NancyLF

This is WONDERFUL! You look beautiful.
Showers of blessings for an easy birth of a happy & healthy baby!

This is WONDERFUL! You look beautiful.
Showers of blessings for an easy birth of a happy & healthy baby!

Hello everyone, it's been a while since I've been on here. The last time I was here was sometime in April, I was almost 4 months postOp and about 6 or 7 weeks pregnant. Well for those who wonder if it's possible to go through the whole pregnancy while still trying to loose weight, the answer is YES! I am currently 33 weeks pregnant and my baby is doing extremely well. As for my weight, I'm pretty much still at my goal weight, plus or minus a pound here and there. But I haven't gained weight at all. Surprise, right? I am too. My baby now weighs just over 4lbs and I'm nesting like crazy, busy preparing nursery and awaiting his arrival. Feel free to ask any questions related to being pregnant and going through weight loss, and I'll do my best to answer. Oh and thank you to all of those who supported and encouraged me back in March/April, I really appreciate you all
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Got word today from Cigna that my surgery has been approved !!!!! Aiming for a 11/1/19 surgery date !!!!! I am one happy camper 🙂

My insurance plan is wonderful, I don't have a deductible, I've only paid co-pays for my appointments with my primary, my surgeon, and facilities. I've had surgeries before with this insurance and never once had an issue. Until now.

I just got a call from the hospital saying I owe them over $2400, which they were told by my insurance was a deductible. Knowing my plan as well as I do I figured my only hospital cost was $200 for my stay. They originally billed me $350 but because it was done at a Blue Distinction Center my co-pay was only $100/day. I don't have a deductible, I have an out of pocket max that will eliminate co-pays when I hit it but because our out of pocket costs are so low I never reach it. I downloaded all of my EOBs related to the approval process and surgery and kept a spreadsheet of what was billed, what insurance paid, and what my responsibility was. My numbers match what my insurance portal says.

My insurance company verified that I don't have a deductible and that they show I should only owe the hospital $200.

Just a heads up to keep track of EVERYTHING! especially if you don't want to pay more than you have to. I had a feeling something like this was going to happen.

Love the new me n confidence....before was a bigggg difference...      
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Yay, YOU! You can do it!! I hope yours is as smooth as mine was. I had some discomfort - but no pain! No gas issues! Quick recovery!
Good luck!

So 4-1/2 years ago, I had the sleeve. Within 3 months, I dropped 60 of the 100 pounds I wanted to lose. I was off all blood pressure meds (and still am). Within the year following my sleeve, I developed abdominal hernias that my bariatric surgeon repaired. At that point, my weight loss stopped and I never reached "goal". Also at the time, I was working a 12 hour, physically demanding (not with heavy lifting but with a lot of walking), night shift 7p-730a which was one of my first saboteurs to my weight loss success -- I wasn't getting enough sleep. I also didn't exercise at all because of my physically demanding job. I decided to leave my night shift job, which I loved very much, for a "day job" but there was a 1 hour commute each way to this job. Exercising was now an even bigger challenge, but I got a gym membership near my home and I would drive my hour commute to the gym, work out and by the time I got home it was 8 p.m. 3 nights a week. Then I was eating dinner late. Enter REFLUX. I started with 20 mg of omeprazole, which didn't quite do the trick with my symptoms. Moving on to 40 mg was better but as time went on even the 40 mg of omeprazole wasn't cutting it so I supplemented with OTC omeprazole 20 mg for a total of 60 mg a day. That's where I am now. A recent EGD revealed I have yet another hernia.
Lessons Learned: 1) Lifestyle matters. Prepare a lifestyle to accommodate your surgery so that you can take care of you. I didn't do this. I tried to be superwoman. I am humbled. 2) Follow up with your doctor's office more frequently than your program requires. Accountability is everything. Don't wander off and think you don't need follow up because you most certainly do. 3) Bloodwork. I can't emphasize this enough. I always keep my bloodwork in check -- I didn't want to lose my hair -- and I didn't. 4) Get plenty of sleep. Sleep needs to be as necessary as Water to your well being.
With these lessons learned, I will be getting the Roux-en-Y revision surgery to end my GERD and hopefully put me back on track with the 70 pounds I want to lose. I have created a lifestyle now that allows me to take care of me. I have a gym membership that includes a pool. I work a day job that allows me to work at home one day a week. I finally realized that being good to me is not a selfish thing, but a necessary thing.

Two and a half years ago I embarked on my weight loss surgery journey. The six months that I needed to complete all of my pre requistes went by pretty fast. A test for this, a test for that, conferring with this person, etc etc. ( You guys know what I mean) It all culminated with my gastric sleeve surgery in August 2017. Fast forward two years and I lost 63 lbs and gained better health.
Long gone are the multiple medications I had to take in order to survive. The Meds helped with my heart condition, diabetes, high blood pressure , gout , and other assorted chronic conditions. Unfortunately, the same medications that helped me with those chronic conditions were wrecking havoc on my liver and kidneys. The panacea to help with my chronic conditions and save my vital organs was to lose weight, adopt a healthier lifestyle and maintain the weight loss. . When I say lose weight I meant a good amount of it, 20 lbs was not going to cut it this time. I have been on maintenance for 17 months. For me, it's a struggle everyday. I attend Over Eaters Anonymous meetings and meet with a therapist once a week. I am trying my best to maintain my new found health as I know the insurance company will not give me a do over.
My wife who has monitored my journey and has a few chronic conditions herself has recently had her gastric sleeve surgery. As we do with so many other things in life we are doing this together. A friend of mine who is quite over weight and suffers from chronic conditions also had gastric sleeve surgery and he is experiencing a rapid weight loss. Hey looks very different. A very close friend and his wife also seeing my result with WLS both recently has gastric sleeve surgery. The wife is experiencing a rapid weight loss the husband is losing slow and sure.
Prior to their surgeries I counseled them on the pitfalls of relying on surgery alone for long term success. I know three people that had WLS in the past and all three told me that they gained all the weight back and then some. Surprisingly all three work in my various doctors offices. These people are close to medical advice and two are medical professionals. I told my family and friends about these three ( I got permission to tell their stories but I left out the names) and warned them against having the surgery if they couldn't commit to a new lifestyle. They only had one shot at it as insurance would probably not pay again. It was better to wait to get WLS than to rush into it unprepared.
So far all four are doing well. I speak to my friends at least twice a week to lend support and guidance. This also helps me to keep on track as I find that these conversations help reinforce my good habits as well. My couple friends suggested that we should get together as we have talked on the phone but haven't seen each other in person for a few months. They recommended we meet at a restaurant we frequented in the past and indulge in appetizers. I asked them why are we planning to meet in a restaurant? That would be like asking recovering alcoholics to meet in a bar for sodas. We need to stop the cycle of using food as a social event. We need to think of food as fuel for the body not as a diversion to socialize. They both are only out six months from WLS and they should rethink their relationship with food. In the end we met at the Botanical Gardens for a leisurely stroll among the flora.
I'm so glad that I had the experience of WLS and that I am able help others achieve better health with theirs. For me, I still have a long road of recovery ahead of me and I take it one day at a time. I stopped eating processed foods, eat mindfully and now instead of living to eat, I eat to live. Good health to everyone.

Just have to stop by and Give Glory to God for what he has brought me from and has been faithful to never leave me where I've been, Can I testify!!!   
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Congratulations!!

WOWIE! WOW! WOW!!!!
You look AWESOME!!
Congratulations & continued success!

For the past few weeks the scale has been going back and forth between 198-200lbs. I refused to count it until I was under 197-today is that day😄😁
1st goal get under 200lbs met!

HAH! That's so right! A friend of mine, whom I've known for over 50 years, called me 2 months after my surgery. (He knew I was having it) He asked how it went. I told him how I was doing. His question - "So what do they do? Carve the fat off of you?" Well, I burst into laughter! The 1st image that popped into my head was one of those huge roasts at a buffet table, slowly rotating, while slices are carved to serve.
I saw myself spinning while my surgeon attacked my thighs & butt! YEAH!! Carve that fat away!! I'm *STILL* ROFL!!

HAH! That's so right! A friend of mine, whom I've known for over 50 years, called me 2 months after my surgery. (He knew I was having it) He asked how it went. I told him how I was doing. His question - "So what do they do? Carve the fat off of you?" Well, I burst into laughter! The 1st image that popped into my head was one of those huge roasts at a buffet table, slowly rotating, while slices are carved to serve.
I saw myself spinning while my surgeon attacked my thighs & butt! YEAH!! Carve that fat away!! I'm *STILL* ROFL!!

HAH! That's so right! A friend of mine, whom I've known for over 50 years, called me 2 months after my surgery. (He knew I was having it) He asked how it went. I told him how I was doing. His question - "So what do they do? Carve the fat off of you?" Well, I burst into laughter! The 1st image that popped into my head was one of those huge roasts at a buffet table, slowly rotating, while slices are carved to serve.
I saw myself spinning while my surgeon attacked my thighs & butt! YEAH!! Carve that fat away!! I'm *STILL* ROFL!!

I made my goal weight today! I endured a lot during my journey including a 11 month stall but I finally made it!
RNY: 4/11/17
HW:334
SW: 324
CW: 189
GW: 190

WOWIE! WOW! WOW!!!!
You look AWESOME!!
Congratulations & continued success!

WOWIE! WOW! WOW!!!!
You look AWESOME!!
Congratulations & continued success!

Hey guys decided I would post some pics and my story. I’m Mike and I’m 37 from Montreal. Waited a full 5 years to get this surgery. Best decision I ever made.

Surgery was Nov. 22, 2018 and I’ve since lost over 180 lbs! I work out 6 times a week; cardio, swimming and various exercises.

let me know what you think!

mike

This has been one of my better weeks! 7 wks out and down 32 lbs. I went from a 3x to a 1x and they are loose . I haven't bought any new/new to me clothes yet. I need to, my coworkers who do not know I had surgery are giving me a hard time about my baggy clothes.

5'4"
Starting weight 297
VSG on 7/31/19
Surgery wt: 266
CW 234
GW 135

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Try blueberries instead or peaches. I used the Premier Protein Peaches and Cream, Fairlife FF Milk, Ice and frozen peaches. Plus you can add a spoon or two of yogurt or kefir for pro/pre-biotics and extra creaminess.

This morning I weighted myself for my 4weeks Post Op :)

If you saw my post about what was going on in week 3 you have most likely have read that I had gained 1.4lbs and then my weight wasn’t moving. glad to say today I had lost that 1.4lbs and an additional 1.2lbs making this weeks lost a total of 2.6lbs :)

I know I have only lost 22lbs in 4lbs and that’s amazing but I’m really excited to lose the next 48lbs to get to my first personal goal :)

Weight stats:
Starting HW: 270.6
PRE-Op diet starting weight: 268.3
Surgery weight: 266.8
WEEK 1: -11.6lbs
Week 2: -5.4lbs
Week 3: +1.4lbs
Week 4: -2.6lbs
Total: -22lbs

My personal Goals:
Goal 1: get down to 200lbs (48.6lbs to go 😊)
Goal 2: get down to 180lbs
Goal 3: get down to 160lbs
Goal 4: get down to 135lbs

NSVS:
• I can go in my closet and pick any 2xl clothing and it be fitting just right or lose, and some XL fit nicely :)
• I see the difference in my face and body

Other updates:
• Still have no appetite, still forcing myself to eat for fuel unless I go longer that 3 hours I do get this one feeling of emptiness
• I can tolerate Greek yogurt (texture throws me off but I don’t mind it), tuna, 4 shredded cheese blend or mozzarella/cheese sticks, mashed Beans, steamed zucchini and carrots (yay I been wanting veggies), Atkins French vanilla Protein Shakes, cottage cheese, reduced fat ritz crackers, scrambled eggs
• can’t tolerate chocolate flavored Atkins Protein Shake, I get sick with nausea
• my Water intake is improving, getting closer and closer to 64oz

Happy Monday to me! 10.5 months post-op. 146lbs lost since surgery. GW ACHIEVED!!
I would like to thank... literally nobody but myself because I am the one who accomplished this!
Hollllaaaa!!
And this is before the skin removal so who knows what I will end up being. I am also still actively losing so I am not at equilibrium yet. Interested to see where this will go....

Standing along side you all the way!