WitchySar

My surgeon and I chose the sleeve for me for a couple of reasons. 1 - I feel more comfortable with it. I know many people who had the RNY and all but one had severe complications after the surgery. Two of them to the point of almost dying. That makes me uncomfortable with it personally, and it's important to feel comfortable with what happens to my body. 2 - After surgery I'm still going to have several meds I'll need to take on a daily basis, including meds for anxiety and bipolar. My surgeon has had several patients who have had issues with their bipolar meds after RNY because of the malabsorption issues, and I don't want to risk that. So for me the sleeve was the perfect choice.

I am so nervous right now. My first appointment is today at 1, just 3 1/2 hours away. We have to get going soon so to get there. What if they surgeon says I can't have WLS for some reason? I can't think of why he would, but still... I'm so nervous. I'd better go get dressed to go, and take a klonopin while I'm at it.

I've not heard of this either. I had my gallbladder removed as an emergency last year because of gallstones. I asked specifically if there was a med I could take instead and they said there was nothing for gallstones except removal. Now I'm mad because that surgery was horrible! Good luck!

Hmm, interesting. Are they taking other mobility factors into account? For example, I injured my knee and ankles very badly years ago. I will never be able to walk as fast as others, no matter how the rest of my health is.

Thank you for clearing that all up. I think even if I end up not needing to go to Mexico I should look into getting a passport.

Where did you get yours? I looked for one after my gallbladder removal and couldn't find one big enough.

Could something good be coming my way? Oh I hope so! I called today and found out the surgeon has to be out of town on the 21st which is why they were rescheduling me. The next appointment they had was mid-August. I explained about losing medicaid at the end of the year and asked if the weigh ins and diet with my primary could work and they said yes, most likely. They also managed to squeeze me in on Monday so to make sure they do everything possible to get me the surgery. Ack! So now I have my appointment on the 11th, not the 21st. So soon! I'm so excited. This still isn't a guarantee that I'll be able to have it done by the end of the year but I'm sure as heck doing everything I can to make it happen.

Thanks for all the info. I don't even know how to go about getting a passport, but I suppose, for sake of ease, I should figure it out.

This was to be my first appointment with the surgeon's office. The 21st was the absolute soonest they could get me in. I made the appointment on June 3rd. The first appointment is a meeting with the surgeon, dietitian, and counselor so they only do them on certain days because the appointments take about 3 hours. Because of my husband's work schedule I'm even more limited (he has rotating days off). The 21st worked out perfectly. *sigh* This was the closest medicaid surgeon I could find that could get me in before September. One wouldn't even talk to me until I did 6 months with my PCP first. My county doesn't have dedicated case workers. You call a call center number, stay on hold for literally an hour or more, and then talk to a person who can only give you limited info. The whole process here is messed up. I just feel so defeated. It's like every step I take there is something there trying to push me off the path. I don't really have anyone else who can make the calls for me. There's my husband but he's not so good with calling doctor's offices. I checked the ACA marketplace and there is nothing we can afford. I'm going to have to wait until my husband is hired on permanently and then get on whatever insurance he gets through there (he thinks it's Cigna) but I don't know when that will be, or if it'll cover WLS at all. I know I just need to wait and call the surgeon's office tomorrow and see what happens. I'm just so frustrated right now I want to cry.

You're going to need to find the specifics for your insurance. Some insurance requires a BMI over a certain point for a certain number of years, and dipping under that BMI could cause your insurance to deny you. Some insurances are a lot less strict.

Well my first appointment apparently has to be reschedule. So I won't be going on July 21st. I'm so sad right now.

How did you decide who you were going to tell about your WLS? So far my husband knows (obviously), one of my best friends, and another really good friend. That's it. When I first made the decision to have the surgery I was sure I'd tell everyone, but now... I'm not sure. I keep going back and forth on who to tell. I have a couple friends locally that I'm considering telling since they'll know I'm having surgery (we're in a pagan group together so it's going to be obvious if I miss ritual for appointments and then for surgery) but I find I'm so nervous. I'll also be telling my birth mom since she also had WLS in the past and I know she'll be supportive. Not sure about my half-brother and half-sister though, though I believe at least my sister was supportive of my mom's surgery. So many factors to consider. Argh! How did you decide?

I'm glad I found this thread. I have Hashimoto's and fully expect to not lose weight as fast as some others when I finally get the surgery. I was diagnosed with hypo about 18 years ago, and diagnosed with Hashi's about 7 years ago. Finally everything made sense, ya know? Nice to connect with others going through the same.

I'm in Colorado and hoping to use my insurance. I have medicaid through the end of the year so I'm hoping to be able to get it done in time. I've been seeing my PCP to start my medically supervised diet so if they will count my two weigh ins with her then I MIGHT be able to get it done in December. If not then I'm probably going to have to go to Mexico and pay for it with my tax refund.

Has anyone here actually gone through the company called Mexico Bariatric Services though? I'd like to hear more about them too. Ignore the link that comes up when I type Mexico... that's not the place I'm asking about.

I already joined that Facebook group actually. I'll probably end up going with Dr. Illan but I want to be sure I do all my research first, just in case I find someone I like better.

I'd heard of this. The theory I heard is that when you are obese you have fat pads on the bottom of your feet. As you lose weight you lose those fat pads too. It contributes to the change in shoe size, and also can affect height too.

Oh this is making me wish I wasn't allergic to peanuts!

I think I have an alt on Argent Dawn. My main is a Night Elf Resto Druid.

Hi all. I'm very new here, and very new to the whole surgery idea in general. I haven't spoken to a doctor about it but I want to get all my ducks in a row before I do. I assume I speak to my primary (nurse practitioner) first, but do I need to know what doctor I want a referral to right away or does she start the process? Or do I go straight to consulting with a weight loss clinic? Or? Either way I know I'm going to need recommendations for a surgeon in Pueblo Colorado (might be able to go as far as Colorado Springs for the surgery, but I have no way to get up there regularly for appointments). I don't trust my primary enough to just go where she says. Thanks.

I'm wondering what everyone thought was the hardest thing for them after their surgery. I haven't had mine yet but I expect not drinking while eating is going to be the hardest for me. I hate eating without first taking a sip of water before my meal. I don't like eating without refreshing my mouth first.

Thank you for the info. It's looking more and more like I'm going to be losing medicaid right before I finish the requirements for the surgery, so I'm definitely looking more into this. How long did it take to get the surgery, once you made your decision? How did you get started with the process? Is it done online? I have anxiety and can't do phone calls.

LOL I, too, am a geeky pagan. @CHM... Alliance or Horde? What server? I'm Alliance on Doomhammer.

Three weeks left until I meet my surgeon, the psych, and the dietitian. I'm so excited and nervous. The days are just crawling by. I feel like I'm going to explode before July 21st gets here.

...I'm getting worried. I've read so many threads of people having problems getting approved by insurance that now I'm getting a bit scared that I'll be denied. I found these requirements for Colorado Medicaid: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/Bariatric.pdf It looks like I shouldn't have a problem getting approved. BMI over 40, have comorbidities. As long as I do the 6 month clinically supervised weight loss program, get medical and psych clearance, and show that I am committed to changing my lifestyle and have realistic expectations of the surgery, then I shouldn't have a problem getting approved, right? I'm so nervous right now.