ChavaBling

You are doing so amazingly well!! I'm so sorry you're having such a tough time right now. {{{HUGS}}}

When I went on my self-imposed "pre-op diet", I started drinking a Protein shake for breakfast, one for lunch, and a lean protein & veggie carb-free dinner. This really helped with my weight loss, but gave me poops so dense & hard, they caused fissures. I was bleeding whenever I went #2. I also developed hemorrhoids from straining too hard, but the $hit literally won't come out of me!!! I spoke to my PCP about it (that was a fun talk) and she prescribed me Colace to soften the poo & cortisone suppositories to help the ouchies. It really helps. I've also been trying different Fiber supplements. If I miss one day of fiber, the rock hard doody returns.

My surgeon asked me to take off 4 weeks. She said "You may need less, but it is better to ask for more time and go back early, than to have to take 2 weeks off & end up asking for more time." I hope I don't need all 4 weeks, but I've also never had general anesthesia and & eahc person reacts differently.

@@Iambeautiful, great name, btw. I'm sorry you're still not progessing but remember how you just had 80% of your stomach removed? My surgeon told me it can take up to a year for the swelling & inflammation to be 100% gone. Your poor little pouch has had a lot to deal with and hopefully over time, you'll get some new foods you can enjoy. Although, I'm sure it is supremely frustrating right now. That is very interesting, have others found this to be true as well? How did you discover this for yourself? I am an all-white-meat kind of gal, but of course it would be better to have less pain!!

That's fantastic that you feel so good. I am so worried about feeling like poop for months afterwards. I am scared of the pain, but it always helps to hear about people feeling so good so quickly!

That's fantastic that you feel so good. I am so worried about feeling like poop for months afterwards. I am scared of the pain, but it always helps to hear about people feeling so good so quickly!

That's fantastic that you feel so good. I am so worried about feeling like poop for months afterwards. I am scared of the pain, but it always helps to hear about people feeling so good so quickly!

yeah! woo!

Good question! LOLZ, this is the lazy way, but I just chose a 25 BMI since that's the highest one can weigh without being considered "overweight". I thought to myself, "Isn't this why I'm doing it? To not be overweight?" (and of course all the wondrous things that come along with a ay weight). I guess my doctor has different ideas, as she is telling me to aim for a BMI of 34, which is still about 50 lbs overweight for me, but is still far better than my current BMI of 52. The thing is, having been overweight my whole life, I wonder if it is even possible that I could be in a normal BMI range??

May you be blessed with the strength you need to get through it all! The hardest things in life are the most rewarding, and although that doesn't help you in this exact moment, I hope you will feel it when you look back. This part of the journey only lasts 8 more days!

I just keep telling myself that I WILL be able to taste mint chip ice cream again...someday...in like 2 years. It is actually a different feeling than telling myself "You will never taste lasagna EVER AGAIN"... There are a lot of different ways people tackle the emotional eating problem- walking, guided meditations, support groups, sugar-free popsicles, prayer....it's an on-going process. If we've fought these feelings our whole lives, these feelings are not going to disappear overnight. Maybe they won't EVER disappear, but it is our reaction to those feelings that matters. If you can focus on "Am I physically hungry?", that might help to uncover the feelings that trigger emotional eating. If you're not physically hungry, but want to eat, what is the specific trigger or feeling that is causing you to want to eat? Keep up the struggle!! Ask for help if you need it!

Premier Nutrition chocolate shakes. So far, they're the best I've found. They're available at costco as well as online. 1 gram of sugar 3 grams of fat 30 grams of protein!! That's not a typo, 30 grams! I think these taste good and you can easily use it as a base for a smoothie, or mix it with a little coffee, ice, & skim milk to make a mocha. I drink them straight most of the time. Can I just tell you- no one told me this- if you cut starch & sugar, and increase your Protein, you might need to take a Fiber supplement!

Way to stay positive. I am getting so antsy and I've only been at this since January.

Congrats on your date!!!! I am still hoop-jumping...

Great question!! I flew last weekend, I am flying again this weekend, and I am a total airline floozy- I have NO allegiance to anyone, I go with the cheapest!! I probably fly between 6-10 times per year for work & personal...and I dread it every time because of my 52" hips!! That said, here's what I know: Virgin seems to have the largest coach seats, in my experience. Plus the longest seatbelts- I don't need an extender. Spirit Airlines is the worst possible airline you could ever hope to fly on. It's basically a strapped-in chair on an airplane. It's worse than Greyhound. Some, but not all, of their seats are bigger. They have (literally) the worst record of any American airline for on-time arrivals and routinely cancel flights & cannot rebook you for 2 or more days (this could be VERY bad if you are flying for surgery). They charge you for CARRY-ON BAGGAGE!!! Even my skinny, adventurous, penny-pinching younger brother will no longer fly Spirit, because it is truly such a horrendous experience. EXIT ROWS: Last week, my DH2B and I flew to Dallas from SFO on American. Because it was a last minute booking, they only had exit row seats ($69 extra, per person, each way. Yeah. That was ridiculous.) My fiancee, who is 6'2" and around 250 lbs, was happy because the exit rows provide a TON of extra leg room. However- the ARM RESTS don't go up. For anyone with big hips or a big booty, that can spell disaster. Additionally, I was in the exit row window seat. On my left side (against the window), b/c it is an exit row, there is only HALF AN ARMREST. So, not only can you not move it and not rest your arm on it, it digs (HARD!) into your flesh the whole flight. AWFUL. I was miserable. I felt bad because DH2B was so excited with all of his legroom, but I will never fly exit row again. The seats aren't any wider- just more space between you and the next seat. NOT WORTH THE $$$ (unless you have long gams, and in that case, good for you. I'm short as sh*t). EXTENDERS: This year is the first year I've had the balls to ask for one. I first started "not being able to buckle" 3 years ago, but was too terrified to ask, so I faked being buckled. That's just dangerous! I know a seatbelt isn't going to help you with a crash, but IT DOES help with flying out of your seat during turbulence. Although, I'm wedged so dang hard in the seat, there's probably no amount of bumpy flight that could pop me out of that chair. All that aside, I have learned to be discreet when I ask for an extender. Usually I tell the flight attendant right as I'm getting on. I say, "Hello! I'm Sarah in seat 14A. Could I please have a seat belt extender brought to my seat?" I whisper, I make hand movements so I don't need to say "extender" out loud, it's all very discreet & no one has mocked me or shamed me. You could ask for 2 extenders if you're worried, but if you can physically fit in the chair, you'll probably be able to use just one. EXTRA SEAT: I used to dream of having an extra seat, especially when I fly alone. it's embarassing to "spill over" onto another person's seat, and people tend to be less than polite about it. If you can afford this, it might be the best thing to do. You need to be calm and comfortable on these flghts!! Not squished and stressed out. Although, if you're going to shell out for an extra seat.... FIRST CLASS: BIG-A$$ seats, no pun intended. They are amaaaazing. I've only flown 1st class for my 30th birthday, and it was incredible. I fit in the seat!!!!! Virgin America seems to have the biggest regular "coach" seats, and their first class is so roomy, I couldn't believe it. I hope this info helps a bit! I fly a lot, PM me if you have a question.

Whether or not it's your moon time, that's irrelevant. You're about to have major life-altering surgery. Having that endoscope jammed down your throat yesterday is also incredibly invasive, and it is totally ok to be emotional about it. It brings the "realness" of it all home, and that's scary. Shoot, I start to get freaked out when I just read about the sleeve. I have never had surgery/general anesthesia/spent a night in a hospital. I swing back and forth between being elated & terrified. One thing that really helped was that I talked to my surgeon about it and she made me feel a lot better.

I have to do the breath test as well, but because my surgeon's office requires it (insurance actually requires very little). They want me to stop taking omeprazole for 2 weeks prior (they tell me this today, when my final hoop/ testing appt is in 5 days. grrr). I have GERD super bad and I've gone back & forth all day with the surgeon's office because I can't not take my meds for 2 weeks...what are they thinking? I tested positive for h pylori at Kaiser in 2012 & they gave me a 2 week course of antibiotics. It seemed easy enough. Hopefully they can test you, & if necessary, treat you while the insurance company is approving & you're getting your date. Good luck!

I thought a sleeve was irreversible...how would that even work?

Hi Cathy, I started with a BMI of 54 & now I'm down to 52 (thanks to my self-imposed diet & exercise). I am hoping to be below 50 by the time of surgery (maybe next month?), but I'm not sure. My surgeon only requires a 2 day clear liquid diet prior to the day of surgery. My surgeon discussed RNY & VSG with me, and told me she thought either procedure would work for me. She also advised me that I may have to come in again for a revision to RNY if certain medical conditions ccur. Ultimately, I had to decide what was best for me. I decided on the sleeve precisely because I'm afraid of the difficulties caused by malabsorption, dumping, etc. I have committed to myself, my fiancee, & my Maker to adhere 100% to all medical team's orders- from the surgeon down to the program coordinator, nutritionist, & psychologist. I feel like 100% compliance seems to be the way that the most successful sleevers achieve their WL goals. Good luck with everything! Sarah

I remember looking into this last year an actually found a screen shot I took on my iPhone about it. : I live in California, la la land!! It makes sense that it would be left to the states to decide if they require it. OP, my apologies if that was misleading. I don't know where you're located but that's terrible. It should be covered everywhere as medically necessary.

Hey dude, thanks for sharing! Your boss sounds like one of the good ones. Going back to work 5 days later would be CRAY-CRAY!

Here's what my bariatric program coordinator told me last month: ALL HEALTH PLANS are/will be required to cover WLS per the Affordable Care Act. Maybe try to find out which section of government code this falls under? It would be hard for your ins to argue with you if you can point to a specific section of the law. I hope this works out for yoU!

Thanks for the details! That sounds really healthy!

Shannon, Good job on your efforts!! I have 2 questions for you- 1. Where are you getting these delicious sounding shakes?? I want cookies!!!!!!!! tell us more... 2. How are you coping with the tiny amounts of food? I have put myself on a self-imposed pre-op diet, as my surgeon only requires 2 days of Clear liquids prior to surgery. I generally replace 1-2 meals per day with an 11 oz. Protein shake, and then eat lean protein & veggies for dinner. It's definitely working so far, but I am hungry a lot. I definitely eat a larger dinner that you described. How are you amping yourself up so you don't feel deprived/get bummed out? Thanks for sharing! Sarah

Gurrrl, you were beautiful before & you're even more GORGEOUS now!!! Seeing your pictures makes me feel excited & inspired! You're doing a kick@$$ job!