M2G

I agree. Playing all the insurance games isn't fun, but it certainly is cheaper than self-pay. I had an insurance 6-month required weight monitoring and THANK GOD I did because during that time I learned about the sleeve and switched from the band to the sleeve! Phew!

This most definitely is a process. There are lots of friends and family who do not know that I've been sleeved. I will tell them when I am ready. As for my support group every single person that I have shared with has been super wonderful and supportive! Good luck, it is not easy stuff.

Good luck with your upcoming surgery. This is definitely not an easily made decision to have surgery, most sleever's I know their only regret is that this wasn't much of an option 5-10 years ago!

Well, I agree with the others, try not to freak out, and I have heard of that "sleepy" syndrome with different organs following any type of surgery (not just VSG) so I am thinking you are very swollen and that it will get better with time. Hang in there!

I do not drink orange juice, but I do drink orange flavored Benefiber, per my NUT's instructions. It reminds me of Tang (remember when you were a kid?) and it fits my diet plan. As for real orange juice I have no clue. I would imagine once you hit 6 weeks post-op it would be fine...don't forget to include it in your daily intake (or however you keep track.) My NUT is big on not drinking your calories. Honestly orange Benefiber, Water, and a short decaf coffee once a day is all I ever drink.

You are just in "catch up mode" your body is trying to figure out what the heck you are doing to it. Stall, plateau, whatever you want to call it ...happens to everyone at some point and happens multiple times to most people. Hang in there, keep doing your surgeon's plan and it will start moving down again!!

Losing weight on my own --- SURE! Keeping it off --- NEVER!

I am trying to seize that window as well, and doing my best to lose as much as I can during the first 6-9 months, for sure! Sometimes I feel like a slow loser, but then when I quit comparing myself to others and think about all the diets I have been on over the years, there is NO WAY that this is slow for me personally. With that being said, I also have not completely banished treats from my diet. I did notice myself enjoying a teeny sliver of key lime pie at thanksgiving and a smidge of pecan pie at Christmas, oh yeah, and there was those bites of fudge and Cookies throughout the month of Dec. When I do indulge it is small amounts, but I know it obviously isn't helping my weight loss, so I try to have a planned time/place for those treats and then get back on track with my next meal. I am happy with my loss and am thinking that my body will know when it is time to slow down without me having to be very deliberate about it.

Congratulations Pam!!! Ohmygoshyouwillbeinwonderlandsoon!!! Yep, that is one excited run-on sentance!

You look wonderful!!! I agree with Julie too, I see such a difference between you at your highest and what you look like now. WOO HOO! So happy for you!

SN..............Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.......Lbs to Goal Avilda .................270.............196..............184............12 (12-9-10 191 down 5) Back on track!!! BlackBerryJuice...........208...........155...........155..............0 (Dec. 19th goal - reached a week early!!!!) Brendasgonnalose 335......244.............235............4 ( 12-20-10 239 down 3) Chilo1.............216...................169..............154................15 (down to 160- so back to original goal of 154!!!)) Dansha...........220..................220...............195................25;) DJackson........246.................230...............220................10 Filosophia Scandinavia...205...205.............187...............17 (Will be sleeved on the 30th November) Fit ..................290.................250.8..............235.8............15 GayleSBennett ....232.................201................189...............11 Good Luck everyone! =) Juliarh............303.6.................236.6..............225................11.6 Kgremmy........225..................221..............199................22 (being sleeved 12/14/10) Labrys............238..................208.................193...............15 Laylasmojo......242.................200.6.............185.............15.6 LilMissDiva........247...............236.............226.8..........9.2 Lisalu..............210..................137..............130.................7 livelovelaugh....236..................216................196...............20 Maddie............257.................167................147................20 merieri............240..................206...............190................16 Mini-Me...........203...................128.6..............125.............3.6 (Getting Better!) Mommy2Girls....275..................256.............240...............16 - GOAL REACHED! mp8btpc.........199...................160...............145...............15 pattimomof3NJ.....203.4..........168.1............170...............-1.9 BELOW GOAL!!! Pumpkin97....220...................150...............143...............7 (this is my goal for Jan 1 2011) Sleeve 4 me ...204...................167..............164..............3 Stacy160.........258..................174...............148...............16 StaySea........299...................299.................275.............24 twoboysandagirl..226..........212................199..............13( made goal 8 days post op) NEW GOAL 185 FlyGirl...........260.................227.................219...............8 I just had to share that I reached my goal today! I've lost -35lbs in 2 months since surgery and 16lbs since we started this thread. I am over the moon happy! Hopefully I'll be below goal by New Year's Day!

WOO HOO!!!

Phew! Glad it won't have a negative effect! Probably high Protein, low carb will get the lbs of quick.

I would send him a few helpful links via email and let it go. If he asks or wants to learn more then he will ask. It will become more clear maybe when your eating habits have to change. I have found that while many people are supportive of my decision, they don't have that same hunger for knowledge that I do. I basically took to the computer for the last 8+ months for information and research and have learned as much as I possibly could. Other people are much less interested in all the details, etc. I think as long as you are feeling that he supports you (regardless of how much he knows or wants to know) that is the most important. Maybe that is what the conversation needs to be about...basically do you support my decision?

You definitely need to ask. Every company is different and even within the same insurance company there are many different policies. I called my Nurse Case Manager (the ONE who decided that I was a good candidate at the beginning of my 6 month required check-ins and the same nurse who decided yes or no once my case was submitted) and I asked her point blank, what happens if I gain weight during the 6 months? She said it didn't matter, but for me personally what did matter was that my BMI needed to be ABOVE 40 to qualify (I have no co-morbidities) and further more she said my BMI at my FINAL 6 month check in would be the one they used to consider my approval. To be honest I used that sort of as my 'excuse' to not have to "diet" during my 6 month time...but I will say that the only time I gained weight was a family vacation to Hawaii and I gained 2lbs when I got home. I lost it within a week or so, but basically my weight stayed the same for the entire 6 months that I was being monitored. Just call and ask ...just make sure you are asking the right person. But at least then you will know what specifically applies to you.

Congrats you are doing so well! It would be hard to have surgery right before Christmas, but you are handling it really well. I totally know what you mean about food looking good, smelling good and it is sort of torture to watch other eat while you sip broth. Ugh. Hang in there, everything gets better each day that passes. Definitely listen to your body, my mind was rearing to go, but I had to wait for my body to catch up. And I think your mind is in the right place, I truly believe attitude has such a HUGE part in our recovery process, so I think you are doing great!

Wow, you look great! Cute sweater too!

Congrats! I never thought much about 250 being the upper limit on rides, skydiving, etc. That is really cool that you are BELOW that limit...feels great doesn't it? I'm in an 11 day stall currently and ready to say goodbye to the 240's...soon I hope!

We have UHC and of course everyone's policy is different, but we were specifically told that we need 6 CONSECUTIVE months of "dieting" (weight monitoring) and that if we skipped a month or missed an appt. we would have to start over. I say 'we' because my DH is getting sleeved too, he is just behind me in the approval process. Anyway, we have two different Nurse Managers and two different Case Managers, but they all seem nice, etc. Although his stuff got bounced around a bit this month and he is currently waiting for approval...but it won't matter because the surgeon's last day to perform surgery is today and he has not yet been approved. I would definitely ask for someone new, follow up with that psych eval...can you get a copy and forward it personally? Just keep fighting, and good luck to you!

Congrats and welcome to the losers bench! I wouldn't worry too much about the Protein (Isopure) right now, but you do need to focus on the Water intake. Keep drinking that water to fight dehydration. I was a burper too, for every single sip of water I took, it equaled 2 burps. Annoying but my family did get used to it. It subsided after about 3 weeks. Hang in there, and keep healing and yay for hubby dealing with the kiddos! Rest, sip, rest, sip, rest....

I'm the opposite of Dawn, I had my gall bladder out about 11 years ago and had horrid gas pains (it was explained to me like this...they do try to take out as much gas as they can but whatever is left over will eventually put pressure on your muscles {for me it was my back and shoulders} much like a scuba diver who comes up too fast and the O2 in their bodies creates the 'bends') but with my VSG 2 months ago I didn't have any. So it probably does come down somewhat to the surgeon, but everyone's experience is different, hopefully yours will be no gas pains at all.

I was originally going in for the band too, but my insurance required a 6 month wait time (weight monitoring, etc.) and that is when I started researching the sleeve. I'm SO thankful I got the sleeve vs. the band. But way back in May 2010, I told my NUT right off the bat "I can't imagine being 90 years old and having this band inside of me" and she sort of shrugged and said "well hopefully you will have mastered some different eating habits/patterns"...which is true, but I didn't want multiple surgeries, I just wanted one and I wanted to be DONE after I was healed. No fills/unfills, vomiting (that is a huge thing for me, I cannot stand to have things that are supossed to go DOWN come back UP), or any number of possible complications. So once I decided VSG, I was SO relieved with my choice, it felt like a million weights were lifted off my shoulders once I decided VSG. Thank GOODNESS my insurance made me wait. lol.

I lost initially right after surgery and then on day 10 I stalled for 10 days. Now that I'm 2 months out, I notice that I don't lose anything the week of my "time" of the month. It is frustrating, but realistically you are just not going to see the scale drop every single day, no matter how much you want it too. :Cry: I think we all go through this frustration. I emailed my NUT with my daily intake and she said "relax you are doing everything perfectly, just hang tight and you will lose again" but when you are doing everything perfectly and not getting results it can be hard. But I will give you the same advice, keep doing what you know it right and the scale will eventally go in the right direction.

Congrats! You look wonderful...and cute shoes BTW!

I am so glad you are home and are continuing to recover. I hope the pain and nausea lessens each day and hopefully each day you will start to feel better (especially now since you are home...hospitals are NOT relaxing places to be!) Thanks for your update, I'm glad to see you are on your way to be 100% better.