VickieSH

Several of the surgeons I interviewed charged an "education fee" (varied between $2,000 to $4,000). It reminded me of those time-share demos during the 1980s!! Some of them were totally "hard sell". I finally found a reputable surgeon who accepts the insurance compensation as payment-in-full.

I considered Dr. Oliak but because I'm insured through Blue Cross, he charged a $4,000 "education fee". Instead I've decided upon Dr. Ninh Nguyen at University of California at Irvine. I've heard very good things about Dr. Oliak so don't worry!! He did bypass on a friend of mine one year ago and she's down 100 pounds!!

Are you using the powder OptiFast or the pre-made shakes? In another post I mentioned that I'm allowed raw fruit so I blended a cup of frozen blueberries in with a vanilla shake and it's pretty yummy!! Here's a hint -- don't wait until you're starving before having a shake...try to drink one before you feel like attacking the snack cupboard like a hungry bear!!

Hi Vickie!! I'm ummm...Vickie too!!

Me too!! Me too!! December 1st!! I'll be at University of California at Irvine with Dr. Ninh Nguyen. I've had a total abdominal hysterectomy and arthroscopic knee surgery for a torn meniscus within the last few years so I'm not *too* worried about this one. Best advice is to trust your surgeon and the nursing staff and ask lots of questions (I wrote mine down so I wouldn't forget!) The problem I'm having is maintaining proper hydration. I just can't seem to stomach as much Clear liquids as prescribed. I've tried adding Crystal Light to Water but I'm just feeling resistant for some reason. Other than that I'm really excited. I even went today and bought cute new jammies to wear in the hospital (even though my fiance says I'll just want to stay in the hospital gown...ummm...not likely!!) Good luck...let's keep checking in with each other to make sure we stay on target!

Isn't is crazy how every doctor orders the pre-op diet differently? My surgeon has me on a two week Optifast (four shakes, one bar) diet and I'm allowed raw veggies and/or fruit. My surgery is Monday the 1st and I admit to having cheated a few times in the last two weeks. However, I can tell I've lost at least five to seven pounds anyway. BTW...blending one of the vanilla shake mixes with 3/4 cup of cold Water, two ice cubes, and a cup of frozen blueberries is *almost* just like ice cream. (Yeah, girl...keep telling yourself that...) Dayum!! I'm hungry!!

Ut-oh...I might be in serious trouble because my genitals *do* speak to me.

Y'all are making me very hungry.

My evaluation was a little over two hours and mostly consisted of a life history; my struggles with weight loss; family, cultural, educational, and career background; but no actual tests, etc. Also discussion of my goals and whether they are realistic. The most interesting thing I realized as I left her office was that I had completely left out a significant childhood trauma and instead only shared a portion of my "psych issues". Didn't want to come off as too wacky yanno?? :tongue:

Me too!! Can you imagine THREE chubby girls in SoCal (the land of the eternally young, forever thin, and wonderfully sun-baked)?? Maybe we're the ONLY three in all of SoCal? Ya think? :tongue:

Hello all, My name is Vickie and I began Optifast today. May I just say... THAT STUFF TASTES LIKE CRAP!!! I'm feeling angry, scared, hostile, unhappy, and freaking hungry. Okay...normally I'm sweeter and kinder than this but today I'm grumpy. ~Vik

Thank you GH!! May I call you GH? Because I'm SO weak from hunger I don't think I have the energy to type out your entire name. :tongue: OptiFast is Liquid Protein...but I can "mix it up" < :tongue: > and have a "chocolate" Protein Bar once or twice a day if I like. I wonder if I add some vanilla Ben & Jerry's if it'll make it taste better? Hahaha!!