Brandiwine77

Glad you are doing well! Continued quick recovery and NO gas pains

Hey y'all. Just a rant and a vent. I went for my pre-admission testing yesterday. My surgery is 6/7 and I'm on liquid diet. I go to my dr. appt first and they give me some more stuff for surgery, like and eating journal etc, and I meet my new surgeon (my other one retired). All went well, as I really liked him. Then I go downstairs for preadmission testing. The nightmare hell begins. I sit in the cubicle with the temp hovering at about 95, as she has her heat on full blast (mind you I'm always cold with no thyroid) but I was dying. She then proceeds to tell me that my balance is $4500 and how would I like to pay. I look her at with the wtf look and say excuse me, I'm covered under my insurance. I know I haven't met my deductible yet, but I also have a card from my employer to pay that once the Explanation of Benefits is produced by my insurance, AFTER procedure. You're telling me that I have to pay this up front? Before surgery?! Why wasn't this mentioned before? She said "well, it's considered cosmetic surgery and yes, you pay up front" Needless to say, I did NOT have $4500 in my purse, so I was beyond distraught. She said well, you can go on with your testing, but know it's due the morning of your surgery, and they have to have it before you are taken back, and must be in cash or certified check. Pissed and heartbroken wasn't the word. Hello, already on liquids and have taken off work for surgery. I call a different person today, and she said she wasn't sure where the girl came up with cosmetic, as nowhere on there does it mention that, and she said no, I didn't have to pay it all up front, that I could pay a little (down with that) and the rest billed. Of course I'm still panicked that it will foul up, but I have her name, the time I called, and it was on a recorded line. I could use a drink, a real one.

Thanks y'all! Yes, absolute mess. Healthcare has become such a flipping train wreck. It was such a horrible experience. I'm still freaked out and paranoid that they are start some shenanigans the day of surgery. But I have the lady's name I spoke with, the time (as it said calls were recorded), and everything. I means that's a lot of money to say oh hey, this is due today. Yes, I have some savings, but wow, yeah, what a crock. It makes it worse that I have my Difference card, provided by my job, to make up the difference in deductible and such (since they had to take us from a $500 yearly deductible to a $5000 due to covid and the insurance hikes). But that card has to be used after services. So, they will get their money.

Mine is the 7th too I'm on liquid now, day 2 of it. I'm scared too, and excited.

Cracking up at the a-hole comment, LOL. I call myself that all the time. Heck, I embrace it often. And I saw that Premier root beer and was like hmmmm, but had a feeling it would be nasty. My hubs didn't even eat last night as I didn't (I posted a rant a sec ago, and you'll see why I was too upset to "eat") So I def can't fault him there, lol. We don't have dogs, but kitties and a house bun, and I'll threaten him with bunny poop in his food if he acts up, LOL

Hi Breezy. Same boat as you. I already have acid reflux, so I assumed that RNY would be my bet. But after talking to 2 surgeons (my first retired before I could get surgery) they both said that a lot of patients have reduced reflux even getting the sleeve. I was concerned like you. My doctor especially didn't want to do RNY as we know there are absorbtion issues, and I don't have a thyroid, so I am med dependant. I'm super nervous too, so I completely understand. Hope this helps!

June 7th for me! Started my liquid diet today. Definitely nervous, but excited too.

Honestly, just depends on the individual. When I had my first appt, my dr. knew I had some acid reflux and took daily meds. I assumed he would say bypass, but he said he would prefer to do the sleeve, as bypass is known to have absorption issues, and I have no thyroid and he did't want my thyroid meds to not absorb properly, so sleeve it will be.

Good luck!

Ribeye, salad, and fries from one of my favorite places. That was a couple days before. The actual "last supper" as we've been jokingly calling it, was last night. Hubs grilled some burgers and Conecuh sausage and we had potato salad with it. I had a Reese's for dessert. On to liquid today. So far, iced coffee.

Here’s a funny to make you laugh in regards to anesthesia. I went under in 2021 and 2022. 2021 was thyroid removal. I was in the plastic lined gown and the AC went out in pre-op. In July. I’m Alabama. I was sweating. They came and gave me something in IV a few min before they were going to take me back. I got a little loopy. They came to get me and realize I knew all 3 of my OR people. As they wheeled me back I said “y’all I’m sweating. Y’all my crevices are even sweating 😂” they were rolling.

I’m super excited but so nervous too. Like my liquid starts on Wed and then surgery next Wed June 7. Freaking out a bit.

This does sound like gallbladder, even though most have issues on the right side. I had emergency removal in Dec and mine hurt dead center and radiated left. My gallbladder was extremely inflamed, infected, and had huge stones. The dr said it was about to rupture. Hope you are feeling better, and have some answers!

One day before you! So excited!

Def trust your surgeon. Mine did not want to do bypass due to absorption issues that are common. He said that since I didn't have a thyroid, he would rather do the sleeve to not risk my thyroid meds not absorbing.

Yep, just a week liquid before. I'm having the sleeve done.

My surgery is 6/7 and I'll be 46 this summer. It's been a concern, but praying it isn't bad.

My liquid diet starts next Wed and surgery on the 7th. Excited but nervous as well.

Good luck to you too!!! I'm having the sleeve done. 🙋🏼‍♀️ surgery buddy

Just got my surgery date! 6/7. Two weeks! Eeeeekk. I'm excited and scared all at the same time. Mine will be outpatient in Birmingham, AL

Oh thanks for that info! I hope they don't, as you know it is awful.

I'm just waiting for them to retire, LOL!! One is now part time and the other hopefully will either go part time, or just GO, lol. And I feel you about the students. I was a upper elem and middle school teacher previously,but I had to get out. And yeah, they would either be super sweet, or total butts about it. And middle school kids are a breed of their own.

Hopefully you can get the approval to start research asap! That's so exciting. Yeah, my coworkers are both 65+, and sisters. It's actually my really good friends mom and aunt, so you would think that would be cool. But NO! It's awful mean girl mentality with them. To the point that they ran off a MALE coworker a few months ago. So yeah, it is bad. So no one personally knows, other than my husband and a lifelong friend who had bypass about a year and a half ago. I have a pretty sedentary job, so hopefully can come back as quickly as I did with my thryoidectomy and gallbladder, so that they won't have a clue, lol. And my insurance didn't have a whole lot of requirements. I had to do bloodwork and primary clearance, psych eval, their required nutrition class, and then the nutrition class with my dr office they require. So not much at all, for which I am grateful.

Hey there. It can be a process. I met with my surgeon on Dec. 2, 2022. Dec. 4 I ended up in the ER with a gallbladder that was about to rupture Had that removed on the 5th, and out of the hospital on the 6th. So I wasn't even thinking about WLS at that moment. Then the holidays happened, and then the new year. On Jan 9 I started back to grad school to get my MBA. On Jan. 11 my Mom passed away. So wasn't in the forefront of things again. But a little time passed and I started back with my requirements. I have my bloodwork next week with my PCP, and my final nutrition class on 5/3. I already got the final approval letter from my insurance, so I'll schedule right after that, and the coordinator said it would just be a few weeks (like she made it seem like I would JUST have time to do the 1 week diet before) and I'd have surgery. I'm just trying to time it correctly with work, school, etc. Plus, I'm NOT telling my coworkers, as they are, well, not nice people and are nosy and want to be in your business.

Hey there. Waiting to schedule my surgery, which should be sometime in May or maybe June. I had my gallbladder out in Dec and have 3 sites and had a total of 12 staples. I got the random burning stinging pain for a few weeks, and the one basially in my belly button would get annoyed sometimes with certain pants. I too have a complete thyroidectomy in 2021, and that didn't bother me at all. (I'm from AL too, lol) Both surgeries, the only real issue I had is that I'm allergic to the adhesive in bandages, so I clawed myself and they were so whelped up. That part stunk. You can still see on my stomach where the adhesive was on my gallbladder sites.