rootsbeforebranches

THIS ^ alllllll of this! It is truly unbelievable how these companies make life or death decisions about people they've never even met before. Sickening, really. 😔 That does make me feel a bit better that RNY patients here have had DS-level successes. I felt for a long while that I couldn't let myself be excited because it wasn't the switch but this gives me hope. Truly, thank you. ☺️

Insurance companies are arguably the worst. My BMI is high enough (approx. 70) that both my surgeon and I strongly felt that the DS was the best way to go. My surgeon consulted his colleagues and they felt it was appropriate to stage the surgery for safety but when my patient coordinator reached out to insurance, they said they would not cover the second stage. So I'm facing RNY on 11/30, despite my greater need for the DS. Such is life, I suppose. I just wish that if your surgeon says you need something, insurance doesn't have a right to say otherwise. Thank you for the luck, I'll take all I can get! 😅

Honestly, I have found hardly anyone else with as restrictive of a pre-op diet, though I'm already sort of getting used to it. Unbelievably, I woke up this morning hardly hungry at all! Throughout the day, I've had to force myself to drink the protein shakes. I definitely feel like there were plenty of times when I could have done without it and not been bothered. What a difference a day makes! The only time I've gotten really, reallllly hungry was when driving by my favorite Hibachi spot on my way to pick up a blender (I've decided to invest one solely for the purpose of turning ice into snow and giving myself SOMETHING to chew on/crunch). And oh my gosh, the YouTube ads for food have been downright taunting. 😩 It's kind of crazy how prevalent food encouragement is in our day-to-day, something I haven't noticed before now. Anyway, I'm hoping that our tummies can keep up the good work and that Day 20 will be as easy as Day 2. Thank you for the encouragement, sending best wishes right back at ya!

While this is true, it's important to keep insurance in mind unless you're in a position to be able to afford the surgery out of pocket. Initially, I was going to do a staged DuoDenal Switch but after reviewing my insurance-- turns out they would not cover a revision. Both my surgeon and I agreed that it would be much better to go with Roux-en-Y if we had to choose between the VSG only or the RNY only.

I'm on Day ONE of my three-week long, 800cal/day, clear liquid + protein shake ONLY pre-op diet. 😩 To say that I'm already feeling in over my head is an understatement. From what I've read though, I should only have to deal with this ravenousness for about 4 more days or so before my body gets used to it. Hopefully, that time comes sooner than later. I've started having the flutterbies for sure and have had moments where I consider if I'm strong enough to do this for another 20 days. But, I've been trying to stay focused on different YouTubes of people discussing their experiences and before/after pics -- that helps me keep my eye on the prize. 🤪 Sending strength to everyone else in this pre-op liquid hellscape, you are a champion! 💥

Roux-en-Y scheduled for November 30th, here! I'm shivering with antici.....pation! (If you know, you know) 🤪