gpmed

Are you asking a question?

Absolutely! I'm very OCD about cleaning, but it's just me to clean up after, so that runs out.............. Can you bottle some of that energy for me? I could sure use it for my house.

Good luck to you both!

PS Things went pretty smoothly with them. It probably helped I had this nut who knew what she was doing as well as the insurance coordinator for my surgeon who is awesome. Aetna approved my surgery two days after my paperwork was submitted.

Just posted this in another thread: Hi there! I have Aetna. I was required to do three months (90 days) of nutritional counseling with a nutritionist or go on a six-month physician-supervised diet. I went with the three months with a nut. Btw, I was required to do 90 days, from the first appointment to the last. I had to add an extra appointment to meet that requirement. I did not have to do any kind of supervised exercise. My other requirements were 1. records of my weight a year ago and two years ago 2. psych eval. Hope this helps! To clarify, I went to a nut who was well-versed in my insurance requirements. She took care of everything. She was recommended to me by my surgeon. He sends many patients her way, so that's why she's in the know.

Hi there! I have Aetna. I was required to do three months (90 days) of nutritional counseling with a nutritionist or go on a six-month physician-supervised diet. I went with the three months with a nut. Btw, I was required to do 90 days, from the first appointment to the last. I had to add an extra appointment to meet that requirement. I did not have to do any kind of supervised exercise. My other requirements were 1. records of my weight a year ago and two years ago 2. psych eval. Hope this helps!

@@luvhermitcrabs I definitely understand your thinking. I didn't make my final decision to have the bypass instead of the sleeve until a week ago when I met with my surgeon to set the date (Sept. 21). I have Aetna insurance and my clinic's nurse told me the insurance would only authorize one surgery a time, but that if I changed my mind, it would only take a phone call to get authorization for the other procedure. Maybe you could ask your insurance company or your clinic what happens if you change your mind about which procedure to get. I'd be surprised if you had to start all over. That's assuming your surgeon is comfortable performing both procedures. If it helps at all, I was leaning toward the bypass all along because there are long-term studies demonstrating the success of the bypass, but not the sleeve because it's a relatively new procedure. I also think dumping might help as "aversion therapy" as you put it. Also, while the hormonal changes that take place after surgery are not fully understood, my surgeon said the current research shows they are longer-lasting for the bypass. Of course, that's the best understanding he can have today. Things could change in 10 or 20 years (too bad we can't hop in a time machine and find out!). I'm going with bypass because it seems, based on what we know today, that the bypass will give me the best chance of long-term success. This is just one doctor's opinion, btw. I just personally trust him.

@ Good luck tomorrow!!!

@@CHLOE12 I am definitely getting nervous. I have about three weeks left, so I've been channeling that into preparing — getting my leave paperwork in order at work, ordering protein, getting my apartment super clean, etc. I'm planning pretty soon to clean out my fridge and food cabinets of things that aren't on my plan. And putting my proteins, blender, supplements, etc all in order and easily accessible. I might make some kind of chart so I can check off all my meds and vitamins since they have to be taken at different times. I find this all calming because I'm doing what I can to make things easier for myself instead of focusing on all the worries I can't control!

Seriously. I think about this on a regular basis. In fact, when I get down on myself because of my weight, remembering this makes me feel better. I'd sure as hell rather be obese than stupid. And pretty soon, I won't have to choose!

Hi guys, I talked to my surgeon's nurse today and she mentioned that in the weeks right after the bypass patients are losing 7-10 pounds per week. Is that what you all have experienced? Was that actual fat lost or some Water weight too? I guess I'm surprised. I didn't think there would be so much weight loss immediately after surgery. I thought that would come when I feel well enough to get back into the full swing of exercising again (she says I'll feel like I have the flu for about six weeks, so I figure I won't be up to my normal level of activity until then). Btw, sorry if this is posted in the wrong place! Wasn't sure if this should fall under pre- or post-op discussion category. Thanks!

@@stacyg1 As a person outside the situation, I can definitely tell you that hearing about her comments told me a lot more about her than it did about you. Sometimes in situations like that it helps me to take a step back and think what does this person's comments really say about each of us? In this case, it says very little about you. Only that a person thinks you might have gained a tiny bit of weight. Could be due to any number of reasons or just a figment of her imagination. However, what it says about her is that she was rude, catty and/or thoughtless with her words and that she is keeping tabs of others' figures and comparing herself to them fills some deficiency in her self-esteem. I could say more, but you get the idea. Don't worry for a minute about her. Keeping working with your doctors and doing what's right for you!

Could you say a little more about this metabolic honeymoon? I've not heard of it and I tried googling but couldn't find much. Also, congrats on a successful first year! Hope I'm joining you this time next year.

Thank you guys for all the info! Glad I checked here before I made the investment.

@@LadyReyven (and everyone else following along), I so hear you. I'm excited, but getting nervous too. It's the realization that it's really happening as the date gets closer. I've had a few fleeting "if you're going to turn back, now is the time" thoughts, but I know I don't actually want to do that.

I'm scheduled for Sept. 21! Feel free to add me as a friend!

Hi everyone! This thread is getting so long, it's hard to keep up with! My RNY is scheduled for Sept. 21. Please feel free to add me as a friend! I figure the more support we can give one another, the better!

I'm scheduled for Sept. 21! Definitely feel free to add me as a friend!

@@Kelsey Marie Congratulations! That's great news!! @@Doubletruble#2 I hope it goes smoothly for you! I have Aetna insurance as well and the insurance coordinator at my clinic said they're one of the better ones they work with. The coordinator submitted my paperwork on a Tuesday and the approval came through two days later on Thursday. He said it was a record for them.

Congratulations on your new relationship! It seems pretty common for people to gain a little weight in new relationships for the reasons you've mentioned. The good news is he understands and is very supportive of your post-WLS lifestyle. Sounds like you're getting back on track. I'm still pre-surgery and making some of these changes with my own boyfriend. Cooking dinner and eating in instead of going out, walking together, stuff like that. Good luck to you and I wish you two tons of happiness!

Have any of you found any of the fancy scales out there particularly helpful? Those that measure muscle mass, body fat %, etc? Do these even work? My instinct is to ignore them and go with the cheapest available, unless any of these have been particularly helpful to any of you? Thanks!

Sounds cool! I'm going to check it out.

I actually had a different kind of final straw. I first heard of WLS about 15 years ago when I was in high school. I lived in a small town and a group performing the surgeries about 45 minutes away was having terrible outcomes. Years later when I gained enough weight to potentially qualify, I didn't even want to consider it because I thought it was unsafe. I also thought I could do it on my own. Fast forward to February of this year. I'd had some success losing weight over the years, even getting out of qualifying range for the surgery, but I inevitably gained it back. I'd tried everything. I was about nine months into my new job in marketing at an academic medical center. We needed to promote our bariatric surgery center, so someone asked me to write an article about a successful patient. (I remember thinking, is this some kind of joke? Assign this story to the way overweight lady?) I quickly learned how safe the surgery is and about our clinic's excellent outcomes. I even interviewed my surgeon (by phone so he wouldn't be biased by knowing he was talking to someone potentially eligible for surgery) for the article. I asked him all the "tough" questions swirling in my brain. How safe is it really? How come patients can lose weight after surgery, but not with regular diet and exercise? Why did you choose to work with this patient population? He was very knowledgeable and sincere. I was especially struck by a statement he made that people who qualify for surgery and don't have it have a 2 percent chance of losing the weight and keeping it off. Patients who qualify and do have surgery have a 50 to 60 percent chance of losing it and keeping it off. After so many failed attempts to lose weight and turn things around over the past eight years, I decided I can handle those odds! I'd learned so much about myself and my relationship with food during those attempts. With this added tool, I know I'll be ready to beat this once and for all!

This is a fun thread! I have tickets to see one of my fave football teams play Sept. 12. The team's home base is several states away, but they're actually playing an away game in my town. (This happens every other year and I just moved back here a little over a year ago). To make sure I can accrue enough time off, my surgery will be the week of Sept. 14 or possibly the week after. I set the date with my surgeon on Aug. 25.

Hi everyone! I'm totally late to the party, but I'm Megan, 32, from Virginia. I'm setting my surgery date when I meet with my surgeon Aug. 25. I've spoken with clinic staff a few times and it looks like my date will be sometime in the weeks of Sept. 14 and Sept. 21. I am SO READY to just do it already! Or at least know the date! I've been working on this since February and have had a few setbacks in the process (took a month to get into my PCP who had to refer me, now five weeks for my next clinic date because they're so busy, etc.) On the plus side, fall will be right around the corner when I have my surgery and the weather will be beautiful for walking post-op and building back into exercising at the gym. Right now, I'm just trying not to get too nervous! There's so much to know and I'm afraid I'm either going to miss something entirely or forget something important. A veteran on the forum recently told me to think of it like having a baby. You learn as you go. Trying to keep that in mind. Good luck everyone! It's really cool to connect and hear how others are doing!