Indymom

What a difference and congrats on such a good report from the doctor!

Congrats!

Wheetsin, I work for a large health insurer too. Publication 502 is tough to interpret. My personal opinion is that weight loss surgery whether done in the US or outside, should be covered under 502 as a tax deductible expense. Even though it's 'elective,' it's not cosmetic. Elective simply means you decided to have the surgery in advance, vs. needing 'emergency surgery' (or bypass surgery following a heart attack, etc.). Things like hip and knee replacements are also considered 'elective.' Plastic/cosmetic surgery would typically not be considered a deductible expense, although Kristie does give one pause with her explanation above about obesity=disease and the cosmetic surgery to repair a 'deformity from disease.' You could potentially argue that one but I don't know, I suspect IRS auditors can be pretty shrewd. In all matters tax-related, I ALWAYS tell my clients to defer to a tax professional. Back to the opening post, Wheetsin is absolutely correct - any non-covered service (like your cash pay surgery) will not accumulate towards your deductible or out of pocket expense, unfortunately.

I don't have my nutrition class until Thursday 7/28 (surgery is 8/10). I think I'll only have a few days' post-op diet, but I am starting tomorrow on a calorie restricted diet so I can "practice" tracking my protein, carbs, and calories. I'm also going to start trying to sip rather than gulp, and really concentrate on chewing my food slowly. I'm a fast eater and a drink gulper so I probably need to get myself on track now before surgery.

I can see how that could be a good thing and bad thing at the same time. I think it must be a weird feeling at the very least, huh?

Agreed, leg cramping can definitely be a result of not enough to drink (or not enough potassium). Not a bad idea to check with your doc, though, to be safe.

When I was on Weight Watchers Gina's blog was my lifesaver (skinnytaste.com). I haven't reviewed a lot of her recipes to see if they are low-carb and will be sleeve-friendly (eventually), but I'm sure I'll be able to still make some of hers because my whole family loves them. I've spent some time on Eggface's blog and wish that she had just a full recipe listing, it seems like it might be kinda hard to get through all her diff recipes.

I already have a mini-chopper (food processor). I figure that's going to be great for small servings of chicken salad, egg salad, etc. I just ordered a Hamilton Beach single-serving blender (I've read it's about as good as the Bullet and about $30 cheaper) and an Oster hand (immersion) blender. I figure that's going to be a must-have for purees when I can blend up yummy soups.

Hey if there's a moderator around, I am pretty sure marksmith is a spammer. On topic, I love watermelon and am hoping to get to eat some post-op before they go out of season.

My husband had his vasectomy not too long ago. It was seriously NOTHING - they called him back, I couldn't read half a magazine and he was back out feeling fine. He had a little pain and swelling for a day or two, and never even filled his vicodin script. I had a c-section with my daughter and would have never considered a tubal given how easy a vasectomy is for a guy.

During my post-op testing the respiratory therapist gave me an incentive spirometer. I will have to start using it 2 weeks prior to surgery, 4xday and then I have to take it to the hospital with me. They said that the risk of pneumonia is really high post-op so they want people to remember to exercise their lungs (since it's harder to take deep breaths post-op). If you don't have a spirometer it might be a good idea to maybe try to get one?

I am having my surgery in the US and I am scheduled as the first procedure of the day (8:30 a.m. surgery start time). I met with a pre-op nurse the other day and she indicated that I would likely be able to go home the following afternoon if all went well. Is a one-night stay normal? For other US patients, how long did your surgeon advise your stay would be and did most of you only stay one night? I know that all could change if there are any complications but just want to get an idea of what is "normal."

Being just slightly over two weeks before surgery, it always makes me happy to read posts like this. Good luck with your healing!

My mom has the band and has lost about 45 lbs - her 'bat wings' are awful! My dad already said she could have plastic surgery for them eventually. I hope I'm young enough that my skin is elastic enough to bounce back OK.

I remember after I had my c-section the gas pains were excruciating. They got me up and walking pretty quickly (I imagine that is going to be the same for my sleeve, from what I've read) and farting was the best feeling ever!

What have you been drinking? You might need some electrolytes, can you drink Gatorade or G2?

Before my husband had his vasectomy he was supposed to wash his 'area' with Dial for 2-3 days prior. None of my pre-op instructions say anything about prior cleansing but I still need to read through the packet completely.

I was browsing in Kohls today and for the first time in a LONG time actually started looking at the Misses section, so excited to get to shop there someday soon!

Those pics are a real inspiration! Enjoy that bikini bod!!

That's my VERY first clothing goal - the wedding dress. Way to go and congrats!

Good luck to you!

Flagyl is brutal. I got prescribed it once when I had a nasty flare-up of my ulcerative colitis and it make me sicker than a dog. I will NEVER take it again.

That has to be a GREAT feeling! I can't wait to stop going straight to the frumpy women's section of the store. Misses here I come!!

I've had some of those thoughts but honestly, when I browse these forums and see all the successful HUGE weight loss I realize that as one of my weight watchers buddies used to say - NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS BEING THIN FEELS. I have all the confidence in the world that I will be able to say that with 100% certainty in about 1 year when I'm at or close to target. Some other posters on here have said that their sleeve is not a magic quick-fix but a tool to help them with the portion control and restriction they so desperately needed. This is me to a "T" - not an emotional eater, not eating due to stress or other issues, but just eating TOO MUCH and not healthy enough. I know that after the first couple difficult months (or maybe 6 difficult months?) of liquids, mushies, etc. I will be able to go to a work function and have a taste of this or that, or enjoy a glass of wine or bite of dessert . . . and I'm OK with that. I've thought about Thanksgiving and only being 3 months post-op, and realized that if I can have a couple oz of turkey with some gravy, a dab of stuffing and/or mashed potatoes, and then a few bites of my husband's pie - it will be OK! In fact, better than OK because my Thanksgiving leftovers will last 2 weeks! If you're not mentally ready, even if your surgeon doesn't require a psych eval or counseling you can seek help yourself. If your insurance doesn't cover counseling contact a local mental health clinic and see if they have any 'sliding-scale' services. But don't go into surgery without a positive mindset, because my guess is that people who aren't 100% certain might be more apt to not follow post-op guidelines and subsequently risk complications. Good luck to you!

Oven-baked boneless skinless chicken breasts are yummy. I typically pound mine out to cutlet-thin (or just buy cutlets!), dip in egg wash and dredge in a mixture of italian-seasoned breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. I bet the low-carbers could up the parm and reduce the breadcrumbs. I can't remember how long but I would bake at 350 or 375. I'll have to start a new recipe box for my new sleeve recipes!