Sparker7

I have a question for those who've already had surgery with Dr Illan at the new BariatricPal hospital location. My sister is going as my companion person and will not go out without me to get food-she is not adventurous and is a very anxious person. While we are still at the hospital, is there a way for her to get meals that doesn't involve her leaving with the driver?

I want to document everything as I go, but don't want to do so in a place like Facebook where everyone I know can scrutinize my decisions. This seems like a good place. I'll be starting the two-week pre-op clear liquid diet in the morning. Dr. Illan will perform my procedure on November 4th. I've never been to Mexico, so I'm excited about going to a new place to start this new life. I may be going alone, which is sad, but I've flown from the US to Malaysia on my own, so it should be just fine. I received the protein water I ordered from Amazon yesterday and I'm not looking forward to drinking it, but I'm sure I'll manage. I'm going to make a stockpot full of homemade vegetable broth tomorrow and freeze some in single-serve dishes. Going caffeine-free is going to be a huge obstacle, so I think I'm going to brew a gallon of tea with one regular teabag and a few decaf bags to get used to it first. I'll take starting photos tomorrow, but I don't think I'll post them until I lose some weight and can use them for comparison. I'm at my highest weight currently. A few years ago I was able to lose via diet and exercise getting down below 200 for the first time in over a decade, but that didn't last long. I do believe this is my last chance and I'm ready to change. Starting Weight (10/21/17): 297 Height: 5'7"

I was denied surgery. My heart rate was too high. This is the second time in two years that something has happened at the last minute to keep me from this dream. I can't afford to keep trying (financially nor emotionally). Thanks for the support, I wish everyone the best.

At the airport!

No postponement needed! OMG I'm having surgery tomorrow!

Hi, I'm hoping to find someone else who was on blood thinners prior to surgery. I'm on blood thinners for life due to prior clotting and I have some questions for anyone else whom is also and is willing to chat about it.

Thank you both for replying. I take warfarin and my last dose was the 30th with surgery on the 4th. I've been having excessive bleeding, so now I'm sitting in the lab waiting for blood work to determine why. I'm concerned about postponement and really hope it isn't necessary. My hematologist had me take a fondaparinux injection on the first and that's when the bleeding became excessive, so she had me not take one yesterday and I was already not supposed to take one today. I'm very nervous about the outcome as I sit here in the lab. It doesn't look like either of you have had complications so far. Hopefully this is just a tiny bump in the road for me and not a complication.

There may be a glitch, but I'm hoping it won't cause a problem. My hematologist wants me to go back in tomorrow morning for labs because she thinks my blood may be over anti-coagulated. Hopefully it rights itself in time for surgery Saturday. I have a history of blood clots, so I'm on warfarin for the rest of my life and have to go through specific protocols before and after any surgical procedures. I definitely don't want to bleed out, but I've wanted the surgery for so long I hope it doesn't have to be postponed.

I'm not worried at all, but my sister's boyfriend will be happy to hear that!

That's great, thank you so much for replying!

Stopped warfarin yesterday and gave myself the first shot today. I'm not bad with getting shots, but I'm not a fan of giving them to myself. I'm also down 13 pounds. I thought I'd lose a little more during the pre-op diet, but it's a decent amount.

Thank you. I have Cigna as well and I tried going through insurance last year. I hope you can figure something out.

You have the option of going to Mexico to have it done. My BMI is over 40, but I am still going to Mexico rather than dealing again with the long and expensive process of going through insurance. I will actually pay less as well because my deductible is $8000. I'll be on a flight headed to BariatricPal Hospital on Saturday morning.

Thank you so much!

This is my first Halloween without candy. I'm sorely missing mini almond joys.

Hi, I took a loan out with Avant. The interest rate is horrible-29%. My credit score is recovering from a layoff that led to going back to college and is a bit higher than yours, but not by a lot. I've had the same bank for 16 years, have a good job, and have my income direct deposited into my bank account. I thought I'd have no problem getting a loan with my bank. I went in and they suggested their credit card with zero interest for a year. I was declined within two hours. I'll be paying $1,500 in interest and fees which sucks, but if I don't, I'll be paying with my life.

I'm only at a house cat, but I'm pre-op, so hopefully it ends up being a set of the complete Oxford English Dictionaries.

It will turn out great and I can't wait to hear about it afterward!

That sounds so uncomfortable. I can barely stand the shakes. I really like the Protein2o water. I hope I can still drink them after surgery next week.

I could only find it on Amazon. It's not a bad price either.

Have you tried Protein2o water? I hate all other protein shakes/drinks/powder, but the harvest grape water grew on me. I actually look forward to drinking it now. I drove all the way to a friend's house to make her try it before I would taste it, that's how terrible I am about drinking/eating things I anticipate will be gross. It tastes like grape koolaid but without real sugar. I'm not a fan at all of artificial sweetener taste, but I can handle it in this. It has 0 carbs and 15 grams protein. I know the other clear protein drink has more protein, but I would rather go with something that I won't hate drinking and since you need 64 oz of water, you can drink them toward your water requirement instead of toward your meals.

I'll do that! I was a bit disappointed yesterday to find that despite the fact that I'm now down 10 lbs-losing daily-my waist measurement went UP an inch. That was not what I expected.

Thanks Fluffy! I was horrified by the pics I took as my before pics, so I just can't post them until there's an after pic that looks better. I'll attach a pic of the ingredients I prepped for broth though. It turned out great!

Kansas City, Missouri

I started with raw, unpeeled shrimp, onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic cloves, and tomatoes. I let that boil for about an hour and then added salt, pepper, cumin, crushed red pepper, and parsley. Boiled that for another hour or two-I didn't put on a timer. Once strained, I was surprised by how great it was. That's the first time I had made broth from scratch and I just put in whatever I liked, so I was happy it turned out. I like spicy, but I'll leave the crushed red pepper out during the post-op healing time. I've got another week on the pre-op liquid diet to enjoy it.