Thinside

Glad if it's helpful. I spent hundreds of hours on here reading everyone's posts, and it was SO helpful.

I was given Benadyl for itching. Oral. It really helped. But it makes me sleepy!

You can do it! Sounds like it's going really well!

I did, sort of. I signed up for my husband's insurance as a secondary because my insurance doesn't cover WLS. It delayed my surgery slightly, and we're paying more per month for the next year, but it was worth it: the secondary insurance is paying for it.

Mine is Aug. 5th too. My doctor doesn't require a liquid pre-op diet, just low-cal. Getting a little nervous and excited too. I've ordered my unjury, and am going shopping for food for the liquid diet tomorrow. (I'll be on 9 days of liquids, then 2 weeks of pureed food.) What are you doing to prepare?

@@PureDarkness, thanks! I've spend over two years researching and thinking about this decision, and I'm sure it's the right one, but as it approaches I'm feeling some nerves.Will I wake up from the operation? Will I miss eating out with friends? Will I be too tired for work? Will I hate the sagging skin as much as I do the weight? All those questions that go through your head in the middle of the night.

Hi. I'm right in between the two of you, on August 4th. A little scared….

My insurance coordinator explicitly warned against this very thing. She had a person who had been approved, lost a bunch of weight while waiting for the surgery, got weighed again during her preop visit (which is customary) and then had the approval revoked. Crazy stuff. As someone above noted, we all know how to lose. We just can't sustain it and keep it off.

Hello everyone. I am new here (although I've been lurking for a year!) I've gone through all the "hoops" -- blood tests, EKG, psych evals, nutrition and physical therapy meetings, sleep study -- and now I'm just waiting (and praying for) insurance approval. But on top of all the other worries, I have a BIG concern. I will be traveling to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia about 4 weeks after my sleeve surgery. I'll be there for two whole months. My surgeon doesn't see any problem with this. This particular surgeon's plan has people on regular (soft) food at 4 weeks. We also discussed getting up every hour on the plane to walk to avoid blood clots. But I am worried about what I will eat in a strange culture (luckily I like seafood and tofu) with my new stomach. I also worry about fatigue. We will be biking and walking a lot. I am 55 years old if that matters. Lastly, I am worried about having to take clothes in different sizes since I will probably be losing a lot of weight during this time. It's hard to buy new clothes in larger sizes in Asia (even after I lose 50 pounds I will be much bigger than the largest size there.) And how much Protein powder drinks will I have to pack? I could possibly wait til after the trip for my surgery, but this would cause serious problems at my job. Plus, I really want to be able to do the biking and hiking on this trip which might be easier if I weigh less. (Last time I flew I was miserable because of my size. The man next to me was so rude I cried. I would not mind being smaller when I fly this time!) I would appreciate any advice you experienced sleevers might have. Is this a crazy idea? Will I be nauseous from new food and smells all the time? Will I be too fatigued or in pain to walk and bike? Thanks a bunch!

@@almosttogoal I just replied on your other thread. Alas, my surgery is now delayed until I return from my trip (insurance delays). So, I am just going to enjoy eating all the exotic food (in moderation, of course!) and enjoy the trip. I do worry that I'll lose too much weight, though. We'll be walking and climbing a LOT -- way more than I do at home, although I'm gradually increasing my walking here, too, to get prepared. Best of luck to you! And keep us posted on your experiences. I'm sure we're not the only ones with this question.

@@almosttogoal my surgeon had no problem with the idea of me traveling overseas 4 weeks out. As it happens, I am not going to be able to get my surgery before I leave because of a hold-up with my insurance. It's scheduled for two weeks after I get back. But I had come to the conclusion that traveling WAS possible. I just planned to take a lot of Protein -- in the form of powders and tuna packs. If you can get good sources of protein where you're going, you should be ok (at least from what I've read…I've not had my surgery yet.) Best of luck to you, and congratulations on your fellowship! Do keep us all posted on your progress.

Thanks @@liannatx, @@LauraVSGinNZ, and @desertgirl_74. This is all encouraging and helpful. If I'm approved in time (nail biting!) I will have the surgery before the trip. I'll just pack loads of Protein powder and tuna (and as I eat, more room for shopping finds!) I'll also take a 1/4 cup measuring cup. And for clothes, I'll wear elastic waistbands, and take a belt and lots of safety pins.

@@AngelJoyD, that's such a coincidence! I'm still not officially approved, so I still don't know my date, but if I can do it before the trip, I would like to. Otherwise I have to wait until August, too, and I probably will lose weight while traveling and might not qualify anymore. Here's what I'm thinking of doing, if I have the surgery beforehand. My doctor's schedule has us on soft foods in week 4, so I'm planning to pack a bunch of those tuna pouches for Protein if I can't find anything else on a given day, and lots of whey protein packets. I'll get up every hour on the plane, and wear compression socks. My first week of the trip is pretty easy, without a lot of hiking and walking, so if I'm lucky I will be 5 weeks out before I have to start any serious physical effort. I hope I'll be feeling better by then. I sure would appreciate hearing from other people who've got ideas, advice, or experience.

I'm dieting to lose as much as I can before surgery (while staying within the BMI range needed for insurance approval.) I've dieted MANY times before, and it is a lot of work! The only thing that has consistently worked for me is logging every single thing I eat. It also requires a huge time commitment in terms of planning every bite I'll take in a day, and thinking about what I'll do if we are going to be somewhere where I will need to eat out. As a result, a huge amount of my time is spent thinking about and planning my eating. It's the only way I can successfully diet. And it's a bit exhausting. So, here's my worry: am I putting myself in the situation of having my whole life centered around food forever if I go through with the sleeve procedure? Do you have to plan every single day's eating and think about what you're going to eat ahead of time and log everything forever? Or does it just become second nature, part of life? I would hate to devote a huge chunk of my life to thinking about food! That's one reason I want to have the surgery in the first place -- so food is not such a big part of my day and my mental landscape.

Wow to all of you! What is your pre-op diet plan? My surgeon has people eat 1400 calories a day beforehand. I'm not sure if the two weeks right before the surgery are liquid like so many others, but I don't think so. I'm eating around 1200-1300 calories a day and have only lost 5 pounds in two weeks. I hope to have my surgery in early May, and I want to lose as much as possible before then.

BLERDgirl, Kindle, and everyone who has posted -- not confused at all! Totally enjoying this thread. It's fascinating to hear everyone's different approaches. I am formulating an idea of how I will handle food logging. I know I will log for the first 6 months or longer while I get well into the rhythm of my new eating habits/capacity. (I have been practicing eating slowly and chewing 25 times too.) Then I will probably take the approach some have mentioned of tracking Protein at least, and being very vigilant about staying at my target weight.

Hi all, thanks for the continued thoughts. I'm very much encouraged by your experiences. I definitely will log for at least 6 months, and will probably keep track of Protein for ever, as I am a vegetarian. (I don't know how I marked this "answered" -- I'm new on this forum and must have pushed the wrong button.) I'll keep reading every response, and following this forum. It's so enlightening and encouraging.

Wow, par1959, judgmental much? I've logged food since 2009. I know how to do it. I've done every day, every bite, every meal for months at a time. I know exactly how long it takes. And it's not simply logging, it's planning every day in advance exactly what to eat. I do not want to live that way forever. I simply do not wish my life to be so food centered. I hope to live more like my "normal" weight friends, who can stay healthy by making good choices but don't have to think about food constantly. So laugh all you want. But if you can't add anything constructive it might be better to keep your thoughts and your laughter to yourself in the future. Or is your goal in life simply to tear people down and attack them? (And your housewives remark says a lot about you.)

Wow, thanks everyone for such thoughtful responses. I know I can do this, and live a healthier, non-food-centered life, where I eat to live, not vice versa. I'm glad to hear that after adjusting for several months or a year, some people are able to just eat healthily, eating Protein first, but don't have to log every single bite to maintain weight. I do plan to follow my doc's instructions to the letter! I'm not going to do this and do it half-way.

Thanks CanyonBaby. I don't expect this to be "the easy way out." There doesn't seem to be anything easy about it! I'm hopeful that the surgery will help me stop thinking about food and being hungry all the time, and will help me manage my portions, which I have trouble with. I hope to make it just a part of life, not the focus, which it has been for too long for me! Do you log every meal every day? Do you plan each day's food the day (or week) before? I do that when I diet, but the longest I've been able to sustain that is 3 months. I lead a very busy life, with 9-12 hour work days. The thought of having to log every meal for the rest of life is exhausting. Food has governed my life. I don't want it to be the focal point any more!

Well, thanks for your advice. Unfortunately, the trip cannot be rescheduled. It's now or never. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this? How did you feel 4 weeks out? Thanks!

I have been told by my insurance coordinator that you are "officially" weighed twice. The first weight is the day you meet your surgeon (in my doctor's case, after you've jumped through all the other hoops.) That is the weight they submit to your insurance program. Then, you will be weighed again a few days before surgery (during your pre-op visits.) That weight is also submitted for final authorization. If there is a big delay between the first approval and your surgery, and you lose too much weight in between, she said it could cause trouble. She had a case where the person was approved, lost "too much" weight before the day of surgery, and then the day before, the authorization was revoked because the person had proved s/he could lose the weight without surgery! This terrifies me because if I can't have my surgery before my trip to Vietnam (see other thread), I will have to wait until after my 2-month trip. And I KNOW I will lose weight while I'm traveling because I will be walking about 10 miles a day. So then I would be faced with gaining weight before the surgery date. It's insanely maddening.