vanessak8

That sucks!! Hope you feel better soon

Call and ask your physician or the nurse coordinator. I'm sure it's been asked before

Nurse for 17 years, currently in the NICU. I'm having surgery on the 14th if July. Three days into my 2 week liquid diet. It hasn't been so bad worked the first two days had lots of distractions. Currently also completing my BSN... Last night at class which is being held at my hospital everyone was eating... Usually only a few people bring dinner but literally everyone was eating. It was horrible. I did have a Protein Drink, but not the same. Just keep telling myself it's inly for two weeks

I start my liquid diet today.... I'm a nurse in a busy NICU and that's where I am today. I think it will keep me distracted from being hungry!!

I start my 14 day PREOP diet today!!!! Excited because surgery only 2 weeks away but now that it's here the reality of consuming liquids for the next 4 wks has hit me :/

Hi Weezy59, Totally understand the fear of complications. I have had them myself. My surgeon and primary care doctor have been extremely reassuring without being blasé about it. I am also healthy aside from my weight no HTN, Diabetes, OSA etc.. I'm almost 38 so I just keep telling myself that I am going into this in the best possible place for myself. I would love to take this journey with someone who is in a similar place as me. I'll be a week a head so that would be great.

I have my surgery date set: July 14th. My surgeon will request a full six weeks for FMLA... Told me if after 3 weeks I wanted to go back just let her know... There is absolutely no chance of that happening. My FMLA goes right into a planned vacation. I will be off work for 9 1/2 weeks. I am almost giddy about that. I haven't been off work for anything close to that long since I had my kids:). Nervous but very excited and after reading some of these posts I glad I will have quite awhile to adjust to all the changes I'm about to experience.

Not the same dr. I'm having surgery in a St. Louis. When I went to the seminar this physician gave I asked her about complications I think to the point of annoyance until she realized I was a nurse. Her actual surgical complications are low and the ones she has had were in patients older than me and with significant health problems. So realistically I know I have youth and health on my side but staring at a consent that says there is a 0.2 -3 % chance of death ( which I am pretty sure are national statistics) freaked me out. She has never had a patient die and even 3% is low but I would not want to die doing something elective. I need to also say that early in my nursing career I worked at the biggest and one of the most respected hospital in St. Louis and I worked in the ICU and we would get WLS patients from other smaller hospitals. These patients would be so sick and some did not make it because of their post surgical complications. I was much thinner then but still overweight. I would always think no matter I big I got I'd never have WLS.

I'm going to my regular MD for my medical clearance today and so the final step will be to see the surgeon for a surgery date... I'm hoping to do the surgery the second week in July... I'm also in school besides working full time in a NICU so a date then fits better into my schedule. I did get my consent form in the mail a few days ago. . . I must say its about 9 pages long and possibly the most thorough consent I've ever read and reading it scared the sh$& out of me. There is even a form for my husband to sign stating that he is aware of what the surgery is, possible risks and outcomes associated with WLS. I just got him on board with the idea of doing something so drastic (his words) as surgery. If that consent freaked me out I know it's going to send him over the third rail ....

I just completed all the preop stuff and they just sent my request for approval on Friday May 9. I was expecting to not know anything for a few weeks and the RN coordinator called me today and said that the insurance sent the approval letter. I just thought I would have more time to prepare myself and my family. I know--I find myself thinking about potential complications like leaks and infection. I was talking to our pediatric surgeon and he told me to take a bath the night before with chlorahexadine and another one right before the surgery, which I will be doing.I am even taking my own PDI wipes for the room. My husband thinks I am crazy to be so concerned about infection.

I live in Illinois. I know where Mattoon is , but I live closer to the Alton area.

My name is Vanessa. I have been a nurse for 17 years. I currently work in the Neonatal Intensive care Unit and have for a little over 10 years. I am from the St. Louis area and I just received my approval letter for the gastric sleeve procedure. I was excited by the possibilities when do the pre-surgery stuff and now I am nervous as all get out. Yikes!!!!

I'm not so sure failing at the supervised diet is the plan. My surgeon made me sign an agreement that I would lose on this diet to show that I was ready for the lifestyle changes necessary to be successful and any weight gain could potentially delay surgery.

Center of Excellence is a designation of excellence given by the Surgical Review Cooperation. It is to let consumers know that the hospital has met rigid standards of care for higher quality and of course your insurance would want you to have the procedure done at COE because they have less surgical complications like infection that would cost them more money. As a patient you should want to receive your surgery at a hospital that is recognized by this group and by the bariatric and metabolic surgery specialty it just makes good sense as a patient and a consumer. On that note, I too have just started this journey... I have completed all my prerequisites like the supervised diet, labs, sleep study and upper GI. I have lost 30 lbs by following the dieticians diet plan. I have however had lapses, but for the most part it has been good. I received the pre op diet from the dietician at my last visit on 5/7/2014. I am not looking forward to it all, but I look at it this way... Yes the surgery is permenant, but so has been the battle with my weight. I am 37 years old and I do not want to live my life being held hostage to a body that holds me back. I will be in contact with my Doctor's office about starting the approval process in the next week and as much as all liquid diet does not appeal to me I am excited to start the second part of this journey and change my life. Hello everyone, I am just beginning on this journey. I started my supervised diet last week. I'm not doing very well. Although I want this more than anything, I'm sabatoging myself. Ugh! I hate my head sometimes! Anyway, I have three months on this supervised diet. I need to get on track. I just don't know how right now. Any words of wisdom? I have not made a doctor's appointment yet but I will very soon. I am turning 65 next month and my insurance will change to a medicare advantage at that time. My current insurance won't cover anything that relates to weight loss. I attended a seminar at Wheaton Franciscan in Milwaukee and I am pretty sure I will go with them. They are a Center of Excellence. I'm thinking that means that they are one of the best, is that true? I just ordered the Bariatric Sleeve book and will read it from cover to cover. I think I am having trouble getting started because I am really scared of the permenance of the whole process. I'm afraid it won't work for me or I won't be able to handle it. I'm afraid I'll be a failure just like I have always been. I am 4' 10" tall and weigh 267 lbs. I have always felt like a failure in this area and have hated myself most of my life. I read this board every night and, even though many of you talk about problems and setbacks, you seem to keep going. I applaud that courage. I just don't know if I have that in me. Some days I feel ok and other days I am terrified and tell myself I can't do it. I'm sorry to ramble like this. I just feel so lost right now. I could use some honest feedback. Thanks