laceemouse

I would think a full liquid diet would be the culprit, or maybe even a reaction to various pain meds and such. I had my gallbladder out 15 years ago and am prone to diarrhea very easily since then, I fully expect to have it after my sleeve surgery next Monday.

I don't know if this will help or not but I will tell you my story. I have BCBS Texas, every BCBS is different and even has different plans under their name. For instance, here in Texas, if your BCBS has the name Anthem in it you DO have to complete the 6 month nutritionist visits/diet deal. All other plans do not. I have been on blood pressure medication for several years. My weight goes up a little each year, and every diet I have tried has failed to help me significantly lose weight and keep it off. A couple of years ago I saw an ad for a weight loss surgeon and went to a seminar. They said they will work with your insurance to get them to pay. Came home, excited, husband and I talked about it, so I made an appointment and went in for a visit. I was not quite BMI 40 (maybe 38 or 39???) and was told since my blood pressure is well controlled with meds there was NO WAY my BCBS would pay for the surgery. They don't offer any suggestions or tell me more about self pay or anything. I just kinda went home and gave up the idea. So 18 months or so go by and I am slowly gaining weight (not trying to gain, but if I don't work to keep the weight off I gain) I noticed over the summer I was pretty darn close to BMI 40. I choose another surgeon recommended by my insurance, had an appointment in early August, was right at BMI 40, and was told I should be able to get approval no problem. I needed a psych eval and that was it! I was approved first try, had my pre-op testing, and will have my sleeve surgery on Halloween! I have had several people online, in this group and others, wonder why I waited so long for the surgery since I just turned 54. BUT.....my insurance would not have paid until now. Maybe if I had been denied I would have looked more into self pay, Mexico, etc, but I am so glad I got approved. I guess my answer to you is you can't change the rules of your insurance. You could wait until the 3 years passes, or gain weight (I wouldn't recommend it but others have done it on purpose) Some people have said their surgeon shaved an inch or so off of their height so that their BMI would qualify them. Others have said they wore weights under their clothes to help them weigh enough. Whether or not you see these things as cheating is up to you. Does your primary care doctor think you need the surgery? Maybe he/she could write a letter to the insurance explaining your situation and why they think you need the surgery? My PCP is not on board with me getting the surgery, in fact she isn't even aware. I guess the next time I go in and she asks how I lost weight I will tell her, maybe??? Good luck to you

My surgeon only does a 3 day pre-op diet, and I can have yogurt, low fat Soup, and cottage cheese as well as Protein shakes, etc. He does a liver biopsy during surgery because most obese people have a fatty liver. I don't know if I have one now, I wonder how many people even know before surgery? Is there any other way to diagnose it??

You really can't work out until cleared by your surgeon. You risk hernias and complications. Walking is just about all you can do for the next few weeks anyway. Skin has more to do with genetics, how much weight to lose, how many times you've lost and gained, and age. You can help by getting enough Protein and fluids, taking Vitamins and keeping your skin moisturized - and then some strength/resistance training once cleared. It still is no guarantee. Deal with the skin if it gets to that point - right now concentrate on getting healthy and eating properly. It's important not to dwell on the scale either - your weight will fluctuate and stall. Just stay with your plan and you will lose weight at a healthy rate.I am walking one mile a day right now and hopes to move it up within the next few days and i will definitely try to my skin moisturized and continue to to take my vitamins and protein as much as possible. Thank you for your insight Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App Go on YouTube and search for WLS videos, VSG, RNY, etc. Almost everyone has loose skin, depending on how much you have to lose, where you carry your weight, etc. Exercising can help skin on your arms and legs because the muscle grows to fill in the skin a little. But almost everyone ends up with loose skin on their stomach. Moisturizer, vitamins, and such are all good for you but you can go see LOTS of people posting pictures of their excess skin, they call them "skin flicks".

I am pretty sure if you try to eat too much with a teeny tiny tummy it will come right back up. My surgery is 10/31 so I am no expert but most people say they feel full to uncomfortable to downright in pain if they try to eat more than a couple of ounces, at least for several months following the surgery.

I only have to do 3 days of low fat/low sugar before surgery. I get to eat things like cottage cheese and low fat Soups as well as Protein shakes, etc. Then nothing to eat after midnight before the surgery. My surgeon says a long pre-op diet it too hard for people to stick too and he doesn't see a lot of benefit from it. They are all so different though.

I was the same way when I was younger, my tummy stayed small for a long time even as I got bigger. Age changes that a lot, now I have more around the middle. But yep, everyone is different and post weight loss we may look different than we expect to look.

I was a B cup before I had kids and gained all this weight. I am now a D, going back to a B will be fine with me. My husband married me smaller so he won't complain. I am sick of being obese, I don't want to be on blood pressure meds anymore or have more health problems as I age. Lots of people lose their boobs and their butts when they lose. You can build up your buns with exercise but some people end up having plastic surgery to fix their boobs and sagging tummies after weight loss. I am 54 and had 4 huge babies, I don't expect to look like a super model when this is all over. Go to YouTube and search WLS, RNY, VSG, etc. People make videos of their weight loss journeys. I would say most lose upper body size before they lose lower body. They show videos of their excess skin after loss. It's hard to predict, everyone is different, but for me being a healthy, normal weight is the ultimate goal!

It's common to have gallbladder issues after weight loss, and not just WLS, I had to have mine out a long time ago after losing 40 pounds on Weight Watchers. Some people say they are given a medication to protect their gallbladder after WLS, I'm glad mine is already gone. Good luck with your surgery!

It's crazy that they didn't explain this about your weight!! I had a similar thing, I started looking into WLS a couple of years ago and was told since I was not quite BMI 40 and didn't have the necessary co-morbidities there was no way my insurance, BCBS Texas, would pay. My husband and I briefly considered self pay but decided not to at the time. Then I just gave up and quit trying to lose. Well, when I don't try to lose I gain. This past summer I realized I had gained enough to be right at BMI 40. SO......I called another surgeon, got an appointment for early August, did the necessary testing (mainly just a psych eval), everything was submitted to insurance, I was approved and my surgery will be on Halloween! We have to cover 20% of the cost but it's worth it, so much less than self paying the entire thing. Most hospitals and doctors will offer financing, one program I know of is called Care Credit. Research it, and good luck.

What other app have you found? I'm getting intimidated by the aggressive tenor here. I'm all about love and support and am sensitive. If you've found something else I'd love to check it out. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App It would probably be better to find a real life support group. The internet is rarely a good place for sensitive people. Also, medical questions are best directed to your medical team. Asking strangers on the internet if you can ignore your surgeon's advice is never going to end well.

The problem with "saying some nice" is people come on here and ask if they can eat XYZ when they really are not supposed to be. Surgeons vary with their programs but when someone says "my program tells me X but I don't want to do that" people aren't going to say "go ahead and eat whatever you want, it's fine". And they SHOULDN'T say that. Eating something you shouldn't too early can cause all kinds of problems, serious problems. It isn't just "oh, you might not lose weight if you eat that". Pushing your stomach to digest something when it isn't ready to do so can cause a leak. A leak can put you back in the hospital for weeks. It can be life threatening. I visited several different surgeons before deciding who to have surgery with. They ALL said the ONLY times they have ever had people readmitted with a leak was when the person went home and did not follow the post-op eating instructions they have been given. That being said, I gave good advice. Anyone who wants to go out to eat should look at the menu and plan before they go. Otherwise you are going to be sitting there asking for quick advice from strangers on some chat forum.

I would suggest maybe looking at the menu before you go and seeing what you will be able to eat. IF there is nothing on the menu you can eat or have them modify for you bring a shake or something. Heck, I haven't even had my surgery yet and I look at menus before going out. It's helps going with a plan!

First of all, 10/20 is my birthday! I will be having a great time having pre-op testing done that morning, my sleeve surgery is on Halloween! Secondly, are you going through insurance? Most have hoops to jump through, various appointments to make and keep, meetings to attend,etc. Mine was pretty easy but I still had to do a psych eval and various appointments and tests. If you are interested there are many people on YouTube documenting their weight loss surgery. You can search WLS, RNY, VSG or DS. People do a video diary of their journey, very informative and fun to watch. A LOT of them are from California, many northern Cali.

My doctor does a 3 day low fat/low sugar diet, so not really liquid only, I can have cottage cheese, low fat Soup, etc. Honestly I am happy I do not have to do 2 weeks of starvation. I would be so weak and shaky. Then you can't eat for a while after the surgery. People end up being on full liquids, very low calories, for a month. Sounds terrible to me, I would be on the verge of passing out.

I now follow like 100 people, I am hooked! Watch Finding Elizabeth and VSG Jodi. They talk about everyone else, including new people. Go see who THEY follow and you will have dozens of people to follow in a matter of days. New people start making videos daily. You can see people who are at goal, close to goal, just a few weeks or months out, and people who are waiting for their surgery. Now that I have a surgery date I may start making videos. I comment on a lot of them, people answer, it's very helpful.

Lots of people use them, some say they help. It doesn't make sense to me because the gas is not in your digestive tract, it is loose out in your abdominal cavity. I have had surgery in the past and walking helped the best. BUT, you may as well try them, it couldn't hurt.

Honestly I don't know how to do it on a phone, it is much easier to do on a computer. On my laptop I go up to the top and see my name. It says "hello laceemouse" with a picture of a gear next to it. I click on that and then am given the option of updating my settings.

Our Walmart has Fair Life milk. I agree with you about fake sugar, not a fan, although I can handle Stevia better than the others.

I think no one is answering you because each surgeon has a slightly different plan and you should follow the plan given you. Usually in the beginning the main thing is getting enough water and protein, most people need protein shakes to meet goals the first couple of weeks.

I just got my surgery date, Halloween!

You can share my taco Thanks...I love tacos, and since I'm allergic to fish and seafood, this is the best looking fish taco I've ever seen. Haha Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using the BariatricPal App

Every insurance company and surgeon does things differently. Some people have a surgery date scheduled before they even get approved. Mine was much like your's. I went to the surgeon's office, we talked about the options and decided on the sleeve, they gave me a check sheet of what BCBS Texas requires for approval. All that was missing was the psych eval. I did that, and once the report was sent to the surgeon everything got sent to BCBS. It took about 3 weeks for the approval to come back from BCBS. After that the scheduler from the surgeon's office called me. I will have an EKG and upper GI (scan not the scope) and blood work on 10/20. Then my surgery is on Halloween. My insurance did not require the EKG, GI scan, and blood work, my surgeon did. That is why I got approval without those things being done. From what I have read and heard you don't need much for the hospital. I have another appointment with the surgeon just a few days before my surgery and they will give me more info on pre and post op diet. I only have to do a 3 day liquid diet before surgery. I have an idea for you, go to YouTube and search WLS, VSG, RNY, etc. There are hundreds of people who have made videos documenting their WLS journeys and MOST of them have done a "these are the things I brought to the hospital" video. As far as food funerals, I plan to take it easy. I have a couple of things I really want to eat (German food and chicken and dumplings) that I may never eat again because they are SO heavy. But most things we will eat again, eventually. Seafood is my favorite, I know I will be eating that forever!

Um, you started it. Thanks for the laughs tonight you guys!

Every surgeon is different.