Wheetsin

I was approved through Anthem BCBS. My coverage required a 6 month supervised diet, but since I was a revision the requirement was waived (as would my BMI have been, but unfortunately I was unbanded long enough that my BMI went back up.) Psych approval was also required. If you're anxious, just get a copy of the rider from your employer. They will have contract changes (riders) on file, surely. You can also compare it to your SPD. ETA: I also had to do the nutritional class, which for my surgeon is a combo of pre-op education, nutrition, and physical therapy - with a test at the end. So given that I was a revision, psy approval and education class were my only real requirements. Oh, and my surgery had to be done at a full blown hospital (vs. a surgery clinic), and required an overnight stay (which my surgeon does anyway).

Isn't Delta just dental insurance? What insurance do you have? If you have Anthem (BCBS) you can call them yourself. There will be a 1800# on the back of your card. Identify yourself as a member and you will be routed to member services. Then just tell them a preauthorization/preapproval/predetermination (whatever the case is) has been submitted for you, and you want to see what the status of it is. There are almost always some kinks, but Anthem has probably the quickest turnaround time that I've seen. (I've been insured through a few different companies, used to work for a few, and still do consulting with several). For my approval through them it took about 2 or 2.5 days.

It generally starts around 3 mos and lasts 2 - 4 mos (just general numbers). Some people use Nioxin and claim results. Nioxin got noticed through results with chemotherapy patients, IIRC. But their hairloss, and ours, are from completely different root causes, and I've not seen any research that it actually helps in either case. If you understand why our hair is falling out, and how it's related to the lifecycle of hair, then it makes sense that no topical treatment will make any difference. You'll also hear people talking about Biotin. There's some research indicating Biotin might help a little with detering (not preventing) natural hairloss. Again, I've never seen it actually make a difference in a case of WLS. It's all so silly. I see/hear so many people taking fewer showers because they think the shower is making more hair fall out. The hair's already out, or on its way out. The Water is just pulling it out, or "lubricating" it. Same with when you condition. Wetting your hair will not make it fall out if it would have otherwise stayed in.

BM 101... There are four basic types of laxatives. Be careful which you're taking because without extra precaution, some can do a LOT more harm than good. 1. "Bulking agents" - your fibers, natural or supplement. They bulk up your poop, which helps trigger your body to start contracting it down the bowels. These can do more harm than good, fairly easily. You need to really, really ensure that you are getting more than enough fluids when taking fiber-based laxatives. I've seen people who have taken Fiber without enough fluids basically pooping out... chalk. I'm not sure how else to describe it. There was so much fiber present, and so little Water, that it basically dried the poop up. Think dog poop that has been sitting out in the sun for a week or two, and that's exactly what it was like. 2. Osmotic laxatives - work by pulling Fluid into the bowel via osmosis. Need to make sure you intake extra fluids here, too, but they won't dry you out the way fibers will. They're pulling water from other parts of your body so you want to make sure you put extra water back in to replace it. When they work you basically have "osmotic diarrhea" which is the same kind of diarrhea people have during sumping syndrome. (The behind-the-scenes of dumping is the bowel signaling the body to send extra water its way). Miralax is one of the best osmotic laxatives, IMO. I actually started taking some this morning. Epsom salt is a really common homeopathic osmotic laxative. Magnesium hydroxide (e.g. Milk of Magnesia), etc. Osmotic laxatives also pull water in, period, so they shouldn't have the same "reach" issues that something like an enema would. Sorbitol and a few other artifical sweetners are also osmotic laxatives... that's why SF candies give so many people the runs. 3. Stimulant-based laxatives - basically is to pooping what pitocin is to childbirth. They chemically stimulate your bowel to contract much harder than normal. 4. Stool softeners - agents that generally just add fluid content to your poop. My daughter had horrible constipation when she was younger, so bad she would tear and bleed when she could finally poop. The best thing we found for her was flax oil added to her drinks and stirred into some Cereal. Worked quickly, and sometimes too well. What to take dependson what your problem is. E.g. stool to dry to pass, or soft poops that you're having a hard time getting out, or... So what else to try: I generally recommend the flax oil, or a bit of something sugary (in your case I'd skip the sugary, I think you might be a bit beyond that stage). I have seen flax oils working nothing short of miracles for the BM-impaired. Here are some typical treatments: Sorbitol (70% concentration): 15-60 ml PO daily Magnesium salts: (Milk of Magnesia) 15-60 ml PO qd prn (Manesium Citrate) 8 ounces PO daily prn Oral sodium laxatives: Phopho soda (Oso-prep, Visicol) 2 tablespoons in 4 ounces water orally Polyethelene glycol 3350 (Miralax): 17gm dissolved in 240ml/9oz water or fluid (hot, cold or lukewarm) PO = by mouth QD = every day PRN = as needed A lot more info than you're looking for, I know, but hopefully it can help.

I can't stand coffee, but I'm going to have to bid farewell (or at least very infrequent visits) to my Starbucks staple (iced green tea latte, no pumps double matcha -- or a close variant, depending on the day). Their matcha powder has sugar blended into it, so there's no way to avoid it. I've "indulged" in a tall black iced tea, 1/4 Splenda. Oh boy. Miss my GTL. Sbux, if you're out there, please consider a SF version of your matcha powder. I will pay handsomely for it. TYVM.

I don't want to be "that girl" but in reality the rate of weightloss has very, very little to do with the condition of skin, and virtually nothing to do with hairloss (unless your weightloss is slow because your eating habits haven't changed much). A balloon, fully blown up, and left that way for a while -- deflate it quickly, or deflate it slowly, it's equally deformed either way. And the hairloss is a product of the nutritional changes in your body. Not how quickly your fat mass drops. Always remain hopeful... I just think realistic expectations help.

http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/35498-weight-loss-cookbook-recommendations/

I was out 4 weeks so there really wasn't anything that noticeable except my change in eating, but I generally eat by myself while reading a book so nothing super drastic. My sleeve was the result of a slipped band so I told a few people I would be on a modified diet after they corrected my band problems, and have since told a few that I liked the progress I saw while on the post-op diet so I'm sticking with it.... and between that, and my restriction, it's working. See how non-specific that is? One could easily interpret that I still have my band (most people knew I had one).

My first BM was about a week after surgery, then about 4 days, then about 4 more days, and I haven't had one since. I'm 5 weeks post op. I hadn't really been paying attention and yesterday it just sort of hit me that I hadn't pooped in like 2 weeks. So I called my surgeon's office (they want you to call if it has been over 3 days) and am now on Miralax and Fiber supplement. Luckily I don't have any discomfort or anything, I'm just not going. I had to use Miralax a few times with my lapband and IMO it's the best one of the bunch. As for gas, virtually none. Maybe once or twice a week.

You're losing weight fast, not necessarily fat. Especially during the first 1 - 2 weeks, about half of what you lose is Fluid. From dehydration, depleting your sugar stores (e.g. glycogen), etc. So figure that you're about two weeks post-op, and have probably lost 8 - 12 ls of fat. That breaks out to about 4 - 6 lbs per week, which is just about right for being so freshly post-op. Enjoy it while it lasts, it will slow down and you're just gearing up for that 3 - 4 week stall milestone. Here's an idea of how much fluids (and everything else) come into play. In my first week post-op I lost about 40 pounds. Obvioulsy it's not physically possible to lose 40 lbs of fat in one week unless I had it cut off or sucked out.

Today is my 5 week mark and as of Friday of last week I was down 52 lbs. BUT -- I have a lot to lose, and the majority of that came off in the first week. And I tend to lose a lot, then do nothing for a while, then lose a lot. I've really never been a consistent loser. I'm also having fiber issues, and haven't had a BM in about 2 weeks. Started some additives to fix that today, so that might contribute a few pounds eventually.

You won't need to crush the BCP. pills that size should not be a problem. Having lived with a band for 6 years, I am amazed at how easy medications are to take. (With the band, I couldn't pass a tylenol). My period came a week early, which never happens. I'm sometimes a day or two late, but never early, and never a full week early. My period normally lasts 3 days, and that time it lasted 6. Heaviness of flow, etc. was not noticeably different. I know my hormones were all out of whack (naturally they would be). In my 2nd week post-op I also broke out all over my chin, serious breakout. It's better now, but I'm still getting the occasional zit in the weird place (I have one in my nose now, and in my eyebrow). I'd had completely clear skin for years & years before this. Fat contains a lot of hormones.

5 weeks post-op today. Still no nausea or vomiting, though I've had some discomfort. So far what bothers me the most are fluids thicker than Water. They bother me more than the soft solids by far. Yep, that includes Protein Drinks, unfortunately. I can do water, juice, etc. fairly quickly but a single RTD Protein Drink can take hours. I know I could thin it out, but that's a lot more volume than I can do right now. The nectar line is the easiest to get down so far, but also one of the least palettable (they don't doctor up too well). Still maxing out around 50gm protein/day, and trying hard to up that. I introduced sashimi to my foods and have been having 2 oz for lunch, which should help quite a bit. I had my psych follow-up last week and he weighed me, which I didn't expect. 296, which is 52 lbs down since surgery, but 39 of that was in my first week, so it's "only" been 13 lbs in the last 4 weeks. I'm not quite (I don't think) a full size down, but clothes that fit before are definitely loose now, and clothes I'd gotten too fat for are able to be zipped. Oh, and it just occured to me yesterday that I hadn't pooped in like 2 weeks, or more. So starting today I'm on Miralax and Benefiber. Come on poop...

EGD on Thu confirmed a partial slip. Verbal diagnosises before that was profound slip. Profound was based on the angle of the band viewable with xray, and partial on the actual prolapse that was visible internally. I'm still really swollen, but it's getting better. Thu & Fri night my reflux was back. Haven't had it since my unfill, but since swelling basically gives you a reverse fill, it makes sense that it would strike again. Aspirated it again, and dealth with chest pain for an hour afterward. Haven't done solid foods since Wed of last week, they're too uncomfortable. Frozen liquids (e.g. alcohol free margarita, slush from Sonic, etc.) go down OK after a few sips. That seems to control the swelling enough that I'm good for super mushies or other liquids for an hour or so, then I clench back down. I'd take some ibuprofen to help, but there's no way even the liquid would pass. Reflux is gone at least, so it is slowly calming down. It never occured to me that there would be that much irritation during an EGD. I just didn't even think about it. On the plus side, going through this stuff again is really helping me be over it.

With 100% sincerity, I think that ditching the scale is the single best thing we can do for ourselves while we're trying to lose weight. Yes, even better than exercise. I am only weighing when I'm at a medical office. I'm 1 month out and can only guess my weight based on what my clothes are doing. In a month I'll have my 2 month post-op and will know the pounds then. scales are such a horrible, horrible way to track weightloss. Of all the options out there, they are the worst. I despise what they do to people, mentally.

My one month post-op was yesterday. Maybe today will be the day, but so far I've not yet managed more than 50gm protein in a day. I'm trying, but anything thicker than water fills me up like no one's business. Capacity-wise - I'm still around 2 tbls. So when I eat I try to eat the highest protein things permitted at this stage of my post-op diet, which would be either well cooked fish (I make a fish chowder and eat out the boiled fish pieces, or tuna) or deli chicken, and light cheese. I'm digging the light babybels, but I usually can't eat anything else if I have one. Sometimes I can wrap a piece of thinnest slice deli meat around it. I think I can do sashimi next week, which will probably be my saving grace. My RTD protein took me 2.75 hours to finish this morning. Sigh. I need to figure out a way to keep them cold for long periods of time, out of the fridge. Still no sickness or nausea. Occasional, mild heartburn so I'm doing the PPI 2x daily now. Some very minor GERD (nothing compared to what I had with my slipped band) but only if I eat late at night. I've found that if I stop eating about 3 hrs before I go to bed (which I should do anyway) there's no trouble. Still not doing any significant exercise. From about 2 weeks, until about 5 days ago I had a MAJOR energy slump. I couldn't even get through a shower without feeling like I needed to sit down. It came on overnight, then disappeared overnight. Thank goodness our bodies can balance themselves out fairly quickly. Going to go shopping this weekend for some exercise equip for home, and trying to convince DH that having one of those little indoor exercise pools installed is about the best idea ever! About 2 weeks out I had an unprecedented breakout. I've had clear skin for years & years, so this was quite shocking, but understandable considering how quickly my body was releasing hormones into my system. It's mostly over now, but TOM came 7 days early. I really don't know how much weight I've lost (I will not own a scale until I'm into something resembling maintenance). I was like 40 something pounds down from my suirgery weight when I went in for my 2 week post-op (yeah, 40ish lbs in 2 weeks, now you know why my skin was breaking out and my skin is so dry I have ashy toes). Tomorrow is my psych post-op so if it's available I'll hop on their scale then. I gained a bunch of weight just before my surgery (lapband was removed about 6 mos prior and I steadily gained after), so judging just by how my clothes are fitting, and how I knew they fit then, I'm guessing I'm right around 55 lbs lost -- maybe barely into the 200s now, with a surgery date weight of about 350.

My skin has been clear for like 18 years. I'm now 2 weeks post-op and in the last few days have sprouted 11 pimples on my chin, precisely where I would expect to see breakouts related to hormones (sides of the chin). I wake up to 2 or 3 more every day. I know it will get better as the shock to my body lessens and my hormones find equilibrium, but who knows how long that will take. As if I didn't have enough things to be self conscious about. I go back to work in about 2 weeks. I have to interact with a lot of people, and there's squat I can do about this other than wait it out. Just venting a bit. I'll gladly take some pimples over the 40ish pounds I've lost so far, but dayum... this still bites.

I'm 2,.5 weeks out and still can't get all my fluids or Protein in. I'm getting closer, but I still have a ways to go. For the first few days I could barely drink an ounce at a time of Water, let alone Protein drinks (which are almost always thicker). During the first week I had to abuse ice chips and SF popsicles, just for basic hydration. Where you're at is extremely common. It really will get easier, slowly.

Infrequent weighing (at least before maintenance) is a really good idea, IMO. One of the best. If I could give anyone attempting weightloss 1 piece of advice, it would be to throw the scale away. It's not a good measure of the fat one is losing, anyway, and just sucks people in to an almost bipolar relationship (colloquially). So many people despair, agonize and quit because of the scale, when all it's doing it showing you exactly how the body works. Too few people understand body mechanics, and that weight fluctuation is supposed to happen. And too few people really grasp the fact that "weight" and "fat" are entirely different things. I was just under 350 on operation day. My first weigh post-op was at my 2 week appt. and I was down about 40 lbs (or whatever my ticker reads, that's when I updated it). I'll find out my new weight around May 29th when I have my 2 month post-op visit. Or maybe about 2 weeks sooner, since I have to go in for labs before that visit. Or maybe sooner, if I have to go to the doctor before then.

What kinds of soups do you like? Brothy, creamy, etc. Even most soups will need a blender to be safe on a mushy diet. If not blendered, then strained.

The sleeve can stretch a little, not much - especially if you aren't continuously pushing it. The part of our stomachs left isn't the part that's stretchy. You could have had some residual swelling that gave you extra restriction, that's now gone. You could also just be reaching a point where you have slightly more capacity. There's really no such thing as the sleeve stopping working. It's reduced in size. That's how it works, and it's permanent. It doesn't have a mechanical component that can fail, and it wasn't working digestive voodoo that ran out or anything. Stalls are a part of weightloss. 10ish weeks is a fairly common time to stall, as is 3ish weeks. When I used to reply to stall posts from newbies with lapbands, I'd tell them to expect a stall around 3-4 weeks and another around 10-12 weeks. You are also going to have weights were your body wants to stay, that are probably higher than your target weight.

Go figure I have vertical and horizontal stretchmarks. My stomach (as you can see) looks like a road map.

It's very common but hard to find consistent stats. As to why - here's a really simplified explanation. Your liver produces bile. Bile is used in part to break down fats. Most people who need WLS have been breaking down more fats than average for a very long time. Your GB is a bile "pump". When you go from having lots of fat to digest (pump in overdrive) to having very little (restricted diets with lower fat), your pump kinda wigs out and doesn't know what to do. That's the gallbladder dysfunction or "attack". It can also need to be remove dbecause of gallstones (attacks and stones often go hand in hand, but not always). Gallstones are usually caused by chemical imbalance in the gallbladder. Too much bilirubin, or too much cholesterol, are really common causes of chemical imbalance. Gallstones themselves can cause lots of problems, especially if they are passed through the bile duct. Major organs can be seriously compromised. The last stats I read were something like 40% of WLS patients needed a cholecystectomy (GB removal) within the first I think 1-4 years, and 20% increased risk each year thereafter. I don't remember the source so I can't re-check, or look into the validity. It's pretty common.

That's a good point. I'm barely at 40 oz of Fluid and have maybe once managed 50gm Protein and I'm 2.5 weeks out, and those 40gm are a LOT compared to what I could do for about 2 weeks. In the last few days my capacity has really increased, but it's still tiny. I physically can't eat/drink much more, unless I quit sleeping and just sipped all night long. I can tell a slight change in capacity each day, but I'm sure it will be another week, at least, before I can hit minimum protein & fluid (and I'm still doing shakes, so they count toward each other - I'm not even talking solid food capacity). I couldn't breastfeed my daughter. I never produced enough milk. On her 4th day DD had dropped too much weight so we had to put her on formula. We thought she'd been getting milk, but really had no way of knowing she wasn't until we saw the weight change. Talk about a guilt trip for mom. I tried to pump for about 3 mos after, thinking at first it would come in, and once I gave up on that thinking that at least the measly amount I could give her was better than nothing. The most I could pump, ever, both breasts combined was about 3 oz and that only happened once or twice. My aunt has been an OB nurse for her entire career (she's almost 60) and she gave me all kinds of things to try, even something I had to order from Canada, an rx med, etc. and nothing made any difference. I was told by my OB that the only documented occurrences of a mother not producing enough milk was if she wasa street drug addict. That's a great thing to tell someone trying to solve a problem. Since then, I've heard repeated stories of lap-band moms (which I was) being unable to breastfeed because their calorie/fluid intakes just aren't sufficient. My band was slipped at the time, so my intakes were really low, and when I could get something down it wasn't a healthy something (frozen, thicker liquids did best - those aren't usually healthy). I have no idea if it really was related to the band or not, but I still regret not being able to breast feed her. Hopefully you won't have any problems because of what your meager intake is going to be (anesthesia/meds aside). Didn't one of the moderators here have a baby not that long ago, after sleeve? Maybe you could talk to her, though her intake would be different than yours as a newbie post-op.

I may be odd woman out here, but it won't make me mad to get attention later that I don't get now. For one I'm married, so at best it's a compliment, and at the end of the day who cares. For two, human nature has set up attraction to be, at least initially, a physical thing. It just is. That can change once you know someone's personality or some other attractive quality, but in an on-the-street type of encounter that's not going to happen. I don't look at a guy walking by me and think, "Oooh, I bet he shares my extraordinarily irreverent sense of humor" and I don't expect a guy to do the same. I AM fat, and fat IS unattractive at least on that level of initial physical reaction (except for people who truly prefer fat bodies to normal bodies, but that's definitely an exception). There's a body type I'm attractive to and needless to say it's not Patton Oswalt. I don't expect a guy to be any different. Just MHO.