Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.
BariatricPal

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

ShapeShifter's Blog

A blog by ShapeShifter in General

  • Entries

    7

  • Comments

    11

  • Views

    3,648

About this blog

A Journey Through Transformation and Renewal

Entries in this blog

Onward...

I finished jumping through hoops the first week of June, and submitted all of my bits and pieces to the patient advocate for insurance approval. I felt such a sense of urgency when I stepped on that scale on the morning of the sixth month of dr. assisted weight loss. Of course, my advocate asked about the other three steps I'd not submitted (because it was not explained to me that way), and the message I received from the universe was... patience. Be patient, and the universe will provide you

Step By Step, Inch By Inch...

Today I scheduled my first nutritionist appointment, left a message to set up the psychological consult, and mailed two letters. The first to my Internist, who has already offered her full support, requesting the letter of medical necessity, referral to the nutritionist, and weight records. Since I've only been seeing her since last year, I mailed a second letter to the GYN I was with before my insurance changed a couple of years ago. She would have weight records going back further than any

Moving Forward...

I am grateful to report that while the inital response from my insurance was that the sleeve was not covered, it turned out they just mis-read the policy. It is covered. Now, begins the hoop-jumping. The traditional 6-month, doctor assisted weight loss program is required, and since I had already started such a thing with my chiropractor (an herbal cleanse that helped take off a whopping 12 lbs and then stalled) in January, I believe that June or July would reach the 6 month mark. She has al

Putting Myself In Your Shoes...

In the early weeks of my research into VSG, I was immersed in video updates of sleevers' lives post-surgery. I must have watched 100 thoughtful and detailed check-ins with dozens of people reporting their success, struggles, and victories.   During that time, I started ordering different kinds of recommended protein powders to see what flavors sat well with me, and also to see if upping my protein in an already low-carb, low-cal diet would invite my body to release some of the weight she insi

Overwhelming Support

The thing that scared me the most in my research, even more than hair-loss (yes, at times I have felt my hair was my best feature), was that some people have lost friends along this journey. The day I heard that on a video log, I felt sick to my stomach. I told my Mom about that discovery over the phone, and she gasped. We both know that there is nothing more important in my life than my sacred, devoted, and loyal friendships. I'm an Aquarius, so there are many. I have always felt you can n

Researching The Sleeve And Signs From The Universe

About 15 years ago, the insurance my (then) company offered started covering Gastric Bypass Surgery, and multiple co-workers made that choice with hope to improve their lives. I was envious, and curious, and admit that it did cross my mind. But at that time, for whatever reason, I was not ready to make such a life-altering decision. As I learned more about the procedure and the results, I worried about the issues with malabsorption. And years later, when Ann Wilson (from Heart) was open abou

This Is Dedicated To My Future

I have never before kept a blog or chosen a 'screen name', or for that matter, consistently kept a journal. As I begin this journey into a healthier future with Sleeve Gastrectomy, I have been strongly encouraged by a friend to put things in writing, seek support from an experienced community, and to offer support to others, as I do in my every-day world.   I am 43 years old, happily single, and 250 lbs. I am also an open book, or so I thought, with friends and family... always speaking my t

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications
Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.