tiredmama

June 30th

Me too! I just got my insurance approval letter in the mail today. I am going to call my surgeon's office on Monday to see if I can get a surgery date now!

I am using Dr. Bonanni at Abington- I live in the surburbs so it is convenient for me and I have been very impressed with the whole staff.

I'm also nearing the end of the pre-op steps but not quite there yet. Still waiting on sleep study, insurance approval and surgery date!

Mine was today too! Easy peasy, though I am pretty tired still 7 hours later.

I have decided for sure that I want the sleeve but can't take off from work for 2 weeks until June. I am going tomorrow for my required hospital tests (chest x-ray, abdominal ultrasound, arterial blood gas and EKG), then need to get a bunch.of blood work done, then meeting with the nutritionist, psychiatrist and surgeon all in March!

So I was feeling all excited about finishing up my required pre-approval tests and labs and was surprised to get an email from my regular doc saying that the hospital send her a copy of my test results and my chest x-ray was abnormal and it looks like there is a nodule in my left lung. Trying not to freak out, but also thinking it's a little weird that the surgeon's office didn't notify me themselves since they ordered the x-ray in the first place. Did anyone else have something unexpected show up on pre-op tests? If so, did your surgeon notify you immediately or did they wait and discuss it with you at your consultation appointment. I just got the email today and my consultation is on Tuesday (2 business days from now), so maybe they figured it just made sense to wait? I have never smoked so I am hoping the nodule is nothing to be concerned about. Thanks!

Surgeon wasn't especially worried but is sending me for a CT scan and a pulmonary consult to be safe. CT scan is tomorrow, consult is mid-April.

The NUT told me she strongly prefers WLS patients get their protein from regular fooda and don't continue with the shakes once they are fully healed. I was surprised but she was very clear about her recommendation.

I am in the middle of my pre-op appointments- in the next month I have pulmonary consult, CT scan, sleep study, endoscopy. Surgery most likely to be June or July.

Surgeon wont operate until I have sleep study. Insurance won't authorize sleep study without pre-cert, which has to come from pulmonary doc, not surgeon. Seriously? So annoying to have to jump through so many hoops.

I also have a child with autism- he is 9. I love him dearly but it is a stressful life. I am hoping the surgery is the tool that enables me to be healthy for many years to come so I can be there for him.

Hi all! Psych visit was a breeze, nutrition was fine too. I liked the surgeon alot and he made me feel comfortable and confident in his skills. I was surprised that some of my tests showed issues I was unaware of- mild anemia, major vitamin d deficiency, b-12 deficiency, and gallstones. I also need to get a sleep study (to test for apnea) and see the lung doc and have a cat scan to see if the lung nodules seen on my chest x-ray are anything to be concerned about- surgeon definitely didn't seem worried but clearly values a thorough workup. Surgeon does want to remove my gallbladder during the sleeve surgery to prevent future problems.They scheduled my endoscopy for mid-April and said I seem on track for a June surgery (I am not available sooner anyway). Excited to be moving on to next stages!

Thanks for the supportive words! I meet with my surgeon tomorrow and I hoping to get more information then!

Hi folks! After waiting what feels like forever, I'm finally meeting with my surgeon, nutritionist and psychiatrist tomorrow! I am hoping approval will be smooth and I'll be able to get an early June date. I am curious to see if they will make me lose weight before the surgery- I kind of hope they do to help me to resist the urge to overeat while I'm waiting for surgery to cope with my anxiety.

I am struggling with this too- excited for surgery but finding myself wanting to indulge now. I meet with the NUT next week and I am hoping they can recommend a structure I can follow.

Finishing up my required tests and excited for my psych, nutrition and surgeon appointment in 3 weeks. Still hoping for a June surgery.

June will be here before you know it- don't let the delay get you down!

Try a squattypotty! They sell them on amazon.com and they are great for conspitation.

I first started considering it in Oct 2013. Working on my pre-op tests now and hoping for surgery in June 2014, which is the soonest I can take 2 weeks off from work.

I want to start incorporating more protein in my diet to ease the transition (I hope to.get sleeved in June)- would love to hear advice about which stores/websites have the lowest prices. I am vegetarian so shakes and powders would be especially helpful. Also, are there ways to sign up for free samples or coupons? Thanks!

The one good thing about years of yo-yo dieting is that I own clothes in every size from 14-22!

I have had pretty good luck with plus-size sport bras from amazon.com

Hi all! I am also struggling with the pre-sleeve overeating. I am trying to be gentle with myself and notice that deciding to be sleeved is stirring up a lot of strong emotions so turning to food for comfort is very natural for me. I know I will be better off in the long run if I start healthier habits now but there is also fear of change and of loss making it extra challenging for me. Best of luck to everyone and happy new year!

So glad to hear of these positive experiences with Abington- I have my intake appointment there coming up January 8th and are hoping to get sleeved this summer! Happy New Year to everyone!