juny

just a word on fmla. You have to have worked essentially full time for a year to be eligible for fmla. You do not get paid when taking fmla but it does keep the company you work for, from firing you. You, typically, have to give at least 30 days notice if it's not an emergency. Which means you have to give it to your doctor's office to complete before giving it to your employer. You usually have to use all your allotted time off before you can start fmla. I know of some disability insurances that will kick in after a few days so you don't have to use up your pto/sick/vacation days. I think you can take up to 3 months off per year.(if medically necessary obviously), this doesn't mean you have to take it all at once. I know this isn't everything about fmla, if you know anymore please share!

i couldn't help but post, i'm in northwest indiana, I'm going w/ dr cahill. I know he runs another center of excellence in illinois as well.

i'm still preop, but i thought i'd share my goal: pick up a pencil off the floor w/o that move...you know the one, the sitting splits or the wobble to the left so i can bend far enough to pick it up...yeah...that's my goal. I don't have a goal weight, I just want to pick up a pencil.

I've past the excited and positive outlook stage as well. I"m in the 'trying not to talk myself out of it' phase. I know this is what I want but there's a lot of fear and doubt creeping in and with the understanding that the next 3 months may just suck...it's no wonder this is no trip to disney for me.

My last weigh in on the supervised diet was 5lbs heavier than the month before. Now i'm 7lbs heavier than that....I know this and even though it upsets me I've been pigging out of the skinny cow caramels. I think I'm just completely stressed out over the upcoming surgery and food makes me feel better...and then worse because it's not really helping w/ the whole losing weight thing....

I totally understand, my preop liquid diet starts in a couple weeks and instead of staying on the diet I told myself I was, I've basically been having dessert every other night or so. I'm feeling very out of control at the moment. If there was cake here, I'd be eating it as well. I'm right there w/ you, good luck!

I didn't think of myself as a food funeral kind of person, but lately I've been eating a lot. I'm trying to keep it under control but the closer i get to the liquid diet stage, I'm feeling less in control of what i'm eating...anyone else have this issue?

My doctors recommend taking someone to the preop meeting where they discuss everything and sign all the releases. I won't be bringing anyone. My nut said if my mom wasn't going to be supportive the last thing she'd do is bring her to the last meeting before the surgery because they talk about the diet, operation, and risks. All she'll hear are the risks and that's not going to be helpful to me in the 2 weeks between the preop and the actual surgery date. I am very disappointed about that. I think I'm going to be the only person there in the preop class by myself. I'm so disappointed in her that she can't help me when I actually need her. On to Protein shakes, I found the walmart brand very gritty and tasted funny (price was great though, like $15). I liked muscle milk but was told there were too many carbs. On I went to muscle milk light which was better, but I ended up on Isopure (pricey of course $40-47) because it had more protein and not gritty. I don't really like the taste of vanilla so all my stuff was chocolate. I bought unjury chicken so I could have a 'dinner' flavor on my 6 day preop liquid diet. don't know if any of that helps you, but there you go.

I totally get it. I'm in the same boat, my mom tells me that i'm going to be sorry that I got this surgery. I don't know how major surgery to remove 85% of someone's stomach and being on a liquid/soft food diet for 2-3 months is taking the easy way out. I did the 6 month diet, and guess what...I'm gaining again because this is how it always is whenever I diet, I lose some weight, I stall, I wobble, and then I start creeping up again. In the 4 month wait for a surgery date after the diet I've gained 10-12lbs of the 35 I lost. This is why we need the surgery. I dont think you're prepared to give up and this surgery is not giving up. It's making the choice to get better. None of us are choosing this surgery because it's easy or going to solve every problem we have. It is something that may turn the tables from having no control to being in control of the food. I'm counting on that chance to help me get better and get past my own food/weight issues. We are going to be fine and when our families see how much better we are, I'm totally going to rub it in.....yeah...i really am and it's going to be fabulous!

Feb 5, time is moving really fast over here.

I'm under a year at my job, I started in April. I would be covered by fmla by then but i'd still have to use all my pto until my fmla kicks in, no point when I can just save my time off and then 6 weeks after I get back from work my pto resets. Yay me!

My doctor recommends 3-4 weeks off which isn't going to happen. I've got 2 weeks vacation time and I'm using all of it.

Did a 6month supervised diet. I have aetna pos (its an h m o). $45 copays. My deductible is $1000 and $2500 out of pocket maximum. I was told when I called aetna the total I'd be responsible for is $3500. was $1000 more than I expected but I didn't expect this to be free.....

I never heard of them having their surgery date cancelled. I thought they just made you drink the stuff that cleaned you out...

I totally get this feeling. I did the supervised diet with all kinds of excitement and determination. But after it ended and I still had 4 months to get a surgery date, my excitement is gone and it's been replaced by anxiousness and a whole lot of "what am i doing!" I'm doing this don't get me wrong but right now I'm just trying to make it to surgery day w/ my sanity intact.

There's a range of symptoms, in the book the doc's office gave me: it can include flu like symptoms including a fever and increased heart/respiratory rate. Only a doctor can diagnose a leak. Soreness may just be a result of them jabbing your midsection with a poker....no forum takes the place of a real diagnosis, if you're worried call your dr's office asap

when you click on the link that brings you to the group, look on the upper right side for a 'join group' button, I think it's black.

Just keep in mind a pound is 3500 calories. You can't possibly have eaten 10,500 calories to gain the weight on what you've been eating probably.

I've got an aetna ***. I'm worried about how much it's going to cost. the cost last year was 18k for the procedure. I have a 1500 deductible and I'm not sure how to ask how much it's going to cost. They haven't talked about pricing at all. I just don't want to get the surgery and figure out that they were out of network. I mean, I got the letter of approval but I'm not sure if that really means coverage. Feels a little ridiculous to be this close and not know these things. since when is h m o a dirty word?

I've gained 8lbs since my supervised diet and was told by the nut that the doctor didn't like it when people gained. Well...sorry about that....I lost 35lbs and gained 8....yeah...If this was easy I wouldn't need the surgery. I did better than I thought I would over the holidays. I'm trying to keep a lid on going wild but I'm not necessarily doing a big diet before the surgery either. I had the 6 month diet that ended in october and they couldn't schedule me until february....I can't help that there's 4 months there where I'm just drifting. I had a lot of enthusiasm a few months ago but that has gone and is replaced by a gnawing sense of trepidation. This is going to be hard and for a few months it's probably going to be downright unpleasant. But I'm ready to do this come february.

My date is Feb. 5, in Northwest Indiana. I started last May. I'm more anxious than anything. I wish I'd been able to get in over the holidays when I was still feeling like I was on the wagon w/ the diet and everything.

My process to getting this surgery started last May. I'm coming up on my surgery date of feb. 5. I have preop appointment on the 23rd. I'm anxious. I'm bracing myself for a very difficult few months while simultaneously hoping for the best outcome. Getting myself to this point has been a challenge, one I think we all know really well. I haven't gained all my weight back from my 6month supervised diet, but I have gained about 8lbs, out of the 35 that I lost. So I'm stressing a little about that. I'm having increased anxiety about the fact that I'm getting little or no support at home. Today we made the calendar this month and put the dates on for my doctors appointment, my mom did not appreciate this at all. Her only words to me in regard to the surgery now are, 'you're going to be sorry.' I wish it didn't hurt as bad as it does to have someone I'm so close to so vehemently disagree w/ what I'm doing. This is a little off the path but bear with me: When you have friends/family who are going to buy a new house/car, you come over they show it to you or they bring you along on the open house.....They aren't asking for your permission to buy the car or to validate your wisdom on the purchase. You're there to coo over their new stuff and maybe give ideas about what you can do w/ the house upon purchase to make it even better! Even if it's not the nicest house, or in the nicest neighborhood, or if the car is used, it's not your job to tell them they were stupid or could have done better or YOU'RE GOING TO BE SORRY. It's clear she's not going to support me regardless of the outcome. It's just making the difficult stuff even harder and being at home w/ her is just making it worse. I really didn't want to be the person w/ the mommy issues.....I'M TOO OLD FOR MOMMY ISSUES! I just need to get through the next month or so....I really don't know how I'm going to do it, I just am.

happy to help I'm actually quite happy most days, but like you some days....just suck. I get it

if you're using insurance to get your wls, be prepared to wait. Many insurance companies require a 3-6 month supervised diet before they submit a letter for approval. I started w/ a seminar in may, I'm due to get my surgery the first week of february. Be prepared to wait! edit- of course I say this now.....watch your company not have a diet requirement at all.

This is a post I could have written. I know right now things are hard for you. Sounds like your whole month sucked. I often feel quite alone and wonder how so many women on these boards ended up with husbands seeing as I currently can't even manage a boyfriend. I've built the walls between myself and others. Granted I've never been a social butterfly but there are times when I feel like I've got nothing compared to everyone else and their fabulously developed support systems. I'm working on it though and so are you. I suspect this next month you're going to get your second opinion and be happier for it. Sounds like you have a plan for your diet and exercise and I hope those go well for you. You're not alone here and I can guarantee you're on someone's mind. pm if you like, i've got quiet nights in spades usually.