BarefootDrummer

July 27th in Sayre, PA with Dr. Aman.

@@MissB1982 - I am scheduled for July 27th also! I had hoped for sooner also, but then realized I have something going on every weekend in July! I will have to do the liquid diet through a few events, but at least I won't be post op. I have also read that there is less concern with malabsorption with the sleeve, however, we are going to be eating very little food. At least for the first few months, I don't think we can take in enough nutrients with our diet alone. So I think doing a Vitamin is a good idea. My doctor's office sells the Celebrate chewables. They said Centrum chewables are acceptable as well. They also said I need to take a chewable calcium citrate (had to be citrate) and they want me to take 2-3 of those a day and not at the same time as the vitamins, because the Iron in the vitamins doesn't let the calcium absorb as well. From prior surgeries I've had and from reading about the VSG, they will have you up and walking, but I've never heard of a marathon day like your doctor is proposing. I wonder if he just means that they'll have you up hourly or every few hours walking from the time you wake up until 10pm. Not like you'll be standing that whole time, but they will keep getting you back up. That makes a bit more sense. If that's not what he means, I guess you better pack a good pair of hiking shoes. LOL! Congratulations on your weight loss so far. You're doing awesome and are well on your way to a new you!!!

I just finished jumping through hoops and got my surgery date yesterday - July 27th! Yay!

I posted this on another July sleeve thread, but this one seems to be much more active, so I hope you don't mind me posting it here as well. Hi everyone. I'd like to join the club. :-) I just got my surgery date of July 27th! One month to go! I wondered if there were any other July sleevers who might want to be a sleeve buddy. I thought having some things in common might make our connection better. So here is a little info about me: I'm 42. I've yo yo dieted all my life. I believe I had some non specified eating disorders in the past. My BMI is 40. I like being active and keep getting tastes of it with the yo yo dieting, only to eventually end up back in this prison of a body again. I'm happily married with 3 sons. I have been doing a lot of healing work since my breast cancer in 2013 and have improved so many areas of my life, but this weight tethering me down is something I need to fix. I'm ready! I live in NY and am having surgery in Sayre, PA on July 27. I'm scared of the negativity and judgment I'll receive from some people, so have only told my husband and best friend about the surgery so far. I would love to keep it private forever, but just don't know if that's possible. I'd love to chat with someone else who also struggles with that part of it. I'm really excited for this new chapter of my life!!

I just got my date, I'm July 21st too!Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal App That's awesome! I have cancelled my surgery. Since I have a lower BMI, my Holistic doctor has persuaded me to try the HCG Protocol first as an alternative to surgery. I will starting Phase 1 in one and a half weeks. Good luck!! @@HOPEFULL7 - I did HCG a few times a few years ago. I did lose weight very quickly. I think just as fast as someone who had bariatric surgery. I lost about 20+ pounds per month. I tried to eat healthy after stopping it, but I think the weight came back faster than with any other diet. I gained weight as fast as I lost it. :-( Then the next year I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I've always wondered if the HCG played a role in that. (When you google, you will find some links.) I don't want to shoot your plan down. We always need support in weight loss. I'm here now, just approved for surgery after the 6 month supervised diet, etc and my sleeve date was confirmed today as 7/27. Yay! I feel like this tool will help me make this a permanent weight loss this time around.

Hi everyone. I'd like to join the club. :-) I just got my surgery date of July 27th! I see there are a few other July 27th dates here as well. One month to go! I wondered if there were any other July sleevers who might want to be a sleeve buddy. I thought having some things in common might make our connection better. So here is a little info about me: I'm 42. I've yo yo dieted all my life. I believe I had some non specified eating disorders in the past. My BMI is 40. I like being active and keep getting tastes of it with the yo yo dieting, only to eventually end up back in this prison of a body again. I'm happily married with 3 sons. I have been doing a lot of healing work since my breast cancer in 2013 and have improved so many areas of my life, but this weight tethering me down is something I need to fix. I'm ready! I live in NY and am having surgery in Sayre, PA on July 27. I'm scared of the negativity and judgment I'll receive from some people, so have only told my husband and best friend about the surgery so far. I would love to keep it private forever, but just don't know if that's possible. I'd love to chat with someone else who also struggles with that part of it.

From what I've read, I think the docs are pretty good at pushing the insurance companies a bit to get them to approve. I've heard the patient can call them and push too. I know the process is hard enough, you don't need the insurance company getting in the way. Good luck!!!

I had a follow up with the surgeon's office today. They submitted my info to insurance last week seeking authorization. 2 hours before my appointment, they got the call that I was approved! I really thought they might have to fight a little. My BMI is 40, but they required 5 years of obesity. I've been a yo yo dieter since I was like 9 years old. When I looked over my 5 year history with the doctors office, there were years I was in a decent range and then years I wasn't. She said it went through smoothly though. I have thought about surgery many times over the past 15 years, but I always decide against it. In November of last year, I decided enough was enough, it was time to pursue. I felt so discouraged though when they said I had to wait six months and do the supervised diet. My first appointment wasn't until January. The six months wasn't too bad. I was wishy washy a bit during that time. Do I really need to go this route? Is it too extreme? Will it even work for me? And it gave me enough time to come to a firm decision that this is the right move. I only recently told my husband about it. He probably thinks the process went very quickly. They gave me a surgery date of July 20th today. However, I think I need to change it and go the following week if they can. I'm supposed to go away that weekend and I doubt I'd be up for that. I'm considering cancelling our trip instead. I'll see what my husband says tonight. I really am excited! I can't believe my life is about to change! I get to be ME again and break out of this awful prison shell of a body!!!

Congratulations! I was just approved today too. Isn't it exciting?!!

Congrats! I was just approved today too!

Thanks for sharing your experience. I have just finished my six months and heard today that my surgery is approved by insurance! Yay!

Thanks for the tip Kindle. I'll have to give to Syntrax Nectar Naturals a try!

What does it use for sweeteners? This is the problem I have. Any artificial sweeteners give me headaches so I need to look for ones with Stevia.

Hello. I'm fairly new to the forum. I introduced myself on the pre-op board the other day. I have some post op questions though. I had my first surgeon's appointment in January, and have had 2 psych appointments, monthly dietician, fitness expert consults, EGD, bloodwork, have the letter from my primary, etc. My surgeon just submitted to insurance for approval last week. My BMI is 40 and I also have had breast cancer and a few other little things like joint pain, back pain, gerd. So hopefully the approval goes smoothly. If it does, I think I could have surgery in July. I made the decision to pursue this back in November, so this seems like it has taken forever. July, however, has things happening almost every weekend. I'd love to have the surgery sooner rather than later, but I'm wondering if it will really be possible. Can you tell me what some of your recovery experiences were like. Speaking from past surgeries, I recover really quickly. I've had a lumpectomy, port insertion and removal surgeries, gall bladder removal laparoscopically, tubes tied laparoscopically, and a surgery on my uterus. In all these cases, I was right back up and doing things like normal right away. So I do think I'll bounce back fairly quickly. But I know this is taking out part of your stomach and you will adjusting to that, etc. I also have a fairly high pain tolerance and have never had to take prescription drugs after surgery. Can you tell me about some of your recovery experiences? If you had surgery earlier in the week, would you have been able to go to a gathering that following weekend? Would I be in a lot of pain? Weak? Would people know something was up? Do I really need to wait until August? :-) Thanks. ~Holly

@@sankofasienna1104 - That's neat that we have such a similar story and are at a similar place in this process! We'll have to keep in touch. Your surgery date is approaching fast. Are you excited?

I'm pre-op but am really worried about the hair loss too. I had breast cancer and went shiny head bald from the chemo. I'm attempting to grow my hair long again, but it's just down to about my jaw now. I'm wondering if I should really try to go long right now if the hair loss is in my future. I have pretty thin hair to start. I've also gone on very low calorie diets for extended periods in the past and never had hair loss, so I question whether it will be an issue or not. I really hate the thought of losing hair once again. :-(

StaceyWJ- Do they ever combine the surgeries so you would just have to go in once? I can see your hesitation for two surgeries during the summer.

Hi all. I think I will be on the schedule in August. Yesterday I met with the dietician (for 5th time) and psych (for 2nd time) and they said they were going to review my case and try to submit to insurance. Today I received a copy of the letter they sent to the insurance. Now I'll be holding my breath for approval! I think I could probably schedule in July if they approve right off, but its such a busy month, I think it would be better to wait to the beginning of August. Heck, I made first contact with the surgeon's office in November, what's waiting a few more weeks? It is all feeling very real now though and I'm getting quite excited!

Hello. Probably like many of you, I've had weight issues since I was a young child. I have done many successful diets throughout my life (42 now) but have gained the weight back every single time (despite every time being "the last time"). I've considered the surgery several times in my life, but then in researching always come back to, "well I could just eat that few of calories without the surgery". Now I've gotten to the point where I feel like I don't want to go through this weight loss process again. I NEED for this to be the final time. And I have decided to pursue the sleeve surgery because it seems like a tool that might just be able to help me actually KEEP the weight off this time. I've been doing a lot of healing work in my life the last couple of years and have made really big changes to the way I live and move through this world. I find that the one thing that is still holding be back from becoming the person I want to be is this darn weight though! I need to break free. I feel like the weight restricts me in so many ways. I want to be a really active person. I love doing outdoor things, running, biking, climbing mountains, riding horses, and playing with my kids. I lose weight and get to do all those things, get a taste and BAM, I'm overweight and restricted again. My body hurts. It's falling apart and I want out! This time, the surgery seems like a real, valid option. I had my first visit with the surgeon in January. I told my best friend, who has always struggled with weight too, but I didn't tell anyone else, not even my husband. My insurance requires the 6 month diet/visits, and I kept thinking I'd tell him after this appointment, or that appointment. I finally told him just last week! He was super supportive and it feels like a weight off my shoulders having him know now. I really don't want to tell the rest of the world though. I'm embarrassed that I'm overweight. I feel like when you tell people you are doing/or have done WLS, they feel they have the right to judge you. They feel they are allowed to offer up their opinions, tell you how they think you should do it, and tell you if they think it's taking an easy way out. I feel like in so many judgemental people's eyes having surgery is "the easy way out" and like it's expressing ultimate failure. "She can't even eat right and exercise. She just has no willpower." I'm sure all or most of you know the truth. This is NOT the easy way out. It's a tool that will help me IF I do things the right way. You still have to work hard. It's not a free pass. But people who have only struggled with 5-20 pounds in their life, just can't understand the battle behind all of this. I've lost hundreds of pounds in my lifetime with all of these diets. They have no idea what you've gone through and what brings you to this point. I just don't want their judgment! I realize that I don't have to tell anyone. This is my life and my decision. I had surgery on my uterus to help my heavy periods and didn't feel like I had to run that by everyone, see if they approved, if they thought I'd struggled enough with dealing with it without surgery. LOL. Why is this different? Yet, I feel like part of me doesn't want to carry the secret, like that in itself will weigh on me as well. Have any of you struggled with this? I think it's probably best to not tell others for right now. Maybe I'll feel different after surgery? I have teenage children and I'm not sure how it will go not telling them. They have seen me do all sorts of diets though and I have been going away for classes I'm taking, so I might be able to get away with it. I've met most of my requirements now and surgery is around the corner. Yesterday the dietician explained the "stage 2" liquid diet to me and I met with the psychologist for the second time. The plan is for them to discuss me at their next group meeting, then submit to insurance for authorization. I think I could be approved for July surgery, but it's a busy month, so I think early August might be more likely. I'm really excited about the future and finally being free to be the real me once again, and I'm scared as well.

Thanks Montana Gal. I think having support is key as well and if I'm not going to tell a bunch of family and friends, then I think having a group like this will be really beneficial.

Hi reachbree. I'm new here and this is my first post. (Well, I've been lurking awhile.) I plan to make a more formal post of my own in a few minutes. We are about the same age and weight, and maybe at a similar point in the WLS journey. I also fear my mother will have a very negative reaction. Actually, I am positive she will. If I told her I won the lottery, she would have a negative reaction. LOL. I'm sorry you had to deal with her negativity. I have decided not to tell my mom at this time because this is a hard decision and I need to do what is right for me. I don't want other people's negative reactions playing into my own decision making process. What I keep thinking about is how will I feel when I am at a healthy weight and am able to be ME again and do all the things I want to in life. Will the negativity matter then because we will see the truth and how it changed our lives.