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My surgery is the 12th. But my smoking test is the 5th!!! Yes I am super scared but it is so hard. I want this surgery more than anything.

Not to sound cruel but if you really want this, stop smoking. You can do it and once you're past about a week, it is not longer physical but mental. I say this as someone that smoked for over 20 years. I quit prior to my surgery, cold turkey, because my surgeon refuses to operate on anyone that smokes and yes he tests as well. My only choices were to quit smoking and have surgery or keep smoking and not. It was difficult but I had a decision to make and did it. You can as well.

The itching and pain can and will come and go.

Yep, this is normal. I wanted to jump in a swimming pool to quench the thirst! Just keep sipping and in a few more weeks you'll be able to drink a more normal sized portion of liquid.< /p>

There were several issues over the years: painful knees, inability to travel without purchasing two seats, fear of sitting in unfamiliar seating when out, tired of always being the largest person in my social circle and so on but the final straw was....I broke my queen sized bed frame earlier this year. Alone. Most people break beds having fantastic sex with another party but not me, I sat on the bed and it gave up the ghost. A beautiful sleigh bed that I've had for over ten years was ruined. I was mortified and placed the mattresses on the floor within frame where they still reside. One day, when a decent amount of weight has been lost, I will purchase a new beautiful new bed and hopefully the memories of that day will finally be banished.

Best of luck to all of you and I hope that weight loss will help increase your fertility.

Just one thing I wanted to add because of my personal experience, though!

If you AND your partner haven't had a full workup, do not let any doctor tell you (without running any tests on both of you) that your weight is the culprit in your infertility.

DH and I wasted years TTC being told the only issue was my weight. So as I tried diet after diet to lose weight (Nutrisystem once, Weight Watchers twice) and only shed thirty five pounds I was heartbroken and beating myself up for our inability to conceive. Three different GPs told me the issue was my weight, without bothering to run hormone panels or test my husband.

Well, we FINALLY got a sympathetic GP that tested both of us and lo and behold! The issue was my husband, poor guy. I could have lost 100 pounds and it wouldn't have made a lick of difference - we had to move straight to IVF w/ICSI.

So unless you're SURE it's PCOS related infertility (the way weight is usually culpable for infertility) or some other issue losing weight can resolve, be sure to get tested! Do not allow your medical professionals to discriminate against you based upon your size, and take the lazy way out.

That is all.

Best to all of you gals!

~Cheri

I wish everyone would read this post again. Fat women have been getting pregnant and having children since the dawn of time so obviously weight alone is not 100% the cause of most infertility. Please get yourself and/or partner tested for everything fertility related. For women, PCOS is real and probably effects millions because their doctors do not take their issues seriously. Weight alone is not always the culprit in health issues!

I have been lucky to be treated by a wonderful ob/gyn that tested and diagnosed me with it years ago. Never any judgement concerning my weight (highest 397 lbs) and she has been adamant that when ready, she would prescribe me with any fertility drugs needed to conceive. Since I am still single that was never necessary though but it was nice to have a physician that did not play the weight fear game, refreshing actually.

Once again, please get tested before automatically believing your infertility is weight related, changing doctors if necessary to get the best health care results.

I was on a liquid diet for two weeks prior to surgery with a non food/drink after midnight the night before admission. I cheated and had chicken most nights for dinner but was very honest with my surgeon about that. There were no requirements of a bowel prep but I did an enema the evening before for my own personal comfort level.

A friend and I used the same doctor for our WLS procedures and we each had different instructions for our whole six month nutrition program and beyond. I understand it as we had different medical histories and general differences in body structure. Every person is an individual so comparing yourself or journey to another, even when using the same physician, is probably not wise. Follow the rules given to you and proceed from there.

UHC is awesome when it comes to approvals. If the doctor's office in question is on top of their game, submitting everything requested, it should be a breeze. My doctor's office submitted on a Monday afternoon and by Friday mid-day I had my approval via phone call from my bariatric care coordinator. She called me before the surgeon's office did!

I know what me benefits are and have a max of 20,000 for bariatric surgery. I had all of my requirements completed the same day as my consult. It did take a few days for all of the tests to get to my coordinator. So i was very prepared at my consult. Would you recommend calling the hospital billing for this information possibly since my coordinator just states price is between myself and insurance. I just feel comfortable signing and not having a clue if i will owe or not.

Asking for estimates from the doctor and hospital can be helpful but do not stress over the figures received. What is billed is usually very different from what is paid if these are contracted providers with your insurance company.

For example, my facility bill was just over $30k and the pay amount $22K while my surgeon billed almost $15K and was paid only close to $4k. Also do not forget there will be other ancillary charges associated with an inpatient stay as well.

What does you doctor think about your weight loss at this point? Every person's journey is different, trying to compare yourself to another will probably only cause unnecessary anxiety and stress.

Okay, so now I am on the registry just reading random bedbug stories.....why or why do i do this too myself as I set in my bed on my laptop....Thank you for the site, great resource.

I know exactly what you mean! When I first discovered that site, I was on it for hours, LOL. Now it's bookmarked and I do not travel without it.

Really? Are surgeons not putting their patients on a preventative for gallstones?? Mine prescribes Actigall (aka Ursodiol) as a matter of course (unless you no longer have your gallbladder) for at least the first 6 months post-op. Gallstones are a pretty common side effect of rapid weight loss. I was more than happy to take a preventative - after WLS I wasn't in any hurry to have surgery again - for anything - EVER!

My Dr also prescribes Actigal. I just need to be more diligent about taking it. Because I'm not allowed to swallow pills I have to open the capsule and put it in pudding... very nasty taste.

Mine did the same, only issue is he prescribed the pills twice a day and I have enough difficulty getting it down once. Is anyone only taking it once a day? If so, how has this been working for you? I've never had gallbladder issues but they do run in my family.

If you don't mind me asking, how much weight have you lost?

No problem but I have no idea how much weight has been lost. I decided not to be a slave to the scale in the beginning. I joke that at this point I am just trying to survive and thrive. I visit the surgeon next week so I will have an official number then. Shall report it back.

44, had surgery on 7/17/12 and still trying to figure everything out.

4 weeks

Check, out eggface, she has some great recipes.

http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/

I'd say stay away from both forever if possible, why risk it?

Yep, that is it! And since they stopped using it those things are everywhere EWWWWW. I get nervous everytime we stay in a hotel. They give me the ebi jebbies.... And all you have to do is take one home.

I use this site to check hotels and so far, so good.

http://bedbugregistry.com/

If you are lactose intolerant, Premier Protein is not for you. The best Protein for you is a pure whey Protein Isolate.

I figured as much but am getting desperate and was willing to risk a drink. I know about whey protein isolate and have purchased some unflavored by Jay Robb but am afraid to actually try it!

I've tried several flavors of Isopure and each is more disgusting than the last. Kicking myself over that waste of money because they are not cheap! I keep hearing about Premiere Protein Drinks but am lactose intolerant and afraid to risk trying it. Maybe if I could find them for sale individually I would take the risk and try one but cannot purchase a whole case when I have already wasted so much money on Protein junk to date.

No but it was a standing threat from my surgeon's office that helped me to quit smoking like I was supposed to prior to surgery.

Going to be honest with you, I could never imagine going through the pre-op process while under an H.M.O. as I hate the whole begging for care aspect. I did that coverage for years and only stopped after taking a job where it was not an option, best move ever for me personally. I wish you well and luck with everything.

Honestly, Protein powder is an individual thing. I had several that I enjoyed prior to surgery that I can no longer stand the sight/smell/taste of. I've not had an easy time with the pre-mixed liquids either. Perform a search and you will find many threads about Protein with people providing reviews of their favorites. I am trying Jay Robb next as he has an unflavored powder that I hope to mix into Soups.

Good luck!

Best wishes for a quick and uneventful recovery!

When I set the appointment, I specifically asked if they handled psych evals for WLS and they said they do... My PCP told me to get the psych eval so he could submit the request to refer me... but my plan recently changed so no referrals are done for psych care anymore. Supposedly it's to give the patient more choice, but I could really use some direction!

So I'm hoping since I specifically said I was coming for WLS psych eval, they will be able to do what I need... it's just a regular counseling center, tho. They seemed to know what I wanted. Maybe I'll call them tomorrow to make sure...

I have worked with H.M.O. before but never under these circumstances. I understand the gatekeeper rules which is why the PCP has to refer to a surgeon but once that happens, would you not be under their care with them submitting all additional referrals? I'm asking this because how are you able to jump to the psych eval when you do not even have a surgeon? As mentioned by someone else, surgeons usually have a whole team that they refer patients to who know exactly what info is needed to obtain for eventual insurance approval. I would probably wait on all of the pre-op stuff until contact is made with a surgeon and you've joined his/her program.

Considering the small amounts being eaten, I'd say have 4 to even 6 meals a day. I am averaging 3 to 4 bites before becoming very full. It's frustrating because I need to eat a bit more plus I am wasting food like crazy which makes me feel bad.