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Your doctor can also help by doing a peer to peer with your insurance company. Did they say what criteria you supposedly did not meet?

I had terrible gas pain for the first week. I found that narcotics did not help at all. What worked for me was 3 things: 1. A heating pad while I was sitting/laying 2. Walking as much as I could 3. Gas x chewables Once I found the above which was the day I came home, I was much more comfortable. I stopped taking pain meds 2 days after I left the hospital. They just did not seem to help.

It really is about slowing down and chewing so well. I know that is hard to do but you will learn very quickly if you don't. Good luck!

@@sherriswain, the hypothyroid issue happened to me very rapidly. I was post op 30 days and my hair started falling out like crazy. I knew it was too soon for the surgery hair loss to effect me so I got in to see my endocrinologist and sure enough I had lost enough weight that my dose had to be lowered. It might be worth checking.

I am one of those folks that has lost a lot of hair and I am post op 5 months. I started losing almost right away and found that my thyroid was functioning better because of weight loss which was causing hair loss, also I happen to be going through menopause. I have had surgeries many times in my life and the stress from surgery causes me to lose hair. And then of course rapid weight loss can cause it. It's like a quadruple whammy for me. Now, The good news. First, there are no bald spots, it simply thins. It does grow back, I have sprouts everywhere! I have been told that it should stop soon (6 month mark), I am hoping that is true. My husband is always cleaning up my hair and it makes him more nervous than me. It is not as bad as people think in fact no one notices with the exception of my hubby who sees it on the floor, pillow etc.

LOL! Yes, it is coming from all the liquid protein. You can clear out the bathroom area for a while! It definately gets better as your diet changes.

Here is the thing, if you are still required to take all of them ( I don't know what they are for) they will either find the liquid form of those prescriptions or they will have you crush them and take them with yogurt. ( not a fun experience by any means). The good news is, this is temporary. After your tummy heals you will be able to swallow some of them whole. The other good news is, if some of these are used to treat your co morbitiies such as diabetes, cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc, you will likely stop taking some of them very soon. I think the medication changes was one of the most positive non scale victories most of us have within a few weeks or days of surgery. I went from taking 8 differnt prescriptions every day to 1! Good luck on your surgery and keep us posted on your progress.

I would go to the doctor. I have not experienced this nor have I seen anyone talk about this previously. Could you have had an allergic reaction?

I am so happy for you! I think I was holding my breath hoping not to hear a bad news update. Congratulations and keep us posted on your progress!

@@msmisaacs, I was shocked to find out that your new pouch is so high up in your chest. I still have that chest pain when I eat too much or drink too fast. I checked with my surgeon and sure enough that is exactly where your new stomach is. You do get used to how your tummy feels when you drink too fast, don't chew properly or eat too much. You will learn you are in control of those things and you will learn to manage it. Good luck!

My nut encourages fruit in my diet and has since I was post op 4 weeks. it is good fiber and eaten in moderation the carbs won't hurt you.

Great job Alex! It will be interesting to see if you get any response whatsoever.

Costco will do a return without a receipt, they should be able to pull up your purchase history. I wish I was close to you, I buy 4 cases at a time and it is the only protein shake that I tolerate.

It is very interesting how surgeons differ in what they test for pre surgery. I had minimal testing done and of course it was based on my health history.

Right have the Fitbit charge and I absolutely love it. The inly time I take it off is to shower and to charge it. It requires a charge about once a week or so. When I bought it I was concerned about the band letting loose because I read the reviews on it but I really liked the functionality and how it feeds info to my fitness pal which I use daily to track my food. I have never had a problem with the band at all and I am glad I made the purchase. The only thing I would do differently is I would have purchased the Fitbit charge HR. It would be nice to have the heart rate feature.

Exercising pre op gets you started on building good habits and will help build stamina. Obviously it will help with weight loss before surgery too which of course is a good thing. I was immediately walking post surgery (a lot), it helps tremendously get the gas out of your tummy. At 4 weeks I began a more aggressive exercise routine.

Honestly it is not that hard unless you are eating something very dry or salty. When I have had something that is salty I definately watch the clock. But most meals are no problem and I have found that I can wait even longer.

@@lovedXJesus, don't be disappointed, be thrilled. From what I have heard it is an absolute nightmare if you get dumping, they tell me everyone can get it, some just get it easier than others, I try not to tempt the hands of fate. I can pretty much eat anything I want as well and yes I have had a bite of dessert here or there (very rare). I do believe if I ate enough of something sweet or overly fatty I would get sick. I feel blessed that if I have a real craving for something that as long as I start with eating Protein and good carbs first, I can have that bite without getting sick. I would not wish dumping on my worst enemy. I just believe we have to make ourselves accountable instead of depending on a really bad dumping experience to do it for us. Just my two cents....

I know how hard this waiting game is and how depressed a person can be pre op. The important thing is that you try to stay positive and focused on building good habits now because you are going to need them. It took me around 10 months from when I actually started the process before I got my surgery. It was very frustrating but now that I look back it really helped me to prepare for what was to come. Focusing on things like eating slower, chewing your foods until it is basically pureed. Not watching tv while you eat. Doing some type of physical activity every day. Making better food choices now vs. waiting until after surgery. If you smoke, drink or drink soda, changing those behaviors now are critical to your success. I look back now and after reading many forums/posts where people had their surgery right away, I have noticed many of those folks struggle to work the plan right from the start. I have often wondered if it was because they did not get the time to learn and practice good behaviors. In terms of how you feel about your body post op. I would suggest talking to a phsycologist about this. The reason this is important is because it takes your brain a good long while to catch up to your body. If you have image issues or self doubt those feelings don't just disappear with the fat. In fact as you lose weight everything sags ( I call it the mudslide). You have to live with that for a long time before you can do anything about it. It is good news because you are losing weight but it can bring you down if you do not have the right positive mindset. A phsycologist can help you through those hurdles. Good luck and I hope u get a date soon!

I think I love these posts the best! Congratulations on your progress.

Here is the thing, what you put in your pouch is so important to how hungry you feel throughout the day. I can eat anything I want without getting sick as well. What I have learned over time is, the Protein is what keeps you full for longer periods of time. If you choose protein and good carbs for a meal they seem to last 3 times as long. Good carbs being fruits and vegetables. If you choose bread, Pasta, rice or even too many potatoes you will be hungry again in an hour or so. Protein is critical to your success and ability to heal. I start out every day with a Premier Protein chocolate shake which has 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar. I too could not tolerate many other brands. My doctors office suggested this one and I have never gone back. This is what has been working for me, if I have a day where I want a bite of rice or potatoes I will make sure I have two bites of protein to every 1 of everything else keeping the bad carbs to a minimum. I usually only do carbs once a week or so. I usually don't even cook them for my family so they don't tempt me. Sunday dinners are the place where I will cook a starch and I will try to stay away. Good luck and keep us posted.

I had some serious medical issues and was pretty sick and tired when I got my surgery. I healed so quickly and had my stamina back and then some within 6 weeks. Everyone is different but I would not be too worried. You should definitely be aim a good place to write. By the way, what kind of books do u write. I am an avid reader and always looking for something new to entertain me. Good luck with your surgery!

I am 51 and I feel better than I did in my 30s! I actually find myself acting and dressing younger than I ever have. I always used to hide myself in too big frumpy clothes. The doctors that invented and perfected these tools for WLS are my heroes! I feel like they gave me my life back!

I can only speak to my personal experience on the pureed stage. I did not do well on this phase at all. For me it was a texture issue. I do not eat Beans with the exception of green beans so this option was out for me. I survived this phase by using premier Protein shakes and milking them down with lactaid. At first it was about 50/50 until my puch could handle that shake all alone. I still cannot eat eggs and I used to love them. I believe it was pureeing eggs that ruined them for me. For me it is both about the taste and the heaviness of them What I did eat during this stage was cottage cheese, yogurt, creamed soups, cream of wheat made with fair life milk, protein shakes.i do remember wanting some cooked carrots so bad that I actually made fresh carrots and cooked them to the point they were somewhat mushy. I used a little butter (ver little), salt and pepper. I mashed them with my fork and then made sure I chewed them to a pureed stage before swallowing. I am not sure if this is true or not but I believe it is for me, because I had such a small variation of these foods it allowed my tummy to truly heal in that first 4 weeks. I did not always hit my protein but I was told to do the best I could. At the end of that 4 weeks I was able to start eating chicken, fish, ground meats with no problem what so ever. Chicken breast became my new best friend. I was also allowed vegetables and fruit as long as it was softer. At the 10 week mark, I could eat pretty much anything with no trouble as long as I chose nice tender cuts of meat. I eat beef tenderloin, pork tenderloin, chicken, shrimp, fish and I love them. I also crave vegetables. The trick is NOT over cooking your protein or it becomes dry. Also adding sauces, gravies helps in the beginning. Personally pureed foods was the worst stage to tolerate for me but I made it through and my tummy healed well. Although I don't need to drink protein shakes any longer I do have one every morning (premier protein). I have come to actually love them and it gives me a protein boost before I work out.

Congratulations on taking the steps to educate yourself! Please make sure you go to a few Bariatric seminars using a center of excellence in your area. They can answer all of your questions and provide all the statistics for you on each surgery option. I started out with the mindset that I wanted the sleeve, mostly because I was "weirded out about rerouting" after meeting with bariatric surgeons and them understanding my health issues I ended up getting RNY. I have not regretted it for even 1 second. I only wish I had done it sooner! I had uncontrollable reflux that caused me to cough all day long, every day for almost 2 years. I was on max dose of nexium and lost so much sleep over that period of time that I could probably sleep for a month straight and still be tired. I also had type 2 diabetes although it was very controlled, high cholesterol, sleep apnea (which it sounds like u have), high blood pressure and the worst of all Stage 3 kidney disease. Immediately after spending 2 very short days in the hospital, my diabetes, and acid reflux were both completely gone! At 8 weeks my cholesterol was normal and suddenly I no longer had high blood pressure. Last week I went to my kidney doctor for the second time since surgery and my kidney function is normal!!! I was told I no longer have stage 3 kidney disease, I just have a past history of it. I have to say, I would have loved to had this done before all the bad stuff happened but I am so glad I did it. I actually exercise regularly and can RUN up several flights of stairs without feeling like I can't breathe. Good luck to you, do your research. It will help u decide.