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Hey everybody!! I am new to the site and and I just wanted to introduce myself. I am southerndiva123 and my VSG surgery is scheduled for Thursday July 5th. Yikes!! I have struggled with my weight all my life but once I hit 300 I knew it was time to make some changes. I am feeling so many emotions right now. I was approved for lap band 2 years ago but I backed out at the last minute bc I wasn't comfortable with the surgeon. I found a great new surgeon so here I go. Any and all advice is welcome. Btw this liquid diet sucks. Hope everyone has a great Sunday!!

Ask at your goodwill in particular bc they are all different! I like to go on Sundays bc that's the day a new color tag goes on sale at half price. Mine also has a "new items" rack and they put an entire new rack of stuff daily except for Friday-Sunday so I can drop in if I'm grocery shopping next door and just look at that rack!

I'm so angry...apparently I have split insurance of ghi and empire bc b's and ghi only needs 3 months but bcbs wants 6 months of weight loss efforts..so they denied my surgery..after ive spent money on protein shakes, mentally prepared myself for sugery with the 2 week diet and submitted fmla paper work..smh... Now I have to wait..and all i want to do now is eat my disappointment away...

I had my pre op labs drawn in april (super early bc im inpatient) and my iron saturation was "low" at 12% no big deal, started taking the iron +vit c barimelts to get in a good routine for post op. Went last week to get redrawn and low and behold my iron saturation dropped to 8%? Everything else comes back "normal". Should I be worried? Anyone else have this pro orpost op? Sent from my LGMP450 using BariatricPal mobile app

Tomorrow is my 1 year surgery-versary and I'm like BeBe. I can't eat near what I did before surgery in one sitting. Take for instance this weekend, my husband and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings. Before, I would have ordered 12 regular wings, fries, maybe we would have shared an appetizer and then probably gone for ice cream after (MY WORD that sounds horrible now), anyway, I ordered my 12 wings because I like to have more than just one sauce, but those 12 wings fed me for 3 different meals. With no sides, appetizers or Desserts. What I eat now is more like what I should have been eating before. There is a limit to everything that I can eat (except wavy Lays potato chips but I SHOULDN'T be eating them anyway) but I haven't found anything that I can not eat. You have to listen to your body and advance the amount you can eat when it is ready. I have not once been sick and haven't thrown up since surgery. There have been a few times, within about the first 4 months after surgery when I was still learing what full felt like that I thought I was going to be sick because I over ate or drank too soon after eating. Things will get more normal but you will also get a new normal and that's a good thing. I'd do this all over again tomorrow if I needed to. I'm down 140 pounds and am thrilled about the changes that have come about because of my sleeve.

Hi there. Seems like you are doing brilliantly on your post op diet. It seems to me we Have less post opening input in the UK than in the USA. Any who, got sleeved on 29th May and fed up with fluids! Can't wait to get to puree - don't say that often. Keep up the good work and enjoy your new life.

Hope, I don't know what state you are in, but BC/BS of Ohio just started covering the sleeve Nov. 18th. My surgeon's office resubmitted my paperwork and I'm waiting for an answer. I was denied in Aug. due to being investigational/experimental. Sittin' on pins and needles here! I hope you get a YES very soon!

no but I do agree that WLS will help eliminate or reduce the sleep apnea. I have Fed BCBS and got pretty quick response for surgical approval. I have other commordities so I think it sped it thru. good luck!

If you had posted this during the beginning of the approval process, I would have told you to let those people have it. I've worked in the medical field and patients that can be pushed around are pushed around because a lot of people who work in medical offices, not the doctors, PA's or people with actual medical education, have a minimal education and are exceptionally lazy. If someone is rude to you, you call them out on it right that moment. If someone wants to push BS policies like these, you explain to them that your insurance does not require that procedure and if they are going to insist on following arbitrary rules that are not required, you will absolutely go elsewhere. You are not just the patient, you are the customer....if they don't treat you the way you deserve to be treated, you let them know you have no tolerance for it, and you walk away. I have a doctor (not my sleeve surgeon- he was a tool) that I love and who has largely very competent people. A few of his front desk girls though are complete idiots, so instead of dealing with them, I just ask to speak to someone who is competent or I tell them to have my doctor call me. If someone can't do their job, I will happily bypass them and let their boss know exactly why I didn't bother going through his little chain of dummies. That being said...you're so close to approval, let it go until after surgery. In the end you are getting what you want and after surgery you can write them a very long, detailed letter and potentially a review online that should allow them to revise their procedures and their behavior.

My 2 week follow up was on may 9th. They weighed me, asked if I was having any concerns or problems relating to pain or nausea etc from surgery. I had a few issues I discussed with her and then she looked at my incisions and took off my remaining steri strips. Then we talked about what I was eating which I believe I just started soft foods and that she wanted me to progress to solids in a few days and to journal what I was eating so that by my 4 week follow up appt she would know if I needed a fill or not. My 4 week appt is coming up Thursday so hopefully I get a fill bc I can eat more than I'm supposed to now. Hope this helps and good luck

Spoke to the billing clerk 7/16 about how much fills cost (my 1st 3 months were covered under the cost of surgery) I said I was wondering since BC/BS of MI doesn't cover them.......she said "yes they do" We kinda argued back and forth for a minute and she wrote down the CPT code for me S2083 Adjustment of gastric band diameter. She said BCBS covers every time, all I pay is my $10.00 office co-pay. This code is new as of July 2007 according to my BC/BS of Michigan policy. It falls under the Obesity Surgery catagory.

I really want some cherry tomatoes w some ranch dressing. I wont eat it bc Protein first and i never have room for more than that, but its a new craving to me.

I was told by my PCP that the only kind of oral bc that I could use was jolivette the mini pill because it doesn't contain estrogen. The surgeon ok'd it but reading your posts makes me wonder if it's effective. Is anyone else on it?

Here are the regs for you http://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/details/ncd-details.aspx?NCDId=57&bc=AgAAgAAAAAAA&ncdver=3

Yes and no. Yes bc I got my surgery for free and had an amazing team who I can contact for ANYTHING I need. No bc the criteria was very intense. If you messed up one time you had to start all over. I complied with everything exactly, but I watched some people who didn't and it was sad.

My story is similar to yours. My surgeon is very conservative too. I lost 100% ewl before complications after kids. Had my band out and asked my surgeon which would be better for me after band and he said I should do sleeve. Hope he is right bc doing surgery in June! Maybe get another option? I had heard the same things as you about sleeve being less successful but there are plenty of successful revisions on this board. What complications did you have?

After the trauma to the muscle in my belly, I having a hard time bending over bc gravity pulls on it. Is anyone else having trouble? I can't lay down in bed, it's too much for that one muscle.

I only did a day of liquids after a fill if that. It seems much harder with the sleeve and I'm thinking its bc its so long. I did 2 weeks of preop then 1 week of solid liquids. I am now on creamy soups and Friday can add in tuna and eggs. Tuna sounds like a feast to me at this point

My point was, if a bar can refuse to serve drinks to someone who is obviously impaired (they didn't have to drink there; they could have come to the bar drunk already...happens all the time), then why is it such a stretch of the imagination for a restaurant to refuse to serve food to someone who is obviously well fed already? I understand the logic, even though I don't condone it. Even another example is the fact casinos can and do refuse to allow addicted gamblers into their casinos, once they are put on the "do not allow" list.

just know that it's normal and you just keep trudging along. we never lose as fast as we want and there are times the scale doesn't move. the best thing is to not focus on the number. i'm serious! its a huge mindf**k, and most of us fall into it. it serves no purpose. stay positive, and keep doing what you are doing. don't cut your calories any more. watch the carbs and sugar. make sure everything that goes into your mouth is high in Protein and low in carbs/sugar. how is your bowel program? sometimes you need to increase Fiber to keep things moving through. please dont fall into the 'im a failure, im in a stall' bs you see so often happen. this is a year+/ lifetime process. my other recommendation is to keep track of your weight on a graph. i dont know if mfp has graphs. one good one that does is called libra. it is so cool to see the progress in visual data. i love my graph!!

Hi there. I'm a newbie to this site/forum. Used ObesityHealth for all my pre/post op journey. I hadn't heard of this site though so giving it a go. You can never have to much support! My story, very briefly is that come Nov 2nd I'll be 4years post op from having a VSG. I just turned 31 on the 22nd of August, was 27 when I had the surgery though wanted it forever. I was always the fat kid even in high school when I suffered thru Ana/Mia/EDNOS. Had crazy co morbitities before surgery. High BP (took meds), type 2 diabetes (took needs and SS insulin), high cholesterol and my triglycerides were SO high my Dr couldn't get a read on the blood work-we tried numerous times. I was 6'4" and at my highest weight 435 lbs. I was 410 by surgery. My goal for myself was between 200&180lbs though I went and still go more by inches and measurements and how I feel more so than the scale. I quickly dropped to my lowest post-surgery weight of 220lbs within about 14months. However, I cross addicted and returned to old patterns of EXCESSIVE excersise to fill the other voids in my life I didn't want to face. It was to the point where if I had to work at 9am I'd be getting up at 2:30/3am to workout before work. And I always worked out at home. I'd start with a 15min Oxycise session (an aerobic breathing program that focuses on isometric/isotonic and stretch positions) then I'd move to weightlifting for an hour then a 30-40min session of Hip Hop Abs followed by 2hrs of Tae Bo and I'd finish it all off with an hour of Power Vinyasa Yoga. I did this daily for months on end and often without rest days. Eventually life happened and I started to realize how crazy I was being and tried to adjust. At this point I was happy with my body-in retrospect I was happy with myself but at the time I still saw the fat guy in the mirror who's Dr wanted me down to 170, I would have made peace with 200 at that point bc I was almost art my personal goal. Still, as fit as I was by scientific standards I was still obese, had a Dr pushing more loss and friends/daily worried I was "too skinny" and through all this I never took a breath to actually ask myself what I thought, where I wanted to be and where I'd be comfortable. Yeah, stupid. Then, started going out with friends, experiencing restaurant foods and things I'd never touched since surgery...including alcohol. Started dating and now living with my partner but in my comfort, indulgences and dealing with a back injury that limits my workouts now-prob for the best-I managed to gain back about 90lbs over the next 2 years or so which brings us to present day. I'm back looking for support from others who may have regained and are in the same boat and hopefully finding a friend(s) to lose the regain with. Also hoping to continue to help other post op newbies from making the same mistakes I made. Its quite easy if you're not careful. Anywho, that's my Story and why I'm here. Hope to chat with some of you and see you around the boards. Anyone else in this room in the regain boat?

I'm one month out and I feel nauseous 80% of the time. Nothing sounds good and I really don't want to eat, ever. I force myself to eat but it's typically a Protein bar, and even then I can barely finish 1/2. I still drink most of my protein, and am getting usually 70 grams a day, however, I only get about 300 ish calories sometimes up to 450. It's not the food that makes me feel sick, it's just all the time. I actually hate having to eat bcs i never feel hungry and always feel sick. . It's quite miserable. Anyone experience this? Does it go away?

So I had my revision on April 29, 4 1/2 hour surgery, my stomach had prolapsed and was adhered to my liver. Passed out in the hospital, couldn't get a BP for about 20 min, and ended up staying 3 nights. No pain since drain was removed ( the drain somehow slipped into my pelvic area causing A LOT of pain). Anyhow, I am just weak weak weak! Walk up the stairs sit for 20 min, have to sit to make jello. I can drink anything at least 4 oz at a time. Getting about 60 gm of protein. Prob 48 oz water/liquids. Still on full liquids. My BP is still low this morning it was 92/56. BS was 124. No fever, very little pain, largest incision does look a little angry. Down 14 lbs including pre-op. Do I sound normal? I'm just soooo weak! Thanks Laurie

Hi...My name is Dee. I'm 42 and live in Texas. I am getting banded on Tuesday the 19th. I'm looking for a buddy I can talk to and learn from. I haven't told anyone outside my family about this. I'm not ready for the world to know yet. I guess I just don't want to hear all the BS...

I'm 5yrs out and I am brutally honest about this surgery. I am the type I'd rather you tell me like it is instead of sugar coating it. I've lied to myself almost my whole life with the "I don't eat that much.." excuse. I am where I am today because I did it to myself. The obesity I did myself and the surgery I did to myself. I accept my actions and trust me its a dark life when ur in a hospital and all u have is urself and ur thoughts. I do not intend to terrify ppl to have the surgery but I can say this I care enough for my fellow bari patients to tell yall the truth and what can happen. Bariatric surgery has became so mainstream now I fear a lot don't take this seriously hence why suicide, sex addictio. Or alcoholism rates are so high for us. The reason you will probably hear about my story in every post is bc I would have truly appreciated someone in my pre-op post-op days coming to me with the truth. Instead I felt dooped. Out of all the reading on forums etc not once were there a person openly honest about how it truly affected them. Do you know how hard it is to be deathly sick and you hear rude comments from nurses such as "bet ya wished u had just got a gym membership huh?!" Or to have your family just get tired of listening or you lose relationships bc of your condition? It really hurts to come to a site and literally pour your heart out only to be berated by somebody you look to for support. We may weave our story in all the time but we do so bc we know or HOPE fellow bari pt will listen and not mind to do so bc unlike everyone else we r all supposed to be on the same road. Accept us all no matter what bc haven't we lived a life of hell prior to surgery due to the constant degeading conments and stares...let this be the one place u can trust to come to and know ur not going to be hurt..we r all entitled to that. =)