OutsideMatchInside

Have you told your doctor?

Yes, I think this is common. I have an associate that had RNY a few years ago and she told me the same thing, some days no hunger, other days bottomless pit. I have days where I forget to eat, and days I want to eat all day.

They defiantly bill at different levels if they are being honest in the billing. The only way they bill the same is if the doctor is present in the room. I have had insurance but also been self pay for a number of years. It is not the same thing. Negotiated insurance reimbursement is not the same as billed amounts. A cardiologist visit does not cost the same and a family practice visit. Never in my life have in had to pay a co-pay for seeing a NP and I saw one instead of my OB/GYN for years. That still isn't really the point even though pwople are hung up on it. They are charging me for co-pays and not billing my insurance for visits that should be included. Which is my largest beef with them. Adding a new person to the team and not bothering to introduce them is just the last straw. There are other people on this board that have seen this doctor and he never had a PA until this month. His front office staff have terrible personalities which I overlooked because I felt so confident in him. However they can't answer basic billing questions or provide the name of the PA or NP they are not even sure which. My Doctor is now doing 10 surgeries a day. This is obviously more about making money than patient care.

Swai is Asian catfish. I like this fish better than most white fish because it is very mild. It has a slight fish taste, and it accepts seasonings and flavors very well. You can get a 2lb bag at Walmart for about 5.88, that is about 6-8 fillets. 1/2 of Swai Fillet (weigh to get the exact weight, aim for 3oz at first, increasing as you can eat more) Seasoning of Choice, I use FlavorGod Lemon and Garlic 1 teaspoon Ghee or butter OR Spray Olive Oil or Coconut Oil Preheat oven to 350 Use a piece of aluminum foil about 2-3x the size of the filet. Take a piece of parchment paper 2x the size of the fillet, fold in 1/2 to make a pocket. Rinse the fillet, do not pat dry, season both sides with seasoning to taste. Place on half of parchment paper. Drizzle/dab with Ghee, or place small dots of butter over the length of fillet. If not using ghee or butter, spay quickly with spray, one good fast press should be enough, 1/2 a second. Fold Parchment over, seal foil to make a packet. Place on cookie sheet Bake for 10-12 minutes. If you don't mind reheated or cold fish you could bake more than one small piece at once.

The past 2 days I have made this with no oils, just seasoning. The swai has such a high water content it is soft, flaky and very moist.

Cucumber sandwiches was one of my favs before I had surgery. They are really satisfying.

I don't think I will ever be thirsty enough in life to drink gatorade.

I am glad you are feeling better. We are at the same place post-op. I was in a stall but it broke today. Just keep following your plan and the weight will come off. Are you on a B-12 spray? what is your b-12 supplement after this shot? How much Water do you get in daily? Can you tolerate water?

I lost a lot of water weight. I was in the bathroom evey 30 to 45 min

Enjoy it while it lasts. After surgery you will have the opposite problem.

I always make a point of donating my clothes to goodwill since they rarely have larger sizes, but the majority of women are larger sized. I feel it is important to donate clothes so that people who are financially challenged have access to them.

I moved recently and purged my closet of all old clothes and clothes I don't wear. The only things I own right now are things that I wear. When I drop a decent amount of weight I will have to have the good pieces tailored and buy some new items. Style are so different, my older smaller clothes I was hanging onto were pointless. I was never going to wear them, and when I am smaller I am going to want new current clothes.

This is a concern I had/have. I have been a low carber/keto off and on for about 14 years. I lose weight but I get to a certain point, stall out and never lose more. I worry/worried that low carbing with just a smaller stomach wouldn't produce better results. Now that I am post op I can see how a vastly smaller stomach will help me long term. Even low carbing and eating keto, you can over eat, and take in too many calories. Most Ketoers don't count calories just carbs. It makes it too easy to over eat. My sleeve is a tool to help me always keep my portions in control. I am going to have to track what I eat for the rest of my life, and be very aware of what I am eating. I think my sleeve is a tool that will help me do all of that easier and not feel hungry or deprived. There is no reason to stop doing keto now, like in the past, when I had issues with being full or feeling constantly deprived. Feeling almost stuffed off a few ounces of food is a luxury you won't understand until you feel it.

Are the hospital and Dr out of network? Well first call the hospital billing department. Tell them how much you can afford to pay a month, so your credit isn't ruined while you fight with this. Also anything surgery related doesn't make sense. Escalate with Blue Cross.

Where do nurses deliver babies? The worst that usually happens is you get the Doctor on call not your doctor. And they don't bill the same. At the previous healthcare system I was in NP/PA do not bill at the same level as a physician, that is why you don't pay a co-pay. The office visits are cheaper. That creates a higher demand for NP/PA because people can save by seeing them and most of the time they provide more caring care. GPs and Specialists don't bill at the same level, why would a Dr and a NP/NA bill at the same level. The attitude of most people posting in this thread is that medical professionals are doing them some kind of favor. There are plenty of Doctors, Physicians Assistants and Nurse Practitioners. They all have student loans and they all have bills to pay. Patients choose the one they want, patients have a choice and they are doing the service providers more of a favor than the service providers are doing them. I had a couple years I paid for concierge doctor services and it is far preferable to insurance based healthcare. You get treated with more respect. Because of the law I am stuck buying and insurance plan, but next year I am going back to concierge level and just buying the most basic of insurance plans.

there is a conversation about Fitbits here... http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/348821-fitbit/

See a doctor. Your hormones might be out of whack. As far as the hunger, are you drinking enough Water between meals?

This is a well known bariatric center of excellence.

Once you start soft foods, you really turn a corner. You have a lot more variety, and you feel less like an outsider. Week 2 I was bored out of my mind. Now at week 6 I have a large variety of things I can choose from. It gets better, hang in there.

Jimmy Johns has lettuce wraps. At home, weighing and portioning your food is key. Everyone get a scale, they are cheap on amazon. It will be your best friend.

Syntrax powders can be affordable also, you just have to shop around for the best price. Also check vitacost, they have good sales. The quality of Protein you .need after surgery is going to cost. There really is no inexpensive option, and inexpensive is really retaliative. Depending on how long it takes you to get to soft food. Soft baked fish, can be a real cost savings. You can do one shake a day and eat swai fillets several times a day. Swai is very affordable and you can get a 2lb bag at Walmart for under $12, and that will last a week. Getting protein in on a budget can happen, you just have to plan and shop around. If you give a budget, people could be more helpful.

Heartburn? I never had heart burn before surgery I had it once and it felt like fire. It was a weird and terrible feeling I will try to never repeat.

Probably not. Why not try a few days of protein shakes to get back on track.

I think only people who had had surgery can understand how full you can feel on very little food. Prior to surgery I would have never believed it. 6oz of fish feels like a 3 course meal to me. I hate for people to think I am deprived when I feel exactly the opposite I'm glad your vacation was a success.

how much protein are you getting in on 400 calories a day?