Schale

I'm in Dayton. How far north in KY are you? Close enough to Cincinnati? I used to work in northern Cincinnati. Aaahh, 15 days out. I hope you are doing well. I remember way back then. It seems like a long time ago. Things went pretty well for me when I was at that stage. The biggest mistake I made was trying to do too much exercising too soon. I had an umbilical hernia repaired during my RNY surgery. I re-ruptured my hernia while exercising. I think I was about 3 months out. It really hurt for about a week. It subsided after that. My surgeon said that it would be an 'in' with the insurance company to get approved for hernia repair surgery when the time comes for skin removal surgery. And (conveniently ) while they are in there, they'll do the skin removal surgery at that time. My problem is that I haven't lost enough weight yet to quality for my skin removal surgery. But that's my current focus. I need to get this last bit of weight off (40-50 pounds). I'm not in a good mental place, but I'm trying to turn that page. As for pureed foods, that sounded so gross to me in the beginning. For me, it didn't end up being too bad. In the past year and a half, I've embraced, and even love, my green smoothies. I consider that pureed food. I do green smoothies more as a means to 'drink' my veggies instead of eating them. The taste of any fruit that I add and Protein powder certainly overpowers the taste of the veggies. What do you find challenging at this point? Has anything pleasantly surprised you yet?

Hi there. I'm more northern than that - I'm in Ohio. I had surgery in January of 2015, but I'm certainly up for working with a buddy. Your comment about 'keeping positive about the small changes' is certainly the right attitude to have. I wish I still had that attitude. I'm a year and half out. I had great success initially (lost 90 pounds), but I've stalled for the past 6 months, I'm getting in my own way and preventing myself from getting to my goal. I'd love to have someone to buddy with that knows what it is like to have surgery and the experiences that go with it. I'm game for keeping in touch if you are willing to work with someone further north than originally hoping for. Schale

Rhonda - I could have written the last part of your post. I can SOOO relate to your comments. I'm a year and a half out. I've lost around 90 pounds. But I still have 40-50 pounds to go. I've maintained for the past 6 months (roughly), but I've been eating, snacking, getting back into my old habits. Very few foods or things bother me. Like you, I haven't re-gained YET, but I know it is coming if I don't change my ways SOON. I'm in a 'bad place' and I need help to find a way out. I, too, am looking for support, guidance, mentoring to help me get my head back where it needs to be. I can't offer you any good advice. I'm in a similar place as you. But maybe if we lean on each other, we can help each other find a way out of this dark hole. I know there is a light out there ... somewhere. And the food won't help me find it. That's what put me in this hole in the first place. Let me know if you need a shoulder to lean on. I'll be here. Maybe we can find the answers together. And with a little hope, maybe an angel who has been through this mud pit in the past can show both of us a path to the road we should be on. I'm not giving up. I want to keep fighting to finish what I started. I don't want you to give up either. Hang in there.

As others have said, talk to the doctors that prescribe the meds in question. They will know how to adjust and when to remove them all together. For me, I was on a couple of blood pressure lowering meds. Two of them were extended release versions. As you may know, you can't take extended release meds (even over the counter) after surgery. So my PCP and her nurse had to change the dose of these 2 meds. One of them I now take half of a tiny pill twice a day. The other one really sucks. They only make the 'immediate release' version of this med in a very low dosage. So I have to take 3 capsules 3 times a day, for a total of 9 capsules! It sucks, but I'm hoping to be off of both meds within the next 6 months. I was on the depo shot years ago (like 20 years ago). It has it's pros and cons. But work with your doctor on alternatives. And as others have said, things may really change after you start losing serious weight. I understand that you want to remove any and all obstacles that may affect your weight loss. But keep in mind that those meds are helping your body in one way or another. And as your weight changes, you may no longer need them. Just trust in the process. Patience is difficult to keep in situations like this. But having surgery should trump all of those meds in the long run. Keep the faith! Make sure you get in all of your Water to help flush out any Fluid retention. Try to start changing your habits now, like exercising. Remember that you have the power to take the reigns of your own health. Don't be a victim to the side effects. You will prevail regardless of the hurdles that you will face. Victory will be even sweeter if you are eventually able to jump those hurdles. It will take time. Hang in there.

Wow! Tomorrow is here already?!? Boy does time fly. Yes, you are going to be a nervous wreck. You should be considering what you are about to go through. But do you have 'peace' about your decision and the doctor that you chose? I was a wreck the night before as well. I didn't tell my mother about my decision until the night before. She doesn't live in town and I didn't want her to worry and drop everything to just be by my side. She needs to be worrying about herself and not me. She wasn't thrilled when I told her the night before, but I think she came to understand my goals afterwards. Everyone kept asking me the morning of my surgery if I was still nervous. My answer was that I was 'perfectly fine' with the decision that I made. I had a weird sense of calm all morning before my surgery. My husband kept asking me if I was OK. I just explained that I didn't have any butterflies in my stomach, no second thoughts, no hesitations. I was completely ready to go on with the surgery. I felt very comfortable with my surgeon and the hospital staff. It's hard to explain. If I was nervous about a major aspect, I may have backed out. But I felt so prepared, so ready, so committed to what I was doing and ready to tackle the journey ahead. I'd say I was nervous, but not in the way that I wanted to turn back. I hope you have a similar sense of 'calm' about everything you choose to get to this point (procedure choice, doctor, hospital, support family, etc). If you do, then you know that you made the right decision for you. However, I don't want to be misleading about what you will experience. Yes, there will be pain (but great pain meds). You may have to force yourself to do basic things like get out of bed and walk. Sounds simple now, but you'll understand in the long run that it's the best thing you can do after surgery. You may be cussing out your drainage tubes and medicine ball when you try to take a shower for the first time. You may hate the idea of asking someone to help you get dressed those first few days. This is all 'normal.' Don't let any of this discourage you. It's just the price to pay to get to the 'good parts' - like the scale going down. Healing is just temporary. Keep your eye on the prize. Each day gets a little better. I can recite all kinds of catch phrases like 'no pain, no gain.' But you already know what is ahead of you. I really wish you the best. I could barely stay away for more than 2 minutes that first 24 hours. The anesthesiologist told my husband that it was normal. Be prepared to recite your name and birthday for every face that you see. That's hospital procedure. Keep your humor with you at all times. You'll need it. I'm sure you won't be doing anything but resting in the hospital. But when you get home, feel free to message me all that you want to. I don't care if you vent, rage, cry, plead for the pain to go away, laugh, tell me something funny that happened, what your plans are after you lose the first 50 pounds, etc. Just know that recovery will take time, but it WILL get better. Take care! Good luck!! Stay in touch!!! My best wishes to you!

I'm in Dayton. I know that tomorrow is a holiday, but would anyone be interested in getting together tomorrow afternoon for a get-together say in the afternoon? Maybe in the Middletown area? If there is interest I'll find somewhere like maybe a coffee shop. I'm thinking somewhere where we could sit for a while and not get kicked out for loitering. Just to meet up and discuss where we are in our journey. Please respond if interested and available.

Yes, they will give you one. Don't go buy one. They measured my 'girth' before surgery to determine what size to give me. And it will be your friend. If you've ever had any kind of abdominal surgery before, you would already know the feeling of your stomach wanting to just spill out. The binder helps to keep it all in. Think of any other kind of injury and your first reaction. Let's say you accidentally banged your arm on a corner wall. There is some sort of comfort you get when you apply pressure with your hand. With abdominal surgery, your muscles have been cut into. It's not like you can 'suck it in' like you normally would before surgery. I also viewed it like another set of hands. Let's say you are sitting on the couch and want to get up. You may not be in 'pain' but it will still be uncomfortable. You'll be using your arms to help you get up off of the couch. But you will also instinctively want to hold in your stomach, because it hurts, because you don't want to stretch the wrong way and pull out a stitch, because you'll want to be sure that your drain tube stays in place and doesn't get pulled on, etc. That binder helps 'hold it all in' while you use your arms to peel yourself up. You'll quickly learn how to put it on in a way to use it to your benefit. I think you are doing great with reading up on what to expect after surgery. I did the same. But some of this just won't make complete sense until you go through it. But being prepared, knowing what may happen so you are not blindsided is the best you can do right now. Keep it up!

Well, today should have been your appointment. How did it go? Did you luck out and get a date set? My guess for needing to wait for their call is that each department schedules their own work. I don't think it's as simple as scheduling an open slot on one calendar. It think someone needs to coordinate the doctor's schedule, the operating room, an anesthesiologist, a recovery room, etc. I'm sure they have people that have access to all necessary calendars and schedules. Yes, is it EXTREMELY frustrating to wait for that call and for that day to arrive. But trust me, it's well worth the wait. Sometimes I tell myself that there is a bigger reason that I may never know about which is in force. Have you ever heard of someone's story where they say something like their boss called them into their office at 4:45 pm, which made them late. But they later realize that if they had left on time, they may have been the one in some car accident on the highway up ahead. Sure, that's an extreme example, but maybe you are waiting for some reason that will really make for the flawless alignment of all factors to give you that **perfect** combination of everything you need. As the saying goes, everything happens for a reason... I was off work for 5 weeks. I probably could have gone back at 4 weeks, but it was easier to 'finish out the week.' It was an awkward combination of getting my release paperwork approved, my doctor's appointment setup, etc. For my job, I sit at a desk all day. I do get up from my desk time to time, but I'm planted for a vast majority of the day. I did do some working out before surgery, but tried to get a more regular routine after surgery. A week after my surgery, I was getting on the treadmill for 5 or 10 minutes, walking very slowly. It doesn't sound like much, but it felt like a marathon then. I even counted going to the grocery story with my husband as 'exercise' while I was off work. Based on everything I read before hand, you need to move after surgery. I really felt like it helped my recovery. Nothing extreme - just walking. All you want to do is sit, but after a while, my butt was tired of sitting so much. I looked forward to getting up from time to time. I did create an exercise routine once I was more mobile and I did great at keeping up with it - initially. But after awhile, I started using my kids' schedules and my husband's routine as excuses to skip exercises. I need to get back into that routine. Regardless of the weight loss, there is nothing 'bad' that can come from exercise. But I'm not going to preach about it until I can practice it. Let me know how the doctor's appointment went. I'm so excited for you!

I wasn't very patient. The insurance adjuster with the practice gave me the billing codes that the insurance company was looking to approve. About a week or so after the paperwork was submitted, I called the insurance company to verify that they got the request. I just had a streak of luck that day and they not only confirmed receiving the paperwork, but told me that it was approved as of that morning! Then I called the practice to give them the approval information and the person I spoke to on the phone just went ahead and scheduled my surgery during that call! Maybe it was just a matter of good luck, good timing and just happened to talk to the right people at the right time, but I didn't have to wait for my appointment with the doctor. But it definitely sounds like you should get that date set during your appointment on the 17th. I know that you are anxious to get this going. It's like your date will be a new beginning and you want to know when your new life will begin. I think that's normal. But I kept telling myself that there is a reason for everything, even if it is for me to practice patience. Have you purchased your Vitamins yet? I highly recommend you get them ahead of time. I didn't start taking my bariatric vitamins until after surgery. I felt that they were too expensive to take before I needed that kind of specialty Vitamin. But I was taking a 'regular' multi-vitamin before surgery. It's nice to get that routine started before hand. Did you know that they sell the special bariatric vitamins in the gift shop at Sycamore Hospital? It's convenient and they are basically the same price that you would pay online. I think the ones that I buy may be $1-2 more than online, but I'm not paying for shipping, so I consider it equivalent. They have a few different brands to choose from. I did a bunch of research online on the 2 main brands and couldn't decide. I e-mailed the dietitian and asked her opinion. She gave me her recommendation and I've stuck with it so far. My first 2 rounds of bloodwork were great, so I have no plans to make any changes.

I had Dr. Schumacher with Kettering Bariatrics also at Sycamore. Sycamore recently acquired their Center of Excellence credit. My insurance originally was approved for Good Sam because my insurance would only have surgery done at a hospital with a center of excellence approval. But when my surgery was being scheduled last December, Kettering Bariatric told me that Sycamore had just gotten their approval and they were able to work with my insurance company to get it moved to Sycamore. I had a great experience at Sycamore. It was my first and only experience with that hospital, but I have nothing but good things to say about it. The staff was wonderful. Everyone was kind and helpful. I hope you have the same experience. Which doctor will be doing your surgery? I chose Dr. Schumacher because a coworker had him do her surgery about seven years ago and she thought he was wonderful. I have encountered Dr. Brown at some of their seminars and he seems very nice as well. I actually have a 6 month check up with Dr. Schumacher on Monday. I'm happy for you that you have recently been approved. I remember how excited I was when I got the news. My main disappointment that I had was that I had to wait until January for my surgery because the doctors don't do surgery in the latter half of December because of the holidays. But I'm sure that is not a time constraint that you will be affected by. In the long run, I'm just very happy that I had my surgery. By having it in January, I have hit my deductible and just about everything else has been covered for me this year. Once you know your surgery date, please share it. And let me know if you have any questions. I can only share my personal experience and I am only 7 months out. But I'm willing to share my experience if you have any questions.

I know this is a very old post but I figured it doesn't hurt to check in and see if a support group was ever put together. If so, I am interested. Please let me know any details that you have to share. Thank

Hi there. I'm in that area. I had surgery in January. So far so good. Have you heard anything yet about an approval?