Medicare and being 70
- Thread starter Bertie2
- Start date
Texnoble
Member
I am 66 and had the sleeve. I thought I was too old, but my doctor said that he has done folks "much older." Medicare and my supplemental insurance paid for everything except the dietician visit and the preop class.
No, I am just worried about the insurance paying, and some people say why do it at 70
Thanks
Texnoble
Member
I got mine at 65. The approval went through quickly with Medicare. I asked the dr if I was too old. He said that he has operated on patients, "much older."
Thank you so much
dianeseattle
Member
Hi Bertie, how is your search progressing? I'm actually curious as to whether or not you are the 70 year old seeking surgery. The oldest person here that I know for sure about is 68. Then we have 67, 66, 65, and down the line. I was 56 when I had my surgery 12 years ago. So has it been decided yet? And if so do you need any information? If not, do you want any encouragement, or a reality check?
I am on the fence I’m to do it or not having people say why you are 70? I have a date August 14 how hard was it to go home and take care of yourself or do you need help to get around. In November I will be going to St.Kitts is that to early to go on a vacation?
Hi Berti
Well at 70 yo I can tell no shame to ask for help. What you have to decide is your quality of life worth it? Medicare and if you have additional insurance could help you with assistance with home are. Get a hold of social worker at you med office or call Medicare. Do you have children who can help with this? The decision is yours to make and I can tell you you yourself is worth it!
Well at 70 yo I can tell no shame to ask for help. What you have to decide is your quality of life worth it? Medicare and if you have additional insurance could help you with assistance with home are. Get a hold of social worker at you med office or call Medicare. Do you have children who can help with this? The decision is yours to make and I can tell you you yourself is worth it!
dianeseattle
Member
If you have a laparoscopic procedure, I would think you'd be able to travel in November. But you know your body. How fast do you heal? I think the first two weeks are most uncomfortable, but most people have a harder time adjusting to the liquid diet and slowly expelling the surgical gas from their bodies. It's also a challenge to exercise to make sure you don't get a clot, but I think it's easier if you start moving now to build stamina. We all come from the same place: crippling obesity. But recovery times vary.
You need someone to watch you, but if you set up your home for the liquid diet in advance, you can handle it. You might have lingering weakness from anaesthesia and pain meds. Older patients' organs take longer to pass those. Between the naps and the nausea, you might not feel too sociable.
I loved the liquid diet and the soft food after. Things tasted delicious and comforting to me. Warm broth, cool juices, jello gel and pudding, popsicles, cream of wheat, pureed turkey with finely smashed potatoes and cranberry juice, creamed soups--oh man, it was delicious. I cooked, bagged and froze most meals because I don't like the mass-produced stuff. Three weeks later I was in good shape and had lost 35 pounds over the first month. I socialized and went to the YMCA a few times a week. I was reborn.
The other side of that coin was the pain from nerve damage. I had an incision 7 inches from sternum to navel. I took a lot of opioids and got constipated (TAKE THOSE LAXATIVES AFTER!) which was horrendous. Extensive nerve damage is rare.
Even so, I was thrilled to see the weight melt away. My surgeon called me the poster child for bariatric surgery. By the time I dropped 115 pounds and consulted a plastic surgeon about a panniculectomy, she said if I hadn't told her, she never would have guessed I had been obese. I reached my goal in 14 months.
From 30 days prior to 30 days post-op, everything was planned. I was compliant. I consulted docs, nurses, nutritionists, therapists and support groups. Being prepared and committed was the key. I dropped 25 pounds the second month.
Your mileage may vary, but that was how it went for me. I was fueled by my dad's death in November 2006. By November 2007 I had lost 70 pounds.
In addition to our stories and support, check out the resources on the main page. MamaBear has assembled a comprehensive prep list in the Resources area and the bariatric food source has links to products under that. You get discounts on their stuff as you participate in posting, getting Likes, being helpful, etc.
So, how do you think you'll do?
You need someone to watch you, but if you set up your home for the liquid diet in advance, you can handle it. You might have lingering weakness from anaesthesia and pain meds. Older patients' organs take longer to pass those. Between the naps and the nausea, you might not feel too sociable.
I loved the liquid diet and the soft food after. Things tasted delicious and comforting to me. Warm broth, cool juices, jello gel and pudding, popsicles, cream of wheat, pureed turkey with finely smashed potatoes and cranberry juice, creamed soups--oh man, it was delicious. I cooked, bagged and froze most meals because I don't like the mass-produced stuff. Three weeks later I was in good shape and had lost 35 pounds over the first month. I socialized and went to the YMCA a few times a week. I was reborn.
The other side of that coin was the pain from nerve damage. I had an incision 7 inches from sternum to navel. I took a lot of opioids and got constipated (TAKE THOSE LAXATIVES AFTER!) which was horrendous. Extensive nerve damage is rare.
Even so, I was thrilled to see the weight melt away. My surgeon called me the poster child for bariatric surgery. By the time I dropped 115 pounds and consulted a plastic surgeon about a panniculectomy, she said if I hadn't told her, she never would have guessed I had been obese. I reached my goal in 14 months.
From 30 days prior to 30 days post-op, everything was planned. I was compliant. I consulted docs, nurses, nutritionists, therapists and support groups. Being prepared and committed was the key. I dropped 25 pounds the second month.
Your mileage may vary, but that was how it went for me. I was fueled by my dad's death in November 2006. By November 2007 I had lost 70 pounds.
In addition to our stories and support, check out the resources on the main page. MamaBear has assembled a comprehensive prep list in the Resources area and the bariatric food source has links to products under that. You get discounts on their stuff as you participate in posting, getting Likes, being helpful, etc.
So, how do you think you'll do?
I am 76 and I am going for it. I feel I still have a lot of living to do
TerriLynne
Member
Diane, my doctor told me that when I have my bypass I'll have to be cut, not laparoscopic because I had the band put in. I was wondering how recovery for bypass with a cut would go. I'm a little nervous about that.
dianeseattle
Member
TerriLynne, I had an open procedure. It required a 7-inch vertical incision from navel to bottom of sternum. My surgeon did the RYGB, also known as roux-en-Y, and took out my gallbladder (which actually had four stones in it! who knew?). My recovery was slow because someone snipped a nerve bundle when making the incision. I had surgery in a teaching hospital, an arm of University of Washington, so there were students involved. The nerve pain was horrible but I have to tell you, most people have NO nerve involvement whatsoever. They heal up just like from any surgery.
Nevertheless, even with the little extra difficulty, I just took my time, laid in bed, took pain meds, got up several times a day to make broth or jell-o or drink a protein shake. I had the nausea that accompanies any opioid and passed bile for a few days because it was in my digestive tract from my gallbladder. I remember recovery as being very easy, but I was wiped out, & rolling over in bed with the nerve pain was horrible, but momentary. I had a social engagement I was expected to attend--dinner with friends--and I hadn't told anyone about my surgery, so I had to go. It was probably only a week after surgery. I drove there, picked at a little food on my plate & at some point, I remember needing to go into the bedroom alone to let some pain & nausea pass. But no one knew I was feeling at all bad.
Don't be nervous. The surgery is a snap & you just go to sleep & wake up a few hours later feeling a little discomfort, but nothing to write home about. In the hospital for a few days, I remember eating purple jello & drinking some kind of bouillon. I got up & walked a few times a day to keep my blood flowing & not developing clots. It was uncomfortable but I can't say I had any pain I couldn't handle, or dispatch with a punch of the Happy Bag O'Drugs they hung next to my bed! I really loved pushing that button.
No one outside my immediate family--my son, my ex-husband, who I lived with, and his fiancee, knew I had had the surgery. I recovered without anyone ever noticing anything was different or wrong. I've had teeth pulled that hurt more.
The only thing that bothered me after surgery was the scar on my belly. I didn't realize how often I had my midriff exposed, showing the scar. So, vanity was the most painful post-surgical experience I had! And when I weighed myself at the end of the first month, I had dropped 35 pounds! I dropped another 25 the second month & then my progress slowed up & eventually plateaued at about six months, but I had lost at least 75 pounds before that. I was working out at the YMCA, preparing for a week of hiking in the North Cascades (16 miles the first day, then up to the top of a 6600-foot mountain the next, & down again the third day, with lots of additional side trips. Blew out my knee on the sixth day & had to be transported by boat across the lake to the resort after flagging down a ranger). The exercise made my weight loss speed up & after 14 months, I had lost 115 pounds.
It's not a trip to Disneyland, but it's not that hard & not that painful. The results are totally worth any discomfort you might have. Just make sure you use the surgery as a TOOL, not a magic trick. You have to follow your post-op diet & your body will happily shed all the tonnage you want it to!
Did I miss anything?
Nevertheless, even with the little extra difficulty, I just took my time, laid in bed, took pain meds, got up several times a day to make broth or jell-o or drink a protein shake. I had the nausea that accompanies any opioid and passed bile for a few days because it was in my digestive tract from my gallbladder. I remember recovery as being very easy, but I was wiped out, & rolling over in bed with the nerve pain was horrible, but momentary. I had a social engagement I was expected to attend--dinner with friends--and I hadn't told anyone about my surgery, so I had to go. It was probably only a week after surgery. I drove there, picked at a little food on my plate & at some point, I remember needing to go into the bedroom alone to let some pain & nausea pass. But no one knew I was feeling at all bad.
Don't be nervous. The surgery is a snap & you just go to sleep & wake up a few hours later feeling a little discomfort, but nothing to write home about. In the hospital for a few days, I remember eating purple jello & drinking some kind of bouillon. I got up & walked a few times a day to keep my blood flowing & not developing clots. It was uncomfortable but I can't say I had any pain I couldn't handle, or dispatch with a punch of the Happy Bag O'Drugs they hung next to my bed! I really loved pushing that button.
No one outside my immediate family--my son, my ex-husband, who I lived with, and his fiancee, knew I had had the surgery. I recovered without anyone ever noticing anything was different or wrong. I've had teeth pulled that hurt more.
The only thing that bothered me after surgery was the scar on my belly. I didn't realize how often I had my midriff exposed, showing the scar. So, vanity was the most painful post-surgical experience I had! And when I weighed myself at the end of the first month, I had dropped 35 pounds! I dropped another 25 the second month & then my progress slowed up & eventually plateaued at about six months, but I had lost at least 75 pounds before that. I was working out at the YMCA, preparing for a week of hiking in the North Cascades (16 miles the first day, then up to the top of a 6600-foot mountain the next, & down again the third day, with lots of additional side trips. Blew out my knee on the sixth day & had to be transported by boat across the lake to the resort after flagging down a ranger). The exercise made my weight loss speed up & after 14 months, I had lost 115 pounds.
It's not a trip to Disneyland, but it's not that hard & not that painful. The results are totally worth any discomfort you might have. Just make sure you use the surgery as a TOOL, not a magic trick. You have to follow your post-op diet & your body will happily shed all the tonnage you want it to!
Did I miss anything?
@dianeseattle, you have a magical way of explaining things. Wowsy-wow!
dianeseattle
Member
You know how you'll say something in a post, then it cycles out a week or two later & no one remembers what you said? Well, I think I'm saying this for the first time, but soon people will forget. I made my living as a writer. I was a journalist first, then a technical writer, then a blogger. I used to write a lot better than I do now. I just found an old letter I never sent to someone & it's like night & day, the difference. I hate the losses that come with time. But I still enjoy telling people that I used to work for National Public Radio. That little medal got me virtually every job I applied for afterward. And sometimes I still listen to my tapes. Glory days. I'll be talking about that from my rocking chair & everyone will remind me I already said that... LIKE 100 TIMES!
dianeseattle
Member
I think we have a member who is 74 but Nanc here is 76! The question is, is Nanc still here? And is anyone older? We should give someone a prize.
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