theantichick

I agree with others that RNY is the gold standard. I have to go with the sleeve because of medications I will need to take over my lifetime for an auto-immune condition. I probably would have preferred the sleeve anyway because it doesn't change the way food absorbs. I have several friends who had the RNY and they actually like having the dumping problem because it makes it way easier to make better food choices. So I'm almost hoping I'm in the small percentage of sleeve patients that gets dumping.

I'm seeing a therapist for food issues. I knew that whether I decided to have the surgery or not, my food issues needed to be dealt with. I eat emotionally, and overeat (especially poor food choices) so that's one thing. I also have anxiety about vegetables and "weird" foods that stems from my father force-feeding me vegetables from a very young age. It's really hard to make good food choices when 95% of vegetables are off the table. My only issue is that my therapist (who I really love) isn't keen on the surgery. She is a health-at-every-size advocate. So I have to keep her focused on the issues of emotional eating and dealing with the past trauma so I can open up my palate. I think it's a good bet that most people with obesity have food issues, and a therapist can help with that. It's important to find someone you can trust and work with, and sometimes that takes a few tries. I was a little concerned about spending the money (insurance only really covers about 1/2) but my husband said I absolutely needed to do it, because my health was worth setting back our financial plans a little bit (paying off debt).

No, she added Valsartan, which I don't think has any significant diuretic effect. She's trying to get my BP down to a normal range before she approves me for surgery. I see her again in 10 days to see if this med helped. If it doesn't, I'll ask about a diuretic at least until surgery. I don't want to be taking a diuretic after surgery when we're trying to keep hydration levels up.

And drat again. BP is down, but not to normal levels yet, so we're adding another BP med and re-check in 10 days, my PCP can't release me for the surgery until it's to normal levels on meds. The good part is that I'll be off of the meds a few months after surgery, most likely. But now it's getting close enough I'm worried we'll have to push the surgery out, and I'll have to be doing school while I recover. Which isn't a deal breaker, but it's annoying. However, this is also just more confirmation that it's past time to do the surgery and get this weight coming off.

I live in Arlington and work in Irving. sent from mobile device

Frequently! LOL. sent from mobile device

Ok I haven't seen that movie, so I missed the reference. LOL sent from mobile device

Well, drat. What should have been my final weigh-in may not be. When I saw my primary on Monday, I weighed 298. Today I weigh 302. Which is an increase from the last weigh-in from this doc. And is likely due to inflammation levels being high as I haven't eaten enough to gain 4 lbs in 4 days. Grrr. But we'll see. I also have to see my primary again on the 11th to see if the high blood pressure med is working, so if I'm down on that scale again I might be able to make the argument that this doc's scales are whack. I refuse to stress about this until we get an answer back from insurance.

Ditto. I had a seminar with my surgeon, then met her for an evaluation. I saw her again before we went in for the EGD and after it, and I'll have one more appointment with her before we do the surgery. I had done an online seminar with another doc I was researching, but my rheumatologist recommended this one, and she's closer to my office and home so I met with her, and was comfortable with her. I would not be OK with having someone just assigned to me with no input right before the surgery.

Sort of. You can actually have Druids with any religious affiliation - Christian, Buddhist, Pagan, etc. But most are Pagan. Wicca is a specific type of Pagan.

LOL. Looks can be deceiving, dontchaknow?

Yep. Well, druidry anyway. Used to be very involved with the local community as a generic pagan, but got fed up with the nonsense. Am just now dipping my toe back in the Water with a local grove.

I live in Arlington, and work in Irving. I'm hoping for a mid-August surgery date, we're closing in now on all of the insurance requirements.

This is going to sound really strange, but it used to do wonders for my old girlfriend when she had a migraine...sex http://www.livescience.com/27642-sex-relieves-migraine-pain.html NOTE: I am not volunteering to help. I think there is something to this though because every study I've seen is women are incapable of not thinking except during an orgasm. But look at what happens to the brain during sex here: , and you get oxitocin. LOL. All I can say is that I'm happy she found something that helps. And that she must not have the same effects from her migraines as I do... between the light sensitivity and any movement causing stabbing pain, and the nausea... I can't see sex as being even remotely an option for me when I'm migraining.

I have had knee problems my entire life due to kneecaps that don't track right (subluxating patella is the $15 name for it). I have huge holes to the bone in the cartilage under each kneecap. I've had surgeries that didn't really help, and a lifetime (I'm 46) of various treatments including a surgery that really did help, but I had to fight tooth and nail to get it approved by insurance. Everything depends on what is structurally wrong, and how much cartilage you have. Advice for one type of knee problem will aggravate a different problem. The best thing in my opinion you can do is go see a sports orthopedic specialist. Even if you're not an athlete, it's my opinion that a sports oriented doc will work to get you the best function. Also, find one who specializes in knees. Mine did Xray and MRI and then walked me through my options for treatment. Interestingly enough, both knees have the same cartilage damage, but only the right one was causing pain. So cartilage damage alone doesn't account for the issues we have. So we haven't even treated the left knee in my case and won't until it starts giving me problems.

I'm someone who is pretty open about things, and tend to over-share. At work: My boss knows because I need to coordinate being out for all the doc's appointments and also prep for being out for surgery. She's been super supportive. I haven't discussed it with any of my co-workers because I haven't been here long and haven't really formed any relationships. If it comes up, I'll likely share. Family: I haven't made a point of telling family I don't see regularly, but the ones I do see know about it. My sis had the surgery, and she's been pressuring me to do it. My Dad thinks I should just have more willpower, and my Mom is just worried because my sis has had a bunch of medical problems that Mom attributes incorrectly to the surgery. The rest of the family just want to support me whatever I do. Friends: I have a group of very close friends, IRL and online, and I posted about my decision process. A few are very worried about complications. One has a sister who died and he blames the WLS even though it was years before her death. Another of our friends also died several years after hers, and some blame the WLS as she had all sorts of struggles after it. Besides concern for me, they're all very supportive. I think the decision is very personal, and there's no "right" answer. I know that by being open about it, I leave myself open to criticism and negative feedback. I'm fine with that, as I've always been a matter-of-fact person who stands by my convictions and will argue my position with anyone, and I don't let people's opinions of me impact me. Much, anyway. I very well may regret being so open about it down the road.

@Djmohr Thanks for the info about what you take. I am going to have my daughter ask about the DHE. She had a status basilar migraine that put her in the hospital for a week taking ergotamine infusions. But her neuro at the time said that he didn't have an ergot to prescribe for her at home. Her triptan injections are starting to be spotty in relieving her migraines. She's on a high enough dose of topamax to have slight aphasia, so that can't go any higher. They haven't tried any beta blockers on her yet. I always think it's interesting to see how different docs' treatments vary. Her neuro advised us to take OTC's as needed, sometimes the Excedrin with a coffee or cola will break a migraine fine if taken early enough. He also said that on any day that we have a headache migraine or not, when we go to bed that night take 800mg ibuprofen along with a good dose of benadryl to stop the inflammation cascade that can then trigger a migraine or keep one going. And "good dose of benadryl" varies... I'm incredibly tolerant to it and can take 75-100mg without a problem, my daughter can only take 25-50mg. That neuro said migraineurs need to drink caffeine, but after he left the practice her new neuro griped her out for having a latte.

A friend of mine with bad migraines tried it, and got some relief, but not total. It has to be re-done a few times a year, as I recall, so it's not permanent. Like so many other migraine treatments, results vary. Everyone in my family has migraines. I have been able to reduce mine by avoiding triggers. I take Excedrin at the first twinge, and have my triptan as a backup. My daughter has basilar migraines and takes a seizure medicine to reduce them, and she has injectible triptans for when prevention doesn't work. My sister was on beta blockers for years to reduce her migraines, she'll have one for weeks. All I can say is anything is worth a try, don't give up. Most people can't get rid of migraines completely, but there's lots of options for reducing them and hopefully keeping them from messing up our lives.

I did, too. I haven't been here a year yet, so FMLA doesn't cover me, but I have time off and also can work from home as needed. I wanted my boss and I to have plenty of time to plan around it. I'm shooting for mid-August to coincide with my school break. My boss has been super supportive. I wasn't sure she would be, since she's a skinny Minnie who runs marathons, but she totally understood that this is to improve my health. She has been incredible with working around the multitude (it seems) of doctor's visits and such to get this all sorted. I wish everyone could have a supportive work environment, but if you don't just remember that your first priority is your health, and the HR department can help with a lot of this.

I am interested but the link didn't work. My experience with various diets and WLS have convinced me that diet does impact autoimmune disease. But I think everyone has different triggers. It could gluten for one person and dairy for someone else. WLS provided a unique opportunity to discover mine. Also both psoriasis and fibro pain improved.. I know after medifast diet that soy is a trigger for me. Lost a ton of weight but had the worst psoriasis flare of my life. I also agree losing weight reduces inflammation so it improves things like autoimmune disease. My personal experience supports that but my dermatologist also said the same thing as your doctor. I love my sleeve! Odd... some people the other link does better, some can't get to it. Try this one. Same location, just a different URL path to get there: http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/1258-sleeved-spoonies/

I had to file 4 appeals and fight for 8 months to get Aetna to approve a knee surgery I needed. They are awful. But just a caveat about the Department of Insurance for your state... if your employer is what is called "self insured" then they are not regulated by the state Department of Insurance, they are regulated by a federal law called ERISA, and it's incredibly hard to get it overturned in federal court. So find out if your plan is ERISA or not... if you do have the option to appeal to the state board, you have a fighting chance.