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If you're interested in branching out from the "vanilla/chocolate/strawberry" shake doldrums, Isopure has a product out that greatly resembles Kool-Aid, but packs a whopping 40 grams of whey isolate Protein in a 20 ounce bottle! They're rather pricey (around 5 dollars each when purchased separately), but as someone who's not a big meat-eater & can't stomach an egg in any form, I'm starting to get hooked. They come in literally a rainbow of colors & flavors! I've tried a few of them so far: Grape: I liked it at first, but the more I drank it, the more I seemed to detect a metallic undertaste to it. You might not, but it's got a good flavor overall. "Cocotein": Great for those of us who like coconut Water. This one's "only" got 20 grams per bottle, but a really good coconut taste to it. Personally, I needed to water it down a bit as it was a little too sweet for my liking. Blue Raspberry: This one has been the best so far in that it has the least detectable weirdness to the aftertaste. Went down no problem! I've got a few more in the fridge, and hopefully they'll taste as pretty as they look. Good luck!

I had my RNY on October 23rd and took 2 weeks from work with no problems at all. The only thing I've noticed is I'm wiped out by the end of the day, but definitely not in any pain- just tired. Everyone's recovery is different though, and perhaps I was one of the fortunate ones. I think 2-3 weeks is enough time, but I might suggest (if you're able) to keep your work schedule light and give yourself the opportunity to still take half days and ease back to work if necessary. Good luck to you!

Welcome, Enjoli! Congrats to you for joining us on our journey to becoming healthier! You'll find the forums here packed with great opinions and personal experience on just about every topic you can think of. Here's to hoping your bumps in the road are behind you, and your recovery is speedy and issue-free!

Cream of Wheat has a fantastic Bananas & Cream flavor in the the individual packets. My neighborhood grocery store carries it and a few other "flavored" types right with the oatmeal- I wholeheartedly recommend it! I'd also recommend mixing it with hot milk rather than water- it gives it a creamier texture, plus will give you some of that Calcium we all need.

Isopure has a Protein drink that I've discovered recently. I don't have a problem with the shakes, but I'm not a meat or egg eater & the love affair with Premier Protein won't last forever At any rate, the Isopure drinks are glass-bottled and look just like Kool-Aid. Most of them have a whopping 40 grams of protein in each drink! They're relatively expensive (3-4 dollars a bottle in my area) but they might be a good alternative for you. I've tried the grape, which really does taste like grape Kool-Aid except for a metallic taste I detect, which could be just me. The other one I've tried is "Cocotein"- a coconut Water (also by Isopure) with 20 grams of protein per bottle. I have to water it down because it's too sweet, but again it's a nice break from marching in the shake parade every day

Hi Denise, Headaches can come from a number of things, but for me it was a caffeine withdrawal symptom. I was a total soda addict (diet, but soda nonetheless) until nearly midnight the night before my surgery. I was ok for a bit, but then got quite a headache myself that lasted for several days until I "detoxed" myself from the caffeine- I'd tried to quit soda before & got the same thing. Hopefully yours won't last long or be severe!

Hi and welcome, Eli! Congratulations to you as you begin this incredible new part of your life! You'll have lots of questions along the way, and this forum is an excellent place to gather opinions and learn about the experiences of others. Welcome aboard- keep us posted on how things are coming along!

Nooooo, thank heavens! I took (what I thought was) a lot of pill medication, but that was my worst nightmare- becoming insulin dependent. I was able to take everything in one handful once a day at dinnertime, which was nice in retrospect. I took my last pill "side dish" the night before surgery, and haven't had one since. I'm amazed at how quickly my sugar went down- I'm keeping my fingers crossed that as I start to add real food back to my diet that they'll stay that way.

Hi Tiffany, and welcome! Congratulations to you as you start this incredible journey toward a new, healthier you! The process will bring a lot of questions to mind, for sure, and these forums are a great place to gather opinions and personal experience. Everyone's insurance company is different, so it's hard to give you a definitive answer about how long things take. My time frame was almost exactly 4 months from my first appointment to checking into the hospital. Part of it depends on the requirements by your insurance, your PCP, your surgeon, and what you've done beforehand to prepare which you'll learn can vary greatly. Some get approval early on, some need to have all medical clearances completed before approval can be applied for. Recovery time is another topic that's very individual. I go back to work tomorrow after being home for 2 weeks and one day. I had really no pain after 2 days at home, and can do pretty much everything that I did before- in fact, I have to remind myself to carry lighter loads and stop to rest often. It also can depend on what kind of surgery you're having as to what your recovery restrictions will be- is it a sleeve, RNY, a band, or switch? One thing that you'll learn very quickly is how to listen to your body and how it's responding to the changes that will come about. Hopefully you have family/friends nearby that can drop it to help if you find you're having a hard day or just need the company or encouragement. Best of luck to you- I'm here to help if you have other questions!

I have a gorgeous grey and ivory silk top I bought when I was in London a few years ago. I didn't try it on in the store (god forbid) and had no real concept of European sizes (hey, it looked big enough!), but into my bag it went. Sure enough, when I got home it didn't fit. But... I've never seen anything like it so it nestled in the back of my closet for the last few years. After I lost 35 pounds before my surgery, I tried it on. It would fit if I stayed perfectly still, but at least I can put it on. You bet that's going to be my "motivation piece" once a month until that beautiful silk fits just right!

It sure did! I chose the RNY for that reason too- a diagnosis of Type II Diabetes. I was taken off of all of my medications the day before surgery, and advised to take a fasting sugar reading in the morning, and one before dinner time each day. I'm happy to say that 2 weeks out, my sugars have been consistently between 90-115.

Congrats to you, Morgan! It's amazing how quickly wls can seem to alleviate the comorbidities that diet and exercise just never could tame, isn't it? I'm glad to hear you had such a positive hospital experience. Get lots of rest, and get to learn your "new body" while you're home recuperating- I look forward to hearing how you're coming along

I was given a "dummy" date that worked for both myself and my surgeon well before the insurance paperwork was submitted. It was done this way to reserve a time slot in the O.R. ahead of time, and to avoid having to wait even longer once insurance did approve. Once my insurance company approved my procedure, it was only about 10 days later that I went to the hospital rather than having to wait for a time to open up.

I agree that this is YOUR wls, and in order for you to be the most successful and comfortable through your journey, it's got to be a choice that you're comfortable with, and that your surgeon can support. I wasn't sure what I wanted either until I started spending hours on end combing the internet for anything I could find that compared the two types of surgeries. What tipped the scale (no pun intended) to the RNY for me was the heart of why I wanted wls in the first place. I was diagnosed as diabetic on Valentine's Day of 2013 and that was a huge wake-up call for me. While the prospect of losing all my weight is exciting indeed, it was all the research I did into finding out that statistically speaking, RNY surgery had the highest level of potential reversal of Type II Diabetes. It's hard not to get wrapped up in the sensationalism that can come out of reading the internet, too. You'll find hard to believe success stories, as well as wls bashing experiences that can scare the willies out of anyone. Surgery is surgery- there are risks associated with all of it, and it's so important to remember that it's a tool, not a cure. I'm two weeks post surgery today, and feel just fine. In fact, my sugar levels hover around 95 with absolutely no diabetes medication since the day before surgery. Mission accomplished- the weight coming off will be icing on the low-carb, high Protein cake Good luck to you!

Everyone's insurance and order of appointments seems to vary, but for me I had all of my clearances done (including psych) before I met with my actual surgeon. (I had met his surgical partner, the dietitian and office management team who provided me with a very detailed binder/calendar of the whole surgical process and all the things I needed to have in place (psych, cardio, pulmonary, DVT scan, chest Xray, abdominal ultrasound & sleep study) before they would ask for insurance approval). The surgeon's office prepared and submitted the paperwork to my insurance company after choosing a "hold" date for surgery with me. Approval from the insurance company was the last thing I got before I went into surgery. Hope this helps.

I think a lot of us have trouble in the beginning at getting what we think we're "supposed" to have right out of the hospital. I had my surgery 2 days after you did & faced the same thing of wondering how on earth I was going to get enough of everything?? I found that walking did wonders for me. If I felt super full I got outside and walked around the neighborhood & felt instantly better AND more able to drink/eat if I wasn't sitting around the house waiting for my pouch to empty. Maybe this would be worth a try?

I totally agree with the Vanilla Premier Protein. I was a little "Iffy" about trying them, but to me they taste EXACTLY like frosted yellow cake! Nom nom nom...

I didn't have quite the same symptoms you did, but I was in the same boat that my hunger got worse the longer I was on the liquid diet. I did end up emailing my nutritionist, as I was a diabetic & was hungry to the point of getting dizzy & the "shakes" by midafternoon. (She didn't seem concerned, but suggested that I try a Protein shake that was a little higher in carbs so my sugar didn't drop too low. They were gross, anyway.) I found that by spacing out what I consumed rather than trying to fit it into a traditional mealtime format, it helped a bit- as did delaying my meals. It seemed like eating later in the day was a help to me. Good luck to you!

That's terrible to hear! Though I did end up having my surgery recently, I had a couple of setbacks too with getting the clearances and it really does feel like running a race, only to trip at the finish line. Sometimes committing yourself to making the decision to have wls is the hardest part- then to be frowned at during your first appointment must be disheartening. Please don't give up though- we're all here to support you!

Hi Stacey! I had my RNY on October 23, and am experiencing some of the same things you are- I can't say that I feel "full", but I'm not really hungry either. I think a lot of what I experience is "head hunger"- seeing that Halloween candy and thinking I NEED it. The only difficulty I had really is learning how to drink again. I came home from the hospital and was so thirsty from the pain meds, I poured a big old glass of Water and took what I thought was a single, normal sized swallow- OW! It took me a couple of days to figure out how to judge what's appropriate for me to swallow now or it really hurts. I got moved to "mushy" food a couple of days ago and it was like the heavens opened up- all over Cream of Wheat! Congrats on taking this step in what I'm sure will be an amazing journey for both of us!

Darn it... and I was SO wanting a free Protein dinner. Ya snooze, ya lose, I guess ;P

You absolutely CAN do this! I think many of us have those "Oh my Lord, it's actually going to HAPPEN" fears right before surgery. Truth be told, once I was out of the hospital, I don't feel much different, other than it makes me laugh at how little food it takes to make me feel full now- I had trouble believing that too. Keep us posted on how you're doing- I'm only 2 weeks post-op myself

I felt the very same way- the last couple of days before surgery I actually started wondering if it really WAS necessary & it can get overwhelming. Hopefully, if you have a surgeon/team like I do, they really are there all the time to answer your questions- plus the internet and this forum are great sources of encouragement. It's not possible for you to starve and waste away to nothing. Once your body becomes accustomed to how much food you can eat, your metabolism will adjust and the weight loss will stop. As far as "never being able to eat anything again", that won't happen either. Your surgeon will guide you carefully as to what kinds of foods you can eat when and most importantly- don't judge your progress of anything against anyone else's! Everyone's experience is unique, as is their weight loss and rate of healing. I keep telling myself that this surgery is a tool- what I get out of it will mirror what I put into it. Once I got out of the fog of anesthesia I never looked back & am anxious to start this new chapter of my life. Gastric surgery has made leaps and bounds in its procedure and safety over the years- the complication/mortality rates are incredibly low; please don't let that grip your psyche. I thought about it too, but decided that my mortality rate being diabetic and morbidly obese is/was greater than the possibility of complications from this surgery. Keep us updated on how you're doing

I had RNY done on October 23, '14 with my decision being made by the desire to resolve my type 2 diabetes. (I also have roughly 100 pounds to lose, but the diabetes was my main catalyst for having this procedure done) My surgeon was in agreement with me, and I'm very pleased to say that every sugar check I've done since the day I came home from the hospital has ranged from 90-118...and I'm on NO medications! (was on 5 until the day before surgery) I'm overwhelmed at how quickly my sugar went back to normal, even with being back on mushy foods now. I can't speak for the results of a sleeve of course, but I don't regret choosing RNY for one second now that I see what seems to be immediate results!