gotamakeachange

I am 2 1/2 weeks out and I feel as if I am at a stall. My scale has went down about 1.5 pounds in a week. Which I'm not going to complain to much because it is a loss and not a gain. I am not due to have my cycle yet, but at least now I'm prepared to possibly gain weight or for it not to come at all. I'm sure your doctor is aware of what is going on and will not be disappointed in you. This too shall pass.

I experienced the same pain about 3 days out. The pain was intense and lasted for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. After that my shoulder just felt a little strange for a couple of days. I told my doctor about it at my follow up visit (the pain was gone) he was not concerned and said everything sounds normal. Im 2 1/2 weeks out now and I do not have any shoulder discomfort at all. Hopefully your pain will subside soon.

Im 2 1/2 weeks out and I also am at a stall. The scale has changed maybe 1.5 pounds in the last week. I'm staying positive though as I have read this can happen and I'm just so excited that I am not gaining any weight. This too shall pass.

Congrats to you and Albert. I will also be sleeved Monday at 10:30 am. Our lives will change for the better in less than 48 hours.

I set my goal weight at the smallest weight I believe I can get to without looking sick. I would probably be very happy and satisfied at 150 pounds. I think that is the weight that I can hold and maintain, but I always want to strive for just a bit more. Like others said then that gives me some wiggle room and room to find my personal "sweet spot"

Hello all, I get my sleeve on Monday December 20, 2010. I went to my nursing and dietician appointment this past Wednesday and was told I will have to give myself two shots of blood thinner everyday for one week after surgery:o . I was stunned, this was my first time hearing about anything like this. They said this is the doctors requirement for all sleeve patients and there was no way around it. I am not afraid of needles, but I have never had to give myself a shot before:(. The nurse told us that this is to help prevent blood clots.

They did show us how to administer it to ourselves, I just had not read about this on anyone else's post so I was surprised when they mentioned it at the meeting. I will definitely follow my surgeons instructions especially to prevent blood clots. Im sure I will do fine .

I have BCBS PPO of MI, like Susanne said they began covering the sleeve 11/1/10. I was approved on 11/10/10. My BMI is 41.

Hello all, I was wondering if hair loss is a definite once you are sleeved? I have a lot of hair and could lose quite a bit of it without anyone noticing, but I would like to keep my length so that I am able to wear ponytails when I dont feel like getting my hair professionally done. This is not really a big concern because I am a true believer that hair will grow back, I just want to be as prepared as possible if this is something that I will experience.

Hello All, I am new to this site, though I have been reading the post for a couple of weeks. I originally thought I was going to get the Lapband, but my surgeon suggested the sleeve due to the complications of the lapband and the overall success rate. That was at my consultation on October 12. Well I decided to go with the sleeve and began my journey by completing all of my test and doctor's visits. I went to see my PCP on October 15 for bloodwork and my medical clearance, I had my stress test on October 21, and my psychological assessment on October 26. Now I wait. I do not have a surgery date and my information has not been sent for insurance approval. The psychologist said he would prepare the report and fax it to my doctor within the week, (a week will be tomorrow). I really am praying that I am able to get sleeved at the end of December while my children are out of school on Christmas break. I would also liked to be sleeved this year as we all now the insurance deductibles start all over again in January. This wait is pretty bad as I can not plan anything. I dont know if I will need to take additional time off of work, if I will have to due a pre-op diet, or if any additional testing will be needed. I like to plan things and this is not allowing me to plan, not to mention I am anxious to begin my new life. Hopefully I will hear something soon from my surgeon's office, my insurance consultant said she would call me this week when she received the psychological assessment. So I will try to wait patiently.

Im scheduled for December 20, 2010. What a wonderful Christmas gift. I am so excited I can't stand it. I cant believe that I actually have a date for my new life to begin. I haven't been this excited since giving birth to my children. If I knew how to do a cartwheel I would. Maybe when I lose some of my weight I will learn how to do one.

I have my date, December 20, 2010. :teeth_smile: What a wonderful Christmas gift to myself. :angel_smile: I am so excited. The scheduler from my surgeon's office called yesterday and scheduled my date. I am so ready for my new life. It's kind of unbelievable that a year from now I will look and feel like a different person.

Ok may insurance consultant called today and told me all of my paperwork is in and she is going to submit my information to the nurse for a final review and then submit my information to my insurance. She said the next person I should talk to is the scheduling person to let me know the available dates. I told my insurance consultant my preference is the end of December while my children are on Christmas break. Hopefully this will be the best Christmas gift I have ever given myself :angel_smile:

And still I wait. I got a call from my surgeon's office yesterday telling me that all of my information was received and she would be submitting my information to the insurance consultant. However I am a little irritated. As I mentioned before it was my belief that I was waiting for my psychological evaluation to be forwarded to my doctor, so the insurance consultant told me that she would call me last week when it arrived. Well turns out that I was not waiting for the psych eval as it was already forwarded, I was waiting on my stress test. I would not have known this and it would not have been sent if I did not call on Friday because I had not heard from the insurance consultant. Turns out the office where I got my stress test done did not pay attention to the note for the test not only to be sent to my PCP, but my surgeon also. So I had to call that office and ask them to fax the information to my surgeon. My irritation comes because what if I didnt call my surgeon's office? When would someone had informed me about my stress test not being received? I realize that I am not there only patient, but considering they have been in this business for a while they should know how anxious I am to get things moving, especially considering I did all my testing in a two week period. I would feel so much better if I at least had a date or knew what the next step is going to be.

I have Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO of Michigan and my doctor told me that my insurance was not covering the sleeve until Nov. 1, so Im not sure if my approval will take longer because covering this procedure will be new or if that wont matter. I am praying that nothing has changed with the insurance company since my doctor told me they will cover the procedure. The nutritionist said my doctor sits on the board for Blue Cross Blue Shield and she was in the same meeting with my doctor and she heard them say they will begin covering the procedure as of Nov. 1.

Hello Everyone, Yesterday I went for my consultation with my surgeon. He asked me which procedure I was interested in and why. So I told him that I was interested in getting the lap band. He asked me what I knew about the lap band. Then he told me that he would recommend that I get the vertical sleeve rather than the lap band. He stated there are less complications with the vertical sleeve than the lap band (ie band slippage, erosion, and port flipping). He also told me to think about if I lost my health insurance and how would I continue with after care considering after care can entail numerous visits for the rest of my life. He stated with the vertical sleeve weight loss is definitely comparible and in most patients better than the lap band. He stated the vertical sleeve has the same hospital stay and recovery time. I thought I was so sure about the lap band, but know Im leaning toward the vertical sleeve.:smile: Has this happen to anyone else?

Im with you KrisBanded. Despite my personal decision to go with the sleeve we are all still on the same journey. We are just using different avenues to reach the same goal of healthiness. I also enjoy visiting this site and I am not going anywhere and there is not anything anyone can do about it:tt2:.

Well prayfully you will have lots of success with the band without any complications. Good Luck

Dave maybe you can ask your insurance coordinator at your surgeons office if your insurance will cover the band anytime soon?

I have BCBS of MI.

Thanks everyone for your responses. According to may doctor and his staff as of 11/1/10 the sleeve will be covered by my insurance. So I'm going with the sleeve. All of the research I have done leads me to the sleeve. There is a big population of bandsters that have got there band removed and opted for the sleeve. The medical sites that I have looked at said the sleeve is more than likely going to eventually replace the band due to the bands complications, the average success rate, and patients not having to deal with a foreign object in their body. The surgery sounds scary when I think about part my stomach being cut and removed, but it is almost just as scary to think about remaining the size I am or bigger and the complications that come with obesity.

Thanks guys, I think everything will be fine, but I can't help being nervous about the unknown. I look forward to my doctor and his staff helping me to feel more comfortable in my decision :-)

I go to my consultation tomorrow. This will be the first time I meet my surgeon. I'm excited, but nervous. I don't know what to expect. I hope everything goes well. I have been waiting for this day since I attended the seminar 09/15/10. Wish me luck.

Well welcome to you too fan123! Good Luck on your journey.

Just wanted to stop by and say hello to everyone. I am not banded as of yet. I go for my first consultation on October 12, 2010, which will be one of the first days of my wonderful transformation. I am a little nervous about what to expect from my 1st consultation. I have attended a seminar and found the information very informative. I am excited and nervous all wrapped in one.