SleeveToBypass2023

No, actually, I didn't do that. I think I will. I really want a couple of boxes for when I'm sick of drinking everything and want to "chew" something.

Nope. Nothing there. I live in a major city, and we tried 3 Walmarts, 3 King Soopers, 2 Safeways, and 4 Family Dollars. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero.

I just ordered these, which I heard a lot of good things about: https://www.target.com/p/olly-women-39-s-multivitamin-gummies-berry-90ct/-/A-16821439?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tmnv&DFA=71700000090618801&CPNG=PLA_DVM%2Ba064R000012KvryQAC-Olly_Google+Always+On_2022_Flight-591439&adgroup=PLA_Olly&LID=700000001393753pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9028787&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmPSSBhCNARIsAH3cYgZt1kU2DZVMKxnoEBCadQOCvHKAowzxp1IPxysbV5rshRGClvPQfnsaAnzzEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Those are what I was looking for, but there wasn't any at all!!! Like, REALLY? I always see them, and now when I actually need them, NOPE!!!

I only have to do 1 week. And I can have broth, water (I'm doing protein and electrolyte water), protein shakes, and protein smoothies. I bought A LOT so I have enough for the 1 week before surgery and the 2 weeks after. I can also have sugar free popsicles (I literally can't find any at WalMart, King Soopers, Safeway, or Family Dollar!!!!) And that's it. That was all I was told I can have. My dietician said it's because it's only a week, so no small meals or mushy foods or anything

Is there a thread or something where everyone can share before and after pics of their weight loss? I'd love to see the progress being made and cheer everyone on while I wait for my surgery day to get here. It also might be good for all of us who might not see the difference in the mirror to get others opinions, so we can see and hear that we ARE making progress and other people can see it, even if we can't ourselves.

Here's a few sites I found that can explain what all that means (you may already know all this, but for anyone who sees your post and doesn't know, maybe this will help) AST: https://www.mrlabtest.com/high-ast-blood.htm ALT: https://www.yhktherapy.com/en/manage-your-liver/detail/160/what-does-elevated-alt-level-means-and-when-is-treatment-needed 5 liver test meanings: https://www.agelessforever.net/anti-aging-news-blog/got-elevated-liver-enzymes-here-s-how-to-interpret-your-liver-function-tests

I have type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, PCOS, and MS and my bmi is well over 40. I was approved within 48 hours by my insurance. I can understand that your diabetes and whatnot are concerning, but they are not anything that would knock you out of surgery. Now, the A1c at 10 may need to be a little lower (my surgeon won't do surgery on anyone with A1c over 9.5) but the rest shouldn't be much of an issue. At least for insurance. If anything, they will help you. But if your doctor won't give you the clearance, that might be a problem.

I plan on getting my hair cut in the next week or so. Right now it's almost down to my butt and I plan to get it cut to just barely past my shoulders.

My weakness is anything sour, tart, salty. I don't have a sweet tooth so I don't care about that. I also don't like bread. But Dt Mt Dew and Dt Coke...oh lordy....out of everything, that's gonna be the hardest to break. I was told the caffeine isn't an issue as long as you stay well hydrated (they said caffeine can dehydrate you) but the carbonation is a big no no because it can irritate and stretch the pouch.

This worries me. I'm getting the sleeve on the 3rd and I'm really nervous about GERD. Did you have any reflux or heartburn issues before the sleeve, or did it start after the surgery?

That's so sad! There's so many options out there, to have gone through them all and gotten no relief hurts my heart. I hope she gets some help really soon. And thank you for your kind words. I'm stable for now, have bn for the last couple years, but I still get the breakthrough tremors and spasms and head fog (and SERIOUS memory issues) but I've learned to live with them. I will gladly take that over the full blown flares any day.

So glad you asked. I was wondering the same thing LOL

Why not just have soda or virgin drinks? You don't have to stay home and be left out. As long as you're there with your friends, does it matter what you're drinking? If they're you're friends, they'll understand why you aren't drinking alcohol and they'll just be glad you're there with them.

I'm sorry to hear this. What kind does she have? I have RRMS (relapsing-remitting MS). It can be a struggle at times, but there are really good medications out there, and new ones coming out all the time. I'm on the strongest oral med there is, but there's also a lot of injections and IV infusions. Has she tried those?

I've never heard of this!!! I'll look into it. Thanks!

Yes. When I had them, they would comment that my company chose an excellent plan. Worth every penny, believe me. Luckily, BCBS of Illinois is just as good, althogh quite a bit more expensive. Still worth it, though. i will say, I miss Cigna. Absolutely loved them.

So my 1 week pre op liquid diet starts April 26th (surgery is May 3rd). Just ordered protein shakes, protein flavored water, and protein smoothies. I ordered variety packs of everything. I got Fairlife shakes (10 pack), Premier shakes (15 pack), Designer Wellness smoothies (12 pack), and Protein 2o Electrolyte protein drinks (two 12 packs). I got them all on Amazon. This might sound really odd, but even though I have my surgery date already, there was something about ordering my shakes and drinks that just made everything feel REALLY real. Does that make sense? I'm more nervous about the liquid diet than I am about the actual surgery LOL

I posted this in another thread, but I thought I would try here too, just in case I might get more/different responses. Here goes: So I'm hoping to hear from anyone with a high BMI that got the sleeve and had a lot of success. My current BMI is 63. My goal weight is 200 pounds, which means I need to lose 190 pounds. For various reasons I chose the sleeve over the bypass, and I know bypass patients lose more than sleeve patients do. BUT...I have no issues following the diet, and once I lose some weight I will start working out again (I did Keto and lost almost 100 pounds over 7 months, but then it just started creeping back up and no matter how much I restricted my carbs and worked out, I couldn't keep the weight down and I got frustrated and quit), but I worry that I won't be able to hit my goal even if I stick to the diet and work out. I have MS, so strengthening my muscles and losing the weight is a must to keep my mobility and reduce the pain. I also desperately want to get rid of my diabetes and high blood pressure. And I'm hoping losing the weight will help my asthma a little. BUT... is this possible with the sleeve? I'm so excited about the surgery, but is it really possible to lose that kind of weight with the sleeve? Has ANYONE on here done it, or even come close? This just has to work. I wasn't always overweight. I used to be a size 6, but when I had my son back in 98, my PCOS jump started and I put on close to 100 pounds and only lost maybe 25. No matter what i did, I couldn't lose it. Then I had my daughter and gained close to the same amount, and was never able to lose any of it. Then I did keto, succeeded for a while, then it failed and I gave up. And now here I am. Do I have any hope at all of hitting my goal weight?

I start my pre op diet on the 26th, and I have to say, I'm really nervous about it. More than even the surgery!! lol I bought a variety pack of Fairlife shakes, a variety pack of Premier shakes, a variety pack of Designer Wellness smoothies, and 2 different variety packs of Protein 2o Electrolyte flavored drinks. I am going to try some of these ideas for the broth because I already know I'm going to be sick of the sweet stuff lol I think I'll grab some beef broth and chicken broth and get some beef and chicken bouillon for them to make them more robust flavored. This is going to be so weird LOL

I have BCBS of Illinois. I had to have the clearance letter from my PCP, bariatric bloodwork, an ECG, 1 dietician appt, the psych eval and either have a bmi of 35 with at least 2 comorbidities or 40 and up with none (I am 40 and up with 2, so I definitely qualified). From the time I started the process on Feb 28th to the time I completed everything and it was submitted to BCBS it was 1 month. They approved it in 48 hours and my surgery is scheduled for May 3rd. I don't think they will approve it if you are under 40 bmi and have no comorbidities at all. I was told the acceptable ones are diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, and osteoarthritis.

So I have BCBS of Illinois (PPO) and I had my normal $25 copay for the psych eval, my $40 copay for the surgeon visit, the dietician visit was covered, and my only out of pocket was the $500 deductible and $1000 out of pocket cost. I also didn't have many hoops to jump through. I had already tried a number of diets so my PCP was more than happy to do the clearance letter. I had to have the clearance letter from my PCP, bariatric bloodwork, an ECG, 1 dietician appt, the psych eval and either have a bmi of 35 with at least 2 co-morbidities or 40 and up with none (I am 40 and up with 2, so I definitely qualified). From the time I started the process on Feb 28th to the time I completed everything and it was submitted to BCBS it was 1 month. They approved it in 48 hours and my surgery is scheduled for May 3rd.

Before my company switched to BCBS of Illinois I had Cigna. They are FANTASTIC about approving things as long as it's medically necessary. For example, I have MS. I take 4 medications for it. ONE of them (Tecfidera) is $8,900 per MONTH. As soon as they had the docs on file that I have MS, they covered it no questions asked with just a $10 copay. My other 3 meds total $3300 per month. Same thing. They also covered my 6 x-rays (3 with and 3 without contrast) every 6 months, no questions asked, because they are needed for my MS. So if your surgeon submits everything to them and lets them know it's medically necessary, I can almost guarantee it'll be covered no problem.

I'm getting a sleeve on May 3rd.

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