Sleevie WonderLand

I almost threw it up. Gotta find a way to get it down and have it stay there. Any suggestions?

During my journey one of my biggest worries was that I was gonna have to wait several weeks for an approval from Empire BCBS - EPO (most people are down with PPO). Needless to say, my approval took 6 days. My paperwork was submitted on Monday, September 13th, and my coordinator called me on the 19th with the good news. I also received a call today from Empire to verify who I was and to tell me that I was approved for Surgery on October 18th. *doin a happy dance*

Sorry that I'm respondin so late, I just happened to see your reply. Hopefully you've gotten your answer, but in case you havent, I'll still respond. After speaking with my coordinator i received a call about 2 days from the insurance company. they called to verify who I was and confirm my surgery date and type of surgery I was having.

from other posts that I've read here on VST, some surgeons prefer that your nails be clean and clear so that they can detect discoloration in your nails which can be a sign that something may be wrong. I've also seen that it's for sanitary/infection control purposes as surgery is supposed to be done in a sterile environment on a clean patient. Not sure of the validity of either reason.

Thanks so much for this list! My surgery is on the 18th and of course i'm scrambling at the last minute to get myself prepared. I've read other posts where people suggest you bring a small firm pillow to hold against your stomach when trying to sit or stand for support...

My surgeon said I wont have a drain after surgery which I was happy to hear about.

Yesterday I spent a couple of hours at the hospital to pre-register for my surgery on the 18th, to meet with my nurse practitioner, and to meet with the nutritionist. The nurse practitioner gave me 2 prescriptions to fill before I get to the hospital so that I would have them when I got home after surgery; Omeparazole and Lortab Elixir. She gave me some papers with discharge guidelines and stuff to do or not to do before and after surgery. She asked me if I had any questions, and reminded me that I could call or email her at anytime if I needed to speak with her. She is frickin awesome. I met with the nutritionist who gave me the guidelines for my pre-op fast. I already had them, so what she told me wasnt a shock or anything. She expressed that most patients lose the bulk of their weight in the 1st 9-12 months and that she really hopes I understand how important it is to stick to her guidelines and those of the surgeon. She said she has a good record so far with the surgeons - meaning all of her clients who have gone in for surgery have had "shrunken" livers. She threatened me, saying I better not mess up her record! I asked her if surgeons really turn patients away for having distended livers and she said that she's heard of it happening, just not to her patients. Imagine getting opened up for surgery, then closed back up and sent home because your liver was too fat? SMH. I would die! Anyhoo, she too reminded me that she was just a phone call away for any questions I may have even if I thought they might be stupid, I should ask her. She's kinda awesome too. She highly recommends the Bariatric Advantage High Protein Meal Replacement Shakes and their control bar for snacking. I told her I didnt want to invest my money in that stuff, I preferred to go into my local Vitamin Shoppe and purchase my protein stuff. She gave me a list of things that were pretty good, and I ended up with with Nectar Chocolate Truffle. Delish! I went down to the pre-admission testing office to give blood and have a cardiogram performed. My PCP will review my blood work and give the final thumbs up on my surgery (hopefully) and I'll be all set to go for October 18th!!!! One thing that alarmed me during my discussion with my NP....she asked me how much time I took off from work and I told her that I would be back at work the following Monday after my surgery (surg is on a Tues). She asked me if I really thought that was enough time and I explained that I really dont have much time because I had to use so much of it to go on all these pre-op appointments! I sit at a desk all day and dont lift anything other than mail, so I told her I thought I'd be ok. My job thinks I'm having gall bladder surgery, so I may be able to squeeze an extra day off, but I'll play it by ear. Cant miss too much work, people are losing their jobs around me left and right, cant give them a reason to let me go. Well, that was my day yesterday. I'll be traveling out of the country on family business, so I'll be taking my Nectar with me. I just hope they dont give me a hard time at the airport....

My actual birthdate is December 5th, but you better believe that next year I will be celebrating my life TWO times. October 18th will forever be a celebratory day for me. My coordinator called me and told me the news last week and I've been playing 1018 for the past couple of days. It hasnt hit just yet, but its definitely going to be one of my staple lotto numbers too! I officially started this process at the end of June, so it's only been 3 steady months, but it feels like I've been chasing this surgery forever. I'm happy that it's almost here and am continuing to prepare for it by doing my pre pre-op diet (self prescribed). I'm not doing liquid shakes or anything, but I'm exercising and paying close attention to what I've been consuming. I probably wont lose a ton of weight until I begin the official liquid diet two weeks before my surgery, but I'm hoping to begin the process of conditioning my mind and body to welcome this new change. I'm no longer drinking with my meals (ugh, it's so hard), and I'm upping my Protein and cutting back on carbs (ugh, that's hard too!). I'm satisfying cravings by having very small portions, and it seems to be working. I hope to lose at least 5 lbs before my pre-op liquid diet since that's what i gained during this process. If I can lose those 5 and get back down to 250 in two weeks, I'll be satisfied. I salute you my fellow October 2011 sleevers! I look forward to sharing this experience with you! We rock! :rockon: :bananapowerslide: :Banane09: :Banane20: :party4:

OOoh, that "pretty face" thing always drove me crazy! lol Glad you've found the time to realize that you deserve to have a good quality of life to share with your family. Sometimes we give so much of ourselves until we have nothing left. I'm happy that your family is supportive, it makes it all so much easier to deal with. Girl you have 8 babies? You DESERVE this time for you! Wishing you much success on your journey...dont be a stranger, ask lots of questions and read every post that grabs your attention. VST has been nothing but a help to me, dont know where I'd be without it!

You betta work Diva! Girl you look FABULOUS! Thanks for being such an inspiration! I cant wait to do some "before and after" shots! Keep pushing, you are doing an amazing job! Continued success!

OMG, this is just what I needed to read. So inspiring. I cant wait to get to that point in my weight loss life! I'm beaming from ear to ear, happy that you're finally LIVING!

I'm supposed to be starting my pre-op diet tomorrow. My nutritionist suggested Protein from Bariatric Advantage, but I lolligagged and am now down to the wire and need protein stuff. I ordered some samples and havent even sampled them yet. I wanted suggestions from my VST family on what the best protein stuff from local shops like GNC and Vitamin Shoppe would be. I'm desperate people! On another thread Wheybolic Extreme chocolate flavor got a thumbs up, so I'll start there. Oh yeah, I hate Peanut Butter and bananas! lol

You're a fighter and a survivor. You have a great positive attitude so you've already won part of the battle. It's easy for someone who's not in your situation to say hang in there, but trust me, I'm struggling with things financially too and know how easy it is to just want to give up on everything. But as long as you stay positive and see the good in your situation, you'll be able to get through. I'm keeping you in my thoughts and prayers for continued health, body and mind. Keep pushing through!