HotMessPrincess

Same with me, Slowtogo...since I can fly anywhere, really, I asked my surgeon how long I have to wait to fly. I'm planning a trip to see my family after surgery and wanted to make sure I waited the appropriate amount of time...was told two weeks.

He had no right to do that to you - and if I were you, I'd address the situation with your regular doctor when he/she returns. Stay strong!

I agree with Cindy. Something with more Protein will probably be more fulfilling - and ask if you can chew gum. It might seem stupid, but I know I'll have a problem with not chewing anything. My nutritionist said I can chew sugar free gum up to the day before my surgery, but not the day before because it can cause gas. Major relief to me...and now I just need my damn surgery date. Be strong, dar'lin. This is temporary crap and soon you're going to be shopping for smaller clothes and jumping for joy.

Guys, I work for an airline and I really hope you talk to your surgeons about this. The body expands during flight. It's potentially dangerous for you to fly early. Please be careful and check with your doctors.

I don't like this boat, tigermom12...I'm ready to get into the "You have a surgery date" boat! LOL

Hey y'all! I have Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas and I was hoping to hear from some folks who've also dealt with them. I've gone through the evals (including psych) and my surgeon's office submitted a request for authorization to BCBS last Thursday. I'm told it'll take "up to two weeks or more"...I love how they don't want to commit to anything even remotely general. What was everyone else's experience with BCBS of Texas? A full two weeks? Over that? Less than that? I realize there are different levels of coverage, I'm just hoping to get a better idea of what to expect. I'm hoping it's not 2 weeks or more...trying to have surgery by the week before Christmas.

Kyrie, I hope you took a walk and got out of there. That's not very supportive of your family, I hate to say. I don't expect my husband to never eat pizza again, but we've had serious talks about the pre-op diet and the weeks following right after surgery (I'm pre-op too)...and he's agreed that if he wants any of the foods that are tempting to me, he'll eat them out of the house and away from me until I'm in the groove with my new way of eating. And I've promised not to be overly sensitive about it... That also includes his watching the food Network for hours on end. He's agreed not to get all snarky if I need to remove myself to another room and work on a hobby for a while. You're just days away from an amazing journey...you're gonna kick butt at it! :-)

Thanks, Autumn! We are each the best person to judge what's going to be hardest on this journey...and I know myself. I think I'll need it to talk me down off the ledge after surgery (figuratively speaking, of course). I expect to be all weepy and feeling sorry for myself at some point right after surgery...so this is my solution. Borrow away, girl! We're all in this together.

I don't even have a date yet, so I'm behind you...and I'll tell you what: I see people posting this all the time. I think your feelings are totally normal. I actually plan to write myself a letter when I get my date. In the letter, I'll remind myself of all the reasons why I'm doing this and all the good things that are coming my way...because I've also seen folks upset after surgery. With the pain and all the major adjustments, people start to worry if they did the right thing, etc. It's only natural. I think writing a letter to myself will help me to calm down and relax...and just realize that I need to go through a little angst to get to the good things. You're going to be fine. This will be over before you know it and then you'll be posting before/after pictures and rejoicing about your decision to give yourself this amazing tool. You got this!

Congratulations!!!

I'll have mine done in Decatur, Texas. Was hoping you'd be sort of local...I would have volunteered to come see ya. Sorry you have to travel and do this on your own!!

Congratulations!!!! So excited for you. :-) (I don't have my date yet) Where are you traveling to have it done?

Done! I've been trying to push this process along as quickly as possible, so I'm happy to report that I had my psych eval yesterday and since they didn't mention the term 5150 or chase me to my car with restraints, I think I'm ok to go through. :-) Next step: calling the surgeon's office on Monday morning to let them know I completed it (their request) so that they can send it all off to my insurance. Woohoo!!!

I'm so glad you're ok!!! And thank you for thinking of your fellow sleevers...I don't even have my surgery date yet and I'm learning so much from everyone here. Thank you!

I actually quit diet soda 2 years ago when I was considering lap band (which I never got) and I never went back to it. I also quit fast food back then and once you've gone a couple of months without those two major vices, they taste HORRIBLE if you try to go back. LOL. They're both out of my life for good...and I'm glad I got rid of them before surgery (don't even have my sleeve date yet). This is hard enough without heaping withdrawal on it as well.

That is AWESOME!!!! I'm still waiting for my psych eval appointment on Friday and am new to this whole process and you really gave me something to look forward to. Not that I'd hike a cave, I'd probably be too freaked out for that...but something equally bad-ass. Congrats!!!

I think we may be related...LOL

Hi VSKitty! Yes, let's embrace that change. Let's squeeze the you-know-what out of it till it gets all farty. We can do it!

Hi everyone! Introducing myself since I just had my consultation on Wednesday and am officially on the road to getting sleeved. I toyed around with the idea of Lap Band two years ago, but never did it. It wasn't right for me and I'm so glad I didn't do it. I'm a blogger and I've been writing about my journey to a healthy life for just over two years. I wrote in detail about my consultation on my blog, so feel free to click here and check it out. My psych eval is scheduled for next Friday and then they can submit my paperwork to my insurance. I'm hoping to be sleeved the week before Thanksgiving. Let's get this show on the road! Thank you to all of you who post about your experiences. This is still fairly new and scary for me (but exciting as well) and it helps so much to read your stories. I'm so glad I found this group!

I've just made the decision to have surgery and yes, I feel this way as well. Ten years ago, I was one of those angry fat people who swore I'd never have surgery because it was "the easy way out". I think we all know that can't be farther from the truth. Even though I'm just starting out in my process, I've often wondered "Why can't I just follow the diet without the surgery? I'm going to have to do it for a time, anyway..." I totally get you on that!! However, I know...as I look back on over 20 years of trying to lose weight and get healthy that I'm not going to be able to do this without the helpful tool of surgery - and that's all it is: a tool. It's up to all of us to do our part of the work or this will just be another temporary flash in the pan. Only you can know what's right for you, but in the short time I've been reading these boards I've noticed that many, many people start self-doubting right before their surgery date. I think it's only natural. You'd done an amazing job on your pre-surgery diet and you're gonna rock this out of the park. :-) And you can tell me all about it because I'm right behind you and I need to hear what you have to say about your experience. It's like you're on the path ahead of me, leaving bread crumbs for me to follow. Carb-free bread crumbs, of course. :-)

Thanks, guys! smckean, if you're new to blogging I recommend Google Blogger. It's very user friendly for the beginner!

That's amazing! Congratulations!!

I have my consultation with my surgeon tomorrow. I'm at the very beginning of this journey...and I have 220 pounds to lose. Reading your story has taken away some of the apprehension I feel over the surgery part of this. I'm okay with all the other parts of the journey, including the changes that have to be made, but the cutting part scares the crap out of me. You helped me by telling your story...and thank you for that. :-)

We're all fat in Texas, but we're getting slimmer!! LOL How long has it been since your surgery, Newat52? Just curious...I'm new to these forums and have my consultation tomorrow so I'm trying to get a feel for where everyone's at.

Dr Scott Stowers at My Bariatric Solutions. Had an appointment with him 2 years ago to talk about Lap Band (which I chose not to do eventually). I loved how I was treated by everyone there. Never once did I feel like an insurance check walking in the door - and I expected to be looked at like just another fat person on a conveyor belt. They are wonderful there. I felt like I was the only patient they had. Another thing I really like that they do: all your appointments are in one day. You meet with Dr Stowers, the dietician, the exercise specialist, the patient coordinator...etc. You can expect your consultation to take 4 hours. They have this streamlined to amazing perfection - which I prefer so that I don't have to keep making appointments and taking additional time off work. I have an appointment with him tomorrow to discuss Gastric Sleeve and this time I'm ready for the change that surgery requires. (Called Dr Kim 3 years ago...the guy who always advertises on tv. Got cold feet and cancelled the appt. His office staff phone-stalked me for weeks before I called and told them to leave me alone. Also had a friend who went to him and when she said "Well, I'll certainly think about it...thank you..." he had her in tears. She said he got nasty and was pointing out all the ways in which she'd failed herself...and she's not a super sensitive person. She's a tough cookie. This is why I went looking elsewhere when I was ready.)