mrsbailey921

oh, and yes...the dry mouth! i had a very dry, sore mouth too when i woke up! don't know why? i do know when i had my endoscopy i was in a lot of mouth pain for about 3 days afterwards. the tools they used for the procedure left my mouth dry, and cut up! ugh.

hi! i have not had my surgery yet, but the feelings of up and down are completely normal--i too am going through them. i have been on this journey for 10 months and am finally almost to the end of it! i have been wondering about anesthesia and the surgery, which is interesting for me because i am no stranger to surgery OR anesthesia lol. i had my gallbladder removed...and my surgeon explained that the sleeve surgery is very similar, except instead of going to the left to remove the gallbladder, he'll be going to the right to remove a portion of the stomach. he has said that the discomfort and healing process will be very similar. with my gallbladder, i will admit...the first three days i was VERY sore and needed help for everything. i couldn't bend and had to walk very gingerly everywhere. i remember the bumpy ride home from the hospital and each bump had me in agony! after three days though i began to feel ALOT better and while i had to take things slowly...i could move around easier. i also was very gassy post surgery. the same gasses they use in the gallbladder surgery is what they will use for my sleeve. so you will probably be gassy afterwords...let it out! i had to follow a liquid only diet too for a few days after my gallbladder surgery because my gallbladder was so diseased it put my entire digestive system under complete duress! so i had to have NO food at all for 4 days...just lots of fluids! not even broth! i was trying to heal and honestly don't remember being that hungry. after about a week i was able to go to mushy foods. it took me about a month to really get back to a regular diet...but even then i was having "phantom" pains from my gallbladder (i still felt the pains i had before the removal). i struggled with that for about a year after the surgery...then they went away. as far as the pain goes--i went home with pain meds that helped a lot. ill be sure to get more for my sleeve! the surgery itself is crazy because one minute they're telling you to just relax...and the next thing you know...you're waking up looking at the ceiling! it seems almost instantaneous...you go in....and them bam...you're coming out! i remember with my surgery thinking how cute one of the members of the dr. staff treating me was. he was a red head with a very serious demeanor. and he was the one who was teling me to relax as they administered meds. the last thought i had was confirming his cuteness and agreeing that i would cooperate for the surgeons. next thing you know...i was up and wondering where everyone was! LOL. i couldn't remember ever going to sleep...and when i woke up i was confused and looking for mr cutie! LOL. i even turned my head and asked myself, "where did he go to administer my meds?!" it was like my brain was continuing the same thoughts i had BEFORE surgery AFTER i woke up! very odd! so needless to say...although the surgery takes about 45 minutes to an hour or so...your brain will probably not even recognize going through surgery! the startling thing for me was looking at the clock---over three hours had passed and it seemed like MINUTES! i went through a brief jet lag over that. take it very easy and within a week you should feel much better. remember to follow the dietary instructions EXACTLY and get lots of rest and you'll do well!

lol, congratulations! seems as if everyone has been sleeved except for me! I am still trudging along...a ton of unexpected diagnoses and occurrences popped up...and i am FINALLY done with EVERYTHING. now i just have to have my file put together officially and sent off for pre approval. LOL. still waiting. hopefully i will be done by December.

I was given a brand new ninja (no warranty) from a blessing of a woman to help me out on my surgery journey. I am hearing great things about both the ninja AND the nutribullet. I don't think you can go wrong with it...most people in my weight loss group have one or the other.

for myself, due to a few unforseen new medical diagnoses, my journey will be appx. 8 months. i had/have to have the following: 5 nutritional counseling visits, spaced 2 weeks apart for each visit pulmonary (lung) clearance with a sleep apnea test psych evaluation gastroenterologist (stomach) clearance with an endoscopy (pictures of the stomach with a camera down the throat) cardiologist (heart) clearance...this is what my holdup is. because of an arrythmia, my cardiologist has been ordering a ton of other tests, many of which have NOT been approved by my insurance. they include a nuclear stress test, echocardiogram, and ekg.but this saturday, after 3 months of testing, waiting for clearance and going back and forth--i will finally be cleared for my endoscopy above (due to the anesthesia) and prayerfully, with good results from my other tests, for the surgery. i have to watch a video on the surgery and sign off on it (35.00 fee included) my insurance does NOT require pre surgery weight loss unless my surgeon requests it--just intensive nutritional counseling. my surgeon has not required me to lose any weight so far before surgery--only to do a liquid diet to prep my body beforehand. right now i am done my nutritional counseling, pulmonary has been cleared pending my sleep apnea test which i purposely put off until very last due to me being a full time breastfeeding mom. again, altogether, my journey is taking appx 8 months...which im not complaining about. i had to prepare myself mentally and otherwise, and it took more than the typical 3 months.

i would recommend you start trying them now. you dont want to wait until your surgery date is upon you only to realize that you dont have a Protein drink that you like! in my support group we are trying different protein shakes. i realized very quickly that i am allergic to some of the ingredients in a few of them! so imagine my relief to find out NOW and not after surgery and purchasing a crapload of a particular drink! it doesnt hurt to start now...the more you can square away before surgery, the better. right now Isopure is at the top of my list...but i have others to try. i will try to order the sample packets...where can i get more forum information on that from??

the bariatric program im going through recommends Centrum Complete, Centrum Silver for more common, available everywhere Vitamins, and to supplement them with B12 (ONLY the kind that goes under the tongue to dissolve) and Calcium. this recommendation is for people who dont want to order vitamins online. when i get my paperwork ill list the other suggestions.

i will be having my endoscopy within the next 3 weeks and i feel the same way. EVERY single specialist ive been to has found something wrong with my healthwise. pulmonologist diagnosed me as asthmatic, my endocrinologist finally diagnosed me as having subclinical hypothyroidism, my PCP mentioned that my triglycerides are off the charts high, and my cardiologist found that i have prehypertension and rediscovered my cardiac arrythmia!!! ALL of these within the last 5 months ive been on my bariatric journey! so needless to say...im not afraid...but i certainly am holding my breath and praying that AT LEAST my gastroenterologist doesnt have anything crazy to report! you're definitely not alone!

i too say HANG IN THERE!!! you lost one of the people you loved the most--this time is extremely difficult. do NOT give up on yourself. please continue to look for the mental health help that you need...until you get yourself together mentally you are going to struggle physically. there are other excellent suggestions here as well--but please continue to look for professional mental health help.

hey, no everything is 100% covered for me through Horizon NJ Health!

yes i think it is important to have lifetime support groups. i am going through CarePoint Health in northern nj and yes, there are free lifetime support groups. so i am happy.

we were just discussing this at my nutritionist meeting tonight. HNJH is one of the fastest approval insurances ive seen thus far (i think all HORIZON insurances are). so long as everything is done to the letter, i truly think you'll have your approval letter within 14 days. my insurance specialist said the longest shes ever waited for an approval from HNJH is 11 business days...and that to her was "long". she said the average is 7 business days in her experience.

hey all, just an update...HNJH does cover mental health care as part of a bariatrics program...i was able to land an appointment for july 15th (which puts me off of surgery by another month but its ok since im saving more than 100.00 since insurance is paying for it for me)...with a psychologist within my hospital's network.

thanks for the information, but i do believe the benefits still outweigh the risks. GERD is cancer causing if left untreated (i mean i would expect that since GERD literally destroys the esophageal lining...but i would not expect those who take good care of themselves and any GERD if it arises to get cancer. im very sorry that youre going through this OP, i pray your health improves.

hi! i have Horizon NJ Health and was told i had to have a BMI of 40 or higher without any comorbidities to qualify for surgery...i believe a BMI of 30 is with co morbidities...but just be sure to ask. if push comes to shove...at BMI of 38 (they round up) you are only about 15 pounds away from qualification... i am 5'4 and i had to be 238 pounds to qualify...and i actually had to gain the last 8 pounds (i went off my fad diet and gained the weight right back). good luck!

hey all! love the thread and another jersey girl here! im waiting to be sleeved hopefully at the end of july/beginning of august if all goes well...love all of the great comments so far!

i also went back and read everyones updates...i think it's so interesting the way the insurance works. i had my 3rd nutritionist appointment last week and overheard her saying to another patient (we were in group meeting) that because she had HNJH, she had to have 5 visits...then they went on and scheduled her next one. my nutritionist even made an announcement to all horizon patients concerning our nutritionist!!! i think that's crazy other people only have to have 1 visit and we have to have 5. again, im not complaining because the visits are excellent and really do put into perspective how we will be eating for the rest of our lives...they are GREAT preparation for surgery. but it's just so odd that the requirements vary so much by location.

hey everyone...i am stumped. who did you see for your psych evaluation? at this point i am thinking i will have to pay out of pocket for an evaluation and clearance from a psychologist because i cant find one in my area (hudson county nj) that HNJH approves! other than my psych, i have all of my other specialists in place. any suggestions, advice, experiences are welcome! thanks!

I am so praying this turns out to be me! Lol. Congratulations!

I too am on and off the roller coaster of doubt...it is very, very real. I say to myself maybe I can do this on my own...but yes, after 15 years of trying on my own, I need help. I have an awesome surgeon who doubles as a comedian and it helps. His staff is there for nee also...I'm thinking I may just need to utilize their offer to help during those difficult times by being there to reassure us. Right n now I feel a little anxious as I have to prepare for my sleep test...it is not easy. Then some days I'm so siked and excited I can hardly contain myself. Blogging truly helps me keep my emotions in check and continue at an even, stay pace on this journey. Here is to hoping we ALL have a safe and blessed journey with fantastic end results! We can do this!

Congratulations!

Honestly, I am most scarred of being away from my 8 month old baby girl for my overnight sleep test and for my overnight hospital stay. Those are by far my biggest anxieties. I am most looking forward to fitting neatly into my clothing.

Ok thanks for getting back to me on that one lol.

Either way...I am positive that each visit must be 2 weeks apart at least!

Ariellestarr, yes the visits have to be at least two weeks apart. Some are saying 3 visits only but I'm going through carepoint health for my surgery (they accept horizon nj health through all hospitals that participate) and my nutritionist is through my hospitals bariatric program and the requirement according to them is 5 visits, not 3. I'm doing way more than 5 visits so it's not a problem for me but it doesn't hurt just to double check...I do recall a few months ago my old nutritionist saying 3 visits with each visit being 2 weeks apart. That may be accurate. I am going through a hospital program so maybe that's why 2 extra visits are required...hmmm.