Hello! DS three weeks from today!

[TvanV]

Hello everyone!

I'm so pleased to have been referred to this site by Larra on OH. It's comforting knowing that there ar veterans out there willing to share their experience and expertise with us newbies. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate those who have shared their journeys via forums and YouTube, it's been so helpful in helping prepare me for how to best utilize the after-effects of my surgery and start my new way of living.

My journey to DS has gone at a tremendous speed, my head hasn't quite caught up yet, I don't think! I was diagnosed with diabetes on Sept 27,2016 and immediately began researching the disease and it's treatments. Very quickly I came upon DS as being the only "cure" for it, and started doing a bit of research with the thought of maybe having surgery some unspecified long time down the road.

Then, while on vacation in January, I met a woman who had had RNY thirteen years ago. She convinced me that there was no time like the present, and I shouldn't wait to reclaim my health. I contacted my doctor the first week of February and she agreed to the treatment and out in the request to the insurance company. They promptly rejected me by Feb 13, so I went began researching self-pay, applied with a surgeon, and am now scheduled for surgery March 9!

I'm excited and nervous all at once. It seems to have come about so fast, I'm hoping that means it was meant to be, and not that I'm being rash. I don't think I am, but there's always that niggling voice in the back of my head that tells me that maybe I just didn't try dieting hard enough. I know it's lying, and I keep telling it to shut up and quit bugging me!

 

[Larra]

Hi again! So glad you found your way here.
A couple questions - first, why were you denied for bariatric surgery? Depending on your policy, it may be possible to appeal that denial and win. If you are stuck with self-pay, so be it, but many people have fought denials successfully.
Next, who is your surgeon? It is very important both in the USA and internationally to make very sure you have a surgeon experienced with the DS, AND that the surgeon is doing the real, traditional DS with 2 anastomoses and not the experimental loopDS/aka SADI/aka SIPS that some surgeons are doing and for which long term results are not known. We discuss this issue and different surgeons much more freely here than elsewhere.

 

[TvanV]

Hi Larra,

Thank you for the welcome!

I have Kaiser Permanente, and apparently my policy doesn't cover bariatric surgery. However, to be honest, being denied didn't bother me because I didmt believe that KP had a surgeon that I trusted was experienced and enough in DS. Even before the denial, I had already decided to self-pay.

I am having Dr. Esquerra do my surgery, and I have reconfirmed with his office that I want a full DS. I will also reconfirmed with him when we meet prior to surgery.

Even though my whole process has gone really fast, I spent hours and hours researching my surgeon options. At first I was going to go with Dr. Srikanth in the Seattle area (I'm near Portland), but I kept seeing references to Dr. Esquerra and the Almater Hospital, so I checked them out and liked what I saw. I travel extensively, and have had to visit foreign hospitals and doctors not only for myself, but also for friends who have become sick or injured while traveling, and I've seen enough to know that many are as good, if not better, than those here in the U.S. I also lived in San Diego for many years and knew lots of people who would go to Mexico for treatment. Even so, I do find myself having the occasional "WTH?!" moment when I hear myself saying I'm I'm having surgery in Mexico.

 

[Larra]

You've made a great choice. There are lots of patients of Dr. Esquerra here and everyone has been pleased both with him and also with the hospital. There is nothing wrong with going out of country for medical treatment as long as you do your research and pick the right doctor and hospital.
We've helped a lot of people with Kaiser in CA get the DS, but not Oregon. Each Kaiser system is different, and if you don't have coverage for bariatric surgery in your policy, then self-pay it is. And the lady you met who had RNY was right, there is no point in waiting for the perfect moment or for insurance to pay if that's not going to happen. Whenever someone asks if people have any regrets, the most common response is that the only regret is not having had the DS sooner.

 

[galaxygrrl]

I went to Dr. Esquerra and had a great experience! You are in good hands. Make sure to get a wheel chair at the airport for your trip back. It help me.

Feel free to ask questions, we are happy to help.

 

[TvanV]

Thanks for recommending the wheelchair, galaxygrrl, I was wondering if I should do that. I'm a little concerned that they say they'll be discharging me from the hospital at 7am, and my flight doesn't leave until 6:30pm. There's a 4:30pm that is 50% more expensive, do you think it's worth the switch? At this point, I think my comfort is worth more than the money.

 

[Susan in Tennessee]

Thanks for recommending the wheelchair, galaxygrrl, I was wondering if I should do that. I'm a little concerned that they say they'll be discharging me from the hospital at 7am, and my flight doesn't leave until 6:30pm. There's a 4:30pm that is 50% more expensive, do you think it's worth the switch? At this point, I think my comfort is worth more than the money.

Personally, for only two hours difference, I say no. It will be mid to late morning when you reach the airport. My flight left late afternoon too, seems like it was 6 or later. The time went fairly fast and I just walked around, sipped water, sat a while, walked more, with trips to the bathroom to pee frequently as I was super paranoid about having to go on the plane.

I flew Southwest so no assigned seats, therefore I went as far to the back of the plane as I could and took an aisle seat. I wanted to be close to the rear bathroom because at the rear bathroom one can stand at the door and wait to be the next one in. At the front bathroom there is no standing in line allowed. I did feel really tired on the flight home which was 3 or 3 1/2 hours I think.

I decided to request a wheelchair for when I landed, they called for one during flight but when we landed it never showed up. I sat and waited and waited, finally they told me there was no one available to transport me so I walked. I just took my time and honestly, the walk felt good after sitting for so long. My husband was waiting at the baggage claim so I just wanted to get there!

One thing I suggest, I kept seeing people with the neck pillows at the airport. The round kind that fit around your neck and keep your head from falling...I bought one at the gift shop and that thing was great! I was able to sleep quite a bit on the ride home with no fear of slumping over on the person next to me and it takes care of the head bob, too! I will say, I am on the short side, 5'1, so airplane seating isn't so much of a problem for me as far as leg room went. I know you taller peeps get really uncomfortable on Southwest.

I loved Dr. Esquerra and all the staff. I had my DS on June 10, 2016 and had much less pain after surgery than I expected to have. Things went well there for me and have continued to do so. I won't say there weren't hard days but you make it through and it's all so worth it. Good luck to you and feel free to ask me ANYTHING!

Susan

 

[aaa]

Hello @TvanV

 

[galaxygrrl]

I had a wheel chair on both sides of my flight. In San Diego and San Francisco. I thought it was great. You can just request it from the airlines on the phone before you leave, so you could do it now.

I flew back first class. It was $50 more and thought it was worth it. If it's not that much more to fly two hours earlier I would. But that is just me. I could have sat around at the airport for two hours though without a problem. I just wanted to get home pretty badly at that point which is why I would take an earlier flight.

 

[Clematis]

Esquerra here, too. All good things.

By day 4 when you leave you should be reasonably ok. I was pain free unless I moved a certain way and then it was just more of a deep ache. I took no pain killers after I left MX, not even ibuprofen. I've only heard of one Esquerra grad who said she was still in pain after leaving the hospital. Everyone gets tired really easily, as in I have to take a nap NOW tired.

I flew first class as I didn't want to cram myself in a coach seat and be jostled. (And now I can fit in a coach seat with plenty of room to spare. What a difference a year and a DS makes!)

I didn't need a wheelchair and I'm older than galaxygrrl and susan in Tennessee. San Diego airport isn't very big. However I had to change planes at O'Hare, the flight was delayed by hours and the closest United lounge was under construction. By then it was late night and I was physically and mentally toast. Thankfully my husband flew out to fly back with me. It's been a while since I flew into Portland but I don't think that airport is very big, either.

Take a carry-on, but check it as you won't be able to lift it overhead or up on to security X-ray.

Take an extension cord as the plug is behind the bed.

Your cell will pick up the American signal so you don't need a foreign plan. (Turn off roaming so your phone doesn't try to pick up MX.)

Best of luck!

 

[TvanV]

Thanks, everyone!

I'll be flying First Class, too, and my flight is a non-stop 2.5 hours, so I expect it won't be too bad. When I had my gallbladder out five years ago the surgeon ran the laprascope over a nerve bundle under my rib cage, and I was in horrendous pain and on morphine and bedrest for two weeks. I think that because that is my only personal surgical reference point, I keep thinking that the DS is going to hurt a lot more than it really will do.

I was wondering, did you all take compression stockings to wear? I hate those things with a passion, so I'm thinking of skipping them, but I thought I'd check with you all first to see if anyone had a strong reaction one way or the other.

 

[-Flo-]

Compression stockings are a must! You don't want to get a blood clot.

 

[Clematis]

I flew from the east coast to San Diego and did not wear them flying out but did try to do so on the way home since they said I should. These were useless for me as I have always had small ankles so there was zero compression there and then strong, binding compression in calf CAUSING all the blood and fluids to pool in my lower legs. I peeled them off somewhere over the mountain time zone. There are incredibly expensive, made to order medical grade compression stockings based on your unique ankle and calf and shin length measurements but these are for long term use for those with vascular problems. The only person I've ever "known" who got a clot on an airplane was former VP Dan Quayle, yeah a thin guy.

They do put air pump ones on you during the surgery and I think they were on afterwards for a few hours or until the next day. (I can't remember as they loaded me up on amnesiacs. One minute I was reading a book -- which I can't remember any of now -- and the next I was waking the next morning.)

Some wear them; some don't. You'll have to decide what's best for you. Blood clots are from not moving, so if you don't wear them, get up and move every hour, also pedal your feet at your seat as frequently as possible.

 

[TvanV]

I travel a LOT and my feet and ankles always swell, so my doctor told me to buy a set of the compression hose. I, too, spent a ridiculous amount of money and only wore them once for about an hour. They cut off my circulation and made me miserable, I ended up peeling them off and throwing them away in the airplane bathroom.

I'm thinking that since my flight is pretty short, and I'll be in first class where I have lots of room to me my legs and prop them up, I'm going to pass on them.

 

[hilary1617]

Hello and welcome @TvanV ! Congratulations on your upcoming procedure. DS was one of the best decisions of my life - my only regret was waiting so long to get it done.

I have lipoedema and have significant problems with swelling and thus wear custom Elvarex compression stockings. They're a whole different ballgame than the over the counter variety and very comfortable. Might be worth pursuing. I wore them into the ER for DS, which was a good call as otherwise they would have placed some white Jobst OTC stockings on me anyway, but they wouldn't have fit as well. All in all, I've had numerous deep vein thromboses and pulmonary embolisms and suggest that it's better to wear stockings on a flight than face a PE.

Finally, wheelchair at airport was really helpful for me....