Webchickadee

Hello everyone, I'm scheduled for May 14 with Dr. Kelly and yesterday, I began my pre-op diet (2 weeks as my BMI is >49). I did have some hunger (usually resolved by drinking some water) in between my meals. I found that I developed a headache late in the afternoon yesteday, and I still have it this morning! I have been eating/drinking my Protein shakes and other "allowed items" and I don't think I'm below the calories or fluids intake I'm supposed to be at. Do you think this is just my body trying to get used to being off the carbs? I wasn't a big caffeine consumer, though I did drink some pop (mostly sugar-free, but probably not caffeine free). I've been cutting down on the pop for the last week, and been totally off of it for the last 3 days. Any ideas? Anyone else have this happen do them? Did it get better over the course of the 2 week pre-op diet? I'm also used to taking Aleve for headaches, and now I have to switch to Tylenol, so that will be a change as well! Lots going on! LOL

Thanks cookies! I'm sure you're right. I suspected as much, just wanted to make sure I wasn't alone in this! I'll hang in there the next few days and hope for positive change! In the meanwhile, I'll take encouragement from a dropping scale!

Hopefully you're not presenting most of the day in the meeting! Sit near the door and find ways to quietly "excuse" yourself as you need to "go". It will be okay!

Just a thought, but do you have a family doctor or primary care physician who's been following you for the past few years? They probably have documentation of your weight during that time (at >40 BMI)....so that should qualify towards the insurance companie's requirements. I don't know if they need that documentation ONLY from your WLS surgeon, but I would inquire directly with the insurance company (try talking to a live human being, and get them to follow up in writing to confirm). It doesn't make sense that they would block you from losing weight prior to your surgery.....it can save them money! You have a lower chance of complications if your BMI is lower at surgery time......therefore reducing their financial exposure!

She'll get through this....you did! And try to keep in mind that your anxiety now is temporary. But if she doesn't have the surgery, you will spend the last many years of her life worrying about her health problems and overall condition. Now you can look forward to enjoying many happy healthy years together, doing activities neither of you would have ever contemplated doing before having the VSG. If I could have done something wonderful for my Mom like that to extend her life, I would have given almost ANYTHING.

Thanks for the update! Congrats on going thought with it! I'm sure over the next month, you'll find some challenges. They make even make you second guess your decision. But stay strong! This the best thing you can do for you health, you emotional balance and and self-confidence and for all the people that love you and want you in their lives for a long as possible and healthy! I'm getting sleeved on May 14 (a bit more than 2 weeks from now!) and I can hardly wait. But I'm sure I'll have some of your "what the hell am I doing?" thoughts as the date gets nearer! I won't let it stop me....

Also, did you consider that maybe you current bras have stretched? I recently bought a new bra. It is exactly the same size brand, model, etc. as my old one. But the new one is so much tighter, it is uncomfortable! Bras are made of material that do stretch and give (some more than others). It makes sense that over time,they will stretch out a bit. Especially if you put them in the dryer (I stopped doing that years ago and find my bras last MUCH longer and don't change sizes every time I wash them, like some of my pants and tops do.

MovingtoForward, Don't get discouraged! JamaicanGirl2011's advice about inches rather than pounds is great! If you haven't been tracking your measurements, start right away. There's a good chance that you will see changes and it will motivate to you hang in while the scale is not cooperating. I'm not sleeved yet (18 more days until surgery!), but 5 years ago I put myself on a VERY strict 1200 calorie diet and I was exercising my butt off. I lost 100 lbs (which of course I regained without all that discipline...........that's why I'm here today!). During that time (about 9 months), I found that I went through stalls every 8-10 weeks. It's usually a plateau where your body is trying to "recalibrate" and understand that this new weight is a "set point". Also, if you find you're stalled for a longer than normal period of time, try changing things up. A change in your routine will make a difference. Try a different distribution of food through the day (not necessarily reduction in calories), or doing different type of exercise that works new areas of your body. Weight lifting (free weights or machines) is a great way to kick-start your metabolism because the effects continue for hours AFTER you've finished your workout (unlike cardio). And resting muscle burns more calories which means the more muscle you have, the more weight you can lose, even while sleeping! And of course, remember that muscle is more dense than fat, so you may be losing fat, but gaining muscle, so the scale doesn't move, but you're getting more healthy and losing inches, and reducing your risks for fat-related health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiac issues, stroke, etc. Just because the stupid scale doesn't reflect the changes in your body doesn't mean there isn't a whole REVOLUTION going on inside of you! Keep on "going on".......you're on the path to a better, healthier, happier you!

We download most of our TV shows from the internet and they have the commercials cut out. So I won't be tempted or develop "head hunger" and cravings because of watching all the food commercials.

I know it doesn't make sense, but it's the government (and keep in mind when I say that, that I WORK for the proviincial government!). I think it's just going to take time for them to come to the realization that they need to update their policies. They just started covering WLS (Roux-en-y procedure) about 5 years ago and have been increasing the "quota" for how many patients they'll take and how many surgeons they will qualify to do it. Everything takes time (a long time!). In the meanwhile, people like me are stuck waiting or looking for alternatives. I had my gallbladder out (laparoscopic cholecystectomy) after I had a serious motorcycle acccident in 1999. They actually didn't catch the problem until 4 weeks later when my gallbladder ruptured! What a mess, they had to do emergency surgery and I was about 12 hrs from going septic, which could have killed me. Fortunately I recovered very quickly and have had no real problems since, other than having some disgestives problems when I eat greasy foods. I usually find that if I'm not close to a bathroom 20-30 mins after such a meal, I'm taking a risk! LOL Thanks for the good wishes and I will be posting quite a bit before, during (if I feel up to it!) and after the VSG surgery. I have learned SO much from "lurking" on the board here that I can never repay all of you for. I wouldn't have felt comfortable making this decision (especially to go out of the country!) without all the honest, and detailed information everyone here posts about their pre and post surgical experiences. Thanks everyone! Good luck kczar........let us know when you have a surgery date. Cheers!

Sounds like bureaucratic lunacy to me! I would defiintely check with your insurance company. It makes no sense that they would penalize you for losing weight (thereby increasing the chances of a successful surgery and reducing the risk of complications) prior to the surgery date! It's potentially going to cost them ALOT less if you smoothly sail through everything, and being a lower healthier weight at the time of surgery greatly increases those odds! Also, I'm jealous! I live in Ontario, Canada. We have government healthcare here, but a long long wait list for WLS (5-7 years IF you qualify). And they only pay for the Roux-en-y procedure, which I am not intersted in having (I don't WANT to bypass my intestines, and make a jigsaw puzzle of my insides, thanks!). So I've decided to self-pay and I'm going to Mexico on May 14th, 2012 to have to the VSG done. Best money I've ever spent and I'm damn lucky I can afford it (barely!). Otherwise I would have to wait until I'm 50 (I'm 42 now) and have a surgery I'm not comfortable with. It's very short-sighted of the Province's healthcare system, actually. If I don't lose the weight, it's going to cost them ALOT more if I have a stroke, a heart attack, need cardian by-pass surgery, get diabetes, or hypertension (just a few possiblities if I remain at my current BMI). They should pony up the money now and save themselves 10x that in the future, because it's almost a certainty that they will paying those big bucks down the road for my care without weight loss now.

It's April 26, 2012. In 18 days, my life will change forever, and I can't wait! Let me start by telling you about myself. (Apologies if this is long-winded, but I think it will give a more rounded picture of how I ended up here!) I am 42 years old. I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with my husband (my soulmate...I waited until 40 to marry, and he's my forever love!), and our 2 cats, Rosie and Maize. I was born October 20, 1969, a very very small (1.9 lbs!) and 8 weeks premature. My mother has smoked during her pregnancy and I think it impacted my growth. Back in those days, they didn't have neonatal intensive care units and ventilators etc. for preemies. I was just lucky to survive! Believe it or not, I think that is where my problems with my weight began! I used to drink 2 or 3 times the amount of formula my mother's Obstetrician has prescribed for me. It was as if my tiny little body was demanding more and more food to make up for the lack of size and development during the pregnancy! During my early childhood, I was actually average size and played a lot of sports. But food was starting to be more and more of a focus. I would have eating contests with my Dad. Food was a reward when something good happened, and a comfort when something bad happened. By the time I was 12, I was universally known as "chubby" amongst my family, friends, schoolmates. Despite all this, I continued to play many sports, and excel in all of them! High school brought fresh pain and more weight. I was shunned by the boys (more of a tomboy anyways, they saw me as "one of the guys"). Girls didn't want to be associated with me...I wasn't the right "clique" material. The only thing that made high school bearable was sports (I was both admired and mocked for my athleticism....a weird combination!) and music. I was captain of almost every team I played on (volleyball, softball, soccer, field hockey), but when we went to "away" games, I would hear people in the crowd openly call me names and laugh at me. It was very painful and even if we won and I was the star of the game, I would invariably end of crying on the way home. What would make me feel better? Food! McDonalds, Dairy Queen.....the more calories, the better! Of course, I went though ups and downs. I would try a diet, find some success, lose some weight.....then invariably, gain it all back plus. In my Junior year, a group of my friends and teachers I was very close with chipped in to buy me a birthday gift. Looking back now, it was incredibly generous, kindhearted and really demonstrated how much they loved me. But at the time, I was mortified (though I put on a brave face). They had bought me 10 sessions with a Nutritionist, so I could lose weight. OMG! Even the people I loved thought I was unacceptable the way I was. It put me in a depression and left an indelible mark on my psyche for a long time. I went to the sessions and tried to lose weight and keep it off. Of course, I failed (I didn't really want to succeed and prove them right, unconsciously of course). In the end, I graduated and went on to University and then the real floodgates of weight gain started. I was 198 lbs when I started University. I couldn't afford to go to school without a full time job (at the same time!) so I gave up competitive sports (I had enough talent to make Varsity....but no time to dedicate to it!). I was working full time hours from 4 pm to midnight most weekdays, and every other weekend. No time for regular meals (I would sleep late, skip Breakfast, grab a lunch to go that I could eat in class, then rush off to work). Often eating dinner from the vending machine at work, or grabbing fast good on quick 15 min breaks. My freshman "15" was more like "50". I continued my education after University, and became a Respiratory Therapist, but developed an anaphylactic allergy to latex. At the time, this was still quite rare, and most hospital equipment, etc. was still made using latex (especially gloves!). I had to quit my profession before it even really began! Backup plan was to turn to something I already loved as a hobby. Computers. The internet was starting to really grow (1997) and I taught myself HTML and online design/publishing. The rest (as they say) is history. I am now an E-Communications Analyst with our Provincial Government (yes, a public servant!). Needless to say, this is a very sedentary job. It's contributed to my weight gain. I've gone through numerous diets and was very successful in 2006 (lost 100 lbs!) with a strict 1200 calorie diet and ALOT of exercise. In 2007 my brother (who lived on the West Coast, on Vancouver Island) was getting very ill. He had been diagnosed with Brain Cancer 6 years earlier and was really a miracle case to still be alive! His health was deteriorating and I flew out to help him set up homecare and prepare for when he would need hospice. The stress was intense, and I started to regain my weight. Later in 2007, my mother unexpectedly passed away. She simply went to bed one night and never woke up! At 73, it was very very unexpected and I was suddenly thrust into caring for my father (79 yrs old at the time) who had many health problems and dementia. 5 months later, my brother passed away. The stress of all of this loss, sudden responsibility (caring for Dad, executor for Mom and my brother's estates, etc.) sent me over the edge. I regained most of the weight that I had lost. I did manage to lose 35 lbs for my wedding in Sept. 2010, but it has crept back on and I am now at 318 lbs and miserable. My asthma gets worse with each additional pound (when I lost the 100 lbs, I went off ALL my asthma meds and I was exercising like a fiend with no shortness of breath!). I am desperate to get back to a weight where I can exercise without feeling like I'm going to die from fatigue or lack of oxygen! I'm getting my VSG on May 14, 2012 from Dr. Ramos Kelly in Tijuana, Mexico. It's self-pay and it's the best money I'll even spend on anything (especially myself!). I am psyched!

I think I'm going to struggle with this as well. My husband eats large portions (usually 2 plates) for each meal. Even now, I watch him and can't understand where he puts its all! But sitting at the dining room table, if I'm only going to be eating literally a small fraction of what he eats, it's going to feel very odd. I'm having my surgery in 18 days, and I start my pre-op liquid diet on Sunday. So I guess the next two weeks will give me a good idea of what things will be like for the month after surgery. Still, hard to wrap my head around it. Especially the fact that this is going to be for the rest of my life! I'm psyched to lose the weight and get super healthy..........but a bit scared about how long it will take my head to catch up with my body.......