I'm excited to be giving my 6 month surgery update. There were times when I didn't think I could do this, but it gets easier every day and every month. I feel pretty much like a normal person now. I eat whatever I want (within reason) and my sleeve keeps me in line. I am thankful for that control. I still have occasional moments of pity for myself when I can't eat a big meal or a large serving of something. But, I'm always able to put it in perspective when I remind myself of the positive life changes I've had post op. I can now move around with much less knee pain than I was having. I can't remember the last time I got short of breath doing a normal activity like WALKING up some stairs. I have gone from a size 22W to a 16 Misses. Since I had to buy a suit in a size 14 this past weekend, I guess I'll officially be in that size soon. WOW! Now that's results. It feels so good to go to the "regular" clothing section and pull something off the rack. Shopping for clothes is so much less stressful than it was a few months ago.
I wasn't exercising much until around the 5 month mark. I'm getting a regular exercise schedule going now. I can tell that it is keeping the weight loss more steady and will hopefully help me firm up some. I seem to go through small stages of loose, wrinkly looking skin to smooth skin. This mostly happens on my thighs and a little on the upper arms. Overall, I'm doing pretty good with not having too much flabby skin. My hair was fine until recently and I thought I might get off without hair loss. But, right around the 5 month mark, it started shedding real bad. At least I was anticipating that it might happen so I wasn't totally shocked. I immediately started wearing wigs and am currently enjoying trying out some new styles and colors that I would not have been brave enough to try with my own hair.
I thought that Thanksgiving and Christmas would be awful in terms of not being able to eat, but it was barely a blip on the radar. I ate a little of everything I wanted to eat with no problems. As usual, I stopped when I got my full signal and tasted a little more later when I was ready or hungry. The biggest thing I have to monitor with eating these days is that my sleeve handles different volumes depending on the time of day. In the morning, I can barely eat anything at all. I've taken to drinking a protein shake for breakfast instead of trying to eat because it was getting frustrating to feel stuffed after 3 or 4 bites. At lunch time, I can take in a little more depending on my stress level and how busy I am that day. When I'm stressed or rushed, I can't get down too much. If I'm able to take my time, I can eat about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of food at lunch. I don't like to linger over my food too long, but sometimes I have to just nibble on it while I work (after my official lunch time is over) or I would never get in a decent amount of real food protein. Evening or dinner time is when I can eat what seems like a normal amount of food. I can easily do a cup of food for dinner most nights. Sometimes it freaks me out a little to eat that much, but I have to remind myself of how little I've actually eaten all day. So, it all balances out. I'm always careful to not stuff myself at dinner just because I can eat more at that time. I still listen to my full signals and stop when I feel it. Like many other sleevers, I have found it way too easy to take in junk food so I have to really watch myself with that.
I am able to drink soda with no problem. I just can't gulp them the way I used to and the way I can water. Sodas have always been a problem area for me but I luckily acclimmated myself to diet sodas on my preop diet, so that's mostly what I drink. I occasionally have a regular soda but in general they seem too sweet for me to drink more than a little of. The diet sodas don't seem to be having a negative impact on my weight loss or stretching my stomach. I started experimenting slowly with diet sodas around 4 months and am used to them now. It takes me a long time to drink a normal amount of soda and I rarely finish whatever I have ordered/bought so I don't worry about taking in too much. I was able to go back to regular caffeinated tea about a month or so after surgery and haven't had any problems with that either. I do drink regular sweet tea when I drink it. I don't drink a lot of it the way I used to, I guess because it's too sweet. But it still tastes good (better than soda) so I don't stress about it since I'm drinking a small amount compared to before surgery.
Like many other WLS patients, I struggled with whether to tell people about my surgery. I decided to tell them so that I wouldn't feel like I was being deceitful about how I lost weight. I know that's not the best decision for everyone, but it's the best choice for me. I also decided that I wasn't going to talk about the surgery I had or give out any other info. I know that some people are too invasive/nosy/insensitive with their questions and I didn't want to have to deal with that. I can just imagine someone asking me how much of stomach I let the doctor cut out, how many times I've thrown up, or how many times a week I poop. I'm sure some of you have dealt with that BS. My strategy of telling people that I'm not giving out any details about my surgery, including what kind of surgery I had, has been extremely successful. The minute I tell people that I'm not telling what kind of surgery I had or that I'm not giving out any details, I generally don't get any other questions. I mean not one more question after that. On the maybe two occasions that someone tried to push it a little further I just looked at them blankly and smiled and let them figure out why I wasn't talking anymore. They got the message REAL fast. It's kind of funny sometimes. I tend to tell friends or closer acquaintances that it makes me uncomfortable to talk about it and they respect that immediately without feeling like I"m shutting them out. Maybe this strategy will work for someone else. I think in time I may be more open about the surgery, but I'm not ready right now.
Overall, this was the best health decision I could have ever made for myself. I hope that other people who are on the fence about it can benefit from this blog and from other people's blogs. Feel free to post any questions. I don't sign on as often as I used to, so if I don't respond it's because I haven't been online in a while. But I will respond to all questions as soon as I see them.
Best wishes to everyone. :cheer2:
Well, I'm a little past my 3 month mark and can definitely say that I am glad I had this surgery done. It wasn't easy to say that early on when I was struggling with getting fluid in, learning how to slowly feed my sleeve, and adjusting to a life of smaller portions. I can't say I'm 100% there, but I'm making good progress. I still get irritated sometimes when I'm really hungry and have something really good to eat and then I sit down and can only manage to eat a tiny bit. One thing about the sleeve is that you can't always predict how much food it will allow you to eat before it revolts. Sometimes I can eat what seems like a decent amount. Other times, I can only eat a few mouthfuls. My sleeve tends to be very tight in the morning and loosens as the day progresses. Dinner is the time I'm most likely to get in a decent amount of food and protein. I'm still relying on my protein supplements to maintain my muscle mass (Isopure RTD and Jay Robb powder shake mix - both are whey protein isolate).
Despite the volume changes with my sleeve, I am doing a good job of listening to my full signals and not trying to push it past the limit. I usually stop eating before I am truly full because getting to full can sometimes lead to vomiting if you take in even a tiny bit more. So, when I get that little twinge in my stomach or an uncomfortable sensation in my chest, I know it's time to stop. Sometimes, I can let things settle and eat a little more if I've only taken a few bites. If I've already eaten what seems like a normal amount for me, then I stop when I get that sensation. Early on, eating too fast led to vomiting more than eating too much. As time progresses, I'm finding that I can eat at a slightly more normal pace even though I'm still eating a fraction of what I used to. It all just takes some getting used to.
To date, I've lost a total of 61 pounds, including 15 pounds preop. I see improvements physically because I no longer have back or hip pain. Most people I interact with everyday only started noticing my weight loss recently. I think they kind of knew something was different but weren't sure or didn't want to say anything. Now, it's quite obvious. I've gone from a size 22W to 18W or 18 Misses. My 18s are starting to get loose on me now. The change in my clothing size has been the most exciting aspect of things for me and what keeps me most motivated. I would probably be another size smaller if I was exercising the way I'm supposed to be, but I just haven't been able to get that together. My schedule has been so crazy and unpredictable the past couple of months that I can't even piece together a consistent workout routine. So, I do some Pilates when I am willing and able but I have definitely got to work on that aspect of things.
Overall, it's been a VERY interesting experience. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone because you have to be patient and attentive to your body for this to be successful. You won't be able to eat regular food overnight, you won't lose the weight overnight, and you won't feel like yourself overnight. But all of those things will come in time. I'm looking forward to more positive changes down the road physically and mentally as I continue to adjust to my new stomach and my new body.
Well, I just made it through the dreaded three week stall. I knew it was happening when I was going through it (even before I weighed) because I could tell that my body hadn't changed and that my clothes were fitting the same. Against my better judgement, I weighed myself at Walmart, since I don't plan to buy a scale until close to goal, and sure enough it hadn't budged since my last weigh in a week earlier. Man was I pissed off! :tongue_smilie: Despite the fact that I had read countless stories about the 3 week stall, I was still mad for a couple of days. But, I got over it and didn't weigh again until I felt some changes in my body and saw changes with my clothes. By the end of my 4th week, I had lost an additional 2 pounds. Geesh! Couldn't it have been more than 2 lousy pounds?:closedeyes: Oh well, at least we're back on track now.
Another member on VST suggested weighing once a month. I've always advocated no more than once a week, so even for me that's a little radical. But, I think I'm going to give it a try. I'm much more interested in feeling better and seeing changes in my clothing and sizes than I am with how much I weigh. So, why stress myself out with scale numbers that don't move as fast as I want them to? I'm going to shoot for the beginning of the month for my weigh-ins and hopefully whatever loss I see then will be motivating enough. We'll see how it goes...:thumbup1:
Note: I edited this post to get it off draft status so the post date has changed from when I originally posted it before surgery.
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I am just a few short days away from surgery and have begun preparing for my post-op phase. I went shopping today and got my popscicles, jello, italian ice cups, and pudding (all sugar free/low fat of course). I already got my Unjury unflavored protein packs in the mail and I"m praying that I can tolerate it. I ordered a Majic Bullet from Walmart.com since they had it for a good price and that's here.
So, here's the post-op diet as prescribed by my surgeon. I feel very lucky to be able to progress things at a good rate but a little nervous about it. I have to assume they wouldn't be using this diet if anything bad happened to someone eating this stuff. I just plan to take it slow and go back a stage as needed.
Day of Surgery - maybe ice chips if I'm lucky:001_rolleyes:
Days 2 and 3 PostOp - Clear liquids
Days 3-6 PostOp - Full Liquids, to include 1% milk, protein shakes (plan to continue with Atkins), low sugar/fat pudding, plain/no sugar-added yogurt, thin cream of wheat/oatmeal/grits, strained low fat cream soup, soft margarine, veggie juice
Day 7-10 PostOp - Pureed/Soft to include applesauce, baby food (avoid sugary options), pureed or finely chopped moist lean meats/poultry/fish and meat substitutes low fat cottage cheese (yuck!), scrambled eggs (Yippee!), hummus (what?), mashed potatoes, cooked cereal
Days 11-30 PostOp - Soft Diet to include ground/flaked meats, chopped/mashed foods, lean moist tender meats/poulty/fish and meat substitutes, low fat cheese, cooked or dry ceral, potatoes, whole grain whole wheat rye bread/crackers, toast, soft cooked veggies w/out seeds or tough skins, unsweetended cooked/canned fruit, bananas, ripe soft fruit w/out seeds skin membranes - no watermelon
Days 31-45 PostOp Soft Diet to include small pieces of low fat/low sugar food easily chewed, all other foods above, incorporate pastas (preferably whole grains)
Part 45 Days PostOp-Regular Diet
incorporate more grains, fruits, and veggies as tolerated, gradually add more fiber, no nuts and seeds until 3 months postop
I posted this in one of the VST threads, but I thought it might be helpful to post here as well since I only mentioned it briefly in my 2 week postop update.
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I became dehydrated a couple of days after coming home. I attribute it to pain when drinking from the hiatal hernia repair, nausea, and lack of desire to eat or drink. In hindsight, for a couple of days I wasn't drinking much of anything at all even though I thought I was sipping all day. It felt like a hot poker every time I drank something so it was discouraging to try. The symptoms I was having were a fast heartrate, feeling like my heart was trying to beat out of my chest, extreme weakness and fatigue, lightheadedness, and nausea. I felt like my body was shutting down. This was really scary for me because my sister had left and gone back home and I was alone with my 4 year old. She needed me to do things for her and everytime I moved I felt my heart thumping in my throat and felt like I was going to pass out.
Luckily, I knew something was wrong fairly early on and took myself to the doctor's office. I just knew I was going to have to go somewhere and get hooked up to an IV or get another leak test. But, they knew from looking at me that I wasn't bad off enough to be admitted and did some retraining with me on fluid intake. I feel now that they should have given me something for the esophageal spasms so that I could drink easier, but there's not much to be done about it now. I discussed it with the nurse at my 2 week followup.
I did go have an EKG that day just to be sure there wasn't a problem with my heart and it was normal, other than an increased heartrate. The experience shook me up enough to make me start forcing fluids. I stopped thinking about protein and food and focused on any kind of fluids. Within a couple of days of basically walking around with something to drink in my hands at all times (because I could only sip small amounts slowly), I started to feel better.
I'm sure there are a lot of different factors that determine how severe dehydration gets. I'm thankful that I was able to get it under control without having to go back in the hospital. Now, my ability to drink has improved significantly and I have no problem getting my fluids in. But, I do still have to think about it because it's easy to forget when you're not thirsty. I mentally track my drinking thoughout the day to make sure I'm not too far off the mark of the recommended fluid intake (64oz).
**DON'T GET DEHYDRATED!**:tongue_smilie:
I was supposed to post these questions awhile ago. I didn't write the answers as we talked so I can't remember everything he said, but I think I remember the answers to the important stuff.
1. Number of VSGs done? can't remember this one, but I think he said over a hundred
2. What size boughie used? 40 french
3. Impact of boughie size on maintaining goal weight and not losing too much weight? I think he said this is different for everyone and more related to changing your eating patterns when you reach goal, not so much the boughie size.
4. How much stretching of the sleeve can be expected? the sleeve will not stretch unless you overeat and push it past capacity.
5. Number of leaks you have had? 1
6. Treatment for leaks? go in and reinforce the leak area. then treat as needed in hospital/at home with fluids, etc. until leak heals. risk of leaks with VSG patients is greatest because there are more staples placed. (obviously this is a more complicated issue. this is just the gist of it)
7. Worst case scenario for leak not healing, i.e. loss of stomach functioning? leak will always heal eventually with proper treatment. should not expect to lose your stomach due to a leak.
8. Other complications you have experienced? occasionally incision site infections, but rare.
9. Risk for ulcers? no more so than general population.
10. Is esophagus at risk duing surgery? there is some risk but not a significant concern since staples are kept as far from esophagus as possible. (there was more to this issue that I can't remember)
11. Difference in type of staples used? there really is no difference (can't really remember how I phrased this question, so there may be more there to explore if it interests you)
12. Sew over or buttress staple line? yes, either a sew over or organic (think that's the term he used) reinforcement material is used on the staple line.
13. How do you decide who gets sew over vs reinforcement material? it depends on what is available in the OR. if the reinforcement material is not available, then sew over is done. (of course, this made me want to call the OR and tell them to have that stuff available on my surgery date, but I restrained myself. :crying: I didn't go into which was better as it seemed to be more a matter of convenience to have the reinforment material versus having to do the sew over by hand. I figure with only 1 leak, he's perfected both methods.)
14. Should I expect issues with scar tissue from prior surgeries that might impact this surgery? no
15. Issues with finding a hernia/gallbladder problems? if a hernia is found, it will definitely be fixed during the VSG. the gallbladder will only be removed if it is significantly diseased.
16. Is single incision VSG possible if a hernia is found? can't exactly remember the response to this but I think it was that the single incision will depend on ability to fit necessary instruments into stomach area, not on the hernia.
17. Will I need meds for gas/heartburn postop or for lifetime? this varies by individual (can't remember this part too well but I think more was said)
18. What are some good natural food protein sources for immediately post op? the immediate postop phase is about survival. it is more important to get in fluids. no one is able to take in the recommended protein. (how true!!! it's amazing that I remember this part very clearly but still ended up getting dehydrated. ) :scared0:
19. Recommened vitamins for postop? any store brand multivatim is fine. will need to supplement calcium. (this part was discussed with the nurse when getting all of my postop diet info).
Well, today I am officially two weeks post op and still not quite sure how I actually feel about the surgery. I definitely don't regret it, but it hasn't been a breeze. :scared0:
I struggled quite a bit the first week and a half with being able to drink and eat. I ended up having a hiatal hernia repair with my sleeve surgery and I think this increased my pain level post op. It also made my esophagus very sore and restricted, making it painful to drink and eat. Getting that hot poker sensation every time something went down my throat was NOT conducive to me getting in my fluids. So, I ended up with a slight case of dehydration a few days after coming home from the hospital and it was not pretty. :crying:
I discussed this with my doctor's office on several occasions and was always told there was nothing that could be done about it. I'm not convinced that is really the case since I've talked to at least one other person online who was given medication for esophageal spasms. But, at two weeks out, I have improved significantly with my ability to get liquids and foods down, so I don't feel the need to push the issue anymore. I just hate it when doctors and medical people are misleading, for whatever reason. It's insulting to my intelligence.
Anyway, I've been very lethargic feeling even though my body is clearly healing well. I can tell that everything is fine on the inside, so the lethargy was either from PMS or from a developing sinus infection. I hope to see a big improvement by the end of week 3. I haven't been walking nearly as much as I need to because I've felt so weak and lifeless. But, last night when I went walking at the park, I noticed a big difference in my stamina.
I think it's also related to me not getting in enough nutrients to support my body. But, my food intake has increased over the past few days and I can now get in a decent amount at each sitting. I started out being able to get in a couple of teaspoons of food. Now, I'm at about 2 tablespoons of solid food per sitting. My postop diet progressed pretty quickly, so I'm able to eat most foods now, but I don't push it by eating anything too extreme.
I've also discovered that I like the Isopure protein drinks and I'm really excited about that because I know I wasn't getting in enough protein. I've only tried one flavor so far, but I plan to get some more today. Even though some people feel they are expensive, I've saved so much money on food since surgery, that it'll still be a bargain to just buy the ready to drink Isopures. As I understand it, the Isopures have the best quality of protein, the whey isolate, so this is good news for me and one less thing to worry about.
As for my weight loss, it is definitely coming along. I lost about 14 pounds on the preop diet, which is amazing. As of the last time I was weighed, I had lost 7 pounds since surgery, but that was last week. So, I should have a bigger loss to report this afternoon. My 2 week followup appointment is later today. I'll probably come back and update this blog with the outcome of that appointment.
Overall, I know this surgery is what I needed to do for myself even though it still seems drastic to me sometimes. I have had some food regrets since surgery, but nothing that has lasted more than a couple of minutes. I've been able to talk myself through those moments by reminding myself of why I did this and the outcomes I expect in the end of the process. I have had some dark moments, but it does get better each day as my body adjusts to the changes. I guess you just have to keep on pressing on and deal with the changes as they come. I certainly don't want to discourage anyone from doing this surgery by not painting a rosey picture of life post op. You just have to be prepared for a few rough times post op and know that it does get better. I thought I was preparing myself for that preop, but there's nothing like the actual experience. :ohmy:
Update: My 2 week followup appointment was uneventful. The doctor was not in the office so I talked to the nurse. She said my incisions look great and I'm cleared to take baths. I will have to wait until all of the scabs and surgical glue fall off before I go swimming. I am cleared to do light hand weights and elliptical, which is great because I want to start working on these arm flaps when my energy level increases. We reviewed what I had been eating and my supplements. She said I am right on track with about one pound a day of weight loss. I'm sure that won't hold up, but that's okay. I'm determined not to stress about the stalls that will be forthcoming. I did ask about the medication for the esophageal spasms and gave the name of a drug that someone else said they are taking for it. She said she would ask the doctor about that. I really don't expect an answer. I just want them to know I'm not a dummy.
Well, I have had such a busy week this past week getting prepared for surgery. I'm mentally and physically exhausted, but excited about having everything out of the way. Now, I just have to continue my pre-op diet and make a few last preparations before my surgery on the 22nd.
I thought it might be a good idea to post what I went through with pre-op appointments in case anyone out there is wondering about this aspect of things. I actually scheduled all of my own preop clearances. (The surgeon's office scheduled the preop appt I had with them and the hospital.) The surgeon's office has specific doctors they work with for the clearances and I went with those instead of trying to do something closer to home. I didn't want any delays with the results getting to my surgeon. This actually ended up being for the best because the surgeon's office and all of the doctors they use for clearances are tied into the hospital's computer network. They are all able to view most of the same info, reports, data, etc. about patients using the hospital's doctors. This should help prevent any delays if a piece of paper gets lost along the way.
I actually had my first preop clearance last week, which was pulmonary. This appointment was quick and to the point and a total breeze. I guess that's because I don't have any pulmonary isses, but it felt somewhat like a waste of time. I wish I had scheduled this one on the same day as one of the other appointments and that would have been one less day of driving 45 minutes each way to the hospital offices.
This past week, I had the Upper GI, cardiac clearance, phone intake with the hospital admissions department, pre-op appointment at the surgeon's office, and pre-op intake at the hospital. This was all done over 3 days.
Wednesday morning I went in for my Upper GI. This required that I have nothing by mouth after midnight. I was allowed to take my meds that A.M. with a sip of water. As others have said, this test is not pleasant. It's not the one where they put you to sleep and put the camera down your throat. This is the one where you drink a ton of nasty stuff and roll around on a table like a beached whale while the GI doc looks at live action xrays of your stomach handling all the nasty stuff you drink. I got a quick look at my GI system in action at one point during the test. It was pretty cool to see the liquid running through my system on the screen as I drank, but I was too queasy to stare at it much.
I managed to drink everything they threw at me, but I was SOOO sick to my stomach afterward. I had planned to run and eat immediately after, but I didn't feel like it. My stomach was full of chalky stuff! But, I decided that instead of walking around without any sustenance in my body, I would make myself eat something. I went and got a meat omelet from IHOP and immediately felt better. Lesson for me, go ahead and eat after the Upper GI even if you don't feel like it. The stuff seemed to move through my system fairly quickly after I ate. I learned a couple of days later that the results from this test were that I have significant GERD. Go figure. That explains all the recent burping - which I never did up until about 3 or 4 months ago.
I did my phone intake with hospital admissions after the GI appointment. This was basic info gathering, a review of my current medications, and somewhat of a test of my understanding of what I was about to do to myself.
Later that afternoon was my appointment for cardiac clearance. When I got to the back, I was given an EKG. Then, the cardiologist came in and reveiwed the EKG and my history information. He said that the EKG was normal and that I seemed to be in good health for my weight. He then said he wanted me to do the treadmill test. Now, I had thought this was automatically part of the cardiology clearance, but apparently it's not because they had not scheduled me for one. They couldn't fit me in that afternoon, so I had to come back the next day. GREAT! :cursing: But, I didn't balk because I am too determined to have this surgery to let an extra appointment get in the way.
For the treadmill test the next day (which was Thursday), I had to have nothing to eat or drink - except small sips of water - 4 hours before the test. I was instructed to wear or bring something comfortable to wear during the test. Since I had to go in to work that morning, I took a gym bag with me. I changed in the private exam area and the tech swabbed off my chest area with alcohol and hooked me up to an EKG machine. I was allowed to keep on my bra, a hospital gown, and my bottoms and tennis shoes. She took my vitals and then had me get on the treadmill. I started off at a moderate paced walk and then the speed picked up. I never had to actually run but I did get sweaty and exhausted toward the end. The point was to assess how much exertion it took to increase my heart rate and how my body responded during the phase with a high heart rate. I was able to do this at a fast walk. I think the whole thing took about 30 minutes from the time I entered the room. The actual treadmill time was about 5 to 8 minutes.
The next morning, Friday, I had my appointment with the surgeon. This went really well because my diligence with my preop diet paid off and I came in 1 pound under weight from my initial consultation.:thumbup1: Lord I was so worried about that because my weight had been up and down (mostly up) since that initial consult appointment and your surgery can be cancelled if you gain weight. I think I"m in the clear now because I don't expect to gain any weight on this low carb preop diet.
I turned in all of my surgical clearance forms to the insurance coordinator and she put together the packet for me to take to my hospital appointment later that am. She had to get the GI clearance from the computer network through the hospital because they hadn't given me anything after my GI appointment like the other two had.
I then spent some time with the nurse reviewing my preop and postop instructions and the progression of the diet. This was really interesting because my surgeon has changed his bariatric diet progression recently and it's much more liberal than it used to be. I plan to post it in another blog, but I'm thrilled to only have 2 days of clear liquids post op!! Yay!!! :thumbup: By day 7/8 postop, I'll be on pureed/soft foods. I'm really excited about that.
After talking quite a while with the nurse (she also took some measurements for reference points), I got to meet with the doctor. I think I surprised him with my list of about 20 questions, but he took a seat and answered every one of them. I'm going to try to post that as a separate blog also for anyone who needs ideas of questions to ask. I thought of a couple more as we talked, so it was very informative. I'm very comfortable with getting the procedure done after our Q&A session.
After that, I went over to the hospital and completed my preop admission. I met with the intake rep and handed over my ID and insurance card (for the umpteenth time) :scared0: and got a nice little armband for the remainder of my preop. Then, I went to the testing area to meet with the preop folks. First, I talked to the anesthesia nurse practitioner about my anesthesia history. Nothing significant there. Then, I met with the bariatric nurse specialist to review everything I would go through on the day of surgery, immediately post op, and long term post op issues. This aspect of the preop visit was unexpected and very helpful. I learned about the bariatric wing of the floor I would be on postop, some things to remember for the morning of testing (like to request an antinausea patch before surgery), got to review aspects of the diet progression, and got some tips and tricks for eating postop. The bariatric nurse specialist will be visiting me throughout my stay in the hospital and checking on me post op for quite awhile. It will be nice to have another point of contact when I have questions.
The last leg of my hospital preop appointment was the general surgical nurse. She took some vitals and reviewed my chart and history briefly. She made sure that all clearances were in order and on file and made sure that my chart was complete. She then took a few vials of blood and took that hospital bracelet off my arm. I was so glad of that because I once had to wear that thing around for almost a week before a surgery because "that" hospital had to know that I was the same person who had given the blood during the preop - STUPID. The nurse reviewed the procedures for the morning of surgery with me and that was it.
Anyway, I hope this "book" I just wrote about my preop tesitng helps someone get a better idea of what they might be in store for in the days before surgery. I'm sure it's done differently in many places, but I guess the overall point is the same - to make sure we're healthy and sane enough to go under the knife. If I had any advice, it would be to plan your appointments strategically and be clear about what's expected at each appointment. I'm not sure that I could have cut down on my driving any because there was so much to get done, but I might have been able to cut out at least one or two days of the back and forth with better planning.
Now that I'm done with that, it's on to week 2 of my preop diet and just trying to keep my head on straight until surgery day. I'm still getting a case of the nerves here and there, but I'm going to see it through. :thumbup:
(I've waited too late in the weekend to make an original post here, so I'll just cut and paste my forum message from two days ago here.)
Well, after waiting about about a week and a half since my insurance documentation was submitted, I found out today that I'm approved for VSG surgery. I am sooo excited I could turn cartwheels! I kind of knew I had everything in place to be approved, but it wasn't real until the nurse coordinator called me today to give me the news. NOW IT'S REAL!!! I've been grinning at myself in the mirror and doing the happy touchdown dance every time I went to the restroom at work today. I hope nobody heard me in there laughing with myself.
I talked to my surgeon's office a couple of days ago about pre-op testing. Since my paperwork looked good for insurance, I was able to get the info I needed to schedule the various tests. I have pulmonary testing scheduled for June 1st. Then on June 9th, I am scheduled for cardiac and an upper GI. I'm so glad I don't have to have the GI test where they put you to sleep. I would have done it if they had told me to, but happy to not do it. AND, my surgery is scheduled for June 22nd! Yeah!!!
I'm still a little scared and nervous about the surgery itself. But I know I would not be nearly as prepared as I am if it wasn't for the people on VST. I keep reminding myself to expect the unexpected in terms of post op stuff, but at least I have a general idea of what to look out for. I was worried that I would drive myself crazy over the next month waiting for my surgery date, but I've had a few things come up that will keep me busy right up until the surgery so that's a good thing.
Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences here. I expect to be able to do the same after surgery and hope that my experiences are helpful to someone too.
I've finally finished my 6 months of MD supervised diet and counseling visits. In some ways it seems like it took forever and in other ways it seems like it all went by really fast. I'm so excited to be past that part of things. I finished the visits last week and made sure that all of the records got to the surgeon's office. The counseling stuff was sent over immediately by the therapist I worked with. I had received the copy of my medical records from my primary doctor's office before my last MD visit. So, I sent the first 5 months of my 6 months MD visits to the surgeon's office by mail. Then, at my 6 month visit, all I had to do was get a copy of the last MD progress note. I faxed it to the surgeon's office from home that night. I called the next morning (Friday) and they had received the fax. I was told at that time that the counseling records were there and the psych eval was too. So, at that point, we had everything necessary to present to insurance. I paid the $250 insurance filing fee that my surgeon's office charges and was told that it would be submitted early the next week.
I didn't want to be a nag with the surgeon's office, but I decided that for $250 to file the claim with UnitedHealth Care, they could probably stand to put up with a few extra calls from me at that point. So, I called back Tuesday afternoon to once again verify that everything was a go. I was told that they were working on my claim right then. When I checked with UHC by phone on Wednesday, nothing was in the system at that point. I decided to give it another day or so because the rep said it can take 24 to 48 hours to show up in the computer system.
By this point, I was really trying not to stress. I knew that in the big scheme of things, I really had not been waiting a long time. My only reason for concern was that, like a lot of people, I had a verify specific time frame for when I wanted to have my surgery. I knew that I needed time after getting my insurance approval to get in all the pre-op tests before the tentative surgery date that I had been given, which was mid-June. On Friday morning, before I had a chance to call and nag anyone, my nurse case coordinator from UHC called to say that she had received the request from my surgeon's office but the last MD diet note was missing, as was the documentation to say that I completed the six months of counseling. WTH!!! Of course I wasn't happy to hear that. But, I assured her that I had completed everything in early May and had proof of it. I explained why the last MD probably was not with the other documents. She said that she could verify the counseling stuff through the UHC computer system, but would have to get that final MD note. She said that she would call the surgeons' office and get them to fax that final note and that would complete my request. I followed up later that day with the surgeon's office. They had found the final MD note that I faxed and sent it to the case coordinator.
So now it's Sunday and I'm in waiting mode. From what I've heard, UHC turns their approvals around pretty quick. I'm hoping to know by tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest. I'm anxious to get my GI and cardiac clearances, and whatever else the surgeon requires. One month to go before my tentative surgery date....
Hi everyone. I have been on the VST and OH forums since December, but I primarily post on VST. I don't participate much on OH, but I do enjoy the blogs there - I guess because they are continuous and not individual links for each blog. But, I feel more at home here on VST, so I've decided to post my first blog here. I'll probably go there at some point and post a blog also.
My journey is still pretty much in the early stages, so I feel a little scattered at this point. I have struggled with my weight since late elementary school. Considering the fact that I have hit the big 4-0, that's a long time to be struggling with something. I've never been a really successful dieter, but have had a couple of points of good weight loss that never lasted more than a year.
When I look back on those episodes, I can never pinpoint when and why I fell off the wagon, or how the weight seemed to creep back up on me. All I know with any certainty is that I'm tired - and tired of it.
Something clicked in me after I turned 40 and I decided it was time to do something BIG for myself. Up until this time, I had never given WLS for myself more than a passing thought. I toyed with the idea of the lapband a couple of years ago, but let the thought slip away. Then, in December 2009, I just suddenly decided that I was going to do something definitive about my weight and stop the diet roller coaster.
Initially, I went back to my earlier thoughts of doing the lapband because I couldn't get comfortable with the thought of the bypass. In the process of researching the lapband more intensively, I "discovered" the VSG. WOW!! I felt like the heavens had opened up for me. I knew immediately that this was the procedure for me and that I was about to make a positive change in my life that would have far reaching benefits.
This time I didn't hesitate long and contacted the Bariatric Resource Center through my insurance (United Health Care). Once I got the ball rolling, it was pretty much steady and smooth. I was NOT happy at first about the 6 month song and dance they put us through to get approved for the surgery. I was especially irritated about the supervised diet since it was clear that if I lost too much weight and went under the BMI requirements I would be denied for surgery. What a bunch of BS! What's the point of making people diet for 6 months and then penalizing them for losing too much weight? No matter...I just decided to not put too much energy into the dieting aspect of things.
But, after a little soul searching, I decided to embrace the idea of the required psych eval and 6 months of counseling. After reading some of the stories on the forums, especially here on VST, I soon realized that there was going to be WAAAYY more psychological impact from WLS than I could ever have imagined. So, I elected to do individual counseling instead of support groups. My personality tends toward excessive privacy and I would never have participated fully in a support group. But I have found that I am very engaged in the individual counseling process and actually look forward to my sessions. Since my sister is the only person I have told that I'm having surgery (and she's out of town), I really don't have anyone to process things with - especially the things I come across on the forums. Discussing these things with my counselor has been very beneficial because I'm developing concrete strategies for how I'll actually handle some of the difficulties of life post-op.
Each month, we discuss what has been most pressing in my mind in relation to the surgery (among other things). At my most recent session, we talked about how I plan to deal with all of the attention my weight loss will generate. This may not be a big deal for some people, but for someone like me who does NOT enjoy being the center of attention - especially when it's related to my appearance- this is going to be a big issue for me. I'm sure this is mostly because of my weight and being self-conscious about it for most of my life. But knowing where the tendency comes from doesn't change the fact that it's there.
Overall, we both agreed that I'm going to have to suck it up and deal with it because I'm going to get lots of attention with the amount of weight this surgery will allow me to lose. I'm also going to have to be more gracious about the positive attention that I get and learn to embrace it. I think this has been sorely lacking in my past weight loss efforts - the attention and my graciousness for the little that was there. I've come to the recent conclusion that this is a big part of why I've never been able to maintain previous weight loss. I think at some point, I felt like it wasn't really getting me anywhere, so why keep struggling with my body and cravings. I know this is kind of a wierd conclusion since I said I don't like attention...
So, here I am in my 5th month of the 6 month program for WLS approval. It seems like just yesterday that I made that life altering decision. Like most others here, I wish I had made the decision a long time ago so I could have enjoyed more of my life at a normal size. But, I think it happened at this time for a reason. For one thing, I clearly wasn't ready before. Now, it seems like the logical next step. I also made this decision right after the VSG became an approved procedure with my insurance company. Although I would definitely self-pay if that wasn't the case, I can't ignore that the timing for me was perfect.
As I sit here writing all of this, I can see why blogging is so popular. Although I've discussed all of this with my counselor, there's some added benefit to just getting it out in writing. I hope to continue adding to this blog as I go through the final stages of my insurance approval process and my pre-op diet and testing. Hopefully I'll be able to post some things in the future that are informative.
My tip for this particular stage would be to stay in contact with your surgeon's office to make sure that all of the records they will need from other doctors have been received. Sometimes it takes several requests to get the records there. If you are on a very specific timeline, it could delay your insurance approval and surgery date if you don't ensure that your records have been sent as requested. I'm sure this is not really a problem if you use providers that work closely with your surgeon, but I didn't go that route so I'm having to stay on top of things a little more so that I can get the surgery approved and done when I want to get it done.
Thanks for reading and I hope to be back soon.
