batty_vsg

As someone who will likely shave their head and wear a wig (I don't think I have alopecia, but my hair reacts badly to weight loss) after the surgery, this makes me heart swell so much with love and reassurance! When I told my husband that I was scared to lose my hair (as a possible reason why not to have the surgery) he said I was the silliest creature alive. He told me to shave it and wear some sexy wigs! You look absolutely gorgeous, with or without the wig. ❤️

I am so happy to see more December sleevers! Wooohooo!

Oh yay! I have been looking for more people who have their surgery date in December. I'm December 12th! All I have left to do is figure out FMLA/STD with my employer and my pre-op testing (in November.)

My nutritionist stated that protein shakes should be considered a "meal" and that the 30min no-water before/after rule should still apply to those. I can email her for further information (if people are interested) but I figured it had something to do with making sure you're giving the body time to digest the nutrients from the protein shake (instead of rushing it out with water immediately afterwards.) Of course, however, protein shakes are considered a liquid. Let me know if anyone wants me to email my nutritionist for further information!

Hello lovelies! So I was approved for surgery and have scheduled my surgery date for December 12, 2018. I have CIGNA insurance. The only thing I'm coming across as an issue at the moment is trying to figure out how to start the process of filing FMLA. I will also be taking a bit of short-term disability, but the majority of my time off (I'm wanting to take four weeks off) will be based off my vacation time. I talked to my supervisor and he said that it would be beneficial to the paperwork being sent to HR that I have a letter from the surgeon stating that I am having surgery and the recommendation of time out. I called my surgeon's office about it and they told me that I had to come in and sign a form that they can disclose that I'm having surgery to various parties. . . . but they didn't really give me a next step. I know this is very specific to the individual's insurance. But is this something I handle on my own, or where do I go from here? Let me know if you have any questions! TIA!

Oh wow, you're a life saver! Honestly, this process concerning FMLA and STD has been the most difficult aspect of pre-op (at least to me.) I need to do a better job of being more assertive in asking what exactly is expected of me to do, you know? I was told by my supervisor that HR would reach out to my surgeon's office, but I don't think that's the case (since I haven't heard anything back.) Agreed as well! I think part of the issue is that I hadn't signed the authorization to disclose my information and that could have prevented HR from moving forward and giving me the paperwork that my supervisor requested. Regardless, it's my fault that I'm having someone step in, rather than do it myself (my supervisor told me this is how he dealt with FMLA when two other of his people went out.) So I am just going to go on Tuesday and request the paperwork myself. You two are awesome, I really appreciate it.

Definitely this. The brain doesn't consider our hair to be a priority, so when stress hits us (losing weight, surgery, stress, etc. . . ) hair is usually the first thing to go. Instead of directing nutrients to promote hair growth, it's now being redirected to another job in your body. Hair loss after a major weight loss event affects people in different ways. Some will lose a little, some will lose a lot (like I did when I lost 90 lbs), and some won't lose at all. It's a horrible genetic lottery. It may sound a little dire, but the only thing to help you prior to this event is to be prepared for it. Make sure you're getting the protein amount recommended by the doctor, drink plenty of water, and get your vitamins in. If your hair is still falling out in clumps a year out - then there could be a nutritional aspect to your hair loss. Find a shampoo/conditioner set that builds volume and learn that you don't need to wash your hair every day. Manipulating your hair to make it seem fuller will be difficult, but the hair will grow back. Me? I mean, I lost a ton of hair back when I lost 90lbs through the keto diet. I am not looking forward to losing it again, but I've talked with my husband and will likely shave it off + find a really nice quality wig. I've been wanting to shave my hair anyhow, so it may be the perfect opportunity.

I mentioned in my other post that I had four, so you're not close off! But I only had to do 90 days of nutrition classes.

I have CIGNA insurance and they required 90 days of nutrition classes. Due to the way the classes were set up, I actually ended up having to do 4 weigh-ins. My surgeon did not require me to lose weight (though it was definitely encouraged) but I could not gain weight during the 90 days.

So I just finished everything about two weeks ago. Took me about a week to get approved. After I got approved, the coordinator told me that I had November 26th as my earliest surgery date. However, due to schooling, I opted to have surgery a little later on December 12th. It will depend on the availability of your surgeon, approval time, etc.