Bryn Dawson

When I have my morning Protein shake, I mix 1 scoop of

I'm starting the lower-carb phase of my pre-op diet today too, even though I don't know if my surgery is going to fall through or not due to the insurance problems. For me, this means going from one Protein shake a day to two - I'm doing unjury shakes mixed with skim milk - and only having one full meal a day, plus Snacks in the low-carb range (string cheese, yum). I'm proceeding as though the surgery is going to happen as scheduled. Good luck to all of us!

Thinking of you and sending good energies your way! Let us know how you are feeling when you're up to it!

Yeah, I know. Me too.

I have HealthPartners, which is part of the Cigna network although is not, strictly speaking, Cigna itself. But it's a PPO. However, I am having difficulty with them at the moment. Please make sure you are fully aware of all the requirements well before your surgery date is in sight.

I'm really glad that everything has resolved okay as far as the physical problem. I can only hope that you get a satisfying resolution to the hospital/doctor/tech problem as well. I'm sorry that this happened to you, and sorrier that you had such a bad experience. Please let us know how it turns out.

I'm still pre-op and this post is somewhat scary and also enlightening. Just another thing to prepare for, I guess. But I am sending good thoughts and energies out for those of you having this trouble right now, and hoping that you reach the turning point soon.

Sending good energy your way - I am sure you will do just fine. Keep us posted when you can!

I've never been much of a praying woman, myself, but I could sure use some help about now. My insurance is trying to balk on my application again over this stupid 5-phone calls to the insurance company people in 10 weeks-thing and I'm worried about my surgery date (July 12th) getting cancelled. I've got everything crossed. Also my insurance coordinator (with whom I am now on a first name basis) and my surgeon are writing letters to the insurance requesting they make an exception in my case, so I guess that counts as an appeal, though the word 'denial' was tactfully not used in the voicemail I was left. I am super bummed about the thought of getting cancelled, and super anxious waiting for official word. So any thoughts or prayers or good energies or mystical psychedelic frisbees or whatever you all could say/think/metaphysically send my way would be very much appreciated. Thanks and reciprocity, Bryn

Woot! Go Tamz!

I had low Vitamin D when I was tested but that was early enough on in the process that they could put me on a supplement to get it to come up. I don't think it will affect your surgery, though.

I lose in stair-steps now and I'm pre-op. In fact, this is how my body has always taken weight off during any of the diets I have tried. It is normal - don't beat yourself up over it. I know that I use a weight tracker at caloriecount.about.com - it has not only weight tracking but weight trending, and as long as the trend continues to go down or stays the same, then you are fine. Believe me, it's hard for that trend to go up - you have to actually gain. It might be worth checking out, if only to help you feel better about the process. For an interesting take on it, look up something called 'The Hacker's Diet' on Google. There is a lot of interesting information there regarding input vs output, trending, etc.

I'm preop so I don't have any experience with this but I will keep you in my thoughts and hope for a resolution soon!

Hey Debbie, I can tell you that I take benefiber with my morning shakes and it seems to help a lot. I have also heard Miralax will help. Good luck! Let us know how things 'come out'. LOL

I too am fairly open, and have told my office (including my boss, because we're very open with each other) and my mom and dad, one aunt, a lot of my friends, and of course my husband. My employees are all excited for me and give me encouragement - they tell me I'm doing well when I walk to the kitchen to get Water for my Crystal Light or other things of that nature. It's little stuff, but it makes me feel good about my decision and about my support structure. Keep in mind, you have nothing but time. You can always decide down the road to tell someone, but you can't take it back once it's out. That's how I'm looking at it for my extended family - no reason to tell now but might tell later. Just my 2 cents...

I am sure you will do great! You sound very dedicated. I will be rooting for you!

Oh no! I can understand EXACTLY how you are feeling as I went through a potential roadblock just last week. It is miserable! But I agree with the other posters here - call your surgeon and see what they say. It is possible they will still operate, or will refer you to another PCP to do the physical. Also, keep in mind you can always get a 2nd opinion from another PCP for preop! Good luck! I will be keeping my fingers crossed for you!

I am really, really lucky - I have a great mom. She's awesome.

I am dismayed, reading through this thread, that so many of you have families who are not supportive of your WLS journeys! It makes me realize how lucky I am that I DO have a supportive family and a wide circle of friends who are okay with it as well. My mom has my '12 things' list printed out and taped to her fridge (she lives in Texas and I'm in Maryland) and she's sending me a present every time I lose another 20 lbs. My dad thinks its a great idea and worries more about my skinny sister's overexercising than my going under the knife. And my husband is so supportive it makes me want to cry sometimes when I think about it. I notice that the OP for this thread has her surgery today, and I hope that all goes well for her. And I hope that all of you who have posted find fulfillment and support where you can.

Oh my god, Myrori, I am SO sorry... these hospital people, they are not good at listening to us when we tell them things... I had a similiar experience once with something that got stuck in my ear (long and very icky story I will spare you all) but I know what you are going through on that front. I am sending you good energy and hoping that everything is okay and you don't get a blockage or require surgery for resolution. Please keep us posted! *hugs*

My process is actually taking slightly more than 6 months - the 6 months is due to insurance requirements, and then once the 6 months was up and I could be scheduled for surgery, I had to wait to be fitted into the surgeon's busy surgical schedule. It is possible to get all your tests and evaluations done within a much shorter time, provided you are willing to run around like a chicken with it's head cut off. Seriously though, the long waiting period is usually due to insurance requirements, not the surgeons themselves. Good luck on your journey!

Thank you, Debbie - I appreciate it! *hugs*

Glad to hear it's just a UTI and you've got a course of healing laid out for you.

I will spare you my hematuria (blood in urine) story because it is a. unrelated to the surgery and b. due to a more-rare-than-not cause and I don't want to make you worry. (Kidney stones is the very very simplified explanation.) But know that you have done absolutely the right thing in contacting your doc. S/he will help figure it out, rest assured. As long as you are not having pain, you are probably OK.

I knew it was time when my lower back pain got so bad that I couldn't stand for longer than a couple minutes without pain, or walk for longer than 5 minutes without being in agony. I've always been big but that never stopped me until I started taking a medication that caused me to gain 30 pounds in 2 years. Even before that gain I was dealing with pain but it was tolerable. But after the gain I would try to go to the mall with friends and have to sit out half the time on a bench because I couldn't do the stand-and-browse thing with them... god forbid I try to go to the county fair, one of my favorite things to do, or go to the Renaissance festival... I also used to horseback-ride very frequently, I took lessons for 7 years and at this point no horse could carry me. But the real turning point was when I went to my sister's wedding and realized that I was the fattest person there. Being seen like that amongst my extended family and my sister's college friends was miserable beyond belief. So I started researching and a year later I was in the program. I know this is the right thing for me to do. I know that it will help me to get back to being able to do the things I want to do, and maybe more that I never thought I could. Hope this helps...Good luck to you on your journey!