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IF my insurance covered WLS, my max out of pocket would have been $6000. That's a $3500 deductible plus 20% of the rest until it hit $6000. But instead, I had to self pay because my insurance (which costs me $350/month) doesn't cover WLS. So I saved every penny I Could, including forgoing vacations for 2 1/2 years, went to Mexico and paid $6500. Obamacare sucks @ss.

Thanks for the great rant......I'm going to add JFDI as my new favorite answer along with SOTFS.

They removed the bandage covering the drain and pulled it out...mine was about 18" long. Then used a steri strip to close the hole and put a little bandage over it. I took the bandage off the next day and the steri strip fell off on its own along with the steri strips on the other 4 incisions about 7-10 days later.

I had a drain for 3 days and it was no big deal. I was actually glad to gave it. For one, I'd rather have that fluid out if me than in me and second, it was peace of mind being able to see that healthy, serous fluid that told me I had no internal bleeding and no leak.

@@OutsideMatchInside I completely agree with you that the op should follow her own team's instructions, not go by what anyone on here says. I also agree that everyone should be asking questions if they receive instructions they don't understand or that are conflicting with other instructions. I am definitely a "Why?" person myself and am a PIA to those arrogant doctors that don't feel they should ever be questioned. It's just that the end of your last comment did seem belittling to anesthesiologists that require nails and polish be removed (which I did so happily when I was told to). As an anesthesiologist I would have felt insulted and the veterinary anesthesia part of me just got a little riled up. I actually have been yelled at by owners for shaving their dog's legs in order to place a sterile catheter or to get a better BP reading..... "But he was just getting neutered!" (Sigh)

@@ButterflySeoul you are totally right. Bariatric surgery does have beneficial effects for type 2 diabetics regardless of any secondary weight loss. But the OP wasn't asking about if surgery would help with diabetes. She's claiming she does not eat large portions and that she eats less than 1000 calories/day. Her claim is her obesity is due to poor choices. Surgery will not fix that. From her description, the benefits of surgery (smaller portions) is not something she needs. When it comes to making better food choices, a good therapist or even a dietician would be a much more effective, less drastic and safer tool.

Have you ever been responsible for administering anesthesia and monitoring someone during surgery? Respiratory rate, heart rate, blood pressure, plane of anesthesia, CO2 levels, body temperature, ECG, CRT, oxygenation, tissue perfusion and Fluid replacement are just a few of the things that have to be monitored. Do you know how many dozens of things can go wrong? Do you realize that one even one minute of lapse in observation or a missed signal could result in that patient's death? Do you know everything can go flawlessly like its gone a hundred times before and that patient could still die? Do you realize how much pressure that is? It's not an office job where a mistake results in a missed deadline or a typo. I've been doing this with animals everyday for the last 15 years, and believe me, no matter how routine a surgery is, anesthesia is still a complex and scary thing. So if the anesthesiologist chooses to require a patients to come into the OR with absolutely nothing interfering with their ability to perform their job unobstructed, then kudos to them. It doesn't make them incompetent. It makes them cautious and thorough.

While I Was losing I only bought from thrift stores, goodwill, and the sales rack at Walmart. Granted, a lot of the things weren't my style or particularly in fashion, but since I would only be wearing them a month or two, I wasn't about to spend more than a couple bucks for anything. I tried eBay a couple times but would buy a size smaller because by the time it arrived it was starting to fit. Shirts I Wore till I was swimming in them and pants for as long as a belt would hold them up. I didn't shop in any real stores until I had been in maintenance for at least 2 months to confirm that really was my new permanent size.

Not sarcasm at all. I was just pointing out the difference. Your past is hard for you while mine is the opposite. I was a strong, confident fat person and fir the most part, life was good. I only became a blubbering mess after losing weight and I no longer had my emotional crutches (food and alcohol) to back me up. My best friend committed suicide 17 months postop and it was then I discovered I had no constructive coping abilities. I stayed drunk for the 18 months following my brother's death prior to my VSG but I couldn't do that this time. The illusion of my mental health went out the window and i realized what a wreck I really was. My therapist, antidepressants and testosterone replacement are my new crutches that keep me from joining my friend at this point. So you are right, we all have certain mental issues. Being obese is simply one of the symptoms, not the cause. And unfortunately surgery only treats that one symptom. It's a lot harder to find and treat the cause, But it sounds like you have made great strides in that department. All I'm saying in response to your OP, is that like it or not, the past is a part of who you are. You already said it, you conquered and overcame so much. Forgiving and accepting a past that you can't change is just a part of that and definitely better in the long run than hating a stack of photographs.

Do not go with the advice you get on here. You need to contact your surgical team directly since every anesthesiologist has different preferences. I absolutely could not keep my acrylics on for my VSG but I could for my gall bladder removal (different surgeon/anesthesiologist/hospital)

Everyone experiences surgical pain differently, so you can't possibly predict how you will feel from how others did. I had the "usually" 5 hole laproscopic sleeve done and pretty much had no pain. No pain pump in the hospital and took no pain meds once discharged. In fact I walked two miles and went shopping less than 24 hours after surgery. I just experienced some muscle fatigue like I'd done a hundred sit-ups. But others report tremendous pain and needing narcotics for a week or more.

No gas pains here

So once again, I'm the odd ball out here. Losing weight did not change who I was on the inside. I had dysmorphia in the sense that I never thought I was fat. So when I lost 100 pounds my body finally matched what my head always believed. I had no problems adjusting to what I saw in the mirror. And to tell you the truth, from an emotional well being standpoint, I was a hell of a lot happier all those years being large, I just didn't know it. My real depression and unhappiness didn't happen until I realized that in order to remain thin I could not dull the pain of life with food and alcohol. I became miserable. Feeling emotions rather than feeding them sucks. I finally sought out a therapist who is helping me work towards some sense of happiness again. So when it comes to old pictures, once I overcome the shock of seeing how big I really was, they actually bring back memories of how freaking happy I was....fat, drunk and happy. These days I'm just thin, sober, angry, and sad.

Water chicken broth beef broth strained egg drop soup Strained French onion soup, decaf herbal tea (lots of choices - served either hot or iced), Bai5 Gatorade sweet leaf water drops Powerade Pedialyte vitamin water lifewater Syntrax nectar protein powder in water isopure protein drink

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I am the only one who is surprised when i see old pictures of myself. Everyone else knew how fat I was except me. But I know my family loved me just as much then as they do now. And I have no doubt your family feels the same. Yes, our obese past can be embarrassing, but it's all a part of who we are. Make those photos a part of your motivation and pride in how far you've come!

Hands down - Being able to make it through the most devastating event of my life (my best friends suicide) along with a few other crises (loss of pets, stressful job situations and helping a friend through cancer treatment) without turning to food and alcohol and regaining any weight.

The longer you keep your calories low, the more your metabolism gets screwed up and the harder long term maintenance will be. I increased my calories ASAP and some of my protein shakes had 300-400 calories just for that reason.. I was never below 600 and closer to 800 around the 2-4 month mark and 1000 by 5-6 months. Maybe you lose slower, but it's a more permanent loss and easier to maintain.

Ok, this is probably going to piss off a lot of people, but I seriously don't understand why you would put yourself through a surgery to mutilate a perfectly healthy organ if that organ isn't the problem. In my case, it was the problem....way too much food, both good and bad and way too many calories. But in your case, why have surgery that simply induces portion control when you claim portion control isn't the problem? Because that's ALL surgery does, you know. According to you its your conscious choices of what you eat that are causing your obesity, not your calories or portions. Seriously, surgery is not going to fix any of that. It's like saying I am getting bad grades in school because I'm out partying every night and skipping class to go shopping. So I'll have my legs amputated so I will have to stay home and study and I will appreciate and rely on my intellect more. If portion control is not the problem, you don't need a surgeon, you need a good therapist to assist you in learning new ways to deal with life without turning to crappy food choices. Or an endocrinologist to figure out why you are obese when you barely eat 1000 calories/day.

Ditto on the tackling one thing at a time. It would suck to go through all your withdrawals at the same time postop. And yes, one little carb cheat while trying to clear carbs will set you back to the beginning. Basically because from a biochemical standpoint, your brain reacts to sugar (and most artificial sweeteners) similar to how it reacts to cocaine. It's highly addictive. I stopped smoking, caffeine and alcohol all before surgery. Cold turkey on the smoking 3 months preop. A lot of folks need to wean down through vaping or Patches, but I just threw all my cigs away and never looked back. I didn't drink sodas, but I did drink 20-40oz of coffee/day. Weaned off both caffeine and coffee by going half caf then decaf then switched to decaf herbal tea. Took about 2 months. Then there was the alcohol. I drank 2-3 large cocktails/night plus mass quantities on the weekends. I stopped drinking completely the day I Started my 2 week preop diet. It was December and I made it through a funeral, a birthday party and 2 Christmas parties sipping on ice Water and Protein shakes. Funny how nicotine and alcohol were better stopped cold turkey while it was the caffeine that went better by weaning slowly. But I Guess that's the nature of highly addictive substances. So you just need to find your motivation and hold on to it. Why do you want this surgery? Would you rather trade it for a 12 pack of Coke? Every time you are faced with temptation, ask yourself which choice will get me closer to goal and go with that one. The more times you say no the easier it gets. conquering your cravings becomes empowering. And likewise, each time you cave it makes it easier to cave the next time.

If you are craving carbs, sweets and sugar, etc., the only way to stop the cravings is to cut these things out completely. The more you eat the more you want. Your mom is right, do two shakes/day and a healthy Protein and veggies only dinner....no starches/carbs! And make sure you read the labels on your shakes. A lot of so called Protein drinks are loaded with carbs. Look for 20-30g protein and less than 5g carbs. A few days of clean eating will purge those cravings. You'll have to eat this way for your preop diet and for a long time postop, so might as well get used to it. You need to get your head back in the game. If you are continuing to struggle I strongly suggest getting counseling or seeing a therapist because the mental aspect of successful WLS is much harder to deal with than the physical part and it goes on forever..... And as for your husband, unless he is holding you down, pouring Coke down your throat, he is not sabotaging you, you're doing that yourself. You are the one having surgery, not him and it's not fair to ask him to adapt your new chosen lifestyle for himself.

@@Inner Surfer Girl here's another one for you .......

I really didn't do anything special. No weight tracking, no blogging, no journal, etc. In fact, I don't even remember when exactly when I hit goal. But my sister (who accompanied me to Mexico for surgery) made me send pictures so she could see my progress, since we live 1200 miles apart. I think I sent 3-4 pics during the first 9 months until I reached goal. So glad she had me do that or I'd have no record of my progress whatsoever. But I do tell my tale on this and other forums, so if I looked back at my posts I could possibly piece together a blog of sorts.

Around 3-4 months (can't remember it was so long ago). It was at my Doctor's son's 18th birthday party. Had the toppings off one piece. Had to save room for the cake and ice cream . To this day, I still only ever eat the toppings. My dog gets the crust...he's lovin my sleeve!

Sounds like you are a typical WLS patient. Tell the surgeon exactly what you told us. I'm sure he's heard it a hundred times. My BMI was lower than yours, I had no serious medical issues besides slightly elevated BP and painful feet, ankles and knees. I'd lost lots of weight but gained it all back and then some MULTIPLE TIMES. But with VSG, all my pain is gone, BP is actually on the low side, and I'm keeping the weight off this time. If you are psychologically/mentally ready to commit to the changes you need to make, WLS could be just what the doctor ordered for you! Oh yeah, and usually with a BMI over 40 you don't necessarily need any comorbidities to qualify . They may, however, require a 2-3 year weight history (from doctor visits, weight watchers, etc) as well as a 6 month supervised diet prior to surgery approval.