MelindaH

Hi, and welcome to our group. I am 54 and hoping for surgery sometime in October or November. I still have a few pounds to get down to my surgery pre-op weight but I have been successful in my high Protein. low carb diet that I was put on after my pre-op consult with the surgeon and dietician. I need one more nutrition visit and to lose the pounds before my case can go to my insurance for approval. I have several co-morbities so I am hoping that I won't have a hassle with that. If you have a choice, I recommend that you choose a center of excellence. Google it if it is unfamiliar. I do second all that sweetpea has said above. If you can conquer smaller portions. allowing more time to eat and learn to sip a lot of Water, I feel that you will do better. I can't answer your dating questions as I have been married for several years. But I can suggest that it is critical to have a good support network of family and friends available before your surgery. I have told a lot of my friends but I have not told my sisters who live in different states as I do not expect that I would have much support. They are the "gut it up and just do it" type. If I do ever get to see them again, I would like to surprise them. Some of the folks here do not tell many people pre-op but I feel that is a personal decision for all. If you can get some kind of exercise routine going, it would be beneficial. Start with trying to take stairs and park farther out in a parking lot. Try walking short distances and gradually working up. They say that walking is the best exercise and I believe it. My life can be very sedentary and walking is about the only outdoor thing I can safely do. I do have a membership at a gym and frequent it two to three times a week for low impact stuff. I have been riding a stationary bike for several years now due to bilateral knee replacements and I am gradually increasing the miles and resistance on it. I have begun walking on a treadmill for short distances. I wish you all the best and hope that you will drop in often. Keep us posted on your pre-op progress. Melinda I was a diet coke addict and gave it up about three years ago when it went over $4.99 a twelve pack. I went cold turkey and just started drinking lots of ice water. I did not have much of a headache which I know is not the norm. The carbonation will stretch your stomach, thus allowing you to eat more. Many report that they lose the taste for it post op. I do have the one cup of coffee and realize I need to give it up soon. I hear tea is better especially decaffienated ones. Perhaps you can use sugar substitutes and skim milk? Lots of good luck....it will be worth it!

I don't have experience with a breech baby, hon, but I do sincerely wish you all the best. Keep us posted. Melinda

Hi, Grider, If you have BCBS Fed, the contract runs from Jan 1st to Dec 31st. I have been on it for years now and the benefit calendar year has never changed. I am not sure about BCBS of IL. I am hearing some nightmare stories. Hope this helps. All the best to you. Melinda

So Glad it went well for you,,,,thanks for posting. Will keep you in my prayers! Melinda

Hi there and welcome to our forum, It is not uncommon for overweight people to have sleep apnea. But a lot of people are able to give their cpap machines the boot after they lose weight, You will get used to the mask and the machine and it is really important for your health that you do. There are lots of different types of masks so work with your provider if the one you have is too difficult for you. I have been on a machine for ten years due to my weight. It took me about a month to accept my machine and sleep all night with it. Over time, I realized how much better I was feeling. Congratulations on being approved and scheduled! I am still pre-op--have one more nutrition visit before mine can be submitted for insurance approval. I am hoping for October sometime. I just want to encourage you to follow your surgeon's instructions to the tee, eat your Protein, exercise as much as you can, and drink your Water. I bet you will be able to buy lots of new clothes for your cruise if you do. Drop in often and keep us posted on your progress! All the best to you, Melinda

They will admit you to the unit and take your vitals and medical history, Next get undressed from the waist up and they start an iv. They will come and get you (prob after a wait) and take you back to a procedure room. They will prob put oxygen on you and position you with pillows. The MD will show up and talk to you, you sign the permit and the RN gives you some meds that sends you to LA< LA land. and the next thing you know you are back in the bed you started in (usually no more than 30 minutes). Once awake, they have you drink Water. Once recovered and dressed, they bring your ride in, tell you your post op instructions and send you home. There you have it. Don't worry, I am a veteran, lol One of the things you sign is an agreement not to drive for 24 hours. It is important that you don't. All the best, Melinda

All the best to you, Yolanda. Will be remembering you. Melinda

I will be praying. A blessing to do so. Please keep us posted on your progress, Melinda

I admire you both for your committment to healthy eating and exercise. You both encouraged me and I thank you. Melinda

All that might happen is that they ask you to have a sleep study..... I am sure no one will infer that you deliberately forgot....out of sight out of mind event IMHO...Relax! Melinda

Hi, I agree with Cindy. Stay close to home. Your travel expenses would be very high over the years. All the best to you. Keep us posted on your progress! Melinda

Hi, there, it sounds to me like someone is not explaining things very well. I can only tell you from my own experience. Like you, I am still preop. About ten years ago, my children told me that they could hear me snoring through my bedroom door and theirs. I mentioned it to my ENT while I was being seen for another reason. He sent me home with a pulse ox monitor (to measure how much oxygen was circulating through my body while I slept.) Mine came back around 70% which is not really compatible with life for any length of time. I was referred on to a sleep specialist, had the overnight tests and behold I have sleep apnea. I would never sleep more than four hours at a time. Always tired. He recommended a cpap machine and I have been on one ever since. I feel so much better. Still only sleep about six hours at a time but that is a lot better than 4. My oxygen levels at room air still are barely over 90. For any procedure, I always have oxygen. I have never smoked in my life but was subject to a lot of second hand smoke. When I went for my surgical consult, I was told right off the bat to plan on bringing my machine to the hospital. I use it whenever I sleep, travel with it, whatever. I know I have to. It has helped me enormously and I will be anxious to see what happens after I lose weight. It can become your new best friend! Hang in there. All the best to you and please keep us posted on your progress. Melinda

The cardiologist I saw for clearance would have done a heart cath if I had let him, or maybe it was an angiogram. I had a stress test a couple of months before I saw him and passed it. I did agree to an echo because it had been ten years and I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which can affect the aortic valve. Passed that with flying colors so I am out of there unless I have symptoms. He was a part of a big group paying a lot of rent in a beautiful building. We have good insurance but I felt that was stretching it over the top. I wish you all the best as you have your surgery and begin a new healthy life. Melinda.

Hi, Valerie, welcome to our forum. I would be following up with somebody. You need a clear answer from your cardiologist and holding your records hostage is pretty bad. I do not know what is causing your trouble but please do not go into the surgery without checking at least with your pcp. All the best to you. Please let us know. We are here to support you and each other. Melinda

Hi, Like mustang mama, I suggest that you call Tricare. But I have one concern--are you monitoring your blood pressure at home? If it is running high, please see your doctor. Regardless of insurance concerns this needs to be addressed before any surgery. You may already be doing this, so please forgive me for "butting in" but high blood pressure is always a red flag if not treated. I wish you all the best as you meet with your surgery team. Keep us posted and drop in often. Melinda

Hi Cindy, I have young adult children, one of which is living at home. It can make it so difficult for the dieter. I understand your frustration at sitting at a plateau as that is where I have been for several years. I am still pre-op and trying to lose the ten or eleven pounds that the surgeon has asked me to. I have been doing high Protein and low carb and have lost some of it , which is exciting. This last week I ate entirely too much and did not exercise so it is back to the old grind starting this am. Let me know how this experiment works. All the best to you. Thank you for your very insightful posts that you make on the forum. They are of enormous help to me. Melinda

Good for you and enjoy the flowers! Really, really nice of the lady at BC to help you. I, too, hold them in high regard. just nervous about my approval process.\ Melinda

Follow up calls are very important as apparently that is not something that the MD ofc staff does. They just send the faxes and prob pray that they get there.. I call BCBS here in Oregon two or three times a month. I go over my EOB's with a fine comb and question anything I think could be wrong-even if it results in something in their favor. They are always patient with me. They get paid to handle phone calls. Believe me when my case gets sent for approval, I will follow up and make sure it gets there and is complete. Melinda PS I agree with you on the scan and email idea. Faxes may or may not make it. One digit misdial and they may goe to Tin Buck to. I have the biggest problem with my internist office faxing presriptions to the pharmacy. They don't like refaxing them and I usually have to go and pick the prescription up. I guess no one calls in RX anymore.

I hope that nothing I said to you offended you. I was only trying to help. If I did, please forgive me. I understand knee problems, having had both mine replaced. I understand the menopausal thing, too, lol. I wish you all the best and please keep us posted on your progress Melinda

Hi APR, Hon, I agree with the previous poster that your surgical options are few. And I reallly am sorry that good medicine dictates that. However, I would get a second or even third opinion until you are satisfied that you are being told the truth. I totally agree with you that the MD discussing his payment by your insurance company is totally over the top and inappropriate. That is what a insurance specialist is for. He, individually, and/ or his practice signed a contract with Tri-Care or whatever insurance you have to provide safe medical services for patients regardless of your stature in life. If your insurance is tricare call them and ask them where the revision specialists are. I do know and have been told that the weight loss with the band is considerably slower than with the other procedures. But it will not lose the weight for me. I have to follow the program and exercise. I have not done that this week well but tomorrow is a new day and I am still preop. You are right there is probably more to your story than we know at this time. I sense that there is a lot of pain and am only suggesting counseling as I have benefitted from it enormously over my life. I sincerely wish you all the best. Melinda

I am surprised that they have taken this long...Have you called BCBS again? And make the ins co-ordinator your new best friend. It should not have taken this long in my mind. Good luck, hon, Let us know, Melinda

You can call your insurance's customer service and they will tell you if it is covered and what their requirements are. Or go to their website if they have one. I commend you on putting your daughter first. All the best to both of you. Keep us posted on your journey. Melinda

Personally, I would do the surgery at the hospital on a Thursday. Is your ins requiring that it be done at a surgery ctr?

Drinking alcohol has been strongly discouraged in my nutrition counseling sessions but I haven't been asked to sign anything. Since I can take it or leave it, I would not resent being asked to commit to such llifestyle. What I have been asked to sign is that I will never smoke again. Since I never did, that is cool also. Giving up caffiene is the hard one for me. But I am doing much better than I was and plan to be down to zero come surgery time. All of these restrictions are for our safety and ultimate good. Every doctor has their own treatment expectations. If this is an issue, maybe you need to find a surgeon you can work with in agreement on the alcohol restrictions. All the best to you. You may find that you hate the taste of it after surgery. Melinda