firefighter2621

Ok here goes. I had surgery on October 20th. Except for gas I had no other problems. I went back to work 6 days later working 10-12 hours a day. Everything has been going good. I am below 200 lbs now. My problem is I feel as if I am always hungry. I can barely stomach the Protein shakes. I have got way off track and have been eating things that I know my doctor and most people here would frown on. I have had the occasional pork skins, some candy, I had a KFC bowl, and last night I ate a pork chop. I know that you are not supposed to eat those things so soon. I have been having a hard time getting in my liquids. I use to love drinking Water, not anymore. The only thing I can drink is water with a flavor added to it. I know my body is a little dehydrated. It feels like I may be dealing with some gas issues, if so could that maybe be what is having me think I am always hungry. Any advice would be helpful. Steve

Wow after reading everyone comments I am shocked. I had my surgery in October and my wife had her surgery at the biginning of this month. Our little boy is almost 2 and he weighs 25 lbs. Our doctor told us to try not to lift anything much heavier than him. Pretty much for both of us we were lifting him 2-3 days after surgery. Neither of us had any hernia problems. We really had no choice since my wife works days and I work nights. I guess I just find it interesting that it varies so much based on what doctor you have.

Thanks to everyone that has responded. Yes I went to my doctor for a checkup and I explained everything to him. I think that I have been dealing with head hunger. I actually have increased my fluids intake and seem to not feel as hungry all the time. My doctor told me that I could basically eat what I wanted to as long as I made sure that I took small bites and really chewed up what was in my mouth. He said that I really dont run any risk except if I were to eat something that was to hard it "could" get stuck which in turn would make me throw up and possible cause damage. It gets better with every day that passes.

I had my operation last Thursday, I am going back to work tonight. I haven't had many problems to date. I actually thought about going back to work Monday night but since my doctor note says Wednesday, Wednesday it will be. I actually have a position where I am going ti be on my feet for 10-12 hours. Try to move around as much as possible to avoid becomming stiff. Also alot will have to do with if you have a lot of gas. After my surgery I had alot of gas and even with my pain tolerance I still had a hard time with it. I hope this helps you some.

Well today has been ok. I think that I have 95% of the gas out of my system but I was sore this morning. My lower left side has been giving me some problems. I am able to drink at minimum 64 ounces of water now. I get hungry every now and then but it usually doesn't last long. I am going back to work tomorrow night, actually thought I could have went back last night but since my note says Wednesday, Wednesday it will be. I have not verified this yet but I should be under 200 lbs by now. I was 200 on Sunday. The only thing that I have noticed is that when I go outside I seem to get hot quick and start sweating. Oh well guess I will have to retrain my body. Hoping to get on a scale tomorrow afternoon since we don't have one here at home. Will keep everyone updated.

Well today is Friday, I just had my operation yesterday afternoon. Things are going good but I am really sore due to all of the gas in my stomach. I paced the halls here at the hospital last night and that has really helped. They just brought me my breakfast which consisted of jello, broth, and juice. I have already finished it all. The worst part of all of this has been not being able to gargle to wet my mouth. I will be going home on a few hours. Thanks to everyone on here who have read and replied to my earlier topics. Yalls advice has really helped.

I am able to keep everything down. It's hard for me to drink anything since my stomach is so tight due to all of the gas. Walked around the block earlier. Walking really helps relieve some of the gas pressure. Does anyone know any other ways to get rid of the gas?

Good luck to you tomorrow. I as well will be having my surgery tomorrow. Exiting times ahead.

Congrats. I as well will meet with my doctor tomorrow afternoon. I am supposed to sign all paper work and have my blood work taken, EKG, and X-rays. I know I am having the surgery on Thursday but I dont know what time. Good luck to you.

It just hit me that my life as I know it will be changed completly Thursday morning. I work nights here at my job and just realized that I only have to go to sleep 3 more times before my surgery. The only part of the operation that I am worried about is when they examine my liver to make sure it is ok. I started my 2-week pre-op diet last monday afternoon. By the time Thursday gets here I will have been on it for 10 days. I have completely eliminated all sugars and carbs from my eating habits. I only eat Protein. On a daily basis I have no more that 10 carbs. I go tomorrow afternoon for a pre-op consult with my doctor. I'm guessing I will sign documenation for the operation and have all blood work, xrays and EKG's done. To those who read this and have already had the operation what was your recovery time like? Like I said I am having the surgery on Thursday and returning to work the following Wednesday. Is it better to try to move around as much as possible to avoid becomming stiff and not hurting as much? The only part I am worried about with returning to work is the fact that I am a machinist and I work right next to a 1700 degree furnace. I will have to make sure I have my Water with me at all times to avoid dehydration. Also to everyone reading this, was there ever a time where you almost changed your mind because either you saw you were losing weight or because people told you that you didnt look to overweight and should just do a strict diet? At my first doctor appointment I weighed in at 216LBS. My BMI was 39.5, I'm 5'3" tall. The nurse actually put my wifes purse on the scale with me to put me over the 40 BMI requirement the insurance was asking for. Since I started the pre-op diet I have lost close to 10 pounds. I know that I could lose the weight without the surgery but I would have a hard time keeping it off. Thanks for reading and I look forward to your responses. Steve

Thanks to everyone who has responded. I am over everything that I was worried about. I have made the decision that this is what I want to do. For me, this surgery is not about becoming "Skinny", it is about my health. I want to be able to enjoy the many years of playing outside with my son. Some medical issues run in my family, and I want to try and prevent those from happening to me. It is Tuesday night and since I work nights I only have to go to sleep once more and then when I get off work Thursday morning it will be time to go to the hopsital. Time is flying by. So far I have lost 10 pounds on the pre-op diet. I am weighing in at 204. Once again thanks for reading and responing. Steve

Don't let people the bring you down. This is a life changing event. I have dealt with the same things you are saying. I grew up with a bone disease which required multiple operations. Plus I am short. I am only 5'3". My weight has always been a problem for me. I was very restricted on physical activities as a child. I have told a few people about my surgery, one being my co-worker since he and I work together at night. All he keeps telling me is that I don't look like I need the surgery, I should just cut back on sweets and unhealthy food. But the most surprising has been my younger brother. I would have thought that with my history he would be one of my biggest supporters. After all he did not make any fuss when my mom had the exact same surgery. Oh well, keep your head up and remember that this is something that you want to do and that you have made your mind up yourself. Good luck to you. I am scheduled to have my operation Thursday morning.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each procedure. I personally would recommend getting sleeved if your insurance will allow it. There are more restrictions with having the band. A lot of people who have the band end up converting to a sleeve. One thing to consider is with some people the body will reject the foreign body. I am having the sleeve procedure next Thursday. I can't wait. Started my pre op diet on Monday and as of yesterday I have already lost 8 pounds. Hoping to be below 200 by surgery date. What ever procedure you end up going with make sure you are at peace with it. This is a life changing decision. Good luck in your journeys.

Thanks to everyone for your replies.

In July both my wife and I decided to have weight loss surgery. It has been frusterating to say the least. Before we could ever meet with the surgeon we had to attend a seminar explaining the procedures. At our first doctor appointment I did not qualify, my BMI was 39.5. Thankfully the nurse had my wife put her purse on the scale and that put me above the 40 BMI that the insurance was asking for. We each did our phyc evaluation and attended a class where we met with a dietician. We were originally told that we were going to have to do 6 months doctor supervised dieting but upon reading over the insurance requirements we soon discovered that they had recently changed their policies and now they do not require and dieting (Good news for us). All of our information was submitted to the insurance over 3 weeks ago and I recieved a call on friday from the insurance company stating that they never recieved it, and both of us were being given a 45 day extension. Well after talking with the doctors office they noticed that they had faxed it to the wrong number. It was faxed to the right number on Monday morning and we recieved a phone call on Wednesday from the doctors office saying that we had been approved. Finally things seem to be going right. We now have to set up a 4 hour class that talks about what we will be able to eat and then we have to start our 2 week pre-op diet. We get to pick what date we want to have the surgery when we go through the class. Could be as little at 2.5 weeks from now or maybe as long as another month. All I know is we are now one step closer to succesfully losing weigh and being able to keep it off. I am hoping we can be at or close to our target weight by May of next year when we go on our vacation.

Both my wife and I had our first appointments at the end of July. We are currently still waiting on insurance approval. The insurance has had our info for at least 2 maybe 3 weeks. As far as the insurance goes Im not quiet sure. We were told originally that it was going to be 6 months of doctor supervised diet. My wife told the lady that one of her co-workers only had to do three months. The lady went online and looked at bcbs and they had recently changed it to where no dieting was necessary. She called bcbs and verified that info. Just a work of advice check with your provider. From what I understand not all bcbs are the same. I have seen where some people have it and they recently went from 3 months to 6 months of dieting. I am hoping that we find out some good news hopefully as soon as today.

KayyyBeee, Thats great news for you. I have a question for you, which you may or may not be able to answer. I also have empire bcbs and my paperwork has been submitted for approval. On Friday 9-30-11 my wife recieved a phone call from the insurance company looking for me. I work nights so I was at home sleeping and when I woke up and got the message it was to late for me to call them back. They would not give her any information. My question for you is once your paperwork was submitted did you ever recieve a call from your insurace seeking any additional information? I'm hoping they will tell me that I am approved like they told you but I have a sick feeling that is not the case. Good luck with your operation. Steve

Im not exacally sure about BCBS Federal but I have Empire BCBS and I live here in Texas. I will tell you that for me, as of today, first before I could see my doctor I had to schedule a seminar explaining the lap band/sleeve procedures. Once I decided to do it I scheduled an appointment with my doctor. According to my insurance I had to have a bmi of 40. I was at 39.5. We put my wifes purse on the scale with me to bring me up to 40. After the initial appointment I had to go see a phychatrist (sorry if I misspelled) . At first I thought that was all I was going to have to do but then I was informed that I had to go see a nutritionist. Since seeing the nutritionist, all of my information has been submitted to my insurance for approval. I got a call on Friday from the insurance but I was unable to talk with them. I have to call back sometime on Monday. Once I am approved I wll have to pay $250 out of pocket for a 4 hour class that is mandatory. Then I will have to go on a 2-week Protein diet. Have your doctors office throughly check over your insurance. At first I was going to have to do 6 months of dieting. Then it was 3 months. In the end Empire BCBS changed their requirements and I dont have to do anything. I hope this helps you out a little. Good luck to you. Steve

Hello to everyone, thank you for taking the time to read over this and offer any advice. Both me and my wife will be having the sleeve at the end of September and beginning of October respectively. I am not as worried about my wife's recovery since she can have how ever much time she needs off from work. I am a little worried about my situation with my job. I am a machinist for an oilfield supply company. I work nights so its not nearly as hot as it its during the day. My shop is seperated by a wall, and on the other side of the wall is a 1700 degree furnace. The heat radiates to our area. I have talked to only a couple of people and got mixed opinions. I was told that after the procedure it is normal to get dehydrated easily. Have any of you had this problem? I will have the procedure on a Thursday and I will return to work on the following Wednesday. I will be working in our lab for the remainder of that week and then the following week will return to the shop. To those of you who have had the procedure, what was your recovery time like?

Thanks to everyone who has responded. The information has been helpful.

My wife and I are both having the Gastric Sleeve. We have Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Recently(within the last month or so) they changed their policy again. At one time it was required to do 6 months of doctor supervised weight loss. Then they changed it to 3 months. Now the new policy states that as long as your BMI is 40 or greater of you have other surcumstances such as sleep apnea or high blood pressure, you no longer have to have a doctor supervised diet plan. Both of us went in 2 and a half weeks ago and we are to have the surgery at the end of September/ early October. All we have to pay out of pocket for is $250.00 per person for a class that they require us take, and $250.00 per person for hospital charges. We will both have the procedure for $1000.00 out of pocket. I cant say how all of Blue Cross/Blue Shield is, but we have had no problems with Empire.

Snowden, I live here in Texas and both me and my wife are having the surgery. Both my wife and I have Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield. We went in for our first Doctor appointment 2 weeks ago and found out that our plan covers 100% of the procedure. The only thing we will have to pay out of pocket for is, our doctor requires us go through a training class which is $250.00 per person and then we will have to pay $250.00 per person for the stay in the hospital. Blue Cross Blue shield recently changed their guidelines. We found out that we also do not have to participate in the 6 month, doctor supervised diet that was once required. We will both be having our surgeries at the end of September and beginning of October.