Ok... Whats going on here........

Hi..   Check with your potential surgeon. You may need to attend an informational seminar. Some of the surgeons require this as step one. They will guide you as to what to do next. Start with calling your surgeons office.  As far as what you can and can't eat. The nutrionist will guide you. It all comes very easy, believe it or not. Soda is a never thing as far as I'm concerned and what my doctor suggests. Alcohol in small amounts is o.k.  I've had two glasses of wine in 8 months.  I try to follow my dietians rules by the book.  Good Luck as your start your journey. No regrets here. Keep us posted. Shari Latawiec RNY 10/15/07 242/135

I agree with lablvr... defiantely call the surgeons office. If you are speaking about Dr. Kemmerling in green bay, it is required that you go in and watch a video and have a consult with him.  Be sure that you call your insurance company.  You said they cover RNY..BUT chances are they will cover it with some exceptions. For example, they may require that you have a 6 month visit, or a sleep study.  Be sure to get all of the information from them in DETAIL.  Have a list of questions prepared before you call them.  As far as food... its always protien first.  I am 2 months post op, last night I went out for a friends birthday. I ordered a 10 oz ribeye steak, garlic mashed potatoes, steamed veggies. Now.. I didn't eat all of it.... I had half of the steak, non of the veggies, and 2 bites of the potatoes. I brought the rest home for lunch and dinner today.  Alcohol and soda. I had 2 glass of wine last night, and I was fine (albeit slightly tipsy!)  I highly recommend learning to love water and and flavored water.  You wil not want to drink soda for a couple of reason. One reason is the amount of sugar, and soda has no nutritional value. The second reason is the carbonation.  You have to remember your new stomach aka, the pouch, is very small, and having all of those air bubbles released in your pouch can be painful and uncomfortable. If you are a soda drinker, and if you are serious about the RNY, then you will want to start giving up soda now so it doesn't haunt you after surgery :-)   Good luck and let  us know if you have any other questions. P.S.   you were right, you could have started a new thread, it would have been a great topic starter!

Thanks for the advice.  I think my ability to start a new thread maybe limited due to my new status?  I am just in search of the facts and some advise... so thank you for the reply.  Well, as far a soda, I am definitely addicted to diet soda maybe more to caffine than soda.  I love coffee, is coffee okay?  I am positive I could ween myself off soda and I can live without any type of alcohol.  I would have trouble with coffee I think, but I could if I had to stop. How long was your recovery period? How many days where you in the hosptal?  How much work could I miss?   I did not check to see if Dr. Kemmerling is in my plan, this site actually has made finding a surgeon much easier.  I will look up all of the Wi surgeons and see if they are included in my plan.  I know Dr. Geocaris is...   I did call my insurance company but should I ask them for a list? To be sent to me? As far as a list of questions?  I am new to this so what questions? Thanks again

You can start a new thread, however, as a new member any posts will have to be reviewed by a moderator before it will appear on the message board.

Denise had some awesome advice. I would contact your insurance company and see if they have any prior authorization requirements for the surgery to be covered. One of mine was that I needed to have documented doctor/dietician visits for 6 consecutive months. Your doctors office shoud have someone that deals with insurance and might know what you need. When you are calling around, make sure to write down who you talked to, and what they said, it helps if something comes up. Good luck. Julie

Hiya!  Yes you can have decaf coffee. I have had some regular coffee on occassion... only because I haven't found a decaf that I like yet  :-) As for the soda... good... give it up.. water is better for you. lol. My recovery period? Mmmmm its different for everyone, and it depends on the type of surgery you had.. open or lap.  I felt really good my 2nd week after my lap, altho I still can get tired fairly easy.  The insurance company wont' send you a list, they will refer you to your schedule of benefits.  Things to ask them when you call (if you haven't already) are clear and specific requirements for RNY pre authorization.  I would also ask them if you can access a list of your benefits online, or if they could send you out a copy of your benefits. Then you have a copy for yourself. My insurance also required a 6 month dr. supervised diet, along with atleast 1 co morbidity that is considered life threatening (i.e. sleep apnea, diabetes.. etc) and a BMI over 40.  There was more fine print.. but those are some common key factors that most all insurances require.  I have to log off to get to work.. I hope this helps!!

Dear Denise: I live in Illinois, but had my surgery in Madison, WI so I check this board occasionally too.  I do see that it is a very slow board. On the Illinois board, we have a VERY active group.  One of the things that keeps it active is the "Daily Roll Call".  Whomever wants to start it in the morning just starts it.  It is where we tell about what is going on in our little corner of the world that day.  It helps us get to know each other.  We also have get togethers once in a while and actually meet in person. Just an idea you may want to try. Have a spectacular day!

That's an awesome idea!

Thanks Dawn!! I think I may have to hijack that idea!!!!

Okay, just checking in this morning.  I got the okay from the insurance, but they won't schedule until the letter gets to Dr. Engstrand's office which should be this week.  I will likely have my surgery mid to late August.  Whew hew!  Exciting times.  Starting on my vitamin regime, but having trouble finding a iron I can stand taking.  Makes the stomach ache and bloat up.  Next try is ferrous fumarate, as ferrous gluconate was not tollerated.  Anybody else have trouble with this?  ~~Cindy