ColleenErin1974

Oh! My bad! I totally forgot about not having aspirin and ibuprofen. Sorry about that[emoji39]

Are you having it done in Temple at S&W? My surgeon is Dr. Rodriguez. Waiting on insurance approval here.

I have a Medicare advantage insurance through United Healthcare. They required me to do a 3 month medically supervised diet. Which I started in November. I met my surgeon on 1/30/17. The surgeon had me do quite a few prerequisite. I finished them on 2/23/17. My information was finally sent to UH for approval. That is where I am right now and it's hard to wait for approval. Good luck to you!!!

Anticipation can really mess with you. Take deep breaths and remember why you're doing this in the first place. You are in my thoughts! Feel free to PM me anytime if you need to chat! 😀

Are you going to S&W in Temple? I see Dr. Rodriguez. I'm in a holding pattern waiting to hear from insurance for approval. I'm anxious to get my surgery date! Good luck to you and feel free to PM me if you need a buddy!

Anticipation is the worst. I'm pre op for RNY, but I have had a number of surgeries on my belly that are similar because of it being laporoscopic. The air they put in your belly sucks, but when you walk that will subside. You may be a bit more sore do to having 2 procedures in one. Voice all of your concerns in pre op. The doctor will see you before you go in. Anesthesiologist will also see you prior. Tell them what you are worried about and they can reassure you before surgery. You will have a pre op nurse too and you can chat with them also. You will be on good pain meds and anti nausea meds too. If you're having more pain than you can handle, speak up and tell your nurse. They want your pain under control and have you as comfortable as possible. You will be ok. Every day you'll feel better, give it time. Good luck and God bless! I'll keep you in my thoughts! You got this!

Where are you having your surgery?

I started walking in 11/16. I started my doctor supervised weight loss then. I didn't see the surgeon until 1/30/17. I slowly increased the length of my walks from 1/4 of a mile then to 1 1/2 miles now. It's a good workout for me because I live on top of a huge hill. Going down is easy, but the return trip back is all up hill. I started at 258 pounds in Nov. and now I'm down to 238 pounds. So, it's working! I want to get up to doing a 5k in the future. But first, I just want to get my surgery date! LOL!

Congrats to you! That is a huge step. I quit ion my birthday this past September. I just smoked the one cigarette that was left on 9/10/16 and haven't touched any since! I quit smoking many times in the past, but this time was different. It's the first time I tried cold turkey and it worked! High five, Lady! You are awesome! I hope your appointment went well! Take care!

I too use Zulily! They have great deals if you look. I'm pre op, but shopped a bit on Zulily for some tunic shirts and leggings. They have tops from $6.99 and up. They have leggings from $9.99 and up. My other go to is Woman Within. Huge selection there. They are a plus size catalog store. Take time to look at all their clothes and you can find great buys! They have from size 14/16 up to 5X. Just take time to look for the sales. Almost every day they have some sort of promo or sale. These clothes are well made and comfy. They tend to run big. Hope that helps! Good luck!

Magnesium citrate is use to empty the bowel. How it works is it pulls water from the body into the intestines to help expell feces. This action alone will cause cramping do to dehydration. You may be drinking enough in your eyes, but the magnesium pulls away your fluids and that alone gives cramps, but your body is also stripped of certain nutrients. It can decrease your potassium and increase lactic acid production which causes the pain and cramps. Try eating 2 bananas a day to increase potassium and help with cramps. Also, try adding pedialite a couple times a day. This will help balance your electrolytes. Just keep as hydrated as you can and try to stay away from caffeine. I hope this helps! Good luck!

Wow! You've been at this for sometime. Congratulations on getting your surgery date! My doctor sent my stuff to the insurance company this past Thursday. I'm on pins and needles waiting to hear my surgery date. This is all very exciting! Good luck!

There is an over the counter medicine for nausea. It is called Emetrol and is in the isle with pepto bismol. For your migraines I found that Excedrin migraine helps a lot. These 2 symptoms are made much worse if you are dehydrated. If you can, get some pedialite and sip on it as much as possible. You can try sugar free jello and sugar free Popsicles too. Good luck!

It is hard to kick the soda addiction, but know that you are better off without it. I had a close friend who drank Diet Coke for years. She would have between 6-10 a day! A few years back she started to become gravely ill. She had all the signs and symptoms of MS. She had severe leg pain, loss of mobility, tremors, headaches, fibromyalgia, insomnia, and the list goes on. Come to find out, that after all the MS testing was done, she did NOT have it. She stumped the doctors. I told her regularly to stop the soda addiction, but she just couldn't go without it. After more issues, out of work on disability, and more doctors, we found out what was wrong with her! She had toxic levels of asperitame in her system! This unnatural sweetener was in all respects, killing her. She did slowly phase the soda out of her life and slowly her issues started to resolve. Unfortunately, the damage is done and irreversible. She will always have lingering problems and symptoms. You would think that her finding out this, that she would never touch the stuff again, but she started drinking it again and low and behold, she remained sick and her symptoms started again! Asperitame is very dangerous and should not be consumed ever. The withdrawal will suck big time, but your health is more precious than you know. Quit the soda ASAP, and you will do well! Good luck!

I'm from Copperas Cove, TX. I'm having my RNY at Baylor, Scott, White in Temple. My surgeon is Dr. Rodriguez. My chart is now at my insurance for approval. How did your surgery go? And who was your surgeon? Very anxious over here in Cove!

The first few days of a liquid diet suck. You don't have a problem, you're body is used to your old behaviors. You need to get in the mind set that puts you and your new state of mind before everything. You will be changing your whole way of life and subconsciously you may be sabotaging yourself without even realizing it. We all didn't get to where we are in a couple of days, so be easy on yourself. It will take time and a good attitude to break out of your old routine. If you get hungry while on the liquid diet, try something that may help satisfy you. You can't chew liquids, so you may not feel satisfied. Try some sugar free gelatin, sugar free Popsicles, and such. I like crunching on ice cubes. This is a long hard journey, so don't give up because you slipped. Recognize that this isn't going to be easy, but one day at a time you will get there. You got this!!

If you are having issues with the gas smelling not so pleasant, try charcoal tabs. They will make your stool black, but they help with gas pain and smell.

You could try using Palmers body oil too. It helped with my belly and stretch marks postpartum. It actually lightens up the color of stretch marks and keeps your skin soft and pliable.

You could try taking beano. The difference is that you take this before you eat instead of after when you get the gas. It is more a preventative measure rather than post food and trying to stop the gas. Good luck! I hope this helps.

Why not do both? It will let you see how far you've come! Good luck!

The straw that broke the camels back for me, was sitting on the floor skyping with my daughter and trying to get off the floor. I felt like those stupid commercials, "I've fallen and I can't get up!" It was humiliating trying to get myself up. I couldn't even handle my own weight. My knees felt like they were going to dislocate, I got very shaky, and could barely lift up myself using a chair that was near me. I realized that I'm miserable and need to change. I want to go out and not feel like everyone is watching me and silently judging me. I need to change the voices in my head and make them like me. So, I'm on pins and needles waiting for insurance approval, so I can move on and up in my life! I want to go on a cruise with my daughter and enjoy myself for once! We decided that I will do this for me and her! I want to see her finish college and become the veterinarian she wants to be! I want to see her get married and I want to be an awesome grandma some day! So, here I go!

I just got flinstone vitamins to try preop and I find they make my GERD worse. I guess I'll try something else.

I just got flinstone vitamins to try preop and I find they make my GERD worse. I guess I'll try something else.

In the past, I had to have 2 laporoscopies for endometriosis. This surgery is done like gastric by pass. They fill you with air for the surgery. You could use this as a story. The pain is the same. So, if you want to use a cover story tell them that. And say you needed to change your diet to, so you can prevent issues in the future. Good luck! Lol

After being frustrated with the surgeons office, I took some advice given to me in this forum. I called the office and asked where my case stood. The girl I talked to was clueless about any of it. So, I asked to speak to the manger. I was transferred to her office and she let me know what was going on. She stated to me, yet again, I need to wait for medical clearance! I was like, you're kidding me right? I told her all my prerequisites have been done since 2/27/17. She pulled my chart and said I should have been cleared weeks ago! She said she would personally give the surgeon my chart and get me cleared. I waited 2 days to call back and left a voice mail for the manager. She called back right away! I'm now cleared for takeoff! She submitted everything to my insurance and now I wait some more. I have UHC Medicare Advantage plan. Does anyone have an idea how long it takes to get approved? I just want to get my surgery date as soon as I can. Sorry for the rant! Any information about this would be very helpful! Thanks!