makemyownluck

No worries on the paper. I only got a copy because I'm sure paranoid and wanted to deliver it to my PCP myself... I didn't have to take any tests either, just talked to the doc. All programs are a lil different, so dont sweat it.

You look great!! I have several shirts that could maybe be tailored into dresses once I drop the weight, I hadn't thought of doing that til I saw your pic. Great idea!

Very good message, and lots will benefit from hearing/reading it. Myself included!! I have always been heavy and have never felt beautiful. The supposed compliment of "you have such a pretty face" has never made me feel great about myself, it feels more like an insult. And I hear it a lot, and I agree that I have a lovely face, but it seems in our society having a nice face doesn't mean much. So many allegedly beautiful women only have rockin bodies - no one seems to notice or care if they have an ugly face. So, I'm kinda hoping to fit into societies standards of beauty a bit more, but that's not really my goal for having surgery, either. I'm not expecting this surgery to make me beautiful, just healthier. Anything else that comes with that will just be a bonus.

Let us know how it goes!!

I don't see my family often throughout the year at all, and am really looking forward to having something like this happen to me. I'm hoping for surgery in May and I probably won't see many of my family members til Thanksgiving time. Plenty of time to take off a bunch-a-chunk! Congrats on all you've done so far. nothing like a boatload of compliments from people who really love you to keep you on track!!

what a great problem to have, huh? can't help on the clothes, but I can say you look great in your profile pic. Congrats on the weight loss!!

I wanna hear these suggestions too, cuz I hope to have surgery very soon and am worried most about preop liquid diet and how to avoid eating my arm off. GOOD LUCK with your surgery. :)

the only thing better than a good BM, is a good BM at work. nothing like getting paid for that! hahaha

Good luck! Mine was also smooth sailing. I was sure they'd lock me up and shrink my head, but I passed! I made a copy of the letter and told my PCP "Yeah, I kept a copy of this letter saying I have no psychiatric conditions, in case my family and friends ever question me on it." We had a good laugh. GOOD LUCK! :)

you look incredible!! great idea using the same outfit before and after. love it!

AMAZING!! you look so happy! congrats to you for all your hard work, I esp love how you say you love your results even with the sagging skin. takes a strong person to love everything about themselves!! great work, and thanks for the inspiration!

welcome!! and good luck with your approval!!

I use the Premier shakes from costco - low carb/sugar and 30g Protein. they taste okay, I mix with almond milk sometimes too. I get the ready to drink boxes, but they also have powder. muscle milk light is okay too, but has half the protein. my NUT recommended Isopure and jillian michaels Protein Powder, but i've not tried either of those. I brought her a carton of my Premier shakes and she said they were great (better than some she's recommended, she said she's putting them on her list of recommendations!) CONGRATS on getting off the bp meds! I'm pre-op and on HTN meds, would LOVE to be able to get off mine that quickly as well!! best of luck to you!

BREATHE!! you'll be on the losers bench soon!

try experimenting with removing one thing from your diet at a time. I've read plenty about people who have different food tolerances post op. Take one thing out and wait 24-48 hours to see if your symptoms subside. If not, take something else out. Start with anything dairy - lactose intolerance is common after being sleeved for some reason, even if you never were before. Also, gas-x makes strips. Sometimes pills take too long to kick in, the gas-x strips work right away.

once your surgeon submits a pre-auth, the insurance company should respond within 30 days. but you have to check with your carrier to see what their requirements are. I started this process last year with H.M.O and found out they require 18 months of supervised diet. I switched to PPO as of Feb 1st and I'm already doing pre-op testing and will set a surgery date on my next visit - the PPO doesn't require the diet, even though the insurance was with the same company (BCBS), just different plans. typically, to be approved, you need: -BMI 35 or more plus 1 comorbidity (blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, sleep apnea, arhritis, etc) OR BMI 40 or higher -psych eval to confirm you don't have any mental d/o that would stop you from following post op advice -documentation from your PCP saying they recommend/clear you for surgery -dietitian counseling -supervised diet - some plans don't require any diet, some plans can required up to 2 yrs. your carrier can tell you exactly what their requirements are. Or, depending on the state, they might have their medical policy online. I have BCBSIL PPO and their requirements are online for anyone to see. As far as how long, that's gonna depend on the requirements and how quickly you can book appointments for all the requirements pre-op. Then when you see the surgeon, they'll send you for a bunch of tests too (that's the stage I'm in). Good luck!

I'm pre-op too, yoli and I get that feeling sometimes as well. I think it's natural, but it's our time to do the right thing for our health. I keep reminding myself that I've had 32 years of eating whatever the heck I wanted and it got me to here, so why should I continue to want (insert no-no food here)? When I get in times like this, I try to think of all the times I've had that particular item in my life. For instance, if I try to think of how many gyros I've had before, it could easily be in the hundreds, if not more (I love me some gyros), and when you think "I've had maybe 400 gyros in my life, do I really need ONE MORE?" it puts it in perspective that you're not depriving yourself NOW, it's that you over indulged IN THE PAST. Better just to let it go... when we're skinny, we'll have more energy and confidence to do fun things instead of sitting around obsessing over what's for dinner, anyway.

I had pain like this when I had my GB out - it is normal, as veronica said. i also attest that a heating pad works wonders!

lol, SO TRUE!!! I'm just thinking of how much more effective (and entertaining!) the anti-obesity campaigns would be if they promoted this side effect!!

soda and pasta aren't going to make you happier... yes, it's an adjustment, but you did this because you wanted a change, sweetie. Try to hang in there and re-learn what food should mean in your life. it should be something that nourishes your body and keeps you healthy - pasta and soda don't do that. Once you're at goal, you can try to have them "once in a while", but by the time you're in maintenance and you reflect on all the hard work it took to get you there, you may find you don't want them anymore. They're just hanging around in your head trying to sabotage you - be strong!! Good luck!

This letter is saying you're approved. They have to put in the "this is not a guarantee of payment" part to cover their butts in case 1) your insurance lapses between now and when you have the procedure or 2) they are billed for something other than what they've approved (as in, your MD requested approval for sleeve and instead they do a mini-bypass or something that's investigational and not covered). It's just technical mumbo jumbo, but in short, it's saying that they agree that your surgery is medically necessary. Which means YOU'RE APPROVED! Congrats!

I'd go easy on the Iron intake at first, monitor your bw and see if you need the extra supplement. Too much iron can cause constipation, and the surgery itself can also cause this side effect, so you don't want to make it worse by taking more iron than you need. Multi-v with extra iron should be okay, unless you are already anemic. Get bw to monitor and make sure you need it!

Balding - not a good look. Bald completely - HOTTT. Seriously guys, if you're losing your hair, it's going to age you a lot. Even if you're losing your hair prematurely, trying to cover it up or do your hair differently isn't gonna help. There's a guy at work who is losing his hair. He's in his 30s and instead of embracing it, he's grown his hair out and slicks it all forward in attempt to cover it up. The hair is all solid and gelled and separated from the comb he uses to style it - I just don't know why he thinks that's a solution! He's not a bad looking guy, but that hair is THE WORST! Every time I see him, I swear I think he'd make a great "there I fixed it" meme re: going bald. I think completely bald heads (like yours) are quite sexy.

As a woman, I can say that I can't want to see penises growing bigger and longer after I start losing weight too!

Most surgeons will tell you that weight loss is similar between the two procedures. RNY is still considered "the gold standard" simply because it's been around much longer. With either surgery, you will likely experience stalls. It's a normal process with any weight loss, surgical or not. Your results will be based on the effort you are willing to put it - as far as choosing between the two surgeries, you just have to decide what you want to live with for the rest of your life. The biggest deciding factor for me, in all honesty, was the fact that with the sleeve, you don't have dumping. After reading the details about that common side effect with RNY, I knew I didn't want to put myself in that situation. The fear is normal, too. If you didn't worry about having major surgery, then something would be wrong with you! IMO, the RNY is for people who really don't have control over what they eat. As in you NEED that potential for getting sick to keep you on the right track. Not that it's guaranteed that you'll experience dumping, but it's likely, and that can happen at very inconvenient moments, and it could happen at any time after the surgery. It's not a side effect that goes away with time. Talk over your concerns with your surgeon, and they can help you make the right choice. Good luck!!