a step on the journey for becoming healthier!

I've got to agree with the pillow flipping. I have three pillows, and they tend to rotate into use under my head during the night. (Usually one over my head too, since my husband snores horribly. He refuses to do anything about the snoring since it doesn't bother him. He actually doesn't care if I can sleep or not, I guess.) I'm different about the foot thing though. I need to have my feet under the sheet. I guess I'm afraid the boogieman will eat my toes if they are uncovered. The rest of my body can be completely uncovere, but I can't fall asleep with my toes out. I cannot sleep, however, if my feet are held prisoner by a tightly tucked in sheet or blanket. They have to be covered, but loosely.

Dr. Schulman, Again I want to thank you for the reply. I know that my weight has contributed to the hernia, and that's one of my big motivations for the lapband. Your information will help so much when I lose this weight and start looking for a plastic surgeon. have a wonderful day!:thumbup:

I haven't even got my band yet, and I'm already thinking about future PS. I have a huge incisional hernia from three prior abdominal surgeries. The scar is all stretched out since it's hard to heal properly after three cuts in the exact same spot. The hernia starts right under my belly button, and is about 6 inches long, and several inches wide. When I lie down on my back, the "innards" settle back into place, and it's like a gully down my tummy. Heck, if I could just get the hernia repaired, I'd lose several inches off my waist. The hernia repair will be more successful if it's done when I'm close to goal weight. Has anyone had a large hernia repaired along with a tummy tuck? Any pictures? How well did your insurance cover the tummy tuck portion?

It's not illegal for the doctor to refuse cash payment since he is not required to perform surgery on her. He hasn't done the surgery yet, therefore there is no debt owed.

I'm really busy with work right now, and have the added joy of being a care-taker for an elderly family member. Once summer gets here, I'll have more time, but right now, I can't fit the support groups into my schedule. If they would only change their schedules to fit my availability, but, alas, that is not gonna happen. (Nor do I really expect them to do so.) Anyway, I told my surgeon's office all about this wonderful site, and how much information I've received from everyone on here, and they said that I might be able to use my participation on this group to prove that I'm doing support group-type activities. They would just like a way of recording when I'm actually in the group so that they could include the information in my file. So, is there a way I can show when I'm active on the group? Thank you!

Dr. Schulman, Thank you for the reply. Since my hernia is excessive in size, in my opinion, would it be more likely to be able to be corrected in a way that could be similar to a tummy tuck? Is there any phrasing that could be used to encourage "tightening up" during the hernia repair, and therefore getting the surgery covered by insurance? The hernia is the result of three abdominal surgeries with mid-line incisions. The incision begins approximately 2 inches above my navel, takes a turn to the left to bypass the navel, and then continues down for approximately 8 inches. The scar above the navel is relatively normal (for a scar), but then the navel is canted upward, in a comma-shape. Under the navel, the hernia bulges out, and is about three inches wide. The scar in this area has stretched out due to the hernia. When I lie on my back, and the intestines settle back into their semi-proper place, there is a gully on my abdomen that can get about 1/2 to 1 inch deep. I have to place my hand against my lower abdomen when I sneeze or cough, or I will hurt. I don't know if I would have enough excess skin for a panniculectomy, since most of the excess apppears to be just the bulging area of the hernia. Thank you for any further thoughts.

I'm going with the lapband mainly because it's reversible if there are any complications. I have crohn's disease, and I don't want to lose any of my digestive tract if I don't have to do so. I've already lost two feet of the terminal ilieum (end of the small intestine). I also like that I will lose weight slowly and will have to do behavior modification so that the weight loss sticks.

I don't plan to obsess about weighing myself every day, but I would like to have a good (accurate) scale at home for after surgery. Does anyone have a recommendation on a good scale? I've got one that I've had for 10 years, and I don't think it's very accurate. It does show a loss of 20 pounds from when I was weighed at my seminar but I don't know if that's true or not. Of course, I had clothes on at the seminar weigh-in.

Yippee!!!!

Congratulations on your approval! And congratulations to Kathy Strick! I hope you both get your surgery dates soon!

Ibuprofin in an NSAID, or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. NSAIDS can cause ulcerations of the digestive track. Since I have IBD, I'm not allowed to have NSAIDs, and rely on acetametaphine, aka tylenol.

It's been almost three weeks, so I'd call the insurance company, if I were you. I've got my fingers crossed, hoping you'll find out this week!

Over thirty pounds in a month! Great job, and an inspiration to others!

I just looked at my Miralax bottle, and it's the same thing as Polyethelene Glycol 3350. Miralax used to be prescription only, but is now available over-the-counter in the US. It's not one of those harsh laxatives, so it doesn't make the procedure of going to the bathroom painful.

I had surgery two years ago, and had a catheter that was left in after surgery, since it was a major surgery. It ended up slipping out, and, since I couldn't pee on my own, had to be re-inserted while I was awake. I was terrified! The nurse lifted up my gown, and after about 30 seconds, I asked when she was going to start to put it in. She smiled and said she was already done. I didn't even feel it, and I don't think I'm unusually numb in that part of the body. Maybe she was just an extraordinary nurse with amazing skills.

I had already arranged to have "Thing 1" (my 21 year old son) take me to have the surgery, since he would be out of school on that day. He's taken me to have procedures before. When I told my husband, he said he wanted to be there instead, just in case anything happens. Plus he said he wouldn't get any work done all day worrying about me. Since he wants to go, I'll let Thing 1 sleep late that day.

The stuff they give you in your IV for conscious sedation is Versad, which is basically a monster dose of Valium. I've had it several times for procedures dealing with my crohn's. I really don't remember the pain of any of the procedures, although I do remember that I told the doctor a couple times that I could feel pain. When I told him that, he pushed in a little more Versad, and the pain went away.

Welcome to the club! You will find a lot of support here. I can't make it to the local support group due to scheduling, so I use this group as my support. I may not post a lot right now, but I'm on here at least every other day to read, read, read, and then to read some more.