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I am pre-op, too. Day 10 of the liquid protein 14-day diet. As an older woman (60's) and married, I just want to tell you that you are the only one in your life who can make you happy. Concentrate on taking care of yourself. Get to know yourself. Find a therapist/counselor that you can relate with, and talk your head off. For depression, medication is sometimes needed. I don't know that surgery itself will solve any problems. But the weight loss will allow you to more easily indulge in any activities that you enjoyed when you were thinner. What did you enjoy doing then? What made you happy as a child? Try to take care of yourself in all ways: physically, socially, spiritually, intellectually. Indulge yourself in a massage, or taking a class, learning something new. These take you out of yourself and open you to the opportunities out there.

I'm almost 4 months post-op and have used my weight as the blame for a lot of things. I'm a singer and so it's easy for me to blame rejection (not getting a role/part/solo) on being fat. People don't take you seriously, or think you're smart, or find it easy to bully/dislike you because of the weight you carry around. Well now that it is going away (the weight I mean), here's the test!! Now it's all up to my talent...can't blame fat butt any more.

I live in Anacoco and that is about 5 hours from New Orleans. There is one that I have not met and that is to loose 10% of my body weight. I have heard that they will approve even without that one being met. Thank you all for the prayers and the thoughts. It means so much knowing that I can come here and have a support group any time! You guys are amazing!

My primary insurance resisted for a LONG time. Honey, do what I did. Take that bull by the balls. Call the Insurance Company and ask for either the Medical Director or their Nurse. These are the actual people who rubber stamp the approval. Don't hang up til you get them. If you hit a brick wall, tell them you expect a call back by 5 pm today or you will be contacting both your Congressman and the local news media outlet. When you get the MD or their Nurse on the phone, tell them what you need done. Tell them, "i believe i have been patient enough waiting for your company to do your job on my surgical request. my secondary approved it long ago. In a perfect world, I would be able to schedule surgery as soon as I hang up this phone. But I know this isn't a perfect world. So, YOU tell ME when the authorization will be approved. I NEED this surgery no later than May XX." Pick the date that works best for you. Don't say 'approved or denied.'. In your brain, denial IS NOT an option. Lay it out. Remind them of what THEIR rules are for approval. Go over each rule step-by-step confirming you have completed each task. Then, hold their feet to the fire on getting the approval in the next 24 hours. It's quite simple. Its THEIR game. And, if YOU have played it by THEIR RULES, you WILL WIN because they HAVE to play by their rules, too. Everyone where I work told me our insurance doesn't cover it. I got approval (cuz I can be a bit of a b***h... With documentation to support my bitchiness.) and had my surgery last Wednesday. Don't be discouraged if you find you have to do Nutritional Counseling for 6 months or a year. Even if your husband is not there to help with the kids, YOU can line up the support you need. I am the caregiver to my severely disabled sister who is at home with me on life-support. If I can line up people to take care of her for a couple of weeks, ANYONE can. You just have to find the burning desire in your heart to demand doing something FOR YOU. In the long run, it's for them too. And, I believe your husband can still play a big role in the support you need even from halfway around the world. ((HUGS)) to you. Please stay in touch. I am here to help you find the words you need.

No my final appt with surgeon is may 1st then off to insurance company goes everything and I sit back and patiently wait. I recently got out of a relationship in dec. It killed me, self sabatoge ??? I put on about 25lbs since then. But im still so hurt over it. Dont hide yourself after you are done with your surgery and you are comfortable, you get out there and show the world who you are. You said your a leo, so your not supposed to be a backround person, you should be front and center!! I too someday soon want to be confident again. He just took so much out of me its still so hard , but I have mourned him enough. UGHH ssssssso ooooooo hard to get back on your feet. But I have to believe we can do this.

Well, working in a hospital, I can tell you that it is the LAST place you should think you will get rest. It's always noisy and they have to do their jobs, around the clock. As much as we try to be quiet, if we tip toed around nothing would get done. The first few days post op are the roughest. It gets easier. My first day in the hospital, an intern told me that I would feel like myself again in a week. Although that was a slight exaggeration, it was not that far off. I got to a point where I had to remind myself I had surgery just days ago, and I was often reminded with a pain here and there. Now 10 weeks out, still have had a few MINOR glitches, not chewing enough, stalls, and picking a wrong food, but I don't regret it. I'm averaging just under 5 1/2 lbs lost weekly. Things are continually changing and now people are NOTICING! I'm also finding distaste for a lot of fattening foods that I enjoyed before. Don't focus on the bad! Better days will come, try to enjoy the ride.

Well first that is a lot of weight to lose in less than a month. Special reason you want to lose that specific amount. Some tips: Track your intake, if you want o lose that much weight you are going to have to be very focused and really know what you are putting in your body. In order to lose 1 lb of fat you have to eat 3500 calories less for every pound. You need to figure out what your body currently needs just to maintain your current weight and than work back wards. You should not eat less than 1200 calories per day and for the best weight loss you will need to exercise at least 45 minutes 6 days a week. If you can do strengthen exercise you will build muscle and burn fat faster than just doing cardio. You need to drink your water at least 6-8 glasses per day, limit salt intake and only eat lean meets and vegetables. Going to venture out here and say yes it carbs but be wise in your choices and cut them way back after the noon meal. I hate to tell you but there is no magic way to do this with out a lot of hard work. Is it it doable yes but is it worth going on a diet instead of gradually losing weight?

Prayers are sent your way. I know the waiting is hard.

i think everyone is right.....meat sounds like its just too much for you right now. chili is the best......it's moist and the meat is broken down...you can also experiment with different kinds of meat in your chili. Yes! i ate alot of ricotta cheese bakes one month post op! refried beans with salsa and cheese cheese....i still eat chili almost daily at about 3 months post op.'

I completely understand! I, too am 4 weeks post surgery. I made it to the soft food stage but had to go back to liquids for a while. I am having esophageal spasms which cause excrutiating chest pain. I'm just waiting for the solution to the spasms then will go back to soft foods. I'm anxious to try soft foods again. My Dr.'s diet protocol allows only soft cheeses (melt in your mouth soft), cottage cheese, scrambled egg, or flaky fish (boiled, broiled, poached), and mushy non-starchy veggies for 3 weeks, then adding chicken and pork the following 3 weeks, then finally, if tolerated adding beef. I hope that's helpful info for you. Good luck!