Brokerhenry

Hello: I had Sleeve Gastrectomy in Ghent, Belgium because it was not covered by my insurance here in Florida. It cost me one quarter what it would have cost here in the United States. I had my surgery on April 30th and came back home a week later. I run everyday. I am up to 21 minutes non stop now. I have gone from 335 lbs on the day of my surgery to 274 lbs as of this morning. I am 6'3" and my goal is 200 lbs. I am not lifting any weight right now, as I want to concentrate on losing weight. I sometimes have this sharp pain along the length of my stomach. I knead my stomach a bit, then I feel better. I also notice heartburn. I take a proton pump inhibitor for relief. I was diabetic before my procedure, but I have not had to take any medication since I had my surgery. My blood glucose level has been in the normal range and I will be having A1c test done on Monday the 10th of this month. I look forward to hearing from fellows and to share experiences. thank you. Henry.

As I mentioned in my first post, I had my sleeve gastrectomy in Belgium on April 30th. The trip, hotel stay and surgery cost me about 1/3rd what it would have cost me had I had my surgery here in the United States. Well, Imagine my shock yesterday when I opened a letter from the Belgian hospital. In it, they told me that they were refunding me ?2,400!!! That is about $3,400!!! Apparently, while working and living in the Netherlands as a rebellious 18 year old in the 1990's, I was contributing to the Benelux national insurance scheme. I did not know that. Who cannot use $3,400 in these hard times? I am very happy with my surgery. I have lost 73 lbs since I had it. I am up to running 6 miles daily now and I lift tons of weight. I am at 262 right now and it is my goal to get to 200 lbs by this time next year. Hurrah!!

Hello Attitude. No, I was never a runner. I did not engage in frequent exercise. But I am addicted now. I lifted weight for 2 hours and 30 minutes yesterday. That was after my run.

Hello Manatee. My comment is with regards to the money issue. My trip, surgery and hotel stay for 7 days in Belgium cost me $8,000. I learned yesterday that I will be getting $3,400 back. So, my sleeve basically cost me $4,600. Just thought you should have as much information as you could. I can provide you the doctor's information if you desire. Keep safe and go for it.

Thanks Oregon Rose. To get $3,400 that you are not expecting is nice. I am just glad that something is going my way for once. I am determined as hell to be very fit. My goal is one hour of running daily, followed by one hour of weightlifting after work. I run the 6 miles in 42 minutes right now, but as I get better, I will be able to run further faster. My doctor was shocked when she checked my blood pressure. She compared it to what it was and said "I think my sphygmomanometer is broken". That was when I told her what I had been doing. My blood pressure went from 132/87 to 104/62. It is amazing what running can do.

Hello all. Thank you for your kind responses. I am in Margate, which is about 7 miles north of Fort Lauderdale. I have to say that I was very afraid to undergo such a major operation, but I have three girls to live for. I want to be around to guide them through life. I am very glad I went through with the procedure. I am in pharmacy school and I have knowledge of the side effects of drugs. We were taught that diabetes was a chronic condition that could only be maintained by drugs. I look forward to showing my A1c results to my lecturers once I have it done on Monday. Nobody at school ever mentioned the remission of diabetes that is achieved by bariatric surgery. I plan to spread the word.