makemyownluck

AMAZING!! you look so happy! congrats to you for all your hard work, I esp love how you say you love your results even with the sagging skin. takes a strong person to love everything about themselves!! great work, and thanks for the inspiration!

welcome!! and good luck with your approval!!

I use the Premier shakes from costco - low carb/sugar and 30g Protein. they taste okay, I mix with almond milk sometimes too. I get the ready to drink boxes, but they also have powder. muscle milk light is okay too, but has half the protein. my NUT recommended Isopure and jillian michaels Protein Powder, but i've not tried either of those. I brought her a carton of my Premier shakes and she said they were great (better than some she's recommended, she said she's putting them on her list of recommendations!) CONGRATS on getting off the bp meds! I'm pre-op and on HTN meds, would LOVE to be able to get off mine that quickly as well!! best of luck to you!

BREATHE!! you'll be on the losers bench soon!

try experimenting with removing one thing from your diet at a time. I've read plenty about people who have different food tolerances post op. Take one thing out and wait 24-48 hours to see if your symptoms subside. If not, take something else out. Start with anything dairy - lactose intolerance is common after being sleeved for some reason, even if you never were before. Also, gas-x makes strips. Sometimes pills take too long to kick in, the gas-x strips work right away.

once your surgeon submits a pre-auth, the insurance company should respond within 30 days. but you have to check with your carrier to see what their requirements are. I started this process last year with H.M.O and found out they require 18 months of supervised diet. I switched to PPO as of Feb 1st and I'm already doing pre-op testing and will set a surgery date on my next visit - the PPO doesn't require the diet, even though the insurance was with the same company (BCBS), just different plans. typically, to be approved, you need: -BMI 35 or more plus 1 comorbidity (blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, sleep apnea, arhritis, etc) OR BMI 40 or higher -psych eval to confirm you don't have any mental d/o that would stop you from following post op advice -documentation from your PCP saying they recommend/clear you for surgery -dietitian counseling -supervised diet - some plans don't require any diet, some plans can required up to 2 yrs. your carrier can tell you exactly what their requirements are. Or, depending on the state, they might have their medical policy online. I have BCBSIL PPO and their requirements are online for anyone to see. As far as how long, that's gonna depend on the requirements and how quickly you can book appointments for all the requirements pre-op. Then when you see the surgeon, they'll send you for a bunch of tests too (that's the stage I'm in). Good luck!

I'm pre-op too, yoli and I get that feeling sometimes as well. I think it's natural, but it's our time to do the right thing for our health. I keep reminding myself that I've had 32 years of eating whatever the heck I wanted and it got me to here, so why should I continue to want (insert no-no food here)? When I get in times like this, I try to think of all the times I've had that particular item in my life. For instance, if I try to think of how many gyros I've had before, it could easily be in the hundreds, if not more (I love me some gyros), and when you think "I've had maybe 400 gyros in my life, do I really need ONE MORE?" it puts it in perspective that you're not depriving yourself NOW, it's that you over indulged IN THE PAST. Better just to let it go... when we're skinny, we'll have more energy and confidence to do fun things instead of sitting around obsessing over what's for dinner, anyway.

I had pain like this when I had my GB out - it is normal, as veronica said. i also attest that a heating pad works wonders!

lol, SO TRUE!!! I'm just thinking of how much more effective (and entertaining!) the anti-obesity campaigns would be if they promoted this side effect!!

soda and pasta aren't going to make you happier... yes, it's an adjustment, but you did this because you wanted a change, sweetie. Try to hang in there and re-learn what food should mean in your life. it should be something that nourishes your body and keeps you healthy - pasta and soda don't do that. Once you're at goal, you can try to have them "once in a while", but by the time you're in maintenance and you reflect on all the hard work it took to get you there, you may find you don't want them anymore. They're just hanging around in your head trying to sabotage you - be strong!! Good luck!

This letter is saying you're approved. They have to put in the "this is not a guarantee of payment" part to cover their butts in case 1) your insurance lapses between now and when you have the procedure or 2) they are billed for something other than what they've approved (as in, your MD requested approval for sleeve and instead they do a mini-bypass or something that's investigational and not covered). It's just technical mumbo jumbo, but in short, it's saying that they agree that your surgery is medically necessary. Which means YOU'RE APPROVED! Congrats!

I'd go easy on the Iron intake at first, monitor your bw and see if you need the extra supplement. Too much iron can cause constipation, and the surgery itself can also cause this side effect, so you don't want to make it worse by taking more iron than you need. Multi-v with extra iron should be okay, unless you are already anemic. Get bw to monitor and make sure you need it!

Balding - not a good look. Bald completely - HOTTT. Seriously guys, if you're losing your hair, it's going to age you a lot. Even if you're losing your hair prematurely, trying to cover it up or do your hair differently isn't gonna help. There's a guy at work who is losing his hair. He's in his 30s and instead of embracing it, he's grown his hair out and slicks it all forward in attempt to cover it up. The hair is all solid and gelled and separated from the comb he uses to style it - I just don't know why he thinks that's a solution! He's not a bad looking guy, but that hair is THE WORST! Every time I see him, I swear I think he'd make a great "there I fixed it" meme re: going bald. I think completely bald heads (like yours) are quite sexy.

As a woman, I can say that I can't want to see penises growing bigger and longer after I start losing weight too!

Most surgeons will tell you that weight loss is similar between the two procedures. RNY is still considered "the gold standard" simply because it's been around much longer. With either surgery, you will likely experience stalls. It's a normal process with any weight loss, surgical or not. Your results will be based on the effort you are willing to put it - as far as choosing between the two surgeries, you just have to decide what you want to live with for the rest of your life. The biggest deciding factor for me, in all honesty, was the fact that with the sleeve, you don't have dumping. After reading the details about that common side effect with RNY, I knew I didn't want to put myself in that situation. The fear is normal, too. If you didn't worry about having major surgery, then something would be wrong with you! IMO, the RNY is for people who really don't have control over what they eat. As in you NEED that potential for getting sick to keep you on the right track. Not that it's guaranteed that you'll experience dumping, but it's likely, and that can happen at very inconvenient moments, and it could happen at any time after the surgery. It's not a side effect that goes away with time. Talk over your concerns with your surgeon, and they can help you make the right choice. Good luck!!

I realize this is a really old post - but my surgeon mentioned DS as one of the four primary surgeries for weight loss, but he said he doesn't like to do it because people lose TOO MUCH weight with it and are sickly as a result. According to him, the nutritional deficiency is much more severe in a DS surgery, to the point that patients require IV infusions for minerals and Vitamins because no matter how many supplements they take, it's not enough - the body won't absorb it. He mentioned that while RNY is still the most common surgery, VSG is the up and comer because of the similar results of RNY without the dumping and nutritional deficits that many people get with RNY. Personally, I never wanted a band because I don't like the idea of a foreign object in my body. I only knew about RNY and decided against it years ago (been overweight my whole life). When I finally got a point this summer that I felt that I HAD to do something to lose this weight, I started researching and learned about VSG. I had never heard of it, and the more I've educated myself about it, the more it seems like the right surgery for me. With VSG, you can have a somewhat normal life, you don't have to fear food will make you violently ill. Dumping syndrome isn't anything I would ever want to experience!! Any of the available surgeries have a potential to give you complications, just as they all have the potential for great success. While you can't really control complications post-op, you do have all the choice in your eating habits and exercising post op to lose the weight and keep it off. Ultimately, only you can decide what you want to live with for the rest of your life. I'd never tell anyone they should get one surgery over another - but I would definitely make sure they knew all about the sleeve before they made their decision!

Thank you!! Mind you, I didn't pick either of these MDs (my insurance did), which makes it a little more difficult, But the new surgeon does happen to be male, and he does have a wayyyy better attitude about surgery and who needs it, so you might be onto something suggesting a male surgeon!! My PCP is male also, and he's never disappointed me. I've never had a female doc before and this might stop me from ever using another female doc again!

Hi, all! Just wanted to jump back in here and update everyone - I appreciate all the support and advice to find a new surgeon. I did find a new surgeon and he's WONDERFUL. I can't wait to get this sleeve done! I'm doing pre-op testing now - did my bw, my physical with my PCP, already have my NUT and psych visits done, now I just have to do the upper GI next Saturday. Then I schedule my follow up with the surgeon and they'll set a surgery date on that visit! WOO! Not only is this surgeon much better, but the staff is way more attentive as well. I had an H.M.O. plan and the last surgeon didn't even bother to check my benefits - that plan required 18 months of supervised diet that I didn't have. LUCKILY, when I got the 2nd referral to the new surgeon, their office was way better about getting my plan info and when they told me about the diet requirement, it was at just the right time - it was the ONE week of open enrollment at work for me to switch to the PPO plan. So now I'm on track with a better MD and I'll actually have coverage for the surgery. The PPO plan doesn't have any diet requirement (which is ironic since both the H.M.O and PPO plans are through the same company - you'd think they had the same medical policy for all plan types, but they don't...). Anyway, I was planning for surgery in May, but I might be able to get it in April, which would be fantastic. I've been staying on a diet and I'm continuing to lose weight, which is great even if it's coming off slowly. I was worried I was losing too much, that a surgeon would think I didn't need surgery since I can lose it on my own, but he reassured me and said, "Well, the surgery will make sure you keep losing and keep it off." He's got a much better attitude! :) I feel like all the struggling before with insurance is paying off, because it's all falling into place now. I can't wait to get the surgery and really kick me weight loss into high gear!! I hope everyone else is doing well!

YAY! Congrats on the loss, I can't wait to start reaching deep in my closet for clothes I haven't fit into in years! Years ago, I outgrew any pants you can buy in a store. Being tall, it was hard to find pants that fit anyway, but when I got too heavy to get anything, it was really depressing to have to "special order" my pants. I'm still pre-op, but I've lost 40+ lbs since November of last year. My pants were all getting too, too big. So I went to my trusty online shop to get some more. I ordered them 2 sizes lower than what I already owned - THEY WERE TOO BIG! I was thrilled. They are size 34, so it's not like I can go brag to people that "Hey, size 34 pants are too big on me now", but it's great to have a forum here where people can congratulate you for the success that IT IS! Best of luck to you as you continue to lose. I know I can't wait for the NSV of buying pants at an actual store again!

I was worried I would need a sleep study, but my surgeon didn't order one. Thank god!!

thank you, dear! I am praying for you to get approved and scheduled!!! I'm so surprised how fast it's moving now - I have my PCP follow up and EKG on Thursday and then I just have to swing by Quest for a blood draw and schedule the upper GI. Once all those results get back the surgeon, I do a follow up visit and they schedule me for surgery AT THAT VISIT. The closer this is actually getting, the more nervous I've become! The preop liquid diet is shakes only, right? How's that going so far?

The insurance coordinator at the hospital called me today to discuss my HMOs requirements for bariatric surgery. I meet it all except one part: "Medical documentation that the member has failed a medically supervised weight reduction program for a duration of at least 18 consecutive months" I don't have 18 consecutive months of supervised diet. At best, I have 6 months. Lucky for me, this week is my open enrollment week at work to switch to PPO coverage. The change would be in effect 2/1, so I'm hoping that I can see the doctor shortly after that. In the meantime, I've got my doctor sending my records over to the surgeon anyway, in the hopes that it will speed up my process once my insurance gets switched... really hoping that goes smoothly and I don't have an issue with them verifying coverage right after switching plans. I'm a bit shocked at the amount of diet time that my medical group requires. It's really quite excessive, considering the medical group is with BCBSIL and BCBSIL themselves don't required ANY supervised diet AT ALL. So why is the medical group sweatin' me for that kinda diet??? I was already considering switching to PPO because this whole process so far has been really difficult. I've had so many ups and downs with this and I'm not much further along in this process than when I started back in July. I never understood why people complained about HMOs -- I GET IT NOW. I've had enough, and maybe next year after surgery I can go back to an *** because it's cheaper, but as far as all the BS the *** has already put me through and I'm NOT EVEN CLOSE to getting approved, I think PPO is a much better bet. It might cost more, but my health and my well being is worth any price! Anyway, long story LONG -------------------------------------------- I haven't got much else to update. Still been in a bit of a New Year slump, just tired and cranky and anti-social. Starting to snap out of it, though and really am hoping this year will be my year to shine. I've also still been in slacker mode since the holidays with going to the gym, so I'm sure that's part of the slump also. I'm gonna get my butt there in the morning, though. Time to get this back in motion and keep it moving! HAPPY NEW YEAR! (late, I know - but still sincere)

Rosehips - I totally hear you on taking your HEAD out of the equation. I did get my butt to the gym the next day, as I planned. I've been working overtime this week, so I haven't gone everyday like I wanted to, but tomorrow is my last day scheduled for overtime, so Friday I will resume going in the morning before work... it is hard to stick to it, tho. At least, it is for me! LaBelle - I agree that it's insane! I'm realllllllllly really hoping that it will move along more smoothly when I'm on the PPO plan. As far as I can tell, I meet all the PPO criteria. When I heard about the 18 month, I almost threw in the towel completely (I've had nothing but problems from day one trying to get this process moving), but I realize that I am worth more than giving up on. If I give up on myself, so will everyone else. Hopefully I can report some happy news soon!

IDK how far I'm ever going to get in this journey. After my disaster of a consult at the beginning of December, I've been going back and forth with my insurance on getting approved to see a different surgeon, and to say it's been an uphill battle is putting it mildly. I can resume this battle on Thursday since my MD's office is closed until then. I'm not looking forward to it at all. I really had no idea it would be this difficult to get to the operating table - I'm starting to think I never will get there. The holidays are finally over, and losing that stress has really put me in a sad frame of mind. I'm definitely in a slump right now. I feel hopeless in getting my surgery approved/scheduled. I thought I was so close, and I'm nowhere near where I want to be. I feel like giving up, and not just because this has been such a stressful process, but because I no longer see losing weight as a chance to reclaim my life. I've been cooped up in my house for days. I had the luxury of being off from work since last Friday, and I've only left the house one time since. Why? Because I have nowhere to go. Not a single "friend" texted me on NYE, not to invite me out or invite me over or even to wish me a happy new year. Not one single phone call from anyone to see how I have been or ask how I am doing. And yes, I realize I could be the one to pick up the phone, but I have nothing to say... That's probably the reason people don't call me in the first place! Nothing ever changes with me. If someone does ask what I've been up to, the answer is either "Not much" or "Just working." I'm just tired of being alone. Always all alone. No one's on their way here. No one's making plans to see me. No one's got me on their mind... and really, why should anyone be thinking of me? I'm no one's someone special, and I probably never will be. This is my life. You'd think I'd accept it by now. But it still makes me sad from time to time... Pity party for one, over here. I hope that at some point this year, I can be truly happy. And I hope that point comes soon...

Juny, I'm sorry that this sounds like something you could have written. I realize I'm not the first person to get depressed in the world, but it does stink to know it happens to other people too. I think loneliness is the most painful of all emotions. There's nothing that I, myself, alone, can do to cure my loneliness. I hope I can get some good news soon. I could use it! Here's to hoping I can actually get some sleep tonight... Thanks for commenting. It's helps to know someone out there is listening.