Failure

So far all I have tried is Celebrate ENS in chocolate mixed with cold Water like the instructions say, and it's friggin' gross. It has that fake sugar taste that I hate so much. Maybe it's the Protein but I dunno. It's just gross.

Maybe I should mix it with something else to make it taste better?

Eager, On the 27th?

I'm so scared but excited at the same time! I'm pretty sure everything will be ok! I do not really need any pre-op tests. They said they will do a pregnancy test because it is mandatory and the anesthesiologist might want a CBC but it's up to him. It won't be any extra cost that they know of, it's included in the hospital fees.

They gave me this awesome little shaker bottle that you can use to drink your shakes in, it has a little wire ball that shakes and mixes your powders up really good. Then they gave me only 2 samples of Celebrate Protein mix. I got chocolate and strawberry. I do not like the chocolate, it tastes like chocolate chalk with that fake sugar taste (I HATE that fake sugar taste). Is unjury chocolate any better??

So other than that I feel pretty good. I got all my questions answered, and he said he would take a pic of my tummy for me, lol. He wasn't weirded out by that question at all.

I'm overall so pleased with how nice everyone was. The nutritionist was very informative and they have this booklet that had all the answers to my major questions. They want ma to get 70-80g of Protein a day. I need to do a "full" liquid diet for a week before surgery (starting the 20th) and then Clear liquids only with no red dyes the day before surgery. And then for after surgery it's the standard 2-2-2 of course.

So this is my journey. I'm on my way! Is anyone else having theirs on the 27th??

Yeah basically. People like ramekins because often times they are stackable and they are not for storage or for throwing away. They sort of take the place of a bowl that you'd use probably daily but only in a smaller form to help maintain portion for.. ever. They also seem to be really helpful during your 6 week post-op processes.

I think that enjoying some foods while you can is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as it's in control. I mean if you go to a restaurant that you do not plan to go to after surgery because you know you won't be able to eat healthy there or have trouble eating a normal portion where you might end up hurting yourself, what's wrong with that?

But if you're doing it as a thing where it's like omg you won't be able to eat ANYTHING EVER after surgery.. then no. That can be bad and only serve as a potential contributer for you later on when you're post-op to binge.

I am trying to enjoy a FEW things now because I don't plan to eat them later, but I am trying to maintain portion and still calorie counting even though I know I'm not being entirely in a diet type of plan. I will do a pre-op diet when I know what my surgery date is but that's why I'm getting just a few things in now that I want to while it's still a few weeks away.

Get it out of your system. Pick 3 things you want to truthfully enjoy before you start dwindling down your diet and get to your pre-op diet. Make it smart and controlled. Don't let it go to your head.

Sometimes what can be a turn on for a man that would otherwise perhaps be a turn off is the fact that the woman is doin' her thing and she doesn't "show" that she needs the approval. Go in there, even if you're scared, and do your thing. Be you and be all of you and see what happens. I bet that he won't mind because he obviously likes you for you, not because of your weight. It's sexy to anybody really when someone is just being themselves and doing something sexy!

Okay so I've spent the last 2 days looking at online shopping for ramekins and they are pretty hefty in price for decent looking ones so now I'm just curious where did you guys get your ramekins? I'm not so worried about price but I wanted to get a set of 4 or more if I could. So I'm just curious where you guys got yours. I'm going to go to Walmart later today and see if the only ones they have are the plain white ones. I don't mind those.

I forgot who said it in someone elses post about how their friend was being unsupportive and rude, but in not so much reference to that; you're losing the pounds so why not lose the people/situations that aren't supporting that positive thing in your life?

Not suggesting you should get a divorce, but LET HIM KNOW that his unsupportive behavior is not cool and that he should try to be more understanding of where you are coming from instead of being such a jerk about the whole situation. Tell him you don't have room for all that negativity!

Thanks JulieF! I'm so happy for you, too. I am scared half to death as well. I am not going through insurance so the surgery will be happening a lot sooner than normal.

I am still pre-op, but I can say that I have read a couple of people having had to do this and also seen it on a few youtube videos.

Doesn't liquid volume equal the same as food volume? I mean, in terms of how many ounces you can eat at a given time. Is it that the liquid processes quicker than food does?

Maybe it's just me but maybe I've always just been too big for that kind of stuff and don't worry about it. lol No amount of "cinching" will make my rollies go away!

chiki they say 2 to 3 lbs a week with the sleeve is a general amount that is considered normal. if you lost 2 lbs a week that would be 8 lbs but you lost 10 lbs so in my opinion you are doing great. some people lose more and some people have had a really hard time losing any at all. once you feel up to it make sure you start walking a bit and get some exercise in of your choice. get your body moving, it helps burn calories but also it helps get your metabolism up too that plus your sleeve should make some great success!

Gastricsleeve4 me I already have some of your questions on that list. But today your layout is different and I do not see the tabs anymore, just in case you didn't realize.

Welcome to the group. It's also a full online website too with blogging capability. I couldn't find the blog part of the app but maybe that's just me being incapable of finding it, haha! I'm glad you got it figured out with your insurance and hope everything goes swimmingly!

Thanks kczar! Some questions I don't have on my list because I asked on the phone, or I have the information from the pricing sheet. I know how long I will be in the hospital from the pricing sheet and I asked about the complication rate on the phone. That is something I wanted to know BEFORE I paid for a consultation lol.

Some stuff I don't understand why I'd ask, but a lot of people have it on their lists. Like diet plans. They tell you all of that stuff since it's part of being a doctor so I'm not sure why I would have to specifically ask. I'd assume it's part of the surgery having to talk to a dietician and get a plan post and pre-op and they'd tell you when to take your supplements and meds since they will be telling you you have to take the supplements to begin with, right? So I just get confused why I'd have to ask that specifically.

umm......???

She's congratulating you on you having your surgery date soon.

If you are taking birth control to regulate your periods, try talking to your gynecologist to see what you can do. I have stopped taking my birth control since 2 years ago after being diagnosed with PCOS at age 17. That was 10 years ago now and I was on birth control for 8 years non stop. I have since been getting regular periods but the thing is that I am at my biggest weight ever, or was.

I started a diet back in March of this year and lost 20 pounds. It was slow but I lost it and I was not entirely eating THAT great but it was 10x better than what I usually eat like. Let me also point out that this was pre-op. I still am pre-op.

I know that PCOS has troubles in itself with making our weight be weird, but I think birth control really contributes to some of that, too. It's just my opinion.

If you aren't taking birth control then I don't think you should have too much trouble. You are only going to be able to eat a few ounces of food at a time. There really is not much room to gain weight for quite a while with the sleeve from what I can tell. There are very few cases where people don't see much weight loss that I've read on the forums, VERY few, and it doesn't seem that they are particular to having PCOS, either.

Okay so I've done about 3 major searches through the forums for posts related to questions you should ask your surgeon. There is no 1 direct place where this is located and I was wondering 2 things.

First off, is there anyone that could maybe make a pinned thread of a list of questions that might be good to ask your surgeon that people can add to like some of the other things that are pinned? It seems to be a really popular request.

Secondly, I'm going to write out the questions I have written down to ask. These are all ones I've either thought of or found here on the forums to be really important. Can you guys think of anything else I am missing??

*Feel free to copy and paste these into a word program and print them for yourself!*

- Can you take a picture of my stomach that you take out?

- Do you utilize catheters?

- What bougie size do you use?

- How many sleeve surgeries have you done on people with a BMI similar to mine? What types of results to they see?

- Do many of your patients lose 50% of their weight or more?

- What are the biggest reasons you see your patients "fail" at long-term weight loss?

- How many years out is your first patient, and what have their results been? (side note for you guys, this will also give you an idea how long your surgeon has been doing weight loss surgeries)

- Will I have a drain?

- Will there be any post-op medications I need to take, what ones?

- How many incisions will there be?

- Is a sedative something I can request or is it automatically given?

- What can I expect to feel like upon waking up from the surgery?

- Are there any "leak" tests performed?

- How are the incisions going to be closed?

And that concludes my list. Do you know of anything else I should maybe ask my surgeon in consultation?

Well sh*t I need to start kegels NOW so if I happen to lose weight fast nothing gets all Drooper McDroops on me!

What?? You won't miss your "fupa" (fat upper p****y area) ?? Lmao. I love this question!

I think it probably lessens, the "hype" over it or whatever. But unless you wanna fall off the bandwagon you really don't really forget about it, at least I don't think. I mean once you're at 100% top goal weight you might not really check it anymore but I would just to make sure I'm not gaining any back

I'm soooo excited but Patrick you're right I'm so nervous and I'm trying to write down every little thing I possibly can. I need to research back up the threads that I read about what you should ask your surgeon at the consult. I need that list for Monday!

Awesome!! Congrats!! I was self-pay too & it was frustrating figuring it all out. Our credit isn't great, so our fees are higher, but still workable for us. Good luck with the rest of your journey!!

You financed yours, too?

If by any chance Mexico does not work out, feel free to contact me. I just got approved financing for my surgery to be done in the US and if you can afford the payments per month then it's perfect. If you don't have good credit they let you put co-signers in so it's not a huge deal as long as you can pay the monthly repayment. I have recently discovered a lot more US surgeons for bariatric are doing this medical financing thing because it's easier for patients without insurance, or insurance that won't cover it.

Oh my gosh it DOES feel so great. That burden is lifted and I just feel so much better when I don't have to think about the money aspect so now I can think about the normal aspect!