"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Vertical Sleeve Experience

I'm in a sort of holding pattern right now while I wait to see doctors and while I continue to save up for the surgery.  But my interest in weight loss surgery is still really high, so I'm going to share some of the interesting sites and information I've found.

This morning I came across a site called "The Experience Project"--it's a place for people to post about their experiences in whatever.  There is a group for people who have had VSG (Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy).  You can click on each person's story to read about it, which is pretty cool.  On the right side bar there are also statistics on the experience--keep in mind these are statistics only for the 44 (at the time I looked at it) people who have posted their experience on this site:

"80% of people in this group believe this is a good experience. 90% of people in this group believe this experience makes them happy. 90% think this is an exciting experience. 100% think this is not a scary experience. 80% think this experience is hard. 90% say this is expensive. 90%believe that, if they had the choice, they would do it again. 100% think this is better experienced with others. 90% think they would recommend this to others. 

37% of people who have this experience are in their thirties, 29% are in their forties, and 27% are in their fifties. 100% of people who have this experience are women."

Very interesting!

I also wanted to share part of the email I received from Woman's Weight Loss Surgery Program.  The nurse was extremely kind and nonjudgmental, which I truly appreciated.  I have a lot of trust for Woman's Hospital and the program itself sounds really all-inclusive.  Here's what the nurse had to say:


Nutritional Services: We have a dedicated registered dietician to help you guide you through your changing needs after weight loss surgery.   Our goal is to help you lose the weight in a healthy way. Woman’s has developed a very detailed tool to complement what you are taught as an “at home resource.”  Many of our patients call it “The Food Bible.”
            Inpatient visit
            Outpatient Services
            Long term involvement through the support group

BLIS: Self pay patients, meaning paying for weight loss surgery without the assistance of health insurance, will enjoy the peace of mind of the BLIS program.  Woman’s and the majority of the program surgeons take part in the BLIS program which offers at least a 90 day post-operative insurance for any complication that may develop related to your weight loss surgery.  This benefit is built into the program and does require so much as a co-pay in the event BLIS utilized.  Ask your surgeon for details regarding your specific BLIS policy.

Active Support Group: Monthly meeting help keep you focused and on track for success.  We include topics and professional speakers of various disciplines, from exercise physiologists to cosmetic surgeons, all as requested by the group.  This is a free resource facilitated by a social worker, registered nurse and registered dietitian. You are welcome to visit the support group and learn from those that have already had surgery. They meet on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 6pm in conference room 3 at Woman’s Hospital. Visit our success gallery!

Supplements: We sell vitamins, protein powders, protein bars, books and more as a convenience for you in our tower gift shop.

Exercise ConsultationBecause we know that lifestyle changes are hard to accomplish, we have a free consultation with an exercise physiologist to help you make goals and choose programs to fit your needs. The Wellness Center offers gym memberships and medically supervised individual and small group programs to guide you to your success and health.

Woman’s Hospital is dedicated to providing the tools you need to become the healthy, happy, energetic, satisfied woman you want to be and to help you take back control of your life.

I'm especially interested in the support group.  I had already decided that if I have weight loss surgery, I will need to get some kind of counseling and support--a support group is a fantastic idea!  I'm also very pleased about the BLIS insurance since I will almost certainly self pay.

So I will keep searching out information and interesting resources...

Always Beautiful,
Kelly

No comments:

Post a Comment