makemyownluck

Wow, I had no reaction like that. Colace was a lifesaver for me til about 4 wks post op - took it every other day to make sure things kept moving. I still have some on hand "just in case" but I haven't needed it (I'm about 8 1/2 wks post op now). If you're having constipation (or haven't gone in a couple days) then you should try Milk of Magnesia. It does kinda make you go, though, so make sure you'll be home for a few hours to give it time to kick in...

took about 4 wks for me. overall I was okay after the first week, but I couldn't sleep on my side until about 4 wks so I never felt fully rested after sleeping at night. Getting comfy in bed again was the turning point for me!

It will have to be part of your medical record, I don't know how likely the insurance would be to accept a pic from you, but if your MD will put it in your chart, then it will help!

yes! any time you get that, try to get to your MD so they can document it! Even if you just call your doc and ask for rx cream (assuming he's seen you for it before), that call will be documented in your chart also - all of which is just what an insurance company wants to see before approving the surgery!

I'm only 8 wks post op, but I know i'm gonna have to deal with this, so I've done my research! I've also worked in insurance for 10+ years doing the reviews for these exact surgeries, so here's what i can share: Panniculectomy is different from a tummy tuck because they don't tighten your abdominal muscles. They simply cut away the flap of skin and sew you back up. Now, it's a big incision, obviously, and it's uncomfortable to heal from. You might have difficulty standing straight up and cleaning yourself in the bathroom for a week or more. (longer if you actually get a tummy tuck because of how tight your abs are!) Insurance varies, so check with your carrier - not all insurances require that you've had skin rashes to get this covered. Your surgeon could take pictures and measure how long the flap hangs. If the skin hangs lower than your pubic bone, you can probably get it covered. Also, some carriers will pay for it if they approved your weight loss surgery because this could be considered a residual of the WLS. Long story short, it doesn't sound like a very pleasant experience, but it's something I plan on having to do eventually as well. I'm still focusing on getting anywhere close to goal, so it's a long way off for me. Hopefully, I can afford to pay for the tummy tuck portion myself so I can get the very best result! Good luck to you!

There are changes to be made, especially for the first 6-12 months post op, but I will go out on a limb and say "never say never" when it comes to the post-op rules. i'm 8 weeks out. I eat anything I want. Granted, I made a lot of changes to my diet pre-op and "what I want" isn't the same as it was a year ago... I've made my share of sacrifices, but I never was a beer drinker and stopped drinking sodas about 10 years ago, so it was never a big deal to me that I couldn't drink carbonated drinks. I think it's important to know why something is on the "DO NOT DO THIS AFTER SURGERY" list before deciding whether or not the rule applies to you. I'm not advocating going against drs orders, I'm simply saying that we're human and we have to make choices for ourselves, also. Beer/alcohol is full of calories, as I'm sure you know. Also, when you have a reduced stomach, you absorb the alcohol faster and can affect you much differently than it did pre-op. Also, as you lose weight, it takes less to get you intoxicated. Many people struggle with cross-addictions - meaning they no longer have food as a comfort, so they indulge in booze or drugs instead. For these reasons, and I'm sure others, it is not recommended that you have alcohol for 6-12 months post-op. Beer/carbonated drinks, besides being full of calories/carbs, are also more likely to give you painful gas. Again, with the reduced capacity of your stomach, filling it with tiny air bubbles can cause gas, pain, bloating, cramping - all unpleasant side effects that are easily avoided by not drinking these things. However, some people never have these problems. You'll only know if you can tolerate it if you try it. But because of the other reasons listed, again, you should avoid these things 6-12 months post-op. That's not to say you can never have these things again! You'll have to try them out when you're ready. And you may find you don't have a taste for it anymore by that point - or that you need much, much less of it to be satisfied. You will be healthier and happier and will find new, wonderful, fun hobbies to share with your wife! Why does it feel like a weak way out? Surgery is not fun or easy.

I'm in Aurora too! Had my sleeve May 2nd @ Rush University in Chicago.

I was also sleeved 5/2! I had bruises around my incisions for about 2 wks. The bruises from the blood thinner shots (I had several) took almost a month. Eat bananas! Potassium helps heal bruises. Good luck!

I'm about 5 1/2 wks out (surgery May 2). People tell me I look good. I have 3 garbage bags full of clothes that are clownlishly too big and I can't wear anymore. I'm starting to wear clothes that haven't fit me in 4-5 years. I'm sticking to my diet, tracking every bite of food, getting my Protein and Water in. I'm exercising regularly. In short, I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. But the scale won't move!! I don't get it! I know I'm losing weight. I can see that I look a little smaller. All my clothes and shoes are looser. So what gives? I had my lowest weight 2 wks ago and have put about 5lbs on since then... I just don't understand. Why is the scale being so stubborn?? And I'm not posting this cuz I feel so sorry for myself, I'm asking a serious question - How does this happen? How could it be possible that I'm shrinking but the scale won't move? Will I suddenly get on the scale one morning and see 10lbs gone? On one hand, it's frustrating. On the other, I feel great! VERY confusing!! If anyone has any insight into this phenomenon, I'd appreciate some info...

PRECISELY what I was looking for. Thank you!!

I was able to drink pretty close to normally since about 4 days post op... I'm 5 1/2 wks out and have had no issues. I don't chug, obviously, but I drink normally. I can also take normal bites from my food... I've only had indigestion once or twice, and it's usually from eating too fast, so I've been working on that..

It could happen sooner than you think!! I'm NOWHERE NEAR my goal, but I already move around soooo much better. I've lost about 70lbs since I started with pre-op stuff and I already notice a major improvement! I don't have to struggle to get up anymore. Yesterday I went shopping all day, while wearing TERRIBLE shoes for walking, and had zero pain, wasn't tired at the end of the day and wasn't constantly looking for somewhere to sit down!! I can't wait for it to get better as I lose more and more! Hang in there, everyone! You can start to reap the rewards of weight loss well before you get to your goal! Good luck!

have you tried the flavored hummus? I'm not a fan of the plain or pine nut - but I love the roasted red pepper and the italian herb. They also have an olive one that my friend raves about, but I'm not an olive fan, so I haven't tried it. Another good alternative is avocado. Just smush it up and spread it on the flat bread! like I said, I love wraps... and the flatout flat bread is really tasty - they have a "plain' version also that I make "grilled cheese" with for tomato Soup. It's more like a quesadilla, but whatever you call it, IT'S TASTY!

I must be losing inches.. I've never taken measurements, but if all my clothes are too big, I must be losing inches, right? I guess I'm just a lil mad too because when I was doing my pre-op stuff, I was losing weight at a much faster rate... then I have this surgery to 'help it along' and I'm stalled out!! I'm trying to stay patient, but it's hard! Still having NSVs, though... like wearing jeans that haven't fit me in years! And I have gotten a lot of compliments lately... I'm gonna keep my focus and keep working on this! It will be a welcome and wonderful relief when that scale starts dipping down again!

I make wraps for lunch all the time... I think you could do better making it yourself! Here's my go-to wrap: Kretschmar low sodum turkey - 2oz = 60 cal, 13g Protein Sabra Tuscan Herb hummus - 1/2 tbsp = 35 cal, 1g protein (2.5 carbs) Flatout Flat Bread Light - Italian Seasoned - 1/2 slice = 45 cal, 4.5g protein (8 carbs) and then I pile on spinach, which adds maybe 2 calories. Total: 142 calories, 18.5g protein, 10.5 carbs. And the spinach takes a while for me to digest, so it keeps me full for a long while! I'm all for convenience, so this isn't a bad choice, but I definitely prefer to make things myself to save on sodium.

I started with walking. At first, 5 minutes on a treadmill seemed like too much. Now I do about a mile a day, sometimes more. I'm currently 385, started at 459. The key is to do more than you did the day before - more time, more distance, more speed - whatever you can manage that particular day. I also do strength training with free weights. helps get your blood pumping and increase muscle mass, which in turn boosts your metabolism. Good luck!

I'm just over a month out from surgery and can eat just about anything. I've modified a lot of my foods to cut carbs, but I don't feel deprived at all... I have no issues cooking for myself, but I have NOT tackled eating out at a restaurant yet! The portion I'd be able to eat just doesn't seem worth it, but I do enjoy socializing over a meal... that's gonna be the tough part for me, but as far as what I cook for myself, I've been able to be creative and enjoy having lots of leftovers and stretching my money!

When my mom came to see me in my room right after surgery, she told me that she talked to my aunt and told her what I was doing. She felt guilty, and I was mad at her!! I was doped up on morphine, but I was so mad about it!! I feel like she spilled my Beans, I really didn't want to share this with anyone. I don't mind being helpful on a web forum, but I just don't need everyone in my real life knowing about this... That said, I have only told my parents (who told the rest of the fam, apparently), and 3 of my closest friends. I can't quite articulate why, but I just don't want people to know about it! It's no one's business!

It's great that you're getting your head in the game! I dieted for 8 months prior to surgery and lost so much weight! About 2 months before surgery I started doing Meal Replacements with shakes until I was on liquids prior to surgery. I didn't have a food funeral or anything, but I did allow myself to indulge when the urge hit - which wasn't often. It sounds like you are serious about making a change, and I honestly think that's the most important part!! People who aren't fully committed are more likely to make mistakes, cheat, feel bad about it, and continue the cycle of abusing yourself with food! Good for you that you're wanting to commit to it now, not just after you have the surgery! As far as bite sizes - Yes, it's important to practice, but I haven't had any issues with taking too big of a bite. My bites are smaller now than before, but not by a whole lot. Some people use baby spoons and such, but I just haven't had that issue with swallowing/digesting that others do. it's nice to practice these things and be aware of them, but the surgery affects people differently. It's fantastic to be as aware of what you might need to do, but I don't think a ton of practice as far as that goes is necessary (unless your prior habits included shoveling food in and swallowing without chewing, lol). Good luck! I had surgery 5/2/13, down 32lbs!

lol, right! I wanna be the biggest loser around these boards. You'll see!

I really don't know how to explain how little the lifestyle changes have really affected me. Something in my mind just clicked when I knew I was having this surgery. I had a similar feeling when I quit smoking cigarettes years ago. I had quit smoking maybe 20 different times and kept going back to it. But the last time I quit was the LAST TIME because something in my mind just clicked and I was able to quit. Just as trying so many diets and failing and deciding to have the sleeve to end the cycle - something just clicked. I sailed through my pre op diet, I'm 4 wks post op now and pretty much eating whatever I want. I wish I could explain how my mind just up and decides it's ready to do something like this! Some of your fears may come from doubting the surgery, so do your research and hopefully you'll feel more confident with your choice. Good luck!

I had a barium swallow pre-op and post-op as the leak test. They were the same test for me, except post surgery it was harder to swallow enough barium to get a clear picture and rolling on that table felt like absolute torture, even with the most patient radiologist and aide in the world! You swallow barium and they take a bunch of xrays. You get on a table that move, you go from standing to laying down, rolling to this side and the other side and hold your breath while they take a series of xrays. You sip the barium the whole time, which tastes like Mylanta without any flavor. Chalky, kinda gross. I never had to do any other testing, no endoscopy, no other leak test that these others say tasted worse than the barium. I just had the pre-op and post-op barium swallow.

Sorry I didnt see your questions til now, I'll still answer in case anyone else wants to know... The way my surgeon did it was to schedule for surgery about a month out, submit the paperwork and wait for approval. I called bcbs to check status and they approved 2 days later, so my surgery went ahead as scheduled.... congrats on your approval!! I hope you can get scheduled soon!!

It's different for everyone. My taste didn't change at all! But I agree - don't overstock cuz you just won't know if you'll have that problem til after surgery! Good luck!

I did a 2 wk liquid diet. I didnt think it was torture at all, and I lost like 17 lbs!