Psyched

Welp, I am an October sleever no more. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea during my sleep study, so now I have to wear the CPAP for 30 days and receive a clearance for my pulmonary doctor before I am cleared. My follow up with him is the end of October; therefore, I will more than likely end up in November baring nothing happens with my EGD Wednesday. I am really low key disgusted, but it is what it is. I can't even take my class while i log my 30 days using the CPAP... I really wish I could. It has been my pleasure being amongst you Octobers Best of luck to you all!

Thanks for that quick meal tip! I am definitely trying it this week with a turkey taco mix that I make!

Hopefully my tastebuds will still want these after October because they are delicious. Next up if to try out some of @sillykitty's "paraphernalia"! I think I am going to try the laughing cow paired with the cracker, maybe even the Kay's parmesan (I think) that I ordered and I am going to also try smoked gouda. Thanks for all of these wonderful suggestions!

@Matt ZYASSSSS!!!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽 on point!

That's a lot of cheese!!! I'm not really into cheese unless it's on something, but not just to sit and eat it. I said that I was going to try some different kinds. If you don't mind sharing, give me your top 3 favorites.

Glad to know that. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks. You are absolutely right. I've been on here for 3 months and have learned so much. I don't crave too often, but when I do... it's unmistakable, because there is zero nutrition in almond m&ms 😂. Yeah, it was just something about the term "head hunger" that grabbed me. I will tell you what has been SUPER hard, like EXTREMELY hard for me (during these months that I have been trying to prepare myself mentally and just do a complete overhaul with my habits and life pre-surgery) and that is not drinking while eating. OMG, it is like if I don't drink this water I am going to die! 😂😂 that has been really hard for me. I am just hoping the switch will flip post surgery. Meanwhile, I am still working on it.

If all goes well, I'll be sleeved next month (fingers crossed). I REALLY like what you shared and the terminology used... "head hunger". It definitely made the cut to go on my closet door of quotes! Thanks!

@CrankyMagpie, no worries, trust me, I totally understand. Please take note of my last three or four lines though. I am under no disillusion. I am sure it probably works for me now because I am pre-surgery. I may and probably will feel differently post surgery and I've accounted for my feelings changing by saying okay, we may only go out with my best friend and her family (as she knows about it and knows two or three bites and I'll probably be full). Or if we have to go to dinner with other people (because for us there is no way around it sometimes), it's probably a cup of soup for me. So, I definitely understand and can empathize. We are all different though and I enjoy reading everyone's journey and learning as I travel my own, so, thank you for sharing! I wish you all the best. Keep us updated!

Don't stress. I know easier said than done. Just try to keep busy and make sure you are caught up on laundry, baseboards clean (hahaha, interesting person I am, I know!!!), anything that provides busy work for you to keep your mind occupied. Give them a few more days, most of us jump through a lot of hoops to have the surgery, clearance after clearance after clearance, over the course of a couple of months. They are probably just trying to be thorough sifting through it. If they haven't reached out with something in a few more days then, I'd probably reach out to them. I think everything will be fine, some just take a little longer than others. Best wishes and best of luck to you! Keep us updated.

That's a great idea! I like it.

What if when you order your meal you immediately ask for a "to go plate" as well? I order my food and I literally do not take a breath when I say "and may I have a to go plate with that order please". They look awfully confused and sometimes will ask, "you want a to go plate now?" I smile and respond, "Yes, please, when you bring my meal, please bring a to go plate along with it. <Insert smile and batting eyelashes>" It does a couple of things, it trains me on portion control, but it also trains those around me so that they won't think anything of me eating a little or sometimes not eating at all when they are eating, but instead having a protein drink (which I have done in several meetings and gatherings), so after this surgery next month they will probably just think, "she is just going to far with this "dieting" stuff :-)". Now, I do know that the portions change even more DRASTICALLY after surgery, so we'll probably only go to dinner with my best friend and her family! HAHAHA!!!! When we HAVE to go with others, I'll probably just order a cup of soup or something.

I am an extremely private person.... extremely. My not broadcasting it has zero to do with shame and everything to do with, I just simply don't like people knowing my business. I also don't like the thought of having to navigate the inevitable "concerned" but not really concerned "friend" or family... I don't have the energy; but really it is just simply that I am protective of my journey. I am soooo excited that I made the decision and I just want to enjoy every part of it, minus the weight of having to introduce other people into MY journey. I immediately changed my eating habits, so that won't seem strange at all to people because I've been high protein/low carb and drinking protein and eating tiny portions since July now. Of course my husband knows, my mom (I don't even know if she told my dad), and my best friend... that's it. That's whom I decided to share my journey with and I am at peace with it. I wish you the best!

That stinks. I can understand if he feels overwhelmed by everything going on in his life and I would certainly respect his feelings; however, if it was me, I would thank him for his willingness to assist me and express my gratitude and appreciation and then I would have surgery Oct.1 and go to my home. I would make sure I had whatever I need before I go in for the surgery, errands taken care of, if there are any bills that require me actually physically going to pay them (just in case you feel like you want to just be for a while. You will have gone through a lot, a lot of build up to get to this point, a lot of emotions and thoughts, I imagine you will want to spend a while processing and decompressing a bit afterwards. At least that's how I operate.), liquids stocked, protein stocked, whatever preparation looks like in your world, I would have it done and I would have surgery. There are sooo many hoops that you have to jump through to get to this point that I wouldn't want to prolong it a day longer. There is also the issue of your insurance rolling over into your new deductible for next year (assuming it's not a self-pay surgery). I could go on and on, but the bottom line for me is that, I wouldn't think one way or another about who is being selfish or whether anyone is being selfish, nor would I in give too much thought to him asking me to wait until the new year, I just simply wouldn't wait until the new year. I would just explain to him that he knows it takes a lot to get to this point, I don't want to prolong it another minute, I do not want to walk into the new year racking up medical bills and new deductibles, etc. I would have my surgery. I hope it works out for you! Keep us posted.

Congrats to everyone who has been approved for October! It's exciting to read. :-)

Oh gosh. They wanted to do that to me once and I declined lol. I’m sure it won’t be THAT bad If I could, I surely would!!! I am NOT looking forward to that. Everything else has been scheduled, but they haven't mentioned the ABG test again, so fingers crossed. :-/

Thanks for the update!!

Arterial Blood Gas test, taking blood from the artery instead of the vein.

I'm sorry that you are having a rough time right now. I hope it gets better for you. I am sure things will settle down after a while and you will be well on your way. Hang in there.

Thinking about you and praying for you, @Frustr8!

Hey Everyone! I haven't gotten my date yet; however I do believe it'll be in October. My last weight management appointment is on the 24th of this month. My PFT and EKG are scheduled for Monday. My sleep apnea study is Monday night. I have my Iron Studies appointment on the 24th and my EGD is on the 26th. The only thing they haven't said anything about is the ABG, which I assume will take place during the Iron Studies Lab on the 24th. So, It's safe to safe I'll land somewhere in October. Everything has moved pretty quickly for me it seems. I must admit, I am not looking forward to the ABG. Has anyone else had it done? What was your experience?

I don't have my date yet, but I am pretty sure it will be in October. My final weight management appointment is on the 24th of this month and my final clearance is scheduled for September 26th. I too am looking for a group that will remain active and connected! So, I am definitely in.

Do you have any family that can be there for you? A best friend? Definitely link up with the support group that they have available for you. Outside of that.... this place. Even with the FULL support of my husband (taking off work to go to appts. with me, etc.) and my best friend's FULL support (she wanted copies of my plans so that she could eat just like I have to; she doesn't need to lose weight at all, just wants to love me and support me), this site has been nothing short of amazing for me and I need it. It's nothing like being able to connect with people who have traveled this road before, are on the journey now, or even considering it. That's a different kind of support and it's needed and important and I, along with many others here, certainly will do me best to encourage you along the way.

Yes, now that you mention it, he did the same. I didn't mind it so much. The 600 questions, was really about 20 solid questions with some unimportant questions thrown in, asked 600 different ways. I was exhausted by it. I really didn't expect it. I am telling everyone who calls that I would like the first available appointment. Hopefully handling it this way will insure that I finish with all of these tests next month. Yes, definitely shouldn't be long after that for you.

How did your psych eval go? Mine totally drained me! I had to take a 600 question eval after I spoke with the doctor. It was exhausting. My pulmonary appointment isn't until the 27th. I am still waiting on all of the other appointments to start rolling in. I also had the three month medical weight loss that I had to complete. I go in for my second weigh in on the 28th. I am hoping to have all of these evals completed by my 3rd and final weigh in in September. When will you finish your 3 months? Progress is so exciting!