makemyownluck

Did you ask for her opinion? If so, you get what you ask for, I guess. Even if you did, there's no reason for her to question your will power or strength to do this. It TAKES will power and strength to do this, to admit to yourself that you CAN'T tackle this problem and you want the help you think will be best for you. Shame on her! I don't tolerate bs like this from anyone in my life, so if someone said something like this, I'd put them in their place. So anyone in my circle who felt like this would know dam better than to say something like this. That said, I was scared to tell people. Still haven't told many. Because even though I can put them in check for saying something like that, it is still hurtful to hear, and I'm sorry someone who's opinion you value is being a jerk! Only you can make choices for you, don't let the naysayers get you down. Maybe you'll find out how good a friend this person really is through this journey. And though it hurts, it's not a bad thing.

I agree with Arts!! Some companies make it so complicated with all these extra requirements because there is a percentage of people who will give up OR won't even start the process in the first place to avoid the hassle! But if you have your mind right and know what you want - let them deny you. If they deny, they have to tell you WHY they deny (which they did), so now you just give them what they want and eventually they will approve!! The good news is that they didn't deny you because you don't have coverage for it, because THAT you can't get around. You got this!! Good luck with a fast approval!

No memory of the breathing tube - BUT before they put my out, they were tying my arms down and THAT was weird. I would have panicked, but I was taken off to sleep about 2 seconds after that...

Hi! I noticed that you had surgery with Dr. Ayloo. I saw her before going to Rush and I did NOT like her at all. Worst experience with a doctor ever in my life! I'm hoping you had better care with her!

I took off 2 weeks for a desk job. I'm really not looking forward to going back and wishing I could afford to take more!!

How wonderful it would be if you could stop taking those strong medications for good! I hope that this surgery can tackle all your ills and that life will only continue to improve for you! Good luck!!

I don't know why, but reading "your stomach is still swollen and angry" made me laugh! I tried a Protein shake for the first time last night (about a day and a half before I'm supposed to... SHAME ON ME, right?) and my tummy was doing whale songs for about an hour afterward. It was interesting!! I wonder if my tummy was angry at me for the shake or thanking me for it?

This friend of mine is always so thoughtful. I talked to her on the phone when I was still in the hospital, the day after surgery. I was still pretty loopy, and I remember telling her about my upper GI that morning and how my stomach looked like "a little worm" Well, that night she and her 4 year old daughter made a little sculpture of a worm for me out of clay. It's psychedelic colored and glittery... She brought that over to me as well! I love that woman - everyone should have a friend like her!

Good luck with your visit! Hope all is well and that traffic wasn't terrible! You know, you're a mom - it seems to me that moms have special MOM powers, so maybe you will bounce back quicker simply because you're used to running after your kids? IDK - just trying to think positively for ya. As far as your husband getting time off work - he could apply for FMLA. It guarantees time off for medical needs, either your own or for immediate family members. He would qualify for it since you're his wife and having major surgery. He should check with his HR department and find out what he has to do. Your surgeon can fill out the paperwork for him and then he doesn't have to worry about whether or not his boss will approve the time off! Definitely take advantage of the rest in the hospital. It's hard sometimes with how often the nurses come in to check your vitals and stuff, but for the most part, they left me alone to sleep and tried their best not to disturb me.

One of my oldest and bestest friends just stopped by. She's been MIA since I had surgery because she was diagnosed with strep the day after I had surgery and she didn't want to get me sick. Today, she made up for her absence (not that she had to, by any means) BY BRINGING ME SOME chicken broth FROM PANERA! I never thought of going to a restaurant and asking for broth. This genius friend of mine just made my whole day. This is divine!!! had to share...

Yes you can! Everyone's stages of diet seem to be different, but it's such a high water content that you should be able to have it soon enough. I'm looking forward to having it just in time for summer and the delish watermelons they have at the farmers market.

What's the mechanical diet? Are you eating machine parts? Cuz that would explain the pain...

I'm a week post op today, and the pre-op diet was harder than anything I've experience post op! But try to keep your eye on the prize... it will be worth it in the end, and by day 3 or 4 of my pre-op diet, my hunger was completely gone - and hasn't returned yet! good luck, you will make it! DON'T CHEAT! I know you didn't say you did, but cheating, even a little, keeps you on the hunger train... The trick is to cut out your processed sugars and carbs so that you aren't feeding the beast and still feeling hungry all day. You can do this!!

I'm sorry you're going through this!! Biotin will help, but it takes a few months to build up in your system. how much are you taking? It's not possible to "Overdose" on biotin, so get something strong and take it 2-3x/day. I got a liquid version from puritan.com, it's 3000 mcgs per dose: http://www.puritan.com/biotin-421/liquid-biotin-3000-mcg-051290 They also sell a biotin conditioner as well, but I haven't tried that. You can also try Rogaine for Women, or even for Men because that formula is stronger. And thickening mousse might help. Or even try a new haircut so it's not as noticeable. Go to a good stylist and tell them about the thinning so they can suggest something to hide it best. Coloring your hair also plumps up the hair shaft, but can be damaging, so do that with caution or under the care of a stylist. It may sound counter productive, but cutting it shorter (obviously, I don't know what your hairstyle is now!) can make it look thicker, too. I'd also suggest not washing/styling it every day. And if you put your hair in pony tails often, don't do that - pulling your hair back causes a lot of breakage. I use Wen hair products and I don't have to wash my hair daily with that. I also feel like my hair feels fuller using that (I've always had thin hair). Good luck, hon. Hopefully it will slow down, soon!!

I had my surgery last Thursday and didn't BM til Monday. Didn't have gas coming out that way until Monday, either (but I burped plenty!) My MD put me on Colace (stool softener) to make sure it wasn't difficult to pass. If you're not on anything, I recommend getting some milk of magnesia or other stool softener to make sure it doesn't get too backed up in there.

The sleeve is NOT reversible! They remove your stomach, and it ain't growing back! My PCP didn't know much about the sleeve, either. How funny! But, congrats on the referral! I hope it goes well for ya!

Rush and University of Chicago are two different hospitals, but I think they are right by each other. There's that whole medical district where there's like 8 hospitals in one area - Rush is on Harrison, off of 290 at the Ashland/Paulina exit... I think your hospital is over there too, but I'm not sure. I'm 32 - I did get the sleeve, just had surgery a week ago today, actually! I'm doing good... I'm still sore when I wake up in the morning, but as long as I get moving, it gets better. I stayed in the hospital for 2 days. Went in Thursday, went home Saturday. I did pack a bag, but I didn't use most of it. I slept a lot because of the anesthesia, and was too groggy when I was awake to do much - I brought my ipod, magazines, a book, crosswords - didn't use any of it! I did use my phone, tho, so bring a charger with you! For my bag, I didn't pack clothes (I just wore the clothes I came in when I went home), but I did bring some facial cleansing wipes (because bending is painful at first to wash your face), lip balm, deodorant, toothbrush/toothpaste, lotion, and a hair brush. I wished I had brought some petroleum jelly or carmex, because my usual lip balm didn't seem to last long because I was so dry... The first few days home, I slept A LOT. I think your body heals when you sleep (at least that's my theory!). So I would definitely see if someone can take your kids off your hands for a few days. I don't have kids and I couldn't imagine having to take care of children right after that surgery. I barely was able to take care of my dogs! But every day does get better... I can move around a lot easier and I only take my pain meds once a day now. I'm actually gonna try not taking them tomorrow and see how I do! The pain meds make me sleepy, so it's hard to take them and still function. I'm off work for another week. I wish I could afford to take more time off because I'm sure I'll be quite tired when I get back to working! I've gotten used to my afternoon naps! lol It's cool to meet someone in the area! I wish you luck with the approval process, I know that being on the medical card they can take a little longer to approve, but it IS possible to get it done!

Congrats!! I'm glad you got back on track for your sleeve, no matter how long it takes. There were many times in the beginning when I felt like giving up, so I know how devastating it can be when things don't go as you expect. That analogy is great! Definitely, the more you can do to practice post-op life, the better you will adjust to it! Many people have the mentality that you need to enjoy something "for the last time" or have a "food funeral" but the fact is, if you're having surgery - you want to change your life! And that starts TODAY. The more you lose pre-op, the less you have to lose post-op - why handicap yourself by doing destructive things one last time simply because you CAN? I'm glad you're choosing to start now! Besides, the day will come when you can eat what you'd like, just lots less of it, and in moderation, so there's no point in mourning what you can have again! Got a little off track there - What I really wanted to say was CONGRATS! July will be here before you know it. Good luck to you!!!

I can relate to part of this. I'm just a week post-op, so I'm not in 'head-turning' territory (yet), but I remember my youth when piggish men would try to holler at me while I was innocently pumping gas, or when I'd be at the grocery store. I must have that "wholesome" vibe because I always got the most attention doing everyday things, when I wasn't all dressed up or wearing a ton of makeup. But I've been in the 'invisible' category for many, many, many years. I have had very few relationships because of my weight and my low self-esteem preventing me from dating, so I don't really know how to navigate an adult relationship. I wonder how I'll deal with male attention. A friend of mine said to me, "You're gonna turn into a *****!" and it was meant as a joke (I think), but I wonder if it's not a little true, that I'll go on a bender of men just because I CAN. I also think to myself that I'm currently perceived as a tough girl. Yes, I can defend myself now, but that's because I have quite a bit of weight to throw around and because I'm large and tall for a woman, I don't look like anyone you'd want to mess with. But when I slim down, will I still have that presence? Probably not - and I'll have to work to build up my muscles because throwing blows won't have the same force behind it when I lose the weight. I'm honestly afraid of becoming more of a target for violence. I live in a semi-urban area, not the safest place in the world, and I live alone. I feel like becoming more attractive may open me up to the possibility of being attacked, mugged, robbed, raped, car jacked... I really think about these things. I wonder if I'm just being paranoid or if these are legitimate concerns. If I walked down my street right now, the worst I'd have to face is someone laughing at me or calling me fat (yes, it's happened). But I have a one particular friend who's skinny and attractive and any time she's at my house and we're in my front yard, piggish men are whistling at her, coming over to talk to her, honking their horn as they drive by and I really don't know how she takes it! Then again, she's always been that attractive, so it's normal for her. I really don't want that kind of attention! I don't want to be seen as a sex object - until I find a man I want to date... Maybe this isn't exactly the point you're trying to make, but I do have some worry regarding how I'll be treated in the world. Part of me worries that it will all go to my head (and I'll become a *****; or at least an attention *****) and part of me worries that I'll be very defensive and react negatively to it. Guess I won't know til I get there... and I have a ways to go, I think!

lmao @ Laura... as usual!

I'm in Aurora, had my surgery at Rush University Hospital last Thursday.

I couldn't sleep the night before surgery either!! I think I slept for 2 hours. I ended up sleeping for 6 hours in recovery!

Dang! Lisa Lampinelli and Paul Wall are the only two I know and they've already been mentioned. TOO SLOW!

If it's no different than Mio or Crystal Light, then i don't see what's wrong with it! I drink one Crystal Light a day, and I put my liquid biotin in it. It's a nice little treat - and only 5 cals! Enjoy those 5 cals!

My work has a small gym but hardly anyone uses it. I use it on my lunch break. We get an hour and I only need about half that, so I get on the treadmill when I want to. But my office building is right next to a hotel with really nice grounds, so as the weather improves, I'll take my walks outside. I don't do anything but treadmill there and I have a gym membership for more intense workouts. I think for me it's just a privacy thing - everyone walks by the gym on the way out, and I just don't like being "on display" like that!