Gosh, I hope so! What time Friday? I have to go offsite for a support group at about 9:30 and won't be bac****il 12.

I apologize in advance for the chaos that this post will probably be but I am lost. Maybe I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing, what kind of questions to ask, maybe I'm really not ready for WLS. I don't know. But I'm having a very difficult time right now and I need someone to show me the light.

I went to meet with Dr. H today and I don't know how I feel about the meeting. I don't even know where to begin in explaining this because it's kind of all over the place. My impression of him was that he didn't care about what the patient thought and he was just gonna talk, talk, talk. I don't know, maybe that's just me being crazy and over analytical but this is just like, whoa. I felt like he looked at my age and automatically assumed I'm stupid or something just because I'm 19. God, I don't know, but I guess you guys don't want to hear about that. I don't know. He didn't really have an opinion on which surgery I should have. One minute he was pushing the Lap-Band for my age, the next he was pushing the RNY or DS because of my BMI but then he went back to the Lap-Band because of my age. Which is what I have been doing for the past year. When I mentioned to him that I was pushing for the sleeve he was like "Oh, well, the leak risk is really high, about 3 - 6%. I used to be pro-sleeve but not so much anymore." He proceeded to tell me about 2 out of his 100 sleeve's he's performed that have had some pretty serious leakage problems. About how one lady got to the point of having to be fed through an IV because she couldn't eat or drink normally. And I mean, maybe this should scare me, but just because TWO our of 100 have a problem you want me to back down? It seems like a pretty insignificant number to me. But then he started pushing for the RNY and my mom (I wanted her there because she's a nurse) asked him what the leak risk is with the sleeve vs. rny. And I wish I could remember EXACTLY what he said but he said something like they'd be able to tell immediately with the RNY if there was a leak where as with the sleeve, you could leak 2 - 3 weeks out. He said something like if the RNY doesn't leak in the days immediately after surgery then the risk of a leak in a few weeks in pretty much zero. I think that's what he said. I don't know, but that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. So if anyone could confirm or deny that, I'd appreciate it.

All he could say to me at the end was that it was my decision and I know me best. Which is true, I do know me the best. Better than he would anyway, because before today we were complete strangers. But shouldn't your surgeon want to get to know more about your eating habits and things like that and then together decide on your surgery? I mean, god, I don't know, I feel like it was a complete waste. He sat there and went over every complication and blah blah blah of the 4 procedures, most of which I already know and then told me it was up to me. I don't know, maybe that's my fault for not asking a million questions and being a better informed patient but I've never done anything like this before. I don't know how this is supposed to go.

I honestly thought that I would get in there and we would talk and decide upon a surgery, which I hoped would be the sleeve, and he would say "okay, well I'll work on a letter for your insurance to try and persuade them." Idk what he's gotta do to have insurance possibly pay for it but I just wasnt at all expecting the answer I got. Do you know what he said to me when I told him I wanted the sleeve and I wanted to try to have insurance cover it? He IMMEDIATELY just said "Nope. They won't cover it. No way." And that was it. He said the only way was to take it up with HR at my work but I DONT work. We've cobra'd my insurance. WTH? Am I missing something? Have I totally been misinformed? I thought the surgeons were supposed to help you get insurance to cover this.

I don't know. Maybe this is all my fault. Maybe I didn't prepare enough. Maybe I haven't done my research. I don't know WHAT is going on anymore. Someone said to me in the first post I made here that they would hate to see someone settle for a surgery they didn't really want just because it was free (insurance paying for it). And I know it's not free, you still have to pay but that's what the guy said to me. I don't know. I AM SO LOST AND CONFUSED. I don't know what to think anymore.

Am I the only person that felt this way when trying to decide on a surgery?

Hey guys, I'm doing really well (other than hating the 'clear' protein drinks UGH). I'm glad to be home, for my mom who is staying with me and for her recliner which I am sleeping in. haha I'll be back Thursday nite for my 1 week follow up Friday morning. Pam, I'll see you then - yes?

John, you truly are an angel. *mwah* Thanks so much to you and Pam for coming to see me.

Thank you for sharing your story. I am new here and any information is good information, IMO!

It was great seeing you too! Glad the mashed cauliflower was a nice change of pace for you from the clear liquids. You be moving to solids before you know it. You look great. Keep up the good work!