Approved by surgeon, now on to nutrition and psych evals

[duckydoom 128]

Well, I'm a couple of steps closer, and so happy. I had my motility study done on 7/27 and that went well. Now I've got a nutrition eval on the 8th and my psych eval on the 17th (though I'm on a waiting list in case an appointment opens up sooner). I'm guessing I will be looking at mid to late September, possibly October for a surgery date. Depends on when everyone gets their info in to the surgeon and they turn them over to the insurance company.

I had my lab work done and it seems that I have anemia. For those of you inclined and familiar, the values that were off are as follows: MCV High (99), MCHC low (32%, normal range starts at 33%), Folate is high - Greater than 22.0 ng/mL, Iron is fine but TIBC is high (483 ug/dL when 240-400 is the normal range). Whatever all of that means. Dr Google says its anemia, but I'm not jumping to conclusions.

I'm waiting for the final word from my doctor, but it would seem to explain the debilitating fatigue I've had lately. Sunday I slept 17 hours, Monday 10, and last night I slept 15, and I'm still ridiculously tired. My FitBit says I'm only averaging 5.5 hours of "restful" sleep a night.

Now I'm going through the "nesting" phase, I guess... trying to find some stuff that will work well through the stages of recovery. Has anyone tried the Atkins Lyft drinks? I'm looking for drinks that I can have in the "clear liquids" phase that still have Protein, and I'd love to try some in advance before I invest in a bunch of expensive ones. All of the Syntrax are currently sold out on the BariatricPal Store. I'm pretty much set for my full liquids.

Any tips for me at this point? I'm taking my food logs with me for the last 8 months to the nutritionist appointment. Not entirely sure how the psych eval is going to go - they always delve into my childhood and want to know more about that than they want to focus on my mental stability when it comes to getting the surgery. When I had the band done, the guy said he was concerned about my young age but had no reason to deny me psychologically, but he just didn't' want to recommend it.

Thanks in advance

[Bufflehead 6,358]

The Syntrax Nectar is worth trying -- you can get sample individual packets from Nashua Nutrition http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/protein-powders/protein-powder-samples-1-serving.html

or a variety pack form bariatric pantry: http://www.mybariatricpantry.com/SYNTRAX_NECTAR_PROTEIN_POWDER_SAMPLES_p/nectar-sample.htm

I haven't tried the Atkins drink but everyone I know who has, has really liked it.

Isopure is another clear rtd you might want to try. They have awesome numbers but many people find the taste unbearable -- I had to cut it 50/50 with G2 or Powerade Zero to make it drinkable myself.

It sounds like you will do just fine on your meeting with the dietitian and psychological assessment. Good luck!

[smg 471]

Hmmm....definitely sounds like anemia, but I would certainly check with doc and make sure. Anemia is pretty common and can be treated.

As far as the sleep is concerned, it sounds to me like it may be sleep apnea. Do you use a CPAP machine now or have you ever had a sleep study done? It's fairly common in overweight individuals and it's also something that can be helped from the surgery once the pounds start to come off.

The psych eval is typically not as bad as it seems. Mine was extremely easy and only questions that I answered on some forms. I was cash-pay so didn't have any of the insurance companies forcing certain requirements....not sure if you have to meet with someone or answer some questions on a form but it's typically pretty straightforward and simple, and I'm sure you'll do just fine.

As far as drinks, I haven't tried the Atkins drinks but at my surgery center they had some Protein based Water called About Time. They have a website called tryabouttime.com and I actually bought 2 cases after my surgery to get me through the liquid phase. They were pretty good and had 20g of Protein per bottle.

Sounds like you've done your research and ready to tackle the journey ahead! Best of luck!

[duckydoom 128]

@@Bufflehead Thank you for the resources. I tried a vague google search and also here on the forums, but didn't find anything for bariatric pantry. Ordering some samplers now - if all else fails, they'll be good for the pre op diet!

@@smg I do have sleep apnea, I was previously on a CPAP for it and then later had a tonsillectomy and a UPPP that "cured" it enough to get me off of the cpap, but it seems that I'll need it again if I don't lose this weight. I've had 4 sleep studies and 1 day study, but the most recent were about 2 years ago after I had the lap band removed. Thank you for the tip on About Time, I'm going to order a few to try of those as well.