M2G

The ones at Wal-Mart aren't too bad. I talked to my NUT about them, she said they are not the best, but they will work as a protien option. I posted an idea about what to do with them here: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/9568-clear-protein-idea/

I still don't have a date yet for my surgery, everything is sitting on my bariatric nurse's desk (and she will be on vacation ALL next week....aaaargh!), but I am still hoping for an Oct. date. Waiting for a call back from my surgeon's office on this topic but thought I would ask here too... Should I do my flu shot before surgery? I'm leaning towards yes, especially since it takes 2 week for the shot to take effect. Just seems like hospitals are such good breeding grounds for flu germs (among others.) Anyone else have some words of wisdom or thoughts on this subject?

Thinking of you and praying that all is well.

My NUT said Stevia is just fine.

Christie! Big hugs! You are doing an incredible job, truly. You have been an amazing inspiration to me, I just feel there was a higher power that helped me find you when I needed it the most. Thank you so much for sharing your journey with me, and giving me such incredible insight. I still am so thankful that I found this site, and definitely thankful that I found you, and look forward to our friendship continuing to grow. I think you are allowed to have an 'off' day or so, and I know this won't derail you. I know you are being compliant, and it is good that you 1. noticed a drop in Fluid intake, and 2. are working on that. As far as the monthly stuff goes, that would drive me crazy. I'm sure that it is related to going off the pill, having major surgery, going back on the pill, etc. But I hear you, I would definitely be tired of THAT monthly visitor overstaying her welcome. I hope this next cycle is the one that gets you back to normal. It might be worth a call to your ob gyn dr. to see if he/she has any recommendations on things you can do to get back to normal. You have lost a tremendous amount of weight in a pretty short amount of time. I know it is soooooo easy to say, 'stay off the scale' but soooooooo hard to do. I have totally been there. Take a look at your measurements again, and take a really good look at your amazing photos. You look fantastic, and the scale WILL move again, I just know that it will. So I say vent away, tomorrow is a new day, hug Ian, snuggle with the kitties and know that this too shall pass. (And when I'm in my first slump you can repeat all of this back to me.) Hugs! Chat soon!

Welcome! I am not military, but wanted to say that my husband and I are also doing this together! :thumbs_up: We are using our medical insurance, but have to pay over $5K in high ded. first then 10% on everything after we hit ded. My DH is about 2 months behind me in the process and all of my stuff was turned over to insurance yesterday so I'm waiting for approval and hoping to have surgery THIS month! We did the same thing, started out going for the band because my initial research on the sleeve didn't indicate that it was a stand-alone procedure, everything I found said it was part of a 2-part surgery and I immediately didn't want 2 surgeries! Thank God for this board and all the advice that the wonderful people here have given. I think it saved us both from getting that terrible band! :teeth_smile:

So I have only tried the "bullet" type of clear protien (which thanks to this board!) I learned are not quite as good as things like Isopure, etc because it contains some collagen Protein vs. just pure whey. But my NUT said it's not bad, just not the "best", thankfully I really only have to be on clear during the 24 pre-op diet and for a week after. So not like I'm going to be drinking tons of clear protien. But I just wanted to share that I have sno-cone maker (it is really sort of a silly gadget that I got as a gift) but basically you put ice cubes in it and it spits out shaved ice. (Then if you were going to make a sno-cone you would pour flavored syrup over it.) Anyway, I got the idea to pour my bullet clear protien over it and eat it with a spoon. I think it tricked my mind into believeing I was eating a sno-cone. Just thought I would share for anyone who is not enjoying choking down the clear protien!

Congratulations! Being at goal must be a WONDERFUL feeling! Glad you are enjoying your new smaller, healthier version of you!!

Eeek, not liking the new changes either. The ONY thing I like is being able to jump to another forum from the bottom of the page instead of scrolling back up! Julie wrote: "I see the sleeve as another means of successfully achieving our weight loss goals -- just like there are those who successfully used WW or other weight loss programs -- would I lecture them and tell them it was not in their best interests? No!" {See I can't even figure out the "quote" buttons to quote Julie} But Julie, you said this perfectly!!! That is brilliant. I love that.

Thanks Fit! I also don't miss my gallbladder either, and had zero complications after it, never had any meds, etc. either. I wouldn't wish gall stones on anyone though, they are NOT fun.

I had my gallbladder removed about 11 years ago (I think the reason I had stones was I was on a highly restrictive liquid diet for about 7 months, similar what Oprah did, to lose weight...it was great I lost a lot of weight, but eventally gained it back). So what I was wondering if there are any differences for someone who has had their gallbladder removed before VSG. I know having gall stones can be a side effect of losing weight (among other reasons!) and so that some people have theirs removed AFTER their VSG, but was just curious if there are any sleevers who had theirs already gone, and if there were any complications because of that. I did tell my surgeon about it (in fact is is the ONLY surgery I have ever had, until I undergo the VSG) but he didn't really mention anything. I am going to ask him again about it just to be sure. It is still amazing to me how our bodies can function without certain organs!

You look wonderful!!! Congrats on doing so well, and thank you for sharing your pictures with us. You were beautiful before, but I just have to say that you look sooooooo much younger after losing so much weight. Isn't it funny how we don't think about how excess weight can "age" us, but we you see it in the pictures, it truly is amazing. Thank you for sharing your inspirational jouney with us!

The self-pay price for my surgeon in Denver is $20,000.

I was thinking the same thing...lol. Even about pre-op stuff. I had heard so much about liquid dieting to shrink the liver before surgery, but when I mentioned that at one of my visits they (the surgeon's office) was like "oh my goodness, no we do a 24 hour clear diet the day before surgery and that is it. We feel like longer than that is cruel"...so then I asked about my liver and they said "oh it is fine" ...so go figure? I agree with Ellisa, just do what they say to do, even though there is a big difference among surgeons within the bariatric community.

I've been taking biotin as well, even though I'm pre-surgery, in hopes that it helps. We'll see, I think everyone is different and for some loss is just unavoidable.

I don't think it is a bad question at ALL! I'm going to ask my NUT about it on Tues. when I visit. I was under the impression that we were to swear off all ibuprofen for life? Am I wrong? I know I am to not take it within a month before surgery and directly after is a no-no as well. We were told that rapid release Tylenol would now be our pain reliever of "choice"...hummm. My personal opinion is that since the sleeve is so new, that they are sort of just now writing the "rule" book so to speak. Seems like a lot of my surgeon's stuff has been mostly adapted from the bypass people's rule book (although I know some of the stuff is the same whether you are band, bypass or sleeve.) I'm curious to find out what sort of cold meds are ok with the sleeve!

Eureka-C I sent you a PM too!

Great resource. They do a good job of explaining the "whys" behind certain rules, etc. Thank you!

Sounds yummy!

Congratulations! That is wonderful news! Everything on my "list" (from the surgeon and the insurance company, UnitedHC) will be CROSSED off on Tues. Oct. 5th, and then subsequently submitted to the insurance company. The sleeve IS covered (after we pay our high-deductible) and I've been in touch with 2 different coordinators for the last 6 months, so my fingers are crossed that I will be approved in a few days after submitting and hoping for a surgery date shortly after approval. I have not prepared myself for possible denial, so I don't know what I will do. But after hearing your story, I'm SO happy for you and glad you are sharing it here, for others to know that they can appeal if necessary!

Jumping in here, I am far from a workout junkie, but I am so proud to say that I have been a Curves regular for the last 6+ years. I regularly go 3x a week, and I usually walk (indoors on my treadmill or outside with my Curves buddies 2x a week). I love the way exercise makes me feel, so relaxed and happy! So I'm pre-sleeve right now (hoping for an Oct. date) and when my NUT told me no workouts at Curves for 6 weeks after surgery, I about fell off my chair! :scared0:But I completely understand the "why" behind it and I definitely don't want to pop a stitch or force my body into doing too much too fast. I am happy about being able to do walking workouts (yay!) So, basically, I need to NOT fall off the exercising wagon. I am going to be doing a countdown weekly after surgery until I can get back to my routine. AND, I'm looking forward to losing 125lbs and expanding my workouts beyond Curves!:thumbup1:

Thank you. My kids are naturally curious and I thought it might help them to "see" that I made it through, and was still alive, etc. But I didn't think about not being in the best state of mind, etc. I think it might end up being a decision based on how I feel at the time. They certainly won't be staying very long, a quick hello is all I was planning. But it might not be worth it ...plus the mental image of me being IN the hospital, no matter how quick is something that they probably don't need. We'll have to see. Thanks for your input!

That is so cute! And you are right, it is funny how they take stuff and "digest" it in their own way. I like how your 9 year old didn't want to hurt your feelings. :thumbup:

Oh wow, that is really a set-back. I'm so sorry. When I started this process, I was all for the band (even though I couldn't imagine slimeing up my food all the time, but I sort of mentally placed myself into the "that probably won't happen to category.") Our insurance was the first place we had ever even heard of the sleeve. And at my husband's insistance I did more research on the sleeve (this board was a big part of my research) and we both decided that this would be our best option. Now I wouldn't want to go any other way. That being said, you have to do what is best for you and your finances. You have a lot of soul-searching and a lot of researching ahead of you. I wish you the best of luck!

Thanks for being a RL buddy to me! You are the best!