nursekimberly89

Thanks Jen. I will find out some more info in the weeks to come hopefully

Hi Kim, Congrats on passing boards. First thing, the process itself is pretty timely. Most insurance companies require 6 months of dietician visits at least. Then you have to have other necessary appts and get insurance approval. It may take several months before you can have surgery. Now- Getting the time off may be hard as well. Even several months down the line you will need to have worked at least 1 year or so to get fmla. Your manager may allow you to just take a leave - some doctors want you to take 4-6 weeks off but there are those that return a lot sooner. And if you take a leave, it may be unpaid and since you just started you may not have earned any time. It's crazy but worth it. Just wanted to let you know what you may encounter along the way. Good luck to ya! :-)

Hi fellow nurses! I'm 24 and I started out as a CNA when I was 19. At 21, I started nursing school, and became a LPN at 22. I worked in corrections for a year while I finished my BSN.I graduated in June `13 and passed nclex in August. I'm going to start a new position soon, and I'm still in the process of figuring out what surgeon to choose and things like that. I really really REALLY want to have this surgery this year, but I'm not sure how feasible it will be to take time off since I will be the new person on the unit. I know the other nurses with more seniority will have preference in getting vacation time, and I'm not sure how long to request time off. Ugh, so much to think about

I'm confused as to why she got so offended..Referring to yourself as "round" is a habit. Habits can prove difficult to break...if this potential client can't understand that you meant no ill harm, I don't know if I'd want to do business with her...just my 2 cents though And ditto to what McButterpants said lol.

I hear ya. I worked in a lock-down assisted living facility for two years and I could not imagine doing that type of lifting while pregnant or after gastric surgery. I am looking into using FMLA. It may be a good option to consider.

Long term care is so stressful on your back and knees. I know exactly what you are talking about. Even with another person (or two) to help you lift the resident, it is still strenuous. I definitely recommend you talk to your surgeon, but if it were me I would take off a couple of weeks. I know when I worked at one facility ( a really ritzy continuing care retirement center), a couple of the CNAs were pregnant and they got to sit down a LOT and were given the "easier" assignments. Maybe you could see if your facility could do something similar?

Wow congrats!!! And welcome

I hear ya. POSE sounds interesting but the thing that bothers me about it is that there isn't a lot of data out there.

Yeah, Howard's website said it was a revision, but I'm not sure if Dr. Umbach's facility performs is as such. Sorta confusing lol.

When my mom had lap band in 07, I think she took 3 weeks off. I was a CNA for 3 yrs prior to becoming a LPN and then RN so I know that it is a lot of hard (and THANKLESS!) work. From what I've been reading, doctors recommend that you refrain from heavy lifting for a while. I guess that will really depend on what kind of work you do? Do you work in long term care, home health or a hospital setting?

It is also being performed at Howard University Hospital in D.C. http://www.hubariatrics.com/content/b_stomaphyx.cfm

Sady, Dr. Thomas Umbach in Las Vegas is performing a procedure that sounds identical to POSE. It is called Stomaphyx http://www.blossombariatrics.com/stomaphyx/

It's hard but the reality is a lot of people will not understand because they feel obesity is simply a by-product of low will power. I am in your shoes too. I have never been at a normal weight for my height or age. I was an obese child, teenager, and now I'm an obese adult. I mean, I'm sure we've all had periods in our lives where we were successful with a diet or exercise regime..but it was temporary. I don't look at weight loss surgery as a quick fix or magic bullet. It's simply a tool in order to help people get to their goal.

I believe an answer I received from Medical Tourism co said he charged 11,000. Congrats on the surgery muffins! Best wishes in the new year :-)

The surgeon I'm looking into here in my area (DC metro region) had the procedure listed on his website. I'm hoping to attend a seminar tomorrow evening, so hopefully he will mention it. Like you mentioned though, it's still in trial stages and on his website he stated that insurance would not cover it. http://advweightlosssurgery.com/weight-loss-surgery/treatment-options/

Anew74, my sister in law got discouraged by her co workers too. While they may mean well, the decision is yours. Every surgery carries risks...for example, I just had a patient a few weeks ago develop major complications from a pretty routine operation that is performed on an outpatient basis. It may help to visit a seminar do you can hear first hand from the surgeon or their staff. They usually mention their personal statistics about their success rates.

It's sad that "friends" cannot support each other! You're right..it's hard sometimes but it's always best to cut the ties to certain friendships/relationships.

Wow I thought I was the only one with a "family gossip machine". I know it will eventually get around, but oh well... I really don't care what people I rarely see or talk to have to say about my decisions.

There's always eBay for the gently used items :-)

I share the same feelings as you. I'm 24, and I doubt I will get any support from my family. My brother seems to be supportive, but my mom is not. I didn't even mention it to my dad. If I do it here in the states, I guess I would have to mention it to him though because I'm still on his health insurance (I'm starting a new job in 2 weeks but their insurance sucks) anyways from what I've researched about Mexican programs (I'm doing research in case blue cross blue shield denies me!) some will allow you to make small payments. Think of it like a car note payment

Nice to meet you! Congrats on the surgery

One place I contacted (dr. Alvarez's office) mentioned that I could do a payment plan, but it all must be paid by the time of surgery.

Ditto. I just started reading this thread and I hope all is well with you. Happy holidays

I think the final straw for me is that for the past few weeks, I have been researching diet plans. It hit me like a ton of bricks- every new year I start a new diet, and I stay with it for at least 3-6 months, but I never had long term success. I haven't been below 200 lbs in almost 4 years. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm tired of circling the same "diet" mountain year after year. I'm only 24, and I've been wearing an 18 since I was 10 years old. I want to get out and live life, instead of watching it pass me by..

Congrats how exciting! When my mom had lap band, I think her surgeon suggested she drink Atkins or Unjury shakes because they are high in protein.