cr354

I go in for my 6 week follow up and I hope they clear me to resume drinking coffee. I have drank decaff a few times but it is just not the same. As I nuderstand the coffee restriction is because of caffine. Caffine is a vasoconstrictulator (sp?). Simply put that means that caffine reduces the blood flow to the area where the caffine is absorbed. In this case your stomache. To provide the best, fastest possible healing you want to increase blood flow to the damaged area. I believe my surgeon will clear me to resume drinking coffee again at six weeks. At least that is what he said pre operative.

I was very nervous. One day I would think it was the right hing to do, other days I thought I must be insane for doing this... But, in the end I really do think I made the right choice. I am not going to lie about it there were times I questioned that while lying in the hospital bed. At least two instances in that 2 day 1 night stay where I was nearly overwhelemed. But, for me getting out of the hospital was a huge thing. I had surgery Tuesay at the crack of dawn and was feeling well enough to mow the lawn by Friday. But, I try to be a realist and remember Tuesday and Wednesday when I thought I might not make it. Was never in any real danger but hospitals are just poor places to recover. They keep waking you up in the night so you can never sleep etc. Plus, the protien shake I had to drink as part of my discharge goal was so thick and syrupy it was terrible. But, now that I am on the mend I am up working a little today, then taking my kids to the zoo. I do look forward to the return to a more normal diet. I miss not sitting at the dinner table with my family. I do some nights and drink my protein shake but, that seems like tempting the lion so I usually just busy myself during those times. At this point I am hungry some but still not to bad. On the plus side I have lost almost 30 lbs in the last three weeks alone.

I agree with what a lot of folks said. Got to stop waying yourself everyday. At most once a week but better is once every two weeks. The body can flutuate by as much as 10lbs per day for men. Probably less for ladies but, I am not sure what that number would be. Also, the time of day etc effects those numbers. If you want to use clinical methods weigh yourself once a week on the same day and then use excel or some other program to begin to chart weight long term. You know when you are doing things correct when the lienar graph shows that over a long period of time you lose weight. As an example, I know wrestlers who would purposly dehydrate themselves the day of weigh in to drop 5 - 10 lbs so they could wrestle in a lower weight class. I say don't let the daily number of your weight define you. If you wake up everyday and weigh yourself so many people end up having a bad day on days their weight is up and good days when their weight is down. I say understand the longevity of life and journey as big picture.

According to my doc the 14 days leading up to the surgery are really more to mentally preapre you for the 14 days after surgery. It was not easy for me. But, I took a super strick Spartan approach where I only ate protein shakes and protein bars. Down side to that is that I am now 7 days post op and I have not had much outside of protien shakes for the better part of a month. You lose weight fast but I could just about kill a man for anything that reselbles normal food. The bonus side is I feel better enought on day 7 to actually want to eat.

I am only about 7 days out. Feeling pretty good. I look foward to being able to have coffee again. My doc says no coffee until the 6 week checkup is finished. The first week of recovery was rougher than I thought it would be but, so far I seem to be progressing well.

I am not sure Ketosis is a bad thing. In fact I think that is actually the goal of low carb diets. If you are refering to ketoacidosis this is usually associated with diabetic patients because of their inability to produce sufficne levels of insulin. If I understand Ketosis correctly it is simply the bodys natural process of converting fat into energy. It is true that fat can not be directly converted into glucose but, the body can convert ingested protien to glucose. So, if you are eating a sufficient amount of protien it should not be an issue unless you are diabetic.

The nutrisionist at my surgeons office recommends that you take a Vitamin suplement containing Biotin. I believe one brand name is Meribin. But, I think you can find it at most vitamin type stores. I believe some people may also refer to it as "Vitamin H". If you really want to learn about it just google Biotin. There are a lot of people at this barriatirc center and many of them swear by biotin. Hope that helps. CR

I got a letter from my insurance company that specifically said my WLS was "medically neccisary". I think most insurance companies require such a thing. You can get your docotor to write that it is considered medically neccisary based on the NIH guidelines and standards of care guides. Depending on what states you live in there are probably a local group that could help out. Find your states chapter of 'American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery' and you can probably get the guidelines they use to define rather it is medically neccisary. Have your docotor send his letter to the insurance company with the guidelines from the NIH and the local chapter of ASMBS and hopefully that will get you on the right track. You can also call your insurance company and ask to speak with a "Nurse caseworker or case reviewer'. Good Luck. If there is anything more I can do feel free to message me. CR

Yeah I think it is pretty normal to feel a mixture of excitement over making positive life changes but yet at the same time feel nervous/apprehensive. My surgery is scheduled for August 13th so I am pretty nervous. But, I am also excited about being healthy. I think the mixture of two also helps people work through the risk versus reward. For me and most people I have talked to and read about the rewards far outway the risks. I say do your home homework, be as educated as possible, but do not let fear motivate your decisions. Good Luck CR

I fell your pain about your spouse. Although for me it was my wife. She pretty much did the same thing. I tried to explain to ther that "being there for me" means letting me do what I think is best and trusting me. I am still not sure she got it but, in the end she supported me. While my doctor did not recommend the bypass I know some docs like it better. It has been around longer. Statistically speaking people lose weight faster and there is a longer history with the bypass. But, just like you I avoided it becuase of the malabsorption issues as well as some of the other unpleasent side effects that go along with it. good luck. CR

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. KSFortWorth, great suggestions. I will have to start doing that. I also have to break my nasty caffiene addiction. My doc says coffee is okay after 2 weeks but, since I drink about 20 oz a day for the last 10 years I should start tapering that down so I can avoid nasty caffiene withdrawls on top of surgery.

I finally got a date for surgery and got all of the insurnace forms, hastles, hoops, and rain dances completed. August 14th is the day. I am both excited and nervous. I know that the journey ahead of me is long, yet I hope that it is good. I am doing this for health and wholeness. I hope that when done I can truely be a healthy individual who can acclimate well into my community. I know surgery will be here before I know it. So much to do before then. The hard part is that most of my to do list is mental. There is very little I need to accomplish phsyically. Just have my protien shakes ready, my perscriptions filled, and complete my two week preop deit. Which is going to be tough. I look forward to being able to post in the post sleve section soon. CR

I say stick it out, get out of living with the in-laws as soon as possible, and seek some professional help from counselors. No offense to the ladies but pregnancy tends to make them..... well for lack of a better word crazy. I love my wife. We have been married for 10 years and have 2 kids. There have been some ups and some downs as with any relationship but, sticking it out is important. Don't ever let anyone put you down for seeking help. We are doing it for our weight managment issues through surgery so why is getting help from a counselor any different? There are plenty of free and low cost counseling services. Remember parenting is hard. And even as fathers the parenting starts when your wife gets pregnant. For my wife it changed her during and for a year after each pregnancy. For one thing sleep becomes much harder and that can be problemlematic. Also, remember your wife is probably gaining wait, a good thing when your pregnant, but that can make them feel insecure especially if it is at a time that their spouse is losing weight and getting a lot of attention. But, think of this, if she married you at 300 she is probably going to stick with you no matter what because she loves you. I give my wife props becuase she married me as the ex football pro who weighed around 225 lbs of pure muscle. Now I have degenerated into a 370lb lazy couch potato. But, she has been through my side. Perhaps it is becuase I am getting older, I am 35, but I want someone who is going to be by my side in the good and in the tough. Just my two cents. Either way good luck and best wishes.

Anyone have any experience with Cofinity/UMR? I am trying to set some realistic expectations on how long the approval process will take. Thanks CR

I am still not sure how long the total approval process takes. But, just some updates in case it helps someone else. They require a 6 month medically supervised diet for most plans. But, apparently my plan does not. I am not sure why, hopefully it is because we have a better plan not because the three different people I have talked to did not have the correct information. I use this plan inconjunction with an HSA ( Health Savings Account). Once the annual deductable is meant WLS is covered at 100% if approved. Their approval crieria are basically the same as the NIH which is BMI above 40 or BMI above 35 with comorrid afflictions. My surgeon is going to file the paper work early next week. I hope they move fast and we can set a date. CR

Well I started the process last night. I attended the first seminar that is supposed to begin this long journey. It was not a decision I have arrived at lightly. I have struggled with weight all of my life. There were about two years in my life right after a really ugly divorce were I actually achieved my goal weight through exercise and diet. But now ten years later I find myself heavier than before. I have lost some weight in recent months but, I am pretty sure I can not do this for life without some help. I started seeing a psychologist to try and work on some of my underlying issues with food. Today I am going to try to start a diet that will look somewhat like a life after surgery would look like. I would be a liar to say I am not scared. It is hard for me to admit that I can not control my weight without surgical intervention. To me that is a big failure. I know I am not alone and I know other have the same struggle but, as someone who is generally successful at things in life it is hard to have this one area I can not control. To complicate this matter I am or at least was a proud man. So much so that I can not admit to people that I want to have surgery. For me, I am starting to see comorid problems associated with weight. High blood pressure, depression, and possibly even early signs of gout. I want to stay alive to see my kids grow up. It takes a lot for me to even write this down in a forum. For me as man it is hard to admit I can not control this without help. Reading posts on here has been an inspiration and hopefully, God willing, I can someday add my stroy to the list of successes. I am sure this process takes a long time and the surgery group that I am using has a long arduous process to complete before you can have surgery. I just hope we can start this journey soon, lest my courage fail me. CR

Well inital consult, blood work, and pshsyc eval all passed and now just waiting on the paperwork with the insurance. I hope they can turn this around quickly. But, knowing insurnace companies they will take their sweet time.

I have an iphone and travel quite a bit to Mexico. I simply disable the data portion and then just use the wifi. If you have an iphone it is pretty easy to do that. That way you will not incur expensive data roaming fees. You only get charged for voice if you answer the phone or check your voicemail. I simply do not do either unless it is an important call. Then it is not to expensive. If you call AT&T before you leave they can tell you but I think it is like 10 or 20 cents per minute. You can disable your voice service as well and essentially turn an iphone into an ipod touch which will only use wifi while you are down there. It certainly works at hospitals in MX that I have been to, mostly those in Cancun/tourist areas.

Yeah my doc says that coffee as a caffine source is fine around 6 weeks or more after surgery, providing you are progressing normally through the recovery process. I drink my coffee black, no cream or sugar so he did not have any problems with me planning to resume one to two cups a day.

Good luck guys. Us men folk need to stick together. This is a tough issue for a lot of guys to deal with, myself included. It is hard to admit that I am a failure at weightloss and that I can not do this without surgical intervention. I have told very few people and I am truely embarassed that it has come to this. But, I have learned so much about myself on this journey already. About how I handle stress, eating was the way I did, and about some better ways to deal with that. For me having to two young kids really made me put on a lot of weight. I did not get good sleep which meant I was always tired so I ate more. Plus, it was stressful for me. But, I too am blessed with an awesome wife who has stayed by my side through out this entire struggle. Here is hoping insurnace goes fast. Best of luck to you guys. Stay in touch and let me know how things go for y'all. CR

If you count yourself as a Christian than the best answer has already been given, pray. I wish it were as simple as it sounds. I went to seminary. I should know the answers right? I don't. For me weight loss is something God wants me to accomplish. For my own health, for my own happiness, so I can see my kids grow old, and so I can fulfill the purposes He has created me for. On a tangential note, there are many biases against people who are overweight. These are well documented throughout academic literature. The one that was the funniest, in a deeply disturbing way, is that over weight people hold a stronger bias against other overweight people. Now how does that make sense? Trying to discern God's will by measuring the obstacles in front of you is always difficult. There are plenty of stories in the bible where people had to over come great obstacles to achieve what God had told them to do. (See David, Joshua, Joseph, and Paul, just to name a few). Paul on his way to Rome was imprisoned, shipwrecked, and then bitten by a poisons snake after swimming to shore from the shipwreck. Had that been me I probably would have thought God was telling me not to go to Rome and ran so fast it would have made people’s head spin. Fortunately, Paul was a far better man than I. If they had quit simply because there were things standing in their way they never would have fulfilled their obligation to God. But, there are also plenty of stories of those who found something in their path Balaam, Paul just to name a few. They believed God had put it there so they turned aside, went in another direction. My best advice then.... Pray, Pray and pray some more. It has taken me years to be able to get here and finally make this decision. I still have not been approved by the insurance so I am early in the process. But, I believe/am ashamed to admit it has come to surgery as my only option. I have tried weight loss every other way. Sometimes I lose weight but I always gain it back. If nothing else this journey that I am on has already taught me so much. I deal with stress poorly. Life is full of stress. If we do not find a way to deal with it without eating or turning to another addictions we are bound to a life of bondage. But, if I can loose the weight, with the help of a VSG, then I can at least have one more tool to help me learn to deal with stress in a better fashion. That was kind of all over the place, and a bit soap boxy, but hopefully there was at least enough coherence for me to share my own story. Best of luck. CR

I know that part of getting a sleeve is to just give us one tool out of many to change the way we live into a healthier person with less excess weight. So, I am curious how people who have been sleeved for a while handle/handled restaurants. I have to attend a fair amount of business lunches and I just wondered if there were people out there who have had to handle this challenge and what worked for them. I am not the most comfortable talking about my weight and weight loss struggles so I am guessing that coming right out and saying that is not going to be my first choice. Especially, not to a group of salesmen who are doing their best to bilk my company out of money. I am a large man 6'5 + . People will undoubtedly notice when I don't each much of anything. Thanks for any suggestions. CR

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I am sure they will prove helpful. You guys rock!

I am sorry to hear about your plane experience. That is one of the many reasons I decided to undertake WLS, Weight Loss Surgery. Plane travel for me is further complicated by the fact that I am 6'5 - 6'6. Thus, planes have never been comfortable for me. But, now that I have put on the extra weight..... down right terrifying. I imagine the people looking at me as I walk the procession of shame down the middle isle. Each one of them in turn hoping I am not sitting next to them. Thus far, I have found that most people are pretty pleasant. Huge props to a gay, I hope that is the politically correct term now days, dude who sat next to me on a flight to San Fran a while back. He was one of the nicest people I have ever met. Put the arm rest up and chatted and was so pleasant. No props for the snobby lady on the flight to L.A. who just gave me dirty looks as I leaned into the isle as much as possible. I do not have a surgery date yet but, I hope to get one soon. I am trying to make as many changes now as I can. I have been seeing a psychiatrist, whom I lovingly call my head shrinker. He actually gave me a script for Xanax when I fly because I get so nervous about it that it is unhealthy. Here’s to a better life. May I achieve control over my eating and maintain it for the rest of my life.

Thanks everyone for the responses. Obviously I am doing this to be healthier so I will accept what my surgeons tell me. But, I hope they okay some coffee. For me it is not even really as much about the need for caffeine as it is the enjoyment of drinking coffee. I have had a cup every morning for the better part of 20 years. Well hopefully we will get some good news next week and we can proceed forward with the procedure. CR