Welp, the monthly support forum has not been updated for 2016. I know there's a thread somewhere for December & January sleevers, but thought I'd include you January peeps in honor of the upcoming year. Share your dates, doctor/nut/psych visits, tests, hopes, and whatever else you want to share pertaining to your surgery. Feel free to offer encouragement and cheerleading as warranted. Maybe everyone can link up with some sleeve buddies!

I'll start. I have 100 to 130 pounds to lose (no goal set yet). My sleeve was supposed to be in January. Instead, my husband needs to go out of the country on business in the middle of the month and can't guarantee he'll be back, so I'll probably be sleeved in February. It's frustrating to me because my insurance requires 6 months supervised diet. I finished that the week before Thanksgiving (U.S.) I'm scheduled to attend the final "class" they require all patients to take on Dec. 17. My endoscopy is Jan. 13. I could easily have made it in December, but hubby didn't want me restricted over the Holidays. (I had thyroid surgery with complications last year just before Christmas, so I understand how he feels.) Still, you can imagine my frustration now that my surgery needs to be pushed back again!

Who's next?

*Mods please move this to the appropriate forum when you update the support groups.

Hello. I was sleeved on 1/14/16. My coworker had the band and the hernia repair done with no problems. Im not sure if my recovery was different be ause i had the sleeve. I too had the hernia repair. Really read up on the procedure and recovery. For me it was more than expected. I had chest pain (they work behind your breastbone) thriat swelling and felt like there was a marble in my throat anytime i swllowed it hurt. Take the pain meds 24/7 during that time. My doc says my esphogus will be swollen for 6-8 weeks. I do feel better now (3wks out) but my voice changes daily due to the swelling. I miss burping. They tighten your esphogus fo there is little air displacement. When you eat and are full, you will know, i feel the need to burp but i dont because i need to remember that it may be the food due to the sleeve. I would do it all again in a skinny minute, just be prepared. Good luck!

Hello. I was sleeved on 1/14/16. My coworker had the band and the hernia repair done with no problems. Im not sure if my recovery was different be ause i had the sleeve. I too had the hernia repair. Really read up on the procedure and recovery. For me it was more than expected. I had chest pain (they work behind your breastbone) thriat swelling and felt like there was a marble in my throat anytime i swllowed it hurt. Take the pain meds 24/7 during that time. My doc says my esphogus will be swollen for 6-8 weeks. I do feel better now (3wks out) but my voice changes daily due to the swelling. I miss burping. They tighten your esphogus fo there is little air displacement. When you eat and are full, you will know, i feel the need to burp but i dont because i need to remember that it may be the food due to the sleeve. I would do it all again in a skinny minute, just be prepared. Good luck!

So sorry to hear you are going through a difficult time. On Jan 26th I had my gallbladder removed, hernia repair and the sleeve and I have had none of the complications you listed. I guess each persons recovery is different.

The first 2 days I was sick and in the hospital but since being home I feel great except for my lower back right shoulder which was injuried when the PT had to get the belt to pull me up off the toilet.

Ouch! I like hearing the "everything was great" stories. Hope your back heals quickly. It's nice to be able to share those stories with our future bariatric family. Things are moving forward for me and i am getting anxious for starting back on my walking program and excited to join the YMCA fir some muscle building. I am scheduled to do (2) 5k runs in April and June and i am going to attempt The Bravado in May with a friend. It is a 3.2mile hike/run, 8mile bike and a 5mi canoe. My friend will have to pull me on my bike, ???? I can do the other two. Due to chrinic back problems I had to cancel on her in may 2014 so my 13 year old did it in my place and even though she was exhausted, she had a BLAST! I encourage everyone to attempt someting different, something out of your comfirt zone, or something you think there is no way in hell you could do it, do it with a friend. You may not be the fastest and may be crawling thru ghe finish line but you will cross thst finish line. I have in the past done a 5k where everything was cleaned up and people were leaving. They thought everyone was done, not me, i still walked thru where the finish line would have been because i didnt do it for anyone but myself. Recruit a friend that will stay by your side and make it to the finish line with you even when everyone else has left. Best of luck in your exciting journey to the new you!

I Just came from my surgeons. We are submitting tomorrow. And my upper GI I Monday. Very nervous to hear back from them about the approval. I'm traveling out of country fro 2 weeks and of Feb so my surgery won't be until March probably or even beginning of April. Fingers crossed. I want to wish all of you that have had your surgery in Jan and Feb a fabulous journey. I will stay in this group as I've been here for almost 2 months. I am really looking forward to hearing about you all and see how your are doing.

I'll keep you posted on my own progress. Hoping approval goes smoothly.

Ouch! I like hearing the "everything was great" stories. Hope your back heals quickly. It's nice to be able to share those stories with our future bariatric family. Things are moving forward for me and i am getting anxious for starting back on my walking program and excited to join the YMCA fir some muscle building. I am scheduled to do (2) 5k runs in April and June and i am going to attempt The Bravado in May with a friend. It is a 3.2mile hike/run, 8mile bike and a 5mi canoe. My friend will have to pull me on my bike, I can do the other two. Due to chrinic back problems I had to cancel on her in may 2014 so my 13 year old did it in my place and even though she was exhausted, she had a BLAST! I encourage everyone to attempt someting different, something out of your comfirt zone, or something you think there is no way in hell you could do it, do it with a friend. You may not be the fastest and may be crawling thru ghe finish line but you will cross thst finish line. I have in the past done a 5k where everything was cleaned up and people were leaving. They thought everyone was done, not me, i still walked thru where the finish line would have been because i didnt do it for anyone but myself. Recruit a friend that will stay by your side and make it to the finish line with you even when everyone else has left. Best of luck in your exciting journey to the new you!

This posting hit home especially this part "I encourage everyone to attempt someting different, something out of your comfirt zone, or something you think there is no way in hell you could do it, do it with a friend."

Each year in Feb our county has a bike ride fundraiser for literacy called Loop around the Lake. The Lake is Lake Okeechobee in Port Mayaca, FL and they are having it this Saturday. I am still recovering from my 3 procedure surgeries so I can't do it this year. However before surgery I said in Feb 2017 I am going to challenge myself to Loop the Lake. The Lake is huge so there are 4 distance loops. The whole loop is 115 miles. The smaller loops are 68, 34 and the one I will try next year 14 miles. You have to pay to Loop the Lake but if you turn it into a fundraiser and raise $200.00 you get back the registration fee which is about $80.00. I would love to get a team of Palm Beach County people who have had WLS this year to join me in this challenge. In fact i am thinking of starting a group on here for just this very thing. We could train together either in person or post our progress and then all join up next Year for the challenge.

Hi Tracytma my name is gastricsleevemeplease and im new here and i just read your post and i think being nervous and having second thoughts is all natural from what I've been reading and by the looks of the support on here you will do wonderful I'm so excited for you congratulation ????????

Hi everyone I'm new to the support group and so far I'm really liking what I'm reading. I do have some questions tho? I live in illinois and i have medicare and im trying to find out if anyone know if they cover the gastric sleeve? When i called the insurance they said call my provider and then they'll call the provider line to find out if I'm covered? Now I'm really lost i dont understand why they didnt know but they knew about the other surgeries, can someone please help im starting to get a little discourage

Hi MrsRP I'm so glad you post especially about going to see your surgeon and submitting the papers bcuz that's what i was trying to find out, ok so you have to go to the surgeon first ok cool so after the GI appointment who else do we have to see? I have my fingers crossed that you get approved i go to my surgeon tomorrow ????

Hi MrsRP I'm so glad you post especially about going to see your surgeon and submitting the papers bcuz that's what i was trying to find out, ok so you have to go to the surgeon first ok cool so after the GI appointment who else do we have to see? I have my fingers crossed that you get approved i go to my surgeon tomorrow ????

Thank you! Im not sure if they actually submitted Friday but the medical assistant there really likes me so I'm sure she pushed for it.

Every insurance company is different. My insurance doesn't require a 6 months of nutrition visits before you can submit. Even within the same insurance there may be different requirements for different plans. My advice is to call you insurance and have them tell you what the requirements are for you particular plan. This is the only way you will get accurate information and you won't waste your time. If I had know I had to do a sonogram m, labwork and endoscopy for them to submit I would have done it before the end of last year to avoid deductibles. But oh well. I'm here now. Looking forward to hearing from my insurance company to see what there answer is.

Thank you for the good vibes. Keep them coming ????

My surgery is scheduled for Feb 22, 2016. So excited!

My surgery is scheduled for Feb 22, 2016. So excited!

We are having surgery the same day! Are you starting your liquid diet tomorrow too?

My surgery is scheduled for Feb 22, 2016. So excited!

We are having surgery the same day! Are you starting your liquid diet tomorrow too?

Yep, started my pre-op diet today actually. Good luck to you!

Surgery date Feb 16th. Excited and nervous

Thank you for the reply back and I'll keep my fingers crossed that you hear from them soon with wonderful news ????. Well I did call my Medicaid and for them they said BMI 35 or better, 1 illness related to obesity and I forget the last one lol but I meet them all but then they read off the surgeries gastric bypass, lap band and one with the bowels so when I give them the cpt code for the vsg they just say my surgeon will call the provider line and tell me about the procedure and that's it but when i look up cms.gov they say it was added to the list in 2010 but when i try to confirm it with the insurance that's what they tell me, I'm sorry for the long vent i just didn't want to go to the surgeon office and its a waste of time ????????

Sorry Medicare Medicaid is my second