sonnysun

Thanks, all. I am only on Day 6, so they are off limits for now. Starting about 3 days before surgery, I quit tolerating all protein. Since surgery, it's been even worse. I have a few more brands and ideas, but I'm quickly running out. It has all come right back up. I am so weak and thought maybe even a few bites of "real food" might help, but looks like I have several more days, and even then foods like mashed potatoes may not be ideal. (That's a good point I hadn't considered.). Does Week 3 begin on Day 15 or 21?

Is this normal? When can I expect it to end?

I am sipping, but my pain and nausea medications are in pill form and when I try to take them and swallow with water they come right back up. In so much pain right now.

My surgery date is September 28th. I am 5'6 and about 240 lbs. 36 years old. My husband came home today and was telling me about a story he heard on NPR tonight about a man who lost his wife during the 9/11 attacks and that they had a young child that would wake up screaming at night wanting her Mama. That is tragic and makes me teary thinking about, but then he said that after that all he could think of was my 3 year old and how devastated she would be if I died during surgery and how there's a chance they could lose me. Ironically, I teach school and came across a passage today that was a mother with terminal cancer saying goodbye to her son, which was also heart wrenching. I have never had surgery before, and the thought of it (now) terrifies me. Not for myself, but it feels so selfish to put myself at risk to leave my children. I understand that statistically, I am likely to be fine, but I struggle with anxiety anyway and this has become an unwelcome, irrational thought that has me in tears several times a day, to the point where I am considering canceling the surgery. I am just hoping to get some support and ease my mind. Also, I'd love to know if others struggle with intrusive thoughts such as this.

I don't know. Like I said, I am struggling with the decision as to whether I should tell or not. I did have an experience (alluded to above) when I was trying to diet using Weight Watchers techniques and then taking a supplement that is supposed to suppress appetite. A guy who was selling the supplement was dieting too. I really followed the rules and was hungry a lot, also. The scale was moving down but ever so slowly. This guy would lose six pounds a week or something and said he really was never hungry. He sold the supplement I was taking and gave it all the credit. I was so discouraged watching the weight just fall off of him and I was fighting and hungry for every pound I lost. I eventually gave up the diet. Later, I found out he'd had gastric bypass. I know it wasn't my business and he was under no obligation to tell me, but man, did his rapid weightloss make me feel inferior and like I wasn't motivated/disciplined/good enough to lose the weight that quickly. Since those are feelings that surrounded me during lots of different weight loss attempts, I really would LIKE to be honest with others in hopes of encouraging them to peruse their options and not to make them think it's realistic to lose that much so quickly with diet and exercise alone. That said, I really don't want to tell people because of the judgments, them watching what I'm eating, opinions I'm not asking for, etc. I'm struggling with it a lot. That said, I'm supportive of everyone on here and their decision, I just wanted to share my experience.

I am having a really hard time deciding what to tell people. On one hand, I really don't want to lie to people and my coworkers are like family and they would ask where I was during the surgery and also how I was losing weight. I don't relish the idea of lying to them. Also, I know people who have had gastric bypass and lied about it and I think it's kind of unfair to other heavy people to just tell them you lost weight by diet and exercise because it is so frustrating when you're trying to do the same thing and they are having incredible results and you're not. That said, I would really rather not have everybody in my business. I am afraid I may gain the weight back, and I don't really want everyone to know that I had the surgery. It is just a fear I have. I haven't decided what I am going to do.

I have gained so much knowledge from this forum. My only remaining questions deal with insurance and financing. I have BCBS of Texas. We emailed them regarding a possible surgery for me and received a letter that said: For a member to be considered eligible for benefit coverage of bariatric surgery to treat morbid obesity, the member must meet the following two criteria: BMI equal or grade to 40 kg/meter OR BMI equal or greater than 35 with at last 2 comorbidities (listed below). AND Documentation from the requesting surgical program that *Growth is completed * Documentation from the surgeon attesting that the patient has been educated in and understands the post operative regimen, which should include ALL of the following components: Nutrition program AND Behavior modification or behavioral health interventions AND Counseling and instruction on exercise and increased physical activity AND Ongoing support for lifestyle changes to make and maintain appropriate choices that will reduce health risk factors and improve overall health AND Patient has completed an evaluation by a licensed professional counselor, psychologist or psychiatrist within the 12 months preceding the request for surgery. This evaluation should document: The absence of significant psychopathology that would hinder the ability of an individual to understand the procedure and comply with medical recommendations AND The absence of an eating disorder AND The patients willingness to comply with preoprative and postoperative treatment plans. My BMI is right at 40, so I read this as saying all I need the is psych evaluation before we can schedule surgery, and then I need to comply with everything after surgery. Is that right, or do most policies read like this and I'll still be expected to comply with a waiting period before scheduling? Also, my insurance says that: When utilizing one of our participating providers at a in network facility, your coverage for an eligible medical necessary approved Bariatric surgery provided by an M.D. and the related facility charges is 80 percent of allowance after you meet your deductible of $400.00. The in-network individual out of pocket maximum is $2900.00. The benefit maximum is one visit/procedure per lifetime. At this time, you have satisfied your in-network individual deductible and the amount of $651.34 has been applied to your individual out of pocket maximum for the 2015 calendar year. Does that mean if I use an in-network provider my maximum out of pocket cost will be $2900? Is that paid before the surgery? Thank you!

And, I guess my big question is, if I meet the requirements listed in their policy, can I still be denied if I'm deemed not medically necessary? Or does meeting the requirements mean I will be accepted? Thanks for all your help!

Thank you so much! I think it reads that all the education and stuff is post operative? I found it strange which is why I asked!