Hiraeth

I just have a few questions about the process of getting prepared for surgery. I haven't met my doctor yet, but my first appointment is on June 27th. I read some posts about people having to wait a year before their surgery, and that worries me. I am miserable the way I am, and I just don't want to wait that long. I know when I get to the appointment, I will be having a 15-20 minute meeting about insurance and such. I have several medical issues relating to my weight, so I would hope that my insurance will be quick on making a decision to cover the costs. I use BCBS. What are some things that might slow down the process of my insurance's decision? What are some things that might cause the doctor to make me wait to have the surgery? Can this be a fast process? I start college in the Fall. So I would like to have the surgery before then.

I highly doubt it. I heard that you have a higher chance of gaining the weight back after you diet, than you do if you have surgery. The reason is because, when we eat a lot, our stomach stretches. The stomach (organ) does not shrink back to the size it was once it stretches out. So when you lose weight by dieting, you will still be hungry because you aren't filling your stomach completely (getting full). The only thing you can do while dieting, is learn how to manage cravings. The point of the gastric sleeve is to cut away a large amount of the stomach so that when you eat less, you feel full quickly. This happened to me as well. I lost 30 pounds in 3 months. I gained it all back. It's not easy to keep the weight off by dieting alone.

It is a similar surgery with using gas to expand abdomen during surgery. Walk as soon as you can to get rid of the gas.Darn it! When I had my gallbladder removal surgery, the gas in my arm was the only thing that hurt when I woke up. It hurt SO MUCH (on a scale of 1-10, the pain was a 9). I'm usually able to tolerate pain, but that was awful. It felt like my arm was slowly breaking away from my body. I walked as much as I could. Then when 2 AM rolled around, I tried laying down to sleep, but I couldn't. I couldn't even recline because the pain was triggered by any kind of laying down. I had to literally sit up at a 90° angle while I slept. I was dozing in and out of sleep for about 2 days. By the 3rd day, I was finally able to recline, but still not able to lay down flat. I usually do well after surgeries, but that was something else. Though, to get this weight off, I'm willing to go through that again. I want to lose weight more than anything. I haven't had WLS yet but I'm told not as painful as Gallbladder surgery. You'll get through it! Stay strong! Thank goodness!

Does that mean your Pseudotumor has improved since you lost weight? I started Diamox when I was 21 (about 3 years ago). They found uric acid in my urine (caused by the Diamox), which is what causes the stones. I noticed your BMI is 22.7 and you're 5'11''. That means you're about 162 lbs right? That's awesome! I'd still be overweight at 162 because I'm a shorty, lol.

It is a similar surgery with using gas to expand abdomen during surgery. Walk as soon as you can to get rid of the gas. Darn it! When I had my gallbladder removal surgery, the gas in my arm was the only thing that hurt when I woke up. It hurt SO MUCH (on a scale of 1-10, the pain was a 9). I'm usually able to tolerate pain, but that was awful. It felt like my arm was slowly breaking away from my body. I walked as much as I could. Then when 2 AM rolled around, I tried laying down to sleep, but I couldn't. I couldn't even recline because the pain was triggered by any kind of laying down. I had to literally sit up at a 90° angle while I slept. I was dozing in and out of sleep for about 2 days. By the 3rd day, I was finally able to recline, but still not able to lay down flat. I usually do well after surgeries, but that was something else. Though, to get this weight off, I'm willing to go through that again. I want to lose weight more than anything.

Oh, you aren't discouraging me at all! I appreciate your honesty! I have actually been tested for h pylori, and the test was negative. They don't know exactly why I have gastritis. They thought it was from taking Excedrin for my Pseudotumor cerebri, but I recently found out my gallbladder was failing (only 12% function). I just had it removed several weeks ago. I'm guessing that's what caused it. It could also be stress, which is strange because I don't feel that stressed. That sounds like a good idea - to wait until Christmas break. I guess I'm willing to wait about 6 months, but a year seems too long for me. I think it's because I'm naturally an eager person. Plus, I'm so ready to feel like myself again. I will definitely keep you guys updated. Thanks for much for responding! <3 I have pseudotumor also. Lucky for you that excedrin helps your headaches. Nothing helps mine. Do you take other medicines for it? (I never hear of many others having it, so I'm interested) Hoping my doctor takes my medicine down another dose in two weeks for it. I'm ready to be off of it completely. I was on Diamox, but I hate taking it because it gives me bad kidney stones. When it doesn't give me stones, it keeps me up at night because I have to use the bathroom every 2 hours. My pseudotumor went into remission when I lost 30 pounds 3 years ago. When I gained it back, my pseudotumor came back full force. I'm so sorry Excedrin doesn't work for you. Have you ever been to a chiropractor? Letting my chiropractor adjust my neck helps. Bad posture can put a strain on the neck and cause pressure to increase.

Oh, you aren't discouraging me at all! I appreciate your honesty! I have actually been tested for h pylori, and the test was negative. They don't know exactly why I have gastritis. They thought it was from taking Excedrin for my Pseudotumor cerebri, but I recently found out my gallbladder was failing (only 12% function). I just had it removed several weeks ago. I'm guessing that's what caused it. It could also be stress, which is strange because I don't feel that stressed. That sounds like a good idea - to wait until Christmas break. I guess I'm willing to wait about 6 months, but a year seems too long for me. I think it's because I'm naturally an eager person. Plus, I'm so ready to feel like myself again. I will definitely keep you guys updated. Thanks for much for responding! <3

Yes, the unknown is what bothers me the most. I'm so eager to get this done! I miss being able to fit into a size 3-5 in pants, lol! I'm almost 100% sure I'll be able to stick with this program. The cravings aren't mainly my problem; it's the hunger pangs. If I can get rid of the hunger, I'm sure this will be so easy. I don't snack ever, and I'm never in the mood to eat between 7am-2pm; but I eat because my stomach hurts if I don't. You are right about being present for each step. I think I'm so eager because I've already been through the required steps when I tried losing weight by dieting. I feel as if I'm way past prepared mentally. Dieting failed because of hunger and boredom, not cravings. Thank you for your sweet response. <3

These are great questions but really the only place to get answers is your surgeon's office. They should be able to help you navigate the specific requirements based on your insurance policy and their own requirements. Best of luck. I found the list for Alabama BCBS. I'm worried, though, because I use the Federal plan of BCBS. I'm calling them today to double check. Apparently, many people have been trying to get covered by BCBS with a BMI under 40, and they were turned down. Mine is 45, so hopefully they will approve. I'm certain that 75% (or more) of my health problems are from my weight. I think the hardest part about this surgery for me would be preparation; getting approved and the liquid diet before the procedure.

Great to hear! I'm glad you're doing ok. May I ask... Do you feel any arm pain? I had my gallbladder removed and the carbon dioxide got trapped and gave me horrendous arm pain. It was unbearable. Do they pump CO2 into your abdomen to perform this surgery? Lortabs give me insomnia, too.

Thank you all for your kind replies. I have been going to a place called Medical Weight Loss since February (almost 4 months). It is not supervised by a doctor, though it is supervised by medical assistants and a nutritionist. Would that be taken into consideration? I'd rather not have to start over the 6 months. I'm also worried that my insurance will want an opinion from Medical Weight Loss. I'm worried that they will say I don't need the surgery because they'll be worried that if I lose weight from the surgery, they'll lose a customer. The thing is, while their diet plan is a good one, I'm just not losing weight because I get so hungry. I need to have this surgery to help with the hunger. The cravings are something I can deal with. But the hunger pangs are unbearable. I never feel even slightly full on this diet. I get horrible headaches and I have panic attacks because my blood sugar gets low. They gave me vitamins to help with the hunger and cravings, but they do not work for me. Also, I know I have stomach problems. I was diagnosed with mild Gastritis. It's when the stomach lining becomes inflamed. I'm pretty sure it's from taking Excedrin, since Excedrin is the only medicine that helps my migraines caused by Pseudotumor cerebri. Would that be a problem in surgery? In my opinion, I think it would be a good idea to cut away most of my stomach, since it is inflamed, lol. I looked at the list you posted, Kyn13. Everything looks reasonable. The hardest thing for me to receive would probably be an "O.K." from my PCP. She's kinda wishy-washy, plus, I've only just started seeing her. I haven't had a PCP since I was 18 (after I stopped seeing my pediatrician). But I do have documented obesity with my gyno. Would that be enough?

I heard that your body stalls to protect itself. When the body starts losing weight at a faster rate than what it's used to, it'll stall and be like, "Woah, what's happening here?" It usually happens 2-4 weeks after surgery. It's completely normal. Just keep doing what you're doing and you'll notice more weight come off.

I work out, palates, walking a have a Protein shake for breakfast and 2 , 4 Oz meals during the day and I enjoy sugar free Popsicles and fugesickles. Sent from my SM-G900R4 using the BariatricPal App That's awesome! Does it keep you full? I'm glad I like protein shakes. Yes it does. I'm never hungry unless I go to long without eating I have to remind myself to eat I can't go over 7 hours without eating so I have to keep myself to a pretty strict schedule because I'm usually never hungry and if I go too long that's when I feel it because I end up feeling really nasty if I go too long without eating so I have to keep myself on a pretty strict schedule Sent from my SM-G900R4 using the BariatricPal App That's a relief! I feel like that will be how I get. I'll have to probably set an alarm on my phone telling me to eat, lmao! I'm very happy for you! Thank you for the responses.

Your insurance won't pay for it? I haven't had my surgery yet but I am almost completely sure mine will cover at least 85%.

I work out, palates, walking a have a Protein shake for breakfast and 2 , 4 Oz meals during the day and I enjoy sugar free Popsicles and fugesickles. Sent from my SM-G900R4 using the BariatricPal App That's awesome! Does it keep you full? I'm glad I like Protein shakes.

WOW! I hope you don't take offense to this but, you literally look 20 years younger. The picture of you before, you look like your own mother. Like your past self looks like the mother of your current self. You are GORGEOUS! You have a movie star face!

WOW!!! Congratulations! You look amazing! I hope I have this kind of luck! I am currently 246, and my goal is 120. How do you feel? What kind of things did you do? You don't even look like the same person! That is almost unbelievable. Proud of you!

Hello! My name is Morgan and I am 24-years-old. I decided to join this forum today to find tips, support, and progress from other members. This will be long, because I love to talk. <3 Let me start off by saying that I am excited and scared at the same time to get the Gastric Sleeve. I'm usually a very brave person, since I've already had 5 surgeries from the ages of 16 to 24, but this will probably be the most complex surgery I decide to get. The reason I am deciding this is because at 24 and having a small frame with the small stature of 5'2'', I am ashamed to say that I have reached a shameful weight of 246 pounds. I feel awful, not just emotionally, but physically, too. I am ALWAYS tired and I'm literally sleeping my life away because I can't seem to feel rested (it could be sleep apnea). I know I have it because my mother has caught me snoring, but it's not normal snoring; it's like I'm struggling to breathe. One night I fell asleep on the phone with my ex and he was listening to me breathe. He said that I only breathed 4 times in 1 minute. That scares me. Not only am I severely overweight, but my tonsils are large, as well. So, my sleep apnea could be caused by those two reasons. I also have horrible sinus problems, and I've had 2 sinus surgeries that have not fixed the problem. Before I turned 17, I never really had a problem with my weight, at least not to this extent. I was born premature and weighed 5.1 pounds. I was always very small up until I turned 8-years-old, (when I went through a chunky stage). By the time I turned 10, I started having severe panic attacks and anxiety. The anxiety was so bad, I convinced myself that I couldn't swallow food. I don't know if my tonsils had something to do with it, but now I'm beginning to wonder. I went several weeks without eating more than just a few bites of food daily. I lost so much weight that I was borderline anorexic. My mom was getting very worried because my ribs started to show and my face started to sink in. I must have been at least 20 pounds underweight, which is scary when it come to a child. My mother threatened to send me to the hospital so they would have to feed me through my skin. That terrified me, so I started forcing food down my throat, even if I choked a little. I eventually got over the swallowing anxiety and gained back weight. I stayed very thin up until I turned 12. I probably weighed about 130, which doesn't seem like much, but it is considering how short and small I was. When I turned 13, I was diagnosed with severe OCD and mild ADD. They prescribed me Adderall for the ADD and it killed my appetite. I lost almost 20 pounds because I skipped meals. I just wasn't hungry, and eating felt like a chore. I stayed thin up until about 16, when the Adderall appetite side effect started to wear off. I gained 30 pounds and weighed about 145-150 by the time I was in 10th grade. I wasn't fat, but I wasn't skinny either. For some reason, at 16, i started having issues with my health. I came down with walking pneumonia and developed Vocal Chord Dysfunction (at the time, I thought it was asthma). I now have to use an inhaler constantly. I then started having problems with allergies and sinus infections. I was always sneezing, rubbing my eyes, and blowing my nose. I couldn't breathe through my nose at all. When I turned 17, my pediatrician decided to start me on a steroid pack. To this day, I regret taking them. I gained so much weight while taking steroids. I gained 50 pounds in just 3 months, weighing right under 200. One morning, I woke up and my face looked so large. I had a double chin. To this day, my double chin hasn't gone away. After that, I just couldn't stop eating junk and large amounts of food. I skipped 24 days of school because I was always so tired. I could barely function. I started getting horrible migraines so bad, that I would vomit. I always assumed it was just allergies. After I graduated, it was extremely hard to hold a job because of how tired I was. I managed to hold a retail job for a year. While I worked there, I noticed my vision wasn't normal. I started seeing weird, blurry spots at the corner of my right eye. It was almost as if I'd been looking at the sun and was seeing those tingly black spots. I decided to go to the eye doctor. She told me I had swollen optic nerves. She was only an Optometrist, so she couldn't diagnose why my nerves were swollen. She sent me to a Neuro-opthamologist who sent me in for an MRI. They were trying to rule out MS and a brain tumor. When the results came back, they found that I actually have Pseudotumor cerebri. Psedotumor cerebri is a condition in which the pressure on the brain is increased. It mimics a brain tumor, but there is no actual tumor present. The pressure comes from an increase in cerebral Fluid on the brain. PTC can cause permanent blindness, severe migraines, pulsatile tinnitus, dizziness, memory loss, and fatigue. I had all of these symptoms except for the blindness, where as mine was only temporary - for now. The migraines I had been getting in the past were from the PTC, not allergies. PTC is most common in obese women ages 20-45. There is a high chance that my PTC will go into remission if I lose weight. I have tried dieting at least 4 times now. I always end up failing and going right back to eating junk. I want my life back. My weight is the main thing that makes me unhappy. If I could be a decent weight, I know I'd feel better. I haven't made an appointment yet, but I do know which surgeon I'll be using. Thank you for reading my novel, lol!

Yes, I heard that letting your doctor know about all your weight related issues are crucial, especially when it comes to insurance coverage. They usually cover 85% of my medical procedures, but considering all the things going on, they may decide to cover more. I have a friend who works for a CPAP company. She said something about not remembering dreams, which is odd. My mom has it, too, and she always remembers her dreams. Not sure why she said that. So you have sleep apnea? Did you always feel extremely tired and unmotivated? I have an appointment to see a sleep apnea doctor later this month. You're lucky that you don't have to buy very many new clothes. I work for the city, so I will probably have to. The Thrift Store sounds like a great idea! I never buy bathing suits. I look horrible in them. I'm not the typical "gain weight everywhere" type of person. I gain weight mostly in my stomach. I have had so many people (5 to be exact) as me if I'm pregnant. I'll admit, I do look pregnant because my legs are not those of an overweight person. They have gotten bigger, but they are not fat. My face, stomach, and breasts are what gain the most weight. I had a breast reduction a couple of years ago, and I feel so much better. I went from a DDD to a C, and they took off 11 pounds of firm tissue/fat. What does Bariatric of Excellence mean? His name is Dr. Lee Schmitt of Alabama Weight Loss Surgery. They hold public and online seminars. I'm actually about to watch it. Could you give me a quick explanation of the process I'll have to make? Thanks so much!

Thank you for your very nice, and concerned response! I have been seeing a therapist, but not for the weight gain. I was seeing one for the OCD and anxiety, and they prescribed me with Lexapro. Ever sense I started taking it, I hardly ever have anxiety or panic attacks. It really has helped. But I heard it makes people eat - go figure, lol. The Lexapro has given me my spirited, outgoing self back. But I still have low self-esteem issues with my appearance. I know I'm attractive, but my weight is making me feel like I'm not myself. I am not at all in the process, besides making the decision to do it. If the Bypass were the only surgery available, I probably wouldn't have weight loss surgery at all. I heard the Sleeve is a bit safer. At this point, I'm going to have severe health issues in the future if I don't get the weight off. I have found a surgeon. His ratings are 4.8 stars out of 5, which is great! I called and left a voicemail at his office, but no one has returned my call. So, I think I'm going to give them a call in a few minutes. I am not being treated for sleep apnea. I haven't had a diagnosis yet, but I am almost certain that's what I have. The only thing is, I've heard you don't remember your dreams when you have sleep apnea; but I almost always remember mine, and have them frequently. WOW!! 200 pounds in a year?! Congratulations! That is so nice to hear. I am so happy for you. That is like 16 pounds per month! Have you had to continuously replace your clothes? Lol! As much as that would probably cost a lot of money to replace that many wardrobes, I'm actually looking forward to it. I still have a ton of clothes saved from high school that I hope to be able to wear again, since I haven't grown a single inch since I was 15. A few things that I am wondering about are my gastritis and PCOS. I found out I have gastritis, which is when the lining of the stomach is inflamed. I'm wondering if this will be a problem. I know you're not a doctor. I'm just hoping the surgery will maybe even improve my stomach problems. I also have PCOS which can cause women to gain weight. Do you have that?