Tiffany Talbert Corbet

That sounds great! Thanks! Still waiting on insurance to approve, but this will be VERY handy when they do and I finally get a surgery date.

SUCCESS! sugar-free Mini Pumkin Pie Only took about 20 - 25 min tops. Could have made the entire 48, but ran out of wonton wrappers. Remaining mix will just have to sit in the refrigerator until I have more to use! I hope if you give these a try you will like them as much as I did. (I was pleasantly surprised.) For each mini pie 36.4 calories 0.4 g fat 8.7 mg cholesterol 131 mg sodium 6.4g carbs .5 g Fiber 1.8 g Protein

I've been contemplating sprinkling wonton wrappers with cinnamon, and baking sugar-free pumpkin pies. Since nothing going on tomorrow but 100+ weather, I might just give that a try. Thoughts?

I've heard malabsorption isn't near the issue with the verticle sleeve as with the bypass. With the sleeve, you keep your stomach which still does it's job and feeds the nutrients you need into your small intestines as before so you can absorb the nutrients, you just eat a LOT less because they've removed approx. 85% of it (so you have to eat smarter). With the bypass, you no longer have a stomach and they take out a good portion of your small intestines, so your body's not able to absorb the nutrients you need from the food you eat.

Honeysuckle White makes GREAT Turkey Brats. I don't get to have them often, because the hubby doesn't like brats, period, but when I was single, I had them and they were yummy! Boiled in "Lite" beer and you'll never know the difference once you pour on the mustard.

You told yourself in the post....you're over thinking this. You're stressing (which is a major contributor to weight gain) and this is not good. Instead of thinking about it so much and crunching the numbers until you are cross-eyed, how about going for a walk and taking a look around. Enjoying the fresh air, the pretty trees, the summer flowers, the birds overhead. Gatorade and Powerades are VERY high in sugar. This could be contributing as well. I heard someone say (in one of the MANY weight loss attempts I've tried) that sugar is a inflamitory (and addictive!). In other words, the more sugar you have, the more your body will become inflamed and store the sugar it doesn't need as fat. I've worked very hard to get off of sugar. I know it's hard, but you might move to the G2 or the Powerades with lighter sugar. Also, in that same course, she said to always eat Protein before you eat sugar, as the protein helps your insulin stores deal with the increase of sucrose. PS. Don't over think how your posts will sound. We're all individuals and have different ways of expressing ourselves. I'm sure some of what I say on here is easily ignored, but maybe somewhere, some time something I say might help. Good luck!!!

Well, things are moving forward. Dr.'s office got the psych eval (I'm guessing since the guys with the white coats aren't chasing me, this must be a good thing). Today they contacted the insurance company, and low and behold they need more than they told me (twice!) when I called them before and after the seminar. Turns out (even though I've had the same insurance with the same company that last 13 1/2 years I've worked where I am) they need height/weight information for the past 5 consecutive years! Really!? Because over the last 13 1/2 years you've paid every claim I've had for primary and OBGYN, so isn't there somewhere, some way that you ALREADY HAVE THIS INFORMATION!? OMG! Anyway, I called my OBGYN and they pulled up the information and are faxing it to the bariatric center. (2 different hospitals) Now, I'm hoping this will satisfy what they need and I will be able to get approval so we can move another step closer to a surgery date and my new beginning!!

The endoscopy is a procedure where they to through your throat down into your stomach to check for ulcers or any other issues that would cause a problem once the surgery were to start (they use and endoscope). Everyone most likely has to have it prior to surgery, just to make sure there will be no surprises and to cut down on any complications once the procedure starts.

Glad my hubby works from home....they can knock my happy a$$ out for all I care.

Holy smokes! Are you by chance a redhead? I hear it takes more to sedate redheads and that they have a lower threshhold for pain. I know it usually takes 2 full doses of novacain when I go to the dentist for major work. Scares him to death when I tell him I can still feel it after the first one. I tend to think I have a pretty high tollerance for pain, but yet I don't go looking for it so I can compare to others. SO glad that's over for you. I think you're smart to make SURE your surgeon knows what happened. That just doesn't sound right at all. (My surgeon said I would be asleep. So if I'm still able to communicate while I'm in there, I'll be making sure they know it.)

I'm Tiffers68.

I'm with the majority. Take him with you. Mine went, and it went a long way to answer his questions and aleviate any fears he had. The dr., dietician and physical therapist were all great about answering both our questions. He even walked the hallway for 6 minutes with me when the physical therapist wanted to test my oxygen levels! The nurses were even surprised I was ok with them saying my weight outloud with him in the room. I want him to know everything so he knows exactly what I'm going through, and doesn't think I'm making it up.

I was skipping around reading different posts on Facebook, and found an article by Dr. Laura Berman (you know, the sex therapist on Oprah), and she's talking about her challenge of fighting breast cancer and what it's like going bald during the chemo treatments. While reading that article, she said something that struck me SO deep, that I wanted to share in hopes that it hits someone else too. You see, I'm scared to death of who the "new me" will be. Will I still have my self-deprecating humor? Will I still enjoy what I do today when I'm thinner? Will people still like and love a thinner me even though I've been overweight all my life and this is how people identify me? I'm going to have to learn that my overweight self today isn't want defines me. That being a thinner me and having health and happiness is OK! Here is the quote: "It is amazingly empowering to let go of something you think defines you, only to discover you are a truer version of yourself without it. It’s like letting go of an anchor that’s holding you down." ~Dr. Laura Berman I'm ready to meet that truer me!!

I told my husband when I reach goal (or hell, when I'm within 20 lbs of goal) I want to go zip lining!!!

ROCK ON! That's SO awesome! Enjoy!

Hi SweetTee! Thanks for that! I actually let the curiosity get the best of me and I called the insurance company first. I don't think the girl knew quite what she was talking about, but I got the info I was looking for. No request had been filed yet. SO, I then called the dr's office to ask, and of course a clueless lady answered the phone and had to keep leaving the phone to ask questions. Long story short, they said they were waiting on my psych eval (which I had done 4 weeks prior!). So, I called the psych's office and left a message. The psych dr. herself called me back. She said she has a stack of evaluations and she doesn't send them to the dr. until they request them becuase then they would have a lot of evals for patients who didn't move forward. She then told me that she had just received an email from the dr's office requesting my eval!! Seems someone somewhere slipped and missed a step! Since my insurance covers it 100% and all I have to have for approval is the dr verifying my BMI and 5 days notice, maybe this will get the ball rolling.

Last Tuesday, at 8 a.m. I met with the surgeon, dietician and physical therapist. I've been VERY good to NOT call the dr. office to bug them to find out if I have been approved by insurance or not. I have faith they're working on it best they can. Only thing is, I called the insurance prior to the information session and then again after receving the paperwork at the information session, and both times was told the only requirements for approval for the surgery (covered 100%, thank you GOD!) is that the BMI be 35+ with co-morbities, or 40+ without and a 5 day notice prior to the procedure. The surgeon told my husband and me that I fit perfectly into the perameters, and that now is the best time for me to do this since everything else health-wise is in great condition. So why have I not heard anything!? I'm trying very hard to be mature and not throw a fit and become a pest. I'm working to convince myself that I need to wait at least until Friday before calling them to get an update.

I belive UHC is simply a coordinating company. They have the plans written, and then the employer has the option to change and adjust as they please. That's why each year when it's "open enrollment" the policies can change slightly, not change at all, or change drastically. It all depends on how much the company wants to pay for the coverage. Then when we go to use the coverage and file a claim, the decisions UHC make are based on what the employer has told them. I'm lucky, my company is very generous. UHC will cover my surgery 100% with just a BMI of 35+ w/co-morbities, or 40+ without, and a 5 day coordinated care notice. The only hang up I've had so far is the phych. doctor held on to my evaluation waiting for the doctor's office to request it. I met the phych last month (June)! When I called the insurance they had no information regarding coverage request, the dr's office said they were waiting on the eval, the phych said she had just received an email from the dr's office just before I called and she doesn't send it to them until they request. SOMEONE dropped the ball. Good thing I called! Guess we'll see if this speeds up the process any. Good luck everyone, I know it can be a hassle, and I hope everyone has a positive outcome financially, physically and emotionally.

Holy smokes... great minds think alike!

I was at Wal-Mart last Saturday, and I actually found "New Whey" protein bullets for $2.49/ea (I think) and you can buy them for $13.99 for 6 (I think). Anyway, they had Grape, Mixed Berry and Watermelon. They each have 43g of Whey Protein in 3.5 oz. bottles. Just 2 of these would put you well over your minimum of 60 oz. Maybe this will help you get your protein in? I had one the other morning just to get an idea (I haven't been sleeved yet) and I found them a bit over-sweet, so I will more than likely want to mix them with water, but overall they weren't all that bad. Hope this helps.

We can be you pseudo family! Lots of love and support here! I've only told my hubby and my sister. His mom and sister know too, but no one else in my family. They all tend to think they have the correct answer and I know as well as I know my own name they will throw everything (including the refrigerator) at me with suggestions on what I should do instead. SO....they don't get to know until AFTER the surgery. (Ok, my half-sister will get to know before, but everyone else gets to wait.) Good luck!!

Why do I have "gives being a 'cheap' drunk a new definition" running through my head? Can't wait to hear what happened....especially since obviously you're ok since you're hear to tell us about it.

Centrum makes an adult cheable multi-vitamin. My surgeon is advising 2 multi-vites a day. one int he morning one at night. I've started takeing the Centrum chewable, just to get used to it. It's an orange flavor and really not too bad.

I'm just thankful there's a LARGE empty space under the converted waterbed we have that has doors on it. That way, things that don't find their place, find a new one until after company is gone (or I panic because I've all of a sudden need something and can't find it and have to crawl under there to retrieve it). You'll do fine. I'm pretty sure your friend is coming to see you and once she does, what the house looks like will be the LAST thing she comments on. Enjoy the fun of the compliments and excitement!!!

Thanks, Amy! My Dietician said NOTHING about that. I may have to bring that up when I start attending the support group meetings once I get my surgery date.