Miss Mac

Mine was set back because I contracted ischemic colitis wwhich had to be dealt with before bariatric surgery. Otherwise, any knick on the bowel would have cause catastrophic infection. I had to wait, but I was alive to wait.

Even if it is a little bit, I tried to work some kind of vegetation in with each meal. With Breakfast, I will have a couple of cherry tomatoes, with lunch I will squeeze in some green Beans, at dinner I may likely add a sprig of broccoli or a spoon of cole slaw. I am allowed one serving of fuit per day, so that will usually be applesauce with my evening meds. Occasionally I will have a small banana at bedtime. For a mid-morning snack I may have something like 1/4 cup tuna sald with cucmber slices instead of crackers. An evening snack may be a thick slice of tomato broiled with melted mozzerella and basil. Yeah, my tastes have greatly changed since surgery, but I force some variety on myself to keep from getting bored.

I had my share of food funerals before I started a ten day pre-op liquid diet. Now that I am 8 1/2 months out, I don't really miss the fatty, greasy, sugary, salty, starchy, junky crap that I used to eat. No wonder I was heavy and sick! I guess I was also saying good-bye to the old me, to make room for new health and improved outlook on life. My body thanks me for the extra protein and nutritious veggies.

Find out which of these common bariatric co-morbidities that your insurance may cover. I never wish for anyone to be sick, but I guess here is where "the more, the merrier" comes into play. When it was time for my bariatric team to submit my packet to my insurance, I had them include a letter I wrote explaining how my obesity was affecting my quality of life and reducing any chance I had at longevity. Obesity Comorbidities To follow is a list of comorbidities (additional conditions or diseases) related to obesity which may help you in qualifying for weight loss surgery. • Family history of heart disease • Family history of stroke • Family history of diabetes • Family history of heart attacks • Hyperinsulinemia • Diabetes • High blood pressure • Coronary-artery disease • Hypertension • Migraines or headaches directly related to obesity or cranial hypertension • Congestive heart failure • Neoplasia • Dyslipidemia • Anemia • Gallbladder disease • Osteoarthritis • Degenerative arthritis • Degenerative disc • Degenerative joint disease • Recommended joint replacement from specialist • Accelerated degenerative joint disease • Asthma • Repeated pneumonia • Repeated pleurisy • Repeated bronchitis • Lung restriction • Gastroesophageal reflex (GERD) • Excess facial & body hair (Hirsutism) • Rashes • Chronic skin infections • Excess sweating • Frequent yeast infections • Urinary stress incontinence • Menstrual irregularity • Hormonal abnormalities • Polycystic ovaries • Infertility • Carcinoma (breast, colon, uterine cancer) • sleep apnea • Pseudotumor cerebri • Depression • Psychological/sexual dysfunction • Social discrimination • Premature death in the immediate family

Hey Nairobi78 in Texas......Good Morning. Since I am up thinkin' when I ought to be sleepin', I will go ahead and say good morning. Welcome to the bariatric forums. I hope you will find us to be an interesting and informative bunch of folks. For sure, opinions and moods vary, but will surely get a passionate response ot two to your questions.

I meant to say BLUEBERRY applesauce.....I need that extra flavor to camoflage the vitamin odor until I can get it down.

I combine 2 oz prune juice and 8 oz of sugar free cran-grape juice to which I add Miralax. Also when I am up around midnight to pee (I am an old lady - it comes with the territory, I crush my bariatric horse-pill stink vitamin and put it in 4 oz of applesauce, or regular applesauce with a packet of sugar-free cider mix in it. I get my vitamin, plus the applesauce helps move things along.

I wouldn't say another word and just go get it done anyway. I agree that this is not about them and their opinions; it is about you and your little girl. Take charge of your own health and go do what you need to do to be healthy and happy.

Stay hydrated especially when you have diarrhea. Three weeks ago, I was having another bout with it and passed out twice in the bathroom, hitting my head on the tub both times. I spent a night in the hospital getting IV fluids. Most unpleasant.

Oh my goodness! I hope you recover soon, and I agree with the others that you need to push for an ultrasound. Better safe than sorry, eh?

Here is a list of co-morbidities that most insurance companies recognize when considering eligibility for weight loss surgery. I would never hope for someone to be ill, but would you possibly have anything on this list?????? It is just unreal that your bariatric team waited until now to check your coverage. Will your insurance be paying for all of your pre-op requirements and appointments, or are you stuck with paying for those? I agree with everything Luvin_Life125 is saying. I wish you good luck and good health. In the meantime, the best you can do is what you have learned so far about nutrition: 1. Eat Protein and plenty of it. 2. Drink Water until your eyeballs float. 3. Pretend like carbs cost you $10 cash apiece-up front! 4. Eat more non-starchy veggies and less fruit. 5. Truthfully track what you are eating. If you do not track, you will lose track. 6. If you are not physically able to do much exercise, at least get up once an hour and move around for a few minutes. And I think doctors still agree that the best exercise there is, is walking. Obesity Comorbidities To follow is a list of comorbidities (additional conditions or diseases) related to obesity which may help you in qualifying for weight loss surgery. Family history of heart disease Family history of stroke Family history of diabetes Family history of heart attacks Hyperinsulinemia Diabetes High blood pressure Coronary-artery disease Hypertension Migraines or headaches directly related to obesity or cranial hypertension Congestive heart failure Neoplasia Dyslipidemia Anemia Gallbladder disease Osteoarthritis Degenerative arthritis Degenerative disc Degenerative joint disease Recommended joint replacement from specialist Accelerated degenerative joint disease Asthma Repeated pneumonia Repeated pleurisy Repeated bronchitis Lung restriction Gastroesophageal reflex (GERD) Excess facial & body hair (Hirsutism) Rashes Chronic skin infections Excess sweating Frequent yeast infections Urinary stress incontinence Menstrual irregularity Hormonal abnormalities Polycystic ovaries Infertility Carcinoma (breast, colon, uterine cancer) sleep apnea Pseudotumor cerebri Depression Psychological/sexual dysfunction Social discrimination Premature death in the immediate family

I am so going to to try Luvin_Life125's recipe with ricot instead of the ceam, and put it in muffin tins to help me with portion control and make freezable servings. Actually, in our house, ricotta gets thrown into a lot of things. I will look through my cook-books and see what else I can find that is modifiable. Pumpkin is one of my favorites, too. Oh, and cranberries. Last fall, my boyfriend made a cranberry relish with modifications for me. It also invoved Splenda, but since then I have switched to Monkfruit sweetener.

Congratulations for being approved. BCBS Federal is the best insurance I have ever had E V E R ! You will have to pay very little for your surgery.

If you start feeling a sharp knife stabbing pain under your right shoulder blade, see your doctor right away. Often, when post-op gallbladder issues pop up, the pain starts there. Other than that, whatever the cause, don't let it go too long without at least letting your primary physician know that you have some discomfort. Weight loss surgery is a significant disruption to your body's internal systems, and the pain could just be a coincidence or something worth treating. Hopefully you can get this resolved soon so that you can have some peace of mind.

Had one of those the other day. I have been on 600-800 calories for so long (8 1/2 months) that I think my body was screeming for a catch-up day. I guess one day out of 258 isn't so bad. I probably had 1100 calories total, but I felt so guilty aftrward.

You are not crazy. It sounds like a toxic one-sided relationship to me. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Find somewhere to volunteer and make new friends there.

What I don't get is people who say the are down to 180 pounds and are a size 6 US. When I was my healthiest adult weight in the mid 1980's. I weighed 135 and wore a size 12 US. So what gives? This problem makes it even harder to know what size I am as I go through this shape-shifting process. Before my sleeve, I was an apple. Now I am a pencil with a donut for a belly. That is an improvement I guess, because my belly has gone from 54" to 42" so far. When I was an anorexic teenager during the hippie years (late 1960's) I my highest weight was 108 with a 23" waist, and I wore a size 8 US. Clearly sizing has changed. As a larger person, I did almost all of clothes shopping online from plus-sizw stores. I guess now I should actually go IN a store and try stuff on.

I don't have my list anymore, but I asked my surgeon 17 questions, and he patiently aswered them all. But the one question I would urge all newbies to ask is this: How do you manage shoulder gas post-op? My surgeon's response was that he extracts as much as possible so that residual gas is not a problem in the first place. Whatever he did, I am so glad. I did not have a n y shoulder gas post-op.

Same for me. They put in after I was out cold, and then took it out first thing the next morning.

My question is ..... is she still losing weight? I am 8 1/2 months out and still at 800 calories, 80 ounces of Water and 80 grams of Protein.....quite the balancing act to reach those goals at the same time. I couldn't lose weight before at 1000 calories (5'4 and 235 pounds), so with a sleeve, 800 seemed to be a good place to settle. My nut adviised 800-1200, but as soon as I approach 900. the ounces start creeping back. However, I have been on a plateau for six weeks, stuck at 172 +/- a couple of pounds. For me, 800 calories does not provide much energy or support much exercise. Actually, it was easier to have an eating disorder when I weighed a scant 108 at the age of 21. I don't know what to tell you except that I would fall over from weakness if I had her exercise regime. Starvation / starvation mode.....the concept is elusive right now. I recently had one of those hydration visits back to the hospital after being very ill with diarrhea and passed out and hit my head on the tub twice in one night. I was reminded that laxatives are not the way to restart weight loss, either. I have a visit with a new nutritionist coming up and will ask where she sees the balance. I wish your friend well and hope she finds a healthy balance for herself. She is lucky to have a concerned friend like you.

I was taking my blood pressure meds in the hospital before I came home. I am still taking six meds by swallowing pills. The only one I have a problem with post-sleeve is that nasty Bariatric Advantage AE required by my bariatric physician. It is a horse pill - a horse pill I tell ya! I cut it in quarters and still couldn;t get it down because of it's sharp edges from being split. So, I have to crush that one and put it in blueberry or cinnamon applesauce. At least it is tolerable that way.

It's unlikely that love will come knocking on your front door. Here is how (at the age of 55) I found love after being thrown out (divorced) a second time. I took a year off from the relationship scene to get my head together and to find out who I was when no one else is telling me what to do, think. eat, or like. I had to find the true me to be able to present myself correctly in the search for love. I got on Craig's list, back before it was a pimp site, and put an ad in the personals. I told it plainly who I was and what I am and what my baggage was. I even mentioned that I was heavy. I got 93 responses that I had to filter through. I eliminated those that sounded obviously perverted, those that sent below the belt photos, and those that were just out of high school, and those that seemed uncompatable. I reduced the list to ten and started meeting guys in public places before giving out my address and phone. Sure, I dated a couple of frogs, but gentleman number three came across as dignified and gentle and had many similar interests as I had, and he had been thrown away twice, too. We have been together over eight years and plan on going into our old age together. He is now 64 and I am just around the corner from 63. He never asked me to change anything (not even my weight) and I have never asked him to change anything (not even his smokig). He is very tall and thin. We look like a pencil and and apple when we are together. He has been supportive of my weight loss surgery, and our love has grown stronger. So, I have said all of that to say this.......to find someone who will love you for who you are, you have to be bold enough to put yourself out there - as you are. If you join a dating site, definitely mention that you are on a doctor supervised weight loss journey. You will likely get someone who is on that journey also or is at least open-minded about folks in our predicament. I don't think you have to be at your goal weight before you start dating. Just go for it.

BCBS Federal Employee Plan is the best insurance I have ever had.....ever. One thing that I like about it is the availability of a case manager to help handle processess and procedures. Any time I have some lingering health problem, like my knee replacements, stroke and now weight loss surgery, I accept the help of a case manager. She also checks up on me from time to time to see how I am doing. The other thing I like about it besides excellent coverage is that for my sleeve, BCBS approved a five day stay in the hospital if needed. Any delays I had were from the bariaric clinic's side. When my packet was submitted, BCBS approved it in two days. I found out because when I called the doctor's office to see if it was submitted, I was told yes, but that they would not know anything for a couple of weeks because the insurance coodinator was on vacation. So.....I called my case manager at BCBS and she said it was already approved. The case manager mailed me a letter of confirmation whicj I then faxed to the surgeon's office. As soon as they received it, I was given a surgey date the same day. I am not as patient as I used to be and have become way more pro-active about my healthcare. Good for you that you are staying on top of things. I wish you good luck and good health.

Similar to terry1118's recipe........my boyfriend was born in Malta (an island in the Mediterranean sea) and cooks in the Mediterranean style. He did what terry1118 did, but with an eggplannt hollowed out and the edible part cooked with ground beef, onion, garlic, and marinara sauce. He topped it with basil and mozzerella cheese. It tasted like pizza without all the crust that adds starchy calories. So it looks like terry1118's zuchinni recipe would be a good alternative for pizza. Years ago, I was at a dinner party and one of the vegetables served was baked zuchinni with the insides mashed and flavored with a little butter, salt, pepper, and I think the cheese was parmesan. Then it was put under the broiler for a toasty finish. That was mighty yummy. My boyfriend has also taken zuchinni and shredded it and then added it to other recipes to veggie them up. Keep in mind that when you do that with zucchinni, it needs to be soaked in salt Water overnight and then rinsed and drained before use. I did not do that when I tried it and had a mushy mess. Zuchinni releases a lot of moisture.

Get a complete copy of your medical records. By law, they have to give it to you. Find out who else or where else there is another facility that your insurance company will approve. Get a new surgeon as soon as possible before you lose steam. You can also ask if your insurance company provides case managers for patients who have an ongoing issue that will take time to resolve. I know that Blue Cross / Blue Shield does. You are worth the effort. I wish you good luck and good health.