Chimera

I second Nancy with Premier Protein - it is my husbands and my favorite by a long stretch - we also use a lot of nectar when the mood for other flavors strikes. You can get it at Costco. Best of luck - my own VSG is on the 21st.

I found Reviva brand liquid high potency multi-Vitamins at costco - I add 2 tablespoons to my Premier Protein drink in the morning and it seems to be helping my tummy upsets tremendously. I feel like I am a professional protein and supplement tester after a year of this stuff before surgery lol. They do have carbs - I think it is in the 3-5 range. Those Bariatric Advantage french vanilla vitamins are beyond unpalatable - and I grew so sick of the berry flavor I had to find an alternative. Thy need to invent a Vitamin patch

My husband had his VSG and hiatal hernia repair yesterday mornign at 8:00 a.m. and he is doing great - not too much pain, no nausea. I am on my way to visit him, pop over to another bldg for my own 4 hour pre-op & consent appointment. 13 days and counting for my surgery. My Dr. only wants clear liquids the day before - I think he has us do more of a low fat Atkins approach for 2 -3 weeks prior. 4 shakes and lean protein with a low carb veggie dinner etc.

May 21

I hear ya! My surgery date is also the 21st - and my husband is having his on May 8th. gonna be fun around our house

May 21 - Seattle, WA, Dr. Ross McMahon

I too am glad that I will be having a VSG rather than a Roux or a Band - at my hospital support group the VSG group has had spectacular weight loss with little to no complications while a good portion of the band folks cannot say they have had the same experience. I think with our group many of the band folks insurance would not cover the sleeve so that is one reason they went for that procedure.

Hoping your surgery went well! Sending positive healing vibes your way.

It has been a long road - but with BCBSiL's recent waiver of the pre-sugery weight loss program (which I have been doing since last year) - I got a call this afternoon saying I have been approved, I wasnt even planning on submitting until next week lol. May 21st - will be perfect - schools out! Surgeon: Ross McMahon, Swedish Hospital, Seattle.

My husband and I are both coming up on our surgeries - I need to do the same thing with making a list, it is nice to see how much you have accomplished. A big one for me is quitting smoking after 28 years, something I never thought I could do successfully. Do you know when you are having your surgery?

I do know that at my hospital support group - they have contemplated the idea of separating the surgery types - especially lap bands from vsg's, because I guess the lap banders often get the band because their insurance wont cover the vsg and there is some negative energy there. I am pre-surgery, but when meeting some of the folks there I can definetley feel that vibe..which is kinda crazy.

I was a bit anti-surgery before my family and I attended the information seminar. I thought that the mortality rate for bariatric patients was sky high, but I was incorrect - actually, my surgeon went over the statistics and numbers - and as it turns out if I sat in the chair and did nothing at the BMI I was at, my mortality chance was a whole lot higher than if I had surgery. He also discussed the statistics regarding weight loss and keeping it off - which as we all know with traditional diet and exercise programs the percentage of successful losses of all of ones excess body weight are very small - like 1% of the population, whereas with bariatrics it has exponentially higher success rates. I have done everything and have not had the success I have always sought so I am looking forward to having the tool of a sleeve to increase my own odds of success

A great way to come down gently from the coffee demon is to combine your regular coffee with decaf and over a week, gradually up the amount of decaf. It really does help with the headache. Now I am a coffee addict - I just love everything about it, making it, smelling it, drinking it, thinking (dreaming) about it lol - can you tell I am a Seattleite? I will be having surgery this May and I have decided I need to give it up - all caffeine in fact, because I am addicted to it, when I start weaning myself off of it I could be on an episode of Intervention I am so crabby. My love of coffee has gone way beyond love - it is hard core addiction. I have heard that caffeine is an appetite stimulant as well - so I really want to up my chances of success after so much failure in the WL dept. I was able to quit smoking after 28 years of a pack a day - I can do this too.

I am still waiting for my surgery - but my surgeon says that vsg patients can expect to lose up to 50% of their excess body weight within the first 6 months following surgery, then another 25% of that in the next 6 months, and the last 25% during the next year, so two years rather than one - these figures seem to be pretty reasonable, certainly for me when there is a lot of excess weight Hang in there!

The statistics my surgeon's office and bariatric support group say that the average vsg patient loses 60 - 80% of their excess weight, gastric bypass patients = 50 - 80%, and lap band 50 - 65%. I am hoping to go all the way to goal - which for my height is 130 lbs. That's 188 lbs. of excess weight to lose in all for a short, old woman Good thing is that I am 33 lbs. down since I started the medical weight loss plan - and it will be a few months before I can get in for surgery due to my schedule - so hopefully it will be even a bit less - I hope for a weight of 250 at surgery - with a small, non-slippery liver. The doc also says that statistically patients lose 50% of excess weight in the first 6 months, another 25% during the next 6 - and the final 25% over the course of the next year.

My surgeons office recommends 10,000 IU's a day for us - they have handouts in the office that explain the the RDA for those living in the Northern parts of North America (or anyone else at and above our latitude, I am in Seattle) is much too low. Protocol brand is the type I get from the office - two droppers full a day - no taste at all. http://www.protocolforlife.com/Products/Category/074557.htm?cat=Vitamins

I too love those Bariatric Advantage calcium chews (the caramel and the chocolate) - I am still pre-op but I save two for after dinner, they are now a desert The chewable iron from Bariatric Advantage is good too - I will have to try the lemon-lime, I get the passionfruit flavor and it is very good. I will have to check out the chewies and liquids at Costco, as I look at all of the supplements I have to take a day, liquid and gummy will probably be very good after surgery.

Woohoo! What great news, best of luck with your sugery date!

Good to know that I am not alone with the rough schedule - I think it is great that some folks go to a seminar and shazam! they have their sleeve within a month or two - I am in the group where it is a looooong process - I will certainly be well practiced at my high protein and vitamin taking by spring ha-ha! Recovering in sunshine with flowers outside, rather than the cold damp sounds better anyway

I talked to my insurance gal at the surgeon's office today and explained how tight the schedule is for me - I think the best choice for me will to be to finish up all of my requirements, continue my MWL plan with the nutritionists and plan for surgery in May. She said that it can take 4 to 8 weeks for insurance to give the go ahead after submitting everything. So I will continue to do what I am doing and we will submit to insurance in March. This also helps the at home schedule as I have to drive my step daughter to her bus stop in the mornings which is much too far for her to walk (and dad leaves for work an hour before we do). She will be able to drive herself very soon. I cannot know how rapidly I will bounce back after surgery and I owe it to my students and co-workers to be on top of my game. The courses I teach are difficult to have covered because they are both technical and esoteric at the same time, and pretty specialized. I already feel relief knowing I will have time to rest and recover and not inconvienience anyone.

Is anyone else a teacher? I am a college professor, and while my job is not exactly strenuous physically it is very challenging to get covereage for classes, especially if you are going to be out for more than a day or two. I have a very small window of opportunity which is rapidly approaching to have my VSG - my last MWL appointment is in early December and I've had to reschedule my endoscopy and ABG for December 22nd - after the semester is over. I have BCBS of Illinois and I am hoping that I will get a fast approval and that my surgeon will have an opening within my golden two week window. If not I will have to postpone until May. Has anyone else experienced the madness of trying to schedule this?

I just had my labs done yesterday and the nurse told me that it takes around 3 weeks for the results to come back from all of the tests - 14 big vials of blood - glad I brought a string cheese to eat, still staggered out of the office after sitting for 15 minutes lol.

Sounds like a lot of folks feel the same - I am pre-surgical, I have lost just over 10% of my weight during my 6 months of medical weight loss (but berate myself because it should be more I tell myself) - I have the fear that I will have the surgery and it wont work for me - or that I will lose 10 lbs. and that will be it no matter what I do.

I don't think it is so much that we cannot ever sample foods that we have had problems with - that decision is up to each one of us and a personal choice,but rather it is simply dangerous to advance ones diet after the procedure ahead of the advice of one's medical team - and I suppose that too is a personal choice. That said, Dreamlife I wish you the best on your journey to better health!

Beautiful! Amazing the changes in just three months - you are doing great! I can't wait for my sleeve