gina171

I'm in NC. My husband works for a pharma company, so they usually offer us pretty nice health care options....for a cost of course!! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Sweet tea.... I know you are in the sleeve forums, but just wanted to check....you had a sleeve, not RNY? What was your starting weight or BMI, if you don't mind my asking? Just wondering bc I am losing sleep trying to decide between the sleeve and RNY.... Thanks! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Super foamy saliva. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

BetterMe....wondering which "flavor" of United Healthcare you have? I have Choice Plus, and the nurse on the phone said no waiting period? Maybe since my BMI is so high (52) that's why they told me that... Or maybe I am going to get a really crummy surprise when my surgeon's office starts communicating with United Healthcare. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Hi Pup, curious as to why you chose RNY over sleeve? Feel free to message me if you prefer? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I never spanked my children, but I would love to give that adult a good slap across his ignorant mouth. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

FWIW...the woman in the picture looks like a perfectly lovely human being...good for you for taking care of her health. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thx! Cancelling the phone appt!!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hmmm....I have United Healthcare Choice Plus, bariatrics surgery is covered given my BMI, but one of the extras of my coverage is to have a case nurse assigned to you (can be for ANY medical situation, not just bariatrics) who will help you move through the process and be a more direct liaison...sounds nice. But....to set up there's a 45 min appt over the phone where u give an complete health history. My appt is tomorrow. I might be paranoid but I can't help but worry is there some way my insurance is trying to get this info and then trip up my process and find a reason to deny me? Maybe this is a nice benefit, I don't know. My husband works for a pharma company and we typically get great healthcare plans offered to us, so this might be legit. Or it could not be, I don't want to misstep accidentally and ruin my coverage. Am I paranoid? Or should I cancel this phone intake appt, and not get a case worker til I am approved? Thx Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Tony, you look great....and your smile in the after pic is so big and genuine! Love it! Be proud! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

You'll fly through this no problem Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Brilliant explanation, thank you! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Ok....I admit it......I have no idea what a bougie is, how it is used, and what the size actually represents. Can someone please enlighten me? Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Brenda, I have my fingers and toes crossed for your appeal! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I think I might take all my big clothes that I have worn and liked over the years, and have them made into a quilt. Maybe even include some of the "new" clothes I am able to fit into as I move through the first year post-op....it would be nice to have a tangible reminder of all the places I have been on my first year of this journey. :-) Now if the darn surgeon's office will just respond to my application and get me that first appointment, I am ready to go!!! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Has anyone asked their surgeons about this pre-op? If not, I will and I will report back. :-) Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

You are very lovely...I think you look classy and European....you're elegant. Please consider seeing a counselor who can help you see yourself more clearly....don't dim your inner light now worrying about imagined flaws. You have fought the good fight with your weight and have WON ... Don't slow yourself down now. I promise a counselor can help. You deserve it! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I had this procedure for my uterine fibroids and 7 years out and all is good. I tried this to avoid a hysterectomy, and was pleased that it worked. However, when something like a uterine fibroid that relies on your blood to survive suddenly has that blood supply cut off....you know it. It wasn't a happy week of recovery but the Percoset helped and there was no major incision to worry about. So don't get freaked out by the idea of a plastic pellet...its just another medical tool when used correctly. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

VSGAnn....thank you for this! I have read lots of your posts as I try to decide between RNY and sleeve.....I worry that there's not enough data on sleeve and that there is the opportunity to cheat the sleeve AND THEN I read your posts and I realize that if someone is committed and responsible like you, it could be the perfect tool. Your success and very committed attitude gives me hope. My BMI is 49 and I am 48 years old, so some doctors are suggesting RNY bc of those factors but again....I think of how well you did and I wonder if the sleeve might be enough of a tool for me, without the fear of nutritional deficiencies and rerouting my insides... Thank you for all your insight on these forums. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Maggie, so your doctor was OK with giving you the sleeve even though you suffered from GERD? That's encouraging.

Sorry to get so morbid here and mention chemo. I DO NOT have cancer, but it does run in my family like wildfire, and I expect that one day I might get the dreaded diagnosis. I am 48 now, hopefully this won't be for at least 2 decades, fingers crossed. So my malabsorption/malnutrition questions have to do with how does the body of an RNY patient get enough nutrients if -- heaven forbid -- they one day face chemo? I have seem family members really ravaged by chemo (granted, not all of them were compliant with doctors orders and suggestions), and many of these folks were overweight to start, and none of them ever had RNY or any weight loss surgery. So any nutrients they were able to get into their body had a chance to stay there and get absorbed. If RNY is malabsorptive and creates a Vitamin deficiency in most patients who are tested for these deficiencies, then how is any real nutrition getting to the body of a sick person undergoing chemo and eating very little? Maybe there's a set protocol between oncologists and bariatric doctors already? Do you all have any thoughts/experience with this? Are you living with a nutritional deficit in everyday life with your RNY? Thanks, I know this topic is a bit of a downer. :-(

If people ask, I will tell them. I am not going to treat this as something shameful. And I hope that by being honest and open to people's questions. especially if they are obese or are worried about someone who is, that I will help them see this as a reasonable treatment for long struggles with morbid obesity.

I'll be the one with a notebook and too many questions! @becomingmandikaye will you be there, too? would be fun to meet.

So I get heartburn, probably 5-7 times a week. Esp if I lie down shortly after eating something, even a snack. Not terrible heartburn that last for hours, but I certainly feel it a bit and sometimes I grab some Tums. Is THAT GERD? Or is GERD another type of severe experience? Trying to decide between RNY and sleeve, and this GERD question might make it a lot easier. Bc I do know that I DON"T want to feel more frequent heartburn after my surgery. I just don't know if what I am feeling is normal, what most people have. Or if it's another one of those things I never consciously tied to my weight issue? Thanks!

This is an excellent article.....ugh I am really undecided whether to go with sleeve or RNY. One thing holding me back is I have never been a great healer from other surgeries, even childbirth, I tend to have a much longer recovery time (sometimes twice the norm), and I am thinking there would be less trauma to my body with a sleeve, rather than the RNY. Thoughts?