fattymcfatterson

Meg, I love your real food approach.. I know Protein is important but when you are eating "clean" I think the body absorbs more of what it needs. It is my goal after sleeve when I have a wittle tummy to eat clean and I will definetely be trying your bean idea. Gonna finally put my blendtec to good use!! I personally would love to follow a sleeved "real food" thread or a blog if you know of any.. Diane, my surgeon's instructions say to do 3- 1/4cup liquid meals per day, 64 ozs of Water in 1/4-1/2 cup increments every half hour, and every hour between meals 1/4 cup Protein drinks. Maybe short goals will work for you in getting it down. I have also heard of people eating ice chips, shaved ice or using a medicine dropper. Or for some drinking something warm lessens the pain. I haven't been there yet so I can't speak from personal experience, just from reading this board for the past year. Don't wait to long to get checked for dehydration, you may need a bag or two! Keep us updated.

I am pre-sleeve but happen to have my instructions for phase 2 handy. I really like how his instructions break it down. *Consume 2 ozs (1/4 cup) every hour. This phase consists of three 1/4 cup full liquid meals and 1/4 cup protein beverages EVERY HOUR between meals.. *Try to drink 64 ozs of fluid every day. Drink 2-4 ozs (1/4-1/2 cup) water every half hour while awake. Then it lists what I can have and if I can eat it with a fork it is too thick. I purchased a baby "powdered formula dispenser" so i can put a smaller serving amount of protein powder in each "slot" for ease of use at work. I like my protein drinks fresh so I don't mind the 1/4 cup thing. I hope this helps you in SOME way and I pray you start to feel much better..

I LOVE the vitafusion gummy chewables. They taste like candy! Not expensive at all. Costco has them for a great price and I believe walmart carries them too.

Check out this link. It is an additional option you can start doing anytime to help with sagging skin. I actually plan on starting the habit before surgery. http://t-tapp.com/success/michellep/index.html Oh, her exercises are also fantastic. I am just to heavy with no energy to do them right now.... excited for september!

That is awesome! And it is nice to hear a story with a happy ending, especially after watching 2 season finales tonight!

UMR

I see you are in Fort Worth.... Do you have a max out of pocket and how much is your deductible? I went through Dr. David Kim and he required a sleep study. The sleep center he used accepted what the insurance paid as payment in full. That covered my "out of pocket max" of $2200 and the $500 for my out of network deductible. If you have any questions feel free to pm me. What surgeon are you using?

I feel silly asking this but I can't find the answer anywhere! If my first visit of the 6 month stupervised diet was Feb 21, would the July visit count as the last one? Or is it "7" visits therefore August would be the last... Thanks for your help!!

I don't think you would be starting over and have to wait. Those are requirements for your insurance company usually. Send some emails to other surgeons tonight explaining that you are considering another surgeon. Tell them what you have already done and ask how long it would take to get surgery with them. Maybe you can have an answer by tomorrow!

Research other surgeons if you are not comfortable with this one! Just find one that does not have any additional hoops to jump through. I would not go with someone I was hesitant about. Try to find one with lots of experience doing the sleeve. Good luck!!

That sounds like something my husband would say, and I would probly react them same way, but what he might really be trying to say is "You have come this far, I am noticing a gain that you might not see, and I would not want to remain quiet about it and see you realize it 20 more pounds later and beat yourself up." You have been married to him for 34 years, so he probly is not a jerk, just a man. They are NOTORIOUS for having good intentions but saying it in a man way. I know mine does. You are doing great! Take his comment as a re-focus and don't let those 5-7 lbs become more but also don't starve yourself. Work your sleeve sister, forgive him, and remember, he is a MAN!

I did not see your age, but let me share with you what happens in the blink of an eye. I turned 40 last June and have been significantly over weight since at least 25 (over 200lbs at 5ft1). I always was "fat and healthy", so I thought. In the last year I have had to start on bp meds, i am right at the border of becoming diabetic and, I have most likely lost my opportunity to have a biological child. I am not sure how old you are, but let me tell you, if you are under 40, DON'T WASTE TIME!!!!! You don't want to wake up one day ready to finally deal with it and find out you are too late for some lifelong dreams you had. Where is your doctor going to be then? This is YOUR life. Your decision. I pray the BEST for you!

Amy, who is your surgeon? I am south of Fort Worth and debating on changing surgeons based on my past experience with certain protein shakes. My current surgeon insists you use either Optifast or Bariessentials ($200 for 2 weeks!!!!). I have heard good things about another surgeon who lets you eat real food rather then shakes pre-op. I have a few more months to pray about it.. I hope you get a better option for your shakes!

I was recently asked if I could find a place to donate a used CPAP machine that someone had. I called a friend of mine who is the director of a free health clinic in my town and I also called my respiratory therapist. They both said donated CPAP's are like GOLD for people on Medicaid/Medicare or have no insurance. Apparently there are many people in nursing homes who could really see improvement if they had a CPAP. So, my goal is: to have my insurance pay for my cpap, use it religiously, get my sleeve, get off it, and donate it. IF you are done with yours and it is just taking up space, please consider donating it to someone who could really use it to change the quality of their life.

I started with the the nose pillows one and would feel like I was being smothered if those "pillows" were not in there just right. Every day i woke up and it was off. I JUST switched over to the one that is just on the nose and have done much better. I thought I would hate it because of the way it was at my sleep study (so tight it bruised my cheek and the tech never came when I turned my light on). I could not do the one that covers my mouth because I felt weird not being able to scream if I had to. All I can say is try every different mask until you find the one that works. It is no use to do this if we can't keep our masks on. Since having a mask that works I am having VERY vivid dreams. Also, maybe have them recheck your pressure. Maybe it is blowing too hard. Good luck!

This is exactly why I am questioning my choice in surgeon. I could go to a surgeon who requires a 2 week of REAL food, meat/veggie/protein/low carb or a surgeon that doesn't give you an option of which protein to use and is 2 week liquid. I am 2 months into my supervised 6 month diet so I have time to change my mind. They are both highly regarded surgeons and insurance pays. This gives me more to consider. Best of luck to you.. I will follow your posts to see how you do.

Could it possible be your body ridding itself of yeast? I know on sugary/carb filled diets (my current diet) the body can get systemic yeast infections. When that changes it can go through detox. Whenever I take antibiotics I ask for a script for diflucan because I inevitably suffer a yeast infection of some kind. And I am sure you were pumped full of antibiotics during surgery. But of course, I am not a doctor. I pray your hairy tongue/throat gets better quick!!

Please post updates as you find out what it is! Praying it is nothing serious!!

SO is the 50% specific to bariatric surgery? My experience is call 10 times, talk to 10 different people, and request it in writing. I had to go through my HR dept to get the actual detail of what is covered for bariatric. But i had also been told different things over the last 6 months every time i called my insurance. Make sure the 50% is also for an "in network" provider. And if you end up finding you have an oop maximum, you can knock a huge chunk off of that without any oop by going to a sleep study thru Dr. David Kim. THey took the amount my insurance paid as payment in full and I got out of $1700 of oop expenses. Would have been more if it was the FIRST thing I had done this year but I had some female stuff to take care of so I got stuck with that oop. Now I am home free the rest of this year. Keep us posted. I really hope you received wrong info and this will be all covered for you.

I make a pureed soup in my blender. Mind you, I am not sleeved yet, it is just something we like to eat. We use carrots, a tomato, chicken broth (or I will be using chicken soup protein powder after I get sleeved), a little red bell pepper if you like, cilantro and a chunk of CHEESE. I warm up the broth before I put it in and my blender is super fast so it heats the stuff up more when I use the soup setting. Comes out smooth and tasty. Now, the way my family has done it is we then throw in some tortilla chips and give it a little pulse. I don't recommend doing that!!!!!!! I freeze fresh cilantro in ice cubes so I don't have to throw the unused away. THere are lots of ways you can mask veggies and get more of the nutrients. The other thing I plan on incorporating is http://paradiseherbs.com/products/orac-energy-greens/ I actually have planned on asking the board if anyone does either of these.. AGAIN, I HAVE NOT BEEN SLEEVED! I HAVE NOT sought the advice of a bariatric nutritionist on doing these after the sleeve so please be sure to research.

I am currently doing my 6 mo supervised diet. Struggling, as with every diet in the past. But, I would like to use this 6 months to start changing habits that will need to change for after I am sleeved. I have a list of things so far that I want to work on one step at a time, but I would like to hear from those of you who have already been there. So, what do you wish you had done the 6 months prior to surgery to prepare for the changes you needed to make after surgery? Or, what did you do that you KNOW made a world of difference in your success after being sleeved? Thank you in advance for your input.

The only info I can give you is this: I just had a thorough bloodwork panel done with I believe all the things that were required for you also. Labcorp BILLED my insurance $1079, but I KNOW my insurance won't pay that much. I also was billed $6900 for the sleep study and $975 for the surgeon to read the sleep study (that was just the first one, not the 2nd one where they put the cpap on you and monitor you again (unless its all one price, waiting to see). I wonder if you could go through your primary care doc and get all of the stuff done through your insurance not under the "bariatric surgery" umbrella but under general medical. Then just get a copy of everything and give it to the surgeon. Here is a link to the surgeon I am using (with my insurance) and his self pay price. http://www.drdkim.net/html/bariatric-weight-loss-surgery-payment-options-dallas-tx.html Also, I have learned to call and question insurance 3-5 times on what I want to know. HR departments sometimes can be a better help. Also, i had a situation where a doctor billed insurance and claim was denied. Reason: Code given was for "obesity" not "morbid obesity". ((humiliating to have to call and figure it out)). You may want to find out if your insurance would cover you if you have complications from the surgery. Unfortunately, that has been a reality for some. Good luck on your journey!!!

I went last night for my sleep study. Overall it was not a bad experience. I drove an hour to the sleep clinic my surgeon (Dr. David Kim) recommends. I am told by his office that this clinic will accept whatever payment my insurance company makes and will not bill me the difference! This will save me at least $500 in my out of pocket expenses since out of network on my plan has a deductible. I have an overall max out of pocket of $2200. (YAY!!!) So, for those of you wondering what do they do, this is what happened at mine. I arrived at 8pm and the 2 girls were very friendly. They took me to my little room with lots of pillows, a tv, a fan, a chair and a nightstand. (no windows). I filled out a bunch of paperwork then waited around a little while. I changed into my pj's and they started attaching all the wires to me. They stuck the ones on my head, some on my chest, both of my legs. They also put this thing attached under my nose that registers the amount of oxygen coming from my mouth and nose. And they attached one of those oxygen things to my finger but wrapped like sports gauze around it so the light was not an issue. My hand was a little stiff in the morning from the oxygen thingee. The cleanser they use to wipe the areas they are sticking the stuff to was a little gritty but not bad. The worse part of the whole thing was not being able to put moisturizer on my face before hand!!!! I fell asleep as normal. I woke up maybe 4 times and right after I woke up each time the tech came in to check on me. I don't know if she saw me stirring or what but she opened the door right after I was awake enough to be alert each time. She unplugged my box which had all the wires attached to it the one time I had to go potty. I woke up with a sweaty head and somehow she knew that so she adjusted the fan for me (i don't get this treatment at home EVER!!!). She did inform me that when I showered at home to use hot Water and conditioner, NOT SHAMPOO to get the paste out of my hair. Worked like a charm. I should get my results within the week and if I need to be fitted with a cpap I go back for another study (more of my out of pocket deleted, sweet!!) I slept about as well as usual and did not mind it one bit. I will come back to this post when I get my results and also when I get the amount that is actually billed. I am very curious how that will go. I hope this info helps someone.

I am having my study done on Saturday and am just beginning my 6 month physician supervised diet. I am doing mine asap for an insurance reason. The sleep center is recommended by the surgeons office. They will accept WHATEVER AMOUNT your insurance pays as payment in full. I have a max out of pocket of 2200$ As an out of network facility I would have a $500 deductible and 30% of the bill to pay. I won't have to pay any of that but it will show on my insurance as an out of pocket expense. I also don't sleep well at ALL. I would love a full night's sleep. My husband says I wake up startled a few times a night and I wake up to the point of realizing I have to pee. I am very curious to see what comes back and would not be upset if i ended up with one of those machines. Just wonder if you own it or lease it... Sorry about the italics. I have NO IDEA what I hit.

Syntrax nectar makes an orange cream Protein drink. I add coconut Water and fresh squeezed oj (frozen into ice cubes) from my local HEB. Tastes BETTER then an Orange Julius tastes these days (when I was a kid orange julius was soooooo much better then it is now!) Granted, I am not yet sleeved, but this might help with the craving... Syntrax Nectar orange cream nutritional info: 1 scoop calories 110 carbs 2g sugars 2g protein 23g