Apple203

Prayers for successful cath.

huh, interesting! Off to see if I can upload food pics in myfitnesspal :-)

I'm pre-surgery, but working on building this habit. I literally set a 30 minute timer on my cell phone and place it on top of my water bottle. It is an interesting and difficult habit to build!!!

Yes! So glad you got an answer and corrective fix!!!

Wow, your BMI is lower than 35 -- are you worried about approval? My paperwork should go in for approval in about 3 weeks. Nervewarcking.

LOL, you must be Catholic -- we are trained to be eternally guilty!! My doc measured me at my first visit -- found out I was an inch shorter than I used to be.

Aww, that bear is kinda cute! Safe surgery to you, let us know how it goes!

@FluffyChix, @Creekimp13 You are both at 60.3 lbs lost -- what a coincidence!

Can you believe he hasnt posted an update yet???

Not drinking water around meals is much harder than I expected!! I set my phone timer and literally put it on my Yeti cup.

Just stay on top of it (not that this helped me that much, LOL). My local sleep center uses a middleman that gets approval from your PCP for the equipment, and then gets insurance approval. After that point, another company steps in arranges for someone to go to your house for the initial training and setup. My middleman was pretty bad, made a few time-consuming errors, like sending my information to the surgeon instead of my PCP, where it sat for a long time.

My score was 32. I have an appt to get my CPAP machine 2 weeks from now -- 3 months after my overnight study. Hope you don't experience the delays I have!

Best wishes to you, let us know how it goes!

Congrats on reaching the losers' bench! Have you been able to walk the hospital hallways?

@Creekimp13 May I ask what your pre-op diet was? Bethesda = Walter Reed? I'm in Maryland, my surgery in Annapolis, but I am keeping an eye on Hopkins' requirements, too. Avoiding ultra low-calories for an extended period makes a lot of sense. My surgeon's one unique insight at our orientation is that sleevers lose as much as bypassers at 5 years. He is allowing us to eat low carb (I've calculated 800 cals) for our pre-surgery diet: 3 meals with 4 oz protein, 3 fruits and/or yogurts, 2 T salad dressing, some nut proteins, and veges.

I would feel so much better if all of our surgeons landed in roughly the same place, but the recommendations are all over the freakin' place!!!

Great post!

Also, neck circumference of 18" is indicative.

Hang in there, Dez, and please let us know what happens.

Me! I have 4 weeks of physical therapy in "BOP", a bariatric optimization program ordered by surgeon. BOP is strongly encouraged by my surgeon both before and after surgery, 4 weeks each, but not mandatory. I'm starting, tho, with 4 weeks of PT for hips, knees and balance, ordered by ortho. I also picked up a 21-day starter program online with free weights for my upper body. Baby steps :-) Gotta say, it feels good to move again!! Oh, and I haven't started BOP for another two weeks, so I am curious to say what others have done!

I believe the issue is rooted in the fact that the word "diet" has two separate meanings. di·et1 ˈdīət/ noun noun: diet; plural noun: diets 1. the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats. "a vegetarian diet" synonyms: selection of food, food, foodstuffs; More a regular occupation or series of activities in which one participates. "a healthy diet of classical music" 2. a special course of food to which one restricts oneself, either to lose weight or for medical reasons. "I'm going on a diet" (of food or drink) with reduced fat or sugar content. modifier noun: diet "diet soft drinks"

Good luck!!

@Sosewsue61 My surgeon also requires 1 week of clear liquids, so it must be at least somewhat common?

I am two months from surgery, and it occurs to me that I should start a blog to track my progress through what I hope will be an amazing, life-changing vertical sleeve surgery. I'm just going to list major milestones for the record. August Seminar with surgeon -- I'm sold! Dietitian #1 (Topic: Introduction) September Dietitian #2 (Topic: Meal Planning) Meeting with surgeon, got binder and "homework" assignments Scheduled all appointments with specialists Blood lab work Radiology exams October Dietitian #3 (Topic: Supplements) Cardio evaluation Sleep study at home Psych consult Endoscopy November Dietitian #4 (Topic: Restaurants) Stress test, echo cardiogram Sleep apnea study at Sleep Center for CPAP Appt with surgeon, surgery scheduled for 3/14 December Dietitian #5 (Topic: Post-op Diet) Osteoarthritis confirmation January Dietitian #6 (Topic: Exercise/Labels) For OA: 4 weeks of physical therapy, 2X per week Started a 21-day arm routine, 2# weights << seriously Stopped drinking wine (sad, LOL) Started dry brushing and exfoliating (hope springs eternal!) Started Biotin February (Planned) Dietitian (one-on-one) Physical therapy, pre-bariatic, 4 weeks, 1X per week Stop drinking coffee Pre-op with surgeon

Hair grows 6 inches a year, on average.