ChavaBling

I wish you all the goodness and luck on your journey. If your Higher Power hadn't sent you that stress test, you might not have known about the blockage until it was too late...so that really was a blessing, although I'm sure it just feels annoying & stressful right this moment.

Congrats to you & keep us posted!

California Jew here (originally from NJ)! My fiancee and I aren't frum but we do a traditional Shabbat meal most weeks. Giving up wine is making me sad. I don't enjoy grape juice! Giving up challah is also making me sad. I have to commit 100% to a healthy pre-op diet, though. I know that if I bust out 2 challahs, I'm going to overeat. Brisket? How long 'til I can eat brisket again?!?! I've given up Desserts, too. I'm trying to lose the required 15 pre-op lbs and it's extra hard on Friday nights. On holidays, we are with all different kinds of Jews, so kashrut is based on who is in attendance. Lately we've been leaning more towards Israeli/Mediterranean food for weeknight dinners.

My program at ValleyCare in Pleasanton, CA has a $600 fee. I sure hope my insurance company will cover that. I have not received the bill yet. I should have checked. I'm still getting used to PPO after having Kaiser for 4 years.

Starting weight: 240lbs Height: 4' 11.5" It is SO nice to hear about another shorty doing it! (i'm 5' and that makes my BMI really high) You just look so happy in your pics and I wish you all the success in the world! Thanks for sharing!

OMG, AMAZING, AMAZING!! What a thrilling victory for you. From this side (pre-op), it's so hard to imagine success like yours...but we just have to keep believing it IS possible (with hard work, of course).

Well, I'm walking that line right now. I do reveal my weight to some people..like fiancee, medical team (obvs), and one other group.... my closest friends who insist I "don't need" a surgical procedure. OK, once I tell them that I'm 5'1" and weight 276, they gasp, act concerned, and then possibly concede that maybe I do need medical intervention. Pre-op weight is embarassing and post-op weight is public? While it is obviously a personal decision, and people should definitely be proud of themselves for all of their hard work, I think my weight will probably not ever be something I discuss with "the general public", my extended family, or friends. Especially nosy coworkers! It's so personal. I mean, I've known people that have lost lots of weight, but I never had the gall to walk up to them and ask them how much they weigh (which is really what most people are trying to figure out with all of the other questions).

You rock!! It has been hard work but it looks like ti was worth it! Congratulations!

I am considering this very thing myself. I have 6 weeks vacay/sick leave saved up, and that seems like more than enought time. Then again, it seems like it owuld be nice to take 2 months off to really recover and see how I feel. All that time to focus on healing. Then again, what if 2 months makes you go nuts? All that time to fixate on food....it must be different for everyone. Does anyone know- do we have to exhaust leave balances prior to going on FMLA? It sounds like no, based on @two.penguins answer. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act) has actual, legal repercussions for others disclosing your PHI (protected helath information). It is unacceptable that your management would engage in this.

Thank you!! I was about to post this as well. I wasn't sure who to PM about it. I need my sleever peeps!

SF, I have not had surgery yet but I am scared of the same thing. I wrote a post about it yesterday and got some good advice. Maybe it will be helpful to you? I'd love to talk about it more if you want to PM me. This too shall pass! (eventually...) Stay strong! You can do this! http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/298404-head-hunger-actual-pain/

Hey y'all. Yesterday, I met with the NUT & the program coordinator. It turns out that I have to meet with the surgeon (on 03/07/14), get an upper GI (fun?!), and lose 15 lbs- THAT'S IT!!! The only thing standing between me & this surgery is a measly 15 lbs!! (Ok, I realize that losing ANY weight can be very difficult, and that 15 lbs = a bowling ball worth of blubber, but I'm choosing to look at it as a 6-wk challenge!). So, there are 2 things that I am TERRIFIED about. Please, let me share them with you! 1.) The dreaded head hunger. I see so many people saying they 'wish they would've known about this" in advance. Well, thanks to you folks, I do know about it in advance, but what can i do?? I already take omeprazole daily for GERD. I'm also in voluntary counseling 3x/month to deal with the root causes of my overeating/emotional eating. Is this enough to prepare? Do I need to write PASTA & ICE CREAM a break-up letter or something? I've already given up sweets, which was/is very hard for me, but I want to get ready now so I can deal with the changes post-op. I really, really love food. I wouldn't say I'm obsessed with it (but I probably was at some point in my past, like college). I'm trying to tell myself, 'I don't need to have food funerals, because in a year or two, I can have a bite of this or that if I really want it". And that's true. I think that's one of the best advantages of the sleeve. Still- major MAJOR life changes are afoot. I'm committed to these changes, but scared. I have sworn to myself and my DH2B that I will commit to following doctor's orders 100%. <---It seems like all the successful WLS people I know do this. So how do you prepare for/deal with head hunger? 2.) Actual pain. I have never been admitted to a hospital. I've never had surgery, and I've only received 2 stiches in my entire life (had a mole removed a few years ago). I cried like a baby (could also have been that anesthesia the doctor shot into my neck, but still...). I am SO SCARED of pain. I am a wuss when I have blood drawn & feel like I'm going to pass out. I did pass out once. I've only had an IV once, when I went to the ER the morning after a drunken bicycle accident (I was 23, it was 8 yrs ago, leave me alone . I couldn't STAND to even look at the tube in my arm, and needless to say, that was the last time I BUI'ed. (FYI-in Flagstaff, where I went to college, you COULD get cited for a BUI (biking under the influence)). In high school, my teacher was reading aloud from "The Hot Zone", talking about the ravages of ebola virus, and I passed out in the middle of class. Just fell out of my chair and woke up on the floor. Yes, mortifying. My point here is that I am a complete wuss and I feel like I'm going to pass out/vomit if I see an IV or (God FORBID) a drainage tube coming out of me. I'm so, so scared. Just as an FYI, I am generally a tough cookie. I work in a difficult industry and occasionally see terrible things happen to my clients. But I just don't have experience being a patient for anything worse than a respiratory infection or a weird mole. THIS IS MAJOR SUGERY...I'm scared. These are the things that are freakin' me out. I'm excited for a variety of poor health conditions to improve! I'm excited to shop in regular stores again!! I'm excited to hopefully live a long, healthy life and meet my future grandchildren!!! I'm so thrilled about beginning a new, healthier chapter in my life. I'm not worried about friends or family because if they don't support me, f*ck 'em. I'm mostly excited & positive about this whole experience but those 2 things just keep nagging at me. Thank you for reading & letting me vent. It feels good to get it out. Good luck to all of you on your journey! -Sarah

LOL, TRUE!

OMG you guys, thank you so much for all of the wonderful, caring advice! XOXOXO to all o' y'all!

That is great to hear!

That must be a HUGE relief! Good luck next week!

Congratulations! That is very inspiring!

Anorexia is not a joke, should not be joked about, and it is disappointing to see the founder of this website "liking" that kind of joke. Words have power.

Is it meralgia paresthetica? I have this condition, it is soooo annoying. I really hope it will go away after I'm sleeved!

Hllo, sir. I hope you're still out there. I have the same condition, meralgia paraesthetica. I am very hopeful it will improve after getting sleeved. It causes tingling, burning, and numbness. I haven't felt the side of my thigh in a few years. So many reasons to lose weight!

Oh Wires, I think about this a lot. I have seen prices starting at $8000 for full-body-skin-removal (I have no idea what this procedure is actually called). This price was in Mexico. I'm sure it only goes up & up & up from there. I would be interested to see what others have to say about this. My ins definitely doesn't cover this, although, if it creates some kind of medical issue, maybe it would be covered. Good luck on your journey.

MMM... I'm using Premier Nutrition chocolate shakes in the Bay Area to lower my carb intake and keep my blood sugar steady during the day. I follow it up at night with a Protein & veggie dinner...Trying to get to a healthy BMI before surgery! I haven't been able to find those darn shakes anywhere, so DH2B & I just ponied up for a costco membership. It's worth it, I think. Seems really expensive to pay for shipping from Amazon....although maybe Prime would help with that.

Thank you for sharing! I'm sure feeling you on the emotional/scared/etc part. I'm so lucky that DH2B is so supportive. And it seems like you're going to be around for a long time, long enough to meet your daughter's daughter!! Stay strong, sister!

I AM! Hoping, anyway. I have my req. visits with NUT & program coordinator Nurse Practitioner on Tues, 02/18. Then, my surgical consult is 03/07. I'm not sure how long it will take to get all of the other tests done, but my ins assured me yesterday that I meet their requirements and that they turn around about 90% of cases for approval in 5 business days! Wow, that is fast! Which is good...I'm impatient. So...if everything else goes right I am hoping for early summer.

So how did it all go? Have you been sleeved? I am trying to get into this program. My insurance company is happy to comply, but I'm actually having trouble getting through to the Bariatric program's office. No one is answering the phone. Should I be stressed about this? I've been considering VSG for 2 and a half years and I am ready to DO THIS! Did anyone have trouble with the office staff getting back to them? Maybe they're just having a busy day. ETA: They called me back about 2 min after I posted this :-) Derp. I'm already sheduled for NUT & NP (coordinator) visits this Tusday, 2/18, and my surgical consult with Dr. Estakhri on March 7th!! OMG!