kczar

Good luck to you! I'll be done with my insurance requirements at the end of this month but because of my work schedule, I'll probably be a mid August sleever as well.

I agree with everybody who already posted. Start making the changes now that you will have to do anyway post-op. Stop drinking during meals, order a bunch of Protein powders to try, start walking or exercising if you haven't already, lower or eliminate carbs. All of these things will help you feel better as well as make the time go quicker. My insurance required the six month diet program as well and I'm grateful for it. It's given me time to read, research and take up residence on this board to learn as much as I possibly can, the good, the bad and the ugly. Believe me, the time will fly. I have my last "NUT" visit (actually with my PCP) at the end of this month. Since all my other requirements are taken care of, they should be able to submit the paperwork for approval immediately after my visit. It really went very quickly. Hang in there, you can do it!

I just went to see the psychologist for my psych evaluation (my insurance doesn't require it but my surgeon does.) He's obviously familiar with this process as he was one of the docs my surgeon recommended. He said that if you've been overweight all or most of your life, it's always going to be harder to lose weight and maintain it. Your body is always waiting for you to "come out of hibernation" so we'll always have to eat fewer calories and exercise more. That's just the way it is. People who are regular size or who were thin in the past, gained weight and then lost it think we're lazy. They think this surgery is the easy way out. I guess they can't understand that we need all the tools available in our arsenal to be successful. I've been very fortunate because I've told pretty much everyone that's important to me and they have been supportive (or at least not negative.) I wish everyone here could have that same experience.

Just finished my psych eval appointment. It went great! I didn't have to do the two hour questionnaire. Spent about 20-30 minutes with the doctor. I know everyone's different, but here's how it went: He asked me what I thought the purpose of the meeting was. I said I thought it was to determine if I was mentally prepared to take this step and understood the implications. He liked that answer! He took my life history - Where I was born, raised, education, family size growing up, work history, weight at an adult, highest and lowest weight. Had I done any research on the sleeve? Why was I contemplating having the surgery? Had I made any changes to adjust to post-op life? Was I exercising, what kind and how often? Basically, he felt I was well prepared and going into it with realistic expectations. Some of the things he looked for as red flags is someone who is doing it for cosmetic reasons or to please someone else, hadn't made changes to their lifestyle, didn't seem to grasp the ramifications of getting sleeved, etc. Anyway, he's filling out the paperwork and sending it over to my surgeon. Just one more appointment to go over my diet plan and I'm done with all the requirements!

Good luck, you can do this! I've heard people add sugar free jello pudding. Perhaps butterscotch or banana? Or can you swap them out at our doctor's office for a different flavor. I'll add my vote for the Torani syrups. They have a cinnamon brown sugar flavor I'm dying to try.

Yay!

Good luck to all of you! I hope you all get your approvals very soon.

Good luck to all of you getting sleeved this week!

I would tend to lean toward the surgical expertise. I like the surgeon I selected because I think he strikes a good balance. He doesn't have a typical surgeon mentality (slice 'em and move on), he sees patients for at least to years and he's developed new techniques to improved the success rates of bariatric procedures. But if you have a rock star surgeon you can't develop a relationship with, his/her skills may not matter.

I know there are several threads with this kind of information. I checked a few of the post-op forums but didn't find them right off. Try using the Search bar in the top right corner. Enter "shapewear", "compression" or "garment" and you should find them. Good luck!

I would strongly discourage you from doing this. First, there's the karmic implications. I'm sorry you had cancer before and am very glad you made it through, but why put that out there? And what kind of effect will this have on your coworkers? It's very upsetting for someone you see every day to be sick. And if they find out you didn't have a tumor/chemo? That could get ugly. For those you don't want to share your decision with, perhaps you could just say you're having surgery and it's personal. The implication could be that it's female related and most people shy away from that! Good luck on your journey.

I haven't been sleeved yet but wanted to respond because I'm sure you're a bit freaked out right now. From what I understand, beef can be pretty tough to digest at first. Have you eaten it before? Are you feeling better now? Perhaps try some antacid? You would probably feel better if you call your surgeon in the morning just in case. Good luck!

I personally don't like any of the RTD's. They have a chemical taste for me. I like the About Time powders. They have very few ingredients and use high quality protein.

PB2 is awesome! You can throw the powder into a shake or mix it with Water to have really low call peanut butter. It's 45 calories for 2 tablespoons. And they have a chocolate flavor! Just Google it. You can buy from their website, Amazon or local health food or upscale stores. The manufacturer's site has a store locator.

It does go very quickly. I'm on my last month of the supervised diet. Take this time to read all the posts here, do additional research, make changes to your eating habits, etc. The time will fly!

I would either call the insurance company directly or ask your surgeon's insurance coordinator to verify. I didn't get a real solid answer so I've been coasting a bit. However, this is the last month of my supervised diet plan so I intend to turn it on. Should have surgery mid August.

After I had my gallbladder removed, my surgeon said basically the same thing. He asked how I was feeling and I said I had some pain. He said, "well you were stabbed five times." I guess it's a joke they tell among themselves. Surgeons aren't know for being the most sensitive souls around. You'll be fine. Yes, it will hurt. But you'll have some great pain meds. Don't let your doctor's attempt at humor scare you off.

You are pretty much tied to your date then. Best of luck. We'll just hope the baby arrives before your surgery so you can get some quality grandmommy time in!

Barring complications, how long will my hospital stay be? What are the most common complications you have encountered and what is the percentage versus procedures with no complications? Were any of these complications due to patient non-compliance with instructions? Do you oversew the staples? Do you offer the overband? (This is a brand new procedure I've seen mentioned here on the boards. It's basically a silicone cover for the sleeve that is supposed to help prevent leaks. Don't know a lot about it but might be worth mentioning.) What is the typical post-op check up schedule? When can I resume taking my meds and Multivitamins? I think you can contact an admin to request this thread be pinned. Now, I'm not sure how you go about contacting them so I'm not extremely helpful on that subject.

First of all, congratulations on both your new grandchild and getting sleeved! Is it possible to reschedule your surgery to make sure it doesn't coincide with the birth? If not, will it cause hurt feelings between yourself and your son and daughter-in-law if you're not able to be fully engaged? Since these are family members rather than co-workers, it might be more difficult to continue not confiding in them as to the nature of your surgery. Would it cause hurt feelings if they find out later or do you think they would be grateful you didn't share because it might cause them to stress about you making it through being sleeved okay? I guess I'm not really being helpful. In the long run, it's definitely up to you who you tell or not. But do you want to take the chance of missing out on being able to fully participate in your grandchild's first few days? Either way, good luck with both life changing events!

I agree Angela. Patrick seems to be a really awesome guy! It's going to be fun watching his success story.

What are you confused about specifically? Is it how your BMI is calculated? It's based on both your height and weight. If you Google "BMI Calculator" and enter your statistics, it will give you a BMI of 60.6, which is around what cookies' was before being sleeved. A "normal" BMI is between 19 and 24, which would be between about 95 to 120 pounds for you. There are a number of factors that are considered when deciding if the vertical sleeve is your best option. Make sure your surgeon knows you're interested in that when you see him/her. Good luck and let us know how your consult goes!

Aviiva, the anesthesiologist is my favorite person ever! They have all the good stuff. But yes, you'll probably meet him/her after you're prepped and have your IV in place. And don't hesitate to express any concerns you have or ask for something to calm you. They are literally Dr. Feelgood and it's their job to make sure you're comfortable and safe throughout the procedure. I even told mine about my claustrophobia so he made sure the oxygen mask was just near my nose and mouth till I was knocked out.

Don't be so hard on yourself! From everything I've read here, the pre-op diet is the roughest part. But it's also supposed to get much better after day four. Hang in there, you will make it! And you'll have a beautiful, petite liver that your surgeon will love.

Hang in there, you don't have too much longer to go! I am curious about those that are required to use a specific product for the pre-op diet. Are you restricted to those brands after surgery? Or is it strictly for the liver-reducing phase? None of my business, but I've wondered that every time I've read about someone whose surgeon had this requirement. My surgeon's NUT gave me samples of different protein powders but I'm free to choose whatever works for me.