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Hi everyone! I started my journey back in September. November 12th will mark my three month mark with three more to go until my paper work can be submitted to my insurance company. I still have the psych eval to do which I'm hoping to get done the begining of December. Then to have all of my labs completed the same day as my January doctor's appointment, I hope that by reading everyone's posts it will serve as my guide towards being healthy. Giving me the strength and encouragement to overcome the obsticles that will present themselves to me.

Hi, I had my surgery May 30th and I had been doing great. I eat around 85 grams of protein a day and I jog 3 miles a day. I've hit a stall these past two weeks and I am feeling discouraged. Has anyone hit a 3 month stall? Is this normal? If anyone has any advice i'd greatly appreciate it.

my Dr weighs me everytime I come in and I see him at one week one month then every three months. But I go by the eight I have at home since it is at the same time every time and I can be in my b-day suit no cloths adding extra weight. I weigh every day just because I find it interesting the corilation to what I did/ ate the day before to the amount lost or gained, but I only track on Wednesdays. But some people just cant handle the every day weigh in it drives them crazy. for me not knowing would drive me crazy.

Hey everyone! My date is scheduled for Feb 14th! I'm so excited. I am going to Israel for 2 weeks in January, otherwise I could have had January 24th as my date. But, I'm ok with traveling and then going on the diet/surgery in February. My birthday is Feb 23rd and I think this will be the first year I don't eat cake on my birthday! Oy! I am so excited and have such an amazing supportive group of friends and family! Quick question for anyone.. how much weight do you loose during the 2 week pre-op diet? Also, some people said they were able to eat a small amount of food, and others didn't. My doctor said liquid only and sugar free jell-o. So I'm just wondering. Thanks! Tanya

I was under my BMI much more than you are and I have Anthem too. I was approved with 2-3 weeks. Health issues make a difference. The measured me an inch taller than I thought I was too. Good Luck! By the way I'm scheduled for surgery on Jan. 7th.

I am totally starting to draw a blank. I have my first meeting with my surgeon next week Monday. I wanted to be prepared with some questions I had, but my brain has totally frozen. Can you help me resurrect my brain with questions that I NEED to ask?

I had my first and final meeting with my surgeon (Dr. Chua) before surgery. I am very excited. The only thing left to do is wait for his office to submit my request for authorization to my insurance (Aetna). Most people who have my insurance say they were notified in a couple of days if it was approved. If this is the case, I could know before the end of the week. Woohoo!!! Now the only thing left to do is find a new primary physician because my old one just moved to Texas before the last month of my finishing my requirements. (I was able to see her partner) I am disappointed that she did not write my letter of necessity before she left and I will have to use the one from my OBGYN that was less than stellar if I may say so myself. I wanted to curse her out and say "Why the He.. didn't you use the form letter that was provided?" My previous doctor wanted me to facebook her my progress. I want to facebook her to let her know that I do not appreciate her stiffing me and filling my head with high hopes to only be let down again. She better hope I get approved so I do not have to facebook her my dilemma to progress. Sorry for the Bipolar moment. I am just so anxious and will be pissed if these doctors who were suppose to do their job (they were paid by insurance) mess this up for me

mattie is correct. Jello and Broth. I may add unflavored protein powder to my broth to make me feel "full". Just keep shoveling it in! I have found if i dont continously sip all day during this phase i get weak and lightheaded. The first three days were the worst and now i just feel like my eyeballs are floating!

I only saw the nutritionist. Since I had been reading this board for so long, I knew everything she was saying, so she kinda gave up and just handed me the "official documentation" for post-op diet, nutritional guidelines for my 3 months, etc. Our visits lasted like 15 minutes each. I did not log my food. The surgeon's office had to obtain all sorts of extra documentation from different people, which took a week. Then I was approved after another week. Since it was Christmas time, it took a total of 3 weeks from the last nutr appt to approval.

I had my pre-op appointments this week and started my 2 week diet Wednesday. I don't know if I am excited, nervous, calm, crazy or what. The diet is tough but now that I have a couple of days under my belt I know I can do it. I lost 4 pounds in those first few days, so that is some motivation in and of itself. I have all the pre-op instructions to review and my shopping for this diet as well as most of what I need for the first week or 2 is done. I ordered an elliptical machine (to supplement my gym membership) and it arrived today so I can start getting in more cardio on the busy days where I just can't get to the gym. So, 11/17 is the day! The next step in my journey is so close and I just can't wait to get started. :eek:

Tomorrow I'm getting banded and I'm so excited. My family is on board with me and my man is in full support of me. I love it. I'm so ready for this I've been claiming it for three years and now God has finally blessed me with the means to get it done. Just pray for me and my recovery.

To go back to something like Zumba I was about six weeks out... At three weeks I was doing about ten minutes on the elliptical and speed walking around the block.

my fill in june was that way - 3 weeks of heart burn and very little food but the weight was pouring off, my last fill was a nightmare and after a week and not being able to drink more than 1 or 2 oz of fluid i went back for an unfill. they only took out .5cc but now i am too loose and if i am not careful i could easily over eat,, my next app is septt 23rd and i will chat about how to fix this ...

Wow that was quick! Congrats! Have you had time to research everything and have all your questions answered? I am 8 months out and new questions form every week. This is a great place to come for some insight. Not all doc's require the pre-op but it seems like most do. A low-carb type diet (minus all the high fat stuff) is about what mine required. Congrats again.:thumbup:

I am very frustrated today. I went in for my consult at Weight Loss Surgical Center in KC last November in which they checked to see if my insurance would pay and I received a phone call saying they would pay but it had to be done at an acute care facility which they did not have but were in the process of building one. Fast forward to a month ago and I called to check on the facility and if it was completed & they had just done their 2nd surgery there so the ball starts rolling again....get phone call to set up another consult OR pre-op visit. I was on the fence whether to do it or not and after joining this group and reading the success stories I am 110% committed so left 2 messages to set up pre-op consult and the person that gets insurance clearance had been calling me WEEKLY to update me on Tricare's requirements that were being met each week SO I think as soon as the facility meets Tricare's requirement I am a go....NOPE....now I'm told that my BMI is under 40 and I do not have the 2 co-morbidities to qualify. WHAT!?!?! Talk about popping someone's bubble fast that was ready to get this going..........so now I wait as they try to gain clearance from Tricare. Why would they tell me last year that they would defniitely pay for it and now possibly NOT? They had the same requirements last year that they do today. Very disappointed & upset. Anyone else have to deal with Tricare? Do they pay for your fills as well? I have a $1,000.00 family deductible which I met last year from being in the hospital twice and if I could have had this done before Oct 1st I would not have had to pay a dime! But my health is worth the $1000.00 at least and I just want to do this and I think if I'm denied I will really fall in to a deeper depression...I don't want to have to eat until my BMI is over 40 to get the surgery so I may be left of my own. I lost 84# once before but its all back and then some. They think my thyroid issues will count so they are going to run it by Tricare. Thanks for letting me vent and if anyone has Tricare just wondering how they were getting them to pay for your surgery!

I am SOO excited!!! I just called to check the status of my insurance approval and was told I was approved and they gave me my approval number! Whoo Hoo! lol I called my surgeons office but they were out to lunch. Now, I just have to get it scheduled. I have a "dummy" date of Nov. 16th which is what they gave my insurance company but the girl at the dr's office said that could change. So I will be calling later on today to find out if I can get a "in stone" date! My paperwork was submitted last thursday, exactly one week ago. So 5 business days and I'm approved. I feel like I've won the lottery because as long as I can get it done before Dec 31st, then I wont have to pay anything for this surgery, it will be covered 100%! Anyways, thanks for listening, I just got so excited!! :wink2:

Take a deep breath and RELAX! We all find things to stress about prior to surgery, even when we're incredibly excited and ready to make the changes necessary to succeed. If your procrastination is going to cause your surgery to be cancelled, then perhaps you aren't quite mentally there yet. It takes a while to make such a big decision. This surgery will change your life, and while most of the changes are wonderful, postive ones, there are some negative sides, too. It's work. Eating right, working on your emotional triggers, dealing with the changes in your life - these things are work, and can be a little scary. In my opinion you really need to sit down and think. Are you ready for this? Are you stalling because of natural fears of surgery, and of change? Is there a bigger issue at play here? There's absolutely nothing wrong with pushing your date back until you have your head in the right place. If you're not ready, the recovery will be harder for you. Every ache, every pain, every hassle of post op life will seem like a huge problem to you, instead of the minor nuisance it really is. Complications can happen. Be sure you trust your surgeon. If you've done your research and feel comfortable, then you're just having natural worries before surgery. If you don't know much about your surgeon or you don't entirely trust him/her, then perhaps you need to find someone else to work on you. I know that I definitely worried about complications. I was very scared, even with a fantastic doctor like Dr. Aceves (who has a great track record). It's normal to worry. I don't know the ins and outs of your particular insurance policy. The fact is, once you choose to have the surgery if you do have complications they can choose not to pay whether or not the bills for your preop were submitted to them. They're going to know you had the surgery at some point. I doubt they're going to raise your rates over this, though. If anything, your rates might drop if you don't have as many health risks after you lose some weight. I had a smooth recovery. There is nothing I regret about this surgery. Well...I do miss the hunger sometimes. I wish I wanted to eat. And I'm a slow loser - "only" 45 pounds in three months. But I've never lost more than 30 pounds on any diet before - even the ones that dragged on for four or five months. I've never been able to control my diabetes with diet and exercise before. There are a lot of huge benefits. I was only uncomfortable post op for about five days. I'd gladly trade five days of pain pills and discomfort for 45 pounds - and 45 pounds is just the start of my journey. People that have endured leaks and horrible complications still come out a few months later LOVING their sleeves. This surgery is well worth it. It was worth every penny that I self-paid, and every second of discomfort. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Get your head in the right place. If it's the right time for you, move forward and get this surgery done and over with. Trust me, you'll love it once you're on the loser's bench. ~Cheri

Hi Butterfly, I simply missed this message because I was in Mexicali on the Hospital bed recovering from my band to sleeve revision. The fact is the band is not for everyone. I was one of them. It's so easy to say, well you have to work your band... well excuse me... and how did the band work for me??? Better yet, WHEN did the band even help me at all? No, I lost all the weight I did post op all on my own, period and end of story. Once I realized I'd gone through a surgery for no reason I just let it take me down a road I'd rather sooner forget!!! I'm three days post op sleeve now, and so far so good. I feel great. Was it worth it? Well being as I'm so fresh and new I'm liking it. I still have a lot to look forward to, and in great hopes that this time, this surgery will give me the assistance in all I was looking for with that band thingy (that now sits in my suitcase... lmao -- what good it's doing there now right???) All the best!! It's not an easy decision to make. It took me a year to come to the conclusion that I still needed help and had to finally make that plunge. Glad I'm on the other side now though! :scared0:

I was thinking today about how I was eating a couple of weeks ago verses how I am eating today, Day 7 of my pre-op diet. Yesterday I was counting my calories for the day, and realized I had consummed less calories in four days (averaging 650-800 calories a day), than I used to eat in one day. A couple weeks back I was mainly think of the pre-op diet, and first few weeks of the post op diet.... now I'm starting to think past all that... and the lifestyle change. Anyone else been looking further down the road too? John

I am the same way! Which is why I hate getting my picture taken, because that's when I can see just how huge I am. Especially when I'm standing next to other people who are a normal size. Or I'll be at work feeling good thinking that I look good today then I see myself in the mirrror and think OMG I lookso fat and horrible. I cannot WAIT to actually look like what my brain thinks I look like. Sometimes when I'm out with my mom, I'll be like "Mom, am I as huge as that girl?" because I want to know how others see me. I'm getting sleeved Nov 16th and when it all was approved and finally became a reality I was SO nervous and having second thoughts but now that I've got it thru my head that YES it's going to hurt, and YES it's going to change my life, I'm cool with that. Now I can just concentrate on preparing myself and quit stressing myself. I am going to take my before pics next week, not really looking forward to it but I know I will want to see the changes that have happened in the next few months. And I always love looking at other peoples b/a pics.

Hello, I was in the same position about a week ago. I called the doctors office and was taken off the pre-op diet and was advised to eat smaller portions. My back pain was so severe I could not bend over. I went back on the diet for the last two days since I am being banded tomorrow. Now I am a little concerned about the liver issue.

trace10.. What I mean by restriction is that I'm hungry just like before I got my surgery. No I'm not on mushy foods. I was on liquid for the first week and mushy for the second week, after that it was soft solids. At the moment I am able to eat anything that I put in my mouth. It might be different for you as every doctor is different. Some people will have restriction for longer than a week and some will not. I was hoping I was one to be restricted till my first fill but unfortunately not. I lost 10 pounds on the first week and a half, but after that, once the swelling went down I was hungry all the time. Now I just have to watch what I eat and for the most part I'm just maintaining my 10 pound lost.This is why I said that I can't wait for my first fill, I need restriction. I will not complain because I know my time will come and I'm just so happy that I had the surgery. I hope this help and good luck on your new journey:smile:

My doctor told me that it could take up to six weeks to hear back from insurance. I received a phone call from my insurace carriees (Excellus BCBS) in six days to tell me that I was approved and my surgery was scheduled for one week later.

I am on day 7 with 14 day Optifast VLCD diet. No meat or Carbs, I am only allowed veggies (minus potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, peas and corn or other starchy vegetables). I am also able to have 1 cup of strawberries/raspberries per day. I also have to drink 3 litres of Water each day I really struggled with the diet on day two and three and came very close to cheating a couple of times. Particuarly when I had to visit the shopping centre to buy my Dad a Fathers Day Present last sunday (Australia's Fathers Day). As soon as I stepped off the escalators I was hit with the smell of bacon and eggs(it smelt devine!). But I managed to resist all the food in the food court as I walked past. This has made the following days a little easier because I proved to myself that I can resist the temptation even when I feel I desperately want to eat and I am alone without anyone to see me cheat. Since then I Have found when I am hungry I keep drinking water... and I am not thinking too far a head. Just taking it one day at time. This has made it easier for me. Now I can't belive that I am half way! I am sure you will find a way to get through it, its all for a great outcome :blushing:

I need please some information about the first two weeks after surgery. I don't know yet if I'm going alone or with my husband. I'm a little scarry but very... very excited. How much weight we can loose in the first two weeks?.. Is painfull? How long is gonna take to go back to work??. Thank you guys!:thumbup: