circa

Great job! The only thing I can suggest is to do your weights before your cardio. The main reason for this is that you do not want your muscles to be fatigued from cardio when you're trying to maintain form - you can injure yourself easily that way. Just a suggestion from a former and soon to be again runner.

I'm going in 3 weeks - will be happy to report my experience

I was a 34DD before all my medical crap started - I'm a 44DD now. I have a feeling, I'm still going to be a DD when all is said and done. BUT! That means I'll have enough to remove for a breast reduction and insurance will pay for it. These suckers have always been heavy!

I'm a boyshorts kinda girl - or I was before I had too much to put in a boyshort to still look cute. Can't wait to get back there

I love this thread. Its completely appropriate. We're all human! Its NICE to feel admired - even by those that we sometimes feel maybe felt obligated to make us feel admired in our lowest points - which usually coincide with our highest points on the scale. What to do? Enjoy it and go tell your wife that she has exactly what all those women want! Lucky lady!

only you can really answer the question on whether or not its worth it. What do you want out of life? With the sleeve, you don't have the malabsorbtion issues that you have with the bypass, so that's not an issue. I'm paying about 5K by going to Mexico and every penny is considered well spent for me. 3 years is not a very long time to be paying on something that will extend your life exponentially, in my opinion. Why do you have the fear that you'll gain the weight back? Do you feel that you won't be able to control your eating habits even with the sleeve?

Hubby and I eat Qdoba a lot. I finally convinced him about a year ago to get his burritos without rice (they put extra meat on them usually if you don't have rice) and that cuts a few hundred calories from the burrito in itself. Then you have to account for the extra meat but that's pure protein! Love love love their mild salsa too. Sooooo much yummy cilantro in it!

RNY pouches do stretch over the years - its known to happen. It can stretch from overeating. This happened to someone I know very closely who has a severe food addiction. Any pouch, even sleeves can stretch from overeating. Because of the portion of the stomach left with a sleeve, its not going to stretch as easily as an RNY pouch, but they can stretch. I'm not quoting something I read off the internet, I'm actually talking about a real experience that actually happened. There are a lot of cases of people having an RNY and then having their pouch banded because of stretching as well. It does actually happen. I feel bad for her because she has so much negative energy in her family - her family is constantly throwing food at her - almost literally - knowing she has this problem. She's doing better with the sleeve because the food simply just won't fit. She is also in counseling and is learning to stand up for herself, which is a very good thing.

Have you personally called the insurance company? That's where I would start. Be your own advocate. Get them to fax the letter and mail you a copy - and even fax it or email it if they have the capability. You should receive a copy in the mail anyway. Call and don't stop calling until you get what you're asking for.

Please remember, this is not a race. Taking shortcuts and making unhealthy decisions is what landed a lot of us here in the first place. Whether you make goal in 6 months, 9 months or a year, please do it safely - your future baby's life could depend on it too. Please make sure to consult with your doctor - most surgeons recommend waiting a year before getting pregnant for more reasons than just "reaching goal" - You have plenty of time to have a baby. An additional 6 months or even a year isn't going to make that big of a difference in a life-long committment

Coinsurance is the amount of the procedure or bill that you accept the responsibility for. Its the most ridiculous word used in the insurance industry. Its not really any different than a copay, other than its usually a percentage, rather than a set amount. So if your insurance covers 80%, you have a 20% coinsurance that you're responsible for paying. If you're double covered, you would probably have a very minute amount to pay if anything. One more thing - as far as coinsurance is concerned, it cannot exceed your "out of pocket maximum" So if you have a $2000.00 out of pocket maximum on your policy, even if your 20% of the bill comes to more than that, you won't have to pay any more than the $2000.00

amazing! So inspirational! Very happy for you! Keep posting!

You could be anemic - try upping your iron intake. The other option could be a sinus infection. Its that time of year!

awesome! how much of the candy flavoring extracts do you use?

I'm quite glad that I won't be dealing with a catheter - I mean, isn't getting up to go to the bathroom part of the deal? I don't think a cath makes much sense. We're supposed to be getting up and moving, no?

bypass IS in fact reversible. I know a few people that have had it reversed for medical reasons. One person had stomach cancer and had to have it reversed. Doctors don't like to reverse it, but they will. Another person I know had it reversed because she ate her pouch to a regular sized stomach. It was reversed, she healed then was given a sleeve. People push what they know. Its no different than people having their favorite make of car. Its what they know, what they're used to. There is actually quite a bit of information regarding sleeve success, just not necessarily in this country. There's quite a bit of information on not having a procedure at all too

I'm still feeling the effects from my adrenal attack the other night I'm still quite tired and weak - food doesn't sit all that well (which means I'm not eating much, so I guess there's a positive side haha), but I'm nauseous too. This is typical but usually doesn't last this long after. Its really hard to concentrate on work when you feel like this! Good thing I'm an understanding boss!

I haven't had the sleeve yet. Its not necessarily a matter of low protein. Just tired from the stupid adrenal attack. I also moved to a high altitude from basically sea level and this was my first attack after moving so I'm sure that's playing into it. I have been making sure i take in more protein and I'm also taking an iron supplement now as I'm feeling anemic.

the important thing to remember is that a healthy woman of normal weight can have their weight fluctuate up to 9 lbs in a day just from water retention. Even at a normal weight, because i have a thyroid problem, I gained 23 lbs in water weight starting my period. It was insane. I was a normal weight then too. I imagine when you're overweight/obese, you can probably retain even more on a day to day basis.

praying for a swift recovery for you! I'm glad they found out what it was right away! Way to be diligent in your aftercare!!!

awesome news! I'm so glad you were able to find somewhere that was reasonable! My first thought about the $350.00 is that hearing that WOULD make me mentally unstable! Maybe they were trying to get a return patient!

I'm printing this and putting it on my fridge OVER the door so I actually have to move it to enter the fridge. Always good to have a voice of understanding, empathy and reason when you're about to lose your mind over that damned cupcake someone put in the fridge.

I didn't think medicaid was covering the sleeve - Just the band and bypass.

Its something you have to come to terms with. You don't want to run the risk of the doctor not doing your surgery. You have to decide if this is something you can do. Sure, it'll be easier to eat less when you have the sleeve, but you still have to have the mindset of what you can and cannot eat - that has to come from you. The sleeve can only do so much. I'm sure you've set your mind to other things - apply whatever techniques you've used to gain success in other areas of your life to the pre-op diet and you'll do fine

I think that we beat ourselves up for so long that we've relegated ourselves to feeling bad being "normal" - to the point where we don't understand the feeling of feeling good any longer - so when it happens, its foreign and we try to push against it. Its not "normal" Welcome to your new normal Embrace it - you've earned it