M2G

Congratulations! Being at goal must be a WONDERFUL feeling! Glad you are enjoying your new smaller, healthier version of you!!

Eeek, not liking the new changes either. The ONY thing I like is being able to jump to another forum from the bottom of the page instead of scrolling back up! Julie wrote: "I see the sleeve as another means of successfully achieving our weight loss goals -- just like there are those who successfully used WW or other weight loss programs -- would I lecture them and tell them it was not in their best interests? No!" {See I can't even figure out the "quote" buttons to quote Julie} But Julie, you said this perfectly!!! That is brilliant. I love that.

Thanks Fit! I also don't miss my gallbladder either, and had zero complications after it, never had any meds, etc. either. I wouldn't wish gall stones on anyone though, they are NOT fun.

You look wonderful!!! Congrats on doing so well, and thank you for sharing your pictures with us. You were beautiful before, but I just have to say that you look sooooooo much younger after losing so much weight. Isn't it funny how we don't think about how excess weight can "age" us, but we you see it in the pictures, it truly is amazing. Thank you for sharing your inspirational jouney with us!

The self-pay price for my surgeon in Denver is $20,000.

I was thinking the same thing...lol. Even about pre-op stuff. I had heard so much about liquid dieting to shrink the liver before surgery, but when I mentioned that at one of my visits they (the surgeon's office) was like "oh my goodness, no we do a 24 hour clear diet the day before surgery and that is it. We feel like longer than that is cruel"...so then I asked about my liver and they said "oh it is fine" ...so go figure? I agree with Ellisa, just do what they say to do, even though there is a big difference among surgeons within the bariatric community.

I've been taking biotin as well, even though I'm pre-surgery, in hopes that it helps. We'll see, I think everyone is different and for some loss is just unavoidable.

I don't think it is a bad question at ALL! I'm going to ask my NUT about it on Tues. when I visit. I was under the impression that we were to swear off all ibuprofen for life? Am I wrong? I know I am to not take it within a month before surgery and directly after is a no-no as well. We were told that rapid release Tylenol would now be our pain reliever of "choice"...hummm. My personal opinion is that since the sleeve is so new, that they are sort of just now writing the "rule" book so to speak. Seems like a lot of my surgeon's stuff has been mostly adapted from the bypass people's rule book (although I know some of the stuff is the same whether you are band, bypass or sleeve.) I'm curious to find out what sort of cold meds are ok with the sleeve!

Eureka-C I sent you a PM too!

Great resource. They do a good job of explaining the "whys" behind certain rules, etc. Thank you!

Sounds yummy!

Congratulations! That is wonderful news! Everything on my "list" (from the surgeon and the insurance company, UnitedHC) will be CROSSED off on Tues. Oct. 5th, and then subsequently submitted to the insurance company. The sleeve IS covered (after we pay our high-deductible) and I've been in touch with 2 different coordinators for the last 6 months, so my fingers are crossed that I will be approved in a few days after submitting and hoping for a surgery date shortly after approval. I have not prepared myself for possible denial, so I don't know what I will do. But after hearing your story, I'm SO happy for you and glad you are sharing it here, for others to know that they can appeal if necessary!

Jumping in here, I am far from a workout junkie, but I am so proud to say that I have been a Curves regular for the last 6+ years. I regularly go 3x a week, and I usually walk (indoors on my treadmill or outside with my Curves buddies 2x a week). I love the way exercise makes me feel, so relaxed and happy! So I'm pre-sleeve right now (hoping for an Oct. date) and when my NUT told me no workouts at Curves for 6 weeks after surgery, I about fell off my chair! :scared0:But I completely understand the "why" behind it and I definitely don't want to pop a stitch or force my body into doing too much too fast. I am happy about being able to do walking workouts (yay!) So, basically, I need to NOT fall off the exercising wagon. I am going to be doing a countdown weekly after surgery until I can get back to my routine. AND, I'm looking forward to losing 125lbs and expanding my workouts beyond Curves!:thumbup1:

If you are a parent, and you have school-age a school-aged child(ren), AND you were sleeved on a school day, did you let your child go to school on your surgery day? I don't have a surgery date yet, (hoping for Oct.) and I'm sure it will land on a school day. I have 2 girls, 3rd and 4th grade, and I'm just not sure if I should send them to school (keep their schedule as normal as possible) or let them stay with my in-laws who could then bring them to the hosptial after I'm out of recovery, etc. We have talked to them about the surgery, and given them a general idea (without tons of details) and I'm sure they will be concerned, distracted, etc. But that could be a good thing, just being with their friends and having a normal day. Any thoughts, or ideas? I am also interested in parents who have talked to their kids about their surgery, and how your child(ren) responded. Thanks!

Thank you. My kids are naturally curious and I thought it might help them to "see" that I made it through, and was still alive, etc. But I didn't think about not being in the best state of mind, etc. I think it might end up being a decision based on how I feel at the time. They certainly won't be staying very long, a quick hello is all I was planning. But it might not be worth it ...plus the mental image of me being IN the hospital, no matter how quick is something that they probably don't need. We'll have to see. Thanks for your input!

That is so cute! And you are right, it is funny how they take stuff and "digest" it in their own way. I like how your 9 year old didn't want to hurt your feelings. :thumbup:

Oh wow, that is really a set-back. I'm so sorry. When I started this process, I was all for the band (even though I couldn't imagine slimeing up my food all the time, but I sort of mentally placed myself into the "that probably won't happen to category.") Our insurance was the first place we had ever even heard of the sleeve. And at my husband's insistance I did more research on the sleeve (this board was a big part of my research) and we both decided that this would be our best option. Now I wouldn't want to go any other way. That being said, you have to do what is best for you and your finances. You have a lot of soul-searching and a lot of researching ahead of you. I wish you the best of luck!

Thanks for being a RL buddy to me! You are the best!

Thank you guys. I am really leaning towards having them spend the night at my friend's house, and she can take them to school/pick them up, and then have my in-laws bring them to the hosptial either that afternoon or whenever I'm in a place where I can visit with them for a bit. My husband is also doing this surgery too (hoping for Dec. date) so it was great because we talked a lot about being healthier, eating smaller portions, and getting DH off of some of his daily meds for high blood pressure and asthma. We only talked positive, and there were no negatives. We were honest and said that mommy would probably be "in bed" a lot for the first week, but that after that I should be feeling much better and able to take them to school, etc. My sweet darling 8 year old the day after I told her about the surgery, had lots of questions, like "will I even recognize you when you come home from the hosptial?" :blushing: Um, yes, sweetie, it won't be that fast. Then she snuggled up close and said "but Mom, I like you just the way you are"....awwwwwww!

Hi Diva! I'm new to the boards and just starting to follow your story. Congrats on doing so well, and thank you for sharing your story with us! I totally agree with you about not wanting to always have to put "something" in our Water to make it go down (but I hear ya, plain water does get boring!) Have you ever tried TrueLemon (they have TrueLime, and TrueOrange too.) They have some new ones that are sweetened but the old ones like this: True Lime 150ct | TrueLemonStore.com Are unsweetened. It truly is like squeezing it a tad of lime or lemon into your water. I am not 100% that they would be acceptable on a post-op diet (I would have to do some research on that) but I really like adding these to my water on days that "plain" water just doesn't do it. The best thing I like about these is that they are STRONG, so I have to put them in about 30 oz of water. Which is good, because then I use a BIG cup and get more water in because I'm drinking out of such a big cup. Anyway, just thought I would share!

Ah, good point about the Agave. Thanks!

Insurance rules change every year, so it may not be covered this year, but maybe next year? I don't know if they would tell you what is coming up for the next calendar year, but that might be an option, to call and find out what will be covered next year. Every self-pay patient that I have talked to says the same thing "it is worth every cent!"

I also have United HC and had to do a 6 month supervised "plan" ...not really a diet, though. I have a Bariatric Case Manager AND a Bariatric Nurse both from UHC, and both of them said that I didn't have to lose weight to qualify for surgery. In fact they said my BMI meaurement on my final 6 month appt. would be the weight they use to base everything on. And then there is the surgeons office where I am recieving my nutritional supervision, and my NUT said they don't expect us to diet either, just make changes related to surgery (i.e. not drinking with meals, taking daily Vitamins, cutting out white carbs, etc.) This is just my personal plan, even though we have the same insurance, there are tons of variables. I guess if the NUT says to just keep going, I think I would flip back over to UHC and ask specifically if you are required to lose XX amount of weight to qualify. I mean it is touch and go because you not only have to satisfy the insurance co., but also what your surgeon requires. If your surgeon is REQUIRING you to lose XX weight, then I would definitely go back to the NUT and see if you can try tweaking the plan so you can lose. Sorry, it is frustrating at best isn't it?

I would call and ask for their advice. I don't have to do a pre-op diet, except for 24 hours before surgery, clear liquids, and then nothing 8 hours prior to actual surgery time.

Congratulations on your continued success! And thank you so much for your wealth of knowledge and for continuing to be here for the newbies, as well as everyone else on this journey! It is extremely inspirational.