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5 years of waiting....less friends but a healthier future

Lady1000

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Lady1000    16

Lady1000
Posted

I do not know if my story is very different than others but for me it has been a 5 year struggle to finally have my sleeve done.

I live very close to Mexicali and had gone to several consultations with Dr Aceves and had the pleasure of calling him my friend. I had close friends that had surgery with him and I could see how their lives had changed. He gave me all the help he could with payment plans , counseling, etc but in the end I still had to come up with the hospital costs. it was just taking me so long to get the money together. Unexpected expenses, traveling to see my family out of town, etc At one point a group of my close friends and family got together and started pitching in for me to have surgery. I was so touched by this and could not believe it! I could finally see myself getting surgery, I started to get excited. I started my pre op diet and was looking into possible dates. Not sure how it started but someone started putting doubts in everyone's mind, if this was the right thing to do? if I really knew what I wanted ? what if had problems? I am 50 years old so I definitely knew what i wanted, I had researched, learned and wanted to have it done so badly. The plan fell through and I was back to square one and very angry at some of my so called friends. Worse thing is that they did not even ask me, just assumed I could not make a decision on my own. Of course in the meantime I gained 15 more lbs and was frustrated and hopeless. I spend the little I had saved and was ready to live the rest of my life at my weight. I am by nature a happy person, I enjoy many things in life but weight has always held me back, I know this. Dr. Aceves died and I felt this was just a sign I would not have surgery, ever. it was a very sad time for all the community in mexicali to lose this great man. Only 3 months later my ANGEL appeared. She is my friend and I know she had money but this is not something I would ever dare ask for, it NEVER crossed my mind, I could not have even asked for a loan. She went to speak with Dr. Campos , he is a bariatric doctor, and asked who was doing surgeries now that Dr. Aceves was gone. When she heard it was Dr. Wilhelmy she asked him to schedule me even before talking to me! LOL He couldn't do this but I had a consultation the following day. Everyone knows Dr. Wilhelmy in Mexicali, he is an excellent doctor and very well esteemed in the city , he cares for his patients, very skilled and with many years of experience. I could not believe it when she told me, we had never discussed this and she was so serious I thought she had some awful news to tell me. It turns out she did not know if I would be offended! I cried when she told me, I had no words to express what I was feeling, I could just hug her and cry. We talked and both felt very comfortable and confident with moving forward with Dr. Wilhelmy and the rest of the doctors. We knew half of them personally! The hospital is the best in the city and well we knew some people that had had surgery with Dr. Wilhelmy too. 10 days later I was sleeved! I do not underestimate what I need to do and the work I have ahead of me but I am so ready! Anyone struggling with financing keep the faith! It may happen for you too! :P :D :lol:

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VSGAnn2014    12,992

VSGAnn2014
Posted

Outstanding intervention. I wish for you the best possible outcomes for surgery, recovery, and your new life.

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4everbeautiful    61

4everbeautiful
Posted

Beautiful story! Thanks for the share. Congratulations on now being sleeved!! True friends are AWESOME!!

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Lady1000    16

Lady1000
Posted

Thank you I feel so blessed. I look forward to learning from the everyone here!

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mz.newlife54    103

mz.newlife54
Posted

Congratulations and thanks for sharing your journey.

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Go To Topic Listing Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

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    • Aunty Mamo

      Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
      · 0 replies
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    • BeanitoDiego

      BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
      · 0 replies
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    • BeanitoDiego

      BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
      · 0 replies
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    • ChunkCat

      ChunkCat

      Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.
      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
      · 0 replies
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    • BeanitoDiego

      BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
      · 0 replies
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