moltoguy

I had my surgery on Oct 27th with Doctor Moazzez I trust him and am doing well post op I did have a few issues with the hospital stay ( you don't automatically get a bariatric specialty team or room assigned to you) but overall a good experience

Yes I hadn't sleeve on Tuesday October 27th It went well although the pain post op on day one was more than I expected but improved allot on day two and with a switch on pain meds One thing, I was not assigned a private room for bariatric patients I was on the small side of a shared room with a non bariatric patient with no recliner and just s normal bed although I found it pretty comfortable My room was in the med-surf unit but I know they do have private rooms with a recliner and larger beds Maybe I just wasn't big enough but my wife wanted to stay with me but couldn't because there was no chair to sleep in Just some questions you may want to ask about care in post op

I just had my sleeve done at fair oaks on Tuesday October 27th I was in hospital 2 days as I had s couple of medical issues that needed to be monitored but home now and feeling much better on day 3 post op One note, I was suprised and somewhat disappointed that my room was in the med-surg unit and got the small side of a shared room No window, no recliner to sit in I was under the impression that I would be in a unit/room especially for bariatric patients Also although my nurses were good they were not bariatric specialist Just some questions you nU want to ask before your surgery date I know they do have private rooms with recliners and larger beds but I guess I wasn't big enough to get one That's s first!

Well I've hit a problem. After 4 1/2 months of prep work and 1 week from my July 14th surgery date my pre-op blood bloodwork came back with a spike in my BUN level. The surgeons office has me go retake the test and apparently it got even worse. My surgery is now on hold and I have to see a kidney doc and get an ultrasound. I was 8 days into my 14 day pre-op diet (bariatric advantage) and was feeling very low energy and weak. Looks like the very high protein diet has messed with my kidney function and my body is reacting Badly to the shakes. Now back on a LOW protein low cal diet until all new doc(s) get to check me out. Anyone run into this? A very depressing day.

Well everything is going well and I'm on schedule for surgery on Tuesday. I'm back down to my August weight when I went in for a bypass but could not proceed because of unexpected liver complications. So I should be 5-10 lbs below my prior low weight going into Tuesday. Even though my surgeon did not require me to be on the liquid diet for two weeks as before I went ahead and did it anyway, I wanted the weight I put back on since August gone before round 2. Been hitting the sugar free jello and Popsicles a bit to much but I know I'm on track because I can't wear my wedding ring now because it keeps sliding off my finger! I'll get it resized a few months post op I suppose. Would love to hear feedback from anyone who went with the sleeve instead of the bypass due to liver cirrhosis. Can anyone give me some insight on how to tell the difference between post op healing pain and pain that might indicate a problem? Best to everyone.

Hello I decided to have bariatric surgery back in late February this year. I completed all of my pre-op hurdles and was originally scheduled for a gastric bypass in mid July. That's when the fun began. I was about a week into my liquid pre-op diet and began feeling very week. Turns out my doctors had me on a bad combination of medications and when I started the protein liquid it sent me into renal failure. That sent me to the hospital for two days until my blood work stabilized. It was primarily the drug combo that caused the problem. The protein diet just kind of set things off. After that I had to get additional clearance from a neurologist and another ultrasound. Ok so everything fixed and my bypass was scheduled for mid August. So my surgery day arrives and I'm in the OR and they find liver chirosis due to fatty liver disease. We had not discussed switching to a sleeve so they did a liver biopsy and closed me up. Needless to say when I woke up in the recovery room and got the bad news I was devastated. So, after that I was referred to a very good liver specialist. After all tests turns out I had fatty liver disease which had turned into chirosis. I think it's known as NASH. The good news was it was early stage and my liver is functioning and no need to think about a transplant. So I met with my surgeon again and determined we should go with the sleeve. He explained that the liver situation made the bypass risky if my liver got worse down the road. So now I've gotten through all the pre-op tests for the third time and I am now scheduled for surgery on October 27th. Hopefully things will go as planned and this journey will finally happen. Best of luck to everyone!

Hello, I was scheduled for my Gastric Bypass on August 13th. Everything was on track and I made it into the OR for the surgery to begin. Next thing I know I'm in the recovery room and my surgeon tells me they could not proceed because of the condition of my liver. Apparently my fatty liver disease turned into Cirrhosis and my surgeon felt he could not proceed. He said that he would have proceeded with a gastric sleeve instead but we had not discussed that so he of course could not proceed. They did a biopsy on my liver and determined it was early stage cirrhosis and no cancer thank goodness. My hepatologist suggested a I get a second opinion on weather the bypass is still a viable option for me. I have a follow up with my current surgeon in two weeks and I am in the process of setting up an appointment at John Hopkins in Baltimore to get their take on things. I am still hopeful that we can move forward but what a roller coaster! 6 months of hard work prep, navigating through all the pre-op testing and getting all my post-op diet stuff organized to hit a wall on the OR table! Anyone out there with similar liver complications?

Congrats Paula, my surgery is this Thursday and I'm right there with you. My surgery was put off for a month due to a bad reaction to the pre-op diet with the meds I was on. Fortunately that all got straightened out and now I'm all systems go. I know I've done everything 100% on my end to prepare and comply with all the pre-op hoops we have to jump through. That and trust in my surgeon give me some confidence but I know the anxiousness you feel. Hang in there and I hope all goes well!

Hello! I began my pre-op diet today as well In my case it's for 2 weeks and I am on the 'Bariatric Advantage' product per my doc. It's the Protein powder shakes (I got chocolate, orange cream, and strawberry) and also the Protein Bars. I'm supposed to be on 4-5 shakes and 1-2 bars per day (plus all the crystal light I can drink). The bars look like something I might clean up after my cat (gross) but don't taste too bad. The shakes will take some getting used to, pretty chalky but not too bad. I'll have to see how I feel about it in a few days Hang in there!

Dear India928, Hang in there! You will have good days and bad. I am almost exactly where you are in the process. I've finished the 3 month gauntlet of pre-insurance tests and approvals and my doc sent the package to my insurance late last week. I've had excellent days and not so good ones too. At first I was on fire and really changed my diet and dropped 30 lbs. But last week I didn't lose any and felt some of my bad habits surfacing again. This week I'm getting back on the horse and am going to get back into a groove. I think it's hard to keep it up when were still hanging waiting to hear back on insurance. For me I think once I know it's approved and I get a surgery date I'll be very focused and will do better sticking to my diet. I've been trying to stick to protein and avoid carbs and have been drinking different protein drinks to get used to it being part of my life. Were human and have a lifetime of bad habits to overcome but just stick with it. I have some significant health issues that limit my ability to exercise so I understand how hard it is. I just try to do something, anything to keep it in a daily routine, even just lifting 5 lbs hand weights when I sit. Take care!

Hello MoBeans63, I think the three nutritionist appointments over a 90 day period is to document for insurance that I have a completed 3 months of a 'supervised' program. I've been in weight loss programs before but not for many years. The first appointment was a one on one and the next two were group. Basically just power point presentations for the group sessions. The group sessions were kind of weird, 11 patients jammed into a small office for a 30 minute presentation. Honestly in also may be just another "add-on $$$ requirement" but they won't submit until 6/8 which is 90 days from the first appointment.

I Hear Ya I am under Aetna as well. In my case my surgeons office will not submit it to Atena until June 8th, that is the 90 day date from my first nutritionist meeting/class although I completed all of my pre-op requirements (endoscopy, pysch eval, cardiac clearance, primary care clearance), a couple of weeks ago. I've also lost 30 lbs. since mid-march to get myself in the best position possible for surgery. T o be extra good I've been to their support group and also met with a recommended personal trainer. It's quite a gauntlet to navigate but I guess it makes sense to thin out the heard of those not fully committed to the lifestyle change. Right now is the hardest part because I'm just in limbo for 4-6 weeks before I know I'm approved and they schedule a date for me. I'm hoping for mid-late July but who knows... Best of luck!

Hello, I hear you. In my case I needed an endoscopy but not a full gastroscopy. I think it depends on your specific medical history which one they require. I agree going through all of these pre-op/pre-insurance tests are a real grind and are no guarantee. I have completed all of my pre-approval testing (endoscopy, Cardiac clearance, pysch eval, nutrition individual and group sessions) and since changing my diet in a major way I've dropped 25 lbs. Unfortunately my surgeons office will not submit it to insurance until a full 90 days since my first nutritionist appointment which means they won't be submitting it for approval until June 8th. Then if approved there will be another round of pre-op hoops to jump through I do think its a good thing to go through the process, I think it weeds out the candidates that aren't really prepared for the life change but it certainly is stressful! The expenses are also significant even if you have good insurance. In my case there are allot of charges for things not under insurance. I think I've had to pay about $700 out of pocket to get this far. Best of luck, the strong will survive!

Sounds like your doing great Margie. I also am just about wrapped up my 3 month pre op program. I just have one more group nutrition class on Monday and then they will submit for Insurance approval. Already had my Pysch test (an online version), an endoscopy, a cardiac clearance , my BMI history etc. So I'm hoping I'll have a surgery date by the end of the month. Then of course starts another round of pre-op appointments and tests before surgery. Carbs are also my biggest weakness. Beginning at the end of March I radically changed my diet (lots of green salad and chicken) and I've dropped 23 lbs. I was surprised that I don't miss the Pasta as much as I thought. My cardiologist recently put me on a med (Belviq) which really seems to help suppress my hunger. I also ordered some Protein drinks that allot of patients in the support group I attended were using - Premier Protein- not too bad. Good luck to you!

Hello, I'm a checklist person as well and well into my three month program with all of the fun pre op testing and other fun activities. Did your doctors office ask for a BMI history for you? In my case the insurance wanted my BMI history going back 2 years which I got from my primary care doc. I think the insurance company is looking for that rather than your current BMI. In my case I've just about finished all my pre-op test and changed my diet at the end of March so I can go into my next nutritionist appointment showing a good weight loss which is what they want to see before surgery to 'loosen things up' before surgery, so far I'm down 23 lbs. by eating smaller meals with heavy protein protein and more protein. Best of luck on your journey!

I am jumping through the same hoops. In my case I've already had a online pysch test ($200+) and had my endoscopy on 3/31. I was floored when I was told both tests would take 4-6 weeks to come back! I paid for the online pysch test through my surgeon's office and got a link to a third party to do the evaluation. The endoscopy was do next door to the bariatric surgeons office and I can't imagine why it takes 4-6 weeks on what was a pretty standard online survey for pysch. I've already got my cardiac clearance, ok from my primary care physician, and had my initial consult, behavioral consult, and had my first nutritionist appointment (2 more to go). At this point I can't say when all the planets will be aligned but I've lost 20 lbs since my initial consult so I'm ready to go! We'll see how it goes... Good luck!

Hi Lisa, I am in the pre-op qualification phase as well. I have sleep apnea that was diagnosed about 10 years ago. I've been using a CPAP ever since which has made a huge health difference! My surgeon just made note and told me I will need to bring my CPAP when I go in for surgery. I know what you mean about not being able to sleep away from home. I know at my sleep study center they have setup very nice rooms for the testing , nicer that a upscale hotel room! It doesn't sometimes feel like you get any sleep but you do once they put on the mask! In my case I had the most vivid dream I ever had! I think they called that REM rebound which happens when you haven't been getting into REM sleep. The biggest problem I have with the sleep study is all of the monitors and wires they have to attach to you! If you tend roll around in bed much it can be a real pain. Hope all goes well!

I am taking about 2 1/2 weeks off starting a few days before surgery to get all the 'logistical' stuff in place and then a full two weeks off afterwards. I am fortunate that I have a desk job and if necessary I can tele-commute if I'm not quite ready for the office. I've been with my company 17 years and they are very flexible when it comes to work/life balance.

Hello Amy, Alas I am still in the 3 month pre-op phase of getting all my tests through what is proving to be a somewhat confusing process. I had my endoscopy on 3/31 and did an 'online' pysch eval on 4/2. What floors me is I called IMG bariatrics and was told it will take 4-6 weeks for the pysch results! Seems like a very long wait that was a pretty straightforward online survey not to mention the $200+ fee! I am also still waiting on the endoscopy results. I will be calling the office on that next week. On the good side I got my cardiac clearance yesterday and I started making major diet changes at the beginning of April. So far I'm down 20 lbs. I figure I need to lose another 15-20 lbs. before my surgery date (whenever that is). I am anxious to get everything on the checklist completed and have my second apt with the nutritionist in about a week and the last one in early May. I was wondering if in your experience do they submit a 'package' to the insurance company for approval prior to scheduling? Do you know how long that process takes form when they send it to the insurance? I'll be attending a support group meeting on Monday so I hope I can get answers from my fellow patients then. Congratulations on the success of your surgery!

I'm just beginning the pre op process at inova fair oaks so far they've been. Dry professional and very busy! Going thru all the pre op hurdles

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