karen353

Thanks for your comments. I do think I need more protein. I am not sure if I am in ketosis if I feel so hungry and my stomach growls. I just made a protein shake and added ice. It gave me more volume. Maybe this will keep me full longer. I don't really feel grumpy as I am so excited about my surgery. I am going to do whatever it takes to be successful. I have read all these success stories and I want to be one too! I have a really good attitude. I just hope I can keep it.

Wow! All of your posts sound so much like me. I have my surgery in 10 days. I started my pre op diet Mon and doing well. I went through all that mourning of food before I started the pre op diet. Surgeon said I could have the surgery 4/8 but I changed it to 4/15 so I could eat at my 60th birthday party and while my relatives were here from out of town and then there was Easter. It was non stop last suppers with some guilt. I gained 10 lbs since seeing the surgeon. I kept thinking of all the things I wouldn't be able to eat any more. Even said I probably wouldn't go to any more buffets. I liked to go to buffets by myself so nobody would judge me on what I was eating. Me and food were best friends. Typing this is making me cry. I guess I am still mourning the loss of my best friend but I will be ok. Mon I started the pre op diet and said no more cheating. Today is day 5 and I have lost the 10 lbs I gained over those 10 days. I was so worried that I wouldn't lose it all and would not be able to have surgery. I am now at the wgt I weighed at the surgeon's office. With 10 more days to go, I should be ok. I am totally following the pre op diet. No more cheating! I am 100% sure I am doing the right thing for me. I seem to be an all or nothing person and now I am all in for the surgery. I have waited years to do something and at 60 I better do something before it is too late. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I may go reread them if I start to have doubts. I know I am doing the right thing. I wasted a lot of time trying to figure it out. I think reading and preparing yourself helps. My bariartric team really explains every step. Sometimes I thought no way could I do this but then I would work through it and I would be ok with it. Each step was hard for me but now I am there and ready to have the surgery. I wish my fellow sleevers good luck! Karen

My surgery is April 15. I started the pre op diet today. I had a chocolate protein shake. It really wasn't that bad; I mixed it with skim milk. I am so excited! After all these years of thinking about doing wls, I think it is really going to happen.

I start my 2 week pre op diet tomorrow. This is going to be a real challenge for me as I am a sugar addict. Used to think I could live on sugar only and now I am going to have to do without it. I have never followed a diet without cheating a little or even a lot. This time it is going to be different because I have too much at stake. I have already had too many last suppers and am worried about the wgt I gained since seeing the surgeon. I am going to try to do exactly what my doctor and nut told me to do. I hear the first two days are the hardest. I am going to do whatever it takes to get through this pre op diet. I don't want a large liver or get canceled because I gained wgt. Any suggestions to get through the first few days? Reading all your posts has been so helpful already. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for your comments. I will definitely try to keep busy. I think I am as ready as I can be.

I got my surgery date today April 15! I bought all the stuff they wanted me to buy. Protein powders, vitamins, protein shots etc. It came to $328!! OMG I hope this will last me for awhile. I don't like paying so much but I will do whatever they want to have the surgery. I am so excited. I can't believe I am really doing this after thinking about this for so long. Good luck to all of the April sleevers.

I have BCBS Federal and they approved it in 1 day! I was in such shock. My first reaction was I am not ready. I got a letter from BCBS Sat and they said my surgery was approved for April 29. I haven't heard my date yet from my bariatric office. What? BCBS is getting very efficient.

Two weeks ago I had a treadmill stress test. It was a nightmare. My heart was beating so fast that I could hardly breathe. I asked to get off and they kept telling me just a little longer. Finally, I told them I was going to pass out and they let me off. I didn't stay on long enough. I was really scared to go back to have the chemical stress test but I have to get cleared by a cardiologist. Yesterday I had a chemically induced test called stress pet scan. It was the total opposite of my first test. Just lay still for about a half hour. Machine kept taking picures. The last 10 min they injected me with something to make my heart beat faster. I had no bad reaction and could have slept through the test although I don't think they want you to. My point is to try to get the chemical test if you are morbidly obese, older and not in good shape. I had a lot of people tell me the treadmill stress test wasn't that bad and I could do it. I really tried but for some people like me we should have the chemical test.

I live alone and am wondering how much help I will need after surgery. My sister is coming from out of town but I wonder how long she will need to stay with me.

I agree attitude is important and sometimes I need to work on my attitude. I seem to be all over the place at times. Reading this board has helped me so much for info and understanding what is going to happen or can happen. I do think I need to concentrate more on the positive posts than the negative ones.

Thanks for all your replies. I am feeling much better now. I am used to taking care of myself and hope I do as well as you all have done. Can't wait to have the surgery and get it all over. I got my approval Mon from my ins company and am waiting to get an appt with the surgeon. I have a chemical stress test tomorrow as I couldn't do the treadmill long enough the first time. This is my last hurdle I have to do. Hoping to get cleared from my cardiologist and have surgery in April.

I wish I was 29! lol I am turning 60 this month. Since I will be on liquids at the beginning, I am hoping I will be able to help myself after a few days. I guess I will be uncomfortable for awhile but as long as I can take care of myself I will be ok.

Hi! I am hoping to be an April sleever. I just got approved last Mon and am waiting to get scheduled for an appoinment with the surgeon. Only hurdle left for me is to pass the stress test. I couldn't do the treadmill stress test long enough so now I am being chemically induced tomorrow. I am a little scared but I have to do it to get cleared by my cardiologist. I am 5' 3" and weigh 275 lbs. I dream of the day I go under 200 lbs; it has been a long time. I hope to lose over 100 lbs!

I am having the same problem with my PCP. I finished my 3 month medically supervised visits with my doctor and gave him two forms I needed filled out. He said he would fax them later that day (Tues). I called my ins coordinator hoping she had the paperwork and she doesn't. She said she would call me when she got it. No call. He doesn't work Fri so it will be Mon at the earliest. How hard is it to fill out a form??? grrr As soon as the ins coordinator gets the forms she can send in my paperwork to the ins co. It is so hard to wait on people.

I finished up my 3d month of medically supervised dieting Tues. I gave my doctor the form and another form he needed to fill out plus he needed to send my highest wgt in 2011 and 2012. My primary care doctor said he would fax the info later that day. I called my ins coordinator at my bariatric ctr today and she had not received the paperwork. I left a msg on his answering machine hoping he would fax the paperwork today. She said she would call me when she got it. She did not call. How long does it take a doctor to fill out two forms? I hate to harrass my doctor but I wish he would fax the paperwork so the ins coordinator can send it to my ins company for approval. I want to be an April sleever. All this waiting is so hard. I want to start my journey to be a smaller me!

I am scared too. I just finished up all my paperwork today. I still have to get cleared by my cardiologist beacause my ekg came up abnormal. I have a stress test Fri. My primary care doctor said he thinks I am fine. He said ekgs are often wrong especially with overweight people. Once I am cleared by the cardiologist, I will be getting closer to surgery. I feel like I have gone so far and put such much effort into having this surgery that I can't back out now. I also have told too many people. I turn 60 in March which is almost as scary as the surgery. I know for me if I don't have the surgery I may not have too many more birthdays. I wish I had done something when I was younger instead of just thinking about doing something. I get overloaded with too much info and then do nothing. This time I am going to do something and quit thinking so much about what can go wrong and think about all the good things this surgery will do for me. I am a great starter but a terrible finisher. I have to finish this and have the surgery. I agree with the person who said to follow the doctor's instructions and it will minimize the chances of problems. I believe that and it helps me to try to stay positive.

I had my EGD about two weeks ago. After they rolled me into the room, one of the people in there said he was going to put something in my mouth that he had in his hand. Before he even moved, I was out. I woke up in a recovery room. I felt like nothing had happened. No soreness or anything. The nurse brought me some ginger ale. I thought that was odd as I don't drink ginger ale. My friend said I kept asking the doctor and nurse was everything ok. I have no memory of that or seeing my doctor or wanting ginger ale. After I left the hospital, I was my old self again.

Hi! I am a newbie and first time to get on the board. I am almost finished with my paperwork and then I hit a bump in the road. My EKG test came back abnormal. I saw my cardiologist last Fri and he said they are often wrong but I have to go for a stress echo test. I guess I am supposed to run on a treadmill but I couldn't run to save my life. I am worried about this as I have never had a stress test before. I am worried about the test and what they could find. I really hope all is ok as I really want to have this surgery. I am so ready and don't want any delays. I am hoping to have surgery in April. Did anyone else have to do a stress test?

Thanks for your comments. I am so glad it is not so bad. I am really going to try not to worry about the stress test. It is just one more thing I have to do to finish my paperwork. I will be so glad when it is done. It will all be worth it soon.