Questions and Stuff

I wrote out this whole post yesterday and the website tanked, so I'm gonna try again.  :)

I have some questions--mainly looking for others' experiences.

1. I have my EGD next week.  I have gathered that you're pretty much out of it for the rest of the day. Has anyone ever been able to say, go back to work?  My procedure is at 8am--wondering if its even possible to go back for a few hours in the afternoon.  Am I crazy to think that?

2. When did you go back to work?  My husband, who is having this done too, seems to think he'll be off no more than 4 or 5 days.  I am thinking probably longer than that.

3. I am so tired of my insurance required 6 month doctor supervised diet.  I know its a great time to learn new habits, but what is the point from the insurance company's view?  Are they looking for you to lose a lot of weight?  Does this impact the chances of approval or denial?  My surgeon said losing 5-10 pounds is reasonable.  I've already lost 9 and have two more visits with a doctor who is dead set against surgery and rips me a new one if I gain, which I've only done once.  Then my husband has 3 more visits and has gained 6 pounds.  I'm worried that he's risking being denied.

4. Has anyone done this at the same time as their spouse/partner?  We are planning to go about 4 weeks apart and we have a two year old--is this reasonable?  We both seem to recover from surgeries pretty well.  We've both had gallbladder removal and I had a Csection 2 years ago.

5. When were you cleared to lift say 30+ pounds?  Not sure how we're going to put our son in his crib and car seat when he weighs 34 pounds. 

Thanks everyone in advance.  I must say I find everyone's posts comforting and inspiring!

Becky

1. I normally spend the rest of the day after an EGD feeling sorry for myself and having a sore throat.  So I wouldn't want to go back to work!  You might, but I'd say play it by ear.  Don't plan on being able to.  

2. Most people say 2 weeks.  Some take longer, some take shorter.  You probably definitely want to wait until you're off the pain killers - since you can't drive (or think well) while on them anyway.  

3. Your insurance company wants you to succeed.  They want they money they invest in you to be worthwhile.  Chances of success increase with preparation so.. as for your husband's case, I'd call and ask the insurance company what their rules are.  

4. I didn't, but I think that would be cool.  My partners have both changed their lifestyles along with me, so that helps a lot.  :)  As for the 2 year old, you won't be able to lift for 6 weeks post-op, so having surgeries 4 weeks apart might not give you enough of a healing break.  You might want to go 6 weeks apart so that at least one of you will always be able to lift your child.  

5. 6 weeks.  (But check with your surgeon to be sure.)  

Welcome!

Great information - thanks!    I had an ERCP about 10 years ago--only difference is that the scope goes further down. I was already a hospital inpatient and was out of it anyway.  But my husband has his a week before mine, so I imagine that will help me gauge it.  I wouldn't care about returning to work ordinarily but I'm trying to save my time for the surgery.

I will definitely consider having us do it farther apart.  I just want to make sure to be able to get both done by the end of the year (stupid insurance).

(I deleted the stuff that I have no responsive info for)

2. When did you go back to work?  My husband, who is having this done too, seems to think he'll be off no more than 4 or 5 days.  I am thinking probably longer than that.

I took two weeks and then went back to work on half-days for a few days. I needed all that time off. It does depend on your luck with recovery and what you do in your job though. I have seen people going back at four or five days out, but I think that is more the exception than what is normal. I can tell you it would not have been me! And my job is not terribly strenuous.

3. I am so tired of my insurance required 6 month doctor supervised diet.  I know its a great time to learn new habits, but what is the point from the insurance company's view?  Are they looking for you to lose a lot of weight?  Does this impact the chances of approval or denial?  My surgeon said losing 5-10 pounds is reasonable.  I've already lost 9 and have two more visits with a doctor who is dead set against surgery and rips me a new one if I gain, which I've only done once.  Then my husband has 3 more visits and has gained 6 pounds.  I'm worried that he's risking being denied.

This really varies a lot between different insurance companies and policies. If your insurance isn't clear on this point, you can try to ask them for guidance. Many companies *will* deny you if you gain weight during the six months. On the other hand, mine would have denied me if I lost more than 10% of my starting weight, as they would consider that proof that I didn't need the surgery. So, you can see, there is no definitive answer. Your surgeon's office should know the rules for your particular policy and be able to give your guidance as well.

5. When were you cleared to lift say 30+ pounds?  Not sure how we're going to put our son in his crib and car seat when he weighs 34 pounds.

Six weeks. Sounds like your son must be about 2? Can you switch him to a toddler bed when the time comes, or lower the crib enough so that he can easily climb in and out? Can you show him how to climb into the car seat (already installed in the car) on his own, and how to climb out? You can also feed him on the floor, have him climb up on sofas to give you a cuddle, things like that so that you don't have to lift him.

Yep, he turned 2in April.  We want to hold off on getting rid of the crib for as long as possible.  I'm not looking forward to finding him roaming around the house in the middle of the night. LOL.    But I just thought of possibly getting a stepstool to help him in the crib and carseat.

Re: the 6 month diet, the surgeon did suggest a 5-10 pound loss.  I'm starting out at 275. I'm grateful that I've reached that point, but facing my doctor if I don't lose weight makes me so anxious. He is terribly misinformed about WLS and thinks that the more weight I lose, the better my chances of getting approved, which as you mentioned, they may deny you if you lose too much.   The guidelines for my insurance re: the diet is just that you have to be on it for 6 consecutive months and it has to involve diet and exercise both.  The fact that gaining weight on it is not their intent, which is why I'm so worried about my husband.  His doctor is on the other extreme where she doesn't say anything to him if he gains.  Mine is like a rabid dog.

Thank you for the input!

1. After my EGD, I was pretty out of it for the rest of the day due to the tranquilizers. I was able to get away for the whole day and I napped all afternoon.

2. I was out for two and a half weeks and would have taken longer if I could have. I felt like I'd been hit by a bus! I couldn't do narcotic painkillers, though, so I had a bit of a rough time. By day 4 or 5, I was still VERY sore and sleeping all day, I can't imagine going back to work (even though I have a desk job).

3. I suspect insurance companies are looking for compliance more than anything. They won't want to pay for an expensive procedure if you aren't going to use it and eat crap like you used to! The 6 months would give your doctor time to say "hey, this patient is going to crash and burn miserably" in his/her chart notes if needed.

4. If you were fine with a gallbladder, you'll be OK with this. My gallbladder surgery pre-WLS had a rougher recovery, honestly! The only thing to watch out is that you'll probably EXTREMELY tired for a month or two afterwards, so it might be helpful to have some backup for your son.

5. I wasn't cleared to lift until 4 - 6 weeks, IIRC.

I had my EGD at 6:00AM and made it to work by 8:00AM, no problem.  No sore throat, it was like a nap and it was over. 

As for the surgery, I was off of work for 4 days.  I returned to work and I still wasn't myself, I tired out sooner than normal.  t does take a couple of weeks to feel like yourself (in your head) again.  I still drove and worked full time, just when I got home I would need to rest. 

This surgery was easier than a C-section, in my opinion. 

Wow, Nina!  EGD at 6 and to work at 8!  Just goes to show that people's experiences are wildly different!

1.  They knock you out for the EGD, so you won't be able to drive for the rest of the day.  I'd plan on taking the entire day off.

2.  I took four weeks off.  I could have gone back in two, but would have been exhausted at the end of the day.

3.  Insurance companies rely on the fact that most people won't stick with a six month supervised diet, so they won't qualify for surgery.  Some insurance companies will deny you if you gain weight.  Others don't care.  It's all arbitrary depending on who your carrier is and what part of the country you live in.