miz z

Congratulations! I was sleeved the day after you. Like you I had no pain either -- yeah the gas, but not really that bad. I'm back home an fixing meals for my husband and am stunned that I'm not even tempted to taste. Nice you have the cream of wheat option -- not included in my hospital's regime. Can you have yogurt?a little goes a long way. Good luck to you

At my last shrink appointment, she asked me if I were going to tell people about the surgery and who I would tell. At the time I said I had told a few close friends at work and my boss. One of the things she said was that people will think you're really sick or that there's something really, really wrong with you as the weight starts to come off and they'll become very awkward around you. At the time I too had thought I would go the hernia route, which I also have, but after talking to her, I decided to tell folks the real reason I'm going to be out. I was very nervous about it, but contrary to what I expected, everyone has been extremely supportive and glad for me. I work with a lot of very nice, kind people. .

I had a long talk with my surgeon about this exact question. My surgery is scheduled for the 28th. What she said was that grehlin is the hormone that creates the sensation of hunger. The cells that secrete the grehlin are more concentrated in the section of the stomach that is removed during this surgery. One of the reasons she recommended the VSG for me was because there are even fewer feelings of hunger associated with this type of surgery. My Dr. is the head of the department at Mass General in Boston -- I trust what she says. Hope this helps allay some of your fears. Good luck.

Has anyone tried baby food? Pros/cons? Now that I'm getting close to my surgery date, I'm very curious. 6 weeks away

I'm now 6 weeks away from my surgery date. This coming week is psych appointment, week after, first nutrition. I find I'm less concerned about the surgery than I am about the post op diet. I have a number of friends who have had bypass surgery and from the same doctor who is doing mine. I'm spending most of my time reading on the post op diet page. I know once I'm into it, I'll be fine, but the anticipation is big.

I'm guessing no. Every year at my annual physical I'm diagnosed w/ low vitamin D. Many, many folks have low vitamin D. I assume I'm still low and no one has said so much as boo about it. My surgery is at the same hospital where I've been going for years so all my records are there for all to see -- no mention of it. Good lluck with your surgery!

Sorry you have to pay, that stinks. I too have to pay some upfront costs for educational workshops, nutrition. It comes to about $900 and the insurance won't pay for educational sessions. That said, I was so afraid my insurance wouldn't cover any thing and that I'd have to self pay, I'm OK with it. I had set aside some money in a flexible spending account, FSA, assuming I'd have to pay the whole thing.

I think you're doing fine and have a great attitude. you didn't put the weight on in 10 weeks, so focus on how much better you feel and how much better you look and keep plugging!

That's so wild, when I was having my info session with my surgeon, she asked about my hernia. I said "What hernia?" She said , "the one that shows up in your x-ray." I was surprised. she said that when she goes in for the surgery, she'll fix the hernia at the same time. She also said it was probably why I've been having brutal stabbing pain sometimes when I eat. It was so bad I thought I was having a heart attack and went to the ER. The hospital did a very complete set of test, stress test, scans, etc. and it was definately NOT a heart attack -- TG! I don't think there's a connection though.

I'm getting sleeved on 9/28 (yay!!!) and I have a family do 3 1/2 weeks later... We would have to fly Boston to Tampa... I know everyone is different and my surgeon would have to OK it, but based on your experience, would I be able to attend?

Harvard Pilgrim's website says they won't OK a sleeve. The good news is that they may approve the procedure on a case by case basis. I am one of the lucky ones for sure! My date is 9/28!

Thank you. I am encouraged. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Although I knew I'd been accepted for the MGH WLS center a few months ago, I had no idea about which surgery my insurance would approve, or if they'd approve it at all as my BMI is between 35 and 37. I met with my surgeon on the 31st, we discussed the pros and cons of RNY v. VSG and we both agreed the sleeve was best for me. My insurance, Harvard Pilgrim in Mass. states they won't approve the sleeve, but my surgeon said they were approving it on a case-by-case basis. I heard I'd been approved for the sleeve JUNE 2! I feel incredibly fortunate.

Met w/ my surgeon for the first time. She and I both agree that sleeve is best for me and she's proposing it to my insurance. Although my insurance says they don't cover the sleeve, her experience is that they are approving it on a case by case basis, so keep your fingers crossed for me. I should hear in a couple of weeks. If it's not approved, she'll do bypass, and I'm fine with that too. Very exciting!!!!!

Would love to hear from you if you had out of state surgery. It looks like I'm going to have to self pay and will likely have thesurgery done out of state, but not Mexico. How does the pre-op and post-op follow up work? Are you able to do that locally or do you have to commute periodically?

Any idea on self pay costs in Boston? I've been accepted for RNY at Mass General, but would prefer the sleeve. Insurance is Harvard Pilgrim and they say they don't cover the sleeve.

When I was being evaluated by the shrink, we discussed drinking with the sleeve. The first thing she said was that you couldn't drink for 6 months after the surgery. The next thing she shared was that she was doing a study of the relationship between WLS and drinking. Although the study isn't finished, she's seeing a high correlation between weightloss surgery and alcholism. Her findings are already indicating that it takes much less for a WLS patient to become an alcoholic -- even just 2 drinks. She also said everyone is different. Be careful how you roll the dice!

Just be honest. I have a number of friends who have had weight loss surgery who have been/are being treated for depression. It wasn't an issue for them. I had my exam a month ago, and I also wondered about the right thing to say. I decided on just being myself as the psychiatrist would probably see through anything else.

Although I haven't had surgery yet, I was wondering how soon after the surgery you returned to work. I know everyone's different. I work at a desk job and can easily work from home. I've heard that fatigue is an issue for awhile... so how long is that? Appreciate any information you care to share. I don't want to cut my healing time short, but I don't want to take any more time than I need to.

I have Harvard Pilgrim and will likely have to self pay -- BMI 37 w/ 1 co-morbidity of sleep apnea. My question is if I have the sleeve self pay and anything goes wrong post surgery, will insurance cover any compliacations if they didn't cover the sleeve surgery in the first place?

Although I haven't had surgery yet, I was wondering how soon after the surgery you returned to work. I know everyone's different. I work at a desk job and can easily work from home. I've heard that fatigue is an issue for awhile... so how long is that? Appreciate any information you care to share. I don't want to cut my healing time short, but I don't want to take any more time than I need to.