Webchickadee

My husband is already anticipating the "libido reawakening" LOL

Woohoo!

I've been thinking about this myself, and most of the time, the kid's menu is not food I would be interested in eating (and possibly not geared towards our optimal post-surgery eating habits either). So rather than use a restaurant card, I think I will probably just order my usual meal and eat the small portion I'm able to...then take the rest home! My husband will probably eat the left-overs, and I can probably get at least one more meal out of it before I get bored eating the same thing!

Just be careful with not paying the debt (hopefully you won't be asked to, as you'll win the appeal!). You don't want to hurt your credit rating. $2K will seem like a pittance if you need credit in the future and can't get it because they've messed you up!

I'm from Canada and we have national health care here (though each province runs it individually). I'm going to Mexico for my surgery because the wait list here is 5-7 years (!) and they only do the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (which also bypasses part of the intestine). But all that being said, I still am EXTREMEMLY happy to have our national health care. I would never run into this kind of bureaucratic lunacy. Why would you think for a second that your anesthetist (that' what we call anesthesiologists in Canada), or your nurses, doctors, etc. would NOT be covered by your insurance, if they approved you to go to the hospital where they work! That's nuts! I'm really sorry you're running into this nightmare. However, the $2K is a small price to pay for the fantastic new you you're going to enjoy for the rest of your life! That's why I chose to self-pay ($6K plus flights and other expenses), rather than wait another 7 years to have a surgery I don't even want because that's the only one covered. Try to look on the positive and remember, it's for your health. And you're worth it! And that you've learned a valuable lesson about looking into ALL the loop-holes in the future, no matter how nutty they are!

Just as readyforachange says, I weight myself in the morning right after peeing. I am naked except for my underwear, and in our house, we use the Wii Fit rather than a scale. It keeps a full history of weights and BMI's over time. Sometimes it's nice to see where you were a month, or a year ago. I'm having my sleeve surgery in 12 days (yeah!) and am currently on Day 4 of the 2 week pre-op liquid diet. I'm tempted to weigh myself in the evening too (especially since I've been really hungry!), but I'm rejecting that that thought. It's only going to mess with my head. Our weight can fluctuate wildly during the day for a number of reasons (fluid balances, sodium intake, etc.). Keep your time of day consistent, and try to keep all other variables as consistent as possible too (approach it like a science experiment!). First thing in the morning after peeing means there's been no food or fluids for 8+ hours, so very little to cause dramatic day-to-day changes (other than your REAL weight changes!).

I'm on Day 2 of my pre-op diet. My surgery date is also May 14 (hello Sleeve Sister!). I'm finding I'm quite hungry, but it gets better if I drink a glass of water. I found some Mio water flavour enhancers at the grocery store yesterday (had read about them on this forum, but I was doubtful I would find them here in Canada....and I was VERY happy when I saw them in-store!). I just keep thinking.....only 13 days until surgery. I can do ANYTHING for 13 days. Seems to be working so far. Plus seeing some weight drop off is helping too! I lost 3 pounds this weekend (2 days of smaller portions, sensible eating, and 1 day of liquid diet). It's not much, but it sure helps to see the scale going in the right direction! Hang in there. With only 7 days to do the pre-op diet, you'll be fine. Focus on how great it will be to finally permanently lose the weight! In the end you won't even remember those 7 pre-op days.

Apparently the "Week 3 stall" is well documented on this forum and many others. I think it's probably your body finally going "woah...what's going on here?" and slowing down to take stock of the situation. Hang in there....I've read that it passes.....just how long it will take varies with each person. Only 13 days until my surgery.......I can't wait until I'M 3 weeks post-op! LOL

From what I've been reading (and that's alot from many different sources), the range is 0.4-1.1 g per lb. of ideal body weight. That is quite a wide range and depends on whether you are doing alot of resistance exercises (free weights, or machines), which tend to build muscle, as opposed to aerobic exercise (running, swimming, etc.) that are more edurance and build less muscle. So, for example. If your goal weight is 150 lbs you should consume between 60 g of Protein / day (not actively building muscle) and 165 g of protein (if you're on a heavy weight lifting program). I like the fact that this range helps you understand how much protein to take for you individual target weight, rather than just saying EVERYONE needs 80 g of protein a day. We're all different sizes, participate in different levels of activity/exercise, etc. So I would say if you use this range and adjust based on your activity level, you should be in the ideal target protein range.

Hi Teambrown! Keep up the good work. It is helping, even if you don't see it on the scale. It also helps to keep a record of body measurements. Sometimes the scale is stubborn, but the inches are falling off! As well, if you are exercising (and you are!) you are possibly losing fat, but replacing it with lean muscle. This means your scale might not change, but there is a change going on inside you (for the better!). Lean muscle is more dense than fat, and weight more. So if you lose fat, but replace it with muscle, your scale may say you've gained weight, but you've lost fat and become healthier! It's very very hard not to compare yourself to others, as you can see from comments here in the forums. But in the end, this is your own, unique journey. Your progress will go at the pace your body decides. Just stay on track, change up your exercise routine to prompt your body in to change, make sure you're getting at least 64 oz of fluids and lots of Protein. The weight will drop over time, and may come off in a bunch when you least expect it! And with your being down 21 lbs in 11 weeks, you're still at basically 2 lbs / week loss, which is alot better than you were doing before you decided to have this surgery, no? Another positive to slower weight loss is that it gives your skin time to "catch up" and regain elasticity, so you're less likely to end up with saggy skin. Look on the bright sides dear.........and just KEEP GOING!

Wow! Really sending you healing vibes! I have to admit, I'm a bit frightened now. I'm scheduled for May 14, and this is just the sort of scenario I'm subconciously worrying about! I'm in generally good health, so I think things should go fairly well, but as you say, complications can happen to anyone! From what I've read, portal vein thrombosis occurs in approx. 0.7% of patients (that's REALLY low!), so you've been amazingly unlucky to be in that group. But also amazingly lucky to have survived and be on the road to recovery! Keeping you in our thoughts. Focus on improvement and I hope to be reading more good news from you in the coming days/weeks.