Hello there!

I am still in a bit of shock, but my insurance (Aetna) has approved my band-to-bypass surgery, and I am on cloud nine! There is a whole lot to my back story, but short story is, I had band 7 years ago, miserable most of those 7 years with very little success, and here I am gearing up for a whole new life! Insurance approved in less than a week! My PCP put together a lengthy, comprehensive history of my attempts at health and weight loss over the last 10 years, and I'm pretty sure that is the reason I was approved so quickly. I have no hoops to jump through, just routine blood work, EKG, a nutrition counseling session with the dietician, and an ultrasound to see if my gallbladder is acting up. My surgery date will be April 7.

I really think I'm still in shock, but I just wanted to encourage anyone out there to be persistent if you feel like this is something you want to do. We almost didn't even submit my claim to insurance because there were a few areas we just weren't sure about, but with a lot of prayer and preparation, we turned it over to God. I feel like this next step has been a long time coming, and I am a little scared. But, mostly excited and brimming with anticipation.

I will try to update this link as often as I can, in hopes that it will help someone out there in the same boat as I am. In the meantime, it's going to be a beautiful weekend in Texas! Time to go dig in the garden.

Blessings and Cheers!

@@Cupcake, Yay for you! You got through it! I am so glad you feel good. Isn't it nice to be on this side of the surgery?

@@allielee, I almost threw up in the hospital and it was terrifying! You are a trooper. Congrats on your weight loss so far.

@@Kookichu, thanks for always being so positive and supportive! The scale started moving the very next day, and "bathroom issues" had a lot do to with that! Without providing TMI, I think things had been backed up for awhile. Not any more, though!!

And, on a NSV note, I actually went to work out last night!!! Just a little bit on the treadmill, but I have not had energy to even do that. So, baby steps back to cardiac health for me.

Tgarden lol thanks and yes it feels great to be on this side , I didnt think I was ever going to get here because of the long process but I did. The hardest part was the waiting and all that dam broth I do not wait to ever see broth again lol. Or anything that resembles chicken noodle Soup or beef soup. LOL I am feeling better more every day and I a actually looking to going back to work. I go to my first two week post opt appointment next Wednesday. And I am looking forward to it. How do you or anyone else, eat. I find eating such a bore and because I am not hungry at all I have to force myself to eat and drink my Protein. But I do love premiere Protein shakes and Isopure grape frost . BM is regular and i have no only probems the biggest hurdel for me in this journal was the waiting and the gas after surgery but once that was out I was ok. I hope everyone else recovery is going as good as mine.

I cannot believe that it has been 6 months since I started this thread! Man how life has changed!! In those 6 months I am down 60 pounds, and I haven't felt this good in many, many years!! My weight loss has been sporadic. In the first few months, I had very few stalls. It seems that after that I would hit a plateau about once every ten pounds or so, and one stall lasted almost 3 weeks. However, during each plateau I feel my clothes getting bigger even though the scale is not moving. I have NO idea how that happens, but I'm just learning to go with it! I also only weigh once a week, and have tried really hard not to be a slave to the scale. I can just look at the big piles of clothes I have been constantly taking to a resale shop, and I feel my successes there! I am currently on another plateau, which is lasting about 2 weeks. I know in my heart I am not finished losing weight, so I'm just enjoying knowing that this plateau will pass, just like the others have.

I have also been very lucky and have had zero complications from my bypass surgery. I had the band removed at the same time, as well as a hiatal hernia repaired. I have found that I can tolerate any food I try, keeping in mind I pay very close attention to sugar content and do not eat fatty foods. It is so nice to be able to eat a regular meal and never have to worry about anything getting stuck like with the band. Since bypass, I have been able to eat much smaller portions, and my body tells me I'm finished by creating a true sense of fullness. Not miserable, not uncomfortable, just an honest sense of "I don't want any more food." It is not embarassing at restaurants or meals with friends, it just feels like a "normal" reaction. SO HAPPY!!

My only complaints are fatigue and hair loss. I haven't been able to get a ton of energy going. My hair started falling out about 3 months ago, and hasn't slowed down much at all. I do see some new hair growing in along my hairline, so that is promising. I pull out handfulls in the shower each day. Worrisome to say the least, but normal with our surgery. Headaches also seem to come and go, and hydrating with Gatorade helps some there. At my first check-up, all of my bloodwork came back just perfect, which means I'm absorbing all of what I need to from my Vitamins. Also my insulin resistance numbers were quite a bit improved. Not perfect yet, but moving in the right direction. Having insulin resistance was my "last straw" in deciding to have bypass surgery, so I am so glad to see that I am making progress in having that issue completely resolved.

At my first checkup, I asked my doctor why we didn't do this 10 years ago. He just laughed and said, "I hear that all the time!" He reminded me that when I had decided on lap band, I wanted something a little less permanent, and I also did not yet have issues with my insulin. Hind sight, and all that!

I hope everyone else out there in Bypass land is doing well and working towards becoming healthy humans! It's a long road, but we can do it!