I have a kind of funny question

[JamieLogical 8,708]

I would caution you to call your carrier and confirm that any complication that should arise or future needs you have will be covered.

I already have and I have an appointment with my PCP later this week, because she'll be handling my follow-up lab work and whatnot.

[cajunpeach 0]

Cody's Mom, I'm self pay and considering Mexico, would you mind sharing some info;

What other expenses will you have? I'm guessing air and hotel? How long will you be in Mexico? How are you doing your pre-op and post-ops?

TIA!

Most insurances will only cover you if your BMI is at a certain number so if your below you have to eat your way to an acceptable BMI (to them) and then it's never a forsure, and some will only pay a small portion. There is no wait time in Mexico and the quality of surgeons are exceptional, and so is the care. For someone like me, who is paying out of pocket $4,400 is a whole lot easier to swollow than $15,000 - $18,000, and I don't have to beg anyone or explain repeatedly why this is so important to me and my health. This surgery is a decission that I want to make, I don't want to be at the mercy of someone that thinks they know me better than I do. These are my reasons why I'm going to Tijuana.

[JamieLogical 8,708]

Cody's Mom, I'm self pay and considering Mexico, would you mind sharing some info;

What other expenses will you have? I'm guessing air and hotel? How long will you be in Mexico? How are you doing your pre-op and post-ops?

TIA!

Here were my expenses so far:

Cost of Surgery, included night in clinic and two nights in hotel

Two additional nights in hotels, one pre-op and one post-op... the extra night post-op is due to what time my flight leaves

Round-trip Flights

Take-home Meds

Cash for tips and incidentals

Passport Card - I have an enhanced license which gets me back into the US, but apparently Mexico recently passed a law requiring a passport or passport card to enter Mexico

Other than that, most of the money I'm spending is on Vitamins and Protein shakes and whatnot, which you'd need to buy no matter where you have your surgery.

[kaybrown 2]

Count me in to every thing every single one of you have said. No you are not alone. One minute I'm so pumped, the next I'm second guessing the entire thing, then back to being excited, then back to thinking what the heck am I doing, then excited to wear clothes that fit, then the fear of life after the sleeve, then up down, up down.. Geish!

I'm going to Mexico, alone, then have to come back to Canada and a few days later drive eight hours to work to an isolated area where there's no town or even kitchen facilities.. So yup one minute I'm yea, then the next eeekk. I'm not worried about the surgery as much as the life that follows.

Wow, I think you're very brave for doing the remote thing. I am sure with support of these forums you will succeed

[kaybrown 2]

Before the surgery I couldn't wait for it! Then during the pre-op I lost 17 lbs on my own (low carb diet) and I actually had a second thought about the surgery.

Plus I had to stay 1 night alone at the hospital the night before, I was kind of freeked out. Then in the morning I was alsoo alone when the nurse came for me they dropped some kind of anti anxiety under my tongue before brining me to the OR. So while waiting in the waiting room I was like getting high on the drung, I was actually singing the whole time and then fell asleep.

The worst part was when I woke up in the ICU, 5 tubes all over my body. After I saw my husband briefly (I was pretty much on anesthesia) I felt naussea so I pushed myself to sleep then the med team came to check on me every 3 hours, each time they injected insulin, take the blood preasure, inject medicine, check my blood sugar, my temperature. It's been 4 days like this until I kept woke up every 3 hours for more than a week later. 2 days later my psychiatrice came to visit me I actually told him that "You know maybe I made the wrong decision about this" but he didn't take it seriously (he cleared me for the surgery) he said, Oh, don't be silly, you're on anesthesia and pain killer, you'll be fine, it will change your life, you'll see.

I stuck in bed for 4 days, the pain's actually gone on day 3 but I sill felt uncomfortable because of the tubes. I told myself, it's goning to be better tomorrow and tried to sleep early every night.

Now I fall asleep at 11 pm and wake up at 6 am to embrace the new me everyday. And I think it's one of the best decisions I've ever made.

You say they injected insulin and checked your sugar levels ... were you diabetic before surgery or was that something routine?

[Waiting4Sleeve 15]

I completely understand those feelings! I am right there with you with them! We gotta hang in there and do this. It will be the best thing we have ever done for ourselves.

[FairySleeve 297]

You say they injected insulin and checked your sugar levels ... were you diabetic before surgery or was that something routine?

I was surprised too because I was not treated for diabetic before, my blood sugar was pretty high but I was not yet diabetic. As they told me everything they were doing to me I was...what wait (after have had a few shorts already) why do I need insulin? The nurse told me that my blood sugar was higher than usual because of anaesthesia.

It was only the first night post-op only. Later they checked my blood sugar twice a day and it went down hill. The fifth day the doctor asked me to put sugar in my yogurt! Hehe

[kaybrown 2]

It's the Intensive care after surgery, I think it's the normal procedure here (I'm in France). My surgery went well without complication but the medical team put me there after surgery to render my body back to normal condition. My surgeon already told me before surgery that they will keep me in the hospital 5 days post-op, then he gave me 1 month off work. Here in France the Social security pays for the pre-op exams and operation. The employer gets the compensation for my sick leave and my operation is confidential meaning by law, the employer cannot ask what my operation is for.

So that ICU wasn't just the normal recovery room/ward used for any other type of surgery/procedure when general anesthetic is used?

[FairySleeve 297]

So that ICU wasn't just the normal recovery room/ward used for any other type of surgery/procedure when general anesthetic is used?

I think so, yes, it's the intensive care unit after surgery. I think it's the normal procedure for any surgery I stayed in the service 4 nights. After the swallow test and scanning my abdomen they moved me to the other recovery room for 1 more night and released me on the 6th day.

[Forsythia 882]

I was on the fence the whole time. I was all like.. "well Andrea, you don't have to go through with it. You can quit any time." But I kept going to meetings and doing the requirements. LOL. It took until I got the approval letter from BCBS for me to realize I was going to go through with it for reals.

[JerzyTomato74 91]

I was just talking to DH about this. I was telling him that after a support group meeting, nutrition consult or appt with my surgeon, I am really pumped up about doing this. Then over the next couple days after, the worry sets back in again. I know that I'm going to go through with it but it's a vicious cycle! Now that all my insurance requirements are done it's even scarier to think about because now I'm going to be getting all the things I need post-surgery. Even though I've elected to do it in October, that's only two months away. When I started this process it was March and it seemed like forever ago. The months have flown by!

Edited August 16, 2014 by JerzyTomato74

[mentalistfan 189]

Well, I started this post and I am six days post-op! I did it, I pushed through. Have I had moments of regret, yes! I'm just telling the truth. I have anxiety though, just sometimes in general. Things have went overall great but with every pain I worry lol, I'm exaggerating a little, but you get the point. Good luck in whatever you choose! God Bless!!!