Bamablondie1

Ya know... if my insurance would approve it 2x, I'd give it a go and be that guinea pig! hahahaha I'm being banded on 12/28.

OMG! Those are great ideas! I'm making mental notes and emailing this to myself!

i just wanted to say thanks to those of you that are posting what you are eating and your grocery list b/c it's really really REALLY helping me to think ahead and kinda strategize!!!

Also, i have many friends that lose more the 2nd year due to greater restriction - NOT THAT 55 LBS IS A FAILURE! Stop kicking yourself and remember to be realistic!

good point... I've heard that about Metformin. I really think he expects me to be off meds for diabetes after surgery.

I currently take 2000 mg Metformin a day. My pcp sent me to a training with a diabetic nutritionist so I could learn to do a sliding scale in order to do insulin shots for a few days post-op - IF NEEDED. He said I may not need it at all or the pills either after the surgery. So... He seems to think that I may not take anything after the fact. If I DO - then once the insulin shots are done and over, I guess I'll be crushing up Metformin pills.

Congrats! Are you starving? What's your food plan like for the next few days.

Both surgeries have pros and cons. No one can make that decision for you BUT if you are opting for the bypass b/c you think it's a sure fire way to prevent the sweet tooth monster think again. Yes, it will make you sick at first (and for a while afterwards) BUT I've seen many ppl with Bypass eventually eat around that, stretch their stomach back out and gain all their weight back. The bottom line is that, regardless of which you choose, you have to change your eating habits for this to be successful. P.S. I'm preaching to the myself too!

I dunno about Issotone. I use Simply vanilla Syntax Matrix. My fav is a banana smoothie that is to die for! And I don't even like Nana's! 1/2 cup skim milk 1 banana 1 cup ice vanilla (ya know the imitation liquid stuff) a pack or two of artificial sweetener (i like sweet n' low) 1 scoop simply vanilla Protein mix. YUMMMMM Sometimes I also add 1/4 - 1/2 cup of (already mixed) crystal light's sunrise orange mixy drinky stuffy. Awesome! If you wanted to make it thicker consistency you could add plain yogurt or maybe some more fruit... blueberries... cherries... but even just the basic mix above is good. Check out the great food finds thread on here and let us know what recipes you find!

My surgery is 12/28 and I'm quite anxious as well. I hate needles... hate being needy... and don't do blood well! lol! I'm doomed! My biggest fear is also the anesthesia as I have actually found myself AWAKE on a surgery table before! However *deep breath & chuckles* I have plans to discuss that with surgeon and anesthesiologist at pre-op. If you have EVER had ANY type of anesthesia issue, be sure to tell your surgeon! Put it in writing and make sure it goes in your chart!

Ok so I'm reading these replies and I have to say this - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE CHECK TO MAKE SURE THE MIRENA (OR ANY OTHER IUD) IS IN AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH! I work for an OB/Gyn and ladies --> they do come out! Sometimes people don't even know they've come out until they find out they are preggers! We see it a lot more frequently than you want to know about! I wanna know how the ablation went? I am so thinking about having that done!

Depo affects everyone differently just like any other form of BC. Some ppl gain weight with it and some lose weight with it. Some have break through bleeding some don't. Most ppl must be on Depo 3 - 12 months before their cycles completely stop and once you are off it can take up to a year for cycles to start back and become normal again. I would think that the bleeding following a surgery could be from the antibiotics (and blood thinners for some) 'confusing' your body and weakening the Depo much like it does birth control pills. Meaning... that there might be an increased chance of becoming preggers. If it were me, I'd probably use a back-up method of birth control until my next shot.

Welllllllll........ for me, my surgeon's office was the one that submitted the request for approval. All the other dr's I had to see gave 'clearance' to the surgeon's office and then the surgeon submitted my 'history' along with testing results, additional diagnoses, clearance and other items from the group of doctor's to get the approval from insurance. The surgeon was the one who decided that I needed to do the sleep study but not the psych eval... needed to do this ... but not that... etc. So the initial consult that I had with him after the seminar kinda directs me to his requirements while they keep in mind the insurance requirements as well. Have you asked the nurse care coordinator what bariatric dr's your ins might cover? Do you know of anyone you work with that has had a weight loss surgery that was covered by the same policy? Is there an option to swap insurance policies at some point?

I'm almost ALWAYS get called back for a repeat mammo and/or U/S. That fibrocycstic syndrome apparently runs in my family. When is your f/u appt?

I'm not at my liquid diet week yet but... I love the vanilla matrix w/banana, 1/2 cup skim milk, 1 cup ice, dash of vanilla and one sweet and low. My hubby even loves it. Also, I've already taken to drinking the Nectar strawberry and kiwi. They are both yummy! I hope everyone else finds 'that thing' that makes it a little easier for them!

I think my 'last supper' will be chinese! lol! I'm so gonna miss that But don't fret ... I have a plan! I figure (at some point) I should be able to enjoy chinese! Maybe not rice! But... I should be able to do the soup and then the chicken and brocoli since it's not fried or breaded. OK ok ok so I may have to really really assault the chicken and broc pieces to minimize them... Wait! Can I put them in the blender? Ya think? hahaha I'm determined! I figure one typical chinese meal should last days once I can eat real food again!

Me Me Me! My surgery date is 12/28.