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the cost for me was one of the biggest reasons that i didn't have it done many years ago. back when i was only 350-385 or something like that. Sadly i ended up going to the ER in june-ish and got an ambulance ride 2 hrs away to a better hospital where i spent 2 nights getting tested to make sure i didn t have a heart attack or anything else. that weekend alone ended up taking all my co pay and out of pocket and just shoved it in my face. since then the rest of the year has been 100% covered from the insurance. If that hospital trip would not have happened id still be sitting here 465 lbs wondering when my heart will give out. If my out of pocket wasn't met the surgery was about 17k here. witch was very discouraging. I understand living remote in alaska i know there is cities and everything up there but most o fhte state is pretty remote the town i live in is 2hrs + from anything else and the hospital here takes advantage of that to the Nth degree health care here is expensive as all get out and half our doc are not competent in the field they are fulfilling.
It also sounds like your insurance is .. sorry for the language... pretty ****ty. hopefully your not paying too much for it. Does your state have a state wide insurance or anything? Like here in Nevada we have the Nevada health link depending on your income you can qualify for different plans at different prices. some cover more then others of course. and there are a ton of hoops to jump thru when it comes to qualifying thru government insurance but might give you the ability to look into this a bit more seriously. just a thought. I know how discouraging it is to be in that situation. Hopefully you can find something that allows you to do this for your health and your family and the betterment of your life in the long term! GL AlaskaLass ill be rooting for you!
Six months?! Was your surgery open or laparoscopic? My wounds were basically healed in a few weeks.
To answer the OP's question, I wasn't told to put anything on my wounds.
I will look into it, but I barely make enough to pay bills, so even that would take quite a while. I appreciate your help!!
My insurance (through a hospital no less) will cover 50% even after my out of pocket maximum is met. And since I'm in Alaska our healthcare expenses are outrageous. Just the surgeon fee is $12,000. I'm getting discouraged even thinking about it.
It's been a long time since I lived in the U.S. so I'm not up-to-date with the tax situation, but you may find that your medical expense deduction helps significantly.
Also, there used to be some sort of arrangement where you could make pre-tax contributions to a medical fund, which you would have to use during the calendar year or lose it. If that's still a thing, it could be a big help depending on your tax bracket.
I can't speak for others, but my insurance covered a lot more than that. I think my "out of pocket" limit is something like $5000 (after that, insurance picks up everything). I reached my limit before I even had surgery (because of all the pre-op testing: blood tests, sleep study, stress test, etc)
Ah yes, the famous "week three stall". It's perfectly normal and happens to most WLS patients; you're not doing anything wrong. You will start losing weight again soon.
you're having your three-week stall a week early. Mine was weeks 2 & 3. It broke during week 4 and I dropped like 6-8 lbs practically overnight. Just stick to your surgeon's plan and the stall will eventually break. It usually lasts a week or two - although one of the members on here had hers last for three weeks. Yikes!
but don't worry - this happens to almost everyone. It'll break - just stay the course.
I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm glad I asked. Personally, I think you should call your surgeon's office, and make a fuss if they don't take you seriously. That's not meant to alarm you; I suspect whatever is going wrong can easily be fixed with the right treatment. Make a list and tell them about all your symptoms: the dry mouth, the pain in the side, the nausea, the vomiting, etc. And if they don't help, contact your primary care physician. I would insist on having someone examine you, if only to put your mind at ease.
I see you're 18 days post-op. At this point the only pain I would expect you to feel would be if you eat something you're not ready for, and even that should normally go away in an hour or two. You should be able to move freely, but you will probably get tired very easily.
The pain in your side concerns me. An occasional twinge might be normal, but what you describe makes me wonder if you have an infection (which could also explain the nausea). Have you checked to see if you have a fever? Are your incisions warm? Your incisions should be closed up and no longer reddish.
You say you drink and drink and drink. Maybe you're drinking often, but are you drinking enough? At this point you should be able to get a full 64 oz of fluid. If not, you may be dehydrated, which could explain the dry mouth and the nausea. If that's the problem, an IV will make you feel a lot better very quickly.
Incidentally, about the cheese and yoghurt: some people develop lactose intolerance, or have it worsen, after WLS. I'm not suggesting that's happening to you, but you might try avoiding dairy completely for a day or two to see if you feel better.
If your CPAP mask only covers your nose, or if it slips, you might be breathing through your mouth. That happens to me sometimes, and gives me a dry mouth and throat, but it only lasts perhaps 15 minutes. (You might need a new mask, or to adjust your current one.) If you have a dry mouth all day, that is unusual!
There are mouthwashes and oral gels that can help with the dry mouth, but I think you need to find out what's causing it first. Otherwise you might just be masking the symptoms.
I hope you feel better soon, and start to enjoy your brand new life.
Despite consuming liquids in post-op weeks 1 and 2 (about 100-200 calories per day) and consuming pureed foods in week 3 (~300 calories per day) per the plan, I haven't lost a single pound since week 1 post-op. I've exercised and drank as much water as humanly possible. What am I doing wrong? Should I be losing?
