KabinKitty

I had my follow up appointment with Dr. Alammar yesterday after my Dec 23rd colonoscopy. He said he did not know how I could even "go" with the stricture at the site of my previous colon surgery. He said the opening was like a pin hole. (He used a balloon instrument and dialated it during the procedure) He was not able to finish the colonoscopy, so I am scheduled for another one Jan 26th. He promised me that I won't wake up during this next one as they will be using propofol as the sedative. I am SO dreading this!! During yesterdays visit I told him of my scheduled WLS in 2 wks. He stared at me for a moment, then he asked "weight loss surgery"? I said yes, he said, "but I wouldn't even call you overweight". I told him my weight was boarderline and that I use a Bi-Pap machine and take 3 blood pressure meds, He still insisted he did not know how I would qualify for surgery. He asked if I ever had problems with my kidneys and I told him I had 3 kidney stones in the past. He said because of the way my body makes scar tissue that I could have stenosis in my kidneys that could be treated with balloon therapy and my hbp could be cured. He suggested I have a doppler ultrasound done of my kidneys. I went for that today, but it may take up to 3 business days to get the results. My nerves are about shot! Hubby wanted to go with me for yesterday's visit, but got called into work. I felt so all alone and started shaking, my whole body was shaking like I was freezing! I started the full liquid pre-op diet yesterday. The protein drink I got (Muscle Milk) is drinkable, but I don't really like it. I'm eating pureed soup. I do love my Magic Bullet!! I'm going to make some homemade soup with lots of lean meat and puree it.

My surgeon requires an Upper GI for all his patients before he will approve them for surgery. I had to drink about 3 or 4 cups of that nasty chalky stuff while they took pics and had me roll around and around on the table. I even had to drink one cup laying on my back! That stuff set up like cement in my gut and I got SO constipated! Of course I didn't know that the site of my previous colon surgery had grown so much scar tissue that I only had a tinsy little pin hole opening at that site. Hopefully they won't make me drink that much and I won't have so much trouble. I do remember the tech saying as I left, "if there is anything that makes your bowels move I would eat that today". I ate some chili....wow, did I ever get gut cramps BAD!! No fun!! I hope your sluggish tummy wakes up soon!

I'm on the pre-op full liquid diet (2nd day) and I'm sick of Protein shakes (Muscle Milk) already! YIKES!! I'm going to Magic Bullet some chicken and beef with a little broth and add it to some pureed soups to get my protein in. I love soup, but the protein taste in the shakes are hard to....swallow for me. Maybe I can find some Protein Shakes that I like (suggestions are welcome). Someone said that Muscle Milk tatse like a Yoo Hoo...? Yoo Hoo....the choclate kind I bought does not taste like Yoo Hoo to me. I can do savory much better than sweet.

My surgeon is Dr. Peter Lalor from Bowling Green Ohio. There has been a bariatric program at Wood County Hospital for over 30 years. http://www.wch.net I am scheduled for surgery Feb 2. Dr. Lalor is a perfectionist and has had very few problem surgeries. He will never discharge a patient if he suspects a problem. There is one negative comment left on his site on the Obesity Help website. It was left recently and I get the feeling that the person who left it is not following his recommendations and he is frustrated with her. I went in for my last visit before surgery just last week and he was very patient and answered tons of questions from my hubby and me. I am very, very impressed with everything I saw at Wood County Hospital. I got to meet with the anesteologist and was very impress with his honesty and how much information he shared with me. There is a monthly support meeting, the next one is Monday, Jan 24th at 7 pm at the hospital. I'm going to be there. He does alot of RNY's but has done many sleeves also.

Today is the first day of my journey. I had my consult today and I am scheduled for my sleeve on march 14. I am excited, scared, curious, and so many other feelings I can't describe. I have read so many stories on here and they have all inspired me so much. I just hope that I have the same success that everyone else has had. I have 2 mandatory test that I have to do first. 1.) sleep study 2.) psych evaluation. And possibly an EGD this is still up in the air. I am not sure why I have to do the psych test. Maybe someone else who had this can explain better. Is there something they could say to prevent my surgery. Just sounds like a silly thing to have to do, I know I have an addiction to food, don't need a head dr to tell me that..anyway any advice that anyone has would be greatly appreciated. (ABBY, IF YOU DO HAVE AN ADDICTION AND IT'S NOT ADDRESSED BEFORE SURGERY, THEN THE WHOLE PROCESS COULD BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO HANDLE, WHEN YOU ARE SEVERELY RESTRICTED WITH WHAT YOU ARE ALLOWED OR ABLE TO EAT. YOUR SURGEON MAY REQUIRE YOU TO FOLLOW A 2 WK FULL liquid DIET, LIKE I'M DOING RIGHT NOW. THEN AFTER SURGERY I WILL BE ON ANOTHER 2 WKS OF FULL liquids. THAT'S A LONG TIME WITHOUT REAL FOOD!) I hear that the few weeks after surgery is the worst because, you still have the hormone that causes hunger still lingering around. Has anyone had this problem or have a suggestion on how to get through it? I welcome any information. (I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THIS, CAUSE I HAVEN'T HAD SURGERY YET. I WISH YOU THE VERY BEST!) Thanks Abby

I've had problems with a colon stricture and was told I may need surgery to fix the problem. I have an appointment with the colorectal surgeon this week. I've let people at work know this...so when I disappear the first week of Feb, I'm hoping they will assume it is THAT surgery. If I have to lie I will. It's nobody's business. People can be so judgemental!

My surgery is February 2nd. I met with the surgeon and anestheologist last week. Hubby and I were told he would not see me for 4 hours after I go to the OR. The surgeon said it takes 1/2 hour prep before they actually begin surgery. He told hubby that he will come out to talk to him in about 3 hours. The anestheologist told me that about 30% of the patients wake up to pain in the right shoulder/chest area. He said it is referred pain from the diaphram. He said if I experience it, just tell him and he will immediately give me something for it. I hope I'm not in the 30%, but at least I will know what's causing it if I am. The hospital is a Center of Excellence and has had a bariatric department for over 30 years. I have alot of confidence in my surgeon and this facility. He does RNY, lap band and DS surgeries, but I think the sleeve is his preferred surgery.

I don't think you are snarky. I do not eat bread, pasta, crackers, cookies, cake etc....almost anything that contains flour. I don't tolerate gluten well. I basically eat meat and veggies and occasionally fruit. I do eat candy occasionally. I do not eat alot of slider foods, I guess potato chips would be my one downfall. Those won't be in the house after I have surgery! I wish I knew why I have gained to this weight...wouldn't we all! hahaha When I was a child I was chubby and by the time I graduated HS I weighed 205. I lost alot of weight with a Weight Watcher's type plan at age 19 and stayed in the 103-135 range for years. I had gained up to 230 and now weigh about 215 after cutting out the gluten foods. I have sleep apnea, and take 3 blood pressure meds. After my youngest son was born I gradually started to gain. When I started driving a school bus it increased. I'm sitting ALOT and I think that's part of the problem. I watch almost every new driver start puttin on the pounds after driving a while. It's a stressful tiring job, so in the evenings I'm too tired to exercise...thus the weight gain...which causes me to be more tired....etc, etc, etc. Three drivers had the DS surgery and about 5 have had RNY. I'm 58 years old and that is part of it too, I'm sure. My surgeon told me that he thinks the sleeve will work great for me and had (unknown to me) set my goal at 140....after my last appointment he changed it to 130. When I told him I was worried about not being a volume eater, he kind of snickered and smiled and looked at my husband and said, "she IS a worrier"! He said he was sure I would do fine as the volume I could consume after surgery would be very small. He did say that the surgery can be ruined by stretching the sleeve and with no malabsorbtion to fall back on, those who stretch the sleeve will probably not be successful.

I am not a big eater. I do not eat many sweets (ie cookies, cake, junk food). I just need reassurance that I can still be a loser with a sleeve. I don't even eat half the volume my hubby eats. He weighs about 50 or 60 lbs more than me. Does losing weight make you more active and help with the loss? I was told my new tummy will only hold about 4 ounces. It seems like I would have to eat day and night to NOT lose weight with that small of a tummy.

BC/BS may not require the endoscopy be done, but your surgeon might. BC/BS of Ohio does not require an Upper GI, but my surgeon would not operate without every patient having one done. Hope you don't need to. I've heard you are knocked out during it, so it shouldn't be too bad.

I know alot we have alot of new people on this site who don't know me, but I occasionally see a familiar name. I am 58 years old and have 3 comorbidities. I currently weigh around 210, having lost 20 lbs in the past 4 months. My surgery date is scheduled for Feb 2nd. If all goes well with my next colonoscopy. I had my second colonoscopy in 6 years a few weeks ago and it didn't go well at all. I had alot of scar tissue where my sigmoid colon was removed about 5 years ago. The doctor had to use a balloon type instrument to basically rip/tear the scar tissue. He could not complete the entire colonoscopy so I will need to have another one and he may need to tear the scar tissue again at that time. I am going to make sure they put me under with Propofal this time, instead of just Demoral and Versed!!! I have woke up in alot of pain during both previous colonoscopies. I see my sleeve surgeon in 3 days (Thurs, Jan 13th) and the surgeon who did my colon surgery next week (Wed, Jan 19th). I want to get the next colonoscopy done before my surgery due to having to drink all that prep. My doctor now has his patients use Miralax in lemonade or Gatorade instead of that awlful stuff we used to drink. After dealing with Anthem BC/BS of Ohio for months to get approved, I am now facing one more obsticle to get sleeved!!

I will be on full liquids for two weeks prior to surgery and clear liquid for two days before surgery. My surgeon does this (as he explains) to cause the liver to produce less digestive juices and shrink it out of the way. I will be following this plan religiously to assist my surgeon in doing an excellent job on my surgery. I've also read that if you have a fatty liver it can be slippery and difficult to manuver out of the way during surgery. I wish you the best for your surgery and recovery!

I have BC/BS of Ohio which just started to cover the sleeve in Nov of 2010. I just got approved last week and I'm scheduled for surgery on Feb 2, 2011. Like someone else said, different surgeon's require different tests. My surgeon requires all his weight loss patients to have an upper GI. Some others don't, but do require an endescope. I truly believe that BC/BS is going to cover the sleeve in every state some day. Some company administrators put in exclusion (which they have the right to do) to exclude coverage for any WLS. I feel so blessed that my groups administrators didn't do that....yet! That is the reason I feel I HAVE to get the surgery now, before it get excluded. Best wishes to you on your surgery!

Well, things did get better this week! On Thursday, Jan 6th, the ins gal from the surgeon's office called to tell me I AM approved for surgery! My date is Feb 2nd! I have appointments with the surgeon, anestheologist and the nutritionist this Thur January 13th. I have to do a full liquid diet for two weeks to trim down my liver and then 2 days of clear liquids before surgery. It still hasn't sunk in completely.....I'm nervous, but so hopeful that I will have a tool to help me lose the weight and keep it off forever!!

My date is also February 2nd. I've been on this journey since the spring of 2010, jumping through all the hoops, going through all the ups and downs of appointments and tests. I can hardly believe my surgery is actually going to happen! We must make sure we follow our doctor's instructions to the tee to have successful surgeries! I wish you both all the best, may God guide everyone involved in your surgeries!!

Just contacted by my surgeon's office this week. They told me Anthem of Ohio contacted them to say they are now covering the Sleeve as a "stand alone" surgery. My information has been resubmitted after Anthem had denied me in August due to the Sleeve being considered experimental/investigational. I should know within 2 weeks if I am approved and will have surgery in February!!!!

January 31st I was so discouraged that I emailed my surgeon's nurse and told her I was at my wits end waiting for an answer from Anthem about my approval. I had called Anthem earlier in the week to find out that they contacted the surgeon's office to on Dec 17th for "clinicals" and never heard back from them. When I called the ins gal at my surgeon's office she told me she didn't know of any request for clinicals. The nurse said she would pull my file and see what she could do. The ins gal called me that same day (Mon. Feb.3rd) and told me she called Anthem again and would continue to do so till she got some answers. The next day (Feb.4th) she called to say that she had been on the phone with them for hours and thought she had made progress. One gal told her I was approved, and then someone else told her that she thought there was an exclusion in my policy!! She told me that she would give them the rest of the week and call back on Monday if she hadn't heard anything. On Thursday she called to tell me that she got a letter in the mail stating I was approved, so she called to confirm that. When she submitted my paperwork in Dec. she gave them the surgery date of Feb. 2nd, and that still stands. What a long and frustrating journey it's been and I'm glad that part's over!!! The letter I got states that the surgeon's office had to withdraw the request for inpatient services and then the outpatient ovservation status was approved. It states that if the claim is sbmitted as inpatient, then benefits may not be provided. What a load of mumbo jumbo ins talk! My surgeon has his sleeve patients stay a minimum of two days. Anyway, it looks like I'm on my way. It really has not sunk in yet, since this last part all happened so quickly! I am so ready to begin my new life!

I called Anthem concerning a charge for my husband and decided to check on the status of my surgery approval. They said no paperwork was submitted by my surgeon's office! I called Kris and she was confused and told me she would refax everything. I checked last week to make sure she did and they told me at Anthem it arrived on the 15th and was sent to the Nurse-Reviewer on Friday the 17th. This morning I called and it's still in the review process.....tick....tock.....tick....tock So last week was a real blast! I finally got up the nerve to schedule my second colonoscopy. The first one revealed a narrowing of the colon, which lead to a colectomy (a removal of part of my colon) and a weeks stay in the hospital. I was very low in potassium and needed infusions. I had been having some problems and of course feared the worse, ie colon cancer. I was told to have my next colonoscopy 3 years after my first and it's been about 6 years. So I was to do the prep on Tuesday afternoon and have the procedure on Wednesday morning. I only got about half the prep solution in when I had terrible cramps in my bowels and was nauseated. Because of the nausea I could not drink anymore prep solution. I was in hell all night with severe pain and dry heaves! The next morning I called the surgery center and told them what happened. They just wanted to know if I was cleaned out and I told them no. Well, we finally decided since the vomiting stopped to take another prep solution at 7 pm and reschedule the test to take place the next morning at the hospital. I was scheduled to receive propofal to be more deeply sedated, but the hospital won't use it so it was the usual light sedation. I was aware of a painful tearing feeling and I knew at one point my doctor's partner was in the room and the conversation (that I could not comprehend) led me to believe that something was NOT going right! I woke up and learned that I had scar tissue that was almost totally blocking my colon and the doctor used a balloon to stretch and tear the scar tissue. No wonder I was in pain and had so much trouble with the prep. I was not cleaned out due to the blockage so he could only scope a small section of my colon. Now I need to go for a follow up visit and see what he has in mind. He told my husband the scar tissue may need to be stretched more and he needs to finish the colonoscopy to check for polps or other problems. WONDERFUL! I hope things get better real soon!!

Hi all, I'm still waiting on my surgeon's office to respond to BC/BS's request for clinicals to see if I'm approved for surgery. It was a rough year beginning with a call to the surgeon's office in March and my seminar in May! I've passed all my tests required by BC/BS and my surgeon. Wait, wait, wait! I am so excited to lose the weight and toss my bi-pap machine. Just wondered how many of you have been able to stop using your machine. My job requires me to take the card in my machine to a local medical equipment supply store and have them download a readout. I have to take this with me when I go for a physical to prove I've been using my machine regularly. If I haven't been using it enough, I won't pass my physical and could lose my job.

It seems like I'm using this thread almost like a blog, huh? I hope that's okay. I called BC/BS again today to see if the paperwork faxed from my surgeon's office ever made it to the "Nurse Reviewer". The nice lady told me it was given to the "Reviewer" last Friday, three days after the surgeon's office faxed it. She told me my surgery is still under review and that she would suggest I call back the first of next week to find out if it has been approved. I just can't believe how kind and patient these folks at Anthem BC/BS have been with me! If I don't get approved soon then I won't be scheduled in February. I had my heart set on having surgery during one of the coldest, nastiest times of the year here in Ohio. I would rather be recoperating indoors then, than during the beautiful spring weather! I will let you all know as soon as I hear something.

Congratulations on getting your date!! I can't wait to be there.....soon I hope! I think most docs order a lowfat diet for a week before sugery to try and shrink the liver as much as possible as it make it easier to do the sugery. The liver is very close to the stomach and it's possible to knick it during surgery if it's enlarged due to being fatty. My surgeon has his patients do a full liquid diet the week before with Protein drinks and creamed Soups and such. Then Clear liquids the day before and after.....no bowel prep (thank goodness)! Guess he figures that with the full liquids for a week the bowels would be fairly empty.

I think the tummy tuck with abdominal wall tightening is called Abdominoplasty. I saw a disscussion about this on the TV show called "The Doctors". The plastic surgeon on the program showed a drawing that explained how this surgery is different than the "old" tummy tuck. The surgeon used a criss-cross stitching that sort of looked like shoe laces. He did say the recuperation takes longer and is more painful, but the results are permanent and make for a flatter stomach. With the old type of tummy tuck the patient sometimes needed a revision sugery down the road. My last (and third) baby weighed 11lbs 5oz. so I would opt for the abdominoplasty because my abdominal muscles are shot. Here's a website with lots of pictures of plastic surgery patients: www.locateadoc.com/pictures/cosmetic-surgery.html

Still no word from BC/BS about my approval/denial. I have the phone number to call the dept. that reviews the paperwork sent in from the surgeon. They decide if you get an approval and I think I will call them to make sure they received the paperwork from the ins. gal. I had my regular 6 month check up with my pcp on Friday to check my bp and the results of my blood work. I could tell he was SO impressed with everything! My blood pressure was 126/60 (with the help of 3 bp meds), I had lost 11 lbs and my labs were great! He said, "I don't know when I've seen anyone's tryglicerides dropped so much in 4 months time". I have been eating almost no white carbs as I am avoiding almost all wheat gluten and I think that has alot to do with it. He is very supportive of my having this surgery. It was a great visit!!

Okay here's the update. I waited till Wed. to do a follow up (the two weeks that my surgeon's ins. gal says it takes to hear back from BC/BS) about if they are approving or denying surgery. I had to call BC/BS about another situation involving a claim on my hubby. While I had them on the phone and asked them to check the status on my approval for surgery. They told me they haven't recieved any paperwork from my surgeon's office since the initial paperwork back in late July. They had the denial in their records, but that's it! I called the surgeon's office and talked to the ins gal. She called BC/BS back and refaxed all my paperwork....again. She told me that she got a person's name and that they should have it now. WHEW! Needless to say I was NOT happy! More waiting.......................

Hope, I don't know what state you are in, but BC/BS of Ohio just started covering the sleeve Nov. 18th. My surgeon's office resubmitted my paperwork and I'm waiting for an answer. I was denied in Aug. due to being investigational/experimental. Sittin' on pins and needles here! I hope you get a YES very soon!