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While I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, your doctor has a lot to say about whether or not you are approved by your insurance. Your doctor will ask your insurance company if you are covered in the beginning, then you will start based on what they find out. So you have a six-month "medically-managed weight loss" requirement. This means that you must follow what your doctor sets forth for those six months, including any dietician/nutritionist appointments. From what I was told by my surgical team is the doctor will submit a report after the six months and request for an insurance review. The insurance company will review the policy requirements and compare that to the report the doctor sent. If you meet the requirements, you will be covered. Since the six-month "medically-managed weight loss" requirement was not told to you as a specific amount of weight necessary to lose to be approved, you may be good to go with only a few pounds lost. The big thing to get from this is any psychological eating issues taken care of and learn how to portion control and eat healthily. Your doctor will know if you have extenuating circumstances that prevent you from losing a bunch of weight, and this will be specified in his report. One thing also to remember here - if your doctor does not think you are doing what you need to be doing to be approved, he will definitely tell you. I recommend asking as many questions as you have to your team and follow what they are saying you need to do. You can do this. It is not impossible or no one would ever go through with it. Many of us have had set-backs, stalls, gains, and frustrating conversations with doctors/insurance companies. It is all part of the process. Nothing you are doing, nor will do is a waste of time - especially if you are doing it for your health. Good luck!

My husband has had pain until just very recently (He will be 3 weeks out on Tuesday) and has had to at least occasionally take his pain med. I know some on here say they barely needed pain meds or were off them very early, but I know also that has not been the case for him. He also had a diseased gallbladder out at the same time. So perhaps having an additional surgery simultaneously makes it more painful (like you had with the hernia.) Whatever, I don't think you're alone in still having some pain 3 weeks out.

I just got off the treadmill. Which even with all the waiting I have been doing , I have actually been doing religiously. Feeling more in control today. One if you said stress at work was a trigger for you. Well I think that has been mine the past couple weeks. I snack to deal with and avoid work. I gotta find a replacement for the eating. Maybe walk around where I work instead of walking to the cafeteria? I think that's a start. Starting wt 11/16/12 249 lbs. bmi 44. update 1/13/12 wt 232 lbs Sent from my iPhone using RNYTalk

I am new ! I went to the surgeon in Dec. and just finished all my testing this week. I was able to move my date up from Feb. 3 to Jan. 26. I am heading back to the surgeon this week for all my clearances. I am having my fingers crossed I am approved! I was on the lower end of the BMI scale. Starting at 201 5'3. Over the past month I stopped going to the gym and have definitely not been eating right and have gained maybe 10 lbs. My endoscopy came back I had a hernia in my esophagus and gastritis. I have to have another endo. Jan 12 to be cleared. Anyone else have this issue?! I was prescribed prilosec and have kicked caffeine for about 2 weeks now so that I would not have the headaches while on the 2 week pre-op diet. FYI my insurance is Empire BCBS (MTA in NY) Anyone a lower end BMI with EMPIRE BCBS??!

Sweet, I am ready for my date. I am ready to start my liquid diet. Haha never thought I would ever say that. I did a couple of 3 to 5 day trail runs on the liquid diet, it wasnt easy. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using BariatricPal mobile app

not post sleeve experience, but I will say that about 10 years ago my marriage was falling a part. badly. husband had done some stupid things and I was finished. We had a lot against us. but we are people of faith, and I have children who I felt their best chance at a good life was if we could work things out. so I tried. but when my disabled son moved out I realized I couldn't have left at that time, so - after John moved to a group home things really fell apart for real. Husband went through 6 months of hell when we essentially separated (stayed in the same house, separate rooms, separate lives) while he let me grieve the real loss of the marriage I thought we had, and gave me time to see him make real changes. He also did the "love dare" I don't know if you've seen fireproof - but it came from that. He was SO patient with me. At the end of the day I knew I either had to make things right or let him go, and the idea of him being out there somewhere, not loving me was harder than doing the work to forgive and move forward. For us, we experienced a little bit of a miracle the day I decided to stay that confirmed things for us (God does wink from heaven sometimes, I find) He is a mechanic. He had lost his wedding band shortly before we separated. THE VERY day I told him I wanted to make things work his friend sent an email about a ring he had found on a post inside his car's engine bay. he had been driving that car FOR A YEAR with husband's wedding ring on a post in there. I knew that was God's little hug to tell me he was with us. Now, all these years later I am glad we did the hard work to make things right. But know this, it will take both of you. My first husband divorced me after 9 years. He did not want to work things out or get counseling. he just wanted OUT. you can't make someone stay. my second (good) husband was willing to do the hard work of making a good marriage. Wishing you all the best as you move forward and hoping that you can get good counsel. Let me also add right after surgery at week 3 I was ANGRY about everything and at everyone. then I was depressed for about a month, which is not like me. I have a good friend and my husband both that I am filtering every important decision through right now because I recognize that with the hormone dump I am not in a good position emotionally to make decisions on my own. not forever, but for now. Please consider that this may also be a factor going on with you right now. make any decisions carefully.

Some tips: Chewing: I used an app called "Slow Mow Eating Time" to practice. Its an easy habit to pick up! And after surgery, you will naturally be cautious. Water: I eat 4 meals a day -- my surgeon had us start this early in the process. In between meals, and after your last meal, focus on drinking 16 oz. of water. You will have 2.5 hours, so easy-peasy! 30 Minute Windows: I set my smart watch to alert me 30 minutes before each meal, and at each meal. I use a the stopwatch feature to time the 30 minutes after eating. The alerts just buzz my wrist, so nobody else is disturbed. For the most part, I can control my environment and stick to my schedule. Vitamins: I take everything at once first thing in the morning. I use a line called NutraMetrix at the advice of my surgeon. I never crushed my other meds, I just swallow them. I am only 6 weeks in, and it has all become very routine. Good luck!!

Okay guys, today was my pre op appointment with my surgeon. On Wednesday of next week, I have a pre op appointment with the anesthesiologist at the hospital. The following Thursday (April 14) is my surgery day. Up until today, my family has seemed extremely concerned and critical about my decision to have VSG. However, I took them both (my parents) along with me to my appointment today so they could ask my surgeon any questions they have. They now seem to be excited for me. I am started my liquid diet on Monday. Does anyone have any suggestions? Keep in mind that, if I lose anymore than 12 lbs during the liquid diet, I no longer qualify for the surgery. (My current BMI is 36) Does anyone else have a surgery date of 4/14? I need a surgery buddy!

Dlcoggin posted the following to one of my posts whey was once considered a waste product from the process used for making cheese. It is a highly digestible, complete Protein made from cow's milk. Whey concentrate is about 80% protein with relatively low levels of fat, carbohydrates, and cholesterol (but still higher than whey isolate). So whey concentrate not only has a high percentage of protein but also provides healthy fats that boost the immune system. But if you're lactose intolerant, whey isolate may be easier to digest. Whey isolate goes through an additional micro filtering process that is not used in producing whey concentrate. As a result, whey isolate is about 90% protein. Micro filtering removes the lactose and fat but also destroys many of the immune system boosting properties of whey. Whey isolate can also be significantly more expensive than concentrate because of the additional processing required. The digestibility of various Proteins is published in the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS). The PDCAAS has been adopted by the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. food and Drug Administration, and the World Health Organization. Proteins are ranked on a scale of 0 (least digestible) to 1 (most digestible). Whey, Soy, Milk, and Casein proteins all have a PDCAAS score of 1.0. The bottom line is that with whey isolate you get more protein per gram (but not necessarily any better) and it may be better handled by those who are lactose intolerant. With whey concentrate you get slightly less protein per gram but added benefits from the higher fat content. As several folks have noted, the first test that any protein you're going to drink or eat has to pass is - taste. If you are not lactose intolerant and you find a protein that you like, the difference in protein content for whey isolate vs. whey concentrate vs. milk concentrate should likely be a minor consideration. One word of caution - stay away from the protein "bullets" and "shots" that you will see in stores and read about online. If you look closely at their ingredient list, you will see that they are made with collagen protein. These products are attractive to bypass patients because they contain very large amounts of protein in very small volumes - usually 3 to 4 ounces. The problem is that collagen protein is an incomplete protein (meaning that it is missing one or more of the nine essential amino acids that your body requires and cannot manufacture) and more importantly, collagen has a PDCAAS digestibility score of 0.08. All the protein in the world is useless if your body cannot digest it.

My surgery is in just under three weeks, so today was devoted to SPENDING MONEY on all the stuff I will need/want. And here is where I am going to tell you all about it in excruciating detail. http://www.onestopplus.com/ - front-closing leisure bra, empire waist dress, shorty pajamas http://www.amazon.com - 2 x 100 1 oz. medicine cups (to measure/control fluid intake), mini-muffin pan and liners (for the "bites" recipes from Eggface), mini ice cube trays (for making smoothies and shakes), gas-x strips, anti-skid fuzzy socks, Celebrate multi-complete bariatric vitamins with iron, extra large heating pad, blender bottle, Syntrax Nectar medical unflavored protein powder, digital thermometer, small blender. http://www.bjsbariatrics.com/ - Syntrax Nectar sample pack http://www.unjury.com/store/protein/ - Unjury starter kit with 2 packets of five flavors of protein powder, shaker bottle, and food thermometer. http://chikenutrition.com - Chike variety pack w/ 6 flavors Chike protein http://www.mybariatricpantry.com/ - 2 bottles Isopure Plus, Syntrax Matrix sample pack with all 8 flavors (including the famed mint cookie flavor!), Metabolic Nutrition Protizyme sample pack with 5 flavors including my favorite Peanut Butter Cookie, fruit drinks variety pack, pudding/shake variety pack, cappuccino protein drink, and Bariatric Advantage chewable probiotics http://www.vitalady.com - Dymatize Nutrition Elite Whey sample packs in butter cream toffee, mocha, chocolate mint, and gourmet vanilla; BSN Lean Dessert protein powder samples in banana cream pudding, vanilla whipped cream, and fresh cinnamon roll. I also bought a new comforter from Kohl's because mine has gotten kind of ratty and dirty and I figure I can get myself something new, beautiful, and, well, comforting that I'm going to be using during my recovery. This process is expensive even before figuring in direct medical costs! I'm really excited, even if I'm not excited about looking at my bank account balance right now.

Hi there, I am in the middle of my 14 day liquid preop diet as we speak, (10/20 is my big day) and I have 8 oz ones for the main three and 3 4 oz ones for Snacks. I have to use the Bariatric Advantage ones that I add sugar free torani syrup to so I don't get so bored with them. I can also have a cup of specific veggies with lunch and dinner and thats it. Hope this helps! I would check with your dr office/ nut and see what they say?

Congrats on having a date for your sleeve! You are wise to start to make changes now. I really did not do much in the way of dieting before getting sleeved and I so somewhat regret that (especially when I see someone's ticker who has a surgery date near mine and they have 2x the amount of weight because they dieted BEFORE the sleeve!) I could not let my BMI drop below 40 to be covered under my insurance, so mentally that just gave me a reason "not" to diet. BUT, the changes that I did make before getting sleeved were these: I dropped the diet soda habit. I didn't have a problem doing this (I used to drink 1-2 diet sodas per day) and back in July I quit buying soda to have in the house. So it then became an occassional treat when I would be eating out. Then sometime in early Sept. I just quit. (AND YOU CAN DO THE SAME WITH THE SWEET TEA! I would start by decreasing the amount of sugar you put in your tea, or switch to Splenda.) I also quit the coffee/caffeine habit. (beware because even regular non-sweet tea has caffeine...and I love non-sweet tea but not the caffeine.) I switched my coffee to decaf before surgery and didn't have coffee for 4 weeks post-surgery. I also decreased my carb intake. Just little changes. Instead of eggs and toast, I would drop the toast. I got in the habit of not drinking with my meals. I started taking my Vitamins BEFORE surgery to get me in the habit of taking them daily. I already was a regular exerciser, so I didn't have to do much there, but if you do not exercise I would recommend starting something you can stick with. Just even starting to walk will help you recover post-surgery, and walking is not only good, but necessary post-surgery to help prevent blood clots. THIS WILL BE AN AWESOME YEAR FOR YOU!!! I think attitude and gratitude makes a huge difference in this whole process. Going into this with the right attitude and having gratitude that you are being given a opportunity to change your life will carry you far! Good luck with everything!

You should only be eating very soft foods, so if you do eat fruit, eat soft ones like a little banana. some fruit is ok...natural carbs are what you want. Protein is always your priority so I have found that I don't have much room left over for fruit and carbs but I still manage to eat small amounts most days. When I was a few weeks postop, I smashed up strawberries, too, since I love them!

Welcome!!!! If all goes well I will have my surgery in December as well...yay! The post-op diet that I got is for four weeks and it consist of 1 protein shake for breakfast, 1 protein shake for lunch, 4 oz of protein, 4 oz of vegetables and 4 oz of fruit for dinner......nothing but water in between!!!

My date is 11/28 !! so i will be looking at all you october banders for support! i am really nervous but excited mostly! just think of how you will be this time next year! or even a few months from now, concentrate on that bit rather than the surgery! This is just the beginning of a new life for you! one small little hurdle, you will be put to sleep, then 1...2...3... and its all done.. well as far as it concerns us anyway!! so best of luck, try to calm your nerves and imagine all the good things coming out of this amazing once in a lifetime experience! better health, longer life, better looks! more confidence, and the ability to lead a normal happy life looking and feeling AMAZING!! and keep in contact with all us fellow bandees if it helps! GOOD LUCK!!!! IT WILL ALL BE FINE!! xx

My date is July 10th too! I'm on Clear liquids for the first week, so I'd planned on a bunch of flavors of Crystal Light/Mio, sugar free popsicles/Jello, unjury chicken broth, and some of the Syntrax nectar fruity flavors. There are sample packs for the Unjury/Syntrax - I figured I'd get those instead of the big tubs at first.

My husband made a Post-Surgery Kit for me. He took a fishing tackle box and filled many of the spaces with various items that he assumed I might need after surgery. He put it next to our bed so everything was within easy reach. He filled it with things like hand lotion, kleenex, cool-down wipes, nail file, band-aids, dental floss, q-tips, nasal spray, chapstick, decaf green tea, pedialite, deodorant, hair clips and hair bands, etc. Some things I used -- chapstick and hand lotion, and some things I didn't -- sugar free throat lozenges, but it was incredibly reassuring to have these things "there" if I needed them. Now that I am 11 weeks post-op, I found another thing I needed -- large safety pins. My pajama pants are falling down but I don't want to buy new ones yet. I just said this in an off-hand way but that night after his motorcycle club meeting, he came home with a pack of safety pins. I have been so in awe of my hubby because he has truly shown his care-giving side and truly wants this experience to be the best for me. I told him if he is ever in need of care-giving, he is so screwed -- I'm just not as good at it as he is!

The process wouldn't take longer if that's all your insurance company requires. The only requirement I had added by my surgeon other than what my insurance required was for me to quit smoking 3 months before surgery. I think if you are really uncomfortable with your surgeon, it may be good to look into the other surgeon. You need to feel confident in your surgeon or you will think every pain is something that he did wrong.

I'm from RI! My approval took less than a week. My surgery is Dec 3. Best of luck to you!

Yes CCF! Yes these are first appts. Curious if they will put me on supervised diet there or should I start now w my pcp? I need 3 months of supervised diet with my insurance.

I just got my surgery date of July 10th. I'm very excited, but very nervous for the recovery, and learning how to eat again. I wanted to get some input on what I should go ahead and stock my kitchen with now, before surgery so I have everything I need when I get home from the hospital. My doctor does mostly outpatient surgery so they expect me to be home that same evening. Any tools or medicines, or liquid foods that you found extremely good to have on hand for that first week or twor? Any words of advice would be appreciated!

I have my old swimsuit away to goodwill yesterday. I tried wearing it a couple of weeks ago and decided I was done with it. Yay!

I was orginially scheduled for surgery on August 2 then it was changed to August 5. So I received a call from the surgeon's office this morning, and it has been changed yet again. This time I was presented with 2 options, the first being next Friday, July 22 and August 19. Well August 19 is absolutely out of the question. I would need to push back to the October, if that was the case. So, I will be having my surgery at 12:45 pm on July 22. Oh lord, am I really ready for this? So, my initial dilemma has been solved, which was my husband being out-of-town. He is going to adjust his schedule. So my next dilemma is work and telling my boss that I will be out of office starting next Friday. I had planned to be out of the office for two weeks after surgery in August and then work from home the next week or so. At least now I will be able to return to work sooner, mid-August, so that is actually a good thing. But am I ready?

I take Citracal. It is important to take Calcium in the form of calcium citrate and not Calcium Carbonate. These are large pills. In the beginning I had to crush them but after 3 months, I regained my ability to swallow large pills and they are easy to take now. I am suppose to take 6 a day and space these out. Also there is a conflict between Iron supplements and calcium supplements so I have to space the iron 2 hours from the calcium. I take 3 Flintstones Complete chewable per day. These contain iron. In the beginning this was the first Vitamins I took in the morning. But I modified this to the end of the day Vitamin because the blood work showed I had low iron. As a result of the blood work, I also am taking an iron supplement each day. I take 1 D3 (5000 i.u.) per day. I take 1 B1 (100 mg) per week. Originally I took these once per day but as a result of the blood work, the dosage was reduced. I take 1 Juvenon (Acetyl L-Carnitine HCL combined with Alpha Lipoic Acid) per day. I have been taking this for the past 10 year to strengthen the mitochondria in my cells. It helps with breathing and also hair loss. I take 1 Co Q-10 (100 mg) per day. I have been taking this for over a decade and continued after surgery. I take one injection of B12 per month.

I want to add that my clinic also said no gummy vitamins. They do not contain iron, and we need iron. My doc said what happened to me is quite rare, especially in women. This is why it is so important to keep going back for follow-up appointments. Just because your blood work is good at 3 months or 6 months, does not mean that it will still be at one year. Just know that what you start with might not be what you are on for life. I had the standard RNY gastric bypass. Every body is different, sometimes adjustments need to be made.