twobluecats

Don't worry about the discretion. Trust me, I fully understand, and I have no clue who you might be! But, I do know that I wish you the very best of luck. I just can't figure out why you are having trouble with United. I was actually shocked as to how quick they responded. I actually got the letter from them this week explaining their decision. Pretty cut and dry.

I wish you the very best of luck on your journey, wherever it takes you. And, feel free to contact me if you have any questions. My surgery is set for December 14.

Glad to know you are home. There is no place better to start the recovery. I wish I could wiggle my nose to demonstrate how much better you will feel a couple of weeks out. My first four days or so were sorta lousy. Yes, volume is hard, but even the sipping becomes more frequent as the days go by. I still take FOREVER to get a stupid protein shake down, but today was my first day to get all my protein (well 62 grams, should probably try for even more, but baby steps) without a protein drink. But, drinking water (flavored with the diet Ocean Spray, something I did even before surgery) isn't as difficult.

Feel free to ask questions if something comes up. And, HAPPY NEW YEAR! How exciting to enter 2010 on our way to good health!

GRR..JUST LOST THE WHOLE MESSAGE I WAS SENDING! I couldn't get the myfitnesspal.com to allow access. Generally, these are the staples for me:

lean turkey and ham deli meat with havarti rolled

Wolf Brand Lean chili and a bit of cheese

Lump crabmeat with cocktail sauce

Greek Yogurt

Cottage cheese

One scrambled egg w/cheese

Roasted chicken breast

Meatloaf

Tunafish salad

Roasted Edamame for a great crunchy snack

Light string cheese

Babybel cheese

And, if I don't know what the day looks like (I usually plan ahead), then I will have a Premier Protein Drink for breakfast. I'm eating what the family is eating most nights. I get about 30-40 grams carbs, but the nutritionist suggested more. I don't want to add more just yet. I have a few reduced fat wheat thins with tuna, and I've had a thin corn tortilla w/chicken. And, I had 1/2 of a panini made with a thin slice of italian bread over the weekend. No pasta or rice yet.

How are you doing? Will I see you at the support group meeting?

Hi Barb this is Matt,Theresa's husband we had a good night but , when leaving the hospital she had a bout with nausea and severe pain. Now that we're home, it's all eased sipping on some protein.

Theresa says don't fret about EKG findings. She's sure that a Cardiologist will clear you for surgery. In fact, a girl having surgery yesterday had to do the same thing. Let us know how it all go's we're pulling for you.

Howdy! My husband indeed works for Mary Kay. Are you here in Dallas? Yes, my insurance is United through Mary Kay. I submitted nine years worth of medical documents and also my Weight Watchers information showing six months of meetings and weigh ins this year. Surprisingly, I heard back immediately that I had been approved.

Sorry for the big time delay in my response. I was away from the boards for a while!

It's weird how we all lose so differently. You and Barb both lost much quicker than me early on. I've been pretty steady though. I am on the elliptical every night, and I think that seems to help.

I know we have to lose at this rate, and I keep thinking about what it will be like six months down the road. And,you have to remember that you have so little left to lose comparatively speaking.

Will I see you next week at the support group meeting?

My stomach talked to me like the dickens, and it still does some when I eat. The burping is crazy, but they say it will subside after four or five weeks. I can't eat anything without lots of loud burps.

My doc gave me a prescription for Pepcid. Insurance didn't cover it (think it was around $40) because Pepcid is also over the counter, but different strength. I take it twice a day, once when I wake up and once when I go to bed. I think that helps A LOT. I noticed early on when I'd wake up I had this horrible almost hunger pain, but it wasn't hunger, it was acid. When I got the Pepcid in my system, it made a big difference. The prescription is for three months. He also gave me a one month prescription for a nausea pill. It melts on my tongue, but I haven't needed it since the first week or so, but it really helped. It was the same drug they used in my IV. And, I have Gas-X strips that I also used the first week or so. I haven't needed them since then.

That's great news! I'm hoping to hear from them this week. I will probably call them on Tuesday if I haven't heard from them. I really liked Dr. Nick, and I'm ready to get this show on the road.

I've never really thought of surgery until very recently--always thinking I could do it on my own. But, I've finally reached a point where I can't face the hard fight and the backwards slide anymore without ever actually achieving a normal and healthy weight. I'm terrified of surgery, but I feel like my odds are against me if I continue at this weight.

Please keep me posted on your progress, and I'll let you know what they say when I call (or they call) this week.

Theresa

Darn it...I am stuck at work......boo!!!!! I'm doing just the opposite.....only 20 minutes or so of CONSISTENT daily exercise, but religious calorie/protein/carb counting....Still at 200.4 today.....

Doing well here, and I swear I talk about you and Anna every single day! I hope to see her on Wednesday at the support group meeting. Are you back to work yet? I go back on the 18th. I decided to take quite a bit of time off to get my head on straight and play with my meal planning and such. My job is not physical, but it's certainly stressful. I'm still using MOM every now and then as I'm probably eating too much cheese--gotta love that protein. I'm getting all my protein from food now, which is nice. Still haven't tried dense meat, but I'm having some thin-sliced deli meat, and I had turkey white chili that set really well. I'm on the elliptical twice a day for 15 minutes each, and I hope to increase that this coming week. I'm ready to eat veggies!!!! My loss is right about 18 pounds plus the 16 I loss during my preop. My month anniversary will be Monday; can you believe that! Thanks for checking in, and keep me posted on your progress!

Done! December 14! Woo Hoo! I will start my preop diet the day I get back for Walt Disney World. I'm so ready for a new life. And, yes, knowing that we can look at January 1, 2010 in a whole new way is absolutely energizing.

Gonna be at the support group meeting tomorrow night. Hope to see you!!

Great news, Barbann! My insurance approved my surgery, and I have my consult with Dr. Nick on Thursday. I expect to have surgery the week of December 14. We are headed to Disney World on Friday and gone all next week. So, I'll get back and do my two week liquid diet. It's so hard to believe that I'm doing this, but I think I'm ready! Glad we get to go on this "ride" together.

Great to meet you the other night!

Hello there! I was wondering how your consult went with Dr. Nick? I have one this coming Thursday. Were you able to schedule surgery?

Hello! Just checking in with you to see how you are progressing. I LOVED Dr. Nicholson, and my husband enjoyed the seminar too. I think he felt more comfort after hearing all the questions. I'm hoping to hear something next week regarding my insurance coverage. My family (parents and brother) are still very apprehensive and worried that we don't have enough information about this procedure, so hearing of other peoples journey makes it easier for me to know this is the right thing for me. If 10 years worth of medical notes from my doctors that cadidly document my weight ups and downs don't show the need, then I don't know what does. I think it's hard for folks who don't live in this skin and who have not fought the battle for years to completely understand.

Hello! You know, It's killing me to wait around for the doctor's office to get back with me on my insurance benefits. And, the longer I wait, the more I go back and forth on whether I'm selling myself short to go the surgery route. That said, I know in my heart of hearts that my history speaks for itself when it comes to my success rate. You are such an inspiration, and I could really use some right now. Did you struggle with the decision, even the with the band? Do you recall what your deciding factors were? I'm terrified of surgery, and I know going in to remove a major portion of my stomach is not a light thing to consider. But I'm SOOO TIRED of my weight dictating every aspect of my life. Words of advise, honesty would be greatly appreciated as your story and your success and apparent zest for life are all something I really connect with. Thanks for listening!

Hello! You mentioned that you will be traveling up from Austin on Wednesday. Are you flying? Which airline? I work for Southwest Airlines, and I'm gonna be killing some time after work before the seminar. If you are interested we could meet for coffee or something before the meeting.

Hey friend! How are you doing? I'm hanging in here. Are you planning on attending the meeting tomorrow night? I know it's quite a drive for you.

Hey, Barb! It's Theresa. I'm doing okay. The pain has really just been around the largest of the incisions. The pain pump came out today, but I still have the stupid drain until next Wednesday. I haven't got sick at all, but I can only take in about 2 ounces at a time. I've had protein water, chicken broth and cream of chicken soup. Just a tiny bit fills me up, and I feel a sense of real fullness, then a gurgle, and then a burp! You can't much more of a worrier than me, and I promise you can do this. Any word on your cardiac stuff yet? Keep me posted, and I'll be sure to keep you updated with my progress too.

Hey, friend! Just checking in on you to see how you are doing. I have my six week checkup on Thursday. Hard to believe it's been that long. Frustrated because it's PMS week big time, which means the scale won't be my friend on Thursday, but it's the life of a woman, I suppose! I am officially down 24 pounds since surgery and 40 since preop. Not a speedy loss, but I guess I'll take it. I'm certainly doing all the things I'm supposed to do, so I'm "trusting the process." It will come. So, how about you?

Hey, last minute change means we won't be at the support group meeting tomorrow night. I go back to work Monday, and we decided to make a quick trip to Disney World tomorrow morning and come back Saturday. I'm sorry for the last minute notice, but we literally just decided to do this as the flights look really good. If you go, let me know how you like it, and I hope to catch up with you soon!

Hi, Norma. I am expecting to have surgery in December, and I would LUV to begin therapy around the same time. My hope is I can find a therapist in the Dallas, TX area that focuses on eating issues. I just want to ensure that I'm doing all I can to beat this unhealthy relationship with food. Any advise on therapists in the area? Many thanks, and I hope all is well with you!

I am using myfitnesspal.com, and I love it! I have not found an item that is NOT listed, which makes it very easy to track. And, I've even added some of my own recipes. It's sorta fun to play around with different food items and see the protein count. I'm also trying to keep my carbs between 30-40. I am tracking my exercise too now. I'm pretty sure that would be the date for February...it's the second Wednesday of every month, and I would LOVE, LOVE to see you there!

I can't wait to see you!!!!!!!!