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Depending on who you talked to, try faxing a brief letter to your surgeon and a copy to his office manager outlining your dilemma and asking for their help. Regular staffers don't have the authority to do anything about the surgical schedule, but the surgeon and his manager both have a strong financial incentive to squeeze you into the schedule. You have to stay on top of this and be your own best advocate. Be polite but firm!

my habit prior to surgery was to bring in donuts or bagels a couple of times a month. i know my department is missing my old habits. You Donna, just reread your post and that part struck me. Are you buying these things to try to buy friendship and/or approval? You shouldn't have to buy enticements to be liked--give yourself more credit than that. Give them a chance to like you for yourself. And you might like yourself even better if you don't tempt another obese person with high calorie treats. Think of how you've felt when people tried to sabotage your weight loss efforts. Any gain in esteem you make at the expense of others is a false gain that will soon slip away. Be kind to yourself and others!

Most likely no one in the office needs a steady supply of candy. Why do you keep buying it? Halloween is a one day celebration. Have the candy on 10/31 and not other wise.

Call you doctors office in the morning and tell them you are having a problem getting this refilled--and that without your med you are crashing badly. Don't just rely on the pharmacy--be proactive and help them help you. More than support, you need to get your meds. You can't go cold turkey on this stuff without crashing hard. It's crucial to plan ahead better in the future so you don't run out again. Normally you can pick up a refill about a week before you're out of meds. Check with the pharmacy and plan to pick them up at least several days before you're out. Take good care of yourself!

If you are honestly thinking of harming yourself, please get to an emergency room or call a suicide hotline NOW. There are lots of people who will help you if only you ask! Whatever is happening in your life WILL pass--time inevitably moves forward and circumstances change. Start by getting help for your depression from a psychiatrist who can prescribe an appropriate medication, preferably a doctor specializing in weight loss and chronic health problems. There are many different anti-depressants and a good psychiatrist has much more extensive knowledge of the various drugs than your GP, and can help you find the right med at the right dose more quickly. There are other therapies beyond meds as well, but you need to see a specialist quickly. Talk therapy will also speed your recovery from depression, so you need to get on that, ideally with a therapist specializing in your issues. Cognitive therapy--turning around negative thoughts and ideas--is an especially good approach, producing better results in a shorter time than traditional therapies. The fact that some days you are not eating anything is contributing to your lack of energy and to your depression. You have to eat, whether you want to or not. It's just not optional. Just make up your mind and EAT. Even though your dietician would prefer you to start solid foods, the hell with that. Right now you need to get your daily Protein through Protein drinks and any healthy way you can. The protein is KEY to your body healing and rebuilding your strength. Yes, the depression will pass. Much of it is due to the hormonal changes many of us feel post op. But you need to get the psychological assistance you need now to get the turnaround underway without delay. I'm sorry your partner is not being helpful, but at this point you need to stop worrying what he/she is doing or not doing and just focus on yourself. Put the relationship issues aside and do what you need to do to take care of yourself in the present moment. First, take good care of yourself. Then when you are feeling stronger and well again, you will be in a much better position to determine whether the relationship works for you, and if so, how to fix it. Take care and be kind to yourself!

Since you asked... There are lots of other, good foods available on the road, so no excuses. This is where you learn the importance of making good choices, each and every day. In the long run, if you screw up, you own up to it and then start fresh the next day. But pre-op is a stricter protocol. You really don't want to lose your chance to have the surgery because they find your liver encased in a huge amount of fat, or have your liver crack open when they move it to do the surgery. When you are tempted to eat something off program, think of how you would feel if you woke up in the recovery room and were told they couldn't do the surgery because your liver was not in good condition. That should help you stay focused. The smoking is a similar situation. I don't know anything about e-cigs, but I know you don't want to risk complications in that operating room You are so close to your dream, Steve. Just stay focused. You can do this! Take good care of yourself!

I highly recommend the Smokenders program (not associated with them in any way). I smoked 1 to 4 packs a day for 15+ years, but quit in just 5 weeks with that program. Haven't had the slightest urge for a smoke in 20+ years since. It really is a brilliant program and I hope you can find it.

Don't assume anything. It usually takes about 2 weeks to get insurance company approval after all the paper work is submitted. Call the surgeon's insurance administrator and ask the status of your approval. Your insurance company will send you a letter stating your surgery has been approved.

If you can find it, the Smokenders program is a very successful quit smoking program. I was a very heavy smoker for 15 years, but Smokenders help me quit in 5 weeks and I never, ever wanted another cigarette. Good luck!

Perhaps warm tap water will help melt the pill and also help relax your esophagus so the pill will pass. Try to relax.

I like Mott's light apple juice, just a small glass. Very refreshing. I loved cranberry and cran-cherry juice by Ocean Spray, but am not fond of their light versions.

YAY FOR YOU!!!!

Each scoop of unjury is one serving. Check the grams of Protein per serving and and the number of servings you need per day to get your protein requirement. Ex. 60g of protein per day and 20g per serving, you'd need 3 servings a day if this is your only protein. 3/day x 14 days is 42 servings. You will surely want more than one flavor or the boredom will get you. You might also get the chocolate Splendor and the chicken Soup flavors for variety. The chicken soup is a good savory flavor, warm and a welcome change from all the sweet cold drinks. Best bet if you have time before surgery is to order the sample pack to see which flavors you like. Unjury gives price breaks for shipping with a minimum order size. Remember you will need Protein Drinks for some time after surgery as you transition to regular food.

Most of us are American and not familiar with the metric system, so I ran a converter and 225g =0.95 cups and 65g is = 0.3 cups. Total meal 1.25 cups of food. Yes you are eating way too much! Slow down! Not sure how you ate all that, but I'm wondering how you felt an hour or two later. By my program, a full serving is about 1/4 c. or 59g. When I got to whole foods, I was told to start with a total meal of 1/2 cup or about 120 grams. I think people who are at the maintenance level may go up to a total meal size of about 1 cup, which would be about 240 grams. Keep in mind that your stomach is only about the size of an egg, perhaps smaller, so you've filled it nearly 3x over! Continuing to do so may result in permanently stretching your pouch. Consider cutting back on mashed potatoes too as they are carbs, which need to be limited. Always, always eat your Protein first. Your body needs it and it aids your satiety. I strongly suggest you review the written materials provided by your surgeon's office and/or call your nutritionist to get your correct portion sizes since every program is different. You need to be very clear on your portion sizes from the beginning. Good luck!

I'm very happy with my bypass. Sailed through surgery and recovery. Pain meds for 24 hours after surgery and didn't need anything after that. It requires a good deal of focus and planning to meet my requirements, but it is working well for me. Good luck tomorow!

Sounds like B stands for butterfly and you are ready to become one! Good luck!

Particularly at this stage, focus on meeting your protein requirements to heal your body and provide stamina. If you do that, the calories will take care of themselves.

Remember that millions of people who have had bypasses since the 1970s are out living their lives and being happy, not posting on forums. The posts you see here are a small subset. It's good to read and learn from their experiences, but you have to keep them in perspective. You'll be fine, just follow your program and take good care of yourself!

Thermo, yes I do know how hard it is. But after 14 years of smoking, including a bad patch of 3 to 4 packs a day, I quit in 5 weeks and never looked back. That was decades ago. I used the Smokenders program.

Thermo, you HAVE to quit smoking NOW. It puts you at very high risk with the surgery and complicates your recovery. Your doctor may even delay the surgery until you quit. Don't fib about it either because you anesthesiologist has to know the truth to keep you safe. This would be a good time to do some reading on transfer addiction (cigs to food and vice versa) as well, both on this forum and on the web. You've got some challenges ahead and it will help if you're prepared. Good luck.

Attagirl! You know, the meetings may be hard or really boring for him. Usually there are more women than men and women tend to speak in terms of their emotions. A lot of men can't understand or deal with that. Try to imagine yourself going to a meeting about fly fishing lures or motorcycles and you'll get the picture. Let those unrealistic expectations go and you won't be disappointed or depressed. Just get in the car and drive yourself to a meeting and you'll feel better and be better company when you get home. Work with him to encourage him to be supportive in other ways, not bringing Snacks in the house, helping you with some of the chores, going for a walk with you, whatever. People do better when you let them do some things their way. :-)

All of us who are single go to meetings and do our program by ourselves. While it would be nice if your husband was supportive, you are sabotaging yourself by not going. So now he's not the problem, you are! Time to pull up your big girl panties and take control of your own life. You'll find it is really empowering when you do! Take good care of yourself--you deserve to be your best!

Please keep researching. The information given by the above poster was not entirely accurate. Hopefully you will get more and better responses here. You might also check the asmbs.org website. That is the professional organization for bariatric surgeons nationwide and has a lot of good info.

Yes, you can take the whole pill, without opening it or doing anything else to it. See #5 above.

What is going on is a bunch of lazy staffers not doing their jobs in a timely manner. You need to ride herd on them, every day if necessary.