clk

LaSa, thanks for the info on your diet. I trimmed the fat back and hopefully that will help a little bit. I keep losing, slowly but surely, and I'm hoping for another three pounds before surgery but we shall see. KathyM, I hope you're still hanging in here. You leave soon, too, right? I had to laugh when I read your post on another thread about watching Red Robin commercials. I complain incessantly about our horrible television over here - we only get AFN (Armed Forces Network) and there are no commercials, just silly military propaganda shorts in between shows. Now I have a reason to be thankful for our crappy television...at least I'm not tempted by Taco Bell or pizza Hut commercials! SlimMissy, I'm glad to hear you bounced back so quickly. I'm hoping I'll do the same, since my husband is leaving for a trip the day after I get back from Mexico. It sounds like you're doing a great job so far, and I just know you're going to do a great job with your new sleeve. You've got just the right attitude! Well, I hope everyone is doing well. I leave on Tuesday morning. I'll pack up most of my stuff tonight. I plan to take just a carry on to make life easier. I'm a bit bummed about the four hour layover in Houston, but I suppose I'll just pack a few books and I'll be fine. I looked at the weather for San Diego and was thrilled - it's in the high sixties, low seventies. That's delightful, since we're suffering mid-to-high nineties without air conditioning here in Germany. Then I looked at Mexicali and HOLY SMOKES! Temps from 109-114 degrees during my stay. Yikes! I hope it's cool and comfortable in the hospital. Well, time is passing more and more quickly. I can't believe surgery is on Thursday! I'm off to the commissary for a few more last minute things for my post op diet, and I need to cook some dinners and make up some salads for my hubby and the twins while I'm gone. If I don't, they'll live on Kraft dinner and pizza the entire week, I just know it. ~Cheri

Kelly, Thank you so much for the detailed update on your surgery. It's so nice to know what to expect when I go for my surgery next week. I'm glad to hear you're doing well, and I hope those 10 days of clears pass quickly for you. I hear they're the tough and I'm not looking forward to the challenge. Take care, keep everyone posted on your progress! ~Cheri

Well, I finally lost that five pounds I packed on somewhere between March and June. Now everything I lose between today and surgery will be a bonus. My flight leaves in five days (I'm landing in San Diego a night early) and I need to start gathering things to pack. I'm trying to jam everything into a carry on sized suitcase, but I'm not sure I can do that with my pillow in the bag! KathyM: How's the preop diet going? Hang in there! LaSaJaTa: How are you doing? I know our preop is easier than most and I'm really grateful for that. Are you logging your food? I'm trying to keep low carb/low fat but it's actually kind of tough to do. I'm getting around 30 g carbs per day, but my fat has been between 40-50 g per day. I'm just curious what you're doing. The guide Nina sent only says to try and keep the fat as low as possible and acknowledges that it's not easy when you eat low carb. Mellifrits: Thanks for the heads up! We'll be there soon. :001_unsure: ~Cheri

Oh...what memories. My grandmother was Ukrainian and we called this dish "holodets" and it's basically any meat cooked with the feet, ears and lips (oh yeah...really gross). You make almost a Soup out of it and boil it down, the bones make it gelatinous. You remove the bones and mince the meat, chill it and you have meat Jello, or holodets. She would force us to try a little taste each time she made it, and we were always unhappy and sick afterward. I don't want to offend any Slavs present on the board but I think it's a foul concoction. We were visiting L'viv one summer and visited a friend for dinner. I was about ten weeks pregnant with my twins and she made a special turkey holodets (it's much more common to see pork or beef) for her American guests. Our host insisted I have two large helpings because it would be good for the babies. Ugh. Of course, it's impossible to be anything but polite and I was in a position where I had to smile and thank her for the generous helpings, then eat every bite under her watchful eyes. So, I'll just keep the memories I have and pass on this dish post op. I can't imagine most Americans having the palate for this dish these days. Unless, of course, they make a habit of eating pigs feet, which are somewhat similar. Very interesting suggestion, though. I'd be curious to hear from anyone that tries it, that's for sure. ~Cheri

Yeah, it has something to do with the rights to distribute digital media outside the US. Here's the message I get when I go to the Watch Instantly tab on Netflix: Watching Instantly is Not Available Outside the US Our systems indicate that the computer you are using is not located within the 50 United States or District of Columbia. Due to studio licensing reasons, movies are available to watch instantly only on computers in those locations. Netflix home page > Same thing for a lot of YouTube videos. Networks that put the episodes of their popular shows online the day after airing don't let you view them outside the US, either. You don't think about it until you're out of the country I'm sure. I'll be sure to let you know if it works since I'll be there on the 14th. ~Cheri

Jaffa, are you sure you can stream in Mexico? I'm just curious. I live in Germany and can't do Netflix online movies because I'm out of the US. Better make sure before you go! Please update if you can, because I'm bringing my laptop and the ability to watch movies would mean I could pack less books. ~Cheri

I think it's normal for us to be a little bit nervous before surgery. I made the decision to do this with Dr. Aceves almost a year ago, and I think I worked a lot of my nervousness out in that time but I still have moments where I worry about something happening to me. I'm still not happy to be leaving my toddlers behind, but it can't be helped. I've been doing well on my preop with the exception of one day, which wasn't so great but hasn't negatively affected me. I wasn't supposed to start preop until tomorrow anyway, so I feel good with my progress so far. I've lost four pounds, and for the most part it's been easy to stick to low carb, high protein choices. I think a lot of the ease stems from the fact that I knew going in I only had to do it for a short period of time. If I were viewing this as a long term diet, I'd be losing my mind. Momof3girls: I am so happy to hear all went well for you. I hope the discomfort passes quickly. Thanks for posting your experience for us. I was actually worried about the heat, so thanks for saying it's sometimes chilly to you. I'm in Germany with no air conditioning and was expecting something similar in Mexicali - hot, uncomfortable days and sticky nights. Slimmissy: It sounds like you're doing exceptionally well. Congrats on the speedy recovery thus far; I hope you made it home safely. Cknorte: See you there! It sounds like you're well prepared. I bought a bunch of the same things but keep wondering if I should run out for more things. Thanks for posting the packing list, since I wasn't really sure how much to bring. I still think I'm going to bring along one "granny" nightgown that covers me from neck to ankles, but I'm going to pare the rest of the clothes down to a pair of yoga pants and an outfit for the flight home. Take care everyone. I can't believe how quickly time passes! ~Cheri

LaSaJaTa: Glad to know someone from the boards will be there. I actually gained a few pounds (five) since I turned in my paperwork...oops. So I decided to start my preop on the 1st, hopefully that will get me down below the weight I told them. I'm on day two of low carb, and doing fine and not experiencing any hunger. Just the headache that tells me my body is going into ketosis, which is what Nina told me they want. How are you doing? Jennifer: How exciting! Keep us posted. I'm sure everything will go just fine. Can't wait to hear from you once you have that sleeve! ~Cheri

Theresa, I was initially all in for the band. My primary doc recommended the band to me after I was diagnosed with Type II in 2008. I did research on the band for more than a year. I read about VSG sometime in 2009 and my first thought was that it was way too invasive, too drastic. However, I continued to research both surgeries and sometime in the last eight months settled on the VSG. I just couldn't find enough band people without complications. There were only a handful of folks more than two years out and still happy and problem-free. An additional factor for me is the fact that my husband is in the military and we often work remote assignments. If I'd had an issue with my band in another country without a lot of medical support, it would be a nightmare. Not to mention the fact that finding a doc for fills in Armenia would be next to impossible. Once I decided on the VSG the band just seems crazy to me. The VSG means more recovery time up front, but less aggravation and trouble in the end. Hope everyone is doing well. I'm pretty nervous - not about the surgery but because I have never been away from my 2.5 year old twins for more than a few hours, and I'll be gone six days. ~Cheri

Hey everyone! I'd say hi to everyone personally but I am so busy right now I don't have time for anything but a quick hello. Four of my stepkids are visiting us for the summer (we live in Germany) and it's been nonstop for me since they showed up a month ago. Unlike the other posters who have a hard time thinking about anything but the surgery, I've been running around so much I couldn't believe it when I saw the calendar today. Time is just flying by, and I feel totally unprepared! If it's not too much to ask, can the 15 July folks going to Dr. Aceves PM me? We can connect and compare. My husband is not going to be able to accompany me, so I'll be alone on my trip. I'm glad everyone is doing well and I can't wait to read about the experiences of the folks getting sleeved in the next two weeks. Take care all - when things calm down around here I'll try to drop in and get to know everyone better. Life with six kids in the house is NUTS. ~Cheri

Tiffy, congrats! You certainly are a success and I know that you inspire a lot of people around here. I read a post of yours a few months after you did your revision from band to sleeve and it was your band complications that led me to investigating the sleeve in the first place. Thank you for posting regular updates and being as helpful as possible when people have questions. I'm excited to see what the next year will bring you, and hope you'll get to share baby news with us soon! ~C

Welcome Wheatthin! I am also getting my sleeve in July (tentatively scheduled for the fifteenth but it's unlikely to move very far in either direction). I also have boy/girl twins - mine are 2.5 this month. My doc was pushing the band and like you, I discovered this site while doing my research. I'm totally comfortable with my decision and feel grateful that I didn't just jump ahead and do the band right away. Good luck in your journey, I hope to see you around the boards since we'll be having surgery a week apart. ~C

***Children/Pregnancy mentioned*** I'm not trying to conceive any longer (I think about it but realize it's pure insanity) but I really wanted to chime in for Ash and Tiffykins. I'm pre-WLS as Tricare isn't covering the sleeve right now and I'm saving up to pay cash so my opinions are purely based on size and pregnancy from my own experience as a short little chubby person trying to conceive (TTC). Ash, I say go for it now. Why wait for a few more pounds? If weight is going to stop you from getting pregnant than you'll just wind up trying for a few more months until your body is comfortable. TTC can be a long journey (I pray for you that it won't be), so you're not really hurting anything if you stop that birth control now and continue on the same healthy path you're already on re: weight loss. You are definitely not too old to conceive but there is no reason to wait if you are feeling ready to try. That's just my opinion. What's wrong with us when women think our ovaries are dried up and dying when we're in our early thirties? My great-grandmother popped out her last kid when she was fifty (she had fourteen altogether) and she was of a size with me. Tiffykins, TTC is stressful enough. It's hard for you and my heart just goes out to you because I was there in your shoes just a few years ago (only as a fat girl - not a skinny cutie like you). Try your hardest to make it fun. Once you get stressed about TTC you make it even harder. My DH and I were TTC for three years before we finally got pregnant. I finally had to throw the basal body thermometer and charts out because sex really was scheduled - when we could have it and when we couldn't. How sad is that?! It's hard enought with a military man who is gone all the time, but to have a separation and then not enjoy each other sexually when he got home because it wasn't the right time was a bit over the top. It was so hard for me because my husband's (evil) ex-wife conceived twice while we were trying. I was miserable and because pregnancy was on the brain all I saw were pregnant women everywhere. I would hear women complain about unexpected pregnancies and it would make me so sad and angry. I completely understand. Just try to keep it fun, lady! Try not to get so stressed you stop enjoying your husband, and try not to spend all of your time watching baby shows and reading about pregnancy online. I did both of those things for most of the three years and by the end I was so depressed and moody that my husband was reconsidering children altogether. And to anyone on this thread - sometimes a doctor will blame your infertility on weight without good reason. It's one thing when your weight stops ovulation or you have a related condition like PCOS. It's another thing entirely to have them neglect to run tests or take your issues seriously because of your size. I was told for THREE (F'N) YEARS that DH and I weren't getting pg because of my weight. I went on diet after diet trying to frantically drop 80 pounds so that I could be a normal size (I'm 5'1" and was about 220 pounds). Each failure lead to more stress and more despondency. It wasn't until the FOURTH doctor that they bothered to test my husband. Lo and behold...he's clinically sterile. We did IVF w/ICSI and conceived twins on our first go-round. I had a perfectly healthy pregnancy and have two year old boy/girl twins. So all of that to say that once you've lost a good portion of your weight it's probably okay to start trying. Not everyone is the same and certainly waiting a few more years won't kill anyone but why wait if you've already lost a significant amount of weight and feel ready to try? So long as you try to have a healthy pregnancy using your new sleeve tool and you keep exercising you should be fine! Just my two cents. Sorry to barge in, carry on! ~Cheri

I haven't had my sleeve yet, but I've been researching WLS for almost two years now. I am sure plenty of people with more experience will chime in. You need to weigh the pros and cons. It goes without question that a surgeon with more successful, leak-free surgeries is going to be a better option because of the experience. Leaks are very dangerous, and every surgery is risky. It's in your best interest to choose someone who can safely perform the surgery for you, provide a detailed plan and also post-operative support. That said, if everyone avoids this particular surgeon because of lack of experience, he'll never gain that experience. Are you self-pay? If so, you have even more options because your insurance won't limit you. I can say that most likely the folks that had their sleeves done by military had a less experienced doctor, since the military isn't regularly covering sleeves yet, so maybe one or more of those folks will chime in with their experience. In the end it's up to you. Go with your gut feeling. If you feel like you have no reason to doubt your surgeon's capabilities and/or experience, then go through with the surgery. If you have a single doubt, it's better to cancel and keep looking for someone else. It's up to you to decide if you feel safe in the hands of this surgeon and his staff. You shouldn't risk your life and well-being, and there are other choices out there. ~CLK

It sounds like your endo is very advanced and is a pretty serious case, based upon the bleeding you're describing. Unfortunately, the symptoms of endo could be other things and without a laparoscopy most women aren't diagnosed. I had different symptoms from age 15 out and it wasn't diagnosed until 2008. It's a shame they weren't able to catch it sooner - suffering from infertility it should have been one of the things the doctors were looking for. Infertility is a struggle and I'm sorry that you're having to deal with not only a surgery but the emotional difficulties that come with facing the end of your opportunities to have a biological child. I did read some interesting information about hysterectomy not necessarily curing endometriosis. It does in some cases, but not all. For me, the lesions are worst on my bladder and pelvic/back wall. I am able to *mostly* control my pain and have a normal life with birth control, but in my case a hysterectomy would only resolve the issues regarding my ovaries and fallopian tubes (where most of the other cysts/lesions are located). Please do some research on hysterectomy and endometriosis before you opt to do this. Make sure you're more comfortable with the procedure and that you understand what it will do. On a more positive note, my dear friend had a simliar issue. She had female troubles her entire life, but the final straw was when she bled for fourteen months and finally had to have a full hysterectomy. She, too, was holding out because she still really wanted children with her husband. However, she recovered from the operation very quickly and actually lost almost all of her excess weight in the year following surgery. Her cysts were causing massive amounts of hormones to be pumped into her body, and somehow once everything was regulated she dropped the weight quickly. I wish you the best. Please do some research before you opt to do this.

Thanks for all of the information on this. I got the same answer as Tiffykins when I recently called - that it's not going to be covered in 2010. I have Tricare Prime Overseas and it's definitely not covered here. I think part of the confusion is also that just because a MTF does a procedure does not mean Tricare covers that procedure. Surgeons at MTFs do all sorts of surgeries on a wait list basis for things that are not covered under Tricare. For instance, my husband had a free vasectomy reversal (TMI, I know) and my friend had breast augmentation done. It depends on where you go and who the surgeon is, not to mention how busy they are and what surgeries they want to do. Also, from what I hear it's much easier to get a revision done, or to get a surgery performed when you have some sort of complication to go with it that requires a surgery anyway. I was also told that they will likely do repayments but not to count on that if I choose to self-pay. So don't count on reimbursement - though once Tricare does start covering this anyone that self-paid should try to get reimbursed. It can't hurt to try. I'll just keep waiting and trying to lose this weight the old fashioned way in the meantime. They'll only do bands here, and I'm not even messing around with that nonsense. ~C

I'm covering my bases, here. In the event Tricare won't start covering VSG come January, I'm trying to work a backup plan. I called Tricare and asked about potential coverage but nobody could help me. Bummer! I'll have to keep waiting until the New Year and call again later. Also, I'm discouraged by the long waits here...I'm in Germany and the clinic near us is limited so we drive to another one that takes patients from three areas. My doctor gave me a list of four requirements to meet before she'll even refer me to the nurse practioner that does the referrals for surgery. Unfortunately, I'm not getting in for some of those appointments until May, meaning I could wait until Fall to get the surgery (still assuming they'll do VSG). I know it's impatient but by golly I don't want to wait another seven or more months! Anyway, enough rambling and onto my question: Does anyone here know Dr. Nick's requirements for surgery if you self-pay? Seminars, classes, evaluations, etc. is what I need info on. My mom is in Dallas/Ft. Worth and I can easily take my toddler twins and stay with her for a few weeks and do the surgery BUT I am not permitted to be out of Germany for more than 30 days or I'm supposed to report it so they can cut off our COLA pay. Anyone military will understand what I'm saying...basically we lose over a grand a month in pay if I'm gone longer than 30 days and they find out! I can't leave the kids behind, either, because DH does not have the kind of schedule that could handle full time care of the kids while I'm gone. His prices are competitve enough that even paying for three round trip tickets from Germany to DFW would make the cost works out to average from what I've seen. And, what the heck, I was going to buy a new car with that money but a new body and outlook on life are probably a better investment, right? Can anyone help? Thanks so much in advance! ~CLK

Thank you! I got a call back today from a nurse with our insurance company that said nope, Tricare is not expanding coverage to the VSG this year, though she admitted it had been on the table. She says they did approve the military treatment facilities that have surgeons already doing the surgery to continue doing so, but that it's not a standard coverage in the next year. She estimated it would be by 2011 or 2012. Just throwing that out there in case anyone else has questions. I can't vouch for her accuracy, but she was the fourth person I talked to that said the same thing - no coverage for it in 2010. I emailed Dr. Nick's office and got a tentative yes, it's possible but the gal who contacted me said she was forwarding the message to the doctor to confirm since they don't normally get people traveling from overseas. Thanks for the detailed response. ~Cheri

I guess I'm not so very sympathetic. I agree the system needs work, but I think the issues are the ones the government put there in the first place. Every time they touch something the budget explodes and the quality and efficiency collapses. I'm of the mind that less government involvement is a good thing. I don't think insurance is a human right. I think people shouldn't ever be denied care, but I think that forcing other people to fund a national insurance plan is just plain wrong. What's next? Funding a house for everyone? Making sure everyone gets paid the same wage no matter if they work at McDonald's or practice law? When we start to expand the definition of what rights and entitlements people are required to have, the situation gets sticky. I believe in my own right to choose for myself. I'd rather donate $100 a month to a charity program that helps fund these things than be taxed $50 a month for it. It's just the principle that matters to me. I just want to point to our VA and military hospitals. This is government contracted healthcare, people. Sometimes it works. Usually it doesn't. Stroll on down to the VA in your free time and see how great our veterans have it. You don't have to look to Canada or Europe to see people being declined care or suffering long waits, I promise (not to say these stories are the norm in those places). Heck, I've been waiting since SEPTEMBER to get an annual pap exam but they're full up and won't have appointments until February. We do have "free" insurance (you just have to be willing to fight in a war to have it) through my husband's job in the US military. With this insurance my DH had to wait 9 months and see four different doctors, two different physical therapists, have three MRIs and three sets of X-rays done for a minor knee surgery (torn meniscus). This is an inefficient, wasteful system. I've had to wait in line at the pharmacy for three hours for some "free" Motrin and allergy pills. I see a different doctor almost every time I go to my clinic and they seldom take the time to glance at my file. I had a doctor tell me I couldn't have a referral to physical therapy because my weight was causing my ankle pain. I have screws in that leg from an injury! She wouldn't even listen to me...she just sent me to the nutritionist (for the third time). And these are just a few of my own personal examples. There are troublesome cases everywhere. I grew up with NO health insurance. I didn't see a dentist for the first time until I married my husband. We were too poor to afford insurance but too rich to get assistance/Medicaid. When we had problems we paid for our bills ourselves. We had accidents like all kids do, and my parents had to make payments to pay the bills off. Insurance was never intended to pay for every little thing. I think we need to back track and go back to a time when insurance was for catastrophic illness or emergencies. If we made our doctors compete to have patients as customers, instead of blindly allowing our insurance to pay we'd all get better prices. I know it will never happen, the same way I know that my Libertarian beliefs will likely never be shared by any President we have. I accept that and try to muddle through the best I can. I know my opinion isn't the popular one at the moment. I just disagree with the way our government is attempting to fix the problem. And I strongly dislike the way our elected officials are going against what the majority of America wants - they are supposed to be representing us, not themselves or their private interests. I'm very disappointed with the entire situation. Right...enough griping for me. Thanks for making sure this thread stays civil and polite. I'm new here but I felt comfortable posting my opinion even though it's likely contradictory to the feelings of most folks here. ~CLK

Thank you so much for the helpful, detailed response. I have no doubt I can wait until January for the surgery. I had to re-start the process once we got here and I'm still waiting for my appointment with the nurse that refers everyone to the surgeon. Here they make everyone go to one person who handles all referrals for WLS. I'm hoping they'll be able to do it at Landstuhl, which is only an hour away, but if I have to find someone off post I think that will be trickier. In any case, thanks. I'll keep my appointment next week and go from there. Thank you for the response - you really helped confirm my belief that the band is not the way to go. I'll just do my best to get Tricare to cover the VSG instead.

I'm new and considering VSG. I was reluctant to pursue any WLS but my last doctor suggested a band to me. After reading/researching for seven months I don't think it's the right option. I do need a restrictive procedure but my biggest issue is that I always feel hungry, no matter if my belly is full or not (and it's not always head hunger, either!), so I think the VSG will provide a better solution for me. I can see myself suspended in a special sort of hell with the band - unable to eat but still always starving, and having my food options limited, too! My question is about Tricare and VSG. I read on another thread that Tricare is going to start covering VSG very soon. How soon? Does anyone have more information about this? I cannot find anything about it online. I know they cover bands and RNY with no problems, I'm just curious about this procedure. I definitely meet the Tricare requirements for WLS. I'm torn. I'm not sure if I should accept the band knowing it will likely require a second surgery at some point (but doing it anyway because insurance will do it for free) or if I should find a surgeon and do a self-pay for the VSG because that's what I really want. In any case, info on the Tricare issue would be appreciated. ~CLK