ChaosUnlimited

You got this! You're going to do fine! Make sure to post updates to let us know how the surgery went.

Congrats! I'm so happy for you! That is right around the corner!

Pain management is a factor in my decision. I have several herniated discs in my back and neck, had surgery to fix one of them, but still can't do all I would like to do. I used to live on Ibuprofen, but since I lost kidney function in one kidney a couple years ago, I can't take it any more, so I've had to use Tylenol and ice/heat therapy, and I do strengthening exercised with bands. Several years ago, I lost 90 lbs doing weight watchers and working out like crazy. I was still overweight, but I felt really good, I had more energy, and my back pain was significantly decreased. I have since gained back half of what I lost, and I can tell you carrying around the extra pounds is very noticeable and I can feel it with everything I do. I am looking forward to having less pain again when I get these extra pounds off for good!

Thank you @Sweet as peaches!

@jessgnc It looks like I'm late to the party and you are already feeling better about your decision. You've researched extensively and have been prepared for the changes that will come with this surgery. Trust in your decision. Think of it as a preventative to having problems later in life. I'm 48 and have struggled with my weight most of my life, but really ballooned into morbid obesity after my third child 17 years ago. I can tell you that I wish I would have taken this more drastic step to lose weight years ago, because looking back I have so many regrets. I wasn't as social as I like to be because my self confidence was terrible. I didn't do fun things with my kids but stayed on the sidelines watching everyone else have fun riding amusement park rides because I was afraid I wouldn't fit in the seat. I didn't want to travel by plane unless I had to because of the tiny seats, the looks I would get, and the embarrassment of needing a seatbelt extender. I didn't want to be in pictures with everyone else because I couldn't stand to look at myself, so now when we look back at memories, it's like I wasn't even there. I wasted some of the best years of my life being obese, and I will never get that back. It hurts. So imho, you are investing in your future. A future of health and happiness and many adventures you might not have had opportunity to enjoy if not for taking this step. Much love to you my friend!

I take a multi vitamin and vitamin D but that is part of my daily routine for years. I definitely don't see how a multivitamin could hurt until you get ready to have surgery and have instructions to stop. My nutritionist recommended starting biotin 5000 mcg, one in the morning and one at night. I started it almost 2 months ago and around the 6 week time period after starting it noticed a difference in my hair, it has more body and shine, and I even get compliments on it at work when I haven't done anything different to it. Have you started seeing a surgeon or nutritionist yet? The best thing to do is find out what the program you are doing recommends.

Sending good thoughts to you for your surgery and for your dads recovery.

I would love for it to be on 5/31! I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I still didn't hear from them today, I called and left a message this morning. I'm so frustrated with how slow they move!

@jessgnc I got my approval today! Now I'm waiting for a date. Krista said she knows I'm on the list of calls the schedulers will be making. When you got your insurance approval, did it have an "approval for admission date"? And if it did, was it the the actual date you ended up with? Mine says I'm approved for an admission date of 5/22, I'm wondering if that is just a date they put for the approval process. When do you start your pre-op diet? I purchased some different flavor shakes to start stocking up. My son opened the cookies and cream protein powder thinking there were cookies in the package, and he was so disappointed, lol.

That's awesome! I hope you hear soon! It's hard to believe this is finally going to happen!

I found out from my insurance today that I am approved!!!!!! Thanks for all the good thoughts, I am also sending good thoughts to those others who posted they are waiting. Now I'm just waiting for a date. My insurance approval said I was approved for an admission date of 5-22, does anyone know if that's just an informal date the surgeons office gives to get approval, or will that be my date? I'm dying to know!

Keeping my fingers crossed!

I think that whether to tell or not is a very personal decision with no wrong or right answer. You should do what you are comfortable with. When I first started seriously considering WLS, I didn't want anyone to know. I had one friend who was also interested in doing it, and we decided to be each others support and keep it to ourselves. I was embarrassed about it in the beginning. Five years ago I had lost 90 lbs by doing Weight Watchers, doing cross fit and running mud races, but over the past couple years after a back injury I have put 50 lbs back on. I felt like a failure, and I was very hard on myself about it. It was like admitting defeat, which doesn't come easy for me. Now, as I have worked through this journey, I have become more educated about obesity and more comfortable with my choice. Once I made the decision on what surgery I wanted and completed the pre-op requirements it became more real for me and I started telling some people I'm close with. For the most part the responses were positive, my mom is the only one who is driving me crazy about it, lol. I wasn't going to tell her until it was done, but she found out I had an EGD and wanted to know why, so I wasn't going to lie about it. Now that it's getting closer to approval (I hope!) I'm telling more people, I don't have the same reservations about discussing it. I've told my co-workers and a few other friends and family. Do what you feel is best for you. Your feelings might change as you progress on your journey, or maybe not, but you will know whether it is right for you to tell others. Best wishes on your journey!

Woo hoo! Thankfully your appeal didn't take too long, and that date is going to come up fast. Congrats! I'll be looking forward to hearing how the pre-op diet goes. I'm still waiting to hear from insurance. I knew UHC would take their sweet time.

@jessgnc Have you gotten a date for surgery yet?

Good luck, I hope you hear back and get good news! Thanks to all!

I got the 36 oz RTIC bottle with a sports bottle cap. (A friend personalized it) I absolutely love it! I haven't had anything hot in it yet, but it keeps things cold for a very long time. The top of the bottle has a wide mouth for filling so you can use cubed ice, and the sports cap is perfect. The only negative is that the bottle is wide so it takes some getting used to trying to hold it, and it doesn't fit in a car cup holder, but I'll take those trade offs for having a larger amount of water on hand. They have smaller size bottles that I haven't tried yet for those who would like something that fits their hand better.

I'm trying to plan ahead and work out how I will organize taking my vitamins and my meds, and how I will carry them when away from home, like at work or out running errands. I was told I'll be taking vitamins 5x a day. I know I can't take iron supplements with calcium supplements, so those will be at separate times. And I have a thyroid med I have to take first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, with no other meds. I've been looking online for pill organizers and such, but I'm not sure the ones I have seen will fit my vitamins. I'm thinking about getting the Wellness Travel Pack to carry in my purse (although it looks bigger than my wallet!), see the link below, and then I'll get a day/night weekly pill container for morning and bedtime. How do you manage to stay on schedule with your vitamins? Any suggestions for good pill reminder apps? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LSS8XY8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=AOATZGAGS23LI&th=1

I saw the patches when I was looking online and wondered if they worked. I'll have to keep them in mind if I have any issues with the pills.

@jessgnc I'm so happy for you! All the work to get to this point has paid off. Congrats!

My friend swears by Hydro Flask, she said the ice she puts in lasts all day and she just keeps refilling the water. https://www.hydroflask.com/32-oz-wide-bottle#92=63 I want to get one but can't bring myself to spend that much on a water bottle! RTIC is supposed to be just as good at a more reasonable cost. I have one coming in the mail, so I'll let you know how it works when I get it. https://www.rticcoolers.com/shop/drinkware

Hi @charsarie, welcome to the board! I noticed that you've posted on a couple of threads about having issues with hunger but not being able to eat. I don't have any advice because I am still pre-op, but have you discussed this with your doctor or nutritionist? What types of things are you eating and how often? I believe it would help if you post this as a new topic, I think more members might see it and reply.

You look amazing! Congratulations on your hard work and accomplishment. BTW, I really love that outfit with the black pants and white and black floral shirt. So cute!

I haven't had surgery yet, but I'm planning out how it will work when I am post op and having to take the vitamins. I work in different areas so I will have to find a way to carry them with me too. I haven't purchased the post op vitamins yet, but they gave samples at one of my nutrition classes so I saw how big some of them are, it'll be hard to find a pill carrier they'll fit into. Thanks for the tip on the app. Does it send you reminders at certain times?

@pittsHere is the link to the site I was telling you about, there are a lot of videos so you have to scroll down to the Weight Loss Surgical videos, there are separate ones for each surgery. The first one, "part one" explains the normal anatomy. I like the explanations he gave, and he's just so darn cute with his little bow tie, lol. https://www.dssurgery.com/resources/videos/