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Hello family, well my paperwork has been submitted to Aetna for approval to be sleeved. I called and Aetna has it as received on 10/18 and noted as "pending authorization". The very helpful service rep actually put me on hold today and called over to the authorization center to see if she could get any further information. They told her that all of my papers were in order, they just have to review all 29 pages. I am so excited and nervous all at the same time. Waiting is the pits (LOL)----we are such a microwave society---we really don't know how to wait for anything----we want everything now - instantly - well, at least in this instance I don't. I just want to get my "approved" so that I can rest easy. I am scheduled to be sleeved Nov 2nd and am scheduled to have my medical clearance process done Oct 26th. In my heart I know I'll be approved, but my mind has to catch up with my heart. After MANY years of fad diets (WW, Jenny Craig, Nutra System, Alli pills, Atkins diet, fasting, liquid diets and I could go on and on), I'm ready for my ultimate change. I'm ready!!! Pray for me that I remain positive and encouraged while I wait. Blessings2u--BJ

I thought this article was very interesting: http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2006/08/08/gastric_bypass/ My big fat obnoxious former self I'm glad I don't weigh 571 pounds anymore. But I miss my big-girl righteousness and bravado. By Rebecca Golden Aug. 8, 2006 | The best thing about weighing 571 pounds is eating whatever you want. You don't worry about gaining five pounds. You know that it won't make a difference. You know that starving yourself and losing five pounds won't make a difference, either. The futility of the situation creates its own inertia. At 571 pounds, I thought nothing of drinking all the cherry Coke I wanted. I ate triple cheeseburgers and Dutch apple pie and quiche Lorraine. Weighing 571 pounds should have meant that I had diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease at the very least. I had none of the above. I drove a car. I worked. I never became permanently fused to a plaid sofa. Burly firemen never had to remove a picture window from my house so they could haul me away to the hospital. Still, I longed to do ordinary things. I missed having the ability to get up off the floor unassisted, to sit in booths at restaurants and to ride in Japanese cars. I missed other things, too. I missed having a job that took full advantage of my various skills and talents. I found it difficult to convince newspaper editors that a 500-pound woman could cover whatever came up in the course of a day. I missed having a boyfriend. I found myself at the age of 33 trapped in my mother's house, disabled and alone much of the time. I had no idea I weighed 571 pounds; household scales don't go above 350. I found out my weight one day at the pulmonologist's office. His very efficient electronic scale spelled it out for me, the number writ large in neon green lights. That sort of a number comes as a huge shock. You try to deny its significance. If you're me, you leave the doctor's office, head directly to Wendy's, and buy a Classic Triple, large fries and a cherry Coke. You eat this meal in your car, and you cry like a little girl. I'd had wakeup calls before. Five years ago, I weighed 525 pounds, and managed to slide into denial about this fact. I did nothing about my weight. But something about this new number, 571 pounds, disturbed me profoundly. It may have been the proximity of the number to 600. I had told myself in the past that 525 pounds was barely 500 pounds at all -- really fairly close to the 400s. But 571 pounds? I finished my cheeseburger and started researching gastric bypass surgery. I stopped eating fast food and drinking soda pop and made an appointment with a surgeon. I joined the Y and stuffed myself into the world's ugliest bathing suit -- a backless, braless "swim dress" with matching underpants -- so I could do Water aerobics and swim laps. My Russian surgeon required me to keep a journal of everything I ate, to eat six times a day and to take Vitamins. I learned that after surgery I would need to do these things for the rest of my life. I developed a taste for Protein bars and grilled chicken. My doctor had no idea of the irony-fraught historical ramifications of my operation: He was as a descendant of Cossacks disemboweling the granddaughter of Russian Jews. Still, when the day of surgery arrived, I let some people cut me open and rearrange my guts. I woke up and saw the scar for the first time. An eight-inch line of steel staples divided my torso. I walked the hospital halls, putting in 10 circuits a day, 10 times past the nurses station where my caretakers snacked on Doritos and sugar Cookies. I admired the knitted Christmas stockings and construction paper decorations lining the corridor, but I made them take the candy cane off the door to my room. Now, seven months later, I can clasp my hands behind my back when I stretch after aerobics. I can ride in a Hyundai Elantra. I can sit with my knees together. I can cross my ankles. I've even taken to man shopping on the Internet. We postops take extraordinary pleasure in the suddenly ordinary. Wiping your ass? That is a red-letter day for some of us. These are victories, sure, but also the sort of clichés that abound in the world of gastric bypass. Everyone takes the same "after" picture: They squeeze into one leg of an old pair of fat jeans and mug for the camera. It is my effort not to become a weight loss surgery cliché that is my deepest struggle apart from my continuing love of food. One of the only good things about weighing nearly 600 pounds is the sense of uniqueness it bestows. People had no trouble remembering me. I was a rare, elusive creature. But, day by day, as I dwindle down, I become more and more ordinary. Weight used to define me, even manufacturing my personality. My whole persona, the boisterous, obnoxious fat girl, lent me an aura of toughness. As the weight comes off, I find myself changing inwardly, becoming more feminine and more delicate in ways that both delight and terrify me. When walking down the street makes you an object of pity and disgust at worst, and unfettered curiosity at best, you need a certain amount of righteous hostility. But the battle armor doesn't fit anymore, so I go out into the world without its reassuring heaviness. I have lost some of my dense outer layer of crankiness. These days, I'm a bit more open, a bit more hopeful in my presentation. And yet, I despise the idea of losing my big-girl righteousness as I lose the weight. People like to tell prospective bypass patients they'll become a whole new person. This never appealed to me. I never hated myself. I hated some aspects of my body (breasts should point up, e.g.) but never the inner person. But like it or not, that person has changed. Losing 180 pounds will do that to a girl. As I move forward in a drastically altered body, the inner fat girl diminishes. Much as my body troubled me, I can't help feeling nostalgic about that girl. I hardly think about Cherry Coke and fast food anymore. But that girl's scrappiness and general bad attitude saved my life a thousand times. I'm going to miss her.

Lots of people experience the "full" feeling differently. Since your band is empty, it is possible that once you start on solid foods you will feel little to no restriction. Since the feeling of restriction, however, can change day to day (sometimes hour to hour!), it is always important to take small bites, chew well, swallow, and then WAIT before going on to the next bite so you can have a chance to feel how the last bite is settling. It is inevitable that you will eventually learn just how small your pouch really is... However, you can postpone that experience longer by taking small bites, chewing well, swallowing, and then waiting. This is NOT how most people eat, so you will be surprised at the learning curve!! Okay, once you swallow, and are waiting, this is what you're looking for, sensation-wise - you may get all or just one of these signals that you are either "full" or are eating too fast/chewing too poorly: 1. STUCK. Okay, that's not a very good description, but as soon as you feel this you WILL KNOW what "STUCK" feels like. Your eyes will get big, you will freeze in mid-chew, and you will feel an awful pain high in your chest, way in the bottom of your throat. DO NOT PANIC!!! DO NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT take a sip of liquid!! DO NOT SWALLOW!!!! Sit there calmly and try to breathe normally. When people ask you what's wrong, you will not feel as though you can talk - if you can squeeze out a few words, your voice will sound raspy and strained. Sometimes standing up will be enough to help things move down a little bit. IF you start salivating, you need to get to a bathroom. DO NOT SWALLOW YOUR SALIVA!!! Spit it out. Lots of times you will feel stuck for only a few seconds before the offending bit passes, IF YOU ARE EATING SLOWLY AND PAYING ATTENTION AND CHEWING WELL. However, sometimes the offending bit will not pass, and it will either come back up on its own, or you will have to force yourself to vomit. This is often NOT a full feeling! It IS an indication that you are swallowing too much, too fast, and/or are not chewing well enough OR that you have taken one bite too many. Once you become unstuck you can think enough to evaluate how much you have eaten, and whether or not you were being careless, or just missed the more subtle signs that you're full. STUCK is considered a "hard stop", whereas the more subtle feelings described later are considered "soft stops." The goal, of course, is to learn your personal soft stops and heed them. 2. A hiccough. Many people will have one daintly little hiccough when they are full. When you're full your stomach may be pressing up on your diaphragm and irritating it a little bit, which translates into a hiccough. 3. A sigh. Many people will heave a little sigh after that last bite that makes them full. You THINK you're thinking about the next bite, and you'll be loading up that fork... But you're not putting it into your mouth. That's when you realize that you're full. One more bite, and you may suffer the dreaded STUCK feeling. 4. A runny nose. Many people's noses will unexplicably start running. If you were fine when you started eating, and now your nose is running, it's probably time to stop eating. Or you are eating something really, really spicy/hot! 5. A general pressure. Some people will feel a similar feeling to "full", just a little higher. It's a little disconcerting at first, because your lower stomach may still be growling, but your pouch is sending you pressure/full feelings. 6. Port pain. Your port may start aching. My theory as to why is that the pressure of the food is pressing against the saline in the band, which forces the saline out towards the tubing, which starts to straighten a little under pressure, which torques the port a little bit. Like a garden hose turned on full blast with the sprayer closed - it tries to straighten out, right? That's just my theory. But whatever the true reason is, if your port starts bugging you after you start eating, you may be full. 7. Shoulder pain. Some people's left shoulder starts to ache a little bit. This is referred pain from pressure on the diaphragm. When you're full your stomach may be pressing up on your diaphragm and irritating it a little bit, which translates into shoulder pain. Your soft stop may be something entirely different, but these are the most common sensations/behaviours reported. Take it slow, but you may not experience any of these until you start getting fills.

Sometimes it takes more than one fill, and sometimes the fills take a few days, even a week to fully "kick in". I have several "signals". I am one of those, who gets a runny nose (nothing serious, just sniffly) when I am full. No one knows why, it is supposed that it is something related to the slimes if you over eat, something with mucous production. If I continue with another bite or 2 I get the hiccups---loudly, wherever I am at!!! So I try to eat slowly, so I feel the signs before my body TELLS me!! I can't really tell you how it feels, but it is a tightness, like if I take in anymore I am going to have that golfball feeling. If I am eating fast, and feel that, I am best off very quietly spitting the last bite I took out into my napkin, so as to avoid being overly full. Each and every time I have hurt with a PB (which have been VERY few), or more common, close to PB--it is because I have been eating too fast, and missed the signals. I would say I did not get to this point of restriction until my 2nd of my 2 fills. The first one I only felt if I ate WAY too fast or too much. Even then, it took quite a bit. At that restriction, my Dr. had me eating small bites, chewing thoroughly, and only eating for 20 minutes maximum. Since the 2nd fill, sometimes I eat longer than 20 minutes, but still eat much less, just because of how slowly I eat. My DH always beat me eating before, and still does, even though he eats many, many times what I do!!! Good Luck---you will reach a good restriction with patience and good habits...sometimes it just takes a little longer. And you will learn to listen and feel for signals your body gives you with time. It isn't a race, and you will get there...have faith!! Kat

Lol. I was too. I have blue care network and my approval came fast and next thing I knew I had a surgery date. It's happening!!!! Good luck!

::::: pasting what I wrote on a similar topic:::: With those drink squirt things. ( Mio, etc ) it's easy to have low sugar or sugar free drink fluids all day.... There's free filtered Water on the ship. I mixed a Mio-type drink with seltzer over crushed ice and stayed happy I purchased trial sizes of Protein powder and grabbed milk cartons from the Breakfast station and purchased a $1 from dollar store to use to mix any of that in... If you let them know, Carnival will take out the overpriced water, soda etc from the room fridge and allow you to use to store your medically necessary items. I explained that I needed it to store medicines and food related to my medical condition. No further questions were asked except if I would need receptacle to dispose of needles (like for diabetic injections) I had a few alcoholic drinks. Maybe 3 the entire cruise. You will feel the alcohol faster but it seems to wear off just as fast. ( it really doesn't but our post op bodies trick us into thinking it does ) ... Being mindful of that I didn't drink everyday With most cruises, there are so many opportunities to walk and even more. Water aerobics. Zumba on LIdo deck , the gym. Or just taking the stairs instead of the elevator. I did a LOT of room service. And I had that chocolate cake every night. I came home with less than 2 extra pounds that were well earned with no regrets. That's what vacations are for

Congratulations!!! I am currently doing my pre op diet for my surgery on May 4th.. Doctor told me to start off this week with two slim fasts and one decent meal of 500 calories or less. Then next week I am completely living on slim fasts! Hope this helps.. Oh and two days before surgery is clear liquids .

According to my docs, only extended release meds are a no-no because the don't dissolve as fast?

I follow AmySDMom on Youtube, and she does a yogurt fast once in a while that helps her drop several pounds... kind of like going back to the basics for a reset.

I've been looking at menus prior to surgery for items I'll be able to eat post surgery. Many restaurants have a light menu which often have at least 1 protein/veggie option. Chili's has several possibilities. You may not be able to eat the entire meal but they're smaller. A few places now have a a greek platter appetizer (hummus, olives, etc) - 99 Restaurant has one and a few local places here. We have a few places that have bun-less options for burgers (beef or turkey). As mentioned above - there's always soup. For fast-food - Wendy's Chili is an option or a grilled chicken sandwich minus the bun from the other fast food places. I'm not sure at what point salads will be okay but there's usually a salad option with protein and also you can replace a typical side (fries, potatoes)with a salad. In terms of traveling - many hotels have a little refrigerator now so you can bring back leftovers.

So I got the ok to start eating food. I was so excited! I had a 3 oz piece of turkey and 2 oz of sweet potatoes mashed. I ate the turkey first and then potato. I ate slowly but man it was hard. I'm full. I also got some pain after some bites. Is that because (1) too fast or (2) too much ? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Becky, I have noticed that I have to be careful when chewing gum that I am not swallowing the frothy spit that you get when chewing the gum to fast creates. I find that if I just chew slower and don't swallow as much I am much better off. I would suggest drinking more Water while you are chewing, that seems to help me. As for the liquids I would suggest a little bit of egg drop Soup. That is (mostly) clear but it also has the egg bits in it and the Protein in the eggs will fill you up a little more and satisfy your stomach. it also gives you something to chew. I had a tiny bit trouble with scrambled eggs in the beginning but I never had any problem with the egg drop soup because the soup lubricates the eggs and keeps them from sticking. While it may not be strictly "clear liquids" it is less bad for you than eating tuna at this point. You might also try other lite Soups with some overcooked (tiny) veggie chunks in them. Or if it is easier simply use the blender to create a veggie puree and add that to your soup. This will flesh the liquid out a bit but should not give you too much trouble as long as you don't eat too much of it - and chew chew chew on what little chunks you find in there. If you are on Protein shakes try blending a banana into them. That will make them thicker and more satisfying. It is also a good potassium and magnesium source. Hope that helps. Hang in there. This will get easier.

Walk and walk. I figured out fast had to sip instead of drink if not the pain would hit me. I was taking too big of drinks. Slow to sips and walk. Also sitting up when you drink helped me. Also warm the liquid in your mouth before you swallow.

@ i dont measure. but i do feel looseness in my clothes. but im still annoyed after a week of hard work to only see one pound. i think i just got spoiled after the first 3 weeks post op to be losing so much so fast and then suddenly .....nothin. but i'm staying on track and hoping to rebound next week. just needed to pout.

I've gone to see Dr. Gornichec. He seemed to be really nice. I also got to meet Janice. She seemed really nice as well. I got all my materials together and got them to Dr. Gornichec's office. I'm so glad that I mailed my medical requests off way before I saw the doctor. That way the insurance processing seems to be going fast from the get go. No papers to wait on. Today I got the phone call saying when my psychological is scheduled for and my blood work and x-rays, etc. I sure hope that my insurance company will move this fast as well. I'll try to remember to post again after each of my appointments this week. :kiss2:

Hi Everyone, I am fairly new to the site but have posted a few times. I have a Surgery Date!!! My Banding Date is June 30th......yes that is next week!! I am very excited. I have been eating a low fat diet for two weeks ( no meat?) but am handling it ok. I friend of mine who had the RU&Y (not sure I spelled that correctly) told me to try coffe with powdered milk for protien. It sure fills me up fast. I will be having surgery with a fairly new surgeon, the proctor will be there also. I work for a family physican and he has assisted in surgeries with Dr. Edward Cudjoe of alma, Michigan and said he is a great surgeon so I have confidence in him. My family physician (who I work for also) will be in the O.R. with me just to observe. So, please wish me luck. I would be greatful if anyone has any last minute advice. Thanks, Kathy I am not sure what my BMI is, in the 40's I believe

Your weight loss is incredible!! That is really fast weight loss! Your body is just catching up with itself! Weight loss is never linear and it's not as simple as eating X amount of calories and exercising, and you will lose exactly 2.2 pounds a week, etc... There are sooo many factors at work. Trust me, keep up exactly what you are doing and in a few weeks you will see the scale going down again. Every time I have ever lost significant amounts of weight, it would then stall. The body just seems to need a time of adjustment. You're doing awesome!!

The main reason Im still thinking of doing it is cuz I already signed up and Im suppose to do it with a coworker-who doesnt know Im being banded (shes against it). But now Ithink I may not do it, ive waited almost a year to get my band cuz loop holes to go thru with insurance and I definately dont want to mess it up. Ive been doing 5ks- mostly fast walk with jogging as possible and I just think theyre fun. This is a rock-n-roll marathon where they have bands every mile. BUT there is always next yr and maybe Ill be skinny by then and be able to do more running then walking. Thanks for the advice

I hate diets! And yet it seems like I've dieted for my entire life. My entire 29 years of life! At my heaviest I was 220lbs. I'm only 5'4 so I was quite a butter ball! I went on the prescription Phentermine in 2008 while at my very biggest. I lost 47lbs. in about 6 months taking me down to 173lbs. And then I had to quit taking the prescription, partly because I got the flu and also because it's unrealistic to think after six months the drug will have the same affect it did on day one. It doesn't. Not to mention the awful side effects! Jitters, cotton mouth, extreme irritability, constipation, sleep apnea...just to name a few. But what I loved about that drug was that for the first time in my life, I was losing weight without dieting! I ate whatever I wanted but very small portions. It was so great to be able to eat what everyone else was eating and never feel deprived and never feel the need to rebel! It also gave me a huge amount of energy, so I was working out almost every day. But when I stopped taking the Phentermine, the weight slowly but surely crept back on...like it always does...I mean, did! I had looked into the Lap Band surgery years before Phentermine but never really had the nerve or the pounds to get it done. Years ago you had to be at least 100 pounds over weight. Today you only have to be at least 50 pounds over weight. As the weight started to creep back on, I knew I had to do something! I felt like I needed something like Phentermine but better and that was for life! And that's exactly what Lap Band has been for me...my no dieting weight loss plan! This hasn't been a cake walk, but it has been relatively effortless so far! Notice I said "so far". On my surgery day, 7/8/2011, I was 208lbs.Today, 12/13/2011, I am 177lbs so in 5 months, I'm down 31lbs. So I'm still over weight, but I sure look a lot better! I've had 3 fills in all and I think I will stay with only three. I feel good where it's at. I'm pretty tight, but not too tight. It's been a slow process. And I realize if I worked out it would be quicker but I've actually not worked out for a reason...not that I would recommend it. I also DO NOT diet!!! If I have fast food, I might have a couple chicken fingers or part of a cheeseburger. Sometimes I have a grilled chicken salad. I eat whatever I'm in the mood for, but I eat small portions. Now I realize that I may not be able to keep this up. My goal weight is around 125-135. And fried chicken and burgers probably won't take me to my goal. So when I begin to plateu from just calorie restriction alone, my plan is to start the exercise. Please don't get me wrong, I do eat very decent. And have also found that veggies actually are easier for me to eat than any other foods. But I am by no means on a strict diet plan or ANY diet plan for that matter! The month before my surgery I went crazy eating, as though I would never be able to eat any "bad" food after my surgery and that is not the case at all! I have everything and anything I want. The band had just taken my "want" away. I explained it to my mom and sister like this, "Before the Band, my stomach was a bottomless pit,my appetite was huge! With the Band my stomach is a very shallow pit and my appetite is tiny." So life really is pretty good! I'm finally seeing progress, getting compliments from others, feeling so much more confident in myself and also realizing that success is actually within my reach! I'm actually going to achieve my goals this time! I asked my doctor, "About how much weight can a person like me,who wants to lose 80 pounds, lose with the band?" He said, " The band will give you about 40 pounds, the rest is up to you." That's fair. I can meet my band half way. So far it's given me an easy 31lbs. It's about to be my turn to take myself the rest of the way!

Don't let the nerves get to you! Pretty quick in and out surgery. My hysto was way worse! I was surprised at how fast I was up and about. Good Luck to all!

How are you? Ya know, a person can't be perfect on the PRE op, if we could we wouldn't need the surgery. Once you have the surgery you hopefully will not turn to food during those emotional times. I use to turn to food at the drop of any stress/conflict in my life. The reason I don't turn to food post surgery is because something has happened in me that makes me feel like I am "divorced" from food. There are so many rules, ie: can't drink for 30 min after eating, chew, chew, chew. I still get a little nausea at 10 weeks post op but I am glad cause it makes me not want to eat. I think I get nausea because I eat too fast, I am struggling, how can a person make 4oz of food last 20-30 minutes??? Once you get this surgery everything will change, and since you know you eat emotionally support groups are important for us to reduce this component for our long term success. Hang in there

Your story is my story ...had my revision surgery December 28.I was in lapband misery since 2004....total failure...revision to bypass and getting that crap out of me is the biggest and best thing I have done for myself in years.The years of torture ,sliming,vomiting,slippage,weight gain....was back fat as ever...Gerd....High chloresterol,PCOS,fatty liver,fear of reoccurrence of breast cancer,joint and muscle pain....flipped ,eroding painful port area...just so many problems....I HAD TO DO IT!Get it done!!!!Take back your body and your health.....do it fast!

It doesn't matter if you did or didn't have an issue with reflux before surgery. I suggest you start with a PPI. 2nd you could have drank too fast your tiny tummy will take a little while to catch up I know in the fist month I could do NOTHING while drinking/eating I had to really pay attention to how much I was having, how fast, and how many times I chewed.

Slim fast doesn't have enough protein & has way too many carbs. More protein & less carbs will keep u from getting hungry & will loose more fat. Also need to take vitamins. You need to get a list from your surgeon of what vitamins he wants u to be on.

When I first started the journey to a new healthier me my nut ask me what were some of my goals. My goals??? Ok well... I want to be able to tie my shoes. She just kind of looked at me all funny. So I explain and shoe her my shoes. They were tied (of course, I know how to tie my shoes) but the were tied to the side. I could not and would not bend over my big belly to tie my shoes cause it would get smashed and make it hard to breath so I would hike my foot up on my leg and tie it to the side. My surgery was on the 22nd of June I have lost 70 pounds and to be honest I don't see that big of diff when I look in the mirror, and I am already forgetting all the things I use to not be able to do. This morning I was tying my brand new knee high boots ( would have not even looked at 70 pounds ago) that I just got to go with my brand new size 12 skinny jeans and I realize I am tying my shoe!!!!!!! The skinny jeans being a 12 made me happy cause I started in a 22 but I didn't even get how much I have really lost until I noticed I could tie my shoe the correct way. Its funny how fast I forgot my little goals and started to just care about the looks of things. The being able to do simple tasks like tie your shoes or not be scared to death with the hostess tells you they only have a booth available and you are worried you wont fit. These are the things that make it all worth while. The reasons that even though I would love to have soda right now I am happy never drinking it again. I why when everyone else orders the fried foods I am eating healthy. These are the reasons I had this surgery. Not to see the thinner prettier me in the mirror (although that's awesome too).