Helo-Tech

Hey All, just got back from my last Pre-op visit with the Dr., all is going as planned and have a firm date of April 30, at 8:00 am. today is the second day of my 2 week pre-op diet, this week is all low carb and next week will be liquids only. NOW it's getting real !!!!!!!

JEEEZZZZ, I'm sorry to hear of all the issues. I guess I'm a lucky one, all of my co-workers and fishing buddies are VERY happy for me that I am taking steps to be more healthy. I haven't told my family yet (other than wife and kids) but not because I'm worried about them not understanding, more because I want it to be a suprise for them to see me thin. two of my bothers-in-law have had the lap band and lost tons of weight with them.

Hey Gang, well it's official. I have my surgery date of April 30'th, got my insurance approval the other day and the firm date yesterday. now it's time to start getting nervous about it. start my pre-op diet next monday, 1 week of low carbs and then 1 week of liquids. Pray for me that I don't kill anyone while I'm on this pre-op diet, I know from past experiance that low carb and I don't get along very well.

remember guys, that you are supposed to be crushing your pills, not because of the restriction but because you don't have as much stomach area to digest and absorb the medication, by crushing them, the digestion part is helped out a bunch.

So Danielle, what date is your surgery ??? mine got pushed back to the 30'th of April.

hey all, I WAS penciled in for the 16'th but now it's been moved back to the 30'th, just because the surgery scheduler screwed up. and to top it off, now the Dr. is concerned about the surgery because my body makes kidney stones when I do a high protien diet. My PCP isn't worried, he can prescribe a preventative medication to help with that issue. but it's still up to the surgeon.

sorry everyone but I have to vent before I do something stupid, I've been doing nothing but jumping through hoops for a month now working towards getting my sleeve, I was penciled in for the 16'th of April, according to the scheduler, very doable as long as "I" did everything on time. well I did my part, the scheduler on the other hand has dropped the ball, all she had to do was request a "weight history" from my PCP, she had all the paperwork and consent forms signed at our first meeting back in the end of Feb., it took her a whole month to request a simple form. I called her simply to see if the 16'th is still doable as my wife and I have to schedule vacation time for the surgery, not an easy task for her. now, she won't return my voice mails, I've called her direct line about 2 dozen times and she NEVER answers her phone, I've left her 3 messages over the last 1 1/2 weeks and nothing. that kind of stuff REALLY BENDS ME OUT OF SHAPE, in my last message a few minutes ago, I gave her until this afternoon to call me back or I was going to collect all my records and find a new doctor. I mean, how hard is it to pick up a phone and make a quick call to someone? what the hell is wrong with the medical professions these days, what gives them the right to decide their time is the only time thats valuable ???? stupid arrogant asses. OK, vent over, now I need a stiff drink !!!!!!!!!

I'm having it at DePaul hospital in Norfolk, Dr. Salzberg if my Dr. too. I like her, but her scheduler is the one messing things up. Missmarbe--- I found out about Dr. S. through a friend of mine, she had the Gastic Bypass done but it was with Dr. S. and she spoke wonders about her. sooo---- your 10 days in, how's it going for you now ????

thanks, I got a call from her about 11:00 this afternoon, now my surgery is pushed back to the 30'th of April. she said they couldn't get it done because of the delay in getting the info. from my PCP (all her fault), and not even a "sorry about that". when I asked her why I hadn't heard from her on the previous 3 voice-mails she was like "because I didn't have an answer for you",,,,,, what a crock of "you know what".

it's through the Bon Secour's Weight loss center, it will be performed at a local Bon Secours hospital, clear as mud huh???

that's great Gold, I'm scheduled for April 19'th and am in the "buying stuff" stage gettting ready for it. don't worry about what other people say, there will always be people who don't understand our decision, they are typically the "naturally skinny" people, we are'nt that lucky though. if you need to talk or vent look me up, I'll be here.

April 16'th here, unless something changes. I just met with the NUT yesterday, that was the last hurdle until the insurance gets involved, but I'm not concerned, the Dr. I'm using has delt with my insurance before and is confident it will all be good. I wasn't really concerned until the NUT pulled out those little 1oz cups and said that I would only eat two of them full for each meal, damn, that's like one bite now. I've only got to do 1 week of liquids pre-op but she said to start cutting back 2 weeks before to get a head start on it, it's gonna be tough!!!!!!! I'm still going through with it, just a little less sure of myself now. I'm gonna need some real "cowboy up" motivation from here on out.

I wouldn't worry about it, I had to have one done and I'm sill pre-op. I think just a mention of reflux and they do it. the Psyc. eval is easy, they just want to make sure you're aware of all the possible issues and that you are comitted to the process.

Hey all, just and update on these. I made another batch today and they turned out MUCH better than the first ones. the only changes I made were: did not grind the oats into flour. and I added about a cup of coarsly chopped dry roasted peanuts. they are much more like a "bar" should be and the nuts give them a bit of a crunch that is great.

I'm penciled in for April 16'th, right in between everyone.

Hey All, New guy here, I've been reading this sight for a couple days and have tons left to take in, I love the support that everyone offers, it's nice to have that support group at your finger tips any time night or day. I'm 47, 6'1" and weigh 351 pounds, my BMI is 46 so lets just say, I need this bad. I'm tired of feeling like a "fat bloob", not to mention my joints aching all the time and not being able to do the things I used to do. While my journey officially started last week with my first visit to my Surgeon, I actually started looking into this a long time ago. Like most, money has always been a stumbling block for me. Luckily, my wife (RN) has a job with Bon Secours and her insurance will cover the procedure. I've been overweight all my life and have tried just about everything out there to help my loose with no real success, I'm very optomistic this will be the tool I've always needed to have success. The program I'm using is very organized and everything that needs to happen prior and after surgery is scheduled and monitored by the Dr's office. My meeting with the surgeon went well, she said I am a perfect candidate for the Sleeve, I only have a couple of the usual co-mobidities that usually go along with obesiety so that's a real plus. Today was my day at the hospital going through all the pre-op testing the program requires, had gallons of blood drawn, ultra-sound, EKG, chest X-ray and an upper GI. also went by and signed up for my post surgery exercise classes. Next week are my appt's. with the nutritionist and Psychologist. the good thing is that my procedure is "tentatively" scheduled for April 16, I've still got a ton of hoops to jump through but that's good because it will help the time pass before "the date". UPDATES TO COME!!!!!!!

true but funny story relating to this (kind of), I had to make a trip to the E.R. one time, while there, they decided they wanted a urine sample. since I hadn't drank anything for about 5 hours, the well was dry, the head nurse mentioned a cath. to get it, but she changed her mind when she saw the look on my face, it was a cross between (try it and die and oh-- the hell you say) this is the part I am least looking forward to by the way

Hey all, just wanted to jump in and say hey. I'm scheduled for April 16'th and can't wait. I'm 6'1" and 350 lbs. like the rest of you, I'm tired of all the same things, the worst to me is not being able to ride the thrill rides at the parks, we're lucky enough to have Busch Gardens Williamsburg about 45 min. away and I havent been in a few years because it's pointless, the rides I love I can't get on anymore and the ones I can get in I don't care for. also, not being able to fit in a booth sucks. like a few of you I fly daily (but don't go anywhere) my job is maintaining some government full motion flight simulators at our local Navy base, the MH53(Echo) and the MH60(Siera) helo's specifically, for as big as they are, it is a pain for me to get in and out of the cockpit on a daily basis, I manage but it's still tough.

Hey All, just a quick update. just got back from my appt. with the Psyco (logist), he seemed content that I'm going into this with my eyes open and feels like it's the right thing for me. YAY!!! one more hurdle jumped. now it's just meet with the NUT and wait for the insurance to decide >>>>>>>>>

NOT THAT I'M AN EXPERT, but, having been married for 28 years I've learned a thing or three. it's likely due to all the antibiotics they gave you during surgery, My wife gets one EVERY time she takes antibiotics for anything.

way to go, I can't wait till I can say that, of course for me, 50 is only 1/3 of what I have to loose. Congrats to you for sticking it out.

Hey all, I tried these the other day, followed the recipe to the letter, they taste great but they are more like a paste than a bar. they are very edible but super dense and very "sticky". I'm gonna tweak the recipe a bit and see if I can get them a little more solid.

when I had my sleep study done (6 years ago), I felt the same way, I could not get comfortable with all the wires and junk hanging off my head, I swore up and down that I didn't sleep a wink all night, they said that I slept but not soundly, after half the night, they came in and put a c-pap on me, it was the best I've ever slept, I was diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea. I've been using one ever since then and honestly can't sleep without it, doesn't matter how tired I get, no sleep without it. it does take some getting used to, it took me about 3 weeks of using it every night to get where I don't notice it. there are tons of different masks out there to try and one or another will work for you, I have a friend that uses one and he has the strangest shaped face I know, he uses the nasal pillows which are small round pads that press aganst the bottom of the nose and swears by them.

hey everyone, I'm 6'1" and need to loose about 150lbs. I'm penciled in to have my VSG on April 16'th at DePaul Hospital. male or female doesn't matter.

good deal, glad it went well for you, the hardest part is over now, just hang in there and be sure to take plenty of "after" pictures, they will help when you have some "difficult days". at least that's what I plan on doing.