gamergirl

Thank you for sharing this. We're headed to see him in a few weeks and this type of reassurance is much appreciated! Hope all is well with your recovery.

I would try a lactase pill which you can buy over the counter anywhere. The brand name is lactaid.

Today, I start two weeks of liquids so that I can keep R. company for his two weeks. I've eased into it by replacing one meal with a liquid all last week, which was a week of travel. I'm really happy that I was able to stick to that even with four days on the road, long days and nights, and delayed airplanes, etc. I ate almost no sugar last week, just two oreos (oops) on the delayed flight. I feel ready. The house is stocked with unjury chicken soup, all kinds of protein shakes, SF jello and popsicles. But most importantly, I'm not as hungry as I was before I started, thanks to easing in slowly. I want to feel in control of food, not the other way around. I'm feeling that right now. I know the next three days will be the hardest, and I'm prepared for that. I just want to show myself that I can do this too. It doesn't hurt that I've lost 3 lbs by just that meal replacement and reduced carbs Let's do this!

I have been replacing one meal a day with a shake all last week to get ready to start this week's liquid diet. I've been on the road almost all week so it's not been very easy, but yesterday, I found myself CRAVING my shake! I was in an airline lounge filled with free, fatty, sweet food, and I made myself a shake instead. The first sip of that was sooooo good! I'm using Cytosport's 100% whey in chocolate and vanilla that I got at Costco. I use a blender ball bottle that I got on Amazon and let me tell you, it's a lot faster than cooking I'm lactose-intolerant but I don't have any issues with the Cytosport which we've used for years now actually. I'm also enjoying Unjury's chicken soup protein powder when I get tired of the sweet. Based on rave reviews from another forum, I will order Syntrax's Chocolate Mint from Amazon shortly, and I ordered some NOW foods unflavored protein powder to mix with water etc.

Got a new fat/muscle scale yesterday. Although I almost had a seizure at seeing how many lbs of fat I have to lose, I choose to focus on the fact that I have 73 lbs of muscle! That means that to get to my goal weight(150 lbs) and fat percentage (25%), theoretically all I have to do is keep all my muscle and lose 60lbs of the fat. I know, I know it doesn't work like that, but I'm playing head games with myself to motivate myself. I choose to focus on what's right with my body and how to enhance it. I have muscles underneath all this fat. And one day soon, I will see them. And I will be healthy, I will be strong, and I will be able to do the things I want. I will finally learn to scuba dive. I might be able to start lifting weights again without all my joints hurting. I won't need help hauling a 30 lb bag of dog food. I will be able to hike if I want to and I will become a strong swimmer. Because underneath all this fat, awaits a gorgeous, healthy body. And I intend to find it.

I am supposed to do one week prep, my husband was asked to do two even though his BMI is close to mine. They said because of his meds, his overall weight, and a sneaking suspicion that he carries most of it on his belly (he does) they thought it would be better for 2 weeks for him. So I suppose they adjust it based on individual needs. I will do the 2 weeks with him to support him because I love the dickens out of him . But I've already started substituting one shake a day for one meal. Especially since I'm traveling all the time, it's healthier, I get a feeling of accomplishment, and it is giving me the confidence I need to approach the next week of full liquids. I'm also trying to cut calories gradually so it won't be a huge shock.

Hope all went well and that you're feeling reasonably good.

So we let our PCP (Internal Medicine) know that we're going to Mexico (Dr. Alvarez) for the sleeve, and she called my husband today to express her concerns. She is a very kind, concerned, dedicated doctor. We didn't ask to see her for pre-op but once we told her about the surgery, she said she'd like to schedule pre-op care to make sure we were in good shape for it. Today, she called because she wanted us to know that she can do pre-op visit but cannot put down on paper that we are ready, cleared, etc. We are going to Mexico largely because our insurance does not cover surgery so it's all self-pay for both of us so from an insurance perspective it's not a big deal..maybe? (I think. I don't know how that impacts post-op). She also said that a surgeon needs to do post-op care if any, that she can't do it. She emphasized that if there were complications, we would be hard-pressed to find a doctor here who would take on care for a procedure performed by an out-of-country doctor. Note that she doesn't know Dr. Alvarez and her comments are not directed at him in any way, just generalized concern from a US doctor about surgery in a different country. All the stuff that you really don't want to hear as you are a bit concerned about surgery! But now I have a few questions. 1. What does post-op care from a doctor really involve? 2. How were you able to find someone to take on your care after surgery abroad? 3. Are we doing more harm than good by going to her for pre-op because if she puts something down on our charts saying she is not "clearing us" (whatever that means), and if we need something post-op, can the insurance use that to turn down claims for routine after-care? Thanks for sharing your experiences on this front.

So I think it's funny. Almost 2 weeks after I contacted LIMARP, I got a 2-line email yesterday saying hi, fill out this form. That's it. Meanwhile, Dr Alvarez's office responds within minutes. Reinforces my decision again.

Thanks for the very helpful suggestions. Based on this, I think I will go for the pre-op, chat with her on follow-ups which will be exactly what she does to keep me healthy anyway (blood work, nutrition, etc.), and reassure her that we have a plan for complications. We will also share Dr. Alvarez's credentials and track record with her so she can get more comfortable with all of it. She truly is an amazing, intelligent, very nurturing doctor who takes TIME with us, and I believe, at the end of it all, she will do whatever she can to keep us healthy. But I think she is worried about us, there are CYA/legal issues etc. that she needs to deal with, so I will do my part to reassure her.

I too have RA and I take 9 methotrexate once a week plus Enbrel once a week. I have been wondering when I will need to stop. I guess I better call my doc and find out! I am very leery of being off the meds because recently, due to a misdiagnosis, I was off all meds for 3 months (they thought I had lyme disease, not RA), and even being off the meds for just 3 months, I had some pretty serious knee damage. Not wanting to compound that for sure. I was also in excruciating pain and bed-ridden, and I'm afraid of that happening again if I have to come off the meds. But yes, definitely one of the main motivators for me to consider the sleeve. I am 5'6 and weigh 230 lbs which is more than I have ever weighed in my life, and I firmly believe a good part of why I cant lose weight like a normal person is because of the RA meds. Of course, then the weight makes it worse on my joints and the vicious cycle continues. So keeping my fingers, toes, eyes, and legs crossed that the sleeve reduces some of the RA symptoms and that I can at least reduce my meds, and who knows, maybe get off the Enbrel? A girl can dream.

I'm really glad someone posted this. I have a desk job--unless I have to travel which I do very frequently. I typically have a 20 lb backpack on me, plus a rolling bag that I take, that I then have to haul all over the place, lift into the overhead bin, walk all over the airport, etc. Not to mention, figure out how to eat liquids, or semi-soft foods in airports. How did others deal with this? I'm wondering if I should just turn down any travel for a 3 weeks, or if I will be good to travel before then? Again I too realize everyone is different but looking for guidelines. Thanks!

Congratulations and the very best of luck!

We're going to Dr. Alvarez in Piedra Negras. I should probably be concerned about the surgery itself but i find myself worrying about the liquid diet bit more. Really if I could eat nothing but 4 Protein shakes a day, would I really need the surgery?? I'm sure we'll get through it, but I worry about failing before I even start. Positive thoughts!

I too chose him for August 2nd. I was down to 3 different Mexico doctors, all of whom had great track records. What decided me on Alvarez was how responsive his office was. I reached out to all at the same time. To date, I have heard NOTHING from the other two's offices. I have filled out the online contact forms for all, and also left a voice mail at one. In contrast, I have 8 emails from Susan within 48 hours, 1 phone call, health forms done, approval received, surgery scheduled. Responsiveness is important to me, given that the surgeon is in a different time zone, city/country etc. and I am hoping their speed to respond now is indicative of how they would react were I to need something after the surgery.

[quote name=holidayexpressions' timestamp='1373463390' post='899559] That's what I'm worried about also! Actually we're worried about doing it together! We wonder who will look after whom if we are both incapacitated. We really debated doing it separately but what decided me was the pre- and post-op diets. I think it will be a lot easier to keep each other on track if we're suffering together We heard today he has to be on a 14-day liiquid pre-op and I have to do a 7 day liquid pre-op, and I might end up trying to do the 14-day (perhaps slightly modified) with him so he has a buddy. But I am concerned about driving/flying back when we're both in pain/discomfort.

We might see each other there. We're scheduled for August 2nd

Just registered to this forum, my husband and I are both getting sleeved August 2nd. Excited, scared, terrified, delighted.