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Well daisy we are sleeve buddies then bc that's my date also!!

I'm laughing DaniThomas, but I get it. I got the same reaction from people I told. I hoped they would be supportive, but instead I got the same old BS "why don't you just diet? You're not big enough to do something this drastic." I'm 5' 2" and 215 lbs. My back and knees are killing me. I can't even walk my dogs anymore. I can't sleep laying down or I feel like I can't breath. This is for real. We are suffering. My sleeve is scheduled for January 17. Not even nervous, just want to get my life back. You go get the surgery and never look back.

I had 7 & was told it was bc of adhesions. They couldn't get a good angle on the camera. Three C-sections will do that I suppose. They are very small & at 10 day post-op they're all healed & 2 I can't find anymore. My biggest one is the only noticeable one & it's right in line with my belly button which is a little bit of a bummer. I can live with it though! IMHO, it's the 2 week liquid diet that has been the challenge. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

It is a very long story....I got a leak and had surgery to clean it up...They induced a comma.. I was in it for 19 days...I woke up and could no longer walk or move and could not talk because they put a trakia in so I could breath... I got a category 5 ulcer on my butt from the comma and then I was soon moved to another floor...out of ICU ..There they looked after me and I ended up with 10 surgeries altogether as they were trying to repair the leak which would not heal.....Finally after 4 and a 1/2 months when everything else failed I had a surgery where they gave me both the sleeve and bypass......I had to lean to walk and talk and write again.....I have 12 incisions where most people have 2-5....I am still being treated for the ulcer on my butt almost 11 months later I lost all my hair as I was fed by IV for 5 months...and nobody told me I did until I saw it in the mirror at home....They even had to reteach me how to eat and swallow....I became addicted to pain killers and a detox Doc helped me through that..... This is just a small overview of some of the things that I went through..... But!!!!!!!!! I would do it all over again if I had to..I am so much better then I was before surgery....i can do so much more and the little things make all of it worth it for me....

It annoys me that my post was taken as I am concerned about pigging out or that my family time consists of pigging out. I would think it's only human to think about eating after you haven't in almost 3 weeks.....just bc I want to eat something it doesn't mean I want a whole pizza or something terrible. I just want something with some consistency and I am tired of room temp crap. I decided to do this for myself and my family....don't we all?? I mean I appreciate the positive points but also I am quite aware of the obvious reasons......just had to get that off of my chest. As for all of the helpful replies, thank you so much!!! :-) I can't wait to try some new shake ideas!

Thank you Ashlynn. It helps to know that I'm not alone. It can be frustrating bc it often seems that a lot of folks here haven't experienced any of this, and I wish I was progressing faster. It kinda sucks to be on clear liquids about a week and a half out, but I have discovered a whole new appreciation for ice water like never before.

Here are the regs for you http://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/details/ncd-details.aspx?NCDId=57&bc=AgAAgAAAAAAA&ncdver=3

I know everyone's surgeon/nutritionist's post op/lifetime eating plans are different. I see most folks are told to eat 3 meals plus snacks in between and second most popular seems to be ~6 small meals a day. My plan is 3 meals a day no snacks and to only supplement protein with protein shakes if need be, not on the regular. I admittedly have been having snacks in between meals like a cheese stick or something strictly high protein, everything I consume has protein, no empty calories. I cannot fathom how to get the required protein in only three post-op sleeve size meals a day. The only way I can imagine is if you eat something every meal that you add protein powder to. My manual even states that at the point I am now I should be able to get in all the required protein through food alone. I say BS if you aren't allowed a snack in between. I was curious if anyone else has this type of plan and what you think, even more curious if you follow it and how you do it? I am still losing and just had my first stall the past two weeks which broke this week, even during my LB stall I was still losing circumference so I know I'm doing OK I guess I want reinforcement. My surgeon's office also said they expect their patients to eat 600-800 (which is where I'm at) calories a day and after everything I've been reading and from this forum I think that is wrong. It seems the most successful of the bunch are into the 1000 cal/100gms protein range. My surgeon and his handiwork are excellent and I'm very pleased, but the nutritionist and bariatric nurse I feel are not progressive sticking with older ideals. I didn't go through this and pay all this money to have a couple of thin years then not be able to keep it off because I can't stick to starving myself! Just a little frustrated!! =/

did yall have bc/bs christus ins? if so how much did the procedure and dr cost you? I am in Lake Charles and was considering using one of the dr's and hospital for my surgery.

Hi Butterfly. Not to worry. Everything will turn out just as it should and you will be fine. It won't be easy, but is anything ever????? I also have BC/BS and had to go through the whole psych visit, 3 visits to the dietician/nutritionalist, provide 5 yrs. of weight history, etc., etc., etc., but I got approval rather quickly. I started the liquid protein diet on Wed., and that's all I'm allowed (well, water as well), but I do have one cup of coffee in the morning. It's a challenge, but so far, so good. I don't know how much I'm expected to lose, but I think 20% of the total lbs. overweight? My surgery is on the 14th. Good luck

I have Fed Blue and my weight loss appointments were ALL OVER the place 18th, 23rd, 14th, 30th and it didn’t affect me in the slightest. As long as it was by a doctor (not the nurse practitioner), the days didn’t matter as long as it was once during that month.

hi everyone! hope everyone is having a great time and recovering well! i am 7 days into my pre- op and i have lost 11 pounds. i am doing 3 shakes a day and 80+ ounces of clear fluids. i pee all day! its insane like i feel like im always running to the bathroom with the kiddos. I have 4 days til my surgery is anyone else experiencing irritability and crankiness? every soudn seems louder and smells seems more fragrant. i cook every night for the kids it is torture. last night they wanted to go to the movies so i took them and naturally i hold the youngest's popcorn bc she spills it everytime. the smell of popcorn was tempting me llol. I just learned i could season my broth with is nice but no salt. I am really anxious to just get the surgery oer with and start my healing. i feel like my body is going through such weird changes sometimes im freezing sometimes i feel like im in a suana. but usually always tired and low on patience haha. good luck everyone!

Hi, I am also in Regina, Sk. I am pre-surgery - getting my surgery in Mexico so that I can skip the waiting. I am curious to know what kind of help you are getting from the bariatric program? Is it the same old "eat less and exercise more" kind of bs? Cuz we all know how well THAT works! But seriously, I would love to know what kind of diet they want you to follow, since I don't get any pre-op assistance at all. I think I have to do fluids only for a week before surgery, but that's all.

I need a little help from others that have been approved with CIGNA. THIS Is the most up to date policy (see below). They actually update their policy on the 15th of July so it was revised and updated today. No changes were really made. Anyways, I do meet the requirements but my question is regarding Cigna coverage. Most plans require a monitored 3, 6 or 12 month diet/nutrition/weight loss management through PCP or somewhere similar. Cigna's policy says NOTHING about this, only that "a statement from a physician other than the surgeon, that the individual has failed previous attempts to achieve and maintain weight loss by medical management" - it gives no other requirements or indicators. I called Cigna and two different reps confirmed that it is not required. Although when I went to my Drs appointment they told me they thought it was six months worth of supervised diet! I think they are confused bc of the “within the last six months” part. SIGH! They said they will look into it more So, for those of you that have been approved in the past few months, do I have to have a letter from my primary that recommends bariatric surgery? Would this be the same letter or separate from the on where they state I have made several attempts and failed? And what did you submit/have your PCP write to say that you had failed previous attempts? Thanks in advance for your help! Sorry I just know Insurance’s are so picky! below is link to coverage https://static.cigna.com/assets/chcp/pdf/coveragePolicies/medical/mm_0051_coveragepositioncriteria_bariatric_surgery.pdf

I took blood thinners for almost a year post heart stents and they never seemed to make me feel cold, I have also been hot natured my entire life. About 10 years ago, I started having MAJOR heat issues. They kept saying it wasn't a thyroid issue bc I was "low normal" not actually low. After years of being miserable and making everyone around me freeze all the time, I finally got a gyn to give me thyroid meds and voila! it helped. It was almost a miracle. I'd been on HRT for a long time, tried every menopause solution I could try from natural crap that did absolutely nothing but make the folks who sell it a bunch of money to prescription hormone pills. Yes, I was menopausal but that wasn't the main issue. It was the thyroid. Now, after this surgery, they said my thyroid was too high and that my hormones would reset themselves. I quit taking the Levothyroxine med, 3 weeks post-op my thyroid had dropped to a below normal low. Started back with meds. I also developed a rash on my throat around my thyroid area, Nephrologist said he didn't know what it is so I'm going to a regular md tomorrow at a walk in type clinic since I don't actually have a regular physician, I've been seeing a NP when I have to be seen for the last several months bc it is really hard to find an actual doctor who has openings! I'm really, really fatigued again and have been back on meds 10+ days I guess it is now. I mean EXHAUSTED. I've actually been getting much more exercise than normal but can barely walk across room smh. Call your surgeons office and ask if they need to check your blood. I called mine about the thyroid issue, they told me to see whomever I see for my thyroid normally. I'm kind of like "Why am I bothering to follow up with surgeon's office if they're going to tell me to go elsewhere when there is a problem?" bc they want me in his office every 3 months and quarterly blood work as well. Seems a waste to pay a specialist co-pay and for additional labs if they don't actually deal with any problems that arise. I know people on here apparently have a ton of variations in the type and amount of care they can expect from their surgical staff, some have WHOLE TEAMS and some of us get the girl who answers the phone who works part time....no consistency in care so you definitely have to be prepared to be your own advocate and researcher and a host of other things. Call Dr, see what they say, if you don't like or aren't satisfied with the response, call your primary care dr if you have one, if not go to the walk in clinic or an ER. Our local ER is just plain scary so if I don't get a satisfactory response on mine tomorrow I'm probably going to drive to an ER in Huntsville, AL, about 45 miles away bc it is just plain scary that we seem to have gotten all the folks who got the D's in coursework. Some may be nice but I am not getting a warm, fuzzy feeling....

Hey guys. so the day is almost over. tomorrow i will have been on th liquid diet for 1 week and i have 1 week to go before my surgery. god i am sooo excited. ive been jumping around with joy all day and keep singing the line from that song that goes "i'm so excited and i just cant hide, im going to lose control and i think i like it!!!!" today also starts the 10 days straight that i have to work. ugh.:biggrin: that im not looking forward too. my husband is out of town on business so its hard when hes not here bc the bed is soooo cold. but he comes home on thursday or friday and when he gets home i will be able to go get a pedi/mani since i cant treat myself with food. i actually got on th scale today and i lost 7 lbs. i immediately emailed my friend to let her know. i kind of boycotted scales a long time ago but my friend made me get on the scale to see how much i have lost. everyone keeps asking me how can i do it? arent you hungry? oh i couldnt do that!!! my answer to them is yes i am hungry but this process is making me realize how much control food had over my life and my mood. i realized that i can be happy without certain foods. of course im hungry and EVERYTIME i smell bbq i want it. but im not starving. im not starving myself and it took my body 5 days to realize this. i just keep my mind on the prize at the end of this journey and my new life that is going to start. this site has helped me sooo much. i was about to quit the second day on the liquid diet but then i found this site and this feeling of happiness and accomplishment fell over me. i made this decision, i took the first step and yes i feel accomplished even though i havent finished myjourney yet. but i will get there. thats how i do it and make it through each day. we eat to live not live to eat. im making so many plans and gathering soo much recipes that its not even funny. besides my income tax comes in this week and im gettting a new cell phone!!!! (im addicted to technology :thumbup:). so day 6 almost gone and day 7 here i come.....8 more days untill i have my surgery.....

Hey guys. so the day is almost over. tomorrow i will have been on th liquid diet for 1 week and i have 1 week to go before my surgery. god i am sooo excited. ive been jumping around with joy all day and keep singing the line from that song that goes "i'm so excited and i just cant hide, im going to lose control and i think i like it!!!!" today also starts the 10 days straight that i have to work. ugh.:thumbup: that im not looking forward too. my husband is out of town on business so its hard when hes not here bc the bed is soooo cold. but he comes home on thursday or friday and when he gets home i will be able to go get a pedi/mani since i cant treat myself with food. i actually got on th scale today and i lost 7 lbs. i immediately emailed my friend to let her know. i kind of boycotted scales a long time ago but my friend made me get on the scale to see how much i have lost. everyone keeps asking me how can i do it? arent you hungry? oh i couldnt do that!!! my answer to them is yes i am hungry but this process is making me realize how much control food had over my life and my mood. i realized that i can be happy without certain foods. of course im hungry and EVERYTIME i smell bbq i want it. but im not starving. im not starving myself and it took my body 5 days to realize this. i just keep my mind on the prize at the end of this journey and my new life that is going to start. this site has helped me sooo much. i was about to quit the second day on the liquid diet but then i found this site and this feeling of happiness and accomplishment fell over me. i made this decision, i took the first step and yes i feel accomplished even though i havent finished myjourney yet. but i will get there. thats how i do it and make it through each day. we eat to live not live to eat. im making so many plans and gathering soo much recipes that its not even funny. besides my income tax comes in this week and im gettting a new cell phone!!!! (im addicted to technology :tt2:). so day 6 almost gone and day 7 here i come.....8 more days untill i have my surgery.....

Does perserverance really pay off? I guess I will know soon enough. I have been wrangling with Horizon BC/BS of New Jersey since October 2004 trying to get approval. I received a call from our company's benefits broker today. I had to involve our benefits broker because I was getting nowhere trying to deal with BC/BS directly. The last contact I had from BC/BS was January 27. At that time they requested two minor pieces of information that were forwarded by my surgeons office. I called BC/BS March 4 to see if any determination had been made. They said they had received the information requested January 27 and my case had gone back to utilization review, and it would be another 6-8 weeks before I heard anthing. I didn't sweat that too much because I knew that if I received approval, there would be a time frame of 30-45 days imposed, and I had a vacation scheduled for Mid-April and month end at work is hell. When I got back from vacation I phoned my surgeons office (april 20). They hadn't heard anything from BC/BS--the lap band coordinator phoned them that day--BC/BS went on to request the same information that they requested in the letter of January 27. She kindly forwarded that on in addition to other information and results from some tests and procedures I had in the mean time. Fast forward to today. I got a call from the benefits broker saying I was approved and a letter was mailed out yesterday, the only rub being was that my time frame for surgery had expired. My benefits broker is now dealing with this. Is this great or what?? What a roller coaster.

Hello! My sleeve is scheduled for January 27th! And I just got a letter from my insurance company (fed bcbs) that they approved it! Giant sigh of relief! I hope everyone gets to experience this feeling. Tomorrow I start my pre op diet and I have never been more excited to start a diet! And I never thought I would be saying that! This has been such a long process and I can not believe it's finally coming to fruition! I just needed to share! Good luck to everyone, and hang in there! Light and Love, Samantha

The carbs and sugary food are what is making you hungry. It also doesn't engage your restriction, so you can eat a lot of them. No one like to hear this, but you have to stop eating them, all of them, immediately. Take three days and eat nothing but lean, unprocessed meat (no sausage, bacon, deli meat, salami, jerky), eggs, green veggies, and healthy fats (olive oil and grass-fed butter. Eat as much as you want, whenever you want, but eat only those things. This will help you kick the cravings for carbs and sugar. You also won't ever feel true hunger as you get to eat as much as you want, whenever you want. So, you will learn to distinguish true hunger from head hunger/cravings. Also, even eating as much as you want, you won't gain weight and will likely lose. After those three days, keep eating that way for two days but get (or revive) a myfitnesspal.com account and start tracking your intake. After those next two days, add in modest amounts of dairy, fruit, nuts, and beans/legumes. Set a calorie goal for yourself -- I would think you will lose weight at 1500 calories -- and stick to it. Avoid grains, starchy veggies (potatoes, peas, corn, sweet potatoes, lima beans), sweets, liquid calories, and alcohol. Stick to your calorie goal. You absolutely can do this, I promise. 25 lbs may seem like a lot but it really isn't that much to take back off. I have done it before and I know you can too. Good luck!

Ok, so I am slowly losing the plot here... I am 10lbs (bouncing up and down the same 3lbs for a month) to my surgeon's goal and about 28lb from my personal 'OMG I can't believe it' goal - which is actually a dream rather than a reality as I haven't weighed under 10 stone - 140lbs - since I was about 16! So, I won't be too upset if I don't get there... however, my surgeon's goal is really important to me. Anyway, to stick with the marathon analogy, I am getting tired... I've hit the 'wall'! My motivation has started to wain. Through circumstances that are out of my control, I have been unable to exercise more than once or twice a week... I was exercising 4 times min a few months ago! I am constantly tired, for several reasons and just completely fed up with my obession to lose weight. I am good in the food dept 90% of the time, I allow myself a treat on the weekend but that isn't every weekend. I stick to the Protein first and no drinking for 20 mins rules all the time and although I do eat carbs, they are what I consider good carbs. I still don't eat Pasta, noodles or rice. I only eat potatoes now and again, same with wholemeal bread. I am happy with my food choices, my cals range between 900 - 1200 on any given day; I do track them from time to time to make sure that I am still on track and this helps me. I still only eat three times a day, as per surgeon's instructions, but now and again I have a good snack. My menopause symptoms are really taking their toll on me too... the hot sweats are absolutely debilitating, leaving me hot and flustered, especially in school! I am drained after them, tired and sleepy and my moods are getting really cranky. Probably a mix of hormones and frustration. The night sweats are awful, waking me up throughout the night, and then I am tired getting up, leaving me, once again cranky. And the cycle continues... I have come to terms with being a slow loser... and I was praying that I would reach my goal. I even joined the Christmas Challenge thread, but since I haven't lost a pound, I am afraid to look in on it... doesn't that sound like I am being a spoilt brat, I don't mean to be! This goal thing is just really hard at the moment... not being there is getting to me, especially when people around me are making comments like: 'Oh, you mustn't lose any more weight, you'll look ill' etc... bla, bla, bla! I know I am getting a little smaller, as I have, finally, bought and worn a size Uk14 trousers (not quite for the jeans dept yet!) and that really made me feel good... but that seems to have been engulfed by all the other 'stuff' going on! My hubby agrees with me, that I DO have more weight to lose, that I should continue the race... and I love him for his honesty. So, how do I get my mojo back... how do I get my motivation back and how do I get that bloody scale to move???? Please, my sleeve friends, throw me a line... Hugs from across the pond x

I am just starting my 3 month diet before I am banded. I have been dreaming about how it will feel when I get to my goal weight. One of the things I hate about being big is the heat! I sweat all the dang time. Its actually embarrasing sometimes bc everyone else is comfortable and I am sweating. For those of you who have lost weight, do you feel cooler?

Yep! Mine is starting to fall out like crazy. I see some bald spots. I'm heading to my hairdresser right now. Not sure what I'm going to do yet. I'm blonde w long shoulder length hair. Might just chop it all off bcs these long strands all over the place are really annoying.

Lighten up, its just a donut. Lighten up, its just a spoon of fried crap. Lighten up (7 months after sleeve) ooooo its just a carton of ben and jerrys. My cheater foods now are honey sprinkled on my greek yogurt. Whole wheat pita bread with sauce and low fat mozarella. Skinny latte from starbucks. I am purposely staying away from shitty stuff bc i know myself

This is major surgery and the normal post surgery conditions will apply. Gas, sore throat, incision pain and stomach distress. I was very fatigued for several weeks as a result of the surgery and decreased caloric intake. Many people refuse pain medication but not me. I took it as directed and stayed agead of the pain and experienced very little discomfort. Your stomach will be very swollen for several weeks and uncomfortable. Sip very very slowly and wait between sips. You may feel some pain in your chest when you drink. Wait for it to pass. I found warm chicken broth the easiest to tolerate that first week. I did not stress out about meeting the fluid and protein requirements and just did the best I could. Three months out I still don't meet the recommended fluids but get close. The first week I was hormonal and doubted my decision but that passed in several days. I'm not going to lie. The 1st month is tough. Three months out I am 52 lbs down and feel great. A stall will happen but stay on course bc it will pass. It is all normal. The weight will not magically fall off 48 hrs after surgery. At this point I lose about half a lb daily and weigh twice a week. I am 67 yrs old and this surgery will extend my life. That was my purpose. Relax and just ride it out. The journey is worth it. Best of luck.