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Got the call today...APPROVED!!!!



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I am SOOOO happy! It has been a long journey, since March, & I got the call this morning...APPROVED! I am set for NOV 5th for gastric sleeve surgery. My PREOP is Oct 14th, so I'm assuming that is when I start liquid diet. I had heard stories with my insurance, since it is medicaid, on how long & tough it is to get approved. I was right on the borde,r 40 bmi, but I also was diagnosed with sleep apnea & diabetic, now in prediabetes. So what should I do now? Take pictures of before for after? FOr the people that have already had surgery, do you have any tips or "I wish I would have done this before surgery" type of suggestions?

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Congrats!

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I have BCBS but I started the process in January and just had my surgery 2 weeks ago... so, it felt like forever! It wasn't just the insurance hoops, but the surgery center was understaffed and my outside Dr. didn't talk to them, and lots of little things.

I would say to prepare, clean out your pantry (if you live alone) so you won't be tempted by things that are not good choices. Also, have food that you can eat after surgery ready to go - Protein Shakes, yogurt, sugar free Jello and ice pops. People always say don't buy too much because your tastes will change, but my tastes didn't change at all really. I loved sweets before, I still love sweets. I was hoping I wouldn't like them any more.

But you need to have the food ready to go because you can't carry heavy things like canned Soup, Protein Drinks, etc right after surgery.

Have your house clean and your laundry done and your dishes washed because it will be hard to do these things for a few days.

Pick up all your prescriptions ahead of time, except for those they give you the day of surgery. Get Miralax and Laxative Suppositories, because the Constipation is REAL.

Buy a few Water bottles (the reusable kind) to keep in the fridge so you can rotate them as they get warm, since you can't guzzle water after surgery, and you may not want warm water.

Start tracking your food and water on an app like MyFitnessPal or just pen and paper in a journal.

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Congratulations on getting approved for surgery. Yes, take pictures! (I don’t love pictures of myself, but had my husband take one right before surgery. Still have not wanted to see it, yet.) I wish I did it earlier, since I lost some weight pre-op. I found it helpful to research meal plans (just to get an idea, many are similar), get meal ideas for the different stages, & sample Protein Shakes. I also started logging food, journaling & habit tracking pre-op, which I found motivating.

Wishing you luck & looking forward to hearing more about your story.

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Congratulations, you slogged through a long process. You’ve earned it!

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Congratulations! Take as little as possible to hospital. When you aren't sleeping, you will be walking to relieve the gas pain.

You really won't need anything besides a change of under clothes/socks (I wore the same leggings+t-shirt home that I wore to hospital), tooth brush, paste, mouth wash and phone. Less to keep track of and you can just focus on you! Good Luck!

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Congratulations on your approval. As far as advice on moving towards your surgery date, I echo the sentiments shared by others here. Make a list of everything you will need the first four weeks post-op (your surgeon and/or nutritionist can help here too) and ensure you have them on hand before your surgery date. Be sure you have a good water bottle or two that will help you track your Fluid intake post-op. Get rid of things in the house that you won't be able to tolerate so you don't even have to look at them. Have foods on hand or a way set up to get them when you're able to transition to the next diet phase (the puree/mushy phase). Finally, have or arrange to have some physical support. Getting around the house may be tough post-op. Every little bit of help is a lot in my book. Good luck.

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On 9/3/2022 at 9:50 PM, Shagi said:

I think the before and after pictures will inspire people suffering from the same disease as you. Maybe you'll even inspire them to think about recovery, which will help them a lot. I certainly did, because people need hope and encouragement to strive for something. As for me, I would just wait for calls from people I've helped and inspired, as it actually feels good. On my page I left my VoIP number, which I bought at https://usechalkboard.com/, so that anyone in need in the world, can call and ask for help. That would be cool.

Not a man, but a treasure. You probably offer to help all the people on the street.

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    • LeighaTR

      Four days post surgery. I am sipping as fast as I can and getting NO WHERE near the goal of 60 - 80 grams of protein or the 64 oz of liquids. I just feel FULL. I don't know if it can still be the gas build up (I would think by now that would be gone) but it is a struggle to drink. And so far I have not had the nausea or spasms and don't want to wander into that territory by pushing too hard with liquids. I about passed out today as it was my most "strenuous" day. Went from second story to basement for shower and I was sure I was going to pass out. Looking back on my last few days I have had a total of less than 1000 calories. Am I just not getting enough nourishment in me? Once again a friday where I can't get ahold of the doc until Monday rolls back around so I am hoping maybe someone here has some experience on how to keep energy going. I do have fibromyalgia too and that may be where some added fatigue comes into play. How did you all fair with the goals the week after surgery?
      · 0 replies
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    • Doughgurl

      2 days until I fly out to San Diego to have my Bypass Surg. in Tiajuana Mexico. Not gonna lie, the nerves are starting to surface. I don't fear the surgery itself, or the fact that I'm traveling alone, but its the aftermath that I'm stressing about the most, after this 8 week wait. I'm excited to finally be here, but I am really dreading the post surgical chapter. I know its going to be tough, real tough and I think I'm just in my head to much now that the day i here. Wish me luck, Hopefully I'm one of the lucky ones, and everything goes smoothly. Cant wait to give an exciting update,. If there is anyone else have a June bypass or even a recent one, Id love to have someone to compare war stories with. Also, anyone near San Antonio Tx? See ya soon with the future me. 💜
      · 3 replies
      1. Phil Penn

        Good Luck this procedure is well worth it I am down to 249.6 lb please continue with the process..

      2. Selina333

        I'm in Houston so kind of near you and had the sleeve in Dec. Down 61 lbs. Feeling better. Was definitely worth it. I hope the everything is going well for you. Update us when you can!

      3. Doughgurl

        I am back home after my bypass surgery in Tiajuana. I'm post op day 4. Everything went great! I guess I'm one of the lucky ones who have not encountered much pain at all, no nausea thus far and I'm having no problem keeping down broths and water. Thank you for your well wishes. I cant wait to keep up this journey and have a chance at better health and simply better quality of life. I know there will be bumps in the road ahead, and everything won't be peaches and cream, but at least I have a great start so far. 😍

    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
      · 0 replies
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    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 2 replies
      1. Selina333

        I'm so happy for you! You are about to change your life. I was so glad to get the sleeve done in Dec. I didn't have feelings of regret overall. And I'm down almost 60 lbs. I do feel a little sad at restaurants. I can barely eat half a kid's meal. I get adults meals often because kid ones don't have the same offerings at times. Then I feel obligated to eat on that until it's gone and that can be days. So the restaurant thing isn't great for me. All the rest is fine by me! I love feeling full with very little. I do wish I could drink when eating. And will sip at the end. Just a strong habit to stop. But I'm working on it! You will do fine! Just keep focused on your desire to be different. Not better or worse. But different. I am happy both ways but my low back doesn't like me that heavy. So I listened (also my feet!). LOL! Update us on your journey! I'm not far from you. I'm in Houston. Good luck and I hope it all goes smoothly! Would love to see pics of the town you go to for this. I've never been there. Neat you will be traveling for this! Enjoy the journey. Take it one day at a time. Sometimes a few hours at a time. Follow all recommendations as best you can. 💗

      2. Doughgurl

        Thank you so much for your well wishes. I am hoping that everything goes easy for me as well. We don't eat out much as it is, so it wont be too bad in that department. Thankfully. Also, I hear you regarding your back and feet!! I'd like to add knees to the list. Killing me as we speak! I'm only 5' so the weight has to go. Too short to carry all this weight. Menopause really did a doosey on me. (😶lol) My daughter also lives in Houston. with her Husband and my 5 grand-littles. I grew up in Beaumont, so I know Houston well, I will be sure to keep in touch and update you on my journey. I may need some advice in the future, or just motivation. Thank You so much for reaching out, I was hoping to connect with someone in the community. I really appreciate it. 💜

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

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