GreenEyedMamma

Congrats! How exciting. I am having my surgery this afternoon. God Bless your surgeons hand's and wishing you a speedy recovery.

Good luck to you tomorrow!! Blessings coming your way.

I am 325 lbs and fly frequently on United and used to fly Alaska before I moved. I have never been asked to purchase a second ticket. My weight is pretty well distributed but I carry more in the hips, thighs, and rear end. I usually purchase a window seat so I can cram myself up against the window and I always apologize to the person sitting next to me. Usually they don't mind but occasionally I would get some jerk who would roll their eyes as soon as they saw who they were sitting next to and then run as soon they saw an open seat somewhere else after saying "it will give you more room". I actually "borrowed" an extender three years ago and never returned it. I use it all the time. I am having my surgery this afternoon and am hoping I won't need the extender by summer. Hope that helps.

Thank you everyone! Just a few more hours. Going to keep myself busy reading this forum until I have to leave. I will update on my status and recovery soon! God bless! D

Oh my goodness, these last 24 hours waiting for surgery are the worst. I think my insides are drowning with all this Water I have been drinking today. Am trying to clear off my desk at work today hoping no one will need me over the next week and a half. Got much to do at home tonight so hopefully the time will fly by. I know that I will not be able to sleep a wink. I think the hardest part will be getting through tomorrow morning since my surgery is the last one of the day (3pm). A little nervous but not scared. Only nervous about the anesthetic. I hate going "under". Well, actually, going under is the easy part. I hate coming out from it. I know all will be well though. I can't wait to start a new beginning. Just lots of random thoughts running through my head...along with the sound of the clock ticking down...tick....tock....tick....tock....

I am on day 13 of my two week pre-op diet (which is a full liquid diet) and for me things started to settle down after day 4. I have surgery the day after tomorrow and since I have to do all clear liquid tomorrow I am thinking that will be the worst day of all. The worst time of the day for me is the late afternoon. I found that if I plan to "eat" something every two hours I can get through the day without too many issues. I have lost 12 pounds so far. My day pretty much goes like this: 7:30am - Protein shake 9:30am - sugar free Jello 11:30am - Protein Shake 2:30pm - Applesauce or a Sugar Free Jello 5:00pm - Protein Shake and a Sugar Free pudding 7:30pm - Sugar Free popsicle Drinking Crystal Light REALLY helps in the late afternoon too. Good luck to you. You can do it. I know it is hard but it does get easier. Dawn

I am on day 13 and I can tell you that after the 4th day things got better for me. I have my rough moments late in the afternoon but if I keep busy and drink a lot of Water or have a sugar free Jello and the cravings pass. I have surgery the day after tomorrow and I think tomorrow might be the worst day of all because everything has to be clear. Good luck. You can do it. It is hard but it is only for two weeks. Dawn (another Disney Mamma)

Congrats! I had the following pre-op tests: Echo, Chest X-Ray, Abdominal Ultrasound, Upper GI, Treadmill Stress Test, had to give a TON of blood, and an EKG. I didn't have to have a psych. evaluation. Dawn

I am a self-payer and I had to do everything except the psych. consult. The other pre-op stuff was just to make sure I was healthy enough for surgery and I ran those tests through my insurance as my primary doctor "ordered" them. I think it really depends on your surgeon.

Great pictures. That is so exciting. I am getting sleeved in five days and can hardly stand the wait. Dawn

I know how you feel. I am on day 7 of my liquid diet. My surgery is next Thursday. The first few days were the worst but as each day (well, more like each moment) passes, I know I am that much more closer to changing my life for good. I went through a few types of Protein drinks before I discovered a brand that didn't have a protein taste to them. I have been drinking Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% whey in Double Rich chocolate, Vanilla Ice Cream, and strawberry banana. When mixed with 8oz. of fat free milk, the nutritional content is: 33g protein, 1g fat, 16g carbs (13 of those come from the milk), and 210 calories. If mixed with Water, the nutrition content is: 24g protein, 1g fat, 3g carbs, and 120 calories. I have one for breakfast at 7:30am, have a sugar-free Jello or a sugar-free applesauce at 9:30, have another flavor of Protein shake for lunch along with a cup of broth at 11:30, have a sugar-free jello or sugar-free applesauce again at 2:30 along with a V8 juice (which is NOT my favorite but need the veggies), at 5:30 I have my last shake and maybe a cup of broth, and around 7:30 or 8pm I have either a sugar-free popscicle or a sugar-free jello. I also TRY to drink 48-64oz. of water and/or water with crystal light during the day (some days I feel like my innards are floating). I have done this for a week and have lost 10 pounds since last Thursday. I have one more week to go and while it is REALLY hard because I have a family to cook for, I know these two weeks will seem like only moments in the grand scheme of things. Try the Optimum Nutrition flavors. I don't recommend buying them from the store because they are really expensive. You can find them MUCH cheaper on Amazon. They have like 18 different flavors. I purchased a 5lb. tub for $41. Good luck to you. Don't chicken out. You can do it.

Your pre-op tests (nearly all of those you listed) should be done no earlier than 30 days of your surgery or you will have to do them all over again. It is best to wait until you see your surgeon and schedule your surgery so you don't have to repeat. I don't know who in their right mind would want to do an Upper GI more than once... LOL. Good luck with your process.

If any of you have a Sally Beauty Supply store in your area, pick up some liquid Neutral Protein Filler. It repairs damaged protein bonds in the hair. Hairdressers typically use this when coloring damaged hair to prevent breakage. I pay $6.50 for a 4-ounce bottle.

Self pay here is $14,250 and that includes everything.

Thank you to everyone for your support and encouragement. I completed all of my pre-op tests yesterday with the exception of the final one that I do next week and I started my pre-op diet last night. The countdown continues...

So, this is my story...I hope it doesn't bore you... I have battled weight my entire life, and when I say "entire life" I mean my ENTIRE life. I was always the biggest girl in class starting from 1st grade. I graduated high school weighing 200 pounds. Maintained that for a few years and gained nearly 80 pounds after the birth of my son. I went on Phen-Fen and lost 80 pounds in four months. Then the FDA yanked it off the shelves and over the course of six years, I gained it all back plus 50 more. I was diagnosed with a kidney disorder (IgA Nephropathy) and was hoping that after my doctor recommend I lose a substantial amount of weight to prolong the life of my kidney that my insurance would cover the surgery. Ummm...yeah...that didn't work in my favor. That was two years ago and I accepted the fact that would not be able to pay for it myself. I have grown more and more ashamed of my weight and two weeks ago I hit an all time low on the emotion scale after attending a sporting event and the public seating cut into my gynormous thighs and left a bruise on both sides. God must have been listening to my cry for help because just two days later I received a gift from one of his angels. Knowing that my insurance wouldn't cover the cost of the surgery, this angel offered to pay for it. [insert wheepy eyes and a sniff, sniff here]. That was on Friday, January 28 (just a 10 days ago). I immediately phoned the surgeons office and scheduled a consult. They got me in on the 4th (yes, just this past Friday) and I met with the surgeon. I originally wanted the Lap-Band but he recommended VSG. I hadn't ever heard of it before so he explained the process and told me to think about it. He gave me the number to his scheduler and said he would contact them as well. I phoned her from my car, while still in the parking lot of the surgeons office, and left her a message. Then I spent the latter part of my afternoon (at work) researching it and then continued my research at home (which is where I stumbled upon this site). After spending HOURS reading peoples stories, blogs, and watching videos on YouTube, I decided that I wanted the VSG. I spoke to the gal from the hospital this morning at 8:30am and was shocked to hear that my surgeon had already spoken to them about me and...[insert hyperspeed here]... She faxed my pre-op orders to me at work and I dropped them off at my doctors office a few hours later (figured why not have the insurance pay for some "routine" lab work and tests; I had my chest x-ray done while I was there also (the x-ray tech and I both had an extra 15 minutes so why not get it done with); I meet with the Bariatric department tomorrow at 11:30 to sign paperwork and have an abdominal ultrasound at 1pm; on Wednesday, I have blood work at 7:30am, Upper GI at 9am, Echo at 12:30, Treadmill Stress Test at 1pm, and meet with the dietition at 2:30; I meet with my primary doctor on the 16th for clearance and will have my EKG done at the same time; then I have surgery on the 22nd. Start to finish in three weeks. Is it me, or is that like crazy fast? After I got my surgery date this morning, I had to start preparing. I purchased my Protein powder (did a lot of research on this over the weekend and found one with 24G of protein, 1G sugar, and only 3G carbs); went to the store and stocked up on other supplies; and am going to continue preparing as much as I can. I have had several abdominal surgeries including a c-section, hysterectomy, and having my gallbladder removed so I feel prepared for the pain. The hysterectomy was probably the worst and I tolerated that very well so hopefully this one isn't as bad. Anyway - I just felt like sharing. I don't have a lot of people I can share with so I figured "what the heck, why not share with a bunch of strangers who just so happen to either be getting, or have already gotten, the same thing"? Thanks for listening! On with the countdown... God Bless Dawn