approved!

[calidreamer]

Received the 'real' approval letter from insurance today. Excited and terrified at the same time. Any idea how long until you have to schedule surgery after you get approved?

[nursemelanie]

Congratulations!

VSG 3-2010/ consult for DS with Dr Boyce 2-27-14/Age 41/5'8"/HW 287/CW 279

[Taterweight]

Congrats!! I was self-pay, so once I had all my labs and clearances Dr. k wanted it was like two weeks! It can ramp up real quick! But you can work it out with your surgeon for a suitable date. Best wishes and good luck! Post away if you have questions!

[Deleted]

Congratulations! Is Dr. Keshishian your surgeon? I received approval the end of Oct. and had surgery in mid Dec. I could have had it a couple of weeks sooner if I wanted to. Keep us updated.
Best,
Whit

[melanie74]

How awesome that your insurance approved!!!! I fought that battle and lost .... So I am always excited to see people who get covered!!

My surgeon had all kinds of pre surgery requirements - as so as those tests were done and reviewed - he scheduled me. Took about 1 month.

CONGRATS AGAIN!!

[calidreamer]

Yes, Dr. K is my surgeon. I was hoping to wait 6 weeks to get things set up with childcare etc, and it sounds like 6 weeks isn't unreasonable then!

One question - sorry if it seems weird - those of you with revision surgery...did you feel that the pain after surgery was more at the incision(s) or actually in your actual stomach (the organ)? Just trying to prepare myself mentally.

[TLady]

Mine happened really fast. It was a matter of how fast I could get there, since they had openings cleared with the hospital scheduling. They also gave me the option of scheduling longer in advance, like a month or two.

I'm not sure if I should chime in on the pain part, since I was a DS to DS revision and not an RNY. I'm sure others will have more to offer, but I had less pain this time. The pain was more like a dull internal ache and not really any at the 4 lap incision sites.

[melanie74]

Feb 20, 2014 2:06:19 GMT -5 calidreamer said:

One question - sorry if it seems weird - those of you with revision surgery...did you feel that the pain after surgery was more at the incision(s) or actually in your actual stomach (the organ)? Just trying to prepare myself mentally.

I didn't feel any pain in my (internal) stomach - I was a lapband to DS revision. My stomach was swollen so I could only hold an ounce of water at a time for a couple of days. But the pain I had was soreness around the incision sites - so it was hard sitting up and laying back down without assistance. Actually most weren't too bad - there was one incision in the lower area that the surgeon said was where my stomach was pulled out. He does a lot of extra internal stitching there to try to present future hernias - so he said it would be most sore - and it was ... For about 2 weeks.

I was worried that the first BM I had would hurt - but it didn't.

Nausea early on was worse than the pain for me .... I took anti nausea meds - but it made it hard to get fluids in.

Good luck!!

[PrettyGirlBounce]

Feb 20, 2014 2:06:19 GMT -5 calidreamer said:

Yes, Dr. K is my surgeon. I was hoping to wait 6 weeks to get things set up with childcare etc, and it sounds like 6 weeks isn't unreasonable then!

One question - sorry if it seems weird - those of you with revision surgery...did you feel that the pain after surgery was more at the incision(s) or actually in your actual stomach (the organ)? Just trying to prepare myself mentally.

Congrats on your approval letter!

I was a very complex revision, but for me, the sternum-to-pubis open incision wound was predominantly more painful than anything for the first 2-3 weeks. My innards hurt as well while I was healing, but I did not realize just how much until the incision pain subsided a bit and then the other pains were easier to identify/notice.

Don't worry sweetie...they will give you GREAT meds to keep your pain at bay. Just stay focused on getting things in order in preparation for surgery...things you *can* control right now. Everything else will fall into place!

[Girlrocker]

Hooray! As mentioned, my process from approval to scheduling was also pretty expedient, approved in November, schduled in December. You should be hearing from Dr. K's office soon, and you can coordinate a date with them based on his schedule and your scheduling needs.

As for the recovery, I had my RNY lap, my complication surgery open (six weeks after my RNY), my two hernia surgeries lap, my revision open. I'd say my revision surgery was the least painful of them all. For me, the first week was incision soreness combined with internal soreness, and I didn't need pain meds beyond 5 days. More discomfort than actual pain. First few days definitely the worst overall. . They will give you whatever you need while you're in the hospital and Dr. K is really good about giving you a scrip in advance so you can actually have it filled before you're released, along with anti-nausea medication if you need it. I absolutely preferred wearing my binder which they will also provide, it helped me feel more supported and like my insides weren't going to fall out. It made sleeping for me a little challenging, at the time I lived in a studio otherwise I would have rented a recliner. I couldn't sleep on my side or back for awhile, but there are lots of good support type pillows that also can make you more comfortable.

If you would like additional angel support via email/personal message or possibly in person, feel free to contact me here or via PM. There are a lot of us Dr. K patients here like Whit, Lisa/PGB and more, and we all can answer questions here about our experiences with the office and the hospital. So happy for you, what a helluva welcome wagon you're going to have as a new Cali resident

[calidreamer]

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. I just had this weird stretched out feeling in my stomach after the endoscopy and I felt it was the worst sensation! - Worse than incisional pain! Well, like was said - hopefully the pain will be well-controlled by meds!  

Scheduled my surgery for March 31st! My mom is coming to help the first week or two, so yay! I've decided to kind of stop thinking about the possible complications, as they are out of my hands. Just have to put my game face on

[tina9999]

Congratulations on your date Calidreamer! It'll be here before you know it!

[PrettyGirlBounce]

Feb 20, 2014 13:48:45 GMT -5 calidreamer said:

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. I just had this weird stretched out feeling in my stomach after the endoscopy and I felt it was the worst sensation! - Worse than incisional pain! Well, like was said - hopefully the pain will be well-controlled by meds!  

Scheduled my surgery for March 31st! My mom is coming to help the first week or two, so yay! I've decided to kind of stop thinking about the possible complications, as they are out of my hands. Just have to put my game face on

Good job...you will need that help from your mom more than you ever know! I would ask her to stay the full 2 weeks. So, March 31st it is!

[Deleted]

HI,
I was also a revision from RNY to DS. I had lap for my first surgery (RNY) and open for the revision. I was terrified never been opened up. I was worried for nothing. My incision was about 5" max and it was numb. It never hurt. The only real pain I felt post-op and on drugs was from the stitches holding drains and the feeding tube to my body. At one point they were the only reason I was taking pain meds. I called Dr. K and under his instruction I cut them. As a side note I had complications but here I am over a year out and doing great.
Best,
Whit