Fusilli66

Getting sleeved in 2 weeks and I have to follow a 4 week pre-op diet. So today is 2 weeks since I started. To say it has been a struggle is an understatement. I have had some metldowns about it and really not happy about having to do this for 4 full weeks instead of the 2 weeks most people do. To add to the frustration of it, the scale says I have lost 6 lbs in those two weeks, & I hit that number a week ago, so basically I have lost no weight in the second week. But somehow, it feels like more than 6 lbs. because my size 20 jeans arevall so big on me. I mean, pull them down without undoing the button big. So today i tried on a pair of size 18's that I haven't worn in a while...and they fit comfortably! And they are not even stretch jeans, regular blue denim size 18 jeans! Very excited about that. So instead of focusing on having to follow this liquid diet for 2 more weeks, I'm going to try to focus on how many more moments like this I am going to get once I am sleeved. How many times a pair of old jeans will fit me again. Or I put on a T-shirt and not have to stretch it out with my arms before I put it on. Or put on a bra and move it to the tighter hooks, or better yet, a smaller bra. My closet has clothes from size 20 down to size 14. I can't wait for the day that nothing in that closet fits! I am looking forward to so many more of these moments! Moments that taste better than anything I have ever eaten! I have also decided to buy myself a large tub/bin and I'm going to leave it open in my bedroom. And every time I put something on and it doesn't fit, it goes in the bin. Once the bin is full I will donate it to charity, and then put out a new bin until I am done. I am not saving anything "just in case". It all goes away forever, just like the pounds. That will be one of my motivations, to keep on filling up those bins!

I've heard of them but I haven't gone there. I am in Long Island though. I go to Dr. Gohil at the Center for Bariatric Specialties in Syosset Hospital. I couldn't be more pleased with him and his office. They are so efficient and a pleasure to deal with. I had no trouble getting insurance approval at all and I'm scheduled for my surgery in 2 weeks. He really explains everything so well and just makes you feel at ease. This is my second surgeon also. I had originally went to Dr. Cussatti near Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip. Its closer to where I live. But they didn't take my insurance in network, only out of network, and I really didn't care for him all that much. He was more like a salesman than a doctor. He also changes practices and that didn't sit well with me. So I moved on and I'm so happy I did. Good luck to you!

Thank you all for your words of encouragement and wisdom. It has gotten better in the last few days, no more crying at least. lol. I am managing to get along but I'm not following it perfectly. I just can't. But I've only been adding a few healthy things here and there just to get through. According to the plan the doctor gave me, the diet is: 4 shakes a day (made with skim milk or juice) -or- 2 shakes a day + 1 moderate size meal of lean Protein and vegetables. In addition, I can have as much as I want of sugar free clear beverages, sf Jello & popsickles, broth. He also said I don't have to do the same every day, i can do the 2+1 one day and the 4 the next. He said this should give me 1000-1200 calories a day. So far what I've been doing is the 2+1. I have a shake in the morning (I like the

Wishing I had your doctor! I'm a lower BMI person at 40 and I have to do a 4 week diet. Really blows! My first instinct was to ignore the doctor and just do 2 weeks, but I didn't and it has been difficult and I still have 2 weeks and 5 days (but who's counting) until surgery. My diet consists of 4 Protein shakes a day or 2 shakes and 1 small meal of protein & vegetables only (no carbs at all). In addition I could have all the clear sugar fee liquids, Jello, popsickles I want as well as broths. I don't get the different thinking from all the different doctors but who knows who is right so I'm just following my doctors orders. But, like I said, it blows!

I would definitely call my surgeon right away and ask him what that means exactly!

Yesterday was Day 9 of my 4 week pre-op diet. It has been difficult here and there, but I had a total meltdown yesterday and I'm still hoping I could pull it back together today. I had my morning shake and then for lunch I had my chicken broth. Then around 1:00 I started freaking out at work that I had to eat something. I was so close to driving through somewhere but I didn't. Instead I ran down the black to walgreens and bought a jar of Peanut Butter and some extra gum. I intended to eat a few spoonfuls of the PB but once I started i couldn't stop and ate like 1/3 of the jar (one of those small jars). Then i felt a little sick but I still had my second shake around 3:30. I left work at 4 and then went to the grocery store to buy something to make for dinner for my family (a job that gets harder as each day passes). I've been trying to make simple foods and use semi-prepared side dishes so I'm not fully cooking. So I bought pork chops and some pre-made mashed potatoes. My family was all late in getting home for various reasons (traffic, football practice) so the food was sitting there practically calling my name, especially the mashed potatoes. Finally when everyone was home I re-heated the pototoes again and while I was stirring them I just broke down and started crying. It took all the strength I had not to put that spoonful of mashed potatoes in my mouth after not having a carb for 9 days. I'm actually surprised at myself that I didn't. My poor husband ushered me away and told me that he would take care of everything to just go watch tv or something away from the food. (note: my husband is extremely supportive which is a huge help and a blessing). So I went in the other room and then went into full out sobbing crying because my WHOLE family was at the table for a change---with 2 sons ages 20 and 17 that rarely happens. So now I'm crying over mashed potatoes and the fact that I can't sit at the table with my family. It was a really tough night. But I finally calmed down, drank my other shake and eventually got through it. I really think 4 weeks is much too long for this pre-op diet. Most people have to do 2 or none at all. I love my doctor and believe in him, but this is very tough. He requires this of all his patients, not just me. My starting BMI is 40.1 so that's not the reason. But I wish I would have stuck to my original thoughts and just done 2 weeks anyway. Yesterday I kept saying that I can't do this for 3 more weeks, its too long. It's only a little over a week and I'm freaking. That being said, I also am due for my period any day and I usually do get a little emotional prior so that could be playing a factor too. Anyway, for those who are still reading this long drawn out post, thank you! I just needed to let it out somewhere!

I was so excited to get the call yesterday that I was approved for my surgery on 10/11! And I was so happy with the whole process. My insurance has always been GHI - CBP for City of NY Employees. Years ago I had looked into getting the surgery, but they didn't cover it at all then. Now they do (for a few years I believe). Anyway, there requirements are BMI of 40 or 35 with a co-morbidity. Also the 6 month thing and psych evaluation. Mine was 40.2 and I had 2 co-morbidites - sleep apnea and osteoarthritis (which not every insurance company accepts, but they do). Originally my doctors office said they had to schedule surgery in order to submit it to the insurance company with a surgery date. I thought they were nuts. I asked them, what if we schedule surgery and then they deny. They told me not to worry, I had met all the requirements and there was no reason for them to deny it. They just said the only problem with GHI is that they take about 5 weeks to approve so we would schedule for 6 weeks out. Then, once all of my doctors visits were complete and I had the clearance from the cardio and all the others I got a call from the doctors office scheduling me for 10/11 which was only 4 weeks out. I told them it was too soon because of my insurance company. But they told me, no it wasn't because GHI is now EmblemHealth and although GHI takes a long time, EmblemHealth is much quicker and thats who they were submitting it to. So they submitted last Monday and I got the approval yesterday in only 1 week! Very happy about the whole thing. I just wish the surgery was sooner now! I just can't wait. It's 3 weeks from today and they time is going very slow but I'm sure it will be here in the blink of any eye. So that's my insurance story for any of you GHI/Emblem people out there.

So many great posts and things that people want to do. They are all so personal to each of us and there is no right or wrong in what you want. Those who said what they wanted was shallow, I say baloney - they are want you want and that is ok. Its so okay to want things for yourself! When I started this I was hoping to see variety and I got that. You guys all made me see some things that I wanted also, without realizing it before. Of all the things I want, the thing I want the most is to look in the mirror and like what I see, like I did when I was young. I wasn't always heavy. I was actually very thin as a child and even into my teen years. I started gaining weight when I was around 20, and only a bit then. It wasn't until after I got married (at 22) and then had my kids a few years later that the weight really became a problem. I am 45 now, so I have been overweight for 25 years, and obese for most of those years, and morbidly obese for the last 10 years. I envy those of you who are doing this while you are still so young! I wish this had been available to me then. But I'm glad I'm doing it now while I still have a lot of good years ahead of me (and probably even more once I lose the weight). Thanks again for posting all this. You guys are all so inspirational.

I was faced with my first challenge yesterday and it was difficult! I am in day 4 of the pre-op diet (4 weeks as my doctor wants it). My son plays on a varsity football team and each week the night before a game the parents cook dinner for them and they have a team dinner. This was my week and I was making chicken parmigiana. I managed to get through the smell of the sauce cooking, and I even had my butcher bread and fry the cutlets for me so I didn't have to do that. But the hardest part was when I started cutting up the cutlets into pieces so that I can make layers of it. Usually when I would cut up the chicken I would take a bite size piece here and there (and here and there and more here and more there). So that was tough. As I was cutting them I guess my son saw the look on my face and put his arm around me and said "you okay mom, I know this is tough" and that helped a bit. He also then popped 2 or 3 pieces in his mouth - lol! But I got through it, baked it, brought it, served the kids and ignored the leftovers and all the Desserts that were around. I survived! At the end of the day I felt so accomplished that I was able to get through it. I really felt like if I could get through that and I can really do this. I can't wait for my surgery already! I got this!

I am 4 weeks from surgery and I am constantly thinking of things I want to do that I haven't been able to because of my weight. I'm sure this has been posted before, but for us newbies, lets keep track of the things we want to be able to do after we have lost our weight.... I want to... Buy underwear & bras at Victorias Secret instead of Lane Bryant

I just started my pre-op liquid diet and so I went to the Bariatric Fusion online store to order. They are really pricey! Alot more than the Unjury. I really like the taste of the Unjury, but they don't have the same variety as the Bariatric Fusion. Although I've been mixing the flavors with crystal light to get more varied tastes.

Congratulations and best of luck to you! Isn't it so exciting! I just got my date also - 10/11 and I was practically jumping up and down with happiness. I have to start the liquid pre-op diet on Tuesday. For some reason, my doctor likes 4 weeks. Its the only part I'm not thrilled about, but I'm sure I will survive it. Lol. Good luck to you!

According to your signature you are going for a pre-op visit and not pre-op. Therefore, why do you have to lose weight so fast for a doctors visit? Who was it that told you that? Unless it was your doctor or the doctors office, I wouldn't listen to that. I would, however, call the doctors office tomorrow morning and find out if that is true. I wouldn't start the pre-op liquid diet before they tell you too. Every doctors office seems to say something differs - 2 weeks, 4 weeks; no pre op diet. I am dreading that I have to start a 4 weeks on Tuesday. But I certainly wouldn't start before my doctor tells me to. He actually specifically said not to follow the liquid diet for more than 4 weeks. Again, you should check with your doctors office. Good luck to you!

Hi All! I am just soooo excited. I finally got my date and my surgery is scheduled for 10/11. I had actually expected it to be end of October or beginning of November because I was told that my insurance company takes 6 weeks to approve and that they need to submit it to the insurance company with a date in order to get approved. But as it turns out, I have GHI which has become Emblem Health. GHI apparently takes 6 weeks (according to docs office, they take the longest). But Emblem gives approvals much quicker and they were told to submit to Emblem and not GHI. So that worked out very well for me. So it is 4 weeks from Tuesday which means I should be feeling fine by the holidays, which was one of my concerns. Of course this is pending approval, which is another concern, but according to my doctor I should not stress about that. He said that they give you and us a list of requirements and I have met every requirement and therefore they have no reason to deny me. From his mouth to gods ears. My starting BMI was 40.2, I have sleep apnea, high cholesterol and Osteoarthritis (which is on the list of comorbities for Emblem). So hopefully this will go as planned. Now here is the kick in the a$$. I was under the impression that I had to do a 2 week liquid diet, but noooo, the doctor wants me to do a 4 WEEK liquid diet. That is going to be tough, but I know I can do it and it is sooo worth it in the end. So I have to start that on Tuesday (but will probably start Monday, just because it is engraved in my brain that you start diets on a monday). At least I have the weekend to prepare and buy what I need to do this.

One of the reasons I chose the Sleeve is because of the removal of the grehlin producing portion of the stomach, therefore less hunger. With the plication they aren't removing that so your body is still making as much grehlin as it was before. So for that reason alone, for me, it wasn't something I would consider. I really want to lose that feeling of always being hungry and the thought of being hungry and having a stomach too small to satisfy that hunger wouldn't be good for me. I also like the idea that the sleeve is permanent, I don't want a temporary fix, I want a permanent solution. I haven't had it yet (should be getting my surgery date today) but of all the options, the sleeve was the best choice for me and that is what I'm going with.

I have to say that things like this just piss me off and scare me at the same time. I know every insurance company is different, but you have 2 co-morbities and your BMI is over 35 - how dare they deny you. I would certainly try appealing - it seems like you should qualify - but I don't know what the requirements are for your insurance. I hope it works out for you - I haven't gotten that far yet. I am hoping that they will be sending in my paperwork on Monday as by then they should have everything they need. My BMI is 39.9 and I have sleep apnea so we will see if I get approved. Good luck to you!

I think feeling nervous is very natural. But please don't listen to people and have them put that fear into you. I would guess that most of these people are uninformed about this particular surgery and probably don't know anyone who died from this surgery. Of course there can be complications, but they seem to be very minimal and considering that it is laproscopic and you are not being open up like traditional surgery, the risks are even less. And it sounds like this Dr. Kelly has done soooo many of these (it seems so many people on here have used him) that he could probably do it in his sleep. Think positive thoughts and realize that the ends justify the means. The truth is if you have 120 lbs to lose you are putting your life at greater risk by staying heavy than you are by having surgery. And if you have little kids imagine how much better it will be to be a healthy active mother than one who is so overweight. I can't wait to read your posts in 6 months and a year when you are saying it is the best thing you have ever done! Good luck to you!

I would do the sleep study. If you have apnea it may get you approved easier and lord knows these insurance companies make you jump through many hoops before you get approved. Take a look at my list below - I had to do all of that, and that was after the 6 months. I had the sleep test done years ago so they already had on record that I had sleep apnea. The more reasons you can give the insurance company to show them that you are a good candidate for this surgery, the better your chances of being approved. As far as deductible - if your deductible is $1100 and you have $900 left to pay that is all you have to pay - whether it is for the sleep study or the surgeon, it is still going to cost you no more than $1100 total out of pocket for the year. So I assume you already paid some doctor $200, and say the sleep study costs $200, you now have $700 to pay to the surgeon. At least that is how I've always known it to work. Once you have spent your full $1100 out of pocket, be it at 1 doctor or 20 doctors, you still are paying no more than $1100. At least that is how mine works.

@ fern - glad your Mom is doing better now. What a horrible ordeal to go through. Please tell me she contacted a lawyer because she is owed something for her pain and suffering as well as a lawsuit might bring attention to this and make others think twice about the lap band.

Congratulations! I am being submitted to insurance this week so please pray I get the same result as you!

When I had originally considered WLS a year ago, I went to a seminar that was REQUIRED attendance before the surgeon would even make an appointment with me. As it turns out, although the seminar was said to be about all the different surgeries, there was a speaker that spoke after my surgeon - and he was an employee of the company that makes the Lap Band (aka Salesman) as well as a lap band patient. Although they talked a little about VSG as wells the Bypass, there was no where near as much information as there was on the lap band and I really left the meeting more confused than when I walked in. The whole thing just didn't sit well with me. I think it was the main reason that I chose not to have surgery back then. Of course there couldn't be a speaker from a VSG company because there is no such thing. With VSG there is nothing to sell, no salesman, no plastic pieces to push, no fill ups to sell etc. So after a year I did research on my own and really liked what I read about the VSG and when I chose my surgeon (a new surgeon, not the same one from the meeting) I called the office and the first question they asked me was what surgery I was interested in. When I said the sleeve they made my appointment with the surgeon in their office who specializes in the sleeve. I was very happy about that because my doctors office website does talk mostly about the band, so i thought they would try to talk me into that. But not at all. When i met with my surgeon for the first time he told me that he prefers the VSG as a permanent solution and that there are to many problems with the band. The whole conversation made me very happy and I felt very at ease. Surgery is a huge decision, and its not like buying a car or a washing machine. The last thing I need is some salesperson with an agenda and a quota trying to push me to buy something. So glad I am going to have the sleeve done. Can't wait to be sleeved - should be getting a surgery date this week!

Have you met with a surgeon yet? I found that my surgeons office was extremely knowledgeable about the process and very helpful. When I first called my surgeons office I asked a lot of questions, including what was required for my insurance (GHI). When I met with the surgeon he gave me a slip of paper for each doctor I needed to see and what I needed to get done. The process was a little tedious and I had a lot of appointments, but it is done now and hopefully I am being submitted to the insurance company this week. Good luck!

I would call the doctors office and leave a message for the doctor to call you back with an explanation. You need to be told what it is you have and why they feel this way before you can make any kind of decision. You have every right to find out the results of your test and what the problem is with your body. If they won't tell you on the phone, than get an appointment as soon as possible to get your test results.

You look so great! What an amazing transformation. You should be so proud of yourself. Enjoy your new body!

The truth is she gave me some good advice and she really seemed to know what she was talking about. I guess I could look at it more as a "do as i say, not as I do" kinda thing, but I don't know. I'll see if I go back to her after the surgery. As far as feeling sorry for, of course I feel bad for anyone who is so overweight and struggling, like myself, but I am a paying customer basically and not her friend. I don't know, I just don't want to feel sorry for someone for being obese because then i would have to feel sorry for myself and I refuse to do that anymore.