Has anyone heard if St. V's is going to have their annual bariatric Christmas party? If so, could you post all the details here (and of Facebook too..add me, SweetSherri if you haven't already)? I haven't been for a few years and would love to go. My follow-up isn't until Dec 27th..so if someone is going this coming week, please ask & post if no one has yet. I was looking in past years posts and although it is usually the first Tuesday in December, I did see one year that it was Nov. 30th.

Thanks!

Sherri

ps..Divorce was fnal 9/24/12 so it's Sherri Morris now.

You're quite welcome & good luck!

I think I'd check to see if Missouri has any state laws similar to Indiana's. Other than that, I really don't have any insurance advise for you.

I did want to commend you on your weight loss efforts. I have had a multitude of problems stemming from my RNY, plastics, etc. Because of that, my daughter absolutely refuses to even consider WLS even though her BMI is significantly higher than my highest ever was. Some advise I have given her to lose it non-surgically (an no, she has yet to consistently apply mom's advise) are:
1.  Drink ALOT of water. The old stand-by is 32 oz. I would recommend you double that if you can.
2.  Drink NO caffiene. If you do, for every ounce of caffinated beverage you have, drink 2 ounces of water IN ADDITION to the water you drink in #1 to counter the effects of the caffiene.
3.  Substitute all the foods you presently eat with a lower fat/sugar containing one. There is nothing saying you can never have Mayo on a sandwich again...but use the low fat one. In other words, cut calories without cutting out the food. You won't feel like you are depriving yourself then.
4.  Cut down on how much you have. Love chocolate cake? Fine...eat a slice, not a half a cake. Self control is a very hard thing to learn. Surgery or not, it is one that you will have to learn in order to suceed.
5.  Start every meal with PROTEIN. Protein fills you up faster. Eat 3-4 oz of it. Then your veggies..then your fruit. IF you have room at this point, then have your carbs. Make your carbs a colorful choice! White carbs are your worst carbs!
6.  Here's a hard one...do not drink anything 30 minutes before or after a meal..and none while eating the meal. Let your tummy fill up on the food and keep the food it there. It will satisfy you longer.
7. Chew slowly. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to get the message that your stomach has had enough so chew slowly to give it time to get the message.
8. If you walk for exercise, dance! If you run, bike! Change it up! Use different muscles.
9. DO NOT SKIP MEALS! ESPECIALLY BREAKFAST! People think that losing weight means cutting down on meals. WRONG! It is cutting down on amount of food per meal. 6 small meals is healthier for you than 2 large meals even if it means you are getting in more calories per day. Breakfast just starts your metabalism for the day. VERY important! Also, if you don't get enough calories in your body goes into starvation mode and doesn't want to release the calories it is getting in...which means instead of buring fat, you burn muscle.
10. The most important word to weight loss is PEW. Protein...Exersize...Water

Knowing the problems I have had, if I could go back and do it again, I would be going through steps 1-10.

Good luck! Don't get discouraged. Even post-ops go through stalls on their weight loss. That is the time when you can't let yourself get discouraged but continue doing what you know you should.

Sherri

Thanks Marlin. I can definately use the prayers. This whole divorce business has been a real stressor to deal with. I'll be glad when it's done and I can close that chapter of my life for good.

Sherri

Stephanie,

I go through the Pain Center of Indiana on North Meridian. It's a little bit south of Dr. Price's and on the east side of the street. I'm thinking that it's ~8300 something. I go through St. Vincent surgeons but I don't know if the center is associated with just them or not. A PA has been handling all of mine so far. Dr. Cacucci wouldn't even try my on anything so I've been going by with the pain constantly increasing and not getting any help. I couldn't believe how good I felt when I had a few hours totally pain-free! I'm on a time release now. It keeps my 'constant' pain at about 2/3..it was a 4. The sudden onbursts could get 8/9  and now they are about 6. So big improvement. I'm also on some to help with those onbursts. If it gets where the meds aren't doing the trick, we'll probably be looking at steroid injections to try to stop the scar tissue growth and/or injections to deaden the nerves that the scar tissue is pressing down on. At that point, their doctors get involved I think.

Congrats on getting back on track with your weight loss. Hopefully the rest of your bosy will help with that, huh? Are your medical difficulties related to WLS? Or is there another cause. Mine was..indirectly. Because I lost 200 lb, I had plastics. I had gotten a blood clot in my leg & lung during that but was misdiagnosed as pnumonia. The 'treatment' iritated the hell out of my intestines, they twisted all up and the entire length of them were black. They induced a coma, saved the intestines, but couldn't get my abdominal wall to close so I have a mesh sewed in to protect my intestines. That sewing caused scar tissue. And that's where I am today. lol. Of course, other stuff happened in-between (strictures, ulcers, hernia's) but the coma one was the one that led up to why I have pain.

Sherri

Dr. Inman isn't my surgeon but most of the St. V's surgeons require about the same thing. So..this is only a best guess and you'll learn much more on the 5th.

1. I don't know about the payment plan stuff but you could try going to www.carecredit.com and see if you can get a credit card to cover it. Care Credit is for medical expenses. If Dr. Inman's office will work with Care Credit, you can get free financing for 12-18 months (depending on how they set it up) provided you pay it off in that allotted time. That is how I paid for my portion of plastics & my bridges.

2. A medically supervised diet is any medical doctor or dietician. Usually the insurance required fod journals from you and a copy of the doctors notes from when they saw you & discussed your diet with you. That can be an internist. It usually is not the WLS surgeon.

3.  Any good WLS surgeon will require you to take supplements. If you don't, you are going to be one sick puppy. It will be a given that you will need to take (3) chewable multi-vitamins. I recommend the one a day chewable gummies for adults. WAY better than the chalky Flintstones. You'll also be required to do (3) chewable Calcium, B12 sublingual (or monthly injections), and B1. I would recommend you start doing Biotin at least 6 weeks prior to surgery. Many post-ops have issues with the condition of their hair & nails shortly after surgery. Biotin helps to lessen those. Post-op, you will also be required to drink protein drinks. It is the only way you are going to get in enough protein to support your body. Remember, you aren't going to be eating the food it is use to. I know you think you know your body now but trust me, your body changes post-op and it's needs changes rapidly. Follow as closely as you can to your surgeons post-op requirements. The better you do at this, the healthier your outcome will be.

Best of luck...

It's been quite awhile since I've been on OH. Shame on me I know. The people here were always my greatest resource of encouragement. I plan to change that and get my butt back here where it belongs more often!! I'd like to encourage all of the 'oldies' to get on here and post & let the newbies here know that we are there for them. I see several posts with questions that went unanswered. I'm sure they have the answers to those by now..and I am equally as sure that there will be many more new questions coming up...just as we had.

My weight is doing fine. I've been holding steady at 160-165 for the past 5 years. I'm finally going to the pain management center so getting relief there (yaye!). The big news is that I finally had enough and moved out & filed for a divorce this week. That will be a 300lb relief when it gets all done!

So...getting my life back on track!

Sherri

Cathy,

Your reply sounds alot like my hubby. He hasn't had weight loss surgery but eats very similar to you....and gains weight. He may or may not eat anything during the day. He usually sticks to lean meat, veggie, and salad for dinner. And he never eats a dessert, but will occasionally have no-sugar added ice cream in the evening. He drinks way more water than I do. Here's the difference between him & I...I ALWAYS start my day off with something to eat...usually a bagel with fat-free cream cheese. He rarely has breakfast and might eat something light for lunch. He gives his body nothing to get his metabolism going. Unless your protein bar is for breakfast shortly after getting up, you are doing the same thing he is. Try starting your day with that cottage cheese and fruit. Be sure you're getting in 3 meals a day. And be sure you are getting in enough calories. Did you know that not eating enough calories can be a stumbling block for weight loss as well as eating too much? You should be getting in 1000-1200 calories each and every day. There are alot of good sites out there that can help you keep track of them until you get your brain trained at knowing when you've had the right amount of each food group. Remember that we are to strive for a balanced diet, not a diet. Again, my advise is for you to journal.

I can certainly understand your 2010. I worked more overtime last year than I have in about 15 years. So far, this year isn't going to be any different. I usually read the posts on here but don't always post anymore....

Sherri

Ah...to not be human and do human things....Even at 6+ years out....

Contact Brenda Cacucci. She has taken on most of Dr. Gupta's patients. Those that she hasn't, Dr. Diaz did.

This message title has dual meaning. Bill's cousin, Denise, had gastric bypass a month or so ago. We got word today that she passed away on Sunday.

I first met Denise a little over 4 years ago (~6 months before my coma). Based on her height, I would guess that her weight was ~500 lb at that time. At that time, Denise had to use a walker to be mobile at all. Some of the other cousins made sure they introduced me to Denise...hoping that she would inquire about weight loss surgery. She did....a little bit anyway.  I was careful in what I said. At that time, it hadn't been very long since we lost our WLS sister Mary. Denise unfortunately waited until her doctor told her 'do it or die'. I haven't seen Denise since May 2006 so I don't have any idea how much her weight had topped off at prior to her agreeing to having WLS. Knowing human nature though, I would gues that adding 4 years probably added another 100 lb or so. It definately added stress to her physically and medically. After Denise had the WLS, she was sent to a rehab so she could have enough assistance to get up and walk. Denise ended up getting mersa and sent back to the hospital and admitted to ICU, where her body decided it had enough. Bill and I are waiting to find out when the services will be.

So...in sadness, I share not only that Bill's cousin has passed away, but a WLS sister. I hope that Denise is now running care free in the flower fields of Heaven.

Sherri

Angel,

Dr. Bergman's office is wonderful at handling the insurance. Most insurance's will cover the panni (ALL the costs including surgeon, surgical center, and operating room costs)...but they need the surgeon's office to be willing to submit it...and know how to submit it to get it covered. Dr. Turkle's office wouldn't even think about submitting it for me...'not worth it'. To save a few thousand was well worth it for me!! Not to mention, Dr. Bergman is fantastic as a person and as a surgeon. I ended up having alot of problems through no fault of Dr. Bergman's, and she was right there for me the whole way! I just can't say enough positive things about this talented woman.

Sherri

What a sweetie! I can't wait to be able to meet Mr. Noah.

Sherri