JCassell

Hello everyone! I'm a in the process of getting my sleeve approved through Soonercare (Medicaid in Oklahoma). It is taking FOREVER and I was wondering if anyone else has been through this process before and have any words of advice for an impatient Okie.

I really need help, or encouragement or something.! I'm 10 months out and I have only lost 60 pounds. I feel like such a failure! Did anyone one else fall off the wagon and how did you get back on board? Is it too late? Please chime in. I exercise but not regularly, and I snack in the day. My nutritionist would cringe at my food journal. What should I do?

I am having a huge problem. I have been on my period since my surgery 7 weeks ago. On again, off again, just never completely stopping. I have lost about 40 pounds, and I was thinking that this could just be hormonal stuff from surgery. I was hoping that would have let up by now. I lost 60 pounds previously and my cycle evened out and happened on time monthly. It hasn't been heavy or abnormal but I'm worried and so tired of this! Could I be anemic or something? Does anyone else have this problem? So sorry to for the subject!

I have PCOS too. I haven't gotten on birth control yet. I have migrains and I have to take the kind that a breast feeding mother can use (don't know the name). They told me that it had less estrogen, I guess. I go to my surgens office the 19th. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one, thanks for the advice! I'll call my gyn.

Surgery was 10-30-13 Highest weight: 337 Surgery weight: 313 (Huge shock, I was hoping for 10 pounds.) Current weight: Unknown. Waiting for post op appointment 11-7-13 Goal weight: 170 Everything is going well for me so far. I have over done it a few times tring to clean, and run after my daughter. I don't think I'm getting enough fluids but I'm working on it. My protien shakes are filling!

I have surgery tomorrow too! I know just how you feel! Will be praying!

My surgery is tomorrow and I am so nervous! I have to be at the hospital at 5:45! Holy cow, I only have 6 hours to drink anything! Ahh! I'm excited but my husband has been saying things like "you better make it through this" and "Please don't die" He is really freaking me out! I told him he is suppose to be the support system here! I've got my dishes and laundry done, childcare set up, bills paid, cashiers check in my purse, groceries in the house, and my bags packed. I just hope I'm not forgetting anything! Does anyone have any advice for a scared soon to be post op? Did anyone else have doubts the night before? I saw a cookie in the kitchen and thought that if I ate it I wouldn't have to get an IV in a few hours, lol.

Today i sat in my car, outside the gym in the parking lot, gripping the stiring wheel until my knuckles went white. I am embarrassed about the way I look, and how I think my body will look whilst exercising. I can just feel people staring at me thinking 'what is she doing here, I wish I didn't have to look at that.' I know that this is exactly where I need to be but I feel like such a novice that I sould be doing the work at home. The truth is I need to be shown what to do, I need help. I know I can't be the only one who feels this way. This is YEARS of social programing by angry teens, coworkers, and strangers, talking and joking about the way I look. How do you get over it? How do you push yourself through the door, in front of that cruelly accurate and huge mirror wall, and do classes? Just need some encouragment please!

Got my date! Oct. 30th!

My first appt is Oct. 1st. This is the same surgeon that did my mothers surgery. I am expecting Oct 23 to be my date!

Why, yes it is. My mother is two weeks post op, I get my surgery date in two weeks, and My sister really wants to loose a few extra pounds. So what could three fantastic ladies do to accomplish thier goals of skinny jeans, and shirt sizes with no Xs on them? They start training for a 5k! More specifically, the Dirty Girl Mud Run. The proceeds go the help with breast cancer research, it isn't timed, its only for wemon, it has mud AND obstacles! And as if it couldn't get any better, if the obstacales are too much for you, they have detours. This sounds like a recipe for the warm and tingly feelings of accoplishment, pride, girl power! It also sounds like a perfect starting 5k for someone who wouldn't run if you were chasing me with a knife. This may sound mundane to you but our idea of a family endurance sport is seeing who stays awake the longest after dinner. We aren't athletic and never have been. In fact, in my current state, I would probably get about a quarter mie before I curled up in the fetal position and cried. But I have high hopes for the future runner buried deep, deep,deeep within me. We are stating C25K, as soon as my surgeon clears me. It will be interesting to see how we handle this. I think its going to be awesome! They have a mud slide, you guys, a mud slide. nuff said.

Thank you all so much for the pep talk. My gym choices are few and far between (I'll have to drive 25 minutes to the next town) but I think I have found the perfect one for me. It says that it is a TRUELY non jugemental gym that has varying rules about harrassment. They have child care, nutrition classes, and a few classes I always thought I was too fat to attempt (Zumba, kick boxing, yoga). I spoke to the manager and she was very helpful (And understanding) and offered me a free day at the gym, and a free session with a trainer before I made my decision. I'm going in today (In thier slower time) to take a tour of everything. I'm excited! I really want to do this right, I don't want to take my sleeve for granted! Thanks to everyone for your support and I will update you soon!

Help! I am freaking out! I have been with my mother for the past few days during and after her surgery, and I am so second guessing this decision. She was so worried the day of surgery, and she told me the operating room was scary and all she could think about was is she doing the right thing. Then post op I was helping her up to go to the bathroom, and she was in so much pain. I'm sure that it doesnt help the situaton that its my mother in pain, but I am still very worried. On the other hand, we are both using same surgeon and her incisions look fantastic. So I am more confident with him, and the hospital has been amazing. I have been just putting myself in her shoes because I will be there in a few weeks. My first appt is October 1st. I just need some reassurance that the pain in the hospital doesn't last forever!

I have had percings, and they dont bother me either. IVs are a different story. If you have an IV somethings wrong! I think its the fact that they leave it in. Ugh. No. The Surgery is sounding more and more like two days of Hell. And the lovenox injections afterward. I'm just so unsure. I dont want this fear to be an excuse tho.

Are any of you needle phobic? I am DREADING the IV!!! It makes my skin crawl to think about it. I had a freakng panic attack when my moms IV prolapsed. Ugh. Time for my big girl panties! Thans for all the encouragement!

I'm so excited! My financial whoas are almost over!. The Abstrat it up to date and will be so until September 26th, (how lucky is that? 5yr window and I get a loan the month before it has to be updated!), I have proof of income, and we are going to the bank tomorrow to sign the quit claim deed, and talk about the loan. It feels wonderful knowing that all the paperwork is in order and I have a very good chance of getting this money this week! The Gma in law called me to appologize for being so negative and told me to not let her influence my decision. I know, right?! She said she knew I was tying to do what was best for my family and that I was a great mom and wife for going thourgh all this for them. Dont know where that came from but I will take it! She is going to sign the papers and help us out. This week I am taking my mother to her first appt with our surgeon. She will get her date Tuesday and I will get my first appt hopefully! Very excited and ready for the new week!

Thanks a lot! I am very excited and I can't wait to get started. I have tried for many years and never been able to do it on my own. I think this surgery gives me hope that I can be healthy one day!

I have seen a lot of people post about bringing a robe. If you are wanting to travel light, you can just ask for another hospital gown. Put it on backwards, like you would a button up shirt. It is lightweight, offers coverage when up walking, it has open sides for IVs and tubes, and you dont have to haul it to and from the hospital. I know some people feel more comfortable with a warm comfy robe from home though. Just a thought.

I started out on this journey very nievely. I assumed if I did everything my Insurance company told me to do, that they would grant me this surgery like a fairy godmother, giving me a new life with a smile in thier face. Unfortunately this is rarely the case, and reality is not as clean cut, or sparkly. I went to my seminar and was chatting up the surgeons PA. She told me that of the 5000+ surgerys that she has been a part of she has only once seen my insurance company pay out. Nice. In other words my chances of getting this approved are 1 in 5000. My fairy bubble was violently popped. I decided that I didn't want to wait 6 months to be told no, so the next step was self pay. Sure, if I had any money it would be no problem. I had a little in savings but no where near what I needed. I decided to go to the bank and talk it over with a loan officer. He told me my best bet would be to refinance a current loan and it would make my monthly payments just a few dollars more a month. Woot! A fly by fairy dropped some glitter on me! And then the I got the glitter in my eye. The land I was refinancing was cosigned with my grandma in-law, (we were very young when we got the loan). I am so covered in red tape I cant breath already and now I have to go get a quick claim deed, change over an abstract, and get everything noterized, or I could tell my gma in-law what I needed the money for and humbly beg for a signature. I was told that an abstract update could take up to six weeks, and its harder to get three people together to sign a deed in front of a notary than you'd think, and on top of this I have no idea how much it will cost to file or how lond it will take to process. Even without insurance, I cry for my plight. I decided to talk to my gma in law just to expidite this little venture, only to find that she thinks I'm making a rash deision, one that she is very against. Yay! So as of today I am completely up in the air. It is frustrating not knowing if I will get to use the collateral that I have been paying on for five years. I made my case with the gma in-law and hopefully there will a decision in the near future. I will keep you updated!

Thanks for the comments everyone! I don't care to work for it and pay on it, I would just prefer to be loosing weight as I pay! She told me that it She thought I sould go to a weight loss clinic, (Basicly a fat camp). I can't be away from my kiddo that long. Ugh, it just feel like I'll never get there.

If you go on ebay or amzon and searh for childrens silverware, or childerens silverware sets you can find a little more grown up verson of the toddler utensils. They are usually stainless steel and come with a fork, spoon, and knife. I found some from Oneida that actually match my 'adult' silverware, and its usually less than ten or twelve dollars for the set. I found them tonight and thought I would share. I just bought a set for my mother and me. We are both getting sleeved in september (hopefully)! Sorry I don't know how to link you to it!

I look forward to helping my daughter practice ballet, and karate and Tball and soccer! I want to be able to make my husbands jaw drop. And I want to go SHOPPING for my style, not whatever they have in my size (if they have my size)!!

I had everything set up with my insurance company and was going to start my six month diet next month. I went to my seminar saturday. Unfortunately I have had a gallbladder attack that has keep me down and out for two days now. This is my second attack in a month and I'm afraid that I don't have six months to wait. At the seminar they told me that they have done over 5000 surgeries and only one was covered by my insurance company. Those are depressing odds. On the other hand they said if my gallbladder attacks were serious, they could have me in surgery in two weeks. I don't know if I sould go into debt for this or not. But I also dont want two surgeries that could lead to months of recovery, I have a baby at home. Do any of you regret going into debt for this? I don't want to rush into it for the wrong reason (the two week thing is tempting), but I don't want to risk my health waiting for an insurance company that may never approve me. Do any of you have any advise for me?

Im going in for my first consult and some pre op testing next month. I'm very nervous.

I'm gallbladderless. Surgery went fine. I freaked out a little when I woke up (My first time going under) and I nearly fainted when they were putting in my IV (I am a serious needle phobe). Although I didn't get to follow my plan I did get some good practice and info for future surgeries. I think Ill handle the next one better, and I am liking no attacks, so it defenitely was worth it.