sunny2day

Thank you Lainey3074. It gives comfort when people who have gone through this can relate and understand what we are describing in each step. Also it makes me feel like this is normal and I am not a strange case, lol. Day for day and minute for minute if that is what it takes.

I had my surgery January 14th also and I came home yesterday. I had to have a hiatial hernia repaired in addition to sleeve. I think I'm in shock also at how hard it is to get the required liquids in. I have to stay on a clear liquid diet for two weeks post op. So far my tummy makes lots of sounds and all I can drink are two sips at best. Also when it gets to my stomach there is a tight pressure pain feeling that comes and goes real quick. But it's taking everything I got to get fluids in. They say week 1 is the worst, right?

I am just wonder how long after being sleeved most people went back to work?

I had to pay 150.00 to my doctor and 40.00 for all the test and 175.00 per day in the hospital. I have bcbs basic federal:)

I was very shocked with the holidays and all how fast I was approved. Once it is submitted you can call customer service and they can check to see if an approval letter is sent. I called every 2 days. Once I got my letter it had the wrong dates on it so the doctors office had to call to get it changed but no big deal. I am scheduled for Tuesday January 14, 2014 to be sleeved. I am very optimistic but very nervous all at the same time now that its a reality. Wishing you all the luck in the world on your journey:)

Good luck today. I'm sure everything will go well. I will be sleeved next Tiesday. If you can or feel up to it please keep us updated:)

I have been on my preop diet which is 900 calories a day which indludes no more than 10g of fat a day, 30 g of carbs, and a minimum of 70g of Protein. I can eat food but I can not exceed these limits. For the most part I have had Protein shakes, grilled chicken breast, chicken broth, egg whites, and occasionally lettuce or cucumber. I have been on the diet 5 days now and I gained 2 pounds, REALLY? This does not seem right to me. I am reading every label and weighing my food. I am also logging everything on my fitness pal. Has this happened to anyone else.

Thanks everyone. I feel better now that I vented. Kinda had a moment there. I could deffinately be retaining Water and also I switched from sodium free bullion to regular chicken bullion cubes and maybe I am retaining salt. I will switch back to the sodium free and see if that doesn't make a difference. I guess I was just freaking out prior to surgery. Also the change in diet has me on edge these days. Sometimes I feel fine and other times I feel like a crazy person. I know it will be worth it once I make it to my surgery date and can honestly say I did it without cheating.

No period. Not expecting it for a few weeks. Just don't understand, weight gain. OHHHHHHH I am frustrated.

I am scheduled for January 14, 2014, and of course my family members wait until right before surgery to tell me they are dreadfully afraid for my life. I have let every know from the beginning of this journey what my intentions were. I really don't need doubt now. I cant blame them though, last year I had a tuble and almost died from a post op infection. I had to have wound care for two months and was out of work for 3 months, so I can see their hesitation. My biggest fear is not will I recover but how long it will take me to recover. I am trying to stay optimistic and look forward to my update one year from now. I am on a 900 calorie high Protein diet for now until surgery. Wishing all the January sleevers good luck...

Mamato2, my doctor gave me a whole bunch of print outs with his post op diet, here is mine as follows: Stage 1 diet(Weeks 1 &2 Clear liquid diet) such as: sugar free Jello sugar free popsicles crystal light sugar free kool aide propel and other calorie free flavored Water water broth Protein drings clear only Stage 2 (Weeks 3-4 is full liquid and weeks 5-6 is pureed foods) such as: 3-4 weeks fat free milk low fat Soups (strained or blended in a blender) light (sugar free) yourgurt 5-6 weeks baby food from the jar (meats and veggies only cottage cheese pureed Beans pureed tofu any other soft lean meats (no beef) or well cooked non startchy veggie Stage 3 (Weeks 6-12) soft diet tender meats (no beef) flaky fish (avoid shell fish) low fat cheese egg whites(eggbeaters) beans tofu soft fruits on occasion well cooked or canned veggies Stage 4 Regular Diet 12 weeks on Start introducing regular food one at a time to see what you can tolerate I hope this helps and I hope your physician gives you some sort of guidance. Ask them if they can give you print outs with suggestions. I forget everything so the prints helped me. Keep me updated on your surgery. May we both have a smooth and easy recovery.

I am scheduled for surgery in Austin, TX on 01/14/2014. I only have to do a pre op diet for 2 weeks which is 900 calories a day which contain no more than 30 g of carbs, 10g of fat, and a minimum of 70g of Protein a day. I do a Protein shake for Breakfast and lunch. I ate egg whites yesterday because I hit a starving moment and it did the job. Then for dinner I am eating salads, green Beans, broccoli, or some other green vegtable and about 10 ounces of grilled chicken breast. So far I am on my 3rd day and its not as bad as I thought it was going to be. But I can see what people mean when they refer to head hunger and after surgery when I am on complete liquids only, I hope that I feel just as satisfied now. This is definitely a lifestyle change and I have learned so much already in my journey. I wish you luck on your journey and your upcoming surgery.

Rena's Ragdolls ---- That really stink that they did not approve your claim and you are having to appeal. What reason did they give? There are so many comments about denials and appeals, make sure you keep pushing back until you get to a Peer to Peer where the doctor actually talks to the Insurance. Good Luck to come your way......

Hey Lady_H ---- I know exactly what you mean by pins and needles. I am going to send good thoughts your way and wish you lots of luck on your journey.

I have been required by my insurance to participate in a 3 month supervised weight loss plan prior to submitting a request for weight loss surgery. I weighed in on November 07, 2013 and I have to do my final weigh in on December 19, 2013 prior to my doctor submitting a claim to my insurance, blue cross blue shield federal plan. My question is this, I believe I have gained about 4 pounds since my last weigh in and the whole time I have been on the diet I have lost. I am guessing I did not do as good as I thought throught the holidays. Has anyone ever gained weight in the supervised diet with blue cross blue shield federal and got denied or approved. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I just had my last visit and my surgeon said they will be submitting around 12/27/2013, I know the feeling of excitement. I wish you luck and let us know once you get a response.

So my doctors office said they are waiting until after Christmas to submit the info to the insurance. They said they will probably submit on or around 12/27/2013, I will let everyone know how long it took to get a response from the insurance. I am very nervous and excited. Thank you all for your responses.

My doctor will be submitting my case to my insurance on Friday 12/20/2013 right before the holidays. I am scheduled for Surgery on 01/14/2014 pending verification and approval through the insurance. My question is for those who have had blue cross blue shield basic and applied for approval during the holidays, how long did it take to get a response from the time you submitted your documents until you were approved or denied. Thanks for the feedback.

Thank you all for your feedback, guess I was freaking out cause I am at the end of the insurance journey. I went to my surgeons office yesterday and I actually lost two pounds from last month. Looks like my scale may be broken, no surprise there. Now the doctors office said they will probably submit to the insurance sometime at the end of next week and we will wait to hear. I am tentivly scheduled for surgery on 01/14/2014. I am super excited.

I have blue cross blue shield federal insurance and I am required to do a three month weight loss plan with a physician and a psychiatric evaluation. After I have completed all of this and the doctor submits the paperwork to the insurance for approval and the insurance approves it, how long can I wait after approval to schedule surgery without having to redo all of the requirements.

I was just wondering if there were any individuals out there who had seizure disorder prior to having the sleeve done. If so what kind of seizure disorder did you have and do feel like you have any side effects from the gastric sleeve that is negative torward your seizure disorder?

I am having my second to last appointment with my surgeon prior to surgery and I got to thinking, I wonder if there are questions I am not thinking to ask. I want to find out from those who have been sleeved already, if you could go back in time and ask a question to your surgeon prior to surgery what would you ask? Thanks for any advise.

Thank you for sharing. You look fantastic, and I am sure you feel even better than you look. Keep up the great work, you are definitely an inspiration for us newbies.

Thank you so much Muttlover those points are so right on topic. Last year I went to have a tubal and ended up with a severe abdominal infection that literally almost killed me. I was hospitalized for two months. This was not planned. My husband has a job that does not care if you are sick or even hospitalized, in Texas it is an at will employer state. They don't have to have a reason to fire you. I have a 3 year old that climbs on me all the time. With my office job we have to have a certain level of staff available everyday we are open because we work with the public. I am one of two required people to be available for all of November and December. Most of my office takes off during this time. I would hate to take two weeks off and someone else have to work. I have absolutely no family except what was my husbands. My mother in law who would help me when needed passed away about a year ago, so I am trying to plan for worst case scenario so my husband and children are not burdened and my coworkers are not burdened again. I really appreciate all of the comments. I am very ready for this surgery. I was actually going to try and do it last year but because of the seriouseness of my infection after my tubal the surgeon suggested I allow my body a whole year to wait, that's why I had to put it off. I am very committed to success from this tool. Luckily I do not have a deductible with my insurance plan, just a $150.00 surgeon copay and $150.00 hospital copay for each night I spend in the hospital up to 5 nights. I cant wait until I can have the surgery but since this is a elected surgery I am trying to be considerate and balance mine and my family and coworkers needs also since its the holidays.

My dilemma is I did not realize when I started the preliminary steps that it would put me at possibly being approved during the holidays. My senority where I work is at the bottom. If I choose to go ahead and have the surgery during the holidays then someone else in my office will have to forfeit their holiday plans and work for me. I also have small children in daycare and if I do it during the holidays they will be home during the day while their daycare centers are closed.(I would like them to be at daycare during the day so I can focus on recovery) I am trying to not impact any one else's holiday plans at work and schedule my surgery after the holidays if possible. I have blue cross blue shield federal Basic plan and I will not be loosing any benefits by waiting. I called the insurance and for blue cross blue shield basic they said the approval is good for 6 consecutive months after approval. Thank you so much for all of your feedback. This forum is so great.