New to the site

Hello to all, I'm new to the site (been reading for a couple of weeks but this is my first time posting). Today I got a date of 12/7 with Dr. Kieran. I've been fighting to get this surgery for 3 years. After all that time, the Dr. submitted the request on Monday and I was approved on Thursday. Now I'm scheduled for 20 days out. What a great time to get cold feet! Thanks to everyone who posts... it really helps to be able to read about your experiences. If anyone has any pearls of wisdom, I'd be very happy to hear them. NS

Well, first I would like to say, Welcome Nathaniel! We are a friendly and informative bunch. Wow, I am happy to see that you were approved so quickly and got a date that fast! That is amazing! And yet, as I can see a bit scary as well. What are you most concerned with? There is plenty of wisdom and guidance here on the site...feel free to ask away. I had my surgery 3 months ago (it is still strange to say that!) with Dr. Blackstone. I have also seen Dr. Kieran and Dr. Koler on some of my visits. They are all wonderful docs.

Hi Jmf, Yes, my approval was amazingly fast. I had heard good things about Empire BCBS and they really came through. Some questions that are still nagging me.... 1. I am a single parent with 2 kids 11 & 13. At what point should I expect to be able to resume caring for them (cooking, laundry etc)? I have alot of help available but I'd like to be able to give them some real idea of how long I will need them. 2. Is there anything you wish you had done before hand that you didn't know to do? Any suggestions for preparation? The rest of my fear is just that... fear. I've never spent a night in the hospital, never had any surgery, and when they gave me the date, it suddenly became very real. I'm not as up tight as I was yesterday and I hope tomorow will be better still. ns

Welcome Nate! December 7th isn't too far away. My surgery was with Dr. Blackstone on Sept. 28th and I didn't have too much time to get used to the idea either. Although it took me a year from the day I went to her seminar to get to that point, I got my surgery date so fast it was like sticker shock. I have also seen Drs. Kieran and Kohler on different occasions and both are just wonderful. In my opinion, you made a great choice of surgery teams. Their pre and post surgical care and program is conservative and in-depth and they will take excellent care of you at the hospital. As far as taking care of your 11 and 13 year old children, you won't be able to lift anything heavier than 10 lbs for the first few weeks, but the kids can help you with so many things. You're lucky they're not younger. The first few days home from the hospital you will just want to concentrate on resting, but ensure you get up and walk around every hour to prevent blood clots. You will be able to prepare your own meals (clear liquids and not too much trouble), but the kids should be able to help themselves. You won't want to do things like laundry until the next week - and then be very careful. You don't want to rupture anything. Vacuuming should wait a few weeks. I know there are many who have done these things earlier, but it's risky. I was pleasantly surprised at how much better everything went than I expected. There was less pain, no complications, faster recovery.... I don't regret a thing - except for buying that stupid Bariatric Teddy Bear to hold against my incisions. What a waste of money! Good luck to you and I'll see you on the losing side! Pam

WELCOME !!!! I am so happy for you! No pearls of Wisdom to share ....I am pre-op too. So many people here can answer your questions along the way. Dr Blackstone's program has been phenomenal pre-op and I see the results other patients have had. The office submitted for me a week ago and I'm still WAITING for the answer turning blue, crossing my toes and feeling like a six year old waiting for Santa to come! Getting to the point of submitting to the insurance and making the decision to go forward is huge, but reality sets in with the surgery date! Follow the rules and success should be yours! Best wishes and keep us posted! Kathy