Stacy160

Wow, that's a lot of time.... I bet if you do arrange for that much time off, you'll be calling work wanting to go back a lot sooner! I made arrangements for two weeks off, just in case, but went back for two half-days at 10 and 11 days out, and my job is fairly physical (physical therapy), felt great and had no problems. I'd just make sure that it won't be a problem for you to go back early, cause seriously, you'll probably be bored, feeling great, and want to!

I was about to ask how in the world you got WC to pay for bariatric surgery to begin with, but then re-read what you wrote and now I get it. That's an interesting scenario, and I can definitely see why they'd fight having to pay for a sleeve, but I can also tell you that, having worked at the WC center for General Motors at one time, probably 95% of all lawsuits brought against the company by the employee are won, and that includes completely ridiculous ones like "I can't work because I'm an alcoholic because my job made me that way," or "I can't work because of the mental problems caused by my job..." yeah, totally serious. I'd say if the job caused removal of the band, and now you can't have another band, you'd stand an excellent chance of having your WC pay for a sleeve, maybe even without much threat from a lawyer (although you may still have to initiate that process). Hmmmm, interesting. Keep us updated!

My insurance didn't deny me, I just never bothered with it since ANYTHING weight-loss related, including surgery, is a specific exclusion on our policy. That's the the insurance's fault, it's my cheap-ass greedy s.o.b. employer (who really is a horrible person in many ways, I'm not just an angry employee LOL) who chose to go as cheap as he could get with our policy.

There's nothing I like now that I didn't before, and vice-versa, but 95% of the time I'd rather have a home-cooked hamburger patty on a plate with the fixings than a fast-food burger, or some lovely chicken salad with grapes mixed in over Taco Bell... I still like that stuff, but it's definitely not my first choice. Unfortunately, I still have a major sweet tooth, and a bite of something bad still only makes me want more of it. Thankfully, it starts making me feel icky after a few bites so even when I do splurge, it's not by much! The only food I've actually had a problem with is broccoli. I LOVE it, but both times I've had it since surgery, it all came back up on me 20 minutes later. That makes me think that it wasn't an over-eating thing, but a food intolerance thing, but why broccoli and literally nothing else? I keep meaning to try some on it's own with nothing else, and see what happens, but don't think to.

I am finally weighing in again on this thread because FINALLY, after more than two months, my stall has broken!! I'd been bouncing between 188-192 all that time, but I've been doing C25K and really paying attention to grazing and snacking, and this morning the scale showed 183.2. YAY!! HW - 258 SW - 246.4 LW - eh... we'll say 188 Today - 183.2! :wink0:

What an ass. :wink0:

WOO-HOOO!! Isn't that the BEST?? Congratulations!

A long, long time ago, an old friend told me, in explaining why he no longer had a relationship with his brother, that "Sometimes we need to rid ourselves of the toxic people in our lives." That saying has stuck with me since then, and has helped me on several occasions to evaluate whether an old friendship was worth saving, or if that person had become a poison leaching into my world. I figure if we're taking this huge step to rid ourselves of toxic food, toxic thinking, toxic fat, etc., then as the toxic people start to become more obvious, why let them continue to taint our lives? We ALL -- WLS or not -- need to surround ourselves with family and friends who make us happy, bring us laughter and love, and lift us up (and who we do the same for).... not blood-sucking leeches who bring us down! :wink0:

I would start by telling her exactly what you just told us, how she never was a friend to you in the first place, and cut your losses. You don't need people like that dragging you down.

Holy cow, what a huge difference in only 3 months (or less)!! Way to go, both of you!!

And at the end of this thread, and after 6 1/2 months living with the sleeve, I STILL have no idea whether we're supposed to be measuring by weight or volume. I know that half a cup of chicken isn't gonna do it for me, but 4 oz. sure as heck is.

Nope, having a sleeve doesn't affect how we take pills at all. Yay! There are a couple of vitamins though that do depend on the intrinsic factor our stomachs produce for absorption -- B12 is one and I don't know which other(s), but that's why we have to take them sublingually -- but as far as I know that's all that we have to account for.

My surgeon didn't really go into his requirements for self-pays, but he did say that "Well between your BMI and a couple of co-morbidities, you'd definitely qualify through most insurance requirements," which I already knew, but I don't know if that's something he generally takes into consideration with self-pays or not. It would seem like he would. As for the pre-op stuff, I only needed clearance from my PCP, and the routine pre-op testing at the hospital. Oh, and no pre-op diet.

Absolutely, I'd have done it in a heartbeat!

Sounds like your nutritionist -- like the majority of them -- is an idiot! Sorry to be so blunt but I get SO tired of reading where they're giving antiquated, uninformed, or just plain wrong info and advice. It amazes me. [edited to clarify] And I mean not just with WLS, but in general... seems every article I read where some so-called "nutritionist" is quoted, I just roll my eyes and want to slap some sense into them.

That sounds great, I'll have to try this one!!

Oooh!! We get the instant videos from Netflix through the Roku, and I never thought to look on there for exercise stuff... thanks for the tip!!

Exercise will not affect the skin itself at ALL, although toning the muscle underneath can help fill out the space and support the skin better. After it's shrunk all it's going to, surgery's the only option for tightening or getting rid of the skin.

I hear ya... I've been bouncing up and down within the same 4-lb. range for two months myself, and I'm freakin' sick of it!! I have been eating more carbs than I should though, and I know that. Are you exercising? I'm doing the Couch to 5K running program right now and I really think that's gonna get things moving again. I've been between 188 - 192, and for the last couple of weeks it's been 188-189, so I have hope. If you're like me, carbs are the dang devil!

Good to stay away from breads, sugars, and other simple carbs, but you want to have the good carbs (whole grains, fruits and veggies) so you don't go into ketosis, which can harm a developing fetus. Congratulations! :thumbup:

Yeah, I get that too sometimes... usually it's when I'm out to eat and eating more than I should. That whole "just one more bite" thing, a holdover from the old fat days! Thankfully it passes after a few minutes, but I do associate it with eating too much.

I have to completely disagree with that... sorry!! Based on my 16 years of treating this and dealing with patients who have been treated by podiatrists (for a variety of reasons, not just this), I wouldn't let one touch me with a 10-foot pole (they're not doctors any more than chiropractors are), and 90% of the orthotics I've seen them make have been a joke. Please just do yourself a favor and start with your family doctor and physical therapy, and the P.T. can tell you if you need to go to an orthotist to have custom orthotics made for you. You may not, certainly not everyone does.

Fever and rapid heartbeat are two of the earliest symptoms of a leak, so if it keeps going up, better get yourself in ASAP.

I treat plantar fasciitis patients almost daily, and all the suggestions above are good... ESPECIALLY avoiding crappy shoes like flip-flips, loafers, and going barefoot. If you can rub hard on that spot on your heel, and along the arch of the foot several times a day and then stretch the heck out of the calf afterwards, that'll help too. And the frozen bottle / tennis ball really does help that tight tissue relax and stretch back out. Reeeeally stretch it good right before bed, and spend a couple of minutes moving the foot around and pulling it upward to get a calf stretch before you get out of bed, then stretch it good again with the foot on the floor before you start walking. Usually first thing in the morning, and then later in the evening after being off your feet for awhile, are the worst times, so do make an extra effort to kind of baby and stretch it then. Make sure you're wearing really good, firm, supportive athletic shoes and if it's not better in a couple of weeks, you might want to try some physical therapy. Good luck! :confused1:

What a GREAT post!!! If you don't mind, I plan on sharing part of that and crediting you as "Donna", but won't list where I got the quote from. Awesome! :thumbup1: