doggz109

That is a great point! Student loan debt is NOT forgivable through bankruptcy - other debt is. I would look for a personal or Care Credit loan first. And yes - on the fraud part. It DOES NOT matter what your school policy is....it has to to do with federal taxpayer money being used to subsidize your surgery. The money is to be used for school related expenses. There is no stretch of your imagination that could make weight loss surgery be considered a school related expense. There are other (and frankly cheaper/easier) ways of getting the money for surgery than what you plan to do.

Congratulations on your scholarship - however from what you are saying here you plan to use subsidized student loan money to pay for surgery. I really wouldn't recommend it since you would be committing fraud. It's illegal and unethical (since these loans are subsidized by fed gov). Check the promissory notes you signed for your loans - there will be a stipulation that the funds are to be used for educational expenses only. There are many legal ways to finance surgery if you really want to do it. EDIT: This is talking about government student loans (Stafford/Perkins/etc) - if they are private loans then all bets are off.....except they still might have a clause in their loan doc about it. I agree with a few posters above though that student loans are actually getting expensive.....almost 4% for subsidized and around 7-8% unsubsidized. Not sure what kind of "high interest" account you have in mind to put the money in to have it pay for itself....but those kind of rates don't exist for "safe" investments these days (CDs/savings accounts). You could always risk it in stocks but you could lose it too.

I've never seen a student loan that allows for this? When I got my loans for school it specifically said in the contract that it was only for school related expenses.....tuition, room/board, books, etc? In fact....I didn't even see the money it was sent directly to my school. Unless things have changed. Also - if you can pay for school how would you even get the loan? Financial aid applications ask you for your income/savings etc?

Is the stomach pain on the right side.....kind of up near the ribs? If so....and it occurs frequently after eating....that very well could be gall bladder pain. See your doctor to get checked out. It's very common for people to need their gall bladders taken out post WLS. The foods you mentioned pretty much are common foods that give diarrhea. Milk, coffee, chocolate, etc. Your digestive system has changed, so even if these foods were fine before....you may be sensitive to them now.

Don't believe those calorie counters on the machines. They are WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY off. Also - if he is bigger or has more muscle than you - he is going to be burning quite a bit more naturally.

I have gout as well and currently take Allopurinol to try to keep it under control but still get the occaisonal horrible attack. I've been told that the high Protein intake during pre-op and for awhile post - op can actually trigger attacks. Especially since you can't really take any meds for a little while. Plus when you are immobile in the hospital and resting afterwards.....easy for crystals to start settling in your joints with inactivity. Walk when you can! I'm not looking forward to that. However, thinking LONG TERM I think it can only get better since you will have less weight affecting joints and eating less. Many food that can trigger gout (beer, soda, rich fatty foods, etc) are very limited as well if not outright forbidden....so that helps too. Hopefully we both get some relief after surgery eh?? Good luck!

Your job is only going to allow you a week off? Keep in mind you may need more time than that....especially if you have any sort of physical job. Just be patient...I know its hard but some people on here have been dealing with doc and insurance issues for a year or more to get approval. It can take awhile. One other thing....just a side note. How did you eat your greek yogurt? If you tried it plain or with just fruit in it....I agree....pretty yuck. However, try putting some Splenda in with it....whip it up, add some cocoa powder maybe, or some sugar free flavoring syrups (like Torani). That makes a BIG difference.

Go to the ER and get fluids in you pronto amigo.

Highly bad center of the burrito? LOL I consider that the healthy part. You tossed the unhealthy part...the tortilla. Great job on yesterday though - healthy yummy Protein and a fibrous veggie....I'm sure you felt lots of restriction from that! I haven't been sleeve yet but that seems to be the general rule....protein first and you WILL feel that restriction. It seems like the mushier/more liquid the food the more it will take for you to feel full. If you "plug" up with protein first....it won't take nearly as much. Nice job.

Yep....gum chewing leads to swallowed air which is NOT good for a sleeve. There is also the risk of swallowing it and I'm not sure how bad that would be....but probably not good.

We all know that there is more to a person than the way they look.....unfortunately your outward appearance is also what most people see first. Also keep in mind (coming from a guy) that not all guys are into the stick figure model look either. In fact....very few guys really are. So just because you don't think you look good doesn't mean that someone else doesn't think you are the cats meow. You are probably much more attractive than you actually feel and that is why you don't understand the sudden attention. I say roll with it.

Just get right back on track tomorrow. On a side note.....I really have no idea idea how you were able to eat an entire bean/cheese burrito and six perogi's 14 days after surgery. I see most people on here struggling to get about 1/4 cup of food in. This isn't a criticism....I mean I seriously don't get how its possible unless your sleeve was made very large or you healed very very quickly.

So I finally got my letter back from HealthNet today. They denied the request for surgery and basically said they would need more information - specifically regarding "any history of anemia, inflammatory bowel disease, Chron's disease, surgery history, celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, and medication history (specifically anti imflammatories). I guess this is not a flat out denial but I'm still sort of in shock. I have a 54 BMI, gout, high blood pressure, arthritis and have been overweight/obese since I was about eight years old. I know I'm not as bad off as some people....but I thought I was pretty much a poster child for who should get this surgery. The surgeon and coordinator at his office both said I was a total shoe in and that they haven't had any problems with Health Net. It's definitely covered and I made sure that my employer did not have an exclusion for it. So any ideas on what to do next? I'm not sure how the appeal process works and I haven't had any of the bowel issues (Chron's, celiac, IBS, etc) that they are mentioning. The only thing close is Gout and I have to occaisonally take some strong NSAIDS when that flares up (like Indocin). Thanks for any ideas.

I wouldn't fly Southwest if you paid me. Old cramped airplanes, rude staff, and if you are large enough to be considering WLS...then they will probably force you to buy two seats on the plane.

Not insane....but keep in mind....there are complications with this surgery. IF you do develop one after having surgery in Mexico your insurance likely WILL NOT cover anything related to it once you are back.

Hey everyone....so I've been posting here off and on for a few months while going through the pre-op process. Well I finally got all my requirements finished and my "packet" sent off to the insurance company for approval. I have been doing TONS of research on the sleeve and felt completely comfortable, full steam ahead....UNTIL NOW. I have lost 23 lbs since my first surgeon visit because he gave me some motivation and accountability that I needed to get going. However, I still have at least 160 lbs to go but this good start has got those surgery doubts starting again.... You know the ones....."You don't need to take this risk....you can do it on your own. Look you lost 23 lbs already in 2 months without it, blah blah blah". So now my mind is really messing with me. Any thoughts, words of wisdom, or encouragement? Thanks!

Dude is going to be JEALOUS as hell if he sees you in about a year....probably looking hot as hell with a new guy by your side. You can do this!

Did you survive?

Pretty much yeah. Hell of a trade off if you ask me.

I'm not certain on the clotting part....but the ulcer thing is an issue no matter what you are inhaling. It's generally a much bigger problem with RNY patients than sleeve - but still a "concern". I would be more concerned about it affecting my head hunger (munchies) personally.

Glad to see your post and that you are doing well. Here is the skinny on smoking after surgery (and in general). Smoking can cause a major increase in H Pylori bacteria which are one of the biggest (if not #1) cause of stomach ulcers. Smoking also seems to have an effect on stomach acid....either making you produce more or reducing your ability to balance it out. Smoking affects blod clots because it increases the coagulation of your blood (basically makes the platelets more sticky). It also can damage the lining of your blood vessels which can lead to clots. So there ya go. Again - its up to you to take this information and decide what is best for you. Good luck!

I bet he didn't mind helping with that!

EXACTLY right. You will NOT be able to binge eat anymore - which is really what some people freak out about because most of us have a very bad relationship with food. You cannot stuff yourself to oblivion anymore. Is that so bad?