longer-life

He probably wanted to know if you were cutting your stomach for cosmetic reasons like liposuction and stuff...or health. :-)

That's my thought process as well. I don't think the coworker said anything wrong. I want people to be honest and tell me how they see things from their vantage point. Can you believe I got the SAME infomercial from someone from THIS website? There is a woman that posted on the complications thread about problems her husband was having. Since I was in the researching stage I contacted her to ask how her husband was doing and to ask if the complications had been resolved. I talked to her and her husband a few times on the phone and by email. I couldn't believe I was getting an infomercial about products from the VSG patient!!!!!!! He actually offered to help me set up a business so I could sell them too and begged me not to have the surgery. They seemed like very nice people that had a bad experience with this surgery. Needless to say I was shocked. I don't regret contacting them and I don't regret having my surgery. It's all good. Do what is best for you. There is no right or wrong here. Well .......actually, in my opinion, there is a wrong. Some people tell others they lost all their weight by simply exercising and upping their Protein and that is wrong.......in my opinion. Do what you feel comfortable doing and it will be alright. :-)

I am! I am very happy with his expertise. Not only is he a surgeon of excellence but his is a bariatric patient himself, so the compassion and understanding is there. He is professional, answers all your questions and has a sense of humor (if he sees you can take it). He trains other surgeons here in the US and overseas. You probably know he also uses the Spider, which means I only have one incision through my belly button. I really wouldn't have minded having more incisions because I will never wear a bikini..lol..but I really like that he is still willing to learn and use new technology. He, in my opinion, is on the top of his game. That helped me not be nervous because I know that if a complication were to occur he would know how to fix it. In regards to his team, one of the insurance coordinators was great!( Luckily I didn't have to deal with the other one because she is rude.) She provided me with all the forms to give to my PCP. That ensured my PCP did everything right and I had no trouble whatsoever getting approved. She answered all of my emails promptly. The nutritionist always answers my emails and I have seen her a few times already and I am only 2 weeks out. The 3 hour class and the thick booklet you will be given is very informative and thorough. I met two other women that day and we walked the halls after surgery and email one another. That was great. The mental health counselor went to meet me on surgery morning and that was very nice. They have a private Facebook group that I am about to join and I plan to attend their support groups. I haven't met the chef yet. I heard she cooks something during or for the support group meetings. I have a few Surgeons of Excellence less than 8 miles away from my house but I picked him that is 22 miles away. I am sure they would have all been good but I have no regrets with my decision. I am picky and I would have fired him in an instant before surgery (or after) regardless of all his qualifications, if I was not super satisfied. It is my body, my health and my money so I expect a lot. I hope you like them as much as me. In my opinion, you are in great hands!

My daily requirement is a minimum of 71 grams of protein (80 ounces of fluids too). As long as you reach your surgeons goal of protein AND fluids, stick with Premier or mix it up. I definitely mix it up. Right now my favorite is GNC Pro performance whey isolate in Vanilla. (I am lactose intolerant so I must use ISOLATE). I prepare it with milk and that increases it to 36 grams. Also consider logging your intake in "myfitnesspal.com" . It's really great.

OMG I love this!!!!!! I imagined the whole getting on the scale thing and the happy dance. It was great to read! I am very happy for you. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!

Hi Britgal, listen to Geno. I did the same thing and it was heaven. Glad to hear you are doing well. I like your selection of drinks. I had to do that too. Variety is key for me.

Yeah! Thanks Sleeve 4 me and everyone else. I feel silly for saying this is great news.....but it IS to me. lol

[quote name='clk' timestamp='1322917928' post= I'm a slowpoke but I was down 92 in one year. Trust me, I wasn't crying any tears of disappointment that I didn't hit the 100 mark! I was thrilled with my progress, ~Cheri The question is how much can you do in one year? I'm a slowpoke but I was down 92 in one year. Trust me, I wasn't crying any tears of disappointment that I didn't hit the 100 mark! I was thrilled with my progress, I love this! I see so many doing great, yet they are disappointed. It is sad sometimes. I hope a lot of people read this.

I used to go once or twice a day too. Can you finish a tall? What do you get?

You look wonderful. Hopefully your experience with gallbladder surgery is like mine (and many others). It is a breeze, as far as surgeries go and I have had breast reduction, open hysterectomy and now VSG. Congratulations on your weight loss. @ Foxbins- Like you I had one VERY painful attack and had to have the surgery a few days after. That was after a loss of 50 pounds on Weight Watchers. Glad to hear you are feeling better every day.

:hail: Good job!!!!!!! Congratulations! Keep it up!

:bump:

You answered my question. Thanks!

How exciting!!!! Congratulations!! Your persistence paid off! You kicked Highmarks bottom!!!! :boxing: Please consider writing a long post about your journey on the "health insurance" forum. It will help a lot of people! You are amazing!!!!!

Wow, I never thought a "lightweight" could lose so much in a month. That is AWESOME! Can you share a little more in regards to how many calories you eat, Protein and exercise? Congratulations!

Isn't this HUGE? That is how it was for me on Thanksgiving! I was on liquids and once in a while I would stare at something, but overall I was fine. That is unbelievable to me. lol Glad you are doing well. :-)

@Granny22- Welcome! My surgeon is different so I sort of skipped purees, so can't help you much there. When on full liquids I was allowed to puree no sugar added canned fruit (or homemade stewed and pureed fresh fruits) and it was good. Hopefully others will chime in here. If not try searching "puree" on the top right search box and you will probably get tons of threads on that. @Liliana- I couldn't do the store bought broths so my mom made me one and it was HEAVEN. She seasoned some non fatty pieces of beef with mashed garlic, minced onion, salt, pepper, but you can use whatever you like. The next day she boiled that with fresh cilantro (lots) and big pieces of carrots, garlic cloves, green pepper, onion, bouillon cube etc. (you can put in whatever you like of course). We strained it with a colander covered in cheese cloth and it was divine! The highlight of my days! LOL Best wishes! (Oh...I tried to skim the fat but there wasn't much there)

Two things. Aetna ( and I think all insurances) go by the first weight. Also, my bulletin must be different than yours because mine did not say anything about having to lose weight to show a lifestyle change. I did decide to lose one pound a week and was approved in less than 72 hours. Lastly, even if Aetna does not go by the first weigh (which I doubt), in my bulletin it says they cover people with a BMI starting at 35 with sleep apnea. So either way, it seems you could lose a ton a weight and not have any problems getting approved.

I was told bite sizes should be like my pinky nail. Mine are actually like my thumb. Either way, do you mean 2-3 bites like that?

The Panko bread crumbs I have in my pantry are made by Progresso (as in Progresso soup). They have a very different texture than the regular bread crumbs most people use. So Panko is more like a "style" of bread crumbs. You can find it at most major supermarkets.

If you go the forum called "Monthly Gastric Sleeve support" (or something like that) you will find the November sleevers. We named ourselves the Banana Babes because that is the shape of our tummies. :biggrin2: The August sleevers named themselves August All Stars for example.

Congratulations!!!!!! What a great post! Great job!!!!!!

I asked to be the first surgery so I was asked to be there at 5:30am. I was put in a private room with a bathroom and t.v. , which I thought was very nice of them. After having the usual attire change, a few nurses come in for all sorts of reasons, from verification of identity, blood pressure, IV etc. The mental counselor from my surgeons office and a preacher visited too. Then my surgeon and the very handsome anesthesiologist came by and I told him not to be shy and knock me out. HE DID!!! Even though I was warned that a lot of people were going to be doing different things to me at the same time in the OR, like CT Fats described, I slept through it all! I don't even remember being wheeled in the OR or the recovery room. My first memory is of waking up is in my room and feeling pressure in my chest and knowing what that was thanks to this site! How cool is that? I knew it was gas, so I didn't panic and I fell right back to sleep. :biggrin2: When I woke up I didn't feel any pain or like I had done sit-ups as many describe. However when I wen't for my first walk I had spasms and horrible nausea followed by what felt like acids in my stomach. It was hell for 45 minutes. I specifically remember thinking " I am NOT going to have buyers remorse!" LOL I was given an injection and it has been AWESOME ever since. I went to the movies on day 4. No buyers remorse yet. :smile1:

The power of ONE pound!!! You were healthy and beautiful BEFORE the loss of this pound but didn't know it. I am really glad to see that this mental hurdle you had, has been blown to pieces. :hug: Congratulations!

I hope the responses you have received resonate with you. I just had surgery 2 weeks ago, so all I will add is that many of us here log our food intake on the website "myfitnesspal.com". It will show you the number of calories you are consuming and things like Protein, carbs etc. Their phone app is very good and easy to use too. Consider doing this. My daily requirements are a minimum of 71 grams of protein and 80 ounces of fluids. (Most are a little lower than that). Hopefully someone chimes in to give you an idea of the calories you should be consuming at this stage, if you don't already know. Best of luck! You are here now and that is GREAT!!!!!