Becca

Hey all, my insurance doesnt cover bariatric surgery so I started looking else where, i didn't want to travel to Mexico. I wanted to stay in the US. I found dr. morris washington. I have my surgery date set for september 12th.
Everyones questioning why its so cheap so i asked. Here was the reply:
Ok ....why it's so cheap. Our bariatric program here at Conway Medical Center with Dr. Washington is new. Our former bariatric surgeon left this area about 1.5 years ago. The hospital recruited Dr. Washington from his practice in NJ (Freehold I think). Our facility was previously a Center of Excellence in Bariatric Surgery with the former surgeon. When he left, we lost that special accreditation (b/c we had no one to do the surgeries and you have to do so many in a certain time frame to keep it current). For our new program we are in the process of obtaining our new Center of Excellence. In order to be in compliance with this program however, you have to do 125 bariatric surgeries over a certain time frame. The hospital administration decided to discount the self pay price for the surgeries so that we could hopefully get to that number sooner rather than later as that is the only requirement of the excellence program that is not already in place.
I also asked is he board certified and here is the reply:
Dr. Washington is board certified and he is even a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. (extra training/certification) You can see all of his credentials, bio information, etc. on our website financing through chase advanced medical (i think thats what its called...not positive) and i was approved for 7000. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask me. I'm very confident with my decision to choose Dr. Washington. (he's in south carolina by the way-and its a 12 day visit if your out of town).
Good luck!!!

The sleeve is totally different than the band. The band was just a big joke for me. It never really worked and I was still morbidly obese after 3 and a half years. The sleeve changed my life. It did take me 14 months to get to normal weight, but I got there. I am so happy. Personally, my food obsession has been drastically reduced from the surgery. Food doesn't run my life anymore. I do! You should try the sleeve and I do think you can be successful! The sleeve works.

Yay! Congrats. You are going to be amazed at how well the sleeve works. Sending hugs your way.

I never order an entire meal. I tend to overeat when I do and feel sick. I order items a la carte or share with my hubby if he is there. I order a cup of Soup a lot too. Some restaurants are WLS friendly. Red Lobster will let you just order a side of crab legs if you tell them you are a WLS patient. The hard part of eating out for me is all in my head. I "think" I want to order a normal portion, but I just can't eat it. I know to just order the smaller portions since I am not a big fan of leftovers. The waiters can be a big pain though! They always think something is wrong. It gets annoying to deal with.

I am a normal weight. It is nice to go to the doctor and no longer fear the scale.< /p>

I am a normal weight. It is nice to go to the doctor and no longer fear the scale.< /p>

Congrats! Welcome to an amazing journey! The sleeve is awesome.

3 pounds gone ... 7 to go. Wahoo!!!!!

Congrats! You are making such a great decision! Let me know if you need anything.

Here's my story, it's pretty long...
I've always been a big girl, big and tall. I think since the 2nd grade. I remember weighing 90 lbs in the 2nd grade, I don't know what the norm was for 2nd graders in the 80's. I don't remember ever weighing less than 200 lbs. I'm 5'11". I won't list every diet program I've been on, but I was successful with slimfast/ephedra/daily exercise, HCG, and the Body for Life Challenge. WeightWatches frustrated me because I was allowed more points because of my height, worked out daily, and wouldn't lose while everyone else would lose 3+ lbs/week. At one point I thought something was wrong with me, my metabolism measurements were not low according to the BodyBugg.
No doctor would ever mention my weight. I thought that was odd. Fast forward to 2011 when I switched to Kaiser insurance. I was the one to bring up my weight because my doctor skipped over it since I have excellent blood work and vitals *eye roll*. He suggested the VSG and said he had many successful patients with it. My BMI is 39 (280 lbs, yikes!) and I have high cholesterol (he told me that is a co-morbidity). I first heard about VSG after learning the rapper Paul Wall had it. I said nah, I can lose it on my own, he wrote me a Rx for Phentermine. FF a year later, I'm 20 lbs heavier, I couldn't tolerate the Phentermine, I'm very sensitive to stimulants. I made the call and said lets move forward with the VSG process.
I met with the nutritionist. She didn't see how I was qualified, she said my cholesterol is a little high but my LDL looks great and is "to die for." Yes, she really said that to me. So I gave her my family history of diabetes and she said she will use that. She needed documentation of my weight from 2009. I tracked down some records from a Bariatric Clinic I went to. I had an issue getting the records to her in a timely manner. I would e-mail and call to follow up and would never get called back.
I got fed up with Kaiser's unprofessionalism. I was pissed off because I'm not fat enough and too healthy to get an instant approval. I learned more about Medical Tourism from reading these forums and started researching surgeons in Mexico. I chose Dr. Ramos Kelly. I sent him an e-mail directly last week and he responded to me in 15 minutes. Yes, 15 minutes! I sent off all my paperwork, and he called me yesterday and we spoke. I picked his brain (I'm a PhD) and requested photos and/or videos of my stomach. We both laughed. I'm weird like that! He said I can bring a camera and he will snap some photos of my somach for me. Yay! My date is set for March 29th and I couldn't be happier! I'm finally making the investement in my happiness that I have deserved for years. I have only told 2 other people that I'm going to Mexico. I can't take the ignorant comments when it comes to Mexico. A friend and I went on vacation in Peurta Vallarta last year and I couldn't believe all of the ignorant comments we got before going (I hope you don't get kidnapped...really?!?). I love Mexico! The culture and the food! Viva la Mexico!!! I told a few close friends that I am having WLS done this year, and my parents. I stopped telling people because some family and friends were not supportive. Like, one of my fat friends was like I don't want you to have the surgery, but I will support you. WTF, why you want me to stay fat like you? Sorry, that's mean but that's what I was thinking in my head. I have 2 friends with the band and one with gastric bypass, and I have their support. I'm 32, single, and make good money and I deserve this. I was just thinking today that I will not be fat on my 33rd birthday this year!
Ok, so that's my story. Thanks for reading

Absolutely, positively get the sleeve! I had a horrible time with my band. It never really worked and then it broke apart in my body causing me miserable pain. The sleeve is amazing. It gives you restriction all the time. You can eat what you want, although my tastes have changed quite a bit. I am now a normal weight 14 months post op from the sleeve. I am so happy. You should give yourself a second chance!

Hi Everyone,
I am so excited to say that I am now a normal weight 14 months after my sleeve! I have been losing slowly the past few months, but I didn't give up. There have been times when I have made bad food choices and skipped working out. I had to learn from those mistakes and start strong again. It is so rewarding to be here after a painful failed Lapland. I am just so thankful each and every day for my sleeve. If you are struggling, don't give up. You can get to you goals!

Hi Everyone,
I am so excited to say that I am now a normal weight 14 months after my sleeve! I have been losing slowly the past few months, but I didn't give up. There have been times when I have made bad food choices and skipped working out. I had to learn from those mistakes and start strong again. It is so rewarding to be here after a painful failed Lapland. I am just so thankful each and every day for my sleeve. If you are struggling, don't give up. You can get to you goals!

WOW! Maybe a bit harsh?!?!?!? Congratulations for losing so much so quickly, but some people's bodies do everything they can to hold onto the weight. Good advice if they aren't adhering, but if they are - this could have felt like a kick in the teeth.
As for the topic and orginal question ... For me, I was lucky. I continually lost on 1200 or so calories a day & didn't watch carbs very closely. I figured if I got Protein in first, there wasn't really a lot of room left for carbs.
It doesn't hurt to try your NUTS plan & see if it works. He/she has seen a lot of people & presumably knows you well. If it doesn't work, then try another path. We are all different & nothing is "cookie cutter" about weightloss.

I want to thank everyone that has replied to my thread. I really think I needed to hear these things and it has given me the biggest wake up call. Today I did REALLY well, even though I'm on mushies I pretty much stuck to Clear Liquids and gave my sleeve a rest. Im glad that I was able to post here and get all of these responses because they have truely made a difference. I actually cried reading a lot of these because u guys are 100% correct and I can't believe how much damage I could've done to myself. I'm grateful for this website for opening my eyes and helping me take the first steps to getting back on track. Thanks everyone.

I am happy that you were able to have the surgery so young. Use this opportunity to take back control. Avoid snacking. That is the main way we sabotage our sleeves. I know college life can be stressful. Enjoy the weight you have lost! 72 pounds is great. You can finish this!

now THAT was weird

I know how you feel! I have a friend that is a personal trainer and she has treated me like that. She has never had a weight problem and it just frustrates me. This is not an easy journey. It is very easy to gain the weight back if you don't eat correctly. Sometimes, you just have to let go of those who are not positive about your journey. This is about a new beginning. It still hurts though. Especially since you were friends. Your true friends are the ones who are happy for your success. Congrats on doing so well! I just noticed you don't live far. I am from Houston.

I vote for waiting for your insurance. I had my lapband in Mexico due to an insurance exclusion. The trip and surgery went fine. I actually had a great experience. Then after two years, I started having serious issues with my band. NO DOCTORS where I live would see me or wanted anything to do with me since I had surgery in Mexico. I had the phone hung up on me numerous times the second I said I had WLS in Mexico. Luckily, my insurance started covering WLS and I found my wonderful doctor who took me on as a patient and did my revision to the sleeve. There are many wonderful doctors in Mexico and I am not at all saying it is bad to have surgery in Mexico. You just need to have money set aside if something goes wrong so you can return to your surgeon. That is something I just didn't plan for. Good luck!!!

I always used to tell myself, " I will start my diet tomorrow." There were times when I lied to myself and said I was happy being the size I was. I always knew that somehow and someway I would end my misery of being morbidly obese. Thankfully my journey led me to the sleeve!

I just finished..I am not so sure about the push up part. I may have to work up to that. I would say crunches definitely count. We should keep this going and think of a new challenge each month. I like the motivation!

YOU GO BECCA!!!! I'm planning on joining a new gym in my area this week yayyy! And I was planning on taking before and after pics for my problem skin areas lol! I'm praying it helps, we shall seeeeee!

Happy Dance Time!!! :purplebananna: Congrats!!!

Congrats!!! You are making a great decision to have the sleeve. It works!!! I understand your decision to not tell certain people. There were some people in my life I told that were very judgemental before I had my surgery and it hurts. Of course, now that I have lost the weight, they have a different opinion. LOL I will caution you, you will get LOTS of questions about how you are losing weight. You need to plan in advance an answer. I tell everyone that asks that I had the sleeve. It is just easier for me. I kid you not, I would say that just about daily, someone makes a comment or asks me about how I lost the weight. Just be prepared with an answer. Good luck! How nice that you have a friend to go through this with.

My YMCA is having a challenge for everyone to commit to doing 3,000 push ups and sit ups in February. I thought it was a great idea so I am sharing it here. You could even take before and after pics and see if there is a difference in your body. I am going to commit to try and do this. I sure do need the toning! LOL