Luvin_Life125

Elode- I was excited to try out the protein shake samples also. That is how I found I like the fuzzy naval one! I am a very frugal person so I had a serious conversation with myself. That was the only way I could restrain myself from trying more of the flavors. make sure you sign up for the Nashua Nutrition email newsletter. Every few weeks they offer free shipping on orders of $49 or more. I waited until the free shipping offer and then ordered $50 worth of samples. The sample packs will also come in handy when I travel. They definitely won't go to waste. Definitely share any great protein powders you find too. I am always looking for something new to try. Good luck!

I have 2 apps on my phone to see if they will help post op. One is bariatric timer and the second is baritastic. I am still pre op but I am starting to look through the apps and see what is available. Try searching the App Store for bariatric surgery, gastric bypass, and any other terms you can think of. New apps come out all the time and you might find a gem!

I have only tried the fuzzy naval and I really liked it. Check out Nashua Nutrition website and you can order samples of every flavor of Syntrax nectar along with samples of almost everything they sell. Samples are around $1.95 each and I ordered 2-3 samples of many, many flavors to check out post op. I don't want to try them out until after surgery since my tastes can change. No sense in wasting a perfectly good sample now when I may or may not like it after surgery when I will need them the most.

Oh I am also going to indulge in a few last alcoholic beverages utilizing my Diet Coke over the weekend! One last hurrah before the healthy me takes over.

We have a 9 day family vacation planned for Disney World this winter and I am seriously wondering if this is the best time for that trip. I am closely monitoring the situation and will post pone our trip if necessary or if the risk is too great. Going to the most popular vacation destination in the Western Hemisphere when the first grumbling of a serious health threat is knocking at our door may not be the best plan!

Yikes! No fee here and I have full access to the twice a month group meetings, monthly nutritionist visits, regular physical therapy appointments, and access to any professional in the office by phone or email if I have any questions or concerns. The visits do get billed to and paid by my insurance. If I would have been confronted with a program fee I would have walked away and found a new surgeon. They are reimbursed by my insurance for all medically necessary appointments. There is no reason to go after the patients for even more money.

I use the bariatric advantage calcium citrate chewy bites. I have raspberry, lemon, caramel, and chocolate and I really like them. If you want to pm me I can put a few in an envelope and drop them in the mail to you so you can try the flavors before you buy them? Good luck finding something you like!

I feel your pain! I gave up my diet coke when I first started the bariatric surgery process and quit cold turkey. It sucked for about 10 days. I did great and didn't have diet coke for over 1 month, no problems. Once I found out it would be another 5-6 months before I would have surgery, I decided to enjoy my diet coke while I could. I start my pre-op diet on 10/28 and will stop my diet coke 10/23. I am not looking forward to my diet coke withdrawal and my carb withdrawal back to back. This will be an interesting 3 weeks leading up to surgery. We can both do this! Just keep your eyes on the prize and tell yourself it is for a healthy you! Hang in there and keep in touch!

Welcome to the boards! Good luck on the insurance approval. Once your surgery is scheduled, time seems to fly by. Bariatric pal is full of wonderfully supportive people and is an amazing resource for almost any question or issue you may have. I hope you enjoy being here and find the support and knowledge you want and need.

I Will not miss feeling all of my extra layers jiggling and bouncing as I exercise!

I was approved by Cigna last month and I am scheduled for surgery on 11/11. Do a search for Cigna and you will find a ton of details and links to help make the process a little less stressful for you. Good luck and keep in touch!

I am planning on documenting my journey by photos and measurements. My surgery is 4 weeks away. I will start my log on Oct 28 when I start my pre op diet. I think the documentation will help to show us how far we have come and give us a great perspective.

I have to a 2 week pre-op diet starting 10/28 and surgery is scheduled 11/11.

Take a deep breath and remember why this is so important! Good luck and congratulations!

Good luck today!!!

Congratulations!

My suggestion is to find a therapist that specializes in eating disorders. I did my pre op required psych eval and was cleared for surgery after the one visit. That doesn't mean I am cured and don't need to deal with what got me to this point as far as eating habits. I took it upon myself to seek a therapist I can meet with and work through why I got to be obese in the first place and how to change the bad habits to good habits. It is a struggle and will be a struggle for a long time. I am still pre op, but I figured it couldn't hurt to start working through my mental issues and I bet it will be a long term battle to keep my mind healthy to keep my body healthy. We all need a little help to learn healthy habits and learn to change the behaviors/thoughts that got us here in the first place. None of us became morbidly obese because we have a healthy relationship with food. Find the support system that works for you whether it be support group, private therapist, nutritionist, etc. Surgery fixes the stomach, but I am afraid that is the easy fix. Fixing our thought patterns and brains are the hard part and will always be something I need to be vigilant about. Please don't give up! You can make it all the way to goal! Look how far you have already come and stick with it. You have done amazing to get where you are. Be proud of yourself for recognizing you need support to finish this journey. Reaching out and asking for our support is a huge feat.

Congratulations!

Congratulations and I hope your recovery keeps moving along well!

I am November 11 and my pre-op diet starts 10/28. Time can't pass fast enough!

I made sure to ask my surgeon about this. I have chronic pain and take a wide variety of meds for pain, muscle spasms, depression, etc. he reviewed the list one by one with me to tell me how each med would be affected by the surgery. Make sure you talk to your surgeon about each of your meds before surgery!

I made sure to buy samples of different flavors and manufacturers of protein powders, vitamins, and also a few low fat soups to blend up when I go to full liquids. I have slowly been gathering things and putting them in a box so I can find them. I also got small silverware, a mug warmer, small ceramic oven safe bowls to use on the mug warmer, small plates, liquid grown up Tylenol (WalMart), fiber powder, biotene mouthwash for in the hospital, blender bottles, and a few more things I can't remember right now. Good luck!

I hit a big snag in my surgery plans and I am afraid I may not be able to get surgery at all. I am scheduled for 11/11 for my VSG. My husband carries the insurance for our our family and I also have Medicare as a secondary insurer. There are some changes coming to my husbands employer and we don't know what will happen with his job beginning 11/1. He may or may not have a job which means he may or may not have health insurance for the family. I have emailed my surgeons office to see if there is any way possible to get my surgery scheduled before the end of the month and I am waiting to hear back. I have done everything I need to and have been approved by my insurance. Grr, this really sucks and I am worried I just did all of this for nothing.

Thanks so much! I will definitely keep those resources in mind when the time comes. Best case scenario is I just worry and then my hubby keeps his job! I am more of a plan for the worst and hope for the best kind of girls so I will keep trying to hope.

Congratulations!