makemyownluck

Fingers crossed for a successful surgery and speedy recovery!

You absolutely CAN have a baby post-WLS. I'm surprised a nurse would tell you otherwise!! Also, I work as a medical underwriter, so I've seen the horror stories of people post-WLS, and that hasn't discouraged me. Complications are possible with ANY surgery, even routine appendectomies and gall bladder surgeries. It's just a fact. Can something terrible happen to you, of course. But statistics show that YOU WILL BE FINE. I've been lucky - my parents have been super supportive. If I were in your position, I'd thank them for their concern, but remind them that you're an adult. You aren't asking for their permission. You aren't required to take their advice. It's your life, and as people who have never had to deal with weight issues like you have, they can't possibly understand where you're coming from, period. And if they can't get behind you after that, then let them know that YOU are disappointed with the fact that YOUR OWN FAMILY can't be supportive to you in this endeavor. You shouldn't be shamed into taking their advice to wait, and it's kind of insulting that they don't believe you've done your research or aren't capable of making your own choices. I'm really sorry you've had this reaction. The more I read these boards, the more thankful I am to have the loving support of my parents and the select few friends I've told. Anyone whose reaction I'm not sure of isn't getting told about this. Especially before surgery. Maybe if people ask how I've lost so much weight, I'll tell them - but even then, not everyone is entitled to know my business. Good luck to you. I really recommend having a frank discussion with your family about how they have made you feel. If they have no concern about making you feel terrible, then don't worry about hurting their feelings by telling them the truth about how their behavior has affected you for your entire life. It's really shameful that they can't see they are hurting you in the process of being "helpful". Don't let naysayers get you down!

Great progress!!! Congrats on the loss, the hard work is paying off!!

Protein also helps your body recover and helps your wounds heal. If you don't get enough protein, you'll also have hair loss and your skin and nails will deteriorate. I'm pre-op, so IDK personally about what a struggle it is to get all the protein you need in. But it's so very necessary for your health, try just getting in a bit more every day! I'm sorry you're not feeling well.... stay hydrated and get that protein in, it really will help!! (((HUG)))

AGREE about 1/2 the world sees a therapist and the other 1/2 needs to! lol I just wanted to add that I was able to get Zoloft from my PCP years ago. He also gave me a temporary script for Alprazolam when I had some anxiety/depression after the deaths of a few people in my life. I think if you have a good relationship with your PCP, he/she won't have a problem giving you some low-dose, mild meds. Unless the MD sees signs of a more significant problem, they'll likely give you the meds you need without requiring that you see a therapist. Tho, I think therapy might be a good idea for all of us. Let's face it, we're making huge adjustments in our life, and it can be overwhelming. It's not everyone's cup of tea, tho, and sometimes we just don't have the time. It's worth making time for, IMO. Mental health is just as important (if not moreso) than physical health. In the meantime, start with your PCP. Hopefully, you have a PCP that you know and trust, and they can make sure you get the help you need.

I don't start my liquid diet til mid-April and I'm (kinda)dreading that more than the surgery itself! As Laura said, you definitely don't want to do anything that will prevent them from doing the surgery. Try to find lots of things to keep you busy so you aren't thinking about eating. Go for a walk, make phone calls, hit the gym, read a book, clean the house, organize your closet... anything to occupy your mind. Easier said than done, I'm sure. But remember that you can have things like shakes and broth and Jello -- review the list of things you ARE allowed to have on the liquid diet and try them all. The variety might make up for the absence of actual food to chew on. Maybe. Good luck!!!

According to WebMD : http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/antidepressants-weight-gain?page=2 Wellbutrin can cause weight LOSS. It's also used for people to quit smoking. It's well tolerated by most people and a very mild med. Honestly, this is what I'll be trying. (I'm still pre-op, but I anticipate this being an issues because I already have some mood swings that I know will likely increase after surgery) Others to consider: Effexor and Zoloft - they don't typically cause weight gain. They are also both mild meds and easily tolerated. I took Zoloft years ago, and it was helpful, but during the first 2 weeks on it, I had the WEIRDEST dreams/nightmares. But once the med was built up in my body, I was fine. One to avoid: Paxil. Seems to cause the most weight gain. Also, meds that are also used for more severe mental disorders :Lithium, Abilify, Zyprexa - these can have major side effects, effect your blood sugar and cause weight gain. Avoid these, unless you have some severe symptoms of anxiety/depression. As far as how you're feeling with snapping at people and needing your personal space, a fast-acting anti-anxiety med like Lorazepam or Alprazolam (Ativan and Xanax) are good for using as needed. They are also more likely to cause a dependence, so your MD would give you a really low dose and expect you to use it maybe 2-3x/wk AT MOST. And using these in conjunction with a daily anti-depressant will help with the side effects of starting the daily anti-depressant, and when the daily med gets built up in your system, you'll need the Lorazepam or Alprazolam less and less, until, ideally, you won't need those at all and can maintain on the daily med alone. With any anti-depressant, make sure you talk to your doctor before discontinuing. MOST meds require a tapering dose before discontinuing them. You could really put yourself through the ringer if you stop cold turkey. Hope that helps! Definitely talk to your MD about it, there's NO REASON anyone should suffer mood swings like this. Good luck to you!

hi Sherrie! To add a ticker: click your username at the top right and the menu will pop up. Go to "My Tickers". If you haven't already created one, create one. You can choose what it looks like and what it's tracking "actual weight, BMI, body fat, or even countdown to a specific date, if you want) Once it's done, there will be an option to "Add to my signature" and it will automatically add to the bottom of your signature. You can create multiple tickers. You decide which ones you want in the signature. If you want to move it to a different part of your signature (like mine, I didn't want it at the bottom), from settings go to My Profile, click "Edit Profile" and on the left you'll see 'Signature'. Click that and you can edit the signature. Your ticker is coded in brackets that start 'sharedmedia' so you can just cut/paste that where ever you want it to show in your signature. You can then update the ticker whenever you need to by going back into "My Tickers", click "Edit Ticker" and click "4. Properties" and change the value of your current weight. Save that and the ticker will automatically update in your signature. It may sound like a lot of steps, but really, once you create it and add it to your signature, it's just a matter up updating the properties to show your progress. Hope that helps!

I've never been a cool kid, so I can't really tell ya if you're in their group or not.

Protein shots aren't good, according to my NUT anyway. perhaps you're feeling nauseous because you're chugging them down? drinking too fast, maybe? unjury makes an "unflavored" powder, you could add it to sugar free Jello or pudding.

Honesty is best, and also hardest. Better to be honest now than trying to maintain some lie. If he's a quality human being, he'll be supportive. If he's not, then you don't need him around anyway, right?

fair enough. to lighten my own mood:

what's up bro - not disrespectful cool story, bro - condescending and disrespectful. No one was complaining about "what's up bro". The comment was "cool story, bro" and it is disrespectful. At least in America, but I can't imagine it's a positive remark in NZ, either.

uhhh.. I'm outside Chicago bigfrank, i wanna come get somma dat chicken!

yayyyyy, congrats!! I just had my 2nd consult with the surgeon yesterday and I'm scheduled for May 2nd. I've been doing the happy dance since I left his office. I keep saying, "I can't believe this is actually gonna happen!!!" EEK!!

I don't have a lot of knowledge on the state insurance. i had a girlfriend of mine who had the lap band while on state insurance as well (she was also on SSI), and I know she had to jump a LOT of hoops. A LOT. classes, testing, more testing, she was in the process for over a year. Mind you, this may have nothing to do with her insurance. She also had a long history of drug addiction (tho she had been sober for 10+ years), so I'm pretty sure her providers were also requiring a lot of her as well. And she had ongoing psych treatment that she had to get stable with as well. Also making matters worse, she had significant medical history of osteoporosis (diagnosed in her 30s) and TWO pulmonary embolisms in her life. So she had a lot working against her. I can imagine that Medicaid required a lot simply because it's publicly funded. But her experience may be more of an extreme example, just based on her other history. Unfortunately, 2 months after having her band, she passed away. Not due to the band or surgery complication, though. Her prior drug addiction took hold when she could no longer substitute food for drugs (which she had done because she gained 200 lbs in the 10 years she gave up drugs). She passed away in her sleep of an overdose. It was really a very hard thing for me to deal with (she was really like a sister to me), but it just goes to show that none of these surgeries are "the easy way out". We all still have to deal with our inner selves and keep our heads clear about what our goal is. She had her addiction controlled for many years, and then the stress of post-op life messed with her in a severe way. No one even saw it coming -- she got the drugs from someone in her narcotics support group. We thought she was taking care of herself, but instead she ran into the very thing she was trying to avoid... Very sad story... sorry, got a bit off topic on that one.

also -- I recommend Almond Milk. unsweetened is good, only 30 cals, which is less than even Light soy milk. I think it tastes better than soy, but then again, I never really hated soy milk, either.

haha, not fail - but maybe the NUT doesn't give you all the info you need (per the insurance company), or the psych eval didn't cover enough... I don't mean fail like you'd do something wrong - I mean the insurance company will look for some minor detail to say you didn't meet the requirement is all. Make sure your surgeon has a good support staff. They should already be well aware of what the insurance companies are looking for, so they should be able to guide you through it all. My surgeons staff is really good - but this is my 2nd surgeon. The first office didn't even bother to check my benefits (and I ended up having to switch insurance coverage, otherwise I'd be waiting a whole year or more with my prior plan) - plus the doctor was a total B.I.T.C.H. I'm glad I went for a 2nd opinion because I feel like I'm getting the level of care I should have been getting in the first place. Try not to stress yourself out too much about the insurance part, it will work itself out.

Unjury starter pack for anyone interested: http://www.unjury.com/store/protein/unjury-protein/unjury-starter-pack/unjury-starter-kit.html

I've tried a few... Muscle Milk tastes the best, IMO. but the original is the best tasting, and it's higher in carbs and calories than what I want to be using. Muscle Milk light is OKAY. But it's way lower in protein that what I was looking for. Isopure is nasty. Blech. Cytosport (who also makes MM) has 100% Whey powder that's okay too, and high in protein. But what I've ultimately settled on is Premier shakes. They are available at Costco (and Sam's too, I believe). I like the chocolate by itself and the vanilla mixed with other things. I've make the following different drinks with the vanilla: -sugar free Chai Latte powder mix (found at World Market) -peanut butter and half a banana (a full banana is too "banana-y" for my taste) -1/2 tsp coffee extract -1/2 tsp coffee extract and a small squirt of sugar free chocolate syrup -frozen strawberries The vanilla isn't terrible on its own. Just... IDK... boring. I just ordered the Unjury starter pack. Comes with a variety of flavors, a shaker and a food therm for $22. Just ordered mine today! I know post op, chocolate and vanilla everyday is gonna get tired REALLY quick. I'm hoping the chicken soup is tasty... and unflavored should work nicely in some Jello.

Pre-op here, but I've had my gall bladder out and I remember what I needed help with the most and I'm anticipating the same with this surgery - Bending was very hard for me. For nearly a month post op. I have a cat, so I have a friend of mine willing to come over every few days to clean out the litter box for me. Even if sitting in a chair, leaning forward is painful. Also, you shouldn't lift anything heavier than 10lbs for 2-4 weeks. This means laundry for me, as I have my washer/dryer in the basement, so I have a friend who's agreed to help me with that as well. And with groceries. Basically, I have a very good BFF who's willing to do most of what I need done, and I'm quite grateful to have her. Besides bending and lifting, I also had discomfort when walking for extended times. I would go to the grocery store and walk around leisurely, but after 25-30m (seems all grocery stores around here are H U G E mega-stores), I would ache in my stomach and find myself hunched over the shopping cart to make myself more comfortable. You just have to remember to take it very easy for the first month - go even slower than you think you need to. Oh, and get yourself a good pair of slip-on shoes. I'm getting my surgery in May, so I'm hoping I won't need socks most days and can just slip on some flats for work! I'm also quite independent and don't like asking for help. Figure out who your most supportive friend is and ask them how much they are willing to help you. Remember that it's just for a few weeks. I plan on thanking my friend by taking her to the movies or something when I'm feeling better. A true friend is the one willing to help you when you're down, not just be with you when it's all fun and games. Good luck! You might be pleasantly surprised when you see the genuine kindness of the people you love!

The first rule of Fight Club is 'don't talk about Fight Club' I just reread that book this week, so this seems extra funny to me. Personally, I don't know that I'll E V E R want to show my tummy to anyone, so I don't know that I'll need an excuse.

Well, I'm sure there are people with high BMI that have been denied, but not for their BMI... over 40 BMI means you're a candidate... but an insurance company can deny you for other reasons (like not meeting their criteria for NUT consults, psych eval, etc). Unfortunately, I think many insurance companies like to deny people the first go around. They want to deter people from doing it, if they can. So even if they do deny it, they have to give you the REASON you are denied, so you can work on getting that "reason" cleared up. If you are denied, you can always appeal!

Oh, I certainly won't be wasting my time reading everything you've written -- as I'm sure you wouldn't bother reading everything I've ever posted before dismissing what I had to say. Good luck to you!