educationrulz

Stacey, It sounds like you're in the right frame of mind to make the trip by yourself and there is some great advice here and on some of the other threads. I remember seeing some others threads about traveling to Mexico alone with some other great suggestions about what to pack. The hibicleanse sounds like a good idea. I've had docs here in the US have me bathe with that the morning of a surgery even though they sanitize your skin in the OR. If I wasn't able to get insurance to cover this I would definitely be making plans to go to Mexico for surgery. Knowing me, I would probably end up doing it solo. I can see the point that several people have made that it would be nice to just sleep and rest without worrying about what your companion is doing. I hope everything goes smoothly for you and I can't wait to hear about your progress post-op.

WOW! 49lbs! Great job. Congratulations and welcome.

I still can't get out of my mind that the "housekeeper" removed the drain. I don't care how loosely you use the term housekeeper (to possibly include nurse assistant, aide, etc.), that is a procedure that should be monitored or checked soon after by a doctor. So, as Stacey pointed out, how negligent is it that an untrained person removed the drain, and no immediate follow up was done by a doctor or RN to verify that everything looked good immediately after the drain was removed. If I read stoongal's post correctly, this also means Linda went home without a final assessment of her condition despite the fact that she had already been back to the clinic once with post-op complications. That says it all to me. These issues CANNOT be blamed on "accecptable" rates of complications. The LEAST this place could do is to train the "housekeeper" to report red incision sites and fluids coming from the incision sites to the medical team immediately. Surely they didn't train the housekeeper to intentionally ignore these things so people could get on to the airport as quickly as possible... :closedeyes:

Hey Jen. I too am sending good thoughts your way. The great thing about this forum is that when we post the problems we're having, it forces us to think more logically about what we have been doing. Clearly you're already doing that now. In terms of the gallbladder surgery, it might actually be a positive thing. Assuming you have insurance here in the US, there could be some difficulty with getting sleeve complications paid for since it was done "off-insurance". So, maybe if you proceed with the gallbladder treatment as a totally separate issue (with your PCP's cooperation and creative documentation), you can probably get treatment on the side for your incisions and any other sleeve issues you're having during that treatment. Just make sure all of your visits are documentated as treatment for the gallbladder and then get those incisions taken care of and monitored. Let us know how you're doing.

Hey Sassie, I think this all depends on your doctor and your payment status - insurance vs self-pay. It seems like the self-pay sleevers tend to get scheduled pretty quickly after consultation assuming their financing is already lined up. I actually was able to request a tentative surgery date pending insurance approval, but I don't consider it an official date. I've handled most of my interactions with the docs office over the phone since my consult a coupld of months ago. I'm hoping everything will fall into place and I can keep my tentative surgery date. Good luck with everything.

Hey VV. I haven't been through the fire yet, but I feel your pain. I can only imagine how it must feel to sit around people and not be able to eat any of what they're having. I'm really worried about that. But, try to keep in mind that very soon, you will be able to eat small amounts of what everyone else is eating. And from what others here say, you'll be satisfied with that small amount. Counseling or joining an existing WLS support group should help you develop some good strategies to deal with these kinds of situations. I'm doing individual now and might switch to a support group post-op. I personally think scales are evil and should be avoided in the early stages of weight loss. Any weight gain or lack of weight loss can send you in a downward spiral immediately. Instead of weighing yourself, keep focusing on the change in how your clothes fit and let your weigh-ins happen at the docs office. Also, please continue to be careful with your diet. It sounds like you're doing a really good job with that or you wouldn't be so frustrated. :crying: I'm nobody to preach about good eating habits, but better safe than sorry. I would consider contacting your surgeon's office to see if someone can review your diet with you. Maybe there's something you could be eating that's more satistying but it just hasn't occured to you yet, or you forgot about it. I've heard of people being blamed for post-surgical complications, like leaks, because supposedly they ate something they weren't supposed to early on. I personally think that's rubbish in most cases, but we know it's a possibility. Why risk it?

Nikki, I might as well jump in the boat with you because I know that once my mom finds out about my surgery (I won't be telling her until afterward), she's going to feel the need or right to tell everyone my business. I guess that's another reason I've decided to get over my strong desire to keep it private after the surgery. Since other people might try to gain attention or whatever by telling my business, I'm going to take some control over the situation by telling people the way I want to tell them, not the way someone else wants to tell them that I had surgery. I know that my mom likes to feel important by being able to tell people this kind of stuff. I don't think she means any harm - I guess she just wants something interesting to say sometimes. So, I'm already prepared to be embarrassed. :blushing: I definitely don't think this is something that needs to be shouted out at the gym. You don't owe those people any explanations. It's not like telling your friends or co-workers. I've decided to tell mine so I don't have to deal with the same questions every day about how I lost weight and why I'm not eating. Once the word is out, they can all leave me the heck alone and let me do my job. I do think you should make sure your mom knows how you feel and that it's your business to tell people, not hers. Maybe you could try cancelling some trips to the gym or other places with her until she takes you seriously.

Do we have to take an antacid forever, like the vitamins?

I tend to agree with seaview. Although I watch lots of medical shows and operations on tv, when it gets close in time to me a having a specific procedure, I don't want to see it performed anymore. Those youtube videos are way more in your face than watching it on tv, so I know I can't handle that. But, I don't have any problem reading about it and continuing my research right up until the big day. Just say no to the graphic videos and stick to the video blogs by WLS patients.

Here's another one I came across today. I don't think this was mentioned yet. Not necessarily as scientific as some other sites, but still interesting. I particularly liked the articles on one page about single incision lap WLS and the ROSE procedure, which is related to stompaphx. I wouldn't take these articles as verified sources since there are no true references, but each article seems to list the original source of the info, so these are a good starting point for some more intensive research. I also clicked on the home page to view other WLS info. Weight Loss Surgery News Weight Loss Surgery News

AHHH!!! The new battlecry for VSGers...Lookin' so cool wit yo pants on the ground. Lookin' so slim wit yo pants on the ground. Love it!

You look GREAT Tiffy! I know from your posts that it was a hard journey to get where you are now from the complications with your revision, but I can tell you appreciate your success sooo much more because of how difficult it was. I agree with everyone that you are a marvelous inspiration. I can't wait for next spring/summer to wear some cute dresses. Like you, I have never experienced that. Oh the little things in life...:tongue_smilie:

Sandy, Are you outing someone by posting her last name on the internet!!?? I hope you don't handle your patients'/clients' personal information in this manner. ------------------------------------------------------------------- To Nikki, Reading your story brought tears to my eyes. I can't imagine how bad that must have to be in that position. I have read your posts about your progress and how you are meeting your goals, and your pics look great. You have come through everything so well and you should be proud of yourself for making it through that experience and still coming here to post with a positive attitude. Thank you for sharing your story with us. Tiffany(IsMajor), Your post about people thinking you are stupid or too focused on money to take care of yourself is not what we're getting at (at least I think others feel the way I do). I don't think ANYONE here intends to make you or anyone else feel bad about the choices you make. Some of us are more outspoken than others, but I think we all are more focused on getting the word out about concerns with various doctors and clinics as opposed to trying to criticize the patients. Although the money aspect for patients has been mentioned, and maybe it shouldn't be, that's not the heart of the problem. Please don't feel like this is directed at you because it's not. It's not your fault or any other patient's fault. This is about the medical practitioners and the people who might be covering things up. Regardless of where you go for surgery, the more informed you are the more likely you are to get better care. You now know what to look out for and some ways to handle bad situations that might occur anywhere. Your fellow sleevers are on your side no matter where you go to have surgery.

Hey Anna. Congrats on your upcoming surgery date. Most doctors seem to feel that it's important to shrink the liver as much as possible before surgery, and my understanding of that is that low carbs are the key. My doctor requires a two week (I think?) pre-op low carb diet, while others require liquid diets. Some seem to feel that it would take longer than 2-4 weeks to shrink the liver, so they don't require a pre-op diet. Personally, I don't get all the differences in pre-op and post-op diets, but I guess as long as you do what your doctor is comfortable with, you'll be fine. You've got a good month before surgery, so I would work on that if you want to be proactive before surgery. At least it will give you something to focus on while you wait for the month to pass. Keep us up to date on your progress.

I keep coming across some great websites and articles accidentally as I click on various links. I generally avoid doctor's websites because that feels more like a sales pitch to me, even though there may be some good info there. I also like to read the research articles on the medical data related to WLS but that's not enjoyable for everyone. I know that a regular poster here, Tiffykins, has some great links to research articles about WLS and VSG. Since your insurance will probably require some months of hoop jumping before they will approve your surgery, you should have plenty of time to make an informed decision. I'm in my 5th of 6 months and I've found that the information out there has pretty much strengthened my desire to have the surgery. Good luck and welcome!

Joanie, I'm confident that you and TiffanyIsMajor will receive GREAT care during your stay. Your posts in this thread have assured that. Maybe other people who are scheduled should jump in and make any concerns they have known so that their arrival will be anticipated as well. Aside from my thoughts on that, I REALLY do wish the both of you and everyone else with upcoming surgeries the best. We've all been through too much getting to this point to have to worry about stuff like this. Please let us know how you did after surgery - in a less tense thread.

I think that's a great way to get around the insurance issue by submitting it as a two stage procedure but only getting the VSG. Be careful about this though. I remember reading somewhere that there was a surgeon who did this with a lot of patients and the insurance company caught on and there were some kind of sanctions. I don't know that they'd go so far as making you pay for the VSG if you didn't go through with the second stage, but I guess anything's possible. It seems less likely though that they would push the issue since more and more insurers are approving the procedure. Kaiser, Tricare, UHC, and now Aetna have general approvals for the VSG. Those are just the ones I can think of. I can't remember where I read that about the surgeon getting caught not doing the second stag of the DS, but maybe someone else out there will recall seeing that info. I think in your position I probably would take my chances since the other alternative would be to be a self pay, so I'd end up having to pay someone anyway.

I can only imagine how excited you are. It's great that you'll have your husband there for support. I hope you have an uneventful surgery and are able to log on soon after to let us know how you're doing.

Congratulations! Let us know how you're doing when you feel up to posting.

I'm not a diet coke addict. I'm a regular coke/pepsi/pibb addict! So that's even worse because in addition to the fizz I'm getting the calories and the carbs too. I decided three days ago to switch to diet sodas so I could at least start ditching some carbs before I have to hit the low carb pre-op diet in May. This decision was triggered by the fact that I pulled out some of my spring capris and found one of my favorite pair to be tight in the stomach. I almost freaked out! :001_smile: I REFUSE to buy any bigger clothes before I have this surgery. I don't care if I have to wear the same three pair of pants to work from now until June. Anyway, I can't believe I haven't been aware of all the carbs in regular soda before now. DUHHH! I'm a fairly intelligent person, so clearly this was selective attention on my part. I've only had one or two regular sodas in the past three days (as opposed to two or three a day), so that's a major victory for me. I think I'm seeing some progress already because I tried those capris on again and was able to fasten them without drama. I'm going to stick with the diet sodas until I can decrease my cravings more and then start weaning off of them closer to surgery. Tea is a definite replacement drink for me. But being as I'm from the south, I only know how to order it as "sweet tea". :tongue_smilie:

Hey Deb. Welcome to the forum. Hopefully you'll get some replies from someone familiar with your insurance. But, if not, just be prepared to do a lot of web searches and make a lot of phone calls to the insurance folks. Good luck!

Did you ever investigate whether an ortho consult would help with establishing a comorbidity?