lyndeeboo

Egg drop soup...how many of you had it during your 3-week post op diet? I worry that the eggs don't qualify for the liquid diet. I know they're super soft, but can they hurt me? I placed a call to my Doc's office since I'm not starting the "soft" portion of the diet until Tuesday (commmmmmmme ON Tuesday!) but today I'm REALLY struggling with wanting something more than my chicken/beef broth, runny cream of chicken soup and protein shakes!Doctors office closes at noon on Friday's so I don't know if I will hear back or not. Any advice is appreciated. Don't want to do anything to hurt my sleeve and my recovery, but if Egg drop soup is "safe" I'm going for it!

I'm sure this is a silly question, but I have to ask it as I have surgery in 6 days. After surgery I have to have 60 oz of water a day -- at least. Does the water I add to a protein drink for example, count towards that requirement? I'm normally a water drinker. I love the stuff. But I'm a chugger! I've been practicing "sipping" my water the past few days and holy cow does it take a longgggg time to get through a bottle of water at that rate. Any advice is appreciated

You CAN DO THIS! I'm Day 8 of my 2-week pre-op diet and slowly but surely I *think* it's getting easier Maybe it's just mind over matter, but I've GOT to do this. You can't beat yourself up over making the incorrect choices for one meal. That is in the past. Move forward and visualize your goal of being a fitter, healthier person! I can't tell you how many times I have *almost* slipped...I have caught myself reaching for candy, only to remember just as my fingers were about to touch it. Could I have snuck it and shoved it in my mouth and had no one know? Absolutely. But *I* would have known and more importantly, my body would have known. Two nights ago my family had mac and cheese with dinner and I actually put an entire fork full in my mouth and was chewing before realizing what I was doing...the old me would have just swallowed it and went on with my life. The new me ran to the trash and very un-lady like'ish spit it in to the trash. It's mind over matter, and for once in my life I'm winning this game. You can too

I'm being sleeved the same day and have the SAME concern. Godo luck to you!

July 30th is the big day!!! SO excited I could scream. Start my pre-op diet the 16th of July. Any other end of the monther's out there? Looking forward to being a hot-mama by Christmas

I've been around the block when it comes to deciding on a procedure and a doctor. When I first started this journey I thought I wanted the lapband. I went to see Dr. Nick at the Nicholson clinic and the same day had another appointment at True Results Richardson. When I went to see Dr. Nick he went over all three procedures (lapband, sleeve and bypass). Because of my weight and because I live so far away (3 hours) he highly suggested the sleeve instead of the band. When I left his office I wanted to be sleeved. Then I walked in to True Results and they proceeded to scare the heck out of me about the sleeve procedure and I decided to be banded again. I continued going to True Results for the past 2 months but just couldn't get over a funky feeling I was having about not being sleeved. I know there is war-stories with ANY procedure (I shouldn't say 'war stories' because I know that there is TRULY complications that can arise), but I somehow kept finding posts about people having terrible complications with their band and either having to have revision surgery, or being SO sick they couldn't have anything once the band was removed. THAT scared me. The straw that broke the camel's back was when I saw a post that said if you're considering the surgery center in Richardson, and then said the surgeons name, RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN. I felt as though that was the Lord speaking to me. I called Dr. Nicholson's clinic and they were happy to take me back. Now my question is, is he a good surgeon? I had read review after review on the lapband forum about what a top-of-the-line surgeon he is, but I'm having a hard time finding people on the sleeve forum who are saying the same things. I'm not finding anything BAD about him but I don't want 'good enough'. I want the BEST. Opinions? Is there any where on this forum I can search for his name and find other patients that have used him???

Thanks SO much for your message! I'm slated to be sleeved on the 30th of this month with him. So far I have absolutely NO complaints with him, he seems to truly care about his patients. SO happy to hear and see that you're doing so well!!!

I've finally completed all of my insurance req's and am now awaiting approval. Since I've completed my requirements I guess this entire process has become really 'real' to me and it scared me. I kept asking myself if I really NEEDED this surgery...why couldn't I lose wieght on my own? Am I being lazy and taking the easy way out? Is it worth putting myself under the knife and having major surgery when I'm already too lazy to eat right and exercise? Am I wasting my family's money by having surgery? etc, etc, etc. Well tonight my sweet 5 year old ittle girl innocently made a statement that first broke my heart and then made me realize without a doubt this surgery is the right thing for me. We were driving home and she asked what would happen if I started to drown (We have a pool and swim a lot. I used to teach swim lessons and water safety, so water safety is REALLY important to me). I said, "Well, if I was truly drowning and couldn't get out, hopefully someone would help me out of the water." She replied (Here's where my heart broke...) "But Mommy, you're so big. How would they be able to pull you out? You're too heavy." And THEN she tried to backtrack...that broke my heart even more. She shouldn't have to worry about what she says to me and if it hurts my feelings. She shouldn't have to try to change what she said to make me feel better - - she's FIVE! AND THAT DID IT FOLKS. I almost broke down in tears right there in my car. I can hide from cameras, I can hide from the mirror. I can ignore the fact that my clothes are too tight I can hardly zip my pants. I can look past my double chin. I can choose to not look at my stretch marks. I can ignore being breathless just from walking from my car to my house. I can not pay attention to the fact that I now have to undo my top button to my jeans when sitting at my desk because it is digging in to my stomach. I can pop another blood pressure pill and ignore my high blood pressure... But I cannot ignore the fact that my kids notice I'm overweight and that kills me. I guess up until then I knew I was wayyyyy too heavy but since no one else would address it I could go on my merry-way and ignore it. But there's no ignoring it anymore. I have to do something more powerful than myself so that I can stop living a hollow life and stop living in the shadows, hoping no one addresses the fact that I am unhealthy. The heck with the fact that I am so unattractive anymore, I am unhealthy and am not the role model that my kids deserve. So I'm having this surgery. I don't care how it happens, I need this surgery. I need to lose weight. I need to get healthy. I need to start caring about myself. I need to start caring about my family and their future - - with ME in it.

Just wanted to tell you I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! I see we have the same surgeon (I'm pre-op) and from all I've read, you have one of the BEST surgeons around so at least you're in great hands!!! Keep us all posted!!!

Lately I've really been trying to eat slower, take much smaller bites and really chew my food before swallowing, as opposed to my usual consume-it-as-fast-as-I-can-shove-it-in-my-mouth technique when eating. I'm noticing that the things I eat are actually kind of gross tasting when I actually take the time to TASTE them. Wish I would have slowed down earlier in life and actually tasted things...maybe I wouldn't be being on the road to being sleeved

Ultimate break-up letter - - LOVE it!! Can't wait until I'm ready to write the same thing! Best of luck to you

This makes me excited to be sleeved because my 'little voice' is a really BIG, LOUD, ANNOYING voice that has wayyyyy too much control over me. I can't wait to shut it UP!

Thank ladies! I LOVE this place! You are all wayyyyy too good for a girl's self-esteem! I'm so encouraged by all of you that have had this surgery and seem to have no major regrets. Thank you for taking the time to be so supportive.

You're so right that all of this should be gotten out of my system before surgery - - and it's funny, I had completely forgotten that I had written this post. I think having this forum and getting my thoughts out there, my feelings validated, but then being given the tools and encouragement to know that I've got this had helped me SO much. I'm happy I put those thoughts down when I did because somehow I think I've gotten past some of them and for me that's a small victory I absolutely agree that once I'm on my way to getting to a healthy weight hopefully the changes I've made will be easier! Thank you for your comments and good luck in your journey

I had my 3rd nutrition appointment yesterday and I am scared! I KNOW that the benefits outweigh the stuff I’m going to have to give up, I just need to get these thoughts on to paper…maybe that will help. I’m feeling guilty that I’m even having these thoughts because I want this surgery so badly. I worry that if I’m having these thoughts am I going to fail, or is this what everyone else thinks prior to surgery and this is normal??? Here is what worries me. One of the things she said was after surgery, don’t drink water (or any other beverage) 30 minutes before, don’t drink during and don’t drink an hour after a meal. When I asked why she said that water speeds up the digestion process and will cause your teeny stomach to digest even faster, which will make you hungry earlier. Makes sense, but I don’t like it! I ALWAYS drink water with my meals, always. I know that in the grand-scheme of things not drinking water at a meal isn’t a big deal…for a few meals, but for the rest of my life??? next is eating meat. She said that after surgery a lot of people can’t really digest meat any longer. She also said that meat isn’t really all that great for you (I’ve heard this before) so that it’s really not a big deal. Well I know health-wise it’s not a big deal, but after having such a love-affair with food for so long, I worry that I will be sad when I can’t order a nice, juicy steak. It’s easy to say something isn’t a ‘big deal’ when you’re not an addict. I’m a food addict. Everything when it comes to food is a ‘big deal’. Portion sizes. She said that your portion size goes down to like the size of the palm of your hand. Holy cow. I don’t eat to be “full” I eat, and eat and eat because I like the flavor of food…to only be able to eat that small of a portion….will I regret having this surgery and will that in turn make me miserable? I WANT to give up needing the comfort of food. I WANT to not overeat any time I sit down to a meal. I want to have something stronger than ME controlling what I put in to my mouth because I just can’t control what I eat at times. I’ve tried so hard and after a few weeks of great will power I succumb and let weeks of good choices go down the drain in a few meals. I know that on the outside looking in these are all really stupid reasons to be concerned. I know that when I read them tomorrow I will look at them and wonder what I was thinking. But right now, today, right in this moment I wonder if the fact that I’m having these thoughts means that I am not in the right place, mentally to have the surgery. Ugh, this sucks! I guess yesterday in talking about everything it just hit me hard that once I have this there’s no going back. Don’t get me wrong - - once I leave this fat, unhealthy body I don’t WANT to go back to where I am right now…it’s just so final and official. I HATE FOOD AND THE CONTROL IT HAS OVER ME!!! I hate the fact that I am doing things to my body that I know if it continues will kill me, yet I am questioning letting it go...I hate this. I think for the first time in my life I am feeling what a drug-user feels! The 'knowing' that you need to give something up, yet the longing for the relationship and comfort that it gives. Not cool, not wanted and not welcome in my brain!

Exactly! I'm looking forward to those moments when I'm not "too big" to do things with them! It's kind of silly when I think about myself....I'm scared to have surgery for ME (afraid of pain, complications, etc) but then when I think of THEM and their future with me being so unhealthy and out of shape it's almost like I get a false sense of bravery and for a brief moment forget about MY fears because I owe it to THEM. Ahhhh, if I can just keep up this bravery until AFTER I have surgery

I'm so excited for you!!! I'm still in the waiting to be approved stage...submitted 11 days ago and the wait is killer! Knowing that you're in the liquid pre-op stage - - as hard as I'm sure it is - - must be so exciting since it's making it seem REAL! Best of luck to you with everything - Pre-op, surgery, post-op, etc. I hope it all goes nice and smooth and really quick! By the way, your pic is beautiful!

Thank you ladies. It's so nice to have the support of others who actually KNOW what I'm going through instead of always hearing "Well if you'd just eat less..." from well-meaning people.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog post! I appreciate the support! I wrote it when the feelings were SO raw so that when I lost this motivation I could go back and read it and reread over and over again...I'm sure I will have moments when I'm afraid but those won't compare to what I felt last night. Thank you SO much for the support. I love this place

Ha! Way to work that sleeve you sexy thang!!! ..But this post is WORTHLESS without a picture! Put up or shut up

OH NO!!!! That is the unfairest of things to have happen the day before surgery Did they give you any idea how long until they will re-look at your claim???

I'd never heard of this until right now....sounds like a nice perk and how nice of some restraunts to honor it! But I personally wouldn't ever get my feelings hurt if they didn't. It's one of those things to me, that although I'm having surgery and will def eat less, I'm not going to demand a discount if someone doesn't want to give it to me. This statement isn't directed at anyone here, but I feel like as a society we're becoming more and more demanding and less and less appreciative. But still, how nice of those restraurants that honor the card - - what a nice perk!

I don't know what to say - - other than I am SO SORRY Hopefully someone here will chime in and ease your fears...that is just terrible that you're facing this.

Thanks girlie

Wow. It seems like just yesterday that I joined this forum and looked at the list of things I had to do before insurance would even CONSIDER approving me for surgery. I had to find a doctor (check), I had to visit a nutritionist for 4 visits (check, check, check and check), I had to get a letter from my Endo saying that I could have surgery (check), I had to have a sleep study (check) and finally, I had to have a psych evaluation (check). After all of those requirements were met I had to have one last appointment with the surgeon's assistant before they would submit everything to insurance. As of 10 minutes ago I had my super short meeting with the physician's assistant and I am DONE! I have officially fulfilled all of the requirements insurance laid out for me and now await hearing those beautiful words "You are approved!" I'm not even entertaining the thought that they might deny me...nope. I have prayed about this and am faithful that this is the right path for me! I'm scared/nervous/excited all at the same time. Keeping my fingers and toes and everything in between crossed for approval!