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gina171

Gastric Bypass Patients
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Posts posted by gina171

  1. Posted

    I find that I appreciate cooking even more and enjoy it just as much. I am just much more mindful about what I cook, how I plan it, portion it, etc. I promised myself that if I could eat only a little bit, then EVERYTHING I put in my mouth will be delicious, no more just eating whatever is available and easy. So this makes cooking and eating more special, honestly.

    And buy yourself that new cookware. It's a joy to use beautiful tools to make the food that you love. And you will find so much to love after surgery, I promise.

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  5. Posted

    You're ok!!! Think about what your life will be like if you DON'T have this surgery and your weight ruins your mobility and health....THAT'S something to be afraid of!

    My recovery was so much easier than I anticipated, I regret being so afraid of the surgery for years. You can do this. And there's nothing wrong with asking your doctor for a little something for your nerves, give them a call.

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  7. Posted · Edited by gina171

    Happened to me too....2 different surgeon offices told me I had a mandatory 6 month wait bc I had United HealthCare. Turns out my employer fully funds their own health plan and makes their own rules, and required no wait....they just use United HealthCare to administer the plan, they just run and manage our paperwork. Had to ask the surgeon's office to pls pls call and check my plan specifics, and they were surprised to find I had no wait, even though I carry a United HealthCare card.

    I was able to have my surgery within 35 days of my first surgeon appointment.

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  8. Posted · Edited by gina171

    I am understanding that I cannot ever have caffeine again. Why? I just love iced tea (with splenda, of course) but have not been drinking it. I was hoping to be able to resume my love for iced tea again after surgery. May I do this?

    A really great, full-bodied Decaf tea is the British brand Ty-Phoo Decaf, you can buy it on Amazon. My husband is British and this is the only decaf tea I've found with full floor, it tastes just like regular tea. It's quite strong.

    post-291782-1473781742844_thumb.jpg

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  9. Posted

    I am at the surgeon's office right now waiting for my surgery date. They told me that I may have messed up my surgery because I had put on 20 lbs over the past 17 months due to the fact that I gave up a long time ago. I thought this surgery was not gonna happen. Now I am scared that it really may not happen.

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    Not gaining is often an insurance requirement, I hope things work out for you. Maybe you could start the 6-month process over again?

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  13. Posted · Edited by gina171

    Any tips for doing this to avoid withdrawl? I'm hoping to be approved any day now and I've been told to quit by the day of surgery.

    I was drinking about 4 cups before noon a few months ago. What I did was for one week I mixed my cups 3/4 regular and 1/4 Decaf, then a week 1/2 regular and 1/2 decaf, then about 2 weeks 1/4 regular and 3/4 decaf. Then I was done. Yes, you will waste some coffee doing it this way....that's the cost of dropping caffeine, that's all.

    I am shocked to say I don't miss the caffeine and function fine without it. I've decided to stay off caffeine, except for the few times a year when I will choose to use it as the drug it is: to help stay alert during looong car trips. Otherwise the decaf is fine for me. I do think it helps to get yourself a high quality decaf; I drink Caribou coffee Decaf, very full bodied. I honestly cannot taste a difference.

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  16. Posted

    Call your doctor, make an appt w nutritionist, and explain to them that you need guidance and need them to give you a few sample menus. If you have a sample menu and work from that for a few days that will help you understand how to eat. I'd also recommend reading a book on your surgery type (sold on Amazon), and pay special attention to the post surgery nutrition chapters.

    What you described does not sound right, but more importantly it sounds like you need some one on one instruction on this from a professional like a nutritionist. You cannot get what you need from asking folks on a message board....you need more assistance and we can't responsibly help you.

    Did you have any post op nutrition classes at your surgeon's?

    I am sorry if this all sounds harsh, but I am sincerely worried for you, and think you need more education than we can provide here.

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  20. Posted

    my surgery was scheduled for September 20th and was submitted for approval on Tuesday and yesterday the Insurance denied it. I am so upset and depressed. I had to pay out of pocket for most of the doctor visits, nutritionist, and tests I needed done in order to submit to Insurance, and I really couldn't afford it. Now I paid for nothing. Can someone advise as to what I can do to appeal besides writing them a letter? they denied it due to me not having a BMI of over 40 for the past 5 years. I have had over 35 and have Diabetes, Hypertension, severe sleep apnea which are the three major factors if order to get approved. Can anyone give some advise specially the ones that had been initially denied, PLEASE.. My insurance is United Healthcare.

    You clearly qualify under every UHC plan I have seen. What are the requirements as detailed in your plan?

    Do you have a mandatory wait period that wasn't met? Some UHC administered plans do, and some don't. Mine didn't, and I had surgery within 5 weeks of my first surgeons appt.

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  21. Posted

    Very exciting time for you!

    It's easy to overpack, here's what I actually used:

    A few pairs of clean underwear

    Toothbrush

    Toothpaste

    Deodorant

    Facial cleanser/wipes

    Gas X strips

    Lip balm

    Phone plus charger

    iPad plus charger

    Looong charging cord

    Feminine hygiene supplies (a lot of us get our periods very unexpectedly due to the stress of surgery)

    And I wore the same outfit home that I arrived in, since I arrived at 7:30am in the morning and it was only worn about an hour!

    Everything else I brought I wound up lugging home, unused.

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  23. Posted · Edited by gina171

    Hi I'm from the Greensboro area but plan on having my surgery at Duke Regional. My Doctor is Dr. Park. He seems like a great doctor but for the past month I have left messages with nurse as what is my next step for surgery. I have not gotten a call back or anything. I left messages with administrative assistant and or nurses for her to contact me, still nothing. I live almost 2 hrs away so getting an appointment for what can be explained over the phone is crazy. I was wondering if I should switch to Dr. Sudan since you all speak so highly of him or wait it out.

    Hey there, I had my RNY at Duke w Dr Yoo, he was great and I found his nurses were super responsive. Dr Park did my info session and he was excellent, but I told them k would take the first available surgeon opening. Really pleased w Dr Yoo.

    What I am wondering is, were you given a blue folder on the day you met w Dr Park? I got one on the day of my first surgeon appt, and in it was a checklist showing all the steps/tasks needed to get to surgery. Did you get this list?

    Once you have your blood work, EKG, chest X-ray, then you're waiting for a scheduling call for your endoscopy (if Dr Park thinks you need one) or other specialty tests you might need (cardiologist if you have heart problems, etc).

    Do you have a waiting period for your insurance coverage before surgery? If so, and you have a 3-6 month insurance mandated wait, then you just might be in the very annoying hurry-up-and-wait stage. BC they probably won't start pushing you through your final tests until you're much closer to your potential surgery date. I was super lucky BC I had no required wait period, and the surgeon had an available surgery slot just a little over a month after my first appt. But it was a crazy busy month of many tests and appointments, I was at Duke a few times a week to get it all in!

    But I promise you this.....the Duke program is worth waiting for if need be. I have never, ever felt so well taken care of in my life.

    Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

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