NikkiDoc

Early on I measured monthly. I have not measured in a few months. The exception to that is my calves. I ride horses and keep thinking I will buy new tall riding boots. Riding boots come as slim, regular, wide and sometime plus. Each manufacturer uses a different measurement for each category. I measure my calves periodically and then look at all the brands and their size charts. I haven't quite pulled the trigger yet. Mostly because I now actually have lots of choices when before there were only a few boots that would fit my fat calves.

I would at least file the receipts you have to the insurance as this will stop any timely filing limits. The insurance will most likely need the bill on special forms (UB04 for hospital and a CMS-1500 for the surgeon. These are not the forms that are sent/given to patients. Some insurance requires it to be filed electronically. However they will then pend the claim and ask for the correct forms from the providers. Many time the providers are more likely to respond better to the insurance company. The insurance company should pay you directly if you have submitted the proof of payment. The problem will be if the hospital charged $9,000 but the PPO allowed amount is only $7,000 then the hospital should be writing that amount off and refunding you. Getting that $2,000 may be difficult.

My insurance came back with an answer quickly. Submitted on a Tuesday and approved by Friday morning. I hope yours is as fast.

I made Salmon for a late family Thanksgiving dinner. It was not low carb but it was good. I mixed brown sugar, mustard and a splash of low sodium soy sauce. I used a country Dijon or you can use a whole grain mustard. I put the sauce on the top and broiled the salmon skin side down. Broiling it caramelized the the sugar. Yummy. Do not overcook.

Understand that Voltaren Gel can cause stomach ulcers even though it is not taken orally. "Voltaren Gel may cause an increased risk of serious and sometimes fatal stomach ulcers and bleeding. Elderly patients may be at greater risk. This may occur without warning signs." From: http://www.drugs.com/cdi/voltaren-gel.html In Canada Voltaren is OTC. (I won't tell you that I have had a few tubes shipped down through a Canadian pharmacy.) I actually use it on my horse's hocks. Voltaren is the same active ingredient as Surpass but MUCH cheaper. My surgeon allows me to use the low dose of Celebrex (100 mg). He prefers that I take it on an as needed basis not daily. It is an RX. OP- call your surgeon and see what he will allow you to take for NSAIDS- medication name, dose, how long, with/without probiotics/PPI etc.... In the meantime ICE is your friend. For the knee don't forget to ice the back of the knee. I have knee issues and the inclination is to ice the knee cap and above/below that but not the back. I recently came off my horse and re-injured my knee. I, of course, used a horse product for icing my knee on my drive to/from work. https://www.horseloverz.com/horse-health-care/horse-therapy/roma-ice-boot?gdftrk=gdfV27555_a_7c1161_a_7c2883_a_7c5_d_493661 I could only really ice the front that way but would then throw a small ice pack under the back of the knee. The Ice Boots were great as they strapped on and covered a big area. You may be able to get them at a local tack store. FYI the price at HorseLoverZ is particularly cheap so don't go into sticker shock elsewhere.

M-F I drink about 20 oz of Water on my drive into work. Then after I have been at work about an hour and a half I get 1 scrambled egg with spinach, tomatoes and feta cheese and 1 sausage link. I think I am going to eliminate the link. I had stopped having it for a while but my skin was getting really dry since I wasn't getting enough fat in during the day. Weekends I will pick at left overs, have a shake, make pork roll and and egg. I can't eat breakfast too soon after I get up or it just sits like a lead balloon. I also find I do better if I can get in a good portion of my daily water before breakfast.

I dumped an orthopedic surgeon's office due to poor staff response. It is not worth the frustration to deal with people who don't get back to you in a timely manner. I went to a bariatric program just over an hour away since I liked the surgeon and program. I recommend going to a couple of informational sessions, meet a few surgeons and then make your decision. While traveling a bit to get to the one you like can be inconvenient, finding the right program for YOU is the most important. Due to the distance I don't go to support meetings. But I am not support group kinda gal anyway. I much prefer a forum like Bariatric Pal. I can access it 24/7. If they can't be bothered to follow through with what they told you about setting up an appointment move on to the next one. While I understand many offices are busy this time of year all they need to do is tell me "Hey we are really busy right now. It may be a few days/week before I can get back to you. Or can you call us back in 2016 as we will be a lot less busy then and will have a better idea of our schedule then." Don't tell me you will call me and then not call me.

So I am on a few Facebook pages for VSG. One individual who is 3 months post VSG is having a lot of back pain so he takes a Tylenol in the AM. The Tylenol isn't doing anything so he asks about taking something like aspirin since he isn't sure if the surgeon meant no NSAIDs ever or just after surgery. The first reply he gets is go ahead take some ibuprofen, as long as you follow the directions you will be fine. Just don't take too many. Mind you this is a closed board for VSG members. How is it that you have the original person no knowing if his surgeon is no NSAIDs forever or no NSAIDs for x# of months/years after surgery. Then you have some tell go ahead and use a NSAID, you will be fine. Now the rest of the later posts he was told No NSAIDs ever. It amazed me how long it took somebody to say call your surgeon to see what you can take. Mine allows me to take 100 mg of Celebrex which is the low dose. COX2 inhibitors have a lower GI risk than most NSAIDs so he is okay with it on as as needed basis. Many surgeons do not allow Celebrex. Ask your surgeon folks. My surgeon has an "800" number that is staffed 24/7 by a bariatric nurse. They can get in touch with the bariatric surgeon on call if necessary. I would bet the NSAID question is one they deal with every day if not multiple times a day.

I own a horse so spend my weekends at the barn. If you like animals volunteer at a local shelter. The dogs always need to be walked. You could start horseback riding as an adult. There may be other volunteer opportunities at the library, nursing homes, food pantry, homeless shelters, local rec center. If you look around Facebook you may be able to find local clubs for hiking, biking, walking, rock-climbing, geocaching, bird watching, photography, kayaking. I see ads on Craigslist for work-out partners at particular local gyms. (m4f workout partner at Final Results in Anytown, CA). As long as you meet at the gym it should be safe. You can put an ad on CL for a same sex work-out partner at your gym. Ask the personal trainer at your gym they may know somebody. Our local school district has adult education classes- most are during the week at night but they have some trips and classes on Saturdays.

I am guessing you aren't using anything now and aren't getting pregnant due to PCOS? Losing weight can make your periods regular and you may become fertile. Best bet is to go to an OB/GYN and discuss your options. There are pros and cons for each. Condoms come as non-latex if you feel that latex allergy might be an issue. I would start there until you can get on something different. I can't take the Pill since it caused blood clots for me. Other people are fine on them. The pill is frequently a good option for PCOS patients as it can force your body into a set monthly rhythm. IUD may be a good option. I used to use the sponge but it was taken off the market. I have been told it is back on the market. If so, the sponge in connection with a condom is great protection.

No drain for my sleeve surgery. I had one for my ACL reconstruction.

Bonster21387 If you have not 100% picked a facility and doctor I would suggest you look at Barix Clinic in Langhorne. I used a surgeon that is no longer there but I really liked the facility and the nursing staff. They specialize in Bariatrics. Of the nurses that took care of me they all had about 11 years of bariatric nursing with the least experience being 10 years. They had all worked a Barix for a long time.

A Protein shake with a banana half at 3 weeks would have been a bit heavy and very sugar rich for me at 3 weeks. My stomach tolerated everything. Some people become lactose intolerant after surgery for a while. Maybe try Nectars which is lactose free and mixes with Water. You could also water it down more than they recommend to start. Make sure you are eating/drinking really slowly. It should take you 15-30 minutes. Take a sip, go do something, come back, take another sip. I would take a few laps around the house or yard between sips to get in my exercise too. Leaving the food between bites/sips means I can't mindless eat. Fish is normally pretty high in protein. I pureed chicken salad, tuna salad and egg salad with an immersion blender. I used Hellman's light mayo, some mustard in the egg salad. You could mix the chicken or tuna salad with a little lite mayo and/or yogurt. Maybe add a tiny bit of Protein powder to it. I know some people eat with a baby spoon early on to help avoid the habit of too big of a bite at a time. Yes, the 3 week stall is normal.

I have had the fatty liver issues off and on for 15 years prior to my sleeve surgery. My liver numbers were high when I was eating bad and heavy. Now that I am much thinner my liver numbers are back at the low end of normal. It would not surprise me if once you lose some more weight that your liver function tests normalize. I almost wonder if the fact that your gallbladder is working right is causing your liver to work harder to process the fats and is resulting in the fatty liver diagnosis. It may all be tied to your gallbladder. Getting rid of the excess weight will help the arthritis. I was taking Celebrex daily. I now take the low dose once or twice a week. Pre-surgery I was 20/22 I am now wearing size 12. My surgeon allows me to take the Celebrex but not all surgeons will.

In PA and I used to rarely wear jackets and never was cold. I am now cold all the time. I guess losing 90 pounds of insulation does that. I have an electric blanket that I love and take a nice warm shower before bed.

That looks great.

I don't believe in cleanses. How most people use the term cleanse it means to de-toxify. For the majority of the population your liver and kidneys do that job just fine. However semantics aside, I do believe that getting a reset on your habits isn't a bad thing. Start with re-reading your program's eating recommendations and go back to tracking everything. I know a few people that will do a '5 day pouch test'. Essentially it is going back to the full liquids portion stage for 5 days.

I know there are a few surgeons that recommend only 3 meals per day with no Snacks and no shakes. I have never understood that. I seems that most diet studies show that 3 meals and a 2 or 3 snacks per day is more effective than 3 meals. I am talking distinct meals and snacks not grazing. It seems like the only 3 meals per day is setting up a WL patient up for failure. My NUT recommends 5-6 small meal none to exceed 6 oz at a time.

I routinely drink 80 to 90 (2300-2600 ml) ounces a day including days I am not sweating a lot. You should be fine. Technically you can drink too much Water but we are talking gallons at a time. I would think so soon after surgery it would be hard for you to get in your Protein and too much water. I am almost 10 months out from my surgery. I was consistently drinking 64 oz (1900 ml) about 4 weeks after surgery. It took me that long to get to 64 oz since I had to change my habit of not drinking water, I had to figure out how to flavor my water so I would drink it and I had to figure out I drink more with a straw than without. (I know bad WLS patient to use the straw.) But the straws worked for me. I used to be a diet soda and iced tea drinker. I now use MIO water flavorings.

I used FMLA. I used 2 weeks. I could have gotten away with 1 week off since I have a desk job. But I work an hour from home so I was concerned I would start to feel crappy and then have to drive an hour to get home.

I was 1 week Clear liquids, 1 week full liquids, 1 week pureed, 1 week soft food then start on regular food. My surgeon allowed me to start on the soft stage a few days early since I was going to be traveling for business and wanted to try the newer soft foods at home. My sleeve has tolerated everything well but I am not sure I could have done ground beef and veggies day 3. I was really careful adding in veggies as I was afraid they would be harder to digest.

That sounds yummy

Diet Dr. Pepper was my go to drink. Hubby still drinks it or Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper so it is always around the house. I have had zero interest in trying it or any soda. I have had a few really small sips of beer if I eat a buffalo wing. But the sip is really small and I hold it in my mouth to cool the burn before I swallow so it is less carbonated when it goes down.

I roasted asparagus with EVOO, onion powder, white pepper, seasoned salt and garlic powder. Yummy. I like the seasoned salt or garlic salt rather than plain salt/sea salt.

Ask for a copy of the policy and have them point out the specific exclusion for WLS. Many policies have a hard and fast exclusion that weight loss surgery is flat out excluded. No amount of appeals will override that type of exclusion. However, I would want to see that Policy in black and white to read it for myself. Customer Service and HR at the employer make all kinds of errors.