Good morning all. I've been reading up on VSG for several years now but was never to the point where I was really truly ready to make the life-altering changes required. In that time, I've lost and gained 40lbs twice. I've been put on hypertension meds, and my knees creak when I walk. I've been miserable about my weight for as long as I can remember but wasn't ready to never eat a full meal again, or chug a glass of water when I was parched. But something finally clicked when I was planning a family vacation (which should be the most exciting thing ever) and was focused on "will I fit on the plane? How about the rides? Will I run out of energy halfway through? Will my knees give out?" etc, etc, blah, blah, blah. Not the stuff I want to be focusing on!! So, now I'm ready and I'm signed up for three different information seminars at three local hospitals over the next two months. I'm hopeful to get sleeved around Sept/Oct depending on insurance and doctor requirements. That would be the best timing for me. Unless for some reason they could get me in before the first week or so of June (which I know isn't likely) so I'd be on my way to recovery by the time school is out for my kids. Summer is a bad time for me to be on my butt, with 2 very active boys running around.

If anyone has any tips/suggestions for someone at the beginning of the journey, please share. I'm going to be spending a lot of time on this and other forum soaking up the experiences and knowledge. A little about me - 36 year old mom of 2, married, current BMI 43 . Been struggling with my weight since I was 10. Tried alllllll the things - Weight Watchers, FitnessPal, very low calorie diets (which work, until you eat normally again), etc. The weight always comes back. I'm sure most people here know exactly where I am and how I feel. I do have someone close to me that had the surgery 5 years ago and has been talking me through the overall process but I'm big on getting as much information as possible.

Thank you for your support

Oh, and if anyone has used Harvard Pilgrim insurance and has any info related to that I'd love to hear it


CJ

Edited March 31, 201610 yr by CJ'sready

Feb 3, 2017

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Went for my EKG and labs this week, and have my next appointment on Monday with the program coordinator. I'm hoping she'll be submitting to insurance at that point and maybe give me a tentative schedule. I've heard that my insurance is quick, so fingers crossed!

I have 2 dinners out this weekend so I'm going to have to be careful! I don't want to have gained since my last appt, that wouldn't be good. Lots of Water and good choices for me this weekend . I've been sick since yesterday morning and I'm really not hungry so that should help a bit. I'm still making sure to get in my Protein though so that I don't mess things up.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using the BariatricPal App

Glad to hear things are progressing. I know you can stay tough this weekend and not overindulge!

My appt for Monday was just cancelled due to a doctor emergency. They don't know when I'll be rescheduled.

Bummer. I was really hoping for a late Feb or early March date. No idea if that will happen now. And I'm right at 40 BMI so I have to be super careful now until I can get in.

At least they're going to reschedule people in the order they were supposed to go in so hopefully once they start rescheduling I'll get right in. I can't believe they don't have a backup Doctor/coordinator to do this stuff. I can't imagine they'll wait too long to get people rescheduled somehow. But this is so disappointing.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using the BariatricPal App

Feb 6, 2017

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Well I was supposed to be at my "final check in" today, right now. But now I wait for a call to be rescheduled. I did verify that I can drop below a 40 BMI and still be OK with regards to insurance since I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea (even if it is mild) and have to use meds to treat hypertension. Which is good because as of this weekend I'm RIGHT at 40 on my scale - so if it takes a week or two to get in to the doc I could be right on the border or a little under. I don't want to change my eating since it's become much easier for me to eat high Protein and low carb this past month and I seem to be losing steadily on it.

Fingers crossed they get me in in the next couple weeks!!! I'm really hoping to get sleeved by mid-March as we have a vacation planned at the end of April and I want 4-6 weeks to rest before we go!!!

:/

No news at all on the reschedule?

No news at all on the reschedule?

I asked today when I talked to them and they couldn't say if it would be days, weeks, whatever. She said she didn't think it would be too long, but she couldn't commit to a time frame :/ I guess the doc I was scheduled with is off until further notice and the other doc is not in the office currently??? I didn't ask for specifics but she said "when Dr. *** gets back" they'd start filling her schedule (with reference to the doc taking over future appts). I just hope it's sooner rather than later! It sounds like they are very chaotic there right now so I didn't want to add to the stress by being pushy

Edited February 6, 20179 yr by SarahSleeve

Feb 12, 2017

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My final appt was rescheduled for this Thursday so hopefully I'll get some surgery timeline info then. I'm just so ready to join the other side

Oh yay! Glad they finally have you rescheduled!

Annnd I was rescheduled again, pushed back a week because the doc is still on medical leave. I can't believe they don't have a second person who can do these appts! Fingers crossed this is the last delay.

This sucks. I just talked to the office again and after my appt next week I'm still looking at 2-4 weeks before I meet the surgeon, and *then* they submit to insurance. This is taking way longer then I thought it would. I thought the hard part was over when I meet the requirements last month. I've been doing this since last March when I started comparing programs, I never thought I'd still be pre-op at this point.

I'm so angry!

February 19, 2017

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So after some consideration and calendar calculations, it seems it might actually be best for me to assume I'm not going to get surgery until after my scheduled vacation in April. I don't want to be miserable and ruin vacation for my family just to get in there 3-4 weeks earlier.

So I'm planning now for an early May surgery date and will be doing my best to keep losing weight and being active until then. It can only help my recovery

Feb 23, 2017

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Finally met with the doc today. She cleared me to meet the surgeon and is submitting my application to insurance. I meet the surgeon next week! She said this could move fast since she was out for three weeks and they didn't have anyone scheduling people. I might get in before the end of March after all!

I've been poring over the before/after threads and the success stories and keep breaking down in tears. I *so* want to be a success story some day, so bad that it hurts. It also scares me though. Not the actual surgery, but the changes that will come in my life after. If I have the surgery in early Fall I could feasibly be up to 100lbs lighter by this time next year (I have 125 to lose to get to the middle of "normal" for my height). That's terrifying. I've never really been a normal weight, not since I was 5 years old. I was bullied (majorly) as a fat kid, ignored as a fat teen and adult except for my close groups of friends. Always been insecure and hiding myself from others. I learned to survive in my own head, ignoring the haters and loving myself regardless. I am incredibly lucky to have found love in high school and am still married to him now (together going on 20 years). How will my relationship change? I've never been thin with him, not really. Maybe a few times when I starved myself for a trip/event I got down to a size 12. But otherwise - I was even 225lbs at my wedding (size 16 dress). And now I'm a size 20, have been for years. He's always been a healthy weight. He has NEVER complained about my weight, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind a more agile, active wife/mother of his kids. Who wouldn't?

I've been fat so long that I don't know myself any other way. How do I do this and not lose who I am?

Just rambling. First info seminar on Friday. It's starting!

There are lots of support groups and this site is a wealth of support also. I'm sure many of us have had those same thoughts in the beginning. Just ask yourself do you want to be healthy and prolong your life, and better your livelihood. I think from your post, you've already answered that question. You can do this. It won't be easy, but anything worth having is never easy. Good luck to you!

Hi there. I've just had my initial consult with the Dr. to whom a friend referred me. It went well, as in i was "approved" to start the process. 1st step was me calling my insurance to see if the surgery is covered. IT'S NOT! I'm devastated. I have been considering this for over ten years. I was so excited to start the process.

My options are to:
1. Wait for open enrollment and try to start the process next January.

2. Get a new job, this new insurance.

3. Use a very recent minimal inheritance (that I wanted to save for skin removal later) and potentially have surgery in a month or so. I was told I would only require one nutrition visit and the psych evaluation. I'm sure there are labs and such to be completed. I have recently had labs done and all was normal.

Any thoughts? I only have one friend to talk to about this.

Thank you!

14 hours ago, goingtothebeach said:

Hi there. I've just had my initial consult with the Dr. to whom a friend referred me. It went well, as in i was "approved" to start the process. 1st step was me calling my insurance to see if the surgery is covered. IT'S NOT! I'm devastated. I have been considering this for over ten years. I was so excited to start the process.

My options are to:
1. Wait for open enrollment and try to start the process next January.

2. Get a new job, this new insurance.

3. Use a very recent minimal inheritance (that I wanted to save for skin removal later) and potentially have surgery in a month or so. I was told I would only require one nutrition visit and the psych evaluation. I'm sure there are labs and such to be completed. I have recently had labs done and all was normal.

Any thoughts? I only have one friend to talk to about this.

Thank you!

That's a tough one! Honestly if it was ME, I'd probably choose to use the money I had and pay cash. BUT, that's just me. I've been doing this for almost a year and am still on the pre-op side. On the other hand, I truly believe the time I've had to wait has given me enough time to truly prepare for the changes I'm about to endure. I really think that if I only had a month to prepare, I'd be in for some shocking revelations about how bad my eating and exercise habits really were. I do see that you said you've been considering this for a long time, so you may not have the same issue I would have as I had only been seriously considering it for about a year.

This truly is a personal choice - no one can know the best thing for you except YOU. good luck on whatever you decide!