lisahg

I have never really had trouble with dry skin in the past but soon after surgery my skin has been really dry and itchy especially on my abdomin.

Hey Leona Over Here!!! :hurray: I was sleeved on Dec. 26, 2011 by Dr. Hoffman from the Comprehensive Weight Loss Center at Buffalo General Hospital. He's a great surgeon and really nice guy. I live about 90 min. south of Buffalo

I am happy that you are doing so well. It sounds like you are on your way to a smooth recovery. I sleep alot the first day too and felt really good the next day. So take it easy and rest..

I think adopting healthy eating habits and an exercise program now can only help you with your recovery after surgery as well as the lifestyle changes needed once sleeved. My insurance required a 6 month medically supervised diet and exercise program. I managed to lose ckise to 25lbs during that time. Even thought I was really anxious to have my surgery, I think that time really helped me to be physically and mentally prepared. I wouldnt worry about losing too much weight before surgery. From what I have read on here, many of the surgeons from Mexico accept patients with BMI's as low as 30. Good luck!

As others have said, an insurance company can always find any number of reasons to deny your case. The most important thing is to get a copy of their medical policy that involves surgical treatment for morbid obesity and read it thoroughly to understand all of the required steps and criteria for approval. If you meet their criterion for morbid obesity, you could than make a list of all of the required steps that need to be fulfilled. If you call your insurance company to get clarification on something or perhapes ask their definition of "medically neccessary", always document when you called, the name and employee number of the customer rep you talked to. I feel if you are proactive from the beginning you will have less to worry about when its time to submit for approval.

I can totally relate to your feelings. My journey even included 3 months of appeals fighting with my insurance compnay before being approved. When I finally got the confirmation that I was approved for the sleeve, I was like "Ok" now what. I thought I would be more excited too but instead felt unsure and had second thoughts, like you. You know that saying "Be careful what you wish for..." I think deep down you know this is what you want, as I did. My rational brain just had to go through all the "What ifs" I left the hospital after surgery with a drain. I thought I would be grossed out or not be able to do the bandage care for it but it wasnt a big deal at all. I did take a little longer to get dressed in the morning. After a week with it I referred to it as my little sidekick lol and it didnt really hurt being removed. Take some of the pain meds or tylenol before its time to have it removed and you'll be fine.

Welcome Vance! I have found this to be a very helpful place with lots of encouraging people. I was recently sleeved so am a newbie as well but hope I can give back to other as I learn through my journey

Congrats! I know that must have felt great. Thanks to your husband for encouraging you to treat yourself. You deserve it.

Congratulations! It sounds like you are doing great. I woke after surgery to an oxygen mask too which was weird. Wishing you a smooth recovery

I agree with Shellyac. I forgot to mention the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) www.asmbs.org. Its an excellent resource. I cited that very position statement Shellyac mentioned in my appeal letter.

Hi I am unfamiliar with Carefirst but I ran into the same issue with my BCBS insurance Highmark (Pa.) They did cover VSG for patients with a bmi of 50+ as the 1st in a 2-stage surgical treatment (the 2nd being RNY) performed after the patient lost enough weight with the VSG to make the 2nd surgery less risky. I was kind of aware of this policy as I went through the other insurance requirements having a bmi just below 40 with 2 comorbidities. I expected and was denied coverage from Highmark because of the 50bmi stipulation and deeming my surgery not medically neccessary. My surgeon even participated in a peer-to-peer review with Highmark in hopes of reversing the decision with no luck. I have other medical issues that made the Lap-band and RNY (which I could most likely be approved for without much drama) not good choices for me. Highmark didn’t care. After going through 2 appeals with no success. I then had the option to request an external appeal where all your information and the insurance's information is sent out to an Independent Review Organization (IRO) to finally rule on the case. I am happy to say that the IRO overturned Highmark’s decision to deny and they were required to cover my surgery. The committee basically said to Highmark, "The vsg is among the surgical treatments you cover, this patient has met all of the criterion for morbid obesity, the 50bmi is arbitrary, give this girl her darn surgery!" Lol, I embellished that last part! I guess what I am saying is expect to fight and dont give up if the sleeve is what you really want. At the end of the day insurance companies are in the business of making money and I think they bank on people giving up when told no. I feel very lucky that the IRO ruled in my favor. I don’t take that for granted for a moment. From the research I have done external reviews result in overturned decisions around 40% of the time. So it is worth a shot. I did tons of research when preparing my external appeal letter. I had about 15+ medical studies, journal articles and position statements that I cited and used to substantiate my arguments. My husband said my letter was more like a research paper. I'm sorry I didnt mean for this post to be all about me I just thought maybe hearing my experience would help. If you end up having to go the appeal route, I would be happy to lend any support but you have to be patient and let the process run its course. My appeals together lasted 3 months. I do think you are in a better position to appeal since your insurance does cover VSG albeit for higher bmi patients than an insurance that still views VSG as investigational. Good luck!

Congratulations!! I can see how proud your family is of your hard work and accomplishment.

That is an exciting surprise to have your surgery moved up a week. As I anxiously counted down the days to my surgery, I hoped I would get that kind of phone call. Good Luck!! Check in when you can to tell us how everything went.

Hi I am pretty similiar to you. I am 5'3 and was 212lbs on surgery day Dec. 26th 2011. I had lost about 20lbs during the six month phycisian monitored diet required by my insurance prior to surgery. At my 1st post op followup app. 8 days after surgery I had lost 13lbs. I have decided to only weigh myself once a week which will be this coming Tuesday. I am hoping I have lost maybe another 4lbs. My surgeon didnt really discuss what I could expect to lose each week either and I didnt think to ask. I guess I will be happy if I consistently lose 3 to 4lbs a week especially in the beginning. I know my surgeon did say that the first 6 months after sleeving is the prime time for the most amount of weight loss. After that it slows down and you have to work harder for each pound to go bye bye

Glad to hear you are home. I felt so much better after a day at home in my own bed. I wish you a smooth recovery. Take it easy but walk when you can and keep sipping the liquids. Don't hesitate to call your surgeon if you feel the pain is too much.

I was sleeved on Dec. 26th and have had a smooth recovery. The hardest part for me is taking the time to get all my liquids, protien and supplements in. I had a really busy distractible day a few days ago and knew I didnt drink enough and felt just terrible by evening. I realized this journey will be much trial and error and probably lessons learned the hard way! The best part is hearing the word of support and encouragement from my husband and children as well as noticing that my clothes are definitely looser already.

Congratulations! I'm sure you've worked really hard to reach your goal.

I am glad to hear you are doing better. The nurses at the hospital were very nice but I was so happy to be back in my own bed. I had the same "head hunger" sensation but I really had no appettite. I an my 2 week of full liquids and I am so looking forward to pureed food next week.

You've got a fantastic attitude towards your recovery. I am sure you will do great and every passing day will get easier! .

Everyone has a different experience but as Moonsiren said, if you are having Laproscopic, you should be fine to take care of yourself. I had my surgery a little over a week ago and by the 4 or 5 day post-op I was feeling pretty much back to normal. There was no abdominal pain getting up, down or changing positions in bed. Just take everything slow and get lots of rest.

Congratulations!!! I am similiar to you, in being 9 days post op and was happy to find out yesterday at my 1 post-op visit that I had snuck into onederland. I would too do it again in a minute.

You will find so many positive stories and incredibly helpful people within this community always quick to answer the smallest question or concern. I just had my sleeve Dec. 26th and honestly feel great. I went home the next day and have been pretty active since day 3 post-op. I am grateful, I had little discomfort or gas pains. I think what really helped me with any nervousness of the unknown is to be as prepared as I could be before surgery, including being informed about the surgery and lifestyle change afterwards as well as being in good physical shape (eating healthy and exercising) so the surgery would go smoothly. I told myself that whatever issues (pain, gas, nausea) I experienced after surgery was gonna be whatever they would be and I could deal with it because in the long run my impoved health was worth it. I think your concervs are common and it is great that you are dealing with them openly instead of pushing them to the side.

thanks guys, for responding. I like the Nectar because it has no carbs or sugar.

Hey All, I am using the syntrax Nectar chocolate protien powder as part of my full liquid diet phase since surgery on 12/26. Do you think it is ok to add warm, not neccessarily hot water to it for making kind of like a cocoa drink? I am wondering if that would somehow alter the effectiveness of the whey protien. Thanks Lisa

How are you doing? What was your hospital experience? Do you have any tijps to pass along? My surgery is Dec. 26th in Buffalo NY. I can't wait to join the losers bench this month but I have to admit I am getting a little more nervous as the date gets closer. Tell me all about it. Thanks Lisa