PeteO

How much water are you drinking? Did you give up caffeine cold turkey when you started the liquid diet?

I had my surgery consult this morning. My surgery date is set for 9/19. I am pretty excited. I also found out today that my EKG could not rule out a previous myocardial infarction. My surgeon said that this is not uncommon and for someone my age (36yo) with no previous heart issues, it isn't anything to get overly concerned about. It could be something as simple as a lead that wasn't placed correctly or I moved during the test. But I now have to get a cardiologist clearance. He said it may be as simple as a few questions and another EKG, or it could result in a stress test, etc. I have that scheduled for 8/22. I am also pretty proud of myself. I have lost 18 lbs since going to my intake appointment on June 6th. Let the countdown begin. -Pete

My first thought ... if you are not sleeved and only eating 600-1000 calories/day, your stomach is not "full" and your body is in starvation mode with a slow metabolism. Before sleeving, I would consider increasing intake moderately (maybe 1000-1300/day) to try to kick start your metabolism. If your body is in starvation, it doesn't matter how little you eat or how hard you exercise, the body tries to hang on to what you have. That is the beauty of the sleeve, that full stomach is reached on fewer calories, so the metabolism stays up. This advice and $1.99 will get you a Protein bar :-) -Pete

I have 4 boys ... a 6yo, a 4yo, and 2yo identical twins. They aren't really worried about the surgery. I have had a couple surgeries in the past few years. We told them that daddy is having surgery to help him lose weight and be more healthy so that I can go on bike rides with them and get down on the floor and play with them. It didn't hurt that I also told them that I was taking them to Disney World next summer after I had my surgery and lose a bunch of weight. This has actually been a good thing, because they are already holding me accountable. My 6yo and 4yo are constantly watching what I eat. If I take a bite of a non-Protein item before my protein is gone, they are quick to point it out. It is pretty funny. Honesty is the best policy. Don't try to sugar coat it or hide it from them, they can sense it and it makes things worse. -Pete

I'll take a Skyline 4-way (bean) with oyster crackers and hot sauce ... PLEASE!

Not sure what kind of adapter you are referring to ... there are USB TV Tuners that you can plug into your laptop that can accept a COAX cable or over-the-air frequencies. With these, you can use your laptop as if it were a TV. Plugging it in to a COAX means that you will only get unencrypted Ddigital Cable (the kind you get at home if you were to plug the TV directly to the COAX coming out of the wall, bypassing the cable box). Another option ... if the hospital/hotel have internet service, check out hulu.com or a similar service. Additionally, with shows like Covert Affairs, you can watch them directly from the Network's website (i.e. USA Network). Hope this helps. -Pete

I have a question for you all ... during the clear lquid stage of the post surgery diet, did you attempt Protein of any sort? Or did you focus on getting the calories that you could from broths/jello/etc? If you took in protein, what did you use? Thanks, -Pete

The big issue for airlines is where you carry your weight. The supposed litmus test for an extra seat is whether or not you can get the arm rest down. For me, even at 400+ lbs, I have never bought an extra ticket, because of how my weight is distributed. Mine is all in the belly and upper body, so although I am wider than I should be, I am not as wide as one would expect for someone at 400+lbs. Albeit uncomfortable, I can get the arm rest all the way down and have not had any issues on flights. My 2 cents. -Pete

I am not really a big chocolate or vanilla person, which are the 2 main flavors for Protein drinks. I do, however, like fruit flavors, so I bought a jug of the nectar powder. The flavor is fuzzy navel. It kinda reminds me of Sunny D with a bit of the protein flavor that all of the drinks seem to have in the background. It blends easily in a shaker bottle and tastes pretty decent, especially when cold. If you check out www.mybariatricpantry.com, they have a sampler pack of 12 different flavors. My 2 cents. -Pete

Talk to your advocate about this. My surgeon's office told me that my insurance plan only covers a 24 hour observation period, but that is flipped into a 2-3 day stay based on the doctor's assessment during the observation period. It is all a cat and mouse game. -Pete

I got the call from my surgeons office this morning. My insurance was submitted last week and they received approval this morning. They are sending my chart to the pre-op team and said I should expect a call from them within the next two weeks to shcedule pre-op testing and my consult with the surgeon. I don't want to jinx it, but the process is going much faster and smoother than I expected it to.

I got a call from the surgeons office this afternoon ... they are sending pre-op testing orders to the hospital this afternoon. I can go anytime in the near future for my chest x-ray and EKG. They said to expect a call later in the week regarding my EGD, and then a consult date with the surgeon. The train is picking up steam! -Pete

Hi all, I received a link to this site from a coworker. Both of us are on the Sleeve journey. I had my seminar 4/23. On 6/6, I had my psych and nutritional evaluations. Got clearance from my PCP on 6/10. All I am waiting for bloodwork results and insurance clearance to get on with the big day. We have great insurance through work, so it is more formality at this point. When I went for my initial consult, I weighed in at 411lbs. Since then, I have lost 10lbs, so I am pretty pumped about that. I am working with Bluegrass Bariatric Associates (Dr. Oldham) in Louisville. I look forward to being part of the gang here. -Pete