So Anxious, Impatient and Just want to get a move on! QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS...

[Tiffany Phillips]

Hello All!

I have a few questions and they may have all been answered already if so please don't yell at me just refer me to the other post. I'm just in the beginning stages and I have my group orientation next week on my birthday of all days and then I have my one on one with my surgeon. I just want to get things moving so I can start this process to a new me. My questions are:
1. What is the real point of the 6 month supervised diet? I've heard 2 things, one its to shrink your liver and 2 its for insurance purposes (also to give you time to change your mind).
2. After the procedure did you have nauseousness? My body is very sensitive to the anesthesia and I ALWAYS get sick after coming to. Do they give you something where you won't throw up at all? I'm just curious because it seems like that's going to make it even more painful for me.
3. For those who have had it for awhile, does the hungry feeling really go away or do you sometimes get really hungry?
4. As you lose weight I know your self-esteem gets better but when you lose all the weight and have loose skin does it kind of lower your self-esteem?
5. Should I tell my co-workers that I am having the procedure?
I think that's it for now thank you all for taking the time to give me advice.

Tiff

[Tiffany Phillips]

PS
What do they cover on the psych evaluation?

[headsntails]

hi Tiff- i'll do my best to answer your questions.
1. i was a self pay- so no supervised diet.. but had a pre-op diet which was to shrink my liver... i think the insurance's purpose of 6 month diet is so you would change your mind and also to see if weight loss through change of diet would in fact work.. if they see a dramatic weight loss, they may not approve you for the surgery bc they may feel that you can lose the weight on your own.

2. yes- i felt nauseous after the procedure and had to dry heave (wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy) but they gave me shots for that, even in Mexico! so i can only assume they would dope you up in the US.

3. well- you can see how many days post op i am- but besides the 'head hunger' thinking i may be hungry or missing food, i actually haven't felt 'hungry' yet. as more days pass, i'm dealing with my head hunger much better and feeling better everyday!

4.the loose skin thing.. yeah.. i haven't lost enough weight for that but my doc did advise me to start doing arm and leg exercises to prevent it... i hope i lose the weight in the pace where my skin has time to catch up.. i leave it up to God.

5. i personally lied. yes. i did. told them i was getting my gallbladder removed (scars are very similar). this was one of the thread discussion and if i could do it over, i woulda just said that i don't feel comfortable discussing my personal medical information, if they keep bugging you- maybe tell them the truth since lies can lead to more lies... if you want to be honest- be careful who you share it with since there are alot of ppl that could be jealous / skeptical of you and try to deter you from your decision.

hope this helps and wish you luck with your journey. this is a great forum with great people that are supportive and full of knowledge. don't hesitate to ask questions.

[Nancy Stern]

Hi, My birthday is next week too, 24th. There are two different pre op diets the supervised diet which is an insurance thing I think they want to see how determined you are. The second diet typically anywhere from a week to months ( the longer time frame is for those who also need to lose some for surgery to be safe) right before your surgery to help shrink your liver making it softer and smaller and easier to move around. I am like you super sensitive to anesthesia and tend to stay slightly nauseous for days after any procedure (I'll never understand how Michael Jackson could think of it as a good time). Just be sure to let everyone know beforehand. You will talk with an anesthesiologist before your surgery and tell him or her so they can tweak the drugs they give you. I did throw up a little and while it was scary it wasn't really painful. The worst part if you get nausea as easily as I do is when you have to drink the contrast after surgery for the leak check it is so nasty tasting! I rarely feel hungry and I am a year out when I have do its when I have gone way too long between meals. The skin thing I go back and forth on but for the most part I rather the lose skin then the fat and hiding the loose skin with shapewear actually works which is doesn't with fat Your age, genetics and how much you exercise factors in on how much loose skin you will end up with. And remember while you are losing rapidly your skin will have no way of keeping up so you'll need to be patient to see what you end up with there. Telling is a very personal thing and only you know what is best for you. I told/tell everyone it just did not feel right to lie. All I could think of is how many times after someone else had lost weight I tried what they did and failed and to tell someone feeling as I did that I just dieted and exercised felt wrong.

[Nancy Stern]

The pych eval wasn't a big deal asked straight foreword questions I think it took about 30 minutes

[jackiebthe1]

Kay is right about the 6 months of doctor appts. Make sure you start right away so that the six months goes by fast (I hated that waiting period). I actually gained 5 lbs during my 6 months, I'm sure not what the insurance co. wants to see. Yes, a lot of people get nausious, but not all and mine was mostly in the 1st day. If you have good care they'll give you lots of pain meds so you'll sleep through it. I told my work people that I had a hynal hernia repaired and had to do liquids before and after, thus the weight loss. Work people can be really critical, especially if HR gives you a lot of time off work. I still get a physical hunger when my stomach is empty, but I don't get that "want to eat all the time" hunger ever. And cravings go away, it is AWESOME!!!! As for excess skin, lots of forums on this one. If you stretch the skin out really far for a long time, depending on age, you'll probably have lose skin. For me, depression from being overweight far exceeds any lose skin I have. Losing weight is the most wonderful feeling!!! hope this helps.

[Angela Schmangela]

1. The real point of the six months waiting period according to my doctor's office is to prove to insurance that you know how to eat healthy and lose weight. No, it doesn't make sense, which is why I suspect the unwritten reason is also partially to weed out some folks and save a few $$$. The diet immediately before surgery is to shrink your liver, especially when you are on clear liquids.

2. I have horrible trouble with anesthesia, and I've had so many surgeries that I know how to handle it. I tell my anesthesiologist when I meet with him before surgery that I need both anti-nausea meds in my IV as well as a scopolamine patch behind my ear. So long as I have both meds I don't have a problem, even after having stomach and gall bladder surgery.

3. Hunger feelings are almost completely gone so long as I have taken my acid reflux meds. Even when I realize at the end of the day that I have skipped a meal or two, I don't feel hunger like I used to. I can recognize that my stomach is empty, but it doesn't hurt or growl and I don't feel really deprived or have headaches.

4. The loose skin is already becoming a problem for me, but it's nowhere near the problem that the weight was. I do hope to eventually have a tummy tuck and I'd like to have arms and double chin taken care of too, but I already feel so much better about myself that if it doesn't happen I'll live a better life than I ever would have before.

5. I chose to tell my closest coworkers and friends. And word has filtered out until almost everyone at my job knows. But it's been okay. I didn't think I wanted people to know but it's been really okay.

ps. My psych eval was done via survey and over the phone. I think they are just trying to establish that we are basically okay emotionally because it is a lifestyle change.

[jane_vsg_ayla]

The way it was explained to me when a friend had surgery, the insurance company knows that all WLS requires permanent changes to your behavior afterwards, and they want to know that you are willing to follow the instructions and are a good candidate for a "sucessful" outcome. I.e. surgery is not successful for everyone, and some people will sabotage the surgery because they want to eat. The success of the surgery depends on how well you follow the surgeon's directions, and how much you are committed to changing your life afterwards. Some people think that they can go have this surgery and the sleeve will do all the work for them. So they can eat whatever they want and think they will lose weight. The ins wants to know you are committed to this and understand that lifestyle changes are required.

That being said, its still a little silly - if we could follow those lifestyle changes without the surgery, we probably would not have gotten to this point in the first place. I dont know that I have ever heard of someone who lost too much weight on it and was denied later... but I am sure someone somewhere has!

Anyway, thats just what I understand.