emily_0192010

LOL!! I am hoping later down the road to be able to see my collarbones... I swear I have never seen them, ever. That is going to be a huge NSV for me if it happens.

I am having my surgery, hopefully on Monday, with Dr. Pinnar in Jacksonville fl. I am planning on keeping everyone updated as I go Right now I have no qualms at all about the surgery itself... getting to the surgery is proving to be an everest sized challenge!

Ohhh, I hope I can be like that as well!! I think you should embrace it, don't question it!

Thank you for sharing As much as I love the "I am sleeved, everything went well posts" I soak up these detailed ones! I realize of course that everyone's experience is different but it really helps to read about what other people experienced, good and bad. I am hoping to go back to work as well around day 9 or 10 but I am worried about how tired I will be. Luckily I should be able to take short shifts and only work for a few hours at a time.

Sounds yummy!! And yes, be happy that you didn't have a sweltering summer!!! LOL

140 lbs in one year?? That is amazing lady!! If I was back up north (were I should be, sigh) and not stuck here in icky sticky Florida I would be all over the soup thing as well! Unfortunately I am one of those people who can't tolerate very hot or warm liquids when it is hot outside as well! What did you do to bump up the Protein in them?

So there was a LOT of mis-communication between my surgeon's office and myself. I was led to believe that the costs of surgery that I am responsible for would be due after the surgery and that I would be billed for it after it went through my insurance, like EVERYTHING else has been. I was totally prepared to pay my portion... after the surgery. What I wasn't prepared for was to find out a week BEFORE my surgery that I owe them almost 1600 dollars before the surgery. Ummm.... yeah. I don't have that kind of cash lying around. I was able to come up with 455, and the hospital wants a min of 800 on my account before they will "work out payment arrangements" with me. My family and I do not have a lot of money. In fact we struggle every month to pay bills and put food on the table. I only chose to do this surgery NOW because a) my insurance covered most of it and next year our insurance deductibles, etc are going up and c) i am on a leave of absence from school. So everything worked out for it to happen now. I have NO IDEA how to come up with the min of 345 I need let alone the total left of 1100. My credit isn't bad, but it isn't great either. I am only 20 and I have student loans... and i'm only working part time. So right there my debt-income ratio is messed up. My mom's isn't great either. When we were denied for a credit card, and then for a loan that my bank has my mom checked her credit report, because we shouldn't have been denied. Turns out my grandmother had put her as an "authorized user" on almost 30,000 dollars worth of credit cards that she maxed out and then refused to pay. So my mom is working to get that fixed, but it will not hit before my surgery. What else can I do?? I don't want to cancel my surgery for 345... I have already paid a ton for the surgeon and the PSWL and the pre-op. I am using carecredit, but I can't get my limit increased. I literally tried everything my bank offered (a credit union). I don't have anything worth anything to sell. If I use my entire check that I get tomorrow I could pay the min... but then I would have to let my car insurance bounce and I would have no money for my prescriptions or Protein drinks for after the surgery. Does anyone know of anything that I haven't thought of yet? I really don't want to have to cancel or postpone this. Thanks for listening to me rant! -Emily

All of the stuff for the surgeon's office was upfront... like the initial fees and the office visits. But I was told that the percent of the surgery that I have to pay (cause it isn't covered 100%) would be billed to me. I used care credit for all of the office stuff and some of that percent. It was at my preop visit at the hospital when the lady said "okay you owe 1600, how are you paying cash or credit" that I learned I had to pay upfront. The miscommunication occurred when I specifically asked the office if I had to pay anything upfront for my surgery. I was told it goes through the insurance and then what I owe is billed. Like everything else that goes through my insurance. I am not blaming them completely, I know I should have double checked. I am hoping if I call the hospital and explain all that I have tried they might be willing to make payment arrangements with me.

That's wonderful! I love going to amusement parks (I *love* coasters) and i have always wanted to be able to wear a bikini with shorts (figured i'd dry out quicker after the water rides)... I can't wait to be able to do that. You made me smile today

That is absolutely amazing It seems like you feel just as wonderful as you look and I can only hope that I am doing half as well at that point! Thanks for sharing!

Hello!! Congrats on getting the ball rolling! I was where you are just a few months ago. I am getting sleeved next Monday. I do not have BCBS, but I also had to do a three month physician supervised weight loss program. I know it sounds like a really long time and at that point it seems like forever before you will actually get the surgery. But from my perspective it went really fast. I think those months are really important to help you prepare for all of the changes that are going to happen. Good luck!!

I agree with Bikerchick, I think you should just see how it goes. It might come up on its own. You said you already had the sleeve, so if you go out to dinner you won't be able to eat much and I'm sure he will notice that. You mentioned communication and that is really important. So I would say don't hide it. Good luck and have fun lady!!

I haven't had surgery yet, but when I asked my surgeon how long before I could go back to the gym he said "whenever you feel up to it". He said for swimming it was the same answer but if I want "pretty" scars then I should wait at least 4 weeks to allow my scars to heal. I was pretty surprised that I wasn't given a specific time frame, but at the same time I am pretty good at knowing when I am pushing myself and when I am pushing myself too far so I like that I don' t have any restrictions other than what my body tells me. Good luck

That is awesome!! I can't wait to be there myself Thanks for sharing

That is amazing!! Congrats

I was really worried about this as well. I *know* that it won't matter, but I am super modest and it was horrifying to me to think that I would have it at the same time as my surgery... but luckily I got it early My surgery is in a week (exactly!) so I know I'm good!

You look amazing! thanks for sharing Keep up the hard work!

My pre-op is two weeks super low carb (under 30 per day) which I have actually been doing for the past 4 months. Then I have clears for two days beforehand. So I think that the pre-op diet is surgeon-specific and it may even be person-specific as well. Someone with a smaller BMI (say low 40's) may not need to shrink their liver as much as someone say in the 50's range. Good luck!

I'm sorry to hear that the low-carb is hitting you so hard. For my PSWL I was required to go low-carb (under 30g per day) and the first two weeks were horrible! It is like that because you are going through what they call "carb withdrawal". Since you are about to have surgery it doesn't really matter, but it does get a lot easier. I found that drinking Powerade ZERO really helped with the energy and helped me feel better overall. Now, I've been low-carb for 4 months and my energy levels are definitely normal again. Good luck!

Thanks for letting us know I hope everything is going well!

That is awesome! I can tell you are super excited! It will be here before you know it!

You must be so excited! It will be here before you know it Congrats!

"The sleeve" they are referring to is the stomach itself. In this surgery you're stomach is cut and a large portion of it is removed. The stomach that is left roughly is the shape of a banana and looks like a sleeve. It works because it restricts the amount you can it. Many people chose this over the band because there is no foreign object in the body. You definitely came to the right place for information! Good luck on your journey Maybe you will be on the losers bench soon

In my instructions it said that we could have soda but that some people might not tolerate it. It was also suggested to pour it over ice to help break up some of the carbonation. So I would say that you are fine to have some soda, once in a while.. in small amounts!

I haven't heard it worded that harshly before. It makes sense though because before your body puts on weight the extra fat is stored first in your liver, and then once the liver is "full" it is transported and deposited around the body. So if you gained weight before surgery that is a big "red light" to your surgeon's that your liver isn't at it's healthiest and they aren't going to risk surgery. Nicking the liver would be very, very bad so that is why they are so strict about it. As for the diet, I have been on a low carb (under 30g/day) and high Protein "diet" for the last 4 months (part of my physician supervised) and I lost about 1-2 pounds a week. It wasn't a huge amount but it was consistent. Good luck!