Jaimianna79

That's Interesting. I wonder if it has anything to do with the placement. It could also be totally unrelated. Cubital tunnel syndrome puts pressure on the ulnar nerve at the elbow and will also cause numbness in the pinky and ring fingers. When it is those two fingers in particular, it's usually the ulnar. I have problems with that when my arms are bent at the elbow for extended periods of time.

That's the ulnar nerve...where did they put your IV?

If you are a high enough BMI, Cigna isn't going to deny the surgery if you can lose a few lbs on the supervised diet. But if you drop to a weight that is low enough for them to not consider the surgery medically necessary, they can. And if you gain any weight, they can. The goal of the insurance company is to get away with spending less. Many of them make things more difficult to increase the chances of being able to deny a person while saying, "it's not that we don't cover this, but you didn't follow our rules." They know full well that people who seek out this surgery have difficulty controlling their intake. 3 months is a long time and some people seek the surgery precisely because they can't stop gaining. Many who would obtain the needed control through the surgery are denied because they can't stick to 3 months of a supervised diet. It happens. I would love to think that these rules are to make people "better prepared for what is to come," but let's be honest...insurance companies are all about the money. While it actually saves them money to make it simple for people to become healthier by approving surgery, this concept is still lost on many of the companies who have these requirements. Some are as long as 6 months.

The steroids can inhibit healing by suppressing the immune system making you more prone to leaks, yes. The ER dr put me on the pred and then my surgeon took me off. The NSAIDS my surgeon said I should really never take...which sucks because ibuprofen is one of the few things which actually works for menstrual cramps for me

I'm like 6 weeks away from being able to eat solids, but am already planning healthy snacks because I know I will be wanting to graze! Roasted chick peas with sea salt are a great snack if you like something with salt and crunch. And they have a decent amount of protein. They are dense and will definitely fill you up quickly while satisfying the snack monster!

I'm 10 days PO and down 14...also feel like it should be more. I think it's really in our minds and we're doing well! Lol

For Cigna, I know that if you show you can lose weight on your own with the diet plan, they may reject you. If you gain weight, they may also reject you. One of my coworkers had Cigna back when she got her band. She literally had to try not to lose weight on the supervised diet, yet maintain her current weight. If you show significant loss, they can also use that to justify that you don't need the extra assistance of the procedure. Some insurance plans do not require this supervised diet (this is not to be confused with pre-op diet), and in those cases, the weight at consult is used for approval. More difficult insurance companies (Cigna being one of them) will have you re-weighed after the supervised diet and then decide whether or not to approve you.

The only thing is that they don't necessarily want to be giving prednisone post-op due to the chance that infection may be a possibility. Since I had a chest ct, they felt better about giving it to me. Edit: my surgeon doesn't want me on the pred because he doesn't want to decrease the speed of healing on my sleeve - I sure hope that the pain doesn't return when I stop.

My shoulder pain ended up being an inflamed nerve from the hiatal hernia repair they did while in there. Everyone said it was probably gas but it wasn't. The pain got worse and worse every time I inhaled throughout the following week and I ended up in the Hospital this past Tuesday for a ton of tests (contrast CT, ultrasound) but all came up clear. Finally, they gave me some prednisone. Like magic, the inflammation was gone and hasn't been back since! This was pain that even morphine couldn't kill and after my first dose of steroid, I had my first pain free night of sleeping! If you've had a hiatal hernia repair and have a pain in the left shoulder and left upper chest, it can very well be that nerve. Who knew. Luckily, I had very little gas issues. I was expecting it to be horrific!

I feel your pain. I've been hungry since 2 days post op! I can't wait until I'm on purees. Hopefully tomorrow. I'm SO hungry. All I do is think about eating real food. It's torture. I feel like I could eat anything right now. I don't really feel restriction with fluids. Granted, I haven't exceeded 4 ounces in one hour. However, I can easily take in those four ounces in about 10 minutes with zero discomfort. And to be honest, I still crave food even after drinking 4 ounces of liquid or having 4 ounces of gelatin. It's not like I feel full. I hope this changes when I'm off the liquids only!!

I'm 6 days post op. The pain in my left shoulder/upper left chest area still isn't gone. It's worse in the morning and my positioning can trigger it or worsen it. I feel it upon inspiration, especially of a deep breath. It is not always gas that simply needs to dissipate either, so don't be alarmed if it doesn't go away after a few days as it does for many who have the discomfort due to gas. My surgeon told me that stimulation of the diaphragm can inflame the nerve and this can take a while to heal. This happens most frequently when a hiatal hernia is repaired. I had a very small hernia repaired during the surgery.

I'm 3 days post op and have had a lot of trouble getting in protein without getting disgusted. Drinking little cups of thick shake...ugh. I bought Syntrax Nectar protein in fuzzy navel flavor. It's good, but still grosses me out to drink it. I put it in an ice pop maker and froze it...omg so good! This is a much better option than sugar free ice pops as it serves as a protein source. They actually taste better than sugar free ice pops as well. The Syntrax totally replaces the need for shakes. I seriously would be in trouble if not for making these ice pops!

I'm not getting in anywhere near 64 oz either. I'm lucky if I'm getting in even half of that.

You can buy ketone strips at any drug store pharmacy. Just ask for them at the counter (urine-ketone test strips)...you are definitely losing, I promise. I had 8 lbs of fluids and swelling post op. 4 days out and I'm just starting to urinate more frequently. The first week is nearly impossible to tell by using the scale!

I use 8 ounces of water for one scoop and that makes 4 small (my ice pop makers are 2 oz each) ice pops. I probably could add even more because it doesn't have that protein texture and flavor when it's frozen. It really just tastes like an ice pop!

It's not that I feel like I need food and can't go on without eating it...I have no choice there. I also have plenty of things to do to occupy my time. But I just want to chew something tangible. The thought of the liquids is nauseating Sort of just venting about that. It's frustrating. I don't do well on all liquids

I'm 3 days post-op and I'm SO hungry. I keep dreaming about chewing on some pizza or chips...even when my stomach is full with liquids, I still crave food. I strained the noodles out of chicken noodle soup so I could drink the broth today...the noodles looked so delicious. Why am I so hungry for food???? I know that when I do upgrade to purée and the solids, I'll be able to eat only a small amount. And that's fine. But I'm going crazy right now not being able to just bite and chew something

Yes, it is! Mine was in the upper left chest through the back. Sharp pains when inhaling. My surgeon told me that there is a nerve that runs through that exact area that becomes irritated during the hiatal hernia repair. I'm 3 days post op and I still feel the pain if I take a deep breath, but it's a LOT better. It's definitely a normal thing!

Also, a good way to actually visualize fat metabolization is to use ketone urine strips. After this surgery, there is no way to avoid making large amounts of ketones as your body metabolizes fat (this is not dangerous or bad for you - ketosis always happens when fat is broken down through any diet. DKA in type 1 diabetics is a totally different story.) urinate on a strip daily and if it changes from pink to purple, then you know your body is breaking down fat. I used to use these constantly when I lost weight on a very low calorie diet. They helped me to know that I was burning fat that day even if the scale didn't magically decrease overnight!

Do not worry. You have lost fat as it is scientifically impossible not to at that calorie level. Your body currently has no choice but to take from itself for energy. The post-op weight is due to two things...initially, it is from all of the fluids they give. They overhydrate us after the surgery, knowing that we will be unlikely to get in 64oz daily. Second, there is a lot of swelling and fluid in the abdomen from the incisions. That takes a while to absorb back into the body to be later excreted. After barely eating at all, I was 8 lbs higher the day I was released from the hospital than the night before surgery. Your body is burning fat right this moment. You just can't see the changes on the scale because of the fluid. Do not worry!

So I'm scheduled for my sleeve on Monday. However, during my scope for gastro clearance, they discovered that I have a very early stage of Barrett's at the junction between my stomach and esophagus. So...he gave me a choice of whether I want to have a full bypass, which will preserve my stomach in case I need it in the future and will resolve any issues with acid. He said he can still do the sleeve, but there are no long term studies yet on what the impact is with Barrett's. I don't know what to do. Sigh. Is there anyone here who hasn't had major acid reflux issues after the sleeve? Or anyone who had issues improve with time?

If you were going to have a "terrible complication" it likely would have already happened. The main issues you need to worry about in these very early days, once you're through the actual surgery, are blood clots and dehydration. Walk as much as possible and drink as much as possible (you might still be on IVs if you are in the hospital still?). Marching in place made drinking easier for me. Yeah, I was on IV fluids for 3 days. And because I wasn't urinating enough (I tried to explain to them that even normally, I have excellent bladder capacity and can go prolonged periods without having to urinate - I've been that way since childhood), they kept bolusing me with fluids. I actually swelled up...and I felt shaky and disoriented. It wasn't the best time. I feel better now that I'm at home and I'm not being overloaded with fluids!

You are so not alone! The funny thing is that I always hated before and after pics before I knew the surgery was a reality for me. They always made me feel like such a failure. It was like a tease. Once I was scheduled for surgery, I spent hours marveling at before and after pics! Now I'm 3 days post-op. I still can't imagine becoming thin. It's so strange. I can't wait! I know how excited you are for the surgery - that was me all last week! I was counting the days!

Thank you...had a bad moment earlier. Woke up feeling shaky and strange, started crying. Feet randomly swelled up, pain in the shoulder still hasn't gone away. They gave me some pain medication which also calmed me down. I'm just so scared that I'm going to have some terrible complication.

Thank you so much, everyone! Glad that it's normal! They've been giving me IV fluids, but it does nothing for dry mouth! I had my fluoroscope this morning and it was fine, no leaks. But still they haven't put through the liquid orders. But it's ok...I have the mouth sponges and now I'm swallowing bits of the water. It's heavenly!!!