I have been going through almost 8 months monitored weight loss (insurance only requires 6) and two months of being drug around in the mud by my insurance, bariatric office, and the insurance coordinators. Long story short, they denied the surgery at first, and them told me I'd have to see someone once a week for 3 months (currently still doing that), and then I could appeal. We submitted an appeal anyway, to have the denial overturned.

I called on 8/22/2015 for s$%*^'s and giggles to see what the status was. The surgery has been overturned, meaning it's approved. It's done, it's over, I can finally get the surgery!!!!! I called my bariatric office to see what the next steps are from here, they said they need to get the actual letter from the insurance, then the surgery coordinator will call me and schedule a date!

This is a huge weight off of my shoulder! I know that a lot of you people may not think that I am ready for the surgery (mentally). Over the last 2 months I have had time to really sit down and think if I am ready. After going to this psychotherapist for 2 months, and talking with her, I am ready. I have been ready from day one. I decided that I am going to continue our sessions weekly up until the surgery, and then go every other week after that. I need someone to talk to because this is a very overwhelming decision and a HUGE life changer.

I am beyond scared and I haven't even got a date yet. I have so many questions that I want answered. I'll put some of them down below and if you can answer any of them PLEASE do!

1. I have a desk job, work overnights and am barely up moving around and am getting this surgery done laparoscopically, I am planning on 2 weeks off after surgery for recovery/getting my schedule corrected. Is this too long? How long were you out?

2. After I leave the hospital, I am on soft foods. Anyone else's post-op diet like this straight after surgery?

3. How soon were you able to do household things, like carrying laundry baskets, dishes, driving, exercising?

4.What's the pain like? Anything to compare it to?

5.Anyone have ADD and have to up their dose or notice a change in prescriptions?

6. Birth control? I'm on the pill now any suggestions for afterwards?

7.Any tips, or advise?

Congrats! It's a great feeling when stuff finally starts falling into place. It can be a bit overwhelming but soon you'll be more excited and impatient than scared or worried. I had my RNY this past Monday the 17th. I'll try to answer your questions the best I can.

1 - I'm less than a week out from surgery and I'm already doing a LOT better than I anticipated. And on top of that, I know I'm definitely recovering slower than a lot of people. Some people were up and walking like a mile two days after surgery (WHAT! XD Crazy) and by the end of the week were generally feeling great. Personally, I get tired easily, like walking from my living room to my kitchen and back can make me a little tired, but in terms of pain, there's just not a lot of it if I'm careful about how hard I push myself and how I twist/move. I'm betting two weeks will be enough time for you, easily, especially since you have a desk job and won't need to push push yourself super hard. Also, taking really good care of yourself and allowing yourself to rest and sleep as much as you can in those two weeks will go a long way toward your recovery. So I wouldn't sweat it.

2 - That seems awfully fast to be on soft foods, as most people leave the hospital 2 days after surgery. I had surgery on monday and got home wednesday afternoon. I'm on liquids, like Protein shakes, low fat milk, strained cream Soup, sugar free pudding, etc until at least this wednesday coming up, when I go to my follow up appointment. However, every surgeon is different. And while it's very important to follow the doctor's orders, especially right after surgery during recovery, if your body can't handle soft foods your doctors aren't going to yell at you if you need to go back to liquids. Your body will be talking and you will certainly have to listen.

3 - I'm not exactly up to doing household chores yet, and certainly not things like lifting laundry baskets, bending a lot to do laundry or clean the toilets or floors or anything. We're not supposed to be lifting anything heavier than ten pounds for at least a few weeks. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to strain yourself, rip open stitches or staples, or worse. And you just don't want to do that while you're recovering so nicely. That being said, if I need to wash a few cups and spoons in the sink and it's only going to take a couple minutes, that's not impossible. So you will need to take it easy but you won't be helpless.

4 - I'm kind of weird in that I have a high pain tolerance but I can be a HUGE baby about certain types of pain. Broken bones, torn muscles? No problem. Cuts and bruises? Easy. The gas pain and the stupid drainage tube I still have in me rubbing up against the inside of my body? Not so fun. Though I can confidently tell you that 6 days out from surgery I really only feel pain when i bend over, walk too long, twist my abdomen in a bad way, press on my incision sites, etc (things only an idiot like me would do anyway, haha). The first day was pretty awful, but I was so drugged up and so out of it that it flew by and I barely remember it, and every day since has been surprisingly far, far better than the last. Everything hurts much less and I feel much stronger every time I go to sleep and wake up, basically. I had my gall bladder out last year... now THAT really sucked. I can honestly say this was less painful that getting my gallbladder out, which is kind of funny because this was 5 incisions and some major gut rearranging and my gallbladder was three incisions and not a whole lot of trauma. It's a bit odd but there's no denying that this was way easier. Go figure!

5 - I have ADD but I am not currently medicated (can you tell? XD) but from what I have been told and experienced, meds are absorbed by our new digestive system very differently than before. For example, I take oxycodone for pain (not much anymore but especially around bedtime) and I can seriously feel it kicking in within minutes. So as for your dose upping or lowering, that's gonna have to be something your doctor figures out, but I'm guessing it would lower or switch to a fast release before being raised. There's no telling exactly how your body will react to these things until you find out by experiencing, unfortunately.

6 - I've been on a birth control called Orsythia for almost two years, and it has slight levels of estrogen, as I have PCOS and this is one of the ways I can try to manage it. I stopped taking the birth control about three weeks before surgery at the surgeon's order and had to take a blood thinner for a week before and a week after surgery, because estrogen, even in small amounts, can raise the risk for blood clots. Hopefully tomorrow will be my last day of the blood thinner... I HATE NEEDLES and injecting it into my tummy or thigh twice a day has been absolutely no fun (or rather I made my poor boyfriend do it. he's been such a good sport about all of this XD) Annnnnyway, when I was discharged from the hospital two days after surgery, the doctors instructed me to stop taking most of my meds but told me I can start taking my birth control again. So I'm betting it's not a problem, but again, it's all going to depend on your particular doctor, your particular body, and your particular birth control.

I have a TON of tips and things I would highly recommend getting before surgery, things that have been a godsend for me this past week. Here's a list I just wrote for someone else asking for tips on things to get pre-surgery:

- Gas-X Thin Strips. They dissolve on the tongue and almost instantly relieve tummy gas that can be downright painful. Heaven sent!

- A 64 oz. Water jug from Wal-Mart, with measurements on the side. This is a super easy way to monitor how much water you are getting throughout your day, and 64 oz. is the recommended minimum. Very helpful.

- Baby or aloe wipes. These are very important! In the first couple of days after surgery in the hospital, you are going to feel pretty gross. Just the simple act of wiping down your face, neck, arms, etc. with a refreshing wipe can make you feel infinitely better. After you come home, showering may still be a bit difficult, so you can hold it off a little longer by keeping yourself clean with these.

- A body pillow. I'm sure you can guess why this helps a lot. I had a ton of pain on my left side from the gas pumped into me and the fact that most of the work during surgery is done on the left. A body pillow helps sooo much, whether sitting or trying to sleep.

- I would highly recommend you sleep in a recliner or propped up on a couch with your feet up. Some people are able to lay in their beds a few days after surgery but I certainly can't, and I know a lot of others who couldn't either. It's just very uncomfortable and can be painful if you twist around too much. I sleep on my recliner with a couple pillows propping up my legs to take any pressure off my lower back. Super comfy.

- A small Blender Bottle or shaker cup that has a top and measurements on the side. I use this multiple times a day for my shakes and to mix cream soup with low fat milk prior to straining it. Sometimes a spoon just doesn't cut it.

- A loofa or sponge on a stick! Again, moving around in the shower is gonna be a bit difficult for a while. A nice, easy wash of the back and harder-to-reach places can be heavenly.

If you have any questions about anything, don't hesitate to message me! I always like to help. Sorry about the book I wrote you, and I hope this helped you even a little bit. Congrats again, good luck, and take care of yourself!

Abby

Edited August 23, 201510 yr by Cervidae

I have been going through almost 8 months monitored weight loss (insurance only requires 6) and two months of being drug around in the mud by my insurance, bariatric office, and the insurance coordinators. Long story short, they denied the surgery at first, and them told me I'd have to see someone once a week for 3 months (currently still doing that), and then I could appeal. We submitted an appeal anyway, to have the denial overturned.

I called on 8/22/2015 for s$%*^'s and giggles to see what the status was. The surgery has been overturned, meaning it's approved. It's done, it's over, I can finally get the surgery!!!!! I called my bariatric office to see what the next steps are from here, they said they need to get the actual letter from the insurance, then the surgery coordinator will call me and schedule a date!

This is a huge weight off of my shoulder! I know that a lot of you people may not think that I am ready for the surgery (mentally). Over the last 2 months I have had time to really sit down and think if I am ready. After going to this psychotherapist for 2 months, and talking with her, I am ready. I have been ready from day one. I decided that I am going to continue our sessions weekly up until the surgery, and then go every other week after that. I need someone to talk to because this is a very overwhelming decision and a HUGE life changer.

I am beyond scared and I haven't even got a date yet. I have so many questions that I want answered. I'll put some of them down below and if you can answer any of them PLEASE do!

1. I have a desk job, work overnights and am barely up moving around and am getting this surgery done laparoscopically, I am planning on 2 weeks off after surgery for recovery/getting my schedule corrected. Is this too long? How long were you out?

2. After I leave the hospital, I am on soft foods. Anyone else's post-op diet like this straight after surgery?

3. How soon were you able to do household things, like carrying laundry baskets, dishes, driving, exercising?

4.What's the pain like? Anything to compare it to?

5.Anyone have ADD and have to up their dose or notice a change in prescriptions?

6. Birth control? I'm on the pill now any suggestions for afterwards?

7.Any tips, or advise?

1) I work a desk job, planned for two weeks but took 3, I needed it.

2) no my post op diet was Clear Liquids, then full liquids, then purees, then soft foods.

3) I didn't take on household stuff like laundry till 5 weeks out. I have a hubby and two sons, they did all the lifting, I just folded. I cooked after about one week, but did need to sit my the stove, standing was too much initially. I drove after two weeks.

4) for me, immediately post op I just felt incredibly bloated and my abdomen felt tight, as if I had a tummy tuck. Pain at home made me feel like I couldn't inhale deeply, it was a sharp pain. I Took my pain meds for the first 4 days home then managed without them.

5) no advice

6) I have an iud, had it since before surgery. I'd talk with your gyn.

7) use the spirometer!, Walk even if it's just around the house.

1. I have a desk job, work overnights and am barely up moving around and am getting this surgery done laparoscopically, I am planning on 2 weeks off after surgery for recovery/getting my schedule corrected. Is this too long? How long were you out? I was retired so time off from work was not a problem. I would say 2 weeks is a minimum but it might be a bit longer. Depends on how you feel.

2. After I leave the hospital, I am on soft foods. Anyone else's post-op diet like this straight after surgery? After surgery the most important requirements are Protein, fluids and Vitamins. Food is secondary because your body will be converting stored fats into the energy that drives your body. Thus you will lose weight. You should receive detailed guidance on what food is allowed in each stage after surgery and the volume amount. This should come from your surgeons office. Mine had a have day class to discuss these requirements.

3. How soon were you able to do household things, like carrying laundry baskets, dishes, driving, exercising? In my case most household chores were doable almost right after I came home from the hospital. I refrained from moving heavy objects like a 50 pound bag of dog food for about a month. Driving is a function of the pain medicine you take in the hospital. Most of this pain medicine is narcotics and you will not be permitted to drive while you are under this influence. Other than the anesthesia I had with the operation I rejected all pain medicine after the surgery. Part of the logic was that I wanted to drive as soon a possible. Also I am not sure the pain medicine would work and that the real need is for muscle relaxers.

4.What's the pain like? Anything to compare it to? Everyone has different pain tolerances. I have a high pain threshold. My pain levels never exceeded a level 1 on a scale of 1 to 10. But that is me. Years ago I had operations that were not done laparoscopically. Those produced pain levels of 3 or 4 and I think the pain levels were amplified by the pain medicines.

5.Anyone have ADD and have to up their dose or notice a change in prescriptions? No experience with ADD

6. Birth control? I'm on the pill now any suggestions for afterwards? N/A. I have heard that individuals become more fertile after surgery.

7.Any tips, or advise? If you drink anything with caffeine give that up now. I had a 6 Coke a day habit. Went cold turkey and I suffered withdrawal syndrome (very severe headaches and body pain) for a week. It is best not to compound the effects of surgery with this withdrawal syndrome. Also beginning walking 30 minutes each day. It will really help the recovery process go smoothly.

I think you ask a lot of great questions, but the first thing I would do is ask these questions to your doctor. Everyone's doctors are a bit different in what they recommend, and the one universal thing I hear people say is "follow your doctor's instructions".

In my case, my doctor has told me to expect a four-week recovery before returning to work (I have a desk job), that I will not be cleared to drive for two weeks after surgery, no heavy lifting (more than 20 lbs) for six weeks after surgery.

One other thread on here said it best: this is major surgery, not some outpatient procedure. We need to expect to take time to recover from it. That said, I have also heard from a few people that after two weeks they were stir-crazy and went right back to work.

Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

1. I had planned on 2 weeks, but I ended up taking 3 and I'm glad I did. I was really exhausted after the surgery and it took me a while to get my energy up. It could be different for you though.

2. I wasn't on soft foods until a week out. I started on Clear liquids, then protien shakes, then soft foods.

3. Like I said in answer to question #1, it took me a while to get moving. I was doing better after a bout 5 weeks post op.

4. The worst pain you will probably have is from the gas you get after surgery. It really feels horrible. While you are on pain meds you won't notice it too much. I made the error of not having any pain meds for the ride home from the hospital (about 1 1/2 hr. drive!) It was horrible.

5. I take an anti-depressant and had to have it changed from "time release" to immediate release due to absorption factors.

6. I don't use the pill, but in my booklet it said not to take this kind of medication for a month after surgery, I think because of the possibility of blood clots.

7. Congrats on getting your insurance to pay, and hang in there. If a big baby like me can get through this so can you!