kordie

We are surgery twins! I also start my liquid diet on the 15th. We can be support buddies!

So, my surgery is on May 29th which means that I start my liquid diet in less than a week, next Tuesday. I have been trying to eat and say "good-bye" to as many foods as possible before that time. Well, tonight we went out for supper and I had a very yummy, huge omelet (didn't eat it all) with bacon, sausage and cheese. I also had two slices of toast with butter and jam. I was nice and full by the time that we left the restaurant. My issue is that when leaving the restaurant, I could smell someone in the area grilling and it smelled SOOOO good. Now I'm thinking that I need to have a nice big grilled hamburger before my liquid diet but have no access to a grill. Potato salad would be wonderful too. I just keep thinking of more and more foods that I want/need to have before next week. Has anyone else dealt with this and how did you handle it? I'm starting to freak out a little bit.....

I'm also a nurse, mental health for me.

Sorry, I probably shouldn't have been so descriptive.

I am having bypass on May 29th so very close. Welcome to the boards!

I am planning on just taking PTO while I am off but my surgeon's office says to get my FMLA paperwork together and turn it in before surgery. I know what FMLA stands for but at what point does it kick in? Should I be using that instead of my PTO or does it not matter? Thanks.

May 29th here.

That's where I get my Premier Protein. Cheapest price around.

I didn't ever think that I could break my diet soda habit but I did it - I really surprised myself. I'm a night nurse and would drink about 40-50 ounces of diet soda a night. I found a water that I really like (SOBE water) and used that to wean myself off of the soda. I always bring 2 bottles of SOBE each night and am able to get through a shift just with that and no caffeine. I do occasionally still have a soda, as I'm sitting here next to my large Diet Coke from McDonald's, but it is no longer an addiction. It's best to break the soda addiction before you have surgery as cutting it out cold turkey could cause really bad headaches from the sudden lack of caffeine. Good luck!

Yep. I think it's normal. My dietitian calls it the "Last Supper" mentality. I had to have Outback this past weekend one last time. I have a little less than 2 weeks to say goodbye to my favorites.

I am so excited. Wasn't able to schedule as early in May as I wanted but my manager is very willing to work on finding me a replacement during my recovery. Anyone else having surgery on the 29th?

Anyone?

May 29th!

I am in the same boat as you. I had a total thyroidectomy about 5 years ago and have been on Synthroid since. I swear that even taking fake thyroid hormone is nothing like having a real working thyroid. It is nearly impossible to lose any weight since the thyroid regulates all metabolism in the body and with no thyroid, metabolism seems to be almost nonexistent. This is one of the reasons that I feel like I need to have this surgery, to regulate my metabolism and hormones. Just keep doing what you are doing, maybe up the intensity of your workouts a bit, cut out a few more calories, etc. You can do it! Good luck!

Call and check on the status. I would check with the insurance coordinator at your surgeon's office first and if they haven't received anything from the insurance company, call them and see if there is anything delaying the approval. It doesn't hurt to be proactive. I, too, was in the same boat last week after having left many voicemails. It wasn't until I sent a message through MyChart to the insurance coordinator that she finally called me back and I got my surgery scheduled. Good luck! The waiting is the hardest!

Good luck! You've got this!

Congrats! I know it's exciting as I just got my surgery date too, mine will be on May 29th. I'm glad that you advocated for yourself and are going straight to bypass. Your doc should be there to guide you, not coerce you into doing something you don't want to do. Way to stay the course!

Ugh... So, last week, I had my last few appointments, was signed off by psych, dietitian and the surgeon. Received an email on Saturday that my primary insurance has approved me for surgery but have not heard back from the surgeon's office yet. I both emailed last Friday and called this past Monday and have not heard back yet. I really don't want to be a pain in the a** and keep bugging them but I really need to get this surgery scheduled as soon as possible. There are only a couple of days in May that would work for me and the surgeon only does surgeries on Tuesdays. Can't take off of work at all in June as the other night nurse that works opposite of me is on vacation that month. I do have secondary insurance through my hubby which needs to deny me coverage before the surgery. I'm thinking that this is possibly the hold up? The message that I left on Monday, however, addressed that concern because if I need to contact the secondary, I will to get them to turn in the denial. Just very frustrated that I've had this hanging out there for almost a full week at this point and the insurance coordinator is not returning my messages. Rant over.

So, they finally got back to me today. It sounds like they were waiting on the denial from 2nd insurance. However, their earliest surgery date at this point is May 29th. Ugh! I guess that I'm going to have to make it work as I don't want to wait until July to have this done. Am I being unreasonable wanting to schedule as soon as possible and not wait an extra couple of months?

Thank you for the advice everyone. I called and left a message again right away this morning for the insurance coordinator and never heard back. I will try again tomorrow and message the doc on MyChart to see if I can get anything moving. My issue is that I have to attend a dietitian class (which only happens on Mondays) before I can start the 2 week liquid diet...if I can can't attend that class this Monday then surgery on the 15th of May is out and then the 22nd would be my only option. Ugh...this is so stressful!

Good idea! I am going to try calling again this morning and if that doesn't work I will send a message through MyChart. Thanks!

Don't knock the Gazelle... I still use mine to get in some exercise since I don't have room in my house for a treadmill. I remember working out to Sweatin' to the Oldies with my mom when I was younger. Wonderful times! Any time I hear some of those oldies songs, it makes me think of STTO. "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to"....I still remember some of the moves!

I was wondering what kind of chewable/liquid multivitamin people are taking. I have tried the kids' Flintstones vitamins along with the generic Tylenol ones. Both leave a really weird aftertaste in the back of my throat. Any recommendations for a vitamin with iron that isn't too expensive? Thanks!

Thanks! I started the process at the beginning of January so it hasn't taken too long. I am having the bypass done.

Eeeeek! I am SO excited! I met with the surgeon on Thursday and got the approval today! My ideal surgery date is May 15th which is hopefully going to be possible! I can't believe that I am this close!