SnohoGal98296

Hi Karen82, I suggest searching the forum, there are tons of posts regarding plateaus at 3-4 weeks and so on. Lots of info at your finger tips on BP!

I am June 11th too - when I have second thoughts, I dig deeper and I have been finding that my anxiety is over the pre-op liquid diet and then realizing that I will be on liquids only for about a month altogether with the post op stages. When I think of the possible end result and the issues the weight loss will address I get confident and happy. .. so try to focus on the end result, eyes on the prize and all that! It is helping me atleast :-D

Mine is June 11th, I keep telling myself to stay strong, tomorrow is the first day of my pre-op diet so I need to stay focused. So I guess I would say focus on the positive and stay strong!

June 11th here, also getting nervous, going camping for memorial day weekend, ugh burgers and hot dogs, and tons of carbonated drinks - I have been working on not drinking diet soda, so low Cal Gatorade and bottled water for me...

"No bananas do not contain latex. But around half of all people with latex allergy have allergic reactions when eating particular foods including avocado, banana, chestnut, kiwifruit, passionfruit, plum, strawberry and tomato. This is because some of the proteins in latex that cause latex allergy are also present in these fruits. Common symptoms include tingling in the mouth, stuffy nose, itchy eyes and wheezing..." from Yahoo Answers

Looking Good! Great job!

June 11th, 4 preop shakes and 1 meal for two weeks, clear liquids for two days, so I am starting next week. I have to be at 291 on surgery day, which is 10 lbs I need to lose...

Responding just to say Hello. Sorry I am not a smoker so I can't comment. ..

It is the simplest description of me, county + "gal" + zip code, to be honest I use it for websites I am not sure of, well nearly 10 months later I am still a BariatricPal.

My surgery is 3 weeks away, I have wondered what I will miss and what I am ready to never experience again. I just got back from a business trip that included a 12 hr flight on a 747 to Asia, I fly economy of course, and the economy lavs are super tiny. My body brushed either side to sit on the toilet, I couldn't bend over far enough to wipe the front much less the back, it was humiliating and more than a little gross. I prayed that I wouldn't have to have a poo, you know? LOL. I never want to be in that situation ever again. Of course I had to ask for a seat belt extender on a few of the legs, And I was terrified that I was encroaching on my row mates seat. I never want to be in that situation ever again. I could go on about being a gargantuan women in a sea of tiny Asian people, but that is just unnecessary. What do I think I will miss? Now I don't expect to become Miss USA after surgery, but I have joked in the past that no one ever wonders who I slept with to get where I am in my career. Because I work in male dominated field, I am often the only woman in the room or in a travel group. Sometimes I wonder if it would have been easier/different if I had a hot bod, but then I remind myself that these guys treat you like a compatriot because they don't think of you that way and that makes me happy. So I wonder, if I lose the weight, will that change? Will they see me more as a woman than as a skilled professional? So I guess I might miss my fat coat...

So as I was being prepped for my pre-sleeve endoscopy, the Anesthesiologist was chatting me up about what to expect and he asks "Do you have sleep Apnea?" and I say "not that I know of...", he presses on "Have you had a sleep study?", me "nope", "Hmm - Well you are now!". Sure enough, the day after the endoscopy (which went perfectly, thank you) my WLS center calls and says they are requiring a sleep study for me. I understand why, Sleep Apnea is a risk the Anesthesiologist wants to know prior to surgery, so he can know what to expect during surgery, and I totally appreciate why that is important and I respect it. What I am stressing about is, going through the study, possibly being diagnosed with Sleep Apnea, the expense and distraction of getting the CPAP machine setup in my house (ok I admit it, I am little freaked out when "installation" people come in my home, much less my bedroom - I know get over it - but it does kind of freak me out) and then have my surgery and no longer need all of this stuff; time, worry and dollars lost. That is assuming that weight loss resolves the apnea. I am self-pay and while I know I snore, I don't have the other symptoms; like difficulty waking, being sleepy during the day or headaches. This is an additional expense that I am worried my insurance won't cover all of the costs and the test and equipment may cut into my funding for the surgery itself. Anyone else go through the test as a pre-requisite to surgery and then not need the equipment two months later?

As I get more used to it, I really think I feel the difference, my throat feels less dry than after a night of snoring, I swear I feel more rested and wake easier even after only two nights of use. I was mad at first, thinking what a waste of time and money, but I do feel better! My insurance initially rejected the claim as medically unnecessary, but the Dr. says that they are writing a letter showing my obstructive apnea and hypoventilation to get the claim approved. I have a follow-up study the end of May. I am calling my WLS Center today to see if this clears me as my surgery date is June 11th.

Ahh. I have only seen the smalller size, are the larger sizes less intense? That is the issue for me with small size, just a little on the chemically side...

Thanks Beeteroo, I used my new CPAP last night, and while I was more aware of it, I did sleep well. Not an OMG night of sleep but better than my average night. I am more optimistic that once I get used to the "face hugger" a la Aliens, that my sleep quality will improve. The Dr did say that I will probably only need the machine for a few months....

Update I I Ok so the Doc says I have severe obstructive sleep apnea with low oxygen and failure to up oxygen levels after an apnea event, plus hypo ventilation. So I am waiting to be fitted with a fashionable CPAP machine as we speak. Lovely. The only thing I can do is turn around my attitude, so I am happy that we have discovered the problem, that the office is working my insurance issue and that I may experience what I have read can be life changing sleep after receiving this machine. And guess what? I get to install it myself :-D

For the isopure, they are tiny little bottles, I mixed mine with Sugarfree Gatorade or Crystal Light and you can't even taste the bad taste, I like Premier Protein RTDs from Costco and Syntrax Nectar Sweets too. You can buy sample packs from places like Bariatric Pantry.com

About the fish pictures, I think that some guys only take selfies when they have caught a fish, harvested a deer or something similar. Or maybe, they are Chandler Bing and can't smile when a camera is otherwise pointed at them, LOL. Anyway, maybe they are good guys, just saying... signed the a wife of a great guy with a ton of bass fishing selfies :-D

I have told my family, a few select friends and my boss. So far the worst reaction was my sister. She pulled the "I know someone who knows someone who knows 5 people who have died from that!" card on me. Since my sister was the skinny one, I should have expected that, she has always tried to be the experienced all knowing wiser bigger sister to my chubby ignorant little sister. My cousin has had both the band and the RNY Bypass about 7 years later. She has gone from weighing 420lbs to under 250lbs. She is my hero. Her adult son just had VSG this past year and looks amazing, having already lost over 100lbs. I am confident this surgery is the right thing to do and I will hit that June 11th date come hell or high water. :-D

So I have to say that my schedule is based on my availability rather than the Dr's schedule or my insurance, as I am totally self-pay. I am working two projects at work with lots of international travel, so I was aiming for a timeframe where I would have 4-6 weeks between travel dates. My remaining tasks are my followup with the sleep doctor and making my final payment, my surgery date is June 11th. As far as my first inquiry, that was last June, I went to my orientation in August. ..

Thank you Mdm R.! I appreciate your ability to write about the frustrations we all feel from time to time. I have to say the most maddening posts for me are the ones who, when you try to direct them to an existing post that have tons of feedback on their topic, say "I don't wanna look at previous threads! - I want people to respond to me!" Because that tells me they aren't here to learn, they are only looking for an ego stroke! I hope that Newbies to do read this post of Mdm R's, because atleast if they want to post a 3 week stall post, they might preface it with a "I can see that 3 weeks stalls are common... But I would love to hear from those of you who have experienced it, I just need to hear that this too shall pass" (Note to self: save this post for myself for about July 3rd) I have said it before and I say it again Mdm R for Guv-ner!

I love the Premier RTDs from Costco, i have been experimenting with lists of brands and they are still at the top. For big tubs of powder I prefer Nectra Sweet from Syntrax, you can order them from any bariatric website or even Amazon. Chocolate Fudge Truffle is awesome with cold milk!

Amazing! You look positively radiant in all of your pictures, but may I say your l last picture looks like you lost years as well as pounds? You go girl!

Just wanted to share a new article on a possible additional benfit of WLS... http://healthyliving.msn.com/diseases/heart-and-cardiovascular/weight-loss-surgery-may-help-prevent-heart-rhythm-disorder-1

So an update. .. The sleep center failed to pre qualify me on my insurance so the claim has been rejected as "medically unnecessary". Needless to say they are scrambling to fix the issue, insurance says it should have been an at home study, I don't even know that was an option, I was jumping the hoops for surgery approval and missed that tidbit. What I have I gained? One of the most miserable nights of sleep ever and no medical report to provide to my Surgeon. My surgery center is not pleased with the sleep center and is being very helpful. .. Will know more on the 19th...

I'm so looking forward to this, I'm having a little last minute drama with the sleep study, insurance paperwork, ugh! But I am thinking this shouldn't delay the surgery. ..