Those Awkward Questions...

Apparently there are questions regarding bariactric surgery that people don't feel are polite to ask but yet they really want to know the "what, where, & why" of it all. I'm certainly not one to keep things to myself...

1.  What is Gastric Sleeve surgery? In a nutshell, about 2/3 of my stomach will be sectioned off and permanently removed. My new stomach will be about the size of a small banana, won't have the elasticity of "normal" stomach, and the glands that produce the hunger hormones will be gone. This is a life-changing procedure. I can NEVER have a carbonated beverage or eat bread, pasta, rice, or white potatoes again, EVER! (Think extreme pain & clogged pipes).

2.  What are the criteria for surgery? To qualify for this procedure you must have a BMI of 40 or higher and at least 2 obesity related health issues. I squeezed in with a BMI of 40.5, BUT I also have 6 health issues - diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, sleep apnea and arthritis. Not to mention a spine that's "a mess" to quote my neurosurgeon! In addition, I had to  have tried, and failed, at traditional weight loss programs, attend a required informational seminar, surgical consult, dietitian consult, sacrifice 9 vials of blood to the vampires for a complete screening for everything, plus undergo a psychiatric evaluation and aforementioned upper endoscopy.

3.  Is it covered by insurance? No, only my blood work and the upper endoscopy are covered. The rest is "self-pay". Yes, it's expensive. My personal cost is $18,600 plus the cost of nutritional supplements during the pre-op and immediate post-op periods. And the specially formulated vitamin supplements for the first year. I was able to take the funds, without penalty, from my deferred comp plan as a medically necessary financial hardship. When I talked to both the surgical center financial rep and my financial advisor they both said it would take 7-10 days for the decision makers to review my paperwork and determine eligibility. I faxed my 14 page packet o'documents over to Nationwide and the money was transferred to my checking account the next afternoon. Guess I made my case :)

4.  What is the pre-surgery diet? I haven't quite got a handle on this part. The goal is different for each individual as determined by their surgeon. Usually the objective is to lose 8-10 pounds in 7-10 days; I was assigned to lose 10 pounds in 14 days. I get the reasoning...following a low calorie, high protein diet and the resulting weight loss allows the liver to shrink and become pliable. This is important because the liver sits on top of the stomach and has to be moved out of the way during surgery. What I don't get is the 14 days, though it may have something to do with my psych eval and not liking to be told what to do. This is my personal commitment test. The doctor will cancel your surgery if you can't get through this part (apparently it happened to someone last week). 

Remember the nasty protein shakes and Healthy Choice frozen dinners?

That's a topic for next time...