Ylime

Welcome Samantha!! ~Emily

Have you ever had bone broth? It’s so much richer tasting that regular broth and healthier too! I buy brands that are low in sodium and then add my own garlic salt into it. Makes it feel much more like a meal. ~Emily

Thanks - you guys have made me feel a bit better about my decision. I guess I’m just anxious because it’s such a big lifestyle change. ~Emily

My surgeon said I was a good candidate for either option. But my choice was easy and based on two things: 1. The bypass nearly killed my mother. 2. I’m self pay so I needed the least expensive option. Sleeve it is! ~Emily

Interesting that you all found bariatric recipes using these. Just this morning I came across an article that said won ton wrappers are a no no because they are just like pasta. All the conflicting info out there drives me nuts! How is anyone supposed to know what to eat?! ~Emily

So here's the million dollar question - Who, if anyone, are you telling about your surgery? My husband and kids know and my parents as well. I have yet to tell my brother but I will. I have one friend I will most likely tell as I know she'll be supportive. I don't plan on telling anyone else. I'm new in my job and aren't close enough to anyone here to feel like I want to share. I'm typically a closed book anyway so my general feeling is it's nobody's damn business even if they do notice I'm losing weight rapidly. What about you guys?

Welcome! You have gotten a lot out of the way already!!

That is awesome! I haven't worn shorts in forever mainly because being overweight makes it really hard to shave my legs. I'm looking forward to the day I can wear shorts again!

In Denver I can see online that individual 32oz bottles are $0.89 but the eight packs of 20oz bottles are $3.77 making them $0.47 each. I think I'll try some of the eight packs, but only buy a single grape given the wonderful reviews on here. lol

Let me know what you find out about the study and the impact on your surgery. I'm in a waiting stage with all that. Did you have previous GI issues or is just a precautionary test for everyone?

I'll echo what others have said about finding a different doctor. Every doctor has their own opinions about weight loss and it doesn't mean one is right and one is wrong. My appt with my PCP is next week and I don't know how she will react. I'm hopeful only because my surgeon knows her, but I failed to ask him if that was a good thing or not. But I have already identified a few other practices I could go to if she isn't supportive. Since I am self-pay I don't have to meet any insurance requirements, but I still want a medical team that is on my side and will support me when I need it. I read someone else say that you can also call your surgeon's office and ask them what PCPs most often refer their patients for the surgery so you can get an idea of who could be in your corner. I have a lot of medical issues and have dealt with my fair share of a** hole doctors. But in a large metro area doctors are in abundance and I have no patience for jerky ones.

Good luck ladies! So exciting for you to be starting your journey!

I am more concerned about complications than I am about actual death. Part of putting my fears to rest was to ensure I had complete confidence in my surgeon (based on his experience, reviews, empathy towards me and my fears) as well as confidence that the hospital I would be in had a dedicated bariatric unit so I would receive the level of care I needed and deserved. Lots of research helped as well and following all the rules you're given for before and after surgery reduces the risk of complications.

Try not to stress too much until you meet with the cardiologist. I had an abnormal EKG when I was pregnant with my son. That resulted in wearing a heart monitor for two weeks, an Echo, and a scope down my throat. All of that to tell me I only had an atrial septal defect, most likely from birth, but symptoms that were brought on by the excess weight during pregnancy. A block can be caused by this defect, or several other conditions. But from what I remember all of them are either medication or light procedures, but none are life threatening unless untreated.

Duplicate.

Welcome! Was your Upper GI a requirement or due to previous medical issues you had? I don't know yet if my surgeon requires this or not. Good! My psych and nut eval are still to come but I'm looking forward to them! You are moving right along!! Yay! Welcome to you too!! I'm anxious about getting to the point where I'm anxious for the surgery. lol I totally understand wanting it before your birthday, I'm that way too. My birthday isn't until November but I'd really like to be fully recovered and down a few pounds by then. Your surgeon seems very strict. Mine doesn't require any weight loss at all before the surgery and I love that he explained that that no one needs that stress before surgery and if people were able to lose weight on their own then they wouldn't be in his office in the first place! Good luck with your weight loss though, we'll be cheering you on! Have you already done the sleep study and are just waiting on the results. I'm waiting to hear if I have to do one or not. I've recently had a sleep related diagnosis and not sure how that will impact any sleep study needs.

Bear with me as I share my story of recent medical events, a scary diagnosis, and a validation of moving forward with surgery. Up until recently the only co-morbidity I had is chronic back pain due to my weight aggravating a spinal defect. It prevents me from doing everyday chores, but also exercising the way I want (lifting heavy things and conquering racing obstacles). The impact this has on my life as well as my increasing weight was enough to drive me to begin researching weight loss surgery. The other part of my story is that I have epilepsy and was first diagnosed when I was 13, so it’s been a part of my life for 30 years. For the most part it’s well controlled with medication but I do have the occasional breakthrough seizure. It had been nearly six years since my last seizure. This past Sunday my brain decided to go haywire and I had three seizures within a two hour period and didn’t fully wake in between any of them. I’ve never had back to back seizures before and certainly never three in a row, so my husband called the paramedics to take me to the ER. They admitted me to the hospital where I stayed for two nights while I recovered. While I was in the hospital the staff noted that my oxygen levels decreased drastically when I slept. They diagnosed me with Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome. I had never heard of this before and thought it was a different name for Sleep Apnea. While it’s related and sometimes occurs in combination with sleep apnea, it’s actually something completely different. The short explanation from my research is that “it’s a condition in which severely overweight people fail to breathe rapidly enough or deeply enough, resulting in low blood oxygen levels and high blood carbon dioxide (CO2) levels”. This is a condition that apparently can be fatal since elevated levels of carbon dioxide can create a variety of serious medical conditions. The good news is that it can be cured by weight loss which validated my decision to have the surgery. Further research on this condition cautions patients going into surgery to ensure their surgeons are aware as some sedatives used could worsen the condition. I am not one that subscribes to the “everything happens for a reason” theory. But I do believe that many situations are connected to other situations, even if we don’t recognize them right away. I believe the powers of the universe (whatever they may be) have a way of interfering in our lives in both positive and negative ways. I may never have known that I had this fatal condition if not for my hospital stay due to a pattern of seizures I had never experienced before. So I am willing to believe this was a way for the universe to both make me ok with the decision to have surgery but also ensure I was properly prepared for the potential risks that may come my way. This new information has also changed my perspective on the surgery itself. I am still a bit embarrassed by the need for the surgery and do feel like a failure that I couldn’t make all the normal weight loss tactics work. Because of this I had planned on keeping the surgery a secret from anyone not in my family. But now that I have a potentially life-threatening condition, I almost feel like I should be sharing my story with those around me. I’m still contemplating this piece, so we’ll see what happens.

Ugh - Well I hope you get the call soon!!

I am in LOVE with Vitamin Water Zero - I have an orange sitting on my desk right now. I too love the acai flavor. I've got a lemonade in my fridge that I plan on trying tonight. Really they just taste like watered down kool-aid to me. Not something I would normally choose, but when avoiding sugar, it's the way to go. LOL! Now I want to try the grape just to see how it compares to your review!

My mom had gastric bypass many years ago and due to an inept surgeon she nearly died and spent weeks in ICU. To make matters worse, my mom didn't tell her mom which of course ended badly since she had serious complications. So imagine how nervous I was to tell my parents I was going to put myself through a similar surgery. Not telling her wasn't an option because I learned from her experience. I went in armed with all the reasons my surgery (sleeve) was less invasive than hers, how technology had advanced since hers, and how much research I've done on the surgery and the surgeons I was considering. To my surprise both my parents were incredibly supportive. They are obviously concerned as they would be with any surgery, but recognize the benefits I'll get from this procedure. I would recommend just pulling off the band-aid and telling them to get it over with. They will probably need time to get comfortable with it so providing time prior to your surgery means they would be better prepared to support you afterwards.

Awesome Trixie! How did all your pre-op requirements go? Did you feel they were beneficial?

That's good to hear! I do think it will be good for me too. I'm looking forward to it and the dietician appt the most.

That's awesome that you had such a drastic drop in pressure with only a portion of your weight loss. I'm currently on just 1 liter of oxygen so not a lot, but anxious to be rid of it altogether. Thanks for the hugs! Thanks much. I plan on updating as I go through this entire process so stay tuned!

Yay! How was your psych eval? I'm reading some very different experiences here.

Absolutely - The more the merrier!! I think that I only have to do one visit with my dietitian. But my classes are once a month which I think is crazy since they are only 30-40 min long. I suppose for insurance purposes they want to stretch it out to be sure it's something someone really wants to do.