Luvin_Life125

Congrats!

Great job! Keep up the great work!

Welcome to the land of the freezing. It is very common after WLS and is something we need to deal with. Fleece leggings under your pants helps a lot too!

I am 3 months post op and have been on 40mg of omeprazole since 8 weeks before surgery. I tried going off of it after 2 months and had the worst heartburn I had ever experienced in my life. Now the doctor has me on it until 6 months post op. If I fail a trial at 6 months, then me and omeprazole are long term friends. My copay is cheaper than buying the 20mg tablets OTC and doubling them up. If you need it, take it. The acid can cause many problems along your GI tract.

I put unflavored protein powder and a dose of Miralax in my Powerade zero every gym day. I get so thirsty working out that the flavor change doesn't matter at that point. Unflavored does not mean no flavor though. It means no flavor has been added to the protein powder mix. It does have a distinct flavor and will add its flavor to whatever you mix it with. I suggest experimenting and see what works for you taste wise. Nashua Nutrition has the widest variety of single serving size protein varieties I have found. They are $1.99 or so each and gave me a great opportunity to try many different brands and many different flavors of each brand. Good luck finding what works for you.

My son has a service dog. We have explored going out if the country on vacation and there are quarantine laws pertaining to animals traveling from foreign countries. I suggest researching what the quarantine laws are. I know service dog access rights vary by country as can the definition if a service animal. It will take research and time , but it is best to know what you are walking into before you plan the trip details .

You are in my prayers. I hope the steroids help and they are able to fix the stricture and inflammation. Hang in there.

Celebrating with food is something my family has struggles with since my 8 year old was a baby. He was diagnosed with multiple life threatening food allergies at around 4 months old and they have only gotten worse. Celebrations based on food have been something we have had to avoid for his safety. Combine that with my sleeve, it has become even more of a pet peeve. Fortunately, my little family has been celebrating events with activities and experiences instead of food. We enjoy it so much more and build great memories. Start being the change you want to see and maybe a few others will jump on your ship! Good luck with starting your revolution. If enough of us start mini revolutions, maybe it will spark changes in other families too.

Congratulations! Your hard work and dedication shows. Thank you for sharing your story and inspiring the rest of us. Such an amazing transformation.

Being nervous is perfectly normal! You are making a permanent change to your body which will make you change your lifestyle. It is a lot to take in. I suggest journaling to help you work through these feelings. The biggest help for me was 2 lists I made and kept right on the fridge. The first list is all the reasons why I chose surgery. The 2nd list was all the things I can't wait to do when I lose weight. It is my bariatric bucket list. Those papers helped me keep everything in perspective when I started to get nervous or overwhelmed. You made this decision rationally and after much consideration. There are reasons why you have worked so hard to get ready for surgery. Stop sabotaging yourself and reset your eating habits. You can do this. We all are here if you need to talk or need support!

Happy birthday hun! I promise it gets better. The first few weeks post op suck. You will get through it, but you won't be happy doing it. Just remember we all wish you the best and next year you will have to do something extra special to make up for a crappy birthday this year.

My go to snacks are: P3s, string cheese, beef jerky, almonds, edamame and hummus, cuties mandarine oranges, apple slices with PB2, and tuna salad. I divide most of my snacks into snack size ziplock bags so everything is premeasured and easy to grab on the run. I keep a clear plastic shoe box sized box on my kitchen counter with all of my premade snack bags in it. I have threatened my boys with instant death if they raid my snack bins. I find it is fairly quick just to get the scale out and divide the big bags of snacks out by weight until the big bag is empty and just be done with it. I am all for streamlining life!

Thanks so much for sharing this deal! I always keep 2 or 3 packets of protein mix in my purse. You never know when you will need some. That is a great price for the individual packets. Syntrax is easy to mix too . I dump a packet in a bottle of water and shake it up and no clumps. I prefer my flavors diluted so these packets work great in a standard water bottle for my needs. The limit of 1 per person sucks though.

I am 37 years old, 5'5" and my goal is 140-150. I started at 262, and after 3 months I am down to 217 (-45#s). I am really hoping to make goal and think it is definitely possible. It is interesting to see the wide variety of goal weights amongst the group. I know in high school I weighed between 150-160 and was extremely active between sports, school, work, and social life. I don't know that my body is physically capable of going less than the 150 mark. If I wasn't below there as a teenager and really active, I don't know that I will below able to go beyond that point as a middle aged mom. We will see!

They also have an amazing taco seasoning packet. I mixed it in with my refried Beans and topped it with cheddar cheese and unflavored Greek yogurt. I buy their taco seasoning by the box. It stores well and one packet easily seasons 8 #s of meat. Honestly there is so much great stuff there, it is hard to make a list. My suggestion is to leave yourself plenty of time to look around and read labels. You never know what may inspire you. My closest Trader Joes is 3 hours away. I also stock up when I am there. Have fun!

The first 2-3 weeks after surgery concentrate on meeting Fluid goals not your Protein goals. Your fluids are way more important especially that 1st week after surgery. Your protein intake will improve once you are able to get your fluid goals met. You will wonder what you did to yourself and why in that first week post op. Remember you made the decision for surgery after much research and introspection. The feeling will pass, but it is disconcerting. Remember to follow your plan! Keep following the plan. Protein first always! When you are stalling, when you gain, when you are wondering if you are doing the right thing ALWAYS go back to your nutrition plan. Keep following it and everything else will come. Good luck and welcome to the loser's bench!

Congrats! I hit 3 months tomorrow and am down 44 pounds as of last week. I will weigh in tomorrow for my 3 month total. It is amazing the difference 3 months makes!

I will chime in with my experiences and what I can. 1. Some people can get dumping syndrome with the sleeve. I do not get it. However, I can't eat anything bread or doughy because it makes me feel awful. It feels like I ate rocks and it isn't pleasant. From what I have read, dumping syndrome or food intolerances are hit or miss . There is no predicting who, what, when, or where. 2. I don't know about the osteoporosis. That would be a conversation to absolutely have with both your PCP and surgeon. 3. Chronic pain and I have been frenemies for too long. I am on a narcotic regimine through a pain clinic. My medications weren't affected by my sleeve surgery. Some surgeons do not allow NSAIDs after the sleeve. If your surgeon doesn't, you may be limited to Tylenol for over the counter options. There may be prescription options, but you will have to work with your doc on that one. 4. I don't have any Vitamin or nutritional deficiencies as of now. I am very careful to make sure I take my Vitamins and calcium supplements as directed. I have my levels checked regularly. However, some people do develop deficiencies even with regular supplementation. The docs can help you find a way to keep your levels at an acceptable level if you find yourself to have difficulties in that area. Sleevers have less incidence of vitamin deficiencies than found in gastric bypass. You also have to make sure you are taking your supplements as directed too. Good luck with making your decision and I hope you find the choice that works best for you!

With Cigna you have to see a doctor monthly in conjunction with your WW meetings. You must do a total of 4 monthly doctor visits and at each visit the following must be documented each time: -your weight - your current dietary program (ie: WW, 1500 calorie diet, etc) AND - your physical activity (how much & how often) Cigna is very strict with their requirements. You either meet their requirements or you don't. There isn't any wiggle room for ifs, ands, or buts with them. Here is the most current bariatric surgery coverage guidelines for Cigna. Please take the time to read and understand everything. It makes the process so much easier when you know what you need to do for approval. https://cignaforhcp.cigna.com/public/content/pdf/coveragePolicies/medical/mm_0051_coveragepositioncriteria_bariatric_surgery.pdf Please let me know if you need help with any of the Cigna guidelines or have questions. I will be happy to help with anything I can.

We have been married for almost 16 years and together for almost 20 years (yikes I am getting old fast!). We have not celebrated valentines day since before we were married. It

I was in for 2 nights. I live over 3 hours from my surgeon so they kept me the second night to get me ahead on fluids, etc. honestly, staying the second night was a blessing. I felt so much better after the 2nd night than I had after the 1st. I will say the first week after surgery still sucked a$$. No matter which way you go, make sure you take the time to take care of yourself while recovering. I have 2 kids so I know what you are facing when you get home. Stock up on easy to prepare foods you can toss in the microwave or oven to cook. Either cook a few meals ahead of time and freeze them, or let your kids off the hook and have chicken nuggets, fish sticks, Mac & cheese, frozen lasagna, etc for dinner that first week. My kids thought they hit the jackpot that first week! They don't get "junk" food like that for that many meals in a row. Heck, I even let them pick out a few frozen meals (think TV dinners). It was a balance between letting myself heal and getting their basic needs met. Depending on how old your children are, you can also start teaching them to do basic cooking tasks like preheating the oven, reading packages for temperatures and instructions, safe handling of hot food, etc. good luck and remember this will only be for a short period of time.

Being cold is something I read that is very common post op. I don't know if it is because we are losing all of our insulation or what. The best thing I have found so far are fleece leggings from WalMart. They are under $10 a pair and fit under all of my pants. They definitely make a huge difference.

Commando here also. I wore a gown and slipper socks into the OR. I woke up with both a catheter and a drain. I remained in just my gown and socks until I was being discharged. I did not want to have to fight underwear on top of dealing with the drain, keeping the IV out of the way, and lifting the gown and all of its strings trying to go to the restroom. I am not usually very patient the first few days after being sedated, so commando was the best option for me.

Absolutely! Treat yourself as you accomplish your goals and milestones. These are my rewards so far (and may change if I find something really important or needed) 25#- pedicure 50#- 90 minute massage at the spa Onederland- new workout gear 75#- wireless headphones for the gym 100#- spa day with the works! Goal- a pair of nice (and expensive ) jeans like 7 for Mankind, Earnest Sewn, YMI, or Gap My rewards are things I would never spend money on for me otherwise. It really gives me something to look forward to. Only 6 more pounds and I can schedule my 90 minute massage and I can't wait!

I was very frustrated by the wait to complete all of Cigna's pre surgical requirements. It seemed like it took forever to get through it all. Now that I am post op, I am glad it took some time. It gave me time to mentally prepare, break some bad habits, and start adding positive behaviors. Cigna was pretty efficient with the pre authorization. Their policy is to issue a decision within 5 business days for inpatient surgical procedures and they met that. You are the only one who can decide which course is best for your needs. I can say Cigna was pretty good about the pre authorization process. Make sure you read and understand Cigna medical coverage policy 0051 dated 05/15/2014. You can use the policy to ensure you complete every required step and proof of every step is collected and submitted. One item in the policy that isn't really clear is the physician monitored weight loss attempt. The policy says you need 3 consecutive months (> or = to 89 days) of physician or dietician monitored weight management program. To meet that requirement, you actually need 4 appointments because an initial appointment to start the process is required. Make sure you also schedule each appointment at least 30 days apart too. The link for the policy is https://cignaforhcp.cigna.com/public/content/pdf/coveragePolicies/medical/mm_0051_coveragepositioncriteria_bariatric_surgery.pdf Good luck with everything! I can't wait to see your progress and to cheer you on!