roundisashape

It's safe to take regular antacids (like Tums or Rolaids) while you're on a PPI to handle any breakthrough - I've been popping a mint Tums when I think I'm hungry and I shouldn't be just to see if it helps. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't, and I just operate on the assumption that I really am hungry when it doesn't and I'll have a couple of bites of something (right now, it's usually yogurt or applesauce or something since I'm still doing purees for a few more days).

Thank you! Do you find that they change the taste or texture of the drink very much, and what do you prefer to mix it with?

Hi! I'm kind of struggling to find a Calcium that's affordable and not gross. I came across UpCal D powdered calcium citrate, and was just wondering if anyone here has tried it. Before I order, I was hoping to get some opinions . Thanks!

Same here - they're horse pills, but haven't had any unpleasant reactions to them.

FINALLY! The insurance company is reprocessing. Of course, I got the actual bill today so the clock is ticking.

I got all of my approvals pre-op, had surgery 3 weeks ago tomorrow, and last night my insurance company website updated my claim (just a few dollars short of $11,000) as DENIED. I've tried to call them 3 times today and sat on hold so long I had to hang up, because I'm at work and I've got a lot of meetings on Mondays. No idea what fresh hell is being perpetrated here, but my left eyelid is twitching.

I'll be a month on Tuesday and still have pain around the one bigger incision, as well as some bruising. I had a few days reprieve and then it started again - perhaps we do too much when we're feeling good? There's a lot happening in there right now.

I was tickled to lose that big number so fast - kinda stalled now (expected), but it didn't bother me. The faster the better, at least in terms of motivation! The quick early loss scared the dickens out of one of my friends, though. She's such a sweetheart, but she's convinced it's going to cause my heart to give out or something. It's completely the opposite - my blood pressure is dipping pretty low already and I had my medication halved right after surgery once. Looks like it's about to get cut again (if not dropped altogether)!

I'm still at the stage where I'm trying really hard not to pay attention - mostly because my mouth still wants everything I see everyone else eating. I think this is going to be a lifelong problem and the less attention I pay to what people are enjoying on their plates, the better off I'll be!

Congratulations! And now when they ask, you can say, "gift cards", lol!

Everything is so interconnected these days it's hard to separate one group from another. I wish I could tell everyone EXCEPT for a chunk of my family! Privacy is so much harder than it used to be.

I just realized my feet and knees haven't hurt at the end of the day since I got out of the hospital, and the edema I was getting in my legs is almost gone - I only notice a bit at the end of the day, and that seems normal. Oh, and in 3 weeks, I've lost an inch and a half off of my NECK. How crazy is that?

So cool! You look great!

Also stalled with a sore right side - ugh! On a high note, I found a way out of today's food extravaganza. I took my Vitamins with 6 ounces of tea this morning and promptly, violently launched them back across the kitchen. Scared to ingest anything else, I have no idea why that happened.

::banghead:: They published the explanation of benefits. Denied because the service wasn't provided at a Blue Distinction Center. I went to their website and took a screen shot showing that Hopkins Bayview IS a Blue Distinction Center and emailed that to customer service. We'll see what happens.

We're kind of weird - I work in Maryland for a Canadian company, but they got us BCBS AZ. I have no idea how that works, lol. I saw a new claim come through as "pending" this afternoon for the actual procedure. I don't know if things just came through in the wrong order or what, but I'll definitely update as soon as I find out what's going on. I do have all the paperwork though, for sure! Both the approval letter, and the letter with the date on it.

One of the most helpful things I got was one of those reachers at the hospital - I found it hard to bend over for stuff the first couple of weeks. Mine came from the hospital but you can get them at the pharmacy too (if you go to the CVS website and just search for "reacher", you'll see what I'm talking about). Especially since my dog was a little out of sorts after I got home and kept getting into the trash.

I'd definitely go to the doctor's appointments - the first few months are the "sweet spot" and they can help you troubleshoot if you run into any issues. I wish ours didn't skip us from a 2 week visit to a 3 month one! As for the support group, I can't say. The closest one to me is clear across town and starts an hour before I get off work, so I've been using this forum as my primary support.

@@emsgirl114, I know the feeling! Everyone here knows what I did, but most of them are guys and they've been well trained by their wives to not comment on a woman's body unless it's actively squirting blood on the carpet - then it's just a gentle suggestion that you might need a band-aid. The food, on the other hand, is NUTS. There's always pizza and cookies and giant 3 pound sacks of peanut butter M&M's and cheeseballs and...ugh. So. Much. Food. Tomorrow is our holiday potluck. If I can survive that, I can survive anything!

False! I think I get the credit for this one, lol!

By no means a vet, but I love my little Hamilton Beach $15 blender. It's one with a lid you can use to drink from if you make a smoothie, and so far it's handled everything I've thrown at it - chicken, beef cubes cooked in a crock pot, shakes, veggies, whatever. The only thing it struggled with was refried Beans, and it turns out I didn't really need to blend those anyway.