BetsyB

No means no. Your employer made the decision to exclude bariatrics--and there's no way around what is stipulated in the contract. You can, however, lobby for a change in policy---if you make enough noise (and point out the costs of NOT providing the care--because obesity tends to cost tons more than WLS)--your company may choose to change their insurance contract when it's time to renew/change. The insurance company will give you what your employer has agreed to pay for. The place to focus your attempts for change is your employer.

My suggestion would be to wait until you've had the meeting with your nutritionist/dietitian that delineates what your doctor recommends for your postop diet. Many of the things on Gloria's (wonderful and very comprehensive) list were completely vetoed by my doctor. (I think the list is probably aligned with what most doctors/dietitians recommend; I just hate to think of someone stocking a pantry, only to find out that some of the items are verboten.) My surgeon encourages advancing diet to pureed Protein on Day Three. Creamy soups, juices, and so on were nixed from the outset. I was on clear (and noncaloric) liquids for 2 days, then on pureed protein in miniscule amounts. So, here's my list. It's very short! * clear broths * herbal tea * easily puree-able Proteins (chicken, ground beef, tuna, etc.) * fat-free refried Beans * protein powders (I like Inspire from bariatriceating.com; the Dutch chocolate Cake is awesome, and the Pure unflavored protein isolate is great added to things like broth, yogurt...whatever you want to add a jolt of protein to) *Crystal Light * sugar-free Popsicles * sugar-free Jello *vitamins *Gas-X * lip balm--I was SO dry after anesthesia * Sigg bottles with sports caps (I have one with me constantly) *funnel (for adding fruit-flavored protein, Crystal Light, and FiberSure to Water bottle without getting powder all over the universe) * FiberSure (or generic inulin fiber; it not only helps with regularity, but it's also a prebiotic, which helps Probiotics do their good thing in the gut) * 4 oz. Rubbermaid storage containers * tiny prep bowls -- just the right size for my servings

I think there are definitely weights where our bodies stall and act super-comfy. I do NOT believe they spell out our weight destiny. 100 years ago (not really--I'm just old, and everything feels like 100 years ago), there was a Setpoint Diet. If I recall correctly, the premise was that we should respect those plateau weights--allow our bodies more fuel for a while, while we're stalled at one of our bodies' natural setpoints. But THEN, we can resume the same regimen that permitted loss before, and lose well again. I guess the idea is that if you fight the setpoint---really work hard against it from the beginning---you wind up pushing yourself to a lower calorie level unnecessarily. If you ride it out for a while, upping your intake a tad (not enough to gain), then you can buckle down again (I think they recommended a few weeks' relaxation) and get right back to losing. So, you'd lose...plateau & relax...buckle down and lose...plateau & relax...buckle down and lose...all the way to goal. I hope that made sense!

Congrats on your awesome loss so far! Coromega makes a WONDERFUL product that is orange-flavored and creamy--it's like a little Creamsicle in a packet that's just like a ketchup packet. You can find it online, but I've also seen it at the grocery store (with supplements) and CVS & Walgreens.

Oh, no! That's really disappointing...I'm really sorry :smile2:

The gel capsule holding the little granules of Cymbalta dissolves pretty readily in your stomach; if you take it with a little Fluid, chances are it would cause you no problem at all. (The cap would dissolve and not lodge in your stoma.) It doesn't come in liquid form; I'm not aware of any SNRI that does. But some of the SSRIs do. (Fluoxetine-- Paxil--is available as a syrup.) You might want to ask your doctor if a switch is in order. If you break open the capsule, be sure not to crush or chew the granules. You can try to coax it down your throat in a spoonful of something smooth, like pudding--but let it go down without chewing. (Some of the granules are time-release, and they need to stay intact.) Without your Cymbalta, you will find yourself pretty weepy pretty fast. But also know that emotional swings are very common postop for ALL of us. Your body has been through tremendous changes! Ask your doctor or pharmacist the best way to get that into you for now--you can tackle the long term (med switch, trying to stick with the caps, whatever) when you're feeling a little bit better. I hope you feel better fast!

Yep, I bet it tasted amazing!

Or maybe, she was trying to spare you discomfort. Maybe she thought, "Oh, it's not nice of me to eat this in front of her; she can't have one." That doesn't sound like a horrible thing to me. I understand your frustration, but you chose to tell people, knowing that the news would spread. Of COURSE people are going to wonder what you can eat! It's human nature to be curious. They're not being malicious. And they're not apt to maintain a high level of interest in your eating long-term. They'll move on to the next topic after a while. Let it go. It's not worth your angst.

That doesn't sound "full" nearly as much as struggling with food of the wrong consistency; I think I'd shelve it for a while. Soft food really needs to be soft and moist. Smoked fish can be awfully dry and dense; it's not something I'd attempt right out of the gate. It's true, though, you've lost the leeway to finish up what's on your plate---at least for now. (You may have a period where you don't have the same restriction you have now; swelling can play a big role at first.) But that's the whole point of the band :smile2:

It helps tremendously. Thanks, Gloria.

Yowza! Look how close you are to goal!!

It's not just you. I am a scale approval-seeker, too. And I do it every.single.day.of.my.life. I can't break the habit of daily weighing--and am not sure I want to, because avoiding the scale in the past has never done me favors. (What I don't know DOES hurt me; I gain!) So now, I'm trying very, very hard to reframe the "message" the stupid machine tells me. Instead of it being a success/failure thing (as it has been my whole life), I'm doing my best to note patterns so that I can determine correlations between weight and factors other than my success/failure in terms of eating. For example, if I weigh in the day after weight training, I am guaranteed I will see no loss (may even see a gain, depending on how hard I worked). In the past, this would throw me into quite a tailspin. While I still don't like it, I now am able to tell myself (and believe!) that my muscles are holding Fluid from a GOOD workout--and that this is a positive thing. I remind myself that exercise boosts my metabolism, which ultimately will improve my loss. And I tell myself that my body is an AMAZING machine, and that I can trust it to restore homeostasis (and lose the fluid) as quickly as it can. I guess what I'm saying is that I now tell myself the same encouraging things I have always told others. Treating myself as being as worthy of understanding and empathy (and a good, solid scientific explanation) as the next guy has allowed me to be more compassionate with myself, and more accepting of what often is a quite arbitrary number the scale spits out. (I mean, really---think about the things that can affect weight: taking an OTC pain reliever--or many other meds--can cause a temporary increase; sodium can bump it up; a full bladder or not-recently-evacuated bowel can increase weight; hormone fluctuations can cause fluid retention; the list goes on and on and on. It's both unfair and unkind to berate or be disappointed in ourselves for things that really are not entirely within our control.) I don't always like what the scale tells me. But I try to see the bigger picture. There is an ongoing downward trend that WILL continue until I meet my goal. The day-to-day fluctuations become less significant. (This approach, btw, does not work during PMS. Nothing works during PMS LOL) So, Leigha---do for yourself what you do for others. You are always ready with good answers. You are always empathetic. You are willing to be blunt, and if something needs to change, you acknowledge it. But you are kind. Be kind to yourself.

For me, it is my cue to stop. I have to take it very slow, and listen for it; if I am eating less mindfully, I can go past the point before the hiccup "tells" me to stop---but that is definitely user error on my part. When I eat slowly and pause after bites to "ask" myself how I'm doing, then the hic will tell me, "Enough" before I've gone too far. (Admittedly, it's hard to go far when limited to 2.5 oz. of Protein at a meal, but it's been known to happen!)

Great job!

There are as many preop diets as there are doctors, but what most have in common is a strict carbohydrate restriction. You actually have a little more leeway than some of us had. It's REALLY important that you adhere to the carb guideline. It will help your liver give up its glycogen (energy) stores so that it is smaller and easier (and safer) to maneuver around during surgery. Try not to view this as punishment. ALL of our bodies have more than enough energy reserves to withstand a couple of weeks of stringent dieting. Our heads don't like it, but our bodies do just fine. Tally up how many shakes you're making each day. (Inspire brand from bariatriceating.com is great mixed just with water). That'll tell you how many carbs you're getting via that route. You'll probably find that you can afford very little extra, carb-wise, from other sources. That means your soup may not have veggies blended in--if you need the veggie flavor, add V-8 (again, check carbs) or veggie stock. You may not end up with a thick, full-bodied soup, but again---your body does not need it. You want it, but you will get through this stage. I know it sucks. It's really, really hard. But it's also good prep for what comes after banding, before you have restriction. Then, too, you will find yourself hungry---and telling yourself, "No, I can't have that." There is a light at the end of the tunnel, though--and you will reach it :smile2:

I have not yet achieved restriction. In order to avoid overeating, I weigh my portion, plate it, and leave the kitchen to eat at the table. I don't allow myself to eat more. It sucks. REALLY sucks. But I do it. I do think that everyone who's able to work with his/her doctor to ensure adequate restriction does reach a point where it's no longer possible to overeat without consequences--AND to feel satisfied. The satisfaction part is really important, IMO--isn't that why we did this in the first place? From reading here, though, it's painfully obvious that there are many doctors who resist adjusting the band appropriately. I really don't know what their rationale could possibly be---there isn't a legitimate one. But many seem to have the attitude that patients have to exercise control above and beyond what is truly necessary, IMO. My doctor's stance is that adjustment decisions should be made based on subjective data (how I feel), and objective data (how I'm losing). I'm losing quite well, with no restriction at all. But while my stomach capacity is small, it empties rapidly--so I'm hungry soon after eating. In his book, that is a valid reason for a fill. He is even willing to schedule fills at my request FAR earlier than he expected would be necessary. I am SO grateful for this. Some other doctors feel that as long as there is loss, there is no need for a fill. IMO, this is ridiculous. All of us have shown, over and over, that we can lose weight; the problem is that hunger drives us to overeat and therefore regain. It seems as though this approach feeds in to the same old diet mentality, viewing weight loss as a moral issue ("if you just had willpower, you would do it"), and completely ignoring the physiological. Why these doctors even bother to wrap bands around their patients' stomachs baffles me. All that said, I think that as long as you have a doctor who's willing to take your comfort into account, you WILL reach the stage where you cannot overeat. After all, isn't that the purpose of the band?

Awesome, Todd-congratulations!

Closer to surgery, your doctor will give you specific parameters for your shakes. Our shakes had to have 15+ grams of Protein, <5 g carb, <5 g fat. It would have been REALLY hard to accomplish that with a homemade shake. I use Inspire Proteins from bariatriceating.com. They are the best-tasting I've tried--and I've tried a lot! They have in the vicinity of 25-30 g protein and 0 carb (off the top of my head; i don't have a package to consult.) I especially like the Dutch chocolate. They also have the best unflavored whey protein on the market; during my preop diet, I added it to broth. (I got soooo tired of sweet stuff.) Every doctor, it seems, has a different preop diet, so don't agonize too much about details until you find what yours will be. Stock up on some good protein (it's a given that you'll need it), but otherwise, relax. You may find that your doctor's plan is less restrictive than you think.

For many years, this was the belief--and the two were done together. They have found that postop infection rates soar when the surgeries are combined, so fewer doctors are choosing to do so.

By "side effects," do you mean the expected after effects immediately postoperatively, or the lasting effects of being banded? For the latter, I've had NONE. No nausea, no vomiting, no tiredness, no weakness related to "starvation" (because all of our bodies have PLENTY of reserves to provide us wi energy). I have been hungry, but expect that I will experience less of that as restriction improves. I pee lots more--because I drink lots more. Really, that is the most significant side effect. Oh, unless you're counting positive ones, like losing weight and LOTS of inches! If you're asking about the immediate postop stuff, most doctors medicate their patients preop to avoid postop nausea. You will have a very, very dry mouth, and possibly a sore throat (related to intubation during surgery). You will have pain, but it won't be unmanageable---accept the pain meds that are offered to you. That may bring another side effect: constipation. Plenty of fluids, a Fiber supplement, and a stool softener (the latter two only if okayed by your doctor) usually do the trick.) The pain meds may also cause your scalp and face to be itchy; unless hives form, this is NOT an allergic reaction, but rather an expected (and harmless) side effect of narcotics.

My surgeon doesn't have us add veggies back right away, either. I wouldn't rush to add if it's contrary to the advice you've been given by the doctor. My stomach capacity, too, is small. The amount I eat satisfies me. But stomach emptying occurs at almost the same rate it did preop; my doctor agreed I need another fill, earlier than previously scheduled. I will go in next week for fill #2, and then have another a couple of weeks later (if need be).

Pertussis doesn't leap to mind. But it is an odd constellation of symptoms. The relationship between belching and opening airways is unusual--it makes me wonder whether you have something esophageal going on. I'd definitely want my doctor to explore a little deeper for an answer.

How frustrating! Even if you're losing at an acceptable rate (by white-knuckling it), the aim of the band is allowing you to restrict your intake with added COMFORT. Adjustment decisions really should take both your subjective (how you feel) and the objective (your weight) into consideration. I am SO glad to have a doctor who respects both!

I'm placing an order, too. I"ll post photos if you want :wink:

I think Leigha is right on with her response. Leigha, you say you cut your hard-boiled eggs into fingernail-sized pieces. Did you know you can grate them? It is so fast and easier than chopping. <----lazy in the kitchen whenever possible :wink: