crystalsleeve

So excited for you! We are here for you.

This week presented a new challenge and a beneficial practice experience. I had to go out of town unexpectedly to be with my grandmother in the hospital. I'm a nurse so I sit by her side to help and make sure she's taken care of. Well with that i had to plan for being on shakes while in the hospital all day. I'm proud of myself because. I manage to pack my backpack every morning with my powder, shakers, and water for the day. I may look funny but it is helping build my confidence that I can plan ahead. I know I will have to plan my meals for the test of my life in order to make the best choices and this is a baby step in that direction. On a side note, my Grandmother is everything to me and for her too see me losing weight and expressing how proud she is of my dedication and progress just means the world to me. Should this be the end of her days I'm so greatful that she saw me changing my life.

Getting the date makes it all finally feel real. Omg this is tally going to happen! I didn't meds anything up! Lol

How do the meds taste crushed? Do you mix them with any liquid in particular? And how much liquid do you mix it with?

I am definitely looking forward to all of those things! !!!!!

I was thinking about you today. How are you doing? @@mnmlst

Thank you so much. I was on liquids for 8 wks initially to lose 26 lbs but did it in 4wks. So them they didn't want me to gain so they kept me on liquids. Then when it was finally time to schedule they want 8 wks of liquids prior to surgery and Dr Kim was already booked so Dec 1st it was.

WOOHOO me too

Hysterical!

Today your future begins

I'm scheduled for my preop visit and Bariatric University class Nov 11th. What should i expect from this class or rather what did you find most helpful? I have been on liquids since 7/11. I had to lose 26 lbs before I was allowed to proceed with any of the other tests. So it will be about 4 months on liquids by the time surgery is here. I'm down 50 lbs so far. It's weird because one I got my date at the two month mark I was a little defeated. I thought about two more months on liquids and got down. For some reason I began having fears of losing to much weight before my surgery. Like that somehow meant I didn't need the surgery or something. I don't know it's hard to put my finger on it. Has anyone else gone through anything like this?

Where in Mexico did you go for your arms?

Hello everyone my name is Crystal and I have a surgery date with Dr Kim on Dec 1st! I will be having the sleeve and am so excited to start down a healthy road. I've spent a lifetime obese and at 38 my body feels 58. I tried the insurance approval route a few times in my 20's but it just didn't work out. I had pretty much given up on the thought of surgery, but this year surgery became a necessity. Turns out I have to have a major surgery on my spine. My surgeon said he didn't want to tackle it until I had bariatric surgery. There was to much risks involved with 326 lbs on a 5'2 frame. So we set out to find our options. We approached my insurance carrier and were turned down. It's not that they didn't cover bariatric surgery, they just didn't cover employees until 5 years of service. Completely idiotic I know, but we all know how they view these "elective" surgeries. So we were on our own. We had heard of Dr Kim having previously lived in the DFW for years. We then remembered a friend had had her sleeve through him. After speaking with her and hearing her glowing reviews I made an appointment. Dr Kim's office was wonderful. Knowing I was going to be a cash patient and how scary that was for me, they walked me through every possible finance and discount option. They even grilled my insurance to find what they could bill through them. I started a liquid diet 7/11/14 and as of today am down 48 lbs. All of my preop tests are complete and now just waiting for my turn on the table. I'm so excited to have found this community and look forward to sharing with and leaning from you.

That exactly what I weighed at my first appt with Dr Kim 326! I'm down 50 lbs on my preop liquid diet and am schedule for surgery Dec 1st. What were some of your biggest struggles in the early days? How is your skin if I can ask. I'm already seeing a lot of sagging. I've been this way for years so I don't expect to get out of this without needing some plastic surgery.

My surgery is scheduled Dec 1st with Dr Kim. I'm excited and nervous.

@@insideMrRH3 thanks for your encouragement. How are you making it through?

My diet has been 4-5 shakes post day every 2.5-3 hours. The number of shakes depends on how many I use skim milk with. The first 8 wks I could have 800-1000 calories per day and now in the 8 wk preop period it dropped to 600-800. I have used several different meal replacements Bariessentials, Naturade Total Soy, and Syntrax Matrix. The Bariessentials is the best tasting but of course the most expensive. The Naturade is the cheap but has the least protien. The Syntrax is the best value price wise. In the beginning they said I could have 5 shakes a day or 4 and a light meal. Well I was afraid that the light meal would lead to too much temptation and possible cheating for me. So I decided to go all in. I have only had a few tablespoons of broth a few times when I felt close to going of the deep end with cravings. For this final 8 weeks I'm allowing myself the occasional sugar free jello or popsicle when I need something. So pretty much it's just been shakes and water every day. But on a side note sugar free gum tastes amazing now that I don't get experience flavors anymore. I even go out to eat with my family with shake in hand. Seeing the food doesn't bother me anymore, most of it looks very unappetizing. The smells however are very intense.

The sippy cup is a very good idea. I can see why it really takes effort to get in your water allotment each day. Wonderful tips.

Dr started me out with a 8 wk goal of losing 26 lbs and put me on the liquids. Ay my 4 wk check up i had lost 23. So they said i could start all of the testing. They have kept me in the liquids so I don't gain any weight and to shrink my fatty liver. My surgeon is very popular so that's why my surgery date isn't until Dec 1st. I got really depressed thinking about another 8 wks of liquids ago this week has been rough. But like you said it's all worth it and we can do this. I'm down 48 lbs so far.

I really crave crunchy food like popcorn, nuts, and chips and dips. I have been on meal replacement shakes only since July 11th and my surgery isn't until Dec 1st. Some I do great and some days I'm really cranky about it. I'm afraid that if Idid cheat it wouldn't be pretty. I think one bite would send me over the edge.

I'm such a fast drinker that I'm scared of that adjustment after surgery. I always drink with a straw and can suck down water like it's going out of style. I know I should try to start changing this now while I have time but it's so hard. Even as a kid my Dad jokingly called me desert belly.

Thank you. You are so sweet.

Insurance companies will do anything possible to get out of paying for a claim big or small.

@@mnmlst Thank you so much for being so open and honesty. You candor is very much appreciated. You have brought up some very real concerns and feelings that are crucial for all of us to think about. I know that the closer I get to my date the mir anxious I am becoming. I'm glad to hear that most everyone freaks out to some extent. I'm going to talk this over with my husband so that we can talk it through and be as prepared as we can be for that moment. Keep us updated on your next steps.

I just joined yesteday as well. My date is Dec 1st and it seems so far away. I know it will be he before I know it. By then I will have been on liquids for 4 months. I really miss food but I'm trying to pin as many new recipes as possible so that when the time comes I can make some healthy meals.