Lose2BFree

Did the surgery rid you of acid reflux??

Hello everyone! I am 44 years old and started gaining weight around age 8. I've been overweight most of my life and I've had enough. I am currently the heaviest I've ever been and am beyond frustrated that whenever I lose a little weight, I gain it--and then some--right back. I am generally healthy as in my glucose is good, my A1C is good, my cholesterol is good, and my heart is healthy. But all that is going to change if I do not get this obesity under control. I'm afraid of hitting that wall of poor health and want to get this weight off and get out of this prison of obesity. I started my journey in July by attending an information session sponsored by the bariatric program at my local hospital. On August 7th, I met with the surgeon. I've had my EKG, NGO, lots of blood work, met with a behaviorist, met with a psychologist and am awaiting a sleep consultation. My insurance absolutely positively will NOT cover any aspect of a bariatric surgery. And I'm not going to fight with them because I know I just won't win or won't win in a timely fashion. I'm blessed in that I'm financially secure enough to be able to take a personal loan to pay for this surgery--even thought it doesn't stop me from being annoyed with my insurance company and their whole attitude. I started out going for the gastric sleeve. Why? The idea of having 90% of my stomach removed was very appealing to me. Also, not having my small intestine rerouted and not having to deal with malabsorption issues seemed preferable. And lastly, I cannot do artificial sweeteners. They make me sick with chronic migraines, nausea and vomiting. But after my NGO last week, I learned that the gastric sleeve would only cause my already severe acid reflux to worsen due to a sizable hiatal hernia. So I had to start thinking about the gastric bypass option. Still leery, I went for my EKG yesterday and had an experience that helped me make my decision. I am a Christian. I believe that God places people in our lives at the right time to send us a message. (I hope I'm not offending anyone who isn't a Christian. If I do, I certainly apologize. These are my thoughts and views and I am not trying to push them on anyone. I'm just relating my story.) Yesterday when I went to the diagnostic center to register for my EKG, the lady registering me was having a hard time and called another lady over to help her. This lady who came to help was no overweight and was very attractive. She looked at the screen and looked up at me and said "I went there.", indicating the bariatric program. My jaw almost hit the desk. I asked her what surgery she had and she told me she had gastric bypass and had lost 150 lbs. That is EXACTLY the amount of weight I need to lose! She and I talked and she had the same concerns and issues I have. I told her I was originally going for the sleeve but that I was told it wouldn't be healthy for me. I told her how I can't have artificial sweeetners and she told me that she can't tolerate them at all and does have real sugar without bad side effects. Now....don't get me wrong. I am not even a sugar junkie. I just like a few teaspoons in my morning travel mug of coffee. I don't nosh on Cookies and cakes like crazy and don't intend to after surgery, of course. But I just can't go back to a life of chronic migraines, nausea and vomiting. Anyway, this lady came into my life for a short while and that message was clear. I need to not be afraid of gastric bypass and not be leery of making that change to my original pursuit. I have a few more things to go thru to get cleared for surgery. I have some work travel to do in September and October and am hopeful that I can get my surgery scheduled for the last week of October or first week of November. Anyone out there have issues with artificial sweeteners?

I'm sorry. I've been overweight for 34 years and my insurance said flat out NO. So I'm paying out of pocket. $26,000. But I'm tired of being obese and I'm worth it. I, too, and extremely frustrated that my insurance wouldn't cover it. To add insult to injury, I was going to gastric sleeve, but after being scoped last week, I was told that my hiatal heria was so big/bad that I'd have horrific acid reflux--worse than I have now--if I went with the sleeve. So my costs jumped from $23,500 to $26,000. That extra $2500 isn't in my budget but I'm going to put it on my AMEX and just make payments to pay it off. I absolutely have to do something about my weight.