QuilterGal

Doc reviewed my surgery packet and approved me for surgery! Now the marathon of a second round of appointments, all scheduled in a two-week period: upper gi, nut, xray for gall stones, and then insurance approval. Then pre-surgery review and final appt with doc. Coordinator has a hold on Monday, Aug. 10 for me for my surgery. Yahoooooo!

How long did it take everyone to get through approval process for surgery and actually have the surgery? I have completed all of my medical appointments to formally apply to the program. I should have the application packet to my doctor next week. My final class is the second Friday in June. Do you think it's too optimistic to hope that the remaining approvals will be completed and I can have this surgery by mid-August? After I am formally admitted to the program, I have a day of appointments at the surgery center: gastro, nutritionist. After that I meet with the doctor on a separate day. During this period, the program will be seeking approval from my insurance. After the approval is in, the surgery is scheduled.

A milestone for me in this journey -- all of my pre-op paperwork/tests are finally in and will be reviewed Tuesday (hopefully) by the doctor. If all goes well, the bariatric coordinator expects I will be able to do my post-doc approval followup tests Friday, June 12, and NUT possibly Monday, June 15. See doc for final consult on Monday, July 6. Looking out, she said I could have surgery Aug. 10 or Aug. 17! I don't think there will be an issue with my health insurance, at least I hope not. It's a fast schedule but I don't think she'd go over those dates if she didn't think it was doable. Yahooooo!

I have told one girlfriend that I am going to go through with this. Other than her and my husband, no one else knows I've made my decision, and only a handful of other people even know I'm considering it. My girlfriend is very athletic so she understands why I want to be healthy and the benefits of having a body that moves the way you like. She's also one of the most compassionate and caring people I've ever met. Her biggest concern is my psychological state after surgery and once I start losing weight. We've talked about my body image issues, and I've told her that I think there will be some unknown things that will come up as I start getting thinner (feeling vulnerable, no longer having my "fat suit" as protection). She thinks I should have a counselor lined up to talk to for the post-op phase, just in case. That was great advice.

This is how I feel sometimes. What if I'm the lone anomaly, the planet that doesn't circle the sun, the Earth that really is flat, and this doesn't work for me. But I try to shake it off because I know where it's coming from -- years of yoyo dieting.

I bought some skorts last year. Love 'em!

Commenting on weight changes in an employment setting often is considered sexual harassment. By and large, it happens to women (making sexual comments about their bodies) but not in all cases, as we can see. If there is no sexual nature to the comments, it's just plain old harassment, which also is illegal: http://www1.eeoc.gov//laws/practices/index.cfm?renderforprint=1 This was hit home to us in a recent HR training. The overall message was to not make any comments about anyone's body, period.

This is illegal. It's workplace sexual harassment. I'd go to HR if anyone at work said something like that to me.

Here are some GREAT Protein shakes: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/06/my-favorite-protein-shake-recipes.html

Last week I had a bought of the norovirus. If this happens after surgery, does your body react the same way? Do you throw up? Given that your stomach is now so small, would it pass more quickly into the intestines?

I understand that there are a lot of changes that come with bypass surgery, but one thing I've been wondering about is: does your GI system feel different? Now that everything has been rerouted, do you physically feel differently as the food is moving through your body? I know my body pretty well and how food moves through it. I just wonder if anyone was surprised by overall changes in their digestive system now that the stomach has been detached.

So I told my parents that I was planning to have this surgery. They know I've thought about it before. I made it clear to them that they were only the third and fourth people who know (besides husband and PCP), that I was not telling people because of all of the negativity and questioning that occurs, and that I was aware of the risks. Message: I'm telling you this, but it's not up for discussion. My father seemed to understand. Then last night on the phone, he asked if I'd ever tried Weight Watchers (oh, many times) and how much I exercise. I think my mother was in the background and shut down his questioning. It was so frustrating. She has struggled with her weight, and she knows well how many programs/efforts I've tried. My father has never really had weight issues so while he is trying to be supportive, I don't think he fundamentally understands the struggle. I guess I'll just avoid the topic with him. I know he's trying to be helpful, but it's insulting on some level.

Thank you all for this thread. I have not had surgery yet, but it's so easy to get scared off by some of the stories out there. It's good to hear from people who have had a great experience from surgery.

So inspiring! Congrats!

Hi all, My PCP did a pre-surgery blood panel and it shows I am deficient in B12 and Iron. She has me on supplements now. Does anyone know if this typically is a cause to reject surgery? I know that both of these issues can come up after surgery, but I haven't had surgery yet. QG

This is really interesting -- that some docs don't want us to drink regular coffee because of constipation concerns. If anything, I rely on my morning cup of regular coffee to get things moving, if you know what I mean.

At this point, I am not planning to tell hardly anyone. Only DH and my PCP know. That may change, but I'm just not interested in anyone else's opinion of WLS or what else I can do to lose weight and forego surgery.

Dr. Gould's program is a Bariatric Center of Excellence.

I have not had my surgery yet, but I am lactose intolerant. With milk, the most I can handle is skim milk. I usually take a Lactaid whenever I have dairy, though, and stay away from rich dairy such as ice cream. You also could try goat's milk. I have no issue with it. I found this link that might be helpful: http://www.woolwichdairy.com/innerpage.aspx?x=51MhbHavUoLiR5gWpVAMzMV5S%2BLeSUeoeOgQQMN8UHp7I7P1gnc1a%2B4fDPrZT0Sl

Can you take GasX to deal with this?

Congrats!

You're making a huge and highly illogical leap by equating wanting to be private about a personal medical decision to: Not owning your decision to have the surgery. Not being ready to have surgery. Being ashamed of having the surgery. YOU may feel completely comfortable telling the world about your surgery; others are not. That doesn't make them any less invested, dedicated, committed, or proud of what they are doing for themselves. And certainly you're not blaming someone who wants to keep something private for creating a hostile work environment, are you? People have all levels of comfort and discomfort regarding sharing private information. There are ways to discuss weight loss without revealing detailed medical information. We should respect everyone's comfort level, period.

What would happen if you needed to have surgery to remove a cancerous tumor? Would he ask you to schedule it when it is convenient for him? I doubt it. What if a family member died? Would he ask you to schedule the funeral when it is convenient? Probably not. This NECESSARY surgery qualifies under FMLA and you should let him know that you are limited in what you can do regarding scheduling. He needs to treat this surgery with the seriousness that it warrants and not as some elective plastic surgery that you can schedule on a whim.

You don't need to "own it" by telling people intimate details about your life. It's nobody's business and everyone has a right to not share private medical information. In addition, what her coworkers are doing is illegal, and her boss should tell them that.

I hate my body being the center of attention, good or bad. Years and years ago, I lost a lot of weight. I absolutely hated having men come on to me and check me out. It's almost as if my "fat" was my protective suit. I am having this surgery for health reasons, mostly, but certainly I will enjoy the lifestyle changes such as not having to worry if I will fit in a chair. But I really don't want to have in-depth conversations about it.