Engteacher

I'm so sorry that your surgery has been postponed. I know you've had this date circled on your calendar for weeks, now. Just trust that delayed isn't the same as cancelled and this curve ball that Mother Nature has thrown is just the last event in the saga that leads you back to good health and a new life. Patience. Peace. Hope. Faith.

Not sure yet. I'm leaning toward the sleeve, but haven't met with my surgeon yet. When I talked with Preferred One, they said they covered both. Clearly, you've been twisting in the wind while they made the determination. I'm so glad the the wait was all worth it in the end.

I'm so happy for you! I've been watching your story for a few weeks, because I have Preferred One like you do and I'm from MN as well. Be sure to let us know when you set your date. I'm aiming for early June.

I am aiming for the second week of June.

I heard a news story on NPR this morning that I thought I would pass along. Here's the link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/01/19/377731653/when-bariatric-surgerys-benefits-wane-this-procedure-can-help It's about a new procedure that can help when the body has adjusted to weight loss surgery and patients start to gain the weight back.

I would love a Roseville meet-up. Either day works for me. I haven't been able to make a meeting yet, but look forward to putting faces to names. I'm looking at a June surgery, so I'll look to you for advice and guidance.

My guess is that this procedure tightens the pouch on a RNY, since the patient is 10 years post surgery. Has VSG been around that long?

Awesome! Well done!

I'm a teacher and am planning on getting sleeved the first week of summer. That way I have plenty of time to learn how to eat and exercise without the added strain of 15 minute lunch breaks, limited access to the bathroom, writing lesson plans, and grading. As I picture my recuperation from surgery, I can't imagine such a life changing event during the school year. I have plenty of sick days, because I've never had to tap into them before, so that's not an issue. Bottom line is I don't want to leave my students for two weeks and I definitely don't want to write sub plans for two weeks. That's my plan and my reasons. We're half way through the school year, so we'll see how this all plays out.

Hi, all - I'm at the midpoint of my pre-op adventure. I've attended the informational session, met with the dietician and psychologist, am scheduled for my sleep test...but have not been approved by my insurance company yet. From my discussions with them, it shouldn't be a big step to get approved as long as I'm over 40 BMI. I'm right on the bubble at 5'5 and 239 lbs. All I want to say is this. For years I've lain awake at night planning how tomorrow will be different. I'll hold back on my eating. I'll walk the stairs for 45 minutes. I'll be a good little dieter. I'll loose weight and keep it off this time. Nothing worked. I felt stuck. Trapped in my own fat body. When I finally discovered that my insurance would cover bariatric surgery after years of specifically excluding it, I was elated. Now, I look at myself in the mirror and say, "By next year, if I follow the rules and do my part, I will look very different." I'm hopeful, excited, and maybe a bit obsessed with the idea that I've been thrown a life raft, if I can only climb aboard. I'm following your stories with great interest and attention. With a bit of luck and a lot of hard work, I hope to add mine to yours so that others may learn from the paths we have taken. All the best to you and you press on. Fight the good fight...

How long ago was your ablation? I had one a few years back only to require a hysterectomy about a year later. In the healing, my uterine lining sort of, I don't know how to describe it, folded onto itself and healed badly. I suffered for a good six months before I realized I needed to go back and see exactly what was going on. I had an ultrasound where they found the problem and was all better in a few weeks time. Hope you feel better soon.

Thirty years ago, I smoked a pack or more per day. And yet, I haven't had a cigarette for more than 29 years. I can't say I've quit, although I tell the doctor that. I just refuse my next cigarette. I choose not to smoke today and I will not buy another pack. Even talking about it now makes me want one. I can feel my body reacting to just the thought of lighting up. After decades without one, the desire is still there. I will always crave a cig when I think about it or when I smell the smoke on another person's clothes. I'm addicted, but I refuse to give in to the cravings. You just have to start refusing that next cigarette until the days turn in to weeks and years. Start today. Start now.

Thank you for sharing your experiences. While it's impossible to know how I'll feel post surgery, it's good to hear that others have managed to find a balance in the midst of such a big change. It's funny that I am more preoccupied with the social aspects of preparing the food than the social aspect of consuming the food. I might have to explore this with the psychologist as I define myself, in part, as a darn good cook. I have two visits pre-surgery, so it might be worth talking about with him/her. Seriously, if you were having a pot-luck, I'd be one you would want to invite. "Just sayin'," as my daughter always says. main dishes, salads, Desserts...i can put on a heck of a spread. Well, we won't know till we get there, right? Chin up. March on.

I had a reduction several years back. You need to be very careful with your seat belt and being jostled in a crowd. You won't be allowed to drive if you are still on pain med. I was using ice packs for pain for about a week after surgery. If you take a nap so you get plenty of rest, you should be able to manage. It's not a fist pumping, head bobbing, mash-pit included metal concert, after all. Right?

My first appointment is in 18 days and I'm obsessing. Maybe you can give me some comfort or assurance. I am 5'5" and weigh between 230 and 237. I have sore knees and back, which is a problem because I teach and am on my feet all day. All my other comorbitities are zero except osteoarthritis and perhaps sleep apnea. My husband tells me I snore a lot, which, no doubt, will be checked out as I go along this process. The heaviest I have weighed in the doctor's office is 239 from April 2014 and it's on my PCP's charts, which my bariatric clinic has access to. My big fear is that I'll go in and they will weigh me at 232 and say, "Sorry, but you're not heavy enough." I should also tell you that before my PCP would refer me to the bariatric clinic, she wanted to have me try losing weight on my own with phentermine. I did lose 10 lbs (from 235 to 225, but now I'm creaping up again). I quit that because it made me want to crawl out of my own skin. Yikes. Do you think the clinic will take my weight from April? Will they work with me if I'm right on the bubble? If they turn me away for a year, my fear is that my insurance will switch at work I'll will be out of luck. This is the first contract that doesn't specifically exclude bariatric services, so I'm anxious to make this work.

I have Preferred One insurance and it seems they are very easy to work with. No waiting period, no long histories, just the requirements that my surgeon has in all the info I've read. My only comorbidity is arthritis, but we will be checking out the sleep apnea. My brother is using a CPAP, so my guess (hope?) is that I have the condition, too. I have been in the BMI range of 36-40 since 2007 and have "obesity" as a concern on my PCP chart since 2008. I was prescribed phentermine in 1999 and was able to keep weight off for a few years, but that was only a temporary condition. Anyway, all this shows the diet/weight history and the trajectory I'm on. Assuming I qualify, I wouldn't want to have the surgery until June so that I don't interrupt the school year. My first appointment is with with the dietician, so we'll see how that goes. If I have to, I'll work really hard over the holidays and see if I can pack a few more pounds on to my frame. NO, I did not just say that.

Otherwise I discovered couscous works amazing! It's soft and goes down very easily. Cottage cheese is also working pretty good. I have been drinking bean soup and eating hummus and bean chips. I also discovered pistachios they are softer and do well. Couscous is a form of Pasta, so it would be made with wheat and not have much besides carbs for calories. It can be combined with lots of good stuff, but the couscous itself is basically a tiny noodle.

Well, here it is...my first post. Somehow things got suddenly real. I submitted all my forms last month and finally got the call from the bariatric center today. They would like me to book my first appointment with the nutritionist. Expect it to take a good hour, they said. So, I'm scheduled in a few weeks. What can I expect? What was your first nutritionist visit like?